The Nightblade Epic Volume Two: A Book of Underrealm, page 7
“They are making better time than we are,” said Chet. “We should ride harder.”
So they did, spurring their horses to a trot that they kept up the rest of the day. Deep in the heart of the forest, it was impossible to see very far in any direction, particularly behind. Turning from the path could lead the horse into a root or a tree. But now Loren thought she could feel eyes behind them, watching their progress, and it was all she could do to keep from staring backwards as they rode.
As the sun neared the top of the ridge far behind them, she searched for a stream. Fortunately, such were plenty in the Birchwood, and she soon found one to suit her purpose—shallow enough for the horses to walk in, yet deep enough that hoof prints on the bed could not be seen from above. Chet saw her aim at once and led them north in the middle of the stream, the water foaming white around their mounts’ hocks.
“Ugh!” said Gem as a splash of water soaked his feet. The shoes they had bought for him in Wellmont were now worn and had holes. “This water is cold.”
“Mayhap, but it will keep us safe,” said Loren. “They cannot track us in the water.”
“How long must we ride it?” said Xain. “I agree with Gem—I do not wish to sleep in a soaking bedroll, my wet clothes clinging to my skin.”
“And I do not wish to sleep with Shades lurking in the forest all about us,” said Annis. “We will ride as long as Loren and Chet tell us to.”
Loren looked at her gratefully, and Annis gave her a smile. It was plain the girl was frightened, but her hands were steady as they gripped the reins, and her mouth was set in a grim line. Loren had not forgotten Annis’ face in the Greatrocks when she confronted her mother. A spoiled merchant’s daughter she might be, but there was pluck in her.
Soon the soft loam of the forest floor turned to hard and rocky dirt. The light was fading fast from the sky. “A cave,” said Loren. “For the horses.”
Chet nodded and led them out of the water. They searched about for a place they might conceal their mounts. Soon they found one: a cleft in the earth, wide and tall enough to ride inside, and with a corner behind which they could hide. There they hobbled the horses and left them with some oats, and then dragged branches to block them in and discourage them from wandering.
“Now back to the river,” said Loren. “Quickly, all of you. Chet and I will follow.”
“Why are you not walking with us?” said Gem.
“Enough questions, boy,” said Xain. He gripped Gem’s shoulder and pulled the boy along. “Do as she says.”
Chet had a hatchet, and with it he cut two wide branches from nearby trees. With the limbs in hand, he and Loren retraced their steps to the river. Wherever the sparse grass had been disturbed, they used the branches to brush it back straight. With their boots they smoothed any soft spot in the forest floor where hooves had left a mark. Soon they found themselves back at the river, all signs of their trail removed.
“Now cross it, and strike out in the other direction,” said Loren. “Hurry! Soon it will be dark.”
“It is dark enough for me now,” said Gem. But he had had enough rebukes for one day, it seemed, and he followed Xain obediently.
Into the forest they plunged, Loren letting Chet lead the way while she brought up the rear. Chet knew her mind without having to hear it, and led them to a rise in the earth that could be seen not far away. They came to its base, and Loren took the rest of them up the rise while Chet remained at the bottom and built a fire.
“Why are we climbing if we mean to camp at the bottom?” said Annis curiously.
“We do not mean to camp at the bottom,” said Loren. “We mean only to build a camp at the bottom.”
Xain’s eyes flashed with recognition. “We have left a trail to it,” he said. “If we are being followed, they will come to the fire. But from atop the rise, we can see them without being seen ourselves.”
“Very clever,” said Gem. “I only wish it did not mean we must sleep without a fire tonight.”
“If we are right in our suspicions, it will be many days yet before we can light a fire at night again,” said Loren. “Now quickly, let us find trees where we may sleep.”
“Trees?” said Gem. “What are we, owls?”
“Leave off, Gem,” said Annis.
Chet soon had a small campfire going, and he abandoned it to join them atop the rise. Together he and Loren found trees with wide branches that were hidden from the ground, and in them they built small platforms from branches they cut with the hatchet. Soon they had places for the children and Xain to lay their heads. For themselves they found two thick branches side by side, and lay lengthwise upon them.
Together they lay, arms hanging down just a few feet apart, and peered out into the darkness towards the campfire. Though a fair distance away, it glowed like the sun in the pitch-black night. All was quiet, save for the sounds of Gem and Xain rustling about, uncomfortable in their makeshift beds.
“Do you still think this course is wise?” said Chet quietly. “If they have caught up to us so early, what makes you think we can evade them until we reach our village, or the Great Bay beyond?”
“If they have tracked us this far, why do you think we would evade them if we were to change our course now?” countered Loren.
He sighed. “Mayhap. But then again, if they see we have turned aside, they might guess that we no longer mean to warn the Mystics, and leave us be.”
Loren thought of Trisken and the cruelty in his smile—the same cruelty she had seen in Rogan’s eyes, in that brief moment on the streets of Northwood. “You do not know them,” she said. “They are not the sort to leave matters be, nor to show mercy.”
He did not answer that at first. After a moment he said, “Mayhap this is all needless worry, and the riders we saw behind us are not even following our course. But if you are right, and we are pursued, what do you mean to do?”
“Find some way to evade them, I suppose. I have not had time to think that far ahead.”
“Well, mayhap it will be needless. I hope so.”
Loren snorted, and thought she saw him smile at the sound. Then suddenly he thrust a finger ahead and whispered, “Look.”
She tensed, expecting to see figures approach the fire. But he was pointing instead at the moons, which had just crested the horizon to shine their silver light across the tops of the trees. Below them, the familiar leaves of home had turned into something else, a thousand thousands of fingers of pewter rather than lively green, swaying in the gentle breezes of the night. Far away they heard the songs of whippoorwills and owls, prey and predator joined in a nighttime chorus. Loren let out a long breath, and for just a moment felt the tension of the day’s flight leave her. She looked back to the moons. Merida, the smaller, was especially bright, while Enalyn was partly hidden behind her sister.
“Merida leads the way tonight, her lantern searching the Birchwood for her mother and father,” Chet said quietly.
“Enalyn follows cautiously, urging her sister back home to await their return,” said Loren.
“Always I have wondered if I would live to see it, the day when the sisters at last find their way to those who search for them. I wonder what it would look like, a sky with no moons.”
“It would be a sadder thing, I think,” said Loren.
“I think you are right.”
They were quiet for a while after that. Even Gem had stopped rustling above them, though Loren still thought she heard the occasional noise from Xain.
Finally Chet spoke again. “This part of the journey is not so bad.”
“You are right. It is the times before, and after, that make up for it.”
He snorted a brief laugh, and then grew dour. “I … I cannot stop seeing the streets of Northwood,” he said in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
Loren looked at him. He was easier to see now in the moonslight, and she saw a faraway look in his eyes that she felt far too familiar with. “It may be some time until you can.”
“Was it the same for you?”
“That I cannot tell you, for I cannot see inside your mind,” she said. “But I can tell you that, when I first saw soldiers killed by other soldiers, I dreamt of their lifeless faces for days afterwards.”
“What made it stop?”
Loren thought of the long road since. “Seeing many things worse.”
He did not look comforted, and turned his face back to the moons. Seized by impulse, Loren reached out and took his hand in hers. Almost at once she felt unsure of herself and began to draw back. But his fingers tightened, not in restraint but in comfort. So she left her hand where it was. He did not look at her, nor she at him. Together, they only watched the moons.
Then a shadow passed in front of the fire below.
They pushed forwards to peer into the night. There—she saw it again. A dark figure crossed the light, and then another. Now she could see them illuminated in the orange glow. Six figures she counted, and she caught glimpses of their horses in the trees beyond. She saw at least one cloak of grey, but none of the blue-and-grey uniforms the Shades normally wore. Still her heart sank, for she knew the truth: whoever the figures were, they were hunting her and her friends, and had at last found signs of their prey. A moment later, they stomped out the fire and cast dirt over it, and vanished into the darkness beneath the trees.
Loren let out her breath in a sharp whoosh. “You left no trail that might lead them up this rise?”
“None,” said Chet. “With any luck, they shall think we doubled back and made for the river again. They will follow it farther north, and by the time they realize their mistake, we shall be leagues gone.”
“With any luck,” said Loren. “But my travels have not given me reason to rely overmuch on fortune.”
“Let us wait an hour, and then wake the others,” said Chet. “If we wish to make use of our lead, we cannot spend the night here.”
“You are right. Close your eyes now—I shall wake you when the moons change places.”
Her gaze followed Chet as he curled up closer to the tree’s trunk, propped between the branch on which he lay and the one just next to it. Soon his eyes were shut in slumber, his lips slightly parted and deep breaths wheezing between them. She turned her eyes outwards again, but she rubbed her thumb across the palm of her hand, and kept doing so until she woke them all an hour later.
THEY ROUSED THE CHILDREN FIRST, who woke with many grumbles. When Loren swung herself up to rouse Xain, she found him already awake and staring at her in the moonslight. She suppressed a shiver.
“They followed us to our camp,” she said. “When they found it empty, they left. Now we mean to ride on, while darkness still hides us.”
He nodded and rose. Together the party climbed down from the tree to land softly upon the grass. Loren and Chet led them off into the trees, with Xain bringing up the rear. Her gaze roved the woods before them, searching for any sign of movement. Most likely Chet was right, and the Shades would follow their trail all the way back to the river. But she was keenly aware that they could be walking into a trap.
They saw nothing all the long way back to the river, nor after reaching the other side. Swiftly Loren led them to the cave where they had hidden the horses. She heard Midnight’s gentle nicker and breathed a sigh of relief. They fetched their mounts and gained their saddles before making for the river again. Once they had crossed, Loren spurred them on as quickly as she dared in the dim moonslight.
All night they rode, until the sky before them grew grey and finally broke with dawn. They rode a little farther still, until they found a stream where they might water the horses. Finally Loren called them to a halt.
“Well?” said Chet. “We have seen no sign of them, and have gained many leagues. Do you think they will abandon the chase?”
“I doubt it,” said Loren. “We should guess that they will be at least as tireless as we are, and mayhap more so. Then we cannot be surprised, except pleasantly.”
“What do you mean to do, then?” said Gem, yawning wide. “Ride on until we collapse? I do not think that will help our cause. I am blessed with great stamina, but even I tire eventually.”
“Yes, we are all well aware of your great endurance,” said Annis, rolling her eyes. “Never have I called you the Prince of Snores under my breath.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Good.”
“Children,” said Loren in a warning tone. “I am not ready to let us rest. Not yet, at any rate. If indeed we mean to lose them, we must ride at least a little longer. Eat now, and stretch your legs upon the grass. But then we must continue, and quicker than before.”
Annis and Gem began to grumble again, but she ignored them and went to fetch her breakfast from Midnight’s saddle. Then, because the mare had run hard all night, she fetched an apple from the bag and fed it to her. But Chet seized his hatchet and walked off into the woods. Curious, Loren went after him.
She found him a ways off, looking at the lower branches of a young oak. He chose one and gripped it firmly, then began to hack at it near where it joined the trunk.
“What are you up to?” she said.
“I hope we have left our pursuers behind,” he told her. “But then again they might find us, and next time it may come to a fight. If it does, I would see us armed. But we have no blades to hand, nor would I wish to use one if we did, any more than you. I thought I could make us some staves. Indeed, it would be nice to have a walking stick in any case, for when the ground grows rough.”
Loren smiled. “A wise thought. I am glad to find you so helpful, for I had thought you saw this road as folly.”
“Oh, I do,” he said quickly. The branch came off the oak at last. He stood it up, measured the right height, and began to cut away at the other end. “I still think we should abandon our course and ride north, or south, or anywhere other than where we mean to go. But as long as I am trailing in your footsteps, I might as well try to make that road less perilous. Who knows? If indeed they are still following us, mayhap we might find help in the village. A score of woodsmen could help us fend them off in short order.”
Her spirits dampened, and she looked away. “Chet, that is a poor idea.”
He shrugged. “Why? They know the Birchwood better than anyone. Do you think they could not drive away a dozen fighters, even these Shades?”
She turned away. “I do not wish to argue. Just let us hope we have lost them.”
Leaving him to his work, she went back to the others. The children sat in the grass and ate. The horses had taken their fill of the stream and now grazed along the ground.
“Where has Chet gone?” said Annis.
“He is fashioning staves for us,” said Loren. “In case we should come upon any more trouble.”
“I shall keep my blade, if it is all the same to you,” said Gem. “I am still practicing the stances Jordel taught me, but I think I could take one of these Shades in a fight.”
“Of that we are all very certain,” said Xain, rolling his eyes. Loren smiled. Though the wizard still looked thin and haggard, it was encouraging to hear him jest, even so feebly.
They sat and enjoyed the morning sunlight for a time, until Loren began to think she would have to go and fetch Chet to ride on. But just then he returned, and in his arms he carried five staves of different sizes. One he threw to Loren, and she caught it easily in her hands. Three others he dumped on the ground before Gem, Annis, and Xain, and kept one in hand.
“Here you are. Some fine walking sticks if we must dismount—or weapons, if we are forced to fight.”
“I told Loren already, but I prefer my sword,” said Gem. He nudged his staff away with a toe, though Annis had taken hers and was hefting the weight of it curiously. Meanwhile Xain had scarcely glanced at his.
“But a sword can rarely prevail against a staff,” said Chet. “A blade is a fine weapon for a battle, I will give you that. But if you are not standing in rank and file, you should take the weapon with the longer reach.”
“Fah!” said Gem. “Do you think you could have stood against Mag, if she carried her sword and you a staff?”
Chet pursed his lips and cocked his head. “Mayhap not against her. Yet the point stands. Here, I will show you. Take up your blade, and come for me.”
Gem looked suddenly doubtful. “I—I do not wish to hurt you.”
“I doubt very much that you shall. But move slowly, if it comforts you to do so.”
The boy stood and adopted his first stance. Loren still remembered the day Jordel had given him the blade and shown him the forms, back when they rode together through the Greatrocks. Gem had taken to the training with gusto, but even to Loren’s eye he still seemed very much a novice. She leaned back, her hands planted in the grass, watching with amusement.
Gem stepped forwards and swung, a wide and slow arc that Chet could easily have sidestepped. But instead he lashed out with his staff, so hard it knocked the blade from Gem’s hand. The other end of the staff came around to rest on Gem’s shoulder.
“And you are bested,” said Chet.
Gem greeted the words with a glare. “I was moving slowly.”
“Then try it faster.”
He did. This time he struck with much greater vigor, though Loren could tell he still withheld himself. Chet struck back faster than before. He did not even aim for the sword; he merely swung the staff at Gem’s head. The boy yelped and leaned back, away from the blow, his own stroke turning weak and ineffectual. Chet flipped the staff at the boy’s ankle, and Gem tumbled into the grass. Annis cried out and flung herself back as his short sword flew through the air, landing where she had just been sitting.
“I am sorry!” said Chet, face filling with remorse as he dropped his staff and ran to her. “Did it strike you?”
“I am fine,” said Annis, though she looked at the sword with distrust.
But Gem had grown angry, and he leaped up from the ground to jump at Chet from behind. Before Loren could move to intervene, he had wrapped his arms around the older boy’s neck, his legs wrapping around Chet’s waist to try and restrain him. Quick as blinking, Chet seized the boy’s spindly arms and lunged forwards, flipping Gem over his shoulder to land hard on his back. All his breath left him in a whoosh, and he lay there, gasping.
