Child of the Kindred, page 43
part #2 of The Rienfield Chronicles Series
“If they were bold enough to leave their room after I very sternly told them not to, then venturing outside would not surprise me at all. Go and speak to Marina and I will go downstairs and talk with Lucas to see of his findings. I will meet you downstairs in the Hall,” Caleb replied in an irked tone.
“Alright, I shall see you in a few moments then,” Laurel answered, trying to smile back at him as she turned and walked back to the study.
“Do you think they actually went outside?” Aiden asked Caleb after Laurel had left the room.
“I would not doubt it now, especially if no one has been able to find them. You know as well as I, they cannot keep quiet for too long, someone would have heard them arguing or carrying on at some point. I promise you this though, when we do find the two of them, they are going to receive more than just that little swat I gave them in the corridor, for shoving and arguing with each other. They are testing me at this time, and their little bottoms are going to remind them not to do so again,” Caleb answered in a low frustrated voice, as Aiden and Cahir smiled at him knowingly, following him out of the room.
When they arrived downstairs in the Hall, Lucas walked up to Caleb, he too looking concerned as the staff had just given him the news.
“Sire, I am most troubled to inform you, the staff has been unsuccessful in finding the children,” Lucas related to Caleb and his brothers.
“Have you spoken to any of the Sentries outside, as yet?” Caleb inquired, glancing up at the staircase, seeing Laurel, Marina and Neave coming down the stairs.
“No, Sire. I shall see if they perhaps saw the children go outside,” Lucas replied, who was just about to leave the Hall when he was stopped by Aiden.
“I shall go and ask them, Lucas, then you look about the grounds quickly. I can already tell by Marina and Laurel’s expressions what their answer will be,” Aiden said, looking over as Laurel and the others approached them.
Aiden quickly walked outside, while Caleb and Cahir walked over to meet the three young women.
“Caleb, we have just come from the children’s room, and yes, Oriel’s bow and quiver are not there,” Laurel stated, her voice sounding more worried and fretful.
“The heavy sweaters they wear outdoors are gone as well. They have most definitely gone somewhere outside,” Marina explained further with a nervous tone and expression.
“Do not worry my dear ladies, we will find them; I am sure they have not gone too far. Why do you not both go back to the study and relax for a bit? Cahir and I will go outside ourselves and have a look around the grounds,” Caleb suggested with a slight smile, attempting to ease their minds.
“Very well, Caleb. Let us know as soon as you find them,” Laurel replied, turning and leading, with Neave, a very distraught looking Marina up the staircase.
“Eavan shall be returning from the florist soon, and I shall have her join you. You will all be laughing over this shortly,” Cahir added, as he and Caleb watched them go back up the staircase.
“I will not be laughing anytime soon,” Caleb grumbled, as he and Cahir made their way outside.
When they walked out of the Lodge entryway, they noticed Aiden and two of the Sentries talking together, one of the Sentries pointing down the bottom of the small hill. Aiden then nodded and made his way over to Caleb and Cahir, he too now had a worried expression.
“It seems they walked down the hill, and when the Sentry looked again to see where they had gone, he could no longer see them. He just assumed they went to the lower grounds to play with Oriel’s bow. That was the first thing he noticed, that Oriel was carrying her bow. He, of course, was unaware they were not supposed to be outside, or he said he would have escorted them back in himself,” Aiden explained. He no longer was wearing a grin, but now an uneasy expression, as he looked back down the hill, watching the Sentries walk to the lower grounds beginning their search.
“I certainly do not expect the Sentries to play the role of attendants to the children. Let us go and look about the grounds ourselves, and hopefully we will find them shortly. They could not have gotten too far,” Caleb said shaking his head, as they all walked down the hill together.
After looking for almost an hour, it had become apparent the children were not on the grounds. Rian and Ione, whose home was located in the lower garden, had come out to help in finding Oriel and Jamison. Caleb and Aiden, as well as Cahir and Rian, began to look on the main roadway for any signs the children may have walked along the road or forest border. Caleb got down on one knee, as a small impression caught his attention, tracing his finger over what appeared to be a small boot print. Then looking over towards the brush, found some of the undergrowth had been newly trampled.
“It looks as if they have gone into the forest,” Caleb announced, standing up as the others joined him.
“I shall go and get my cat, she will help us with tracking them. I will not be long,” Rian mentioned, before leaving hurriedly to the stables to retrieve his horse.
King Fergus came from the back garden of the Lodge and walked over to speak with the group, his face showing concern when Caleb informed him the evidence suggesting the children had wandered off into the forest.
“I recommend that you walk about briefly and call out for them, if you do not hear anything then I will help in organising a search party. It will be dusk soon, the forest is not where we want them to be at that time,” King Fergus said, as he turned and walked back to the Lodge.
Caleb and the others, as well as the two Sentries that had seen the children last, walked into the forest calling out to them. The feeling of unease was growing amongst them, as no sign or sound of the children could be seen or heard. They made their way back to the road to find Rian with his Scimitar and Ione waiting for them. Ione held one of Oriel’s small undershirts and Jamison’s lap blanket, for Caffara to get the scent to begin tracking for the children.
“You should go back to the Lodge for just a moment Caleb. Laurel and Marina are very upset. Poor Laurel is blaming herself for the children wondering off,” Ione told him with a forlorn expression.
“I shall be back in a moment. Aiden, you may want to have a few torches brought with us, just in case we need to search in the dark. I cannot believe all the trouble their little tantrum has caused. I have no doubt this was Oriel’s idea. That little imp is going to catch the worst of it; this was done out of spite, not mere curiosity or boredom. Let me go and try to calm the ladies down and I shall be right back,” Caleb spoke in obvious irritation, raking his hand through his hair, then turned and made his way back to the Lodge.
Caleb came back into the Hall to find Laurel and Marina crying and distraught, sitting together on the couch by the fireplace. Queen Alana looked over with a sad, worried face as Caleb approached them, kneeling down in front of the them.
“Do not worry mo cailini bochta. We will find then soon. Rian has his Scimitar to help us track them, and I am sure they did not go too far,” Caleb spoke in a deep soothing voice, holding their hands.
“This is all my fault, Caleb. I should not have told Orrie to go and ask you, while you were in the meeting. I should not have lost my patience,” Laurel expressed through her tears.
“No, if I had told Orrie to stop her insistence in the first place, this would never have happened,” Marina sobbed pitifully.
“Neither one of you is to blame. As I said to Aiden and Cahir, the children are just testing me right now, to see what I will allow them to get away with. They knew what they were doing, and understood I expected them to do as I told them. Try to relax, we will find them. It will not take us long to catch up to them, then we shall all be back soon,” Caleb said with a slight smile, kissing them both on their foreheads, then stood up looking meaningfully over at his parents.
King Fergus followed him back to the Lodge entrance. “I will be riding along the roadway with a group of Sentries, calling for them. It is impossible to know which part of the road they may end up coming out on to. Tarron is waiting for you outside, he wished to help you in searching for them,” King Fergus expressed with a concerned voice, as he nodded towards the entrance.
There stood Tarron, waiting with a warm smile at the entrance, looking up at the staircase and giving a small wave. Caleb smiled and nodded back.
“I hope we find them before dark,” Caleb stated with an irritated sigh.
“Try to remember when you did this yourself, Caleb. I do feel they should be punished for it, but I feel it best you wait until bringing them home before disciplining them. By this time, they are most likely exhausted and frightened,” King Fergus advised, putting his hand on Caleb’s shoulder.
“Yes, Father, I understand. I will not be harsh with them. They will not be getting away with it, however,” Caleb replied, as he turned and made his way out of the Lodge with Tarron.
“Orrie I need to rest! We…we are lost. We are going the wrong way,” Jamison uttered pitifully, sitting on the ground and beginning to cry.
Oriel stood still looking at him, her eyes swelling with tears, now regretting her decision to venture this far into the forest. She sat down next to him, hugging him close, trying to calm his fears.
“I am sorry Jamison. I did not mean for us to get lost. I only wanted us to have an adventure. Let us rest for a short time, and then we will find a place that seems a better shelter. They will know we are missing. Caleb will come looking for us,” Oriel said, while she hugged Jamison close.
“But you said he did not really care. That Caleb only brought us to Heathwin, for Laurel,” Jamison replied in a trembling voice, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“I know, but…I did not mean it. I was just angry, and…well…things are so different here. Sometimes, I just feel we are not wanted,” Oriel whispered, as she tried to control her tears.
Suddenly Jamison startled, and looked around them, causing Oriel to jump as well.
“What is it, Jamison? Why are you afraid?” Oriel asked with a shaking voice, as she helped him to stand up.
“Something is here. Something is watching us,” Jamison whispered fearfully, looking around with wide eyes.
They stood still, not speaking, then Oriel slowly took the bow off her shoulder, notching an arrow on the string and rest of her bow, holding it deftly between her fingers. The silence that fell in the forest felt crushing, the only sound the children could hear was their own breathing and their hearts pounding. Without warning, a large and vicious Borac came crashing through the underbrush, straight at them. Its large teeth were clearly seen, as it gave a grunting growl, saliva dripping from its long pointed mouth, taking in their scent.
“Get behind me, Jamison!” Orrie shouted in alarm, preparing to fire the arrow while Jamison hobbled behind her.
The Borac continued to charge at them, his great ears flapping wildly as it ran when it suddenly screeched out in pain, as Oriel unleashed the first arrow into its neck. It stopped for only a moment, but giving Oriel a chance to ready her bow again. Though terrified, she had complete control of her small longbow, placing the next arrow once again in the rest, then pulling back on the string, waited for the right moment to let go.
“Orrie!” Jamison cried out in terror, as the vicious hideous animal charged once again, screaming its fury and hunger.
Oriel heard nothing, her focus only on the beast in front of them, finding her mark, she released her breath and let the arrow fly. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, as she watched the arrow strike the Borac in the side of the chest, just inside the shoulder. It stumbled and fell abruptly, right in front of them, letting out one last shuddering breath, then went still. Oriel turned to hold Jamison, to both calm his crying as well as her own.
When they were just beginning to catch their breath and relax a bit from their ordeal, they both turned quickly as they heard something walking out of bushes to their right. Oriel set her bow ready with another arrow once again, only to find themselves face to face with a young and curious Rabkin female. She held up her long slender arms slightly, speaking in a low musical voice. Jamison then wiped his eyes and smiled in delight, as the young Rabkin, moving very slowly, continuing to talk in the strange language of the Kindred people. Though the young female was considered a youngling, she was almost as tall as Aiden, her graceful movements, clearly showing her power and strength. She wore a sling across her chest, as well as bead bracelets made of clay and wood and stones. She wore around her waist, a skirt of long woven grasses and vines. As she was a female, she did not have the beginnings of a neck frill, though being female, she did have many braids in her hair, reaching to her shoulders.
“Wait, Orrie. Do you not remember the Rabkins that brought us to the Kedesh camp? She is our friend, she will not hurt us,” Jamison spoke up, placing his hands on Oriel’s bow, and lowering her arm.
“How do you know Jamison?” Oriel asked in a breathless whisper, still looking at the young Rabkin warily, though her arrow was pointed down now.
“Listen to her speak. Do you hear that? Look, she is placing her hand on her heart, then holding her hand out. Listen, she is saying friend. Can you not hear that?” Jamison asked in a bemused voice.
“No, I cannot. She just sounds like she is singing or humming to me,” Oriel continued to watch her, now more with curiosity than fear.
Jamison stepped closer, copying her movements, and then the sounds the young Rabkin was making. The young Rabkin stopped talking in surprise, then began to clap her hands together in delight, making a soft rumbling sound.
“What is she doing now?” Oriel asked, watching the young female Rabkin in amusement, no longer afraid.
“I understood what she said, now she is laughing,” Jamison laughed back, causing Oriel to laugh as well and for just a moment, forgetting their terrifying experience.
The young Rabkin then picked up a long stick and walked over cautiously to the dead Borac, poking it carefully at first. The Rabkin youngling began to talk animatedly once again, pointing at the Borac and making what appeared to be, repulsed faces.
“She does not like the Borac either. It sounds like she said, they smell terrible,” Jamison giggled, causing the Rabkin to make the soft rumbling sounds again.
“How can you tell what she is saying Jamison,” Oriel asked, now very curious how her brother was able to do this.
“You just have to listen, without hearing her sing,” Jamison explained very matter of factly.
Oriel listened to the Rabkin continue to speak in her language, now happily walking back over to them, reaching over and gingerly touching their hair with her long fingers.
“I still cannot understand her. What is she saying now?” Oriel asked as she smiled back at the Rabkin.
The Rabkin placed her hand on her own chest, repeating what appeared to be a single word, then waited, looking at the children expectantly, her crimson eyes bright and happy.
“I think she is saying her name. It sounds like Aures. That is her name,” Jamison answered, again the young Rabkin clapping her long hands together, repeating the phrase again.
“Jamison. Jamison,” Jamison repeated placing his hand on his chest.
Aures then took Jamison’s small arm carefully, turning it palm up. Saying a phrase as if trying to say his name, leant down and placed her nose on Jamison’s wrist. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She then looked up smiling at Jamison and Oriel’s surprised expressions. Aures spoke again and gestured to Oriel.
“She wants you to say your name Orrie,” Jamison explained with a broad smile.
“Oriel. I am Oriel,” Oriel repeated slowly and carefully, also placing her hand on her chest.
Aures then repeated a word once more, and took Oriel’s hand and made the same curious gesture she had done to Jamison. After, she then seemed to smile broadly, gesturing toward the forest, and taking Jamison’s hand trying to get them to follow her.
“She wants us to go with her. She wants to take us to her home,” Jamison explained, his eyes dancing with excitement.
“Oh, I do not know Jamison. She will just take us deeper into the forest,” Oriel answered with trepidation.
“I would rather go with her than stay here alone, Orrie. It will be dark soon, and I am scared and hungry,” Jamison reasoned, his face looking frightened again.
Oriel looked over at the dead Borac, then back over at the very amused looking Rabkin.
“Alright Jamison, we will go. Maybe her family will help us to go home,” Oriel reasoned, as she adjusted her bow across her back and allowed the Rabkin youngling to lead them away.
They followed her only a short distance, when Oriel noticed one area just to the right of them that seemed a bit less dense with trees, and began to move in that direction. The Rabkin made a startled shrill sound of warning, taking Oriel by the arm and moving her back over. She then placed her hand up and made a sound as if whispering. She began to take the sling off her shoulder and looked in the direction that Oriel had started to walk towards. The young Rabkin took a smooth stone from a small pouch, and placing the stone in the sling, twirled it over her head in a rapid whirring motion, and then let the stone fly. When it landed, the children were surprised and startled to see movement in the undergrowth, as if long fingers were searching for the stone all at once. Oriel and Jamison looked over at Aures in fear, then moved closer to her. She said something in a sharp low growl, shaking her head and pointing over at what appeared to be a giant mossy tree trunk in back of the movement. She then held their hands and began moving them away from the area.
“They most definitely went this way, Caleb. Caffara has the scent,” Rian explained encouragingly, as the large Scimitar cat pulled on her heavy chain lead, urging Rian forward.
“Hopefully we are not too far behind them. It will grow darker in the forest first,” Caleb replied with a worried tone.
“I am a bit concerned they may run into Rabkins,” Tarron mentioned, as they moved quickly through the dense undergrowth to keep up with the Scimitar.
