The Faithful and the Fallen: Ruin Part 48

Calidus sighed a deep breath. 'There is no easy way to say this. I suspect that her mind is unhinged.'

'What?'

'She has behaved most strangely, I fear there is no other explanation. You remember when we met with Lykos at Dun Carreg, he told us of how the barons of Tenebral were manipulating Fidele, how she was proving unsuited to ruling.'

'Aye. Nathair thought that she was still grieving for Aquilus.'

'Yes. Well, upon Lykos' return Fidele began behaving in ever more erratic ways. She divided the eagle-guard and sent them to the four corners of the realm on meaningless errands. She arrested Peritus and Armatus.' He stopped walking and looked back at Nathair, checking that he was well out of earshot. 'She wed Lykos.'

'What!' I cannot believe that. Regal, cultured Fidele and that corsair.

'It is true, and Nathair cannot know. Not yet. He has too much to focus on. I need you to bring her to me, discreetly. And by that I mean secretly, in chains if needs be.'

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE.

RAFE.

Rafe threw Sniffer a strip of dried meat, the animal seeming to swallow it without chewing.

'Go on, boy, after them,' Rafe said, pointing into the distance with a flick of his wrist. Sniffer turned and loped ahead, his nose low to the ground.

'How far ahead, do you think?' Evnis asked him.

Rafe squinted into the distance. 'Half a day,' he said. The Baglun Forest was a solid wall to their right, curling away westwards as they rounded its eastern fringes. Behind them a hundred warriors sat upon their horses, a mixture of men from Ardan and Cambren, though all wore Rhin's colours.

Rafe sucked in a deep breath, the air fresh and clean with dawn.

I am riding at the head of a hundred s.h.i.+eldmen, beside Evnis my old lord and new King; it is good to be home. Good to be alive. He had not felt like this for a long time. Ever? Certainly since Da died. He felt happy. But Evnis had been so full of praise for him, had treated him so well since they had ridden out from Dun Carreg, that he found it almost impossible to feel any other way. The only blight in the ten-night since they'd left had been on the first day, when they'd ridden down the winding slope of the hill that Dun Carreg was built upon, past the wind-choked copse of trees where he had had his arm ripped open by Corban's wolven. Memories of that day had flooded him. Idly he ran a finger down the scar on his forearm, running near enough from elbow to wrist.

There'll come a day of reckoning, mark my words.

He knew why Evnis had been so full of praise for him.

Vonn.

Rafe had brought the news that Evnis had wanted to hear. His son was back in Ardan. Not with absolute certainty, of course. But he knew that Edana had intended to flee to the marshes in Ardan, and that when Rafe had last seen her, standing upon a s.h.i.+p's deck as it sailed away from a beach in Domhain, Vonn had been standing beside her. And that pleased Evnis.

'Let's be after them, then,' Evnis said and kicked his mount on. With a clatter of harness and the drumming of hooves the hundred-strong honour guard lurched into motion. The sun rose steadily in the east and soon Rafe was sweating.

'You were a friend to my Vonn,' Evnis said after they'd ridden some leagues in silence.

'I was, my lord,' Rafe said.

'We can dispense with the "lord", I think,' Evnis said. 'At least when we are alone, anyway. I have known you since you were a bairn clinging to your mam's skirts.' Evnis smiled good-naturedly at Rafe. 'What kind of friend was Vonn to you?'

'I always looked up to him,' Rafe said automatically. 'He's a couple of years older than me, seemed like a hero. He was the best out of us all with sword and spear, always knew what to do, no matter the problem.' He thought a bit harder. 'He always tried to do the honourable thing.'

'Hmm, yes,' Evnis muttered. 'That was becoming a problem.'

'What do you mean?'

Evnis shrugged. 'It's no secret that we argued. That's why he's been wandering about the Banished Lands, instead of riding beside me now. He was is young, his head still full of tales of n.o.ble warriors and deeds of valour. The world was black and white to him good and evil. And he was in love, which didn't help matters.'

'Mordwyr's girl,' Rafe said.

'Aye. I thought it was their secret.'

Rafe shrugged. 'I'm born and bred a huntsman's son. Been used to watching, observing, reading signs.' Spying.

'I wish I'd spoken to you sooner,' Evnis sighed. 'As you know, I had plans. Brenin stopped me from saving my wife Fain . . .' He fell silent, mouth twisting. 'That is avenged now. But Vonn did not understand.'

'You have to be realistic,' Rafe said.

'Exactly. Perhaps some time in the world has helped to teach that lesson to Vonn.' Evnis sighed and shook his head.

'If he is with Edana still, we will get him back,' Rafe said. 'We will, one way or another.' They rode on in silence.

Highsun came and went, the sun sinking ever westwards, sending their shadows stretching towards the first trees of the Baglun. A few hundred paces ahead a figure emerged from a copse of rowan, one man upon a horse, a hound at his side. Sniffer bounded up to them, began leaping playfully about the hound.

'It is Braith,' Rafe said to Evnis.

'We are close, then,' Evnis said.

'Well met,' Braith said as they drew near. The huntsman flashed a grin at Rafe, then dipped his head to Evnis.

'Well met,' Evnis replied, riding close and offering his arm to Braith in the warrior grip.

'Halion. Where is he?'

'Less than half a day ahead.' Braith pointed into the distance, along the southern fringes of the Baglun. 'The marshlands of Dun Crin are south and west of here, where Halion is headed, but he is keeping to the edges of the Baglun for now more cover, is my guess.'

'After him, then,' Evnis said.

'Not so hasty,' Braith said. 'You should lead your warband into the forest and follow along under better cover it's open woodland, easy enough to ride through, but it'll hide you from prying eyes.'

'Can he see us, then?' Evnis asked, peering into the distance.

'I saw you,' Braith shrugged. 'We don't want to get too close or we'll spook him, then we'll never find Edana.'

Evnis nodded and led his warriors into the fringes of the forest.

'Not you,' Braith said to Rafe. 'You can ride with me.'

They set off again, Scratcher and Sniffer leading them unerringly west, skirting the edges of the forest.

'Anything to report?' Braith asked him.

'Evnis is desperate to find his son, Vonn. I saw him on the s.h.i.+p with Edana.'

'I know,' grunted Braith. 'I was there.'

'Thought you might have been too busy getting kicked off of the pier by Camlin to notice.'

'That's enough of your cheek, now.' Braith's expression s.h.i.+fted, a dark cloud. 'Anything else?'

'There is a resistance based in the marshes. There have been raids; nothing of any real impact yet. There is a warband down here hunting for them. Morcant leads them.'

'Ahh. Not the best man for a task like this.'

'How so?' Rafe asked him.

'To catch rats you need patience. Morcant is proud, impatient, spontaneous. Though I'd not tell him that to his face.' Braith grinned. 'He's a rare talent with a blade.'

'I know. I saw his duel against Conall. He lost, but then, so would most against Conall.'

'He's that good, Conall?'

'Oh aye.'

Braith nodded, looking thoughtful, but said no more.

To the south the land dipped, spreading into a wide bowl of water-dappled land, dotted with patches of woodland. They pa.s.sed a few villages, columns of smoke and tilled land marking them out. Rafe saw the occasional tower standing lonely on a rare hill, large pyres beside them built up high and silhouetted against the skyline. Sometimes there was a palisaded wall about the tower. It was hard to tell from that distance, but something about them suggested to Rafe that they were recent constructions.

As the sun began to sink behind the Baglun the hounds came to a sudden stop. They both stared into the distance, still as statues, their hackles rising.

Rafe stared too, saw distant figures materialize in the fading light: riders, lots of them. 'It's Morcant, or at least a large portion of his men,' Braith said. 'See the banner Rhin's broken branch.'

Hooves drummed behind them and Rafe turned to see Evnis approaching.

'What is it?'

'Morcant, I'm guessing,' Braith said. 'Do you want us to go and fetch him?'

Evnis just sat and stared a while. 'No,' he said eventually. 'I don't want him charging in head first and scaring Halion off. We'll likely only have one chance at this.'

'I agree,' Braith said. 'We may as well make camp here. The dogs won't lose Halion's scent now. They've tracked him half a thousand leagues already.'

And Vonn. That's who Evnis really wants to find. Thing is what will he do once he finds him?

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO.

CAMLIN.

'How're we going to get in there?' Vonn asked Camlin.

They were lying on a slope amidst long gra.s.s and wildflowers, staring at a palisaded tower that was built upon a low hill, a ma.s.sive pyre of wood piled high about a hundred paces from the gates. The setting sun was hot upon their backs.

'The wall's not more'n two men high. Two or three of us with a lift over'll get those gates open.'

'Is that possible? There are men on the wall, at the gates. And how many more inside?'

I've done it before. Many times. The last time had been at a hold south of Dun Carreg. He'd been leading the crew then, as well. It had gone smoothly at first over the wall and gates open. Then they'd been heard and blood had been spilt. He felt a flush of shame as he remembered the women and bairns.

Feels like a different life. A different man.

'There's not many left in there. Most of them rode out with Morcant.'

They'd caught up with the chest of silver yesterday, after almost a ten-night of tracking it, Meg leading them through a confusing network of waterways that edged the marshes. Unfortunately, when they caught up with the wain carrying the chest, it had been surrounded by Morcant and a convoy of over two hundred swords. When Morcant had stopped in the open and made camp for the night Camlin had considered attempting to s.n.a.t.c.h the chest, but there had just been too many guards and Drust had refused to commit his men. So they'd followed Morcant and his chest of silver the next day to this tower.

Camlin and the three of them had spent half the day creeping closer to the fortification. When the sun was a s.h.i.+eld of fire s.h.i.+mmering above the Baglun the gates had opened, Morcant riding out at the head of at least two hundred warriors. They had headed east, the sound of their horses hooves fading like distant thunder.

'We should strike just before dawn,' Camlin said, looking at Drust.

The ageing warrior stared at Camlin. 'I'll not risk my men's lives for nothing. You are sure the chest is in there?'

'Aye. We saw it carried in there upon a wain, and it hasn't come out. And Morcant just left with his warband. No wain.'

'He'd have left men to guard it, though.'

'Of course, but not many. I've counted six on this watch there'll be double that, then maybe a dozen others to keep the place running, no more'n that. Remember, Morcant's a proud, arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d and the chest's in his tower, behind a wall and a score of men. He doesn't think anyone'd have the stones to try and take his silver.'