him with a
tremendous crash. Only the storekeeper got to his feet again.
The rest of the slavers attempted to fight, but their
feeble blows were easily deflected. They were hacked and bashed to the ground
with increasing swiftness as the sheriff’s men began to sense their superiority.
“Ah,” Kalry gasped, shutting her eyes, “I can’t
watch this.”
It was over soon. A few of the Lekrans had slipped
into the darkness of the surrounding forest. Those that had been unable to
escape lay dead.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aedan said. He led Kalry,
who limped slightly, out into the open.
The yellow blaze of the oak was gradually fading
to an orange glow while shadows crept back to claim their ground. Around the
edges of the flames, women and children wept in each other’s arms. Thomas stared
ahead of him with vacant eyes – Aedan could only guess what horrible sight
still lingered. Dara was cradled in her mother’s lap, crying, rocking. Dresbourn
sat rubbing his wrists while surly grimaces pulled down the corners of his
mouth.
Kalry moved towards her father but Aedan held back.
She stopped and turned to him, raising her eyebrows.
“I need to get my shoes,” Aedan said. “All those
cinders …”
“I feel safer with you next to me.”
Aedan smiled. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
She smiled, lingering. Gratitude, friendship,
loyalty, and love. They poured from her eyes, all the more striking for the
harshness of the setting.
It was a moment Aedan would never forget.
Her face was still hovering in his mind as he reached the edge
of the forest, now in shadow. He began sweeping with his bare feet.
Nothing. That was strange.
He got down on his hands and knees and advanced
along the ground, deeper under the bush.
There was a soft rustle of branches and something
struck him on the back of the head, knocking him to the soil. A powerful hand
clamped over his mouth and another wrapped around his frame, almost crushing
him. The man held him from behind so that they both faced the clearing.
“We lucky, find shoes.” The slaver’s broken speech
was a whisper. “Captain tell me wait here, catch you, revenge. Take you, take
girl.”
Aedan, unable to move or shout, could do nothing but stare. Kalry
was nursing her father who rested against a log, massaging his ankles. He
drained the mug of water and handed it back to her with what looked like a
request for more. She limped back towards the skins and that was when it
happened.
The shadows all but hid the stealthy form that
darted out, grabbed her from behind, clamped her mouth, and carried her back
into the darkness. Aedan thrashed, but he may as well have fought against the
beams of a cattle crush. Dresbourn had not seen; he was too concerned with his
welts. Nobody else had noticed.
The Lekran grunted his satisfaction and shifted his
grip as he began to turn back into the forest. Aedan felt a finger pressing
against his teeth; it was all the invitation that was needed. He opened his
mouth, the finger slipped inside, and he bit down like a mole. With a yell the
man snatched his hand away and Aedan shot into the clearing, screaming, “He
took Kalry, he took Kalry! After him!”
A few puzzled expressions and bewildered glances
were all he received. He ran over to where Dresbourn reclined and pointed
desperately into the shadows, still shouting.
“Everyone is fine,” Lanor said, misunderstanding
him and gripping his arm. “But where have you been? Emroy gave you the simple
task of marking trees and you only did half the job.”
Aedan ignored him. “In here, we must go now or
we’ll lose her.”
“She’s with us, you impertinent little fool!” Dresbourn
snapped. “She just went to fetch water. I would have seen if –”
“Where Dresbourn? I don’t see her,” said Nulty as
he came trotting up. “I think it would be wise to listen to Aedan this time.”
“Will someone remove this annoying man before I –”
Dresbourn
tremendous crash. Only the storekeeper got to his feet again.
The rest of the slavers attempted to fight, but their
feeble blows were easily deflected. They were hacked and bashed to the ground
with increasing swiftness as the sheriff’s men began to sense their superiority.
“Ah,” Kalry gasped, shutting her eyes, “I can’t
watch this.”
It was over soon. A few of the Lekrans had slipped
into the darkness of the surrounding forest. Those that had been unable to
escape lay dead.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aedan said. He led Kalry,
who limped slightly, out into the open.
The yellow blaze of the oak was gradually fading
to an orange glow while shadows crept back to claim their ground. Around the
edges of the flames, women and children wept in each other’s arms. Thomas stared
ahead of him with vacant eyes – Aedan could only guess what horrible sight
still lingered. Dara was cradled in her mother’s lap, crying, rocking. Dresbourn
sat rubbing his wrists while surly grimaces pulled down the corners of his
mouth.
Kalry moved towards her father but Aedan held back.
She stopped and turned to him, raising her eyebrows.
“I need to get my shoes,” Aedan said. “All those
cinders …”
“I feel safer with you next to me.”
Aedan smiled. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
She smiled, lingering. Gratitude, friendship,
loyalty, and love. They poured from her eyes, all the more striking for the
harshness of the setting.
It was a moment Aedan would never forget.
Her face was still hovering in his mind as he reached the edge
of the forest, now in shadow. He began sweeping with his bare feet.
Nothing. That was strange.
He got down on his hands and knees and advanced
along the ground, deeper under the bush.
There was a soft rustle of branches and something
struck him on the back of the head, knocking him to the soil. A powerful hand
clamped over his mouth and another wrapped around his frame, almost crushing
him. The man held him from behind so that they both faced the clearing.
“We lucky, find shoes.” The slaver’s broken speech
was a whisper. “Captain tell me wait here, catch you, revenge. Take you, take
girl.”
Aedan, unable to move or shout, could do nothing but stare. Kalry
was nursing her father who rested against a log, massaging his ankles. He
drained the mug of water and handed it back to her with what looked like a
request for more. She limped back towards the skins and that was when it
happened.
The shadows all but hid the stealthy form that
darted out, grabbed her from behind, clamped her mouth, and carried her back
into the darkness. Aedan thrashed, but he may as well have fought against the
beams of a cattle crush. Dresbourn had not seen; he was too concerned with his
welts. Nobody else had noticed.
The Lekran grunted his satisfaction and shifted his
grip as he began to turn back into the forest. Aedan felt a finger pressing
against his teeth; it was all the invitation that was needed. He opened his
mouth, the finger slipped inside, and he bit down like a mole. With a yell the
man snatched his hand away and Aedan shot into the clearing, screaming, “He
took Kalry, he took Kalry! After him!”
A few puzzled expressions and bewildered glances
were all he received. He ran over to where Dresbourn reclined and pointed
desperately into the shadows, still shouting.
“Everyone is fine,” Lanor said, misunderstanding
him and gripping his arm. “But where have you been? Emroy gave you the simple
task of marking trees and you only did half the job.”
Aedan ignored him. “In here, we must go now or
we’ll lose her.”
“She’s with us, you impertinent little fool!” Dresbourn
snapped. “She just went to fetch water. I would have seen if –”
“Where Dresbourn? I don’t see her,” said Nulty as
he came trotting up. “I think it would be wise to listen to Aedan this time.”
“Will someone remove this annoying man before I –”
Dresbourn
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