Page 39 of Aubade Rising
“Release your weapons.” The command comes from a voice younger than I expected.
Eskar looks round, calculating our meagre odds. There’s one of him and they have the advantage of knowing the terrain. Resigned, he drops his hunting knife, balancing it on the rough granite boulders at our feet. I raise my hands above my head to show I’m unarmed.
Their faces are now visible through the mist. They look like a hunting party in their heavy outdoor clothes with an assortment of bows and arrows and long, curved blades.
“Who are you?” I sound braver than I feel. These lands aremeant to be unoccupied, there’s no animals to hunt and we’re too far from Tanwen to stumble on anyone else.
“We are the Kevren Gwir.”
Chapter 38
Our hands are bound and we are corralled into following the leader of the group across the moor. We’re prisoners. We pass small gashes in the sloping hillside that are concealed entrances to mining tunnels. Invisible from the summit and the bottom of the tor, I look carefully to spot the depressions in the land which house them. We pass several and I shudder at the thought of being forced underground. Our captors lead us into a large tunnel which is big enough for us to be escorted side by side. We’re swallowed by the darkness. I prepare to be smothered in panic at the blackness, forced to relive captivity under Chi An Mor.
However, the moment we enter the tunnels, the mist abates and candles flicker from within, sheltered in glass cylinders and fixed to the rough clay walls. I can breathe deeply again, a small relief in such a dire situation. The clear air sharpens and stills my mind. The irony of being in more danger but able to keep my head isn’t lost on me.
The tunnels are made from cracked mud, well-trodden and the colour of dried blood. I’ve read that the dark red clay is a positive sign of mineral deposits. Roughly hewn wooden arches bracket the tunnel every few feet, providing a semblance of support and reminding me how much weight is above our heads.
Our captors hushed conversations echo, ricocheting away down side tunnels, words jumbling and indecipherable as we march deeper underground. The ropes tying my wrists chafe and burn each time I stumble. Eskar tugs at his restraints as I struggle to stand, his face a violent storm of barely contained rage. The path ahead is blocked: a landslide of mud and rock fill the space.The captor in front swears colourfully, wrenching us back on ourselves, winding further through the labyrinthine maze.
We stop in a large central cavern, a meeting place. Small, smokeless fires flicker in the corners, providing scant light and dancing shadows. A group of similarly dressed men are gathered round a table with a detailed map in the middle, deep in discussion. A small woman stands in the middle, not contributing. She sees us and raises her hand; the discussion halts immediately. Our captors bow their heads in muted respect, waiting for her to speak.
“Are they the ones we were expecting?” Her accented voice is clear, a sleek black bob swings across her shoulders.
The leader of the group that captured us falters. I’m interested to see the deference given to this tiny woman. She’s about my age, maybe a few years older. Her skin looks awkwardly pale, as if she’s spent too much time in the mists and caves and it’s not where she belongs.
“They matched the descriptions; we’ve tracked them for days,” the leader mutters petulantly.
Her nostrils flare in annoyance. The group leader seems oblivious to the knife edge of her patience which he appears to be treading along.
“Names, please.” Her whisper is softly venomous. She comes round the table, hand resting on an intricately detailed dagger at her waist.
I’m more afraid for the captain than for myself. I’m nobody important, but he would be a huge prize for the rebellion.
Eskar’s eyes search mine, his eyebrows raised in regret.“I’m Eskar Devath and this is Sage Dewnam. I’m her escort on a scientific research expedition.” The storm in his face rages, defiant against her cold enquiry.
Recognition glitters in her eyes as she all but purrs in satisfaction, grinning greedily. “Thank you Verax.” She turns toour guards. “Take him away.”
I don’t get a chance to react, to grab him and keep us together. They try to drag Eskar roughly out of the room by the rope restraints. It takes several men to subdue him, even as he fights to crawl back to me, dragging his knees against the clay. In contrast it only takes one guard to hold me back but I’m fighting with everything I have. My magic fizzles pathetically, my hands too tightly bound behind my back. Eskar slips one hand free. The guards around him freeze in agony, more of them affected than the two in Tanwen. The blood flow stopping in their bodies has them screaming and twisting in agony.More guards drop to their knees, clutching their limbs. But he missed the true threat.
Sighing impatiently, the tiny woman is suddenly in his eyeline. I barely saw her move; her hands flick towards me and there’s a solid wall of air preventing me from making a noise. I feel my eyes straining in panic and scratch at my throat, looking to Eskar for help as my legs buckle.
“Go peacefully with the guards and she will not be harmed.”
The guards drop simultaneously, all unconscious. Air rushes back down my throat and I’m kneeling on the ground retching. The man leading the expedition rushes to restrain Eskar.
The tiny woman turns to him. “Clearly you misunderstood me. You are our prisoner but she is our guest. And we are not in the habit of harming our guests – unless provoked.” Her statement cows Eskar and his shoulders slump.
“You just blow innocent citizens up instead.” I retort.
“Ah yes, I will not deny that we can be ruthless.” She appears blase about the loss of life, face rendered ugly by a wolfish, barbaric grin.
“But you,” she tips my chin up with her knife. “You are quite the prize.” Close up, fine lines are faintly etched in waves across her forehead, the kind caused by heavy responsibility. She wears them well though.
With a wave of her arm, new guards escort Eskar from the chamber and I’m left alone with the rebels.
“Leave us!” her imperious tone jangles through the cavern. It empties quickly but the unconscious guards Eskar felled still carpet the floor.
She picks her way through the bodies, not checking whether they’re breathing and stands in front of the map.
