The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One' (4 page)

‘Even then yer
knew ‘ow ter tease...’ he whispered aloud and shaking himself free
from his thoughts once more, he rose up in his stirrups to address
the silent crowd.

‘I’m under
orders from the king, the king on ’oose bounty we all turn durin’
‘arsh times an’ these are such times me friends, a man named Gideon
Green ‘as committed treason ‘gainst our beloved king an’ I’m
ordered ter offer freedom to whomever will aid me in entering the
forest an’ bringin’ this man ter justice.’ Toby sat back onto his
saddle as he watched the crowd. His time in the army had taught him
how to read people, how to turn a fast coin and to see how things
could be profitable for him, here, he believed the people would be
no different. He could usually see where news, whilst incredulous
to some became, would become as money to others and these types of
people were always good for his pockets.

He closed his
eyes and listened as his words sunk in; voices and mutterings
circled the crowd, a growing cacophony of sound from the people who
knew Gideon.

‘Why’ and ‘what
for?’ He heard repeatedly, until the sound of children crying and
the sounds of scuffling, as men were subdued violently by the
soldiers became one. The noise intensified waxing and waning like a
wave on the great ocean churning up the pebbles as it hit the
beach, it was almost hypnotic. Toby was elated, all he needed now
was Mayan to be here to witness his greatness, he felt like a God,
all matters were his to control, life was his to give or take. The
power flowed through him and he felt an erection building again as
the blood rushed around his body.

A rock flew
from the crowd and struck Toby on the face, his scar reopened and
blood slowly oozed and dripped down his chin, a hushed silence
returned to the people before him.

“Oo struck me?’
He demanded, enraged that his moment of glory was spoiled. Rising
in his stirrups once more, he asked again, his voice shrieking in
anger. ‘Who. Struck. Me?’ The crowd remained quiet, heads turning
left to right worried and scared.

“Twas me…,’
said a voice Toby knew and hated, ‘I know who yer be boy, me who
prayed fer yer, me who raised yer an’ me who wishes I never ‘ad.
Animal, I called yer, an’ animal yer be Toby, yer no be welcome
here, in yer fancy clothes, ye or yer vermin.’ Toby stared at his
father whose face was wet with tears mingling with the deep red
blood of his mother. ‘We’ll no ‘elp yer, nor tell yer nowt.’ Tom
finished and turning his back on his son, he crouched down once
more and again cradled his dead wife Selda, in his arms.

‘Stand and look
at me old man,’ Toby called as his father’s sobs became audible.
‘Stand I say…’ Toby called again and for a moment, his father
looked as if he were going to comply, Toby smiled coldly as his
father hunched over as he struggled to rise, eventually coming into
a standing position holding his wife’s body in his arms. Without a
backward glance to his son, he began to walk away in the direction
of his burning home. The riders stood aside to let him and his
dreadful burden pass. Immediately the air whistled and a thorn
suddenly appeared to be growing from the man’s back, the blood
glistened and bloomed across his jerkin like a flower as the arrows
force drove Tom to his knees, Toby remained standing in the
stirrups.

‘People,’ he
cried pointing at his dead mother and dying father, ‘there yer see
me parents, Tom an’ Selda Brewster. Such is the urgency of me
mission, I will kill all o’ yer that stand in me way an’ ‘gainst
the king. I be trusted with this message from yer benevolent lord.
If yer refuse yer king’s offer... you an’ yer kin will be taken to
Devilly an’ sold at the slave markets fer knowingly aidin’ a wanted
criminal.’ Toby allowed the message to sink in, once more
attempting to use his profiling skills in a vain attempt to
determine who would be the weak link but his eyes continually drew
back toward his dying father. Finally, the man fell forward and lay
sprawled across his mother’s body, unexpected sorrow filled him
briefly but he shook it off as he waited in frustration for someone
to come forward. No one moved.

‘Yer ‘ave sixty
minutes ter decide yer fate...’ Toby shouted, angry with himself
for ever listening to his father’s lies,
I made me own future
Da, I did it mesel’,
he screamed at the body silently before
dismounting and speaking quietly to one of the soldiers. He stared
at the frightened faces of people who now knew who he was and he
smiled coldly, ‘Sixty minutes...!’ He shouted again before walking
the short distance to the inn and tying his horse against the post
he went inside to help himself to a drink.

Leaning over
the bar from the wrong side in a style he had often witnessed from
both Jack, Mayan’s father and her brother, he drew himself a jug of
the Inn’s finest ale, listening avidly all the while to the slavers
outside who had already begun moving amongst the villagers
assessing possible profits and tying hands. Toby moved to the
window and after ripping down some hanging crystals that spun gaily
in the light, he peered out at the people who had once been his
neighbours. The screaming and crying grew louder as he watched the
robed men place the villagers into groups sometimes separating
families, husbands from wives and mothers from their children. With
some anger, he watched as Jackie, Mayan’s brother fell to the
ground, slavers were kicking at him as both Apple and Sámia tried
in vain to prevent them. Annoyed, he rapped on the window and
called to the guard, reminding him that the Brewster family were
not to be touched. The guard pulled at his forelock and rushed off
to stop the beating, the men, glancing toward the inn and Toby,
backed off scowling.
Always was too ‘ot ‘eaded,
Toby thought
as Jackie lay still on the ground.

‘See May, all
this I do for you...’ he whispered through the glass as Sámia
cradled her bloodied husband to her breast. Drinking alone in the
empty inn, he grew angry again,
where was Mayan? Why was she not
here to witness his triumph?
He looked at the now empty jug and
threw it at the bar behind him where it hit the wall and showered
the space behind it with pottery shards. A quick intake of breath
disturbed him as he watched the broken pieces fall.

“Oo’s there?’
He demanded, ‘come out now or I call the guards…’ he added, his
voice full of menace.

‘It’s Bea,
Beatrix Drunner,’ replied a small and frightened voice.

‘C’mon out Bea,
they be looking fer Gideon not you,’ he answered softly; realising
maybe he had found his weak link after all. The serving girl
crawled out from behind the bar and slowly moved across the floor
toward him on her hands and knees. Toby stared at the vision, this
should be Mayan, he thought as he watched the girl’s creamy white
breasts trying to defy gravity and remain enclosed in the almost
too small dress.

‘Toby it’s you!
They’ll see yer, get down.’ Beatrix whispered, panic evident in her
voice and clearly not understanding that Toby was in charge. He
squatted down, out of sight now from the outside world, the sounds
of occasional skirmishes and the screams and cries of the women and
children.

“Ow we gonna
get away Toby?’ Beatrix sobbed quietly as tears ran down her face
and chin dripping onto the floor, only for her knees to dry them
instantly as she crawled toward him across the room. Toby was
mesmerised by the swaying breasts coming closer and closer, he
thought of Lemba and her small milk white breasts adorned only by
beautiful little blotches of yellow and purple and then of Mayan
and how her breasts had been a creamy colour.
Mayan had deep
pink nipples; I wonder what colour yorn are Bea?’
He thought as
she crawled nearer and finally reaching Toby, she fell loosely into
his arms as he squatted on the floor, her breasts tantalisingly
close to his chest.

‘I didn’t mean
ter ‘ide,’ she began, talking fast now that she was no longer
alone. ‘I was in t’ cellar and didn’t hear the soldiers until it
were too late, then they started ‘urting folk, so I stayed ‘ere,
I’m afraid Toby, what’s goin’ on, what der the soldiers want?’ She
sobbed again. Toby stared at the girl he had known all his life, he
had watched her grandparents’ home burn not long ago, and absently
remembered the name of the young man who had helped them, Bea’s
brother.
Rory, Rory Drunner
, he thought, though he did not
recall seeing their parents amongst the people gathered outside, it
amused him to think of what he knew and she did not and then of
course, then, there were those breasts…

‘Toby,’ Beatrix
cried quietly, realising his mind was elsewhere, ‘Toby talk ter me…
what’s ‘appening, what’s goin’ on?’ She added fearfully as her eyes
still glistening with tears darted toward the noise outside the
window before coming back to Toby himself. Toby pulled her to him
protectively.

‘They be
looking fer Gideon and seems they be gonna ‘urtin’ folk until they
find ‘im,’ he answered, trying to look as if he were frightened
too.

‘But why, e’
ain’t done nowt… e’ ain’t even ‘ere,’ she cried softly. Toby
stiffened slightly as he realised his pray had escaped and after
forcing himself to relax once more, he began a quiet and soft
interrogation.

‘I know ‘e
ain’t Bea,’ he said, ‘I been trying ter find ‘im... ter ‘elp ‘im,’
Toby continued as a frightened Beatrix began to cry again. ‘D’yer
know where ‘e is love?’ He asked, holding his breath in
anticipation as he waited for the girl to stop sobbing and answer.
‘We gotta warn ‘im… ain’t we?’ He continued quietly in a concerned
voice, as no answer was forthcoming. Beatrix turned her tear
streaked face toward him, and at last opened her mouth to
speak.

‘He’s gone
ter…..’ she began but stopped as a loud scream from outside
suddenly ended sharply. Unconsciously, Bea again leaned in toward
Toby, once more trembling with fear. Swearing to himself at the
untimely interruption Toby tightened his arms around the girl once
more, offering her the illusion of safety and she responded by
putting her own arms through his crushing her large breasts against
his chest.

‘I’ll look
after yer Bea,’ he said hoarsely, feeling a stirring in his loins
as her chest rose and fell against his. ‘Iffen yer tell me where
Gid is.’ He finished.

“E be gone ter
Branton ter see ‘is grandfolk, it’s
no
secret, May and Jed
went with ‘im too...’ she answered softly, glad to have someone
strong with her to protect her from the madness outside.

‘Gone! No
matter, I’ll get ‘im soon enough.’ Toby replied angrily as he
realised his pray had escaped. Beatrix heard the command in his
voice and startled, looked up at him, noticing for the first time
he was no longer the callow youth she had known. He seemed older,
meaner somehow and disfigured by a scar that ran the length of his
face, she suddenly felt vulnerable and alone and sorry she had told
him where Gideon had gone. Toby tightened his arms around her once
more, angry at the intense scrutiny.

‘Toby, yer
‘urting me,’ Bea whispered as she attempted to pull away from the
too tight embrace but as she pushed against his chest with her left
arm, her breasts squashed together invitingly. Toby’s grip
tightened again holding her right arm fast between his side and his
upper arm. Ignoring her protests and using his free hand, he
quickly reached for the tight cotton bodice of her crumpled dress
and ripped it open. Her breasts fell free and hung like full
pendulous udders, dark brown nipples finished off the soft creamy
white mounds.
Purple and yellow
, he thought as he cupped her
left breast and squeezed hard.

‘TOBY NO…’
Frantically Beatrix screamed as she struggled, slapping and
scratching as she tried to loosen her trapped arm and get away,
Toby’s erection was solid and painful. With his father dead, this
time there would be no one to stop him.

‘They’ve traced
us,’ Varan said again as Lemba ran down the hill. Quickly he stood
and threw his hands into the air, mind to mind; he threw
instructions at Dotty one after another and Jed leapt up ready to
protect Lemba with his life.

‘Stay where you
are boy, do not move,’ Varan hissed.

‘But…the
soldiers...’ began Jed, unable to finish as Varan exclaimed,
‘
we
endanger them; they’re not searching for a mother and
son. If you want to help them…, hide!’ Varan hissed, too busy to
explain what he was doing as his hands waved and his fingers made
intricate patterns in the air. Jed, feeling sick with worry threw
himself into the hollow of the tree trunk on the ground; he crawled
in as far as he could ashamed of himself for failing Lemba at the
first sign of trouble. Through a split in the bark, Jed watched the
soldiers approach and stop at the top of the incline but before the
officer could speak, Dotty ran up the hill toward them her hands in
front of her gesturing at the cart and looking like she was
pleading.

‘…red plague
fever!’ he heard her cry and there were real tears on her face, Jed
could see the sun glinting on her cheeks. Lemba slowly followed
behind Dotty staggering and holding her head. She collapsed onto
the ground a short way away from the cart and remained lying there;
quite still, Jed’s heart was in his mouth as he watched through the
hole. A burning sensation on his legs turned his attention away
from the fate of his friends and twisting his body as silently as
he could in the cramped hollow bole of the tree his blood suddenly
ran cold. His legs and feet were invisible under a blanket of ants,
oh great…, jus’ what I need,
he thought
, fire ants. I
must ‘ave disturbed the nest as I climbed in,
stoically, he
gritted his teeth as the ants crawled up his body, climbing between
the layers of his clothing and injecting their venom straight into
his skin.
They’ll head for me face,
Jed thought, the idea
itself making him panic slightly, knowing the danger they were all
in Jed could do nothing but watch as the copper-red ants crawled up
his body
. I thought them things didn’t like the flippin’
cold…