harshest
of all judges is ourselves brother,’ Sonal sighed, thinking of the
life his twin must have led. Varan returned the embrace before
breaking away and staring hard into Sonal’s eyes, noticing the
changes time had inevitably wrought.
‘There is much
we must talk about Sonal,’ he said before sitting on a damp log not
too far from where Sonal, after being rendered unconscious by the
butt of Toby’s knife had fallen down the embankment. Sonal felt his
guilt like a heavy burden as he sat down beside his twin and
struggling to find words, he sighed.
‘Varen, forgive
me… brother,’ he said finally.
‘Sonal…, there
is nothing to forgive, the Journey wills us all.’ Varan
replied.
Chapter
11
Jedadiah Bleeds
Lemba sat in
the wagon with the comatose girl’s head on her lap thinking of Jed.
Gideon, still feeling ill nursed his stomach and rocked back and
forth gently, his eyes only leaving Mayan’s face as he drifted off
into unconsciousness himself. Rhoàld laid his head back against the
buckboard and closed his eyes, cold fingers stroked his cheek and
warmed his heart. ‘I told you, it begins,’ Bastian said in
his head.
Dotty looked
under her lashes at the older man beside her on the driver’s seat.
He was strong and lean with thick brown hair shot through with
streaks of grey, his eyes looked kind under the now scowling brows
and his nose had a slight bump in the bridge where it had once been
broken. She smiled, thinking of how astonished he had seemed when
she had starting ordering the men around. As the wagon bumped over
a particularly large rut, her footing slipped causing her to lose
control slightly and she slipped against him. The man howled in
pain, he was trying hard not to show it but at every bump and rut
in the ground, his bottom became more painful and bled further. The
cart bumped yet again and as his bottom bounced once more spreading
more blood across the seat; he leant toward her favouring his
wound.
‘Woman,’ he
growled quietly, ‘I wanna see me parents whilst I’m still alive,
iffen yer please,’ he turned to look at Dotty and almost lost
himself in her eyes, her gaze seemed to hold him fast.
‘My name is
Dotty, Dotty Bramble,’ she said as she smiled at him, beaming
inside. I like him, she thought as he answered her, growling
again.
‘Jedadiah
Green,’ he mumbled finally, tearing his gaze away from the younger
woman. He kept his eyes fixed forward but nothing could stop the
blood rushing up his neck and infusing his face with colour under
his tan, Dotty noticed the flush and smiled to herself as she drove
the cart onward.
The cart pulled
up at Green Cottage, the home of Gideon’s grandparents, and a
soldier opened the front door looking warily at the carriage, Jed,
forgetting his injury jumped down from the driver’s seat and walked
menacingly toward the younger man pulling his knife once more from
his belt. Blood poured from his leg leaving a red trail across the
ground.
‘Iffen yer’ve
‘urt me ma or me Da…,’ he left the threat unfinished as his father
swiftly followed the young man out of the house.
‘Jed lad,
stop!’ Exclaimed his father, ‘this be Jayse, ‘e’s only trying ter
protect yer ma an’ me, ‘e’s gonna be stayin’ with us,’ his father
said, as his mother came out of the house pulling a shawl around
her shoulders to protect her from the cold.
‘E’s already
‘ad ter bury one o’ the brutes that attacked us, an’ if yer don’t
mind I’d not ‘ave ‘im bury me own son!’ She reproved her husband
for his wanting explanation with a chuckle and added, ‘now come in,
come in all.’
Cooing and
clucking like an old hen, she welcomed the visitors’ to her home
and soon realised there were injured people amongst them.
Dotty, Lemba
and Mrs Green tended to Mayan as well as they could. Jayson
carefully lifted her from the cart, gently carried her up the
narrow staircase and laid her on one of the beds. Lemba
of all judges is ourselves brother,’ Sonal sighed, thinking of the
life his twin must have led. Varan returned the embrace before
breaking away and staring hard into Sonal’s eyes, noticing the
changes time had inevitably wrought.
‘There is much
we must talk about Sonal,’ he said before sitting on a damp log not
too far from where Sonal, after being rendered unconscious by the
butt of Toby’s knife had fallen down the embankment. Sonal felt his
guilt like a heavy burden as he sat down beside his twin and
struggling to find words, he sighed.
‘Varen, forgive
me… brother,’ he said finally.
‘Sonal…, there
is nothing to forgive, the Journey wills us all.’ Varan
replied.
Chapter
11
Jedadiah Bleeds
Lemba sat in
the wagon with the comatose girl’s head on her lap thinking of Jed.
Gideon, still feeling ill nursed his stomach and rocked back and
forth gently, his eyes only leaving Mayan’s face as he drifted off
into unconsciousness himself. Rhoàld laid his head back against the
buckboard and closed his eyes, cold fingers stroked his cheek and
warmed his heart. ‘I told you, it begins,’ Bastian said in
his head.
Dotty looked
under her lashes at the older man beside her on the driver’s seat.
He was strong and lean with thick brown hair shot through with
streaks of grey, his eyes looked kind under the now scowling brows
and his nose had a slight bump in the bridge where it had once been
broken. She smiled, thinking of how astonished he had seemed when
she had starting ordering the men around. As the wagon bumped over
a particularly large rut, her footing slipped causing her to lose
control slightly and she slipped against him. The man howled in
pain, he was trying hard not to show it but at every bump and rut
in the ground, his bottom became more painful and bled further. The
cart bumped yet again and as his bottom bounced once more spreading
more blood across the seat; he leant toward her favouring his
wound.
‘Woman,’ he
growled quietly, ‘I wanna see me parents whilst I’m still alive,
iffen yer please,’ he turned to look at Dotty and almost lost
himself in her eyes, her gaze seemed to hold him fast.
‘My name is
Dotty, Dotty Bramble,’ she said as she smiled at him, beaming
inside. I like him, she thought as he answered her, growling
again.
‘Jedadiah
Green,’ he mumbled finally, tearing his gaze away from the younger
woman. He kept his eyes fixed forward but nothing could stop the
blood rushing up his neck and infusing his face with colour under
his tan, Dotty noticed the flush and smiled to herself as she drove
the cart onward.
The cart pulled
up at Green Cottage, the home of Gideon’s grandparents, and a
soldier opened the front door looking warily at the carriage, Jed,
forgetting his injury jumped down from the driver’s seat and walked
menacingly toward the younger man pulling his knife once more from
his belt. Blood poured from his leg leaving a red trail across the
ground.
‘Iffen yer’ve
‘urt me ma or me Da…,’ he left the threat unfinished as his father
swiftly followed the young man out of the house.
‘Jed lad,
stop!’ Exclaimed his father, ‘this be Jayse, ‘e’s only trying ter
protect yer ma an’ me, ‘e’s gonna be stayin’ with us,’ his father
said, as his mother came out of the house pulling a shawl around
her shoulders to protect her from the cold.
‘E’s already
‘ad ter bury one o’ the brutes that attacked us, an’ if yer don’t
mind I’d not ‘ave ‘im bury me own son!’ She reproved her husband
for his wanting explanation with a chuckle and added, ‘now come in,
come in all.’
Cooing and
clucking like an old hen, she welcomed the visitors’ to her home
and soon realised there were injured people amongst them.
Dotty, Lemba
and Mrs Green tended to Mayan as well as they could. Jayson
carefully lifted her from the cart, gently carried her up the
narrow staircase and laid her on one of the beds. Lemba
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