would bring
failure.
Yet, there was one frail chance.
Crunching footfall preceded the arrival of the
rest of the party. The injured man made his way out into the open, still
holding his forehead.
Aedan let his breath out and stretched his aching
limbs. Unwrapping his shirt and jacket from his feet, he pulled them over his
cold skin and edged forward to see where the captives were dumped on the far
side of the clearing. Two men stood guard. The rest settled themselves around
the fire that had just begun to crackle. Aedan slipped back as four of the Lekrans
collected pots and food bags. Though the men were clearly relaxed, there was little
in the way of joviality – they were stern to the point of sourness.
The guards began shouting at one of the prisoners.
Quin approached and stooped down. Aedan could not determine what he was doing,
but caught his breath as he saw him stand up again, dragging Kalry past the
fire to the cave. Aedan crawled back into his hiding. Quin shouted and a man
brought a burning branch that cast a light into the cave. They dropped Kalry
against the wall and tied her ankles. She was only feet away from Aedan. If the
light had been better, they would have seen him. He shut his eyes to hide
reflections.
“You want to talk? Fine,” Quin snarled. “Here you
can talk all you want. Next time I’ll cut out your tongue.” They disappeared
with the light, bar a few glowing flakes that had dropped on the ground and
were turning black with a soft crinkling sound. Kalry was whimpering in a voice
that shook with fear.
“Kalry,” Aedan whispered.
She gasped. “Aedan?”
He crawled over and untied her shaking hands. As
soon as the ropes came loose she flung her arms around him and buried her head
in his neck, sobbing. Aedan wasn’t too sure what to do; this was not his area
of experience. He put his arms clumsily around her shoulders and held her until
she was breathing easily. She let go and sat back against the rock.
“They killed Dorothy.” Her voice quivered as if
her own words had cut her. “She couldn’t keep up so they slit her throat and
left her like an animal.”
Aedan almost choked. He heard the agony as she
continued.
“The way William screamed … I never knew a man
could scream like that. I don’t think I’ll ever get those sounds from my head.
He screamed and screamed until they clubbed him down, and then they kept on clubbing
him until he was as still as her.” She gave way again to deep, silent sobbing.
Aedan was shaking. He couldn’t speak for a long
time. It was the sheer impossibility of what he had just been told that stunned
him. He had heard of cruel deaths when cities were sacked or when murderous
gangs did their work, but such things only happened in grim histories and tales
gone wrong. They happened in other times, other places, to other people; they
were not … real.
But finally it took hold, and he tasted the bitter
ache. It hardly seemed possible, but Dorothy, gentle, playful Dorothy, and her
straight and true William were gone.
When her sobs had settled, Kalry spoke again in a
voice that was heavy and tired. “These Lekrans are cruel in a way we cannot
understand, Aedan. They didn’t feel anything. They didn’t even look angry. They
murder like they’re pulling out weeds.”
Aedan shook his head to clear it and took a deep
breath. “They might get what they deserve tonight,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I got Emroy to set the hay shed alight so the
sheriff and his men would come back. I marked the trail for them. They should
be nearby in the forest now, if they haven’t got lost.” He decided not to tell
her that he had left them to find the second part of the trail on their own.
“It will be a bloodbath.”
“Maybe not.” Aedan explained the rest of his
preparations and what he hoped would happen. It sounded good in theory.
“You know, Aedan,” she said, looking at him.
“Sometimes I think you must be the cleverest
failure.
Yet, there was one frail chance.
Crunching footfall preceded the arrival of the
rest of the party. The injured man made his way out into the open, still
holding his forehead.
Aedan let his breath out and stretched his aching
limbs. Unwrapping his shirt and jacket from his feet, he pulled them over his
cold skin and edged forward to see where the captives were dumped on the far
side of the clearing. Two men stood guard. The rest settled themselves around
the fire that had just begun to crackle. Aedan slipped back as four of the Lekrans
collected pots and food bags. Though the men were clearly relaxed, there was little
in the way of joviality – they were stern to the point of sourness.
The guards began shouting at one of the prisoners.
Quin approached and stooped down. Aedan could not determine what he was doing,
but caught his breath as he saw him stand up again, dragging Kalry past the
fire to the cave. Aedan crawled back into his hiding. Quin shouted and a man
brought a burning branch that cast a light into the cave. They dropped Kalry
against the wall and tied her ankles. She was only feet away from Aedan. If the
light had been better, they would have seen him. He shut his eyes to hide
reflections.
“You want to talk? Fine,” Quin snarled. “Here you
can talk all you want. Next time I’ll cut out your tongue.” They disappeared
with the light, bar a few glowing flakes that had dropped on the ground and
were turning black with a soft crinkling sound. Kalry was whimpering in a voice
that shook with fear.
“Kalry,” Aedan whispered.
She gasped. “Aedan?”
He crawled over and untied her shaking hands. As
soon as the ropes came loose she flung her arms around him and buried her head
in his neck, sobbing. Aedan wasn’t too sure what to do; this was not his area
of experience. He put his arms clumsily around her shoulders and held her until
she was breathing easily. She let go and sat back against the rock.
“They killed Dorothy.” Her voice quivered as if
her own words had cut her. “She couldn’t keep up so they slit her throat and
left her like an animal.”
Aedan almost choked. He heard the agony as she
continued.
“The way William screamed … I never knew a man
could scream like that. I don’t think I’ll ever get those sounds from my head.
He screamed and screamed until they clubbed him down, and then they kept on clubbing
him until he was as still as her.” She gave way again to deep, silent sobbing.
Aedan was shaking. He couldn’t speak for a long
time. It was the sheer impossibility of what he had just been told that stunned
him. He had heard of cruel deaths when cities were sacked or when murderous
gangs did their work, but such things only happened in grim histories and tales
gone wrong. They happened in other times, other places, to other people; they
were not … real.
But finally it took hold, and he tasted the bitter
ache. It hardly seemed possible, but Dorothy, gentle, playful Dorothy, and her
straight and true William were gone.
When her sobs had settled, Kalry spoke again in a
voice that was heavy and tired. “These Lekrans are cruel in a way we cannot
understand, Aedan. They didn’t feel anything. They didn’t even look angry. They
murder like they’re pulling out weeds.”
Aedan shook his head to clear it and took a deep
breath. “They might get what they deserve tonight,” he said.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I got Emroy to set the hay shed alight so the
sheriff and his men would come back. I marked the trail for them. They should
be nearby in the forest now, if they haven’t got lost.” He decided not to tell
her that he had left them to find the second part of the trail on their own.
“It will be a bloodbath.”
“Maybe not.” Aedan explained the rest of his
preparations and what he hoped would happen. It sounded good in theory.
“You know, Aedan,” she said, looking at him.
“Sometimes I think you must be the cleverest
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