The Bard, page 8
“Anything?” Liselle asked anxiously.
Torrick shook his head. “There is a lot of wildlife about, but nothing to cause us any concern. I will speak to Hawk when he arises. If there is anything dangerous out there he should be able to find it, even in the dark.”
Ban remounted and rode back to where Tor was talking with his brothers. He delivered his report and the command was given to continue onwards.
Torrick and Liselle started forward and had just disappeared from sight around the bend when Liselle let out a loud scream. “Sam, get up here now,” Torrick shouted out. Sam immediately started to obey, but Brin called for Thresnine to halt. The mare obeyed, enabling Brin to quickly catch up. He regarded Sam reproachfully.
“Let me get this straight,” he said through clenched teeth. “You hear a scream then your name called and you think it is perfectly safe to go riding off without me?”
Sam rolled her eyes. Brin being overprotective was something she was just going to have to get used to. “Come on then.”
They both slowly rode around the corner. As soon as they caught sight of what was standing in the trail in front of Torrick and Liselle, their horses froze. “Is that a lion?” Sam whispered to the elf.
The creature in front of them looked like a lion; its colouring, its mane, its overall shape and build all screamed ‘lion’ in her mind, but logic said it couldn’t be as it was much bigger than those she had seen at zoos or on television. After all she had seen so far in this world, meeting a lion that was at least three times as large as it should be did not worry her at all. What did was the fact that it had two heads. Two heads meant two sets of jaws, both of which were currently open, revealing long pointed fangs. Blood dripped from them onto the ground.
“Yes,” Brin replied as he carefully removed his bow from his shoulder and took an arrow from his quiver.
“It has killed recently,” Torrick pointed out, just in case Sam had failed to notice the fresh blood in its mouth. “That is probably the only reason Liselle and I are still alive.”
“I thought you said there could be nothing in these mountains that you and Ban could not handle.” Liselle hissed at him. “How did you not notice something that big?”
Torrick shrugged. “Nobody is perfect. If we had seen it, I am confident that Ban and I would have been able to deal with it. However, I would rather not attack if that can be avoided.”
“Hence you called for me,” Sam said. “Stay here,” she instructed, sliding off Thresnine’s back. She turned to stare at Brin. “That includes you.”
Ignoring her, he also dismounted, though he moved to his right instead of following her, placing himself behind a large boulder that would provide cover, should he need it. Once settled, he drew back his drawstring, ready to fire.
Sam walked slowly forward, making sure she placed her body in Brin’s line of fire; she did not want him to injure the animal before she had chance to converse with it. When she was close enough to not need to shout, she began to talk, explaining who she was and why she was there. The sounds came out as growls rather than words, causing the lion to stare at her in confusion. As she spoke, the animal remained motionless, except for its huge tail which swung constantly from side to side. When it eventually decided to join in the conversation, it raised one of its heads and roared loudly.
Taking this as a threat, Brin leaped up from where he was crouching, rolled across the ground and released his arrow, all in one fluid movement. His unbelievable speed meant Sam was too slow to react and the arrow pierced the lion’s body before she had even realised that Brin had moved. As always, he was deadly accurate. The arrow embedded in the lion’s heart, killing it instantly.
Sam stared at the corpse in shock, then turned towards Brin, her face filled with fury. “What the hell do you think you have just done?” she yelled at him.
Brin was confused. “He was about to attack,” he said uncertainly. “I just saved your life.”
“You stupid brainless moron. He was not going to attack. He had just agreed to let us pass by unmolested.”
“He is a wild animal. You think he was telling the truth?” Brin could feel anger building up inside him, but managed to keep it out of his voice.
“Yes,” Sam snapped. “I thought you of all people would be more sensitive towards animals, but you are just like all the rest. You have to show off your skills to impress the ladies and to hell with the innocent victims.” Sam knew she was not being rational, but her fury at Brin’s actions prevented her from keeping quiet.
“You are being unreasonable,” Torrick pointed out, attempting to defuse the situation.
“Stay out of it,” Sam screamed at him. “You are just as bad. You would prefer to kill than negotiate.”
“May I remind you that I called for your assistance instead of attacking?” he said as diplomatically as he could.
Sam was saved from having to comment by some of the others approaching. “What appears to be the problem?” Tor enquired. “The skelks at the watch tower can probably hear your yelling.”
“Ask him,” Sam rudely spat, pointing at Brin.
“The lion was about to attack Sam, so I shot it,” Brin said calmly, stating the facts without emotions getting in the way.
“So why is Sam so upset?”
“I had just persuaded it to leave us in peace,” Sam sneered in response. “He smelled our scent and was merely curious. There was no need for him to die.”
“I was defending the woman I love,” Brin protested, struggling to remain calm. “What is wrong with that?”
“Everything.”
“Right, that is enough.” Tor raised his voice in order to grab everyone’s attention. “There is no right or wrong here. We all need to get used to Sam being able to talk to animals and maybe not react so quickly, but that does not mean we stop defending ourselves or each other.” He stared at Sam then Brin. “You two,” he ordered, “sort it out. Torrick, mount up and lead on.”
“At least Hawk will not have to go hunting for us tonight,” Seth commented to Ban who, reading his train of thought, helped him load the lion’s body into the back of the wagon, squeezing it in next to the vampire’s coffin.
Sam overheard the comment and glared at them both in disgust before walking back to Thresnine. Throughout the rest of the day she avoided Brin, turning her head away whenever he attempted to talk to her. She was being childish and she knew it, but anger still had hold of her and she could not even begin to patch things up with the elf until she had calmed down.
Everyone ate well that evening, except for Sam. Between them, Seth and Ellen made a stew that smelled so good it made Sam’s mouth water; they used the leg meat, while the rest of the carcass slowly roasted over a fire. They still had some bread which was not too stale and soaked up the gravy in the stew, making a delicious meal. Roast lion would be on the menu for breakfast, but the majority of the remaining meat would have to be salted to keep it fresh enough to eat over the next few days. Sam refused to touch any of it, choosing instead to join River and Oak in their simple meal of nuts and berries.
“You are out of line you know,” Hawk pointed out to her, having heard the entire story when he enquired why she was sitting so far away from Brin and refusing to eat the stew.
“I thought you at least would be on my side,” she muttered.
“I am,” he replied, smiling at her. “But only when you are right. In this case, you are wrong. Would you rather he did nothing to defend you?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Actually, that is exactly the point. He will do anything he deems necessary to keep you safe. You need to decide whether to put up with that or break up with him.”
“Leave me alone,” she snapped. “I want to wallow in my own self-pity for a while longer.” Hawk shrugged and took to the air. She did not watch him go. His words had upset her deeply. He said nothing different to what everyone else had been telling her all day; he was just blunter about it. She knew she had to apologise to Brin, or risk losing him, and the thought of no longer spending nights in his arms caused her physical pain. This was not something she could do without composing herself. She had to find a way to make Brin understand that, while she appreciated him looking out for her, he had to let her try things her way first.
She looked over to where he was sitting with Ria and Ellen, refusing to look in her direction. From the look on his face, she could tell that the two women were trying to put forward her point of view, just as they had tried to make her see his earlier in the day.
Reluctantly she got up and walked over to him. “Can we talk?” she asked, a little apprehensive. What would she do if he said no? He did not reply, but eased himself gracefully off the ground and walked into the nearby trees, not looking behind to see if she was following.
“So it is alright for us to walk alone, unarmed, into the dark, but not okay for me to talk to wildlife?” she asked sarcastically when she caught up to him, noticing he did not have his bow with him. She bit her lip, instantly regretting her harsh words.
Brin looked up. “Hawk is up there somewhere. He promised to keep an eye on you so we will be quite safe.”
Anger welled up within her again. What gave him the right to provide her with a minder? Before she could say anything she could regret, Brin interrupted her thoughts. “His idea, not mine.”
He saw her shoulders sag in relief and his temper flared. “So you do not mind him looking out for you; it is just me you have an issue with.”
“Depends on whether he kills for me,” she said, surprising herself by smiling.
Brin reached out and took her in his arms. “I am so sorry,” he said.
“About killing the lion?” she enquired, moving her head back so she was not talking into his chest.
“No, about upsetting you.” Sam nodded. She had not expected any other response.
“I..” She tried to speak, but had problems forming the words. She tried again. “I understand why you think you had to kill the lion, and I love the fact that you want to protect me, but you need to understand that there are alternatives.”
“I know,” he assured her. “But all I could see was a vicious animal about to attack you. I reacted instinctively and I am not sure I could stop myself doing it again.” He lifted her head and looked into her eyes. “I cannot bear the thought of losing you.”
He said it so softly and gently that tears formed in Sam’s eyes. Her reaction had hurt him deeply and she hated herself for it. “I am sorry I got angry with you,” she managed to say before he kissed her and she found herself unable to do anything other than kiss him back.
“I promise I will try not to overreact if you will,” he whispered into her ear when he finally released her from his embrace.
“What more could I ask?” she said before attempting to sweep him off his feet, literally. Unfortunately his sense of balance vastly outstripped hers and they both ended up on the ground, with Brin on top.
“You should know better than that,” he said, shaking his head at her. “What exactly were you trying to do?” He had her pinned to the ground with his body and was holding her hands above her head, but she made no attempt to move.
“This wasn’t quite the position I wanted to get you in,” she replied, a grin forming on her face, “but it is good enough.”
Reading her mind, Brin lowered his head to kiss her again, but was interrupted by a voice behind him. “You two have made up I see.”
“This is kind of private,” he informed Hawk, without looking round.
“Then may I recommend you move farther back into the trees. There is a small cave back there that will offer you more privacy,” he suggested.
“Thank you.” Brin quickly stood up, pulling Sam off the ground as he did so. As Hawk watched them walk away, he heard them talking.
“The others seem to have appreciated your act of heroism anyway,” Sam said, thinking of the meal that they had all seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
“It was quite good,” Brin confirmed. Hawk saw Sam hit the elf, but not in an unfriendly fashion, and a slight smile appeared on his face. They made a good couple and he was glad they had sorted out their differences. When they were out of sight, he took to the air and headed in the opposite direction.
The lion meat lasted a few more days and by the time they had eaten the last of it, the majority of the company were glad to be eating something different.
Eventually the tree line disappeared as they climbed higher and they were surrounded by nothing but rock. Sam was not the only one to be glad of the change of scenery, but moving away from the flora depressed both Brin and Oak, though they kept their complaints to themselves as much as possible.
Late one afternoon, the wind began to pick up. “There is going to be a storm soon,” Tor commented to his two brothers. They both looked at him doubtfully.
“It is only a bit of wind,” Cirren contradicted him. “The sky is perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight.” Vitkin nodded his agreement.
Tor sighed. “You two really need to get away from court and out into the fresh air more often. You will be amazed at what you could learn.”
“We have woodsmen for that,” Vitkin commented dryly.
Tor ignored him. “Seth,” he called back over his shoulder.
The young man, with Dallen in tow, quickly made his way to where the Prince had halted. Brin arrived at roughly the same time. “We need to find shelter,” he announced.
“I know,” Tor replied. “Anyone any suggestions?” he asked, scanning the horizon in all directions. He saw nothing but bare rock. All three shook their heads. “Then we need to fan out in all directions. Get Torrick, Ban, Patrick, Oak and Modo to help, and send Grimmel to me.”
“What are we going to be looking for?” Dal asked as they rode to give instructions to the others.
“Caves, outcroppings of rock, basically anything that will protect us from the wind and rain,” Seth replied.
“It is really going to get that bad?” Seth just nodded.
“What is the problem?” Grimmel asked, walking up to the three Princes, who had all dismounted.
“Storm coming,” Tor informed him. “And it is going to be a bad one.” The dwarf did not argue. He had experienced mountain storms before and knew they were never pleasant. Tor raised a questioning eyebrow, not wishing to voice his question in front of his brothers.
Grimmel shook his head. “Not up here,” he confirmed. Unbeknown to the other races, Dwarfs had built a series of caves, carefully hidden and fully stocked to provide the weary traveller with somewhere safe to rest for the night. Grimmel had revealed the secret to some members of the company when they were on their way to kidnap Prince Tallon and deliver him to King Allias and all had promised not to reveal it to anyone. Cirren and Vitkin had not been part of that team so Tor did not wish to mention the caves in front of them. Thankfully Grimmel had known what he was asking him, but the dwarf had seen no signs that there was a cave nearby. All caves were signposted, if you knew what to look for.
“Frack,” Tor swore. “From the smell of the air we do not have long before the rain will start.” As though his words had called it forth, the first drops of rain started to hit the ground.
“We cannot stay here,” Grimmel observed. “We should keep moving.”
Tor nodded his agreement. “Everyone dismount,” he called out, shouting to make sure his voice was heard above the increasingly noisy wind. “We should lead the horses. Sam, warn them what is coming. Ria, can you drive the wagon?”
Soon the rain was coming down so hard, driven by a howling wind, that it was impossible to see anything more than the tail of the horse in front. Everyone was soaked through and shivering with cold. Ellen and Nosmas had attempted to keep them dry with spells, but the group was too widely spread and the storm too fierce for their magic to have much effect.
“Hail Tor,” a voice sounded from somewhere to their left. “I have found a cave.”
“I think that is Ban,” Tor called out to those nearest. “Spread the word to head towards his voice. We will have to leave the trail, but the horses should not have too much trouble walking across the rough ground.” One by one, like a game of Chinese whispers, they passed the message back to the person behind them before heading to where they could still faintly make out the voice that was calling to them. Tor stood his ground, making sure everyone was following instructions. Ria, the last to depart from the trail, walked up to him, the donkey who had been pulling the wagon obediently following her.
“There is no way I will be able to get the wagon off the trail,” she informed him. “A protective spell has been placed over it, but that is the best we can do. Vitkin suggested we try to drag Hawk and his coffin to the cave, but in this wind it will be too dangerous.”
Tor nodded. He hated leaving a member of his team behind, but in this situation he had no choice. He just prayed that whatever spells had been placed over the wagon to protect it and prevent it being blown down the mountain would hold long enough for the storm to pass. He had no idea if the vampire would survive if his coffin plummeted down the side of the mountain and was smashed to pieces.
By the time he, Ria, their horses and the donkey had made it to where Ban stood waiting for them, everyone else, animals included, were inside the cave. It was large, easily big enough to fit all of the travellers and their mounts inside without feeling claustrophobic. Torches had been lit, though how anyone had managed to keep them dry, Tor had no idea. Patrick had removed his shirt and Ellen was singing quietly as her magic dried it. “Trousers,” she said as she handed it back to him.
Tor walked up to her. “Do not exhaust yourself,” he warned. “You cannot dry everyone’s clothes for them.”
“What happened to our spare clothes?” Sam asked, removing her blouse and attempting to dry it next to one of the torches.”
“Still in the wagon I am afraid,” Ria reluctantly admitted.
