Page 66 of Of Blood & Bone: The Young Queen

“Aaran and I retrieved him twice, Your Majesty. The time you met him at the castle he must have made his way back on his own.”

I think back to when I first abducted the prince and his assurance that no-one would come looking for him, as if his absence wouldn’t be noted. I thought it a strange thing for him to say at the time, but now his words make sense, and it also explains why we weren’t followed by search parties of Ellerban soldiers. They were accustomed to him being absent.

I think upon this and am even more concerned as to what causes the prince to flee. What terrible event has caused him such agony?

I want to demand of Barra that he tell me, but I fear I will only get the reticent response I got before and also know how hard he has to concentrate to follow Aaran’s signs in the dark.The last thing I wish to do right now is distract him and risk losing the trail to the prince. So I hunker down into my saddle and follow his broad shoulders into the dark.

Our progress is slow as the path deteriorates more and more into an ever narrowing trail which becomes increasingly challenging to navigate in the dark. Thankfully, the dawn is breaking as we leave the thickness of the forest behind and enter more rocky terrain, where the landscape consists of scraggy trees, grassy hillocks, gushing streams and stony grey soil. This is Awtchnashee – the place of the fairies – and as we pass by a beautiful waterfall shot through with the golden pink of the rising sun, it’s easy to see why. It has an other-worldly feel.

“Perhaps we should stop here,” Kes suggests, “and break our fast before we go any further.”

I know why she is anxious to stop here, because once we leave Awtchnashee we enter the Craglands, the craggy foothills of the Black Mountain. It will be difficult terrain to navigate with the horses and is full of hidden dangers such as groundholes, wolves and mountain lions. There are also those who believe it is frequented by the Callachs, a tribe of old crones, generally believed to be witches. However, I suspect this is an old wives' tale conjured to keep adventurous children out of the Craglands and prevent them from falling down a groundhole.

Barra turns to face us. “That sounds like a good idea,” he agrees and dismounts from his horse.

We settle the horses beside the stream and sit on some nearby rocks. I pour some milk for each of us and hand around the oat biscuits. The air is fresh and we break our fast to the sound of the waterfall tumbling over rocks as it joins the stream, and gentle birdsong as our feathered brethren greet each other.

“This place has a certain ethereal beauty,” Barra observes, “almost as if it is enchanted.”

“Funny you should say that,” I reply, “it’s known as The Place of The Fairies.”

His eyebrows curve slightly upwards. “Oh, friendly fairies I hope?”

I give a low chuckle. “Well, I’ve yet to hear of any unfriendly ones, but it’s probably best if we don’t do anything to irk them.”

He smiles, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “It never pays to irk a fairy.”

“No, apparently not,” I agree, and return his smile, grateful for a light-hearted moment. “Tell me, do you think we are close to the prince? Has Aaran left any clue? We have covered a significant amount of ground and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to take the horses into the Craglands.”

“The Craglands?” he asks. “They don’t sound too friendly.”

“It’s the expanse of land that lies between here and the base of the Black Mountain, and it will be increasingly difficult for the horses to safely navigate it.”

His face becomes serious and he is silent for a few moments. “I think Aaran is close by and will join us soon, we can discuss it with him then, but now I think we'd best be on our way.” He looks around as he speaks as if speaking to someone unseen and I wonder if Aaran is closer than he is letting on.

***

The sun has reached the midpoint of the day when we find ourselves surrounded by the eerie landscape of the Craglands. The ground is mostly made up of dark grey shale interspersed with sharp schist and the trail winds its way through huge boulders. Every now and again there is an open, grassy area and in some cases a few trees, but for the most part it is a gloomy and barren landscape. I can well understand why some peoplebelieve it to be inhabited by Callachs. The only thing I find hard to believe is how the prince has managed to come this far on foot, but Barra assures me it’s more than possible.

“He’s fit and healthy, Your Majesty, and when he has one of these episodes he becomes quite focused on where he wants to go.”

His face is set with sadness and regret as he speaks and I’ve no doubt he knows exactly what causes the prince such pain.

“Is it possible you will share with me what troubles the prince so?” I ask, an undeniable measure of hope in my voice.

He closes his eyes for a second as if he wishes I didn’t ask my question. Then, in a regretful voice, he says, “All I can tell you, Queen Elinor, is what happened to him would destroy a normal man. All things considered, the prince is doing well, despite his episodes. However, I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask him for the details of what happened. As I said before, it’s his story to tell.”

I’m more than a little frustrated with his answer and I can’t help huffing out a rather childish response. “Well I have to find him first.”

He looks wounded at my words, and I immediately regret them. “I’m sorry,” I say in a low voice, “that was childish of me. I just feel if I knew what ails him then perhaps I could help him.”

“I understand, Your Majesty,” he replies, “but believe me when I tell you the prince is greatly improved since coming to Ardvalla. I never thought I’d see him smile again, but you’ve lifted his spirits no end. I believe just being here and spending time with you is help enough.”

I smile at his kind words. “Thank you, Barra, let’s hope that continues to be the case when we get him back to the castle.”

“I’ve no doubt it will prove so,” he replies, and he gives me a smile of such warmth and depth it causes a flush of heat to my cheeks.

We continue picking our way along the increasingly narrow trail for some time when suddenly the silence is broken by a horse’s scream behind me. I look back and see Kes pulling the spare horse to a stop.

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