Aiduels sin, p.36
Aiduel's Sin, page 36
It seemed as if they were in the heartland of the felrin, and the growing clamour of calls from outside the cave suggested that more of the beasts were descending upon them. All eager to kill, and eager to feed.
As Corin was considering this, and steeling himself for what was to come, he heard the startling contrast of a gentle and familiar voice speaking to him.
‘Corin?’
He looked down at the small form in his arms, and stared into Agbeth’s eyes. She was awake. Alert. Returned. Communicating with him.
‘Agbeth,’ he said, his voice wavering.
‘Corin.’ Her eyes were blinking, adjusting to the murky light. ‘Where are we?’
–
In the minutes that followed, the survivors of the group were clustered within the foul conditions of the cave.
Twice during this period, another felrin had threatened to attack. On both occasions, Corin had initially paralysed the hostile creature and had then compelled it to leave. After the second approach, there had been no more immediate attempts to breach their sanctuary. However, they were not being left alone.
Throughout this time, Blackpaw was their guardian and sentinel, blocking the entrance. The beast was vigilant for outside threats, and Corin was also observing the entrance passageway through its eyes. Rennik and Kernon remained poised at the creature’s side, with their weapons ready.
Hellin of Condarron and Menni were crouched in a hollow at the furthest recess of the cave. The younger woman was sobbing, and the missionary had placed an arm around her shoulder.
Corin and Agbeth were standing between these two groups, in the centre of the small enclosed space. Corin’s arm was around his wife’s waist, holding her tight to him. As a result of him focusing his attention on protecting the group, he and Agbeth had not yet had an opportunity to speak.
From the lands surrounding the cave, there was a continuous stream of aggressive noise. It seemed that scores of felrin were howling and shrieking in an unbroken chorus of deadly threat. Corin had no real idea as to how many were actually outside and waiting to pounce. However, after a few minutes of listening, he guessed that it might be upwards of a hundred of the creatures.
He knew that he could not allow himself to feel hopeless about their predicament. He had to think and to find a solution. But it was beyond his powers to control that many strong-willed felrin. If his group was to leave the cave now, and to return to the open spaces outside, they would be swarmed upon and ripped apart. They had already lost three members of their party to the beasts in just a matter of minutes.
‘Fuck!’ cursed Kernon, his voice echoing around the small enclosed area. The despair in his tone echoed Corin’s own thoughts. ‘Fuck!’
‘I’ll think of something, Kernon,’ Corin replied, trying to sound calm. ‘Just give me some time.’
‘I don’t have time, Corin,’ responded Agbeth. ‘You and I must speak, before it’s too late.’
He turned to face her, feeling guilty. ‘I’m sorry. You asked where we are, Agbeth. We’re in the north. The far north. Searching for the…’
He did not finish the sentence, but he looked at her meaningfully. The continuing calls of the felrin outside provided a chilling accompaniment to his words.
‘I understand,’ she replied, nodding. ‘You brought me, like you promised. Those are felrin outside?’
‘Yes.’
He saw her shudder, then she whispered, ‘He sent me back, Corin. These howls awakened him again, and drew us both to the surface. You must speak with him.’
‘What did he say, Agbeth?’ asked Corin.
‘That you must speak with him. Before you leave this cave. He says we’re close, to the thing he can sense. But you must speak to him.’
Corin could see that Agbeth’s eyelids were drooping already, and he knew that he was about to lose her again.
‘I will, I’ll speak to him.’
‘And he said a word, Corin. I don’t know if it’s a name. But he whispered it to me, when I last heard him.’
‘What word?’
Her speech was slurring. ‘Kellon. Kellon…’
‘Kellon? Is that his name?’
But she was already lost to him, slumped forward within his arms. Corin inhaled deeply, then took a few moments to compose himself.
‘What are we to do, Chief Corin?’ asked Rennik. The warrior appeared to be trying to remain stoic, but his voice contained a tremor.
Corin released the breath he had held, attempting to find control. At least there was now something that he could try to do.
‘This is what we’re going to do,’ he said. ‘Hellin, Menni, try to move all these bones and filth to the end of the cave. Clear some space for me to lie down with Agbeth. Menni, please try to be strong. We’ll mourn them all properly later, but right now you must be brave and quiet. Kernon. Please stay calm, brother. I need you to be a great warrior. Kernon and Rennik, you must support Blackpaw to guard the entrance. Don’t take your eyes from that passageway. Don’t let anything in. If anything gets past the three of you, we’re all dead. Because for what might be a long time, I won’t be able to use my powers to keep the other felrin away. I won’t be here, with you, and I won’t see them coming.’
‘Then where will you be, Chief Corin?’ asked Hellin of Condarron, the first words she had spoken since arriving in the cave.
Corin noticed that the missionary was scrutinising him, and that there was a fascination in her regard. The cries of felrin continued to carry from outside as he returned her stare.
‘I’m going to lie down,’ he answered, ‘and I’ll close my eyes. And then I’m going to speak to the Gods.’
–
The chorus of felrin shrieks faded into the background of Corin’s consciousness, as he entered Agbeth’s sleeping mind and sought out the ghost.
AGBETH TOLD ME TO COME. ARE YOU THERE?
Yes, I am. And we’re close. I can feel it more clearly now.
The presence’s voice was still that of a boy. However, it sounded less distant.
WHAT IS IT? IS IT THE GATE?
I don’t know. But it feels so… old. You must go there.
BUT WE’RE TRAPPED. WE CAN’T LEAVE HERE.
Yes, you can. But you must listen.
LISTEN TO WHAT? TO YOU?
To the song.
WHAT?
Listen to their song. I can hear it. Can you?
WHOSE SONG?
They’re all around you. Speaking to you. You must listen.
STOP TALKING IN RIDDLES! WHO ARE THEY?
There was an extended silence after this, and Corin privately cursed himself for allowing his temper to flare. But just as he was beginning to wonder if he had driven the ghost away, he finally received a response.
I can hear them. They’re all singing. Telling a story. You must listen to them.
LISTEN TO WHO?
The ones who are singing.
Corin tried to suppress his annoyance and frustration.
WHO ARE YOU?
I can’t remember. But… did I tell you that I was murdered?
IS YOUR NAME KELLON?
Kellon? That sounds… familiar. But I don’t know. Have you forgotten, too?
FORGOTTEN WHAT?
Again, there was a frustrated heat in Corin’s reply, which he immediately regretted. And after waiting and drifting for a further extended period, hoping for another response, he eventually conceded defeat and acknowledged that the ghost was gone.
–
When Corin opened his eyes, he was lying flat on his back, with Agbeth asleep beside him. The cave was almost in darkness, other than for a flickering of light from the entrance passageway.
Corin turned to look that way. Blackpaw was still hunched there, guarding the entrance, and its chest was heaving. Kernon and Rennik were both close to the beast, but they were sitting now, with their weapons across their laps. They had also cleared a space around themselves, free of the detritus of the cave. The chilling and continuous cries of other felrin still resounded throughout the lands outside.
‘You are returned to us, Chief Corin?’ The voice was Hellin’s. She sounded subdued and scared.
‘Yes,’ said Corin. ‘How long have I been gone?’
Rennik turned his head, and said, ‘Three to four hours. It’s night now.’
‘That long? Really? Is that light from a fire?’
‘Yes. We managed to start a fire, at the end of the passage,’ replied Rennik. ‘Using some of the waste from the cave. It’s kept them away for a while. But it’s almost burnt out, and then we’ll be in darkness.’ There was weariness and defeat in Rennik’s tone.
‘Have there been any more attacks?’ asked Corin.
‘Only one,’ said Rennik. ‘One of the beasts tried to come up the passageway, to gain entrance. Blackpaw stopped it. None since then.’
Corin’s gaze moved to his felrin, which had its own eyes focused down the passageway. Through their connection, he could feel that it was in pain. There were claw scrapes across its chest and arms, and lacerations on its neck. It was breathing heavily, and it was clearly fatigued.
‘Well done, all of you,’ said Corin.
‘What are we going to do, Corin?’ asked Kernon. The older brother’s voice also sounded despondent. ‘Listen to how many there are. We’re going to die in this fucking cave.’
The wails and shrieks of the felrin carried eerily through the darkness. It seemed that there were even more discordant voices now than there had been when Corin had gone into his trance. It was an unbroken wall of terrifying sound, made by a multitude of feral creatures. Beasts that all seemed to have gathered in this place in order to kill Corin’s party.
‘We’re not dead yet, Kernon. I’ll find a way to get us all out of this,’ Corin said, with more confidence than he felt. ‘The Gods told me to do something.’
‘What did your… Gods… tell you to do, Chief Corin?’ asked Hellin.
Corin saw little point in concealing the answer from them. ‘They told me to listen to the song.’
‘What song?’
‘I don’t know. But everyone be quiet, please. I must listen.’
They did as he said, and they all waited silently within the darkened cave, as Corin attempted to hear the song that the ghost had referred to.
He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but the only sound that came to him was that of the masses of felrin which had gathered in the areas around the cave. A multitude of shrieking howls that pierced the night air then blended into another such call. And another, and another, in an uninterrupted cry of threat and fear.
Corin felt both annoyed and concerned. How could he ever hope to perceive the melody of a song whilst trying to shut out the discordant cacophony that the creatures were making? He needed them all to shut up and to allow him some silence, even for just a few seconds.
He opened his eyes again, feeling frustrated, and was alarmed to find that Blackpaw had turned away from the cave entrance, leaving the opening momentarily unguarded. The creature prowled towards him, such that its face was mere inches from Corin’s, the tip of its snout close to touching his nose. Blackpaw’s golden eyes were fixed upon Corin. For just a moment, they appeared to possess an intelligence which Corin had never recognised before.
Through their connection, Corin again received a hinted sensation that there was a memory within Blackpaw which had been closed off from the beast, and also from Corin. Something that was sealed away and contained. Something which was now tangibly close to being opened and revealed to them both.
Then Blackpaw opened its jaws, and the felrin emitted its own piercing shriek. At this close distance, the noise pained Corin’s ears and blasted back the hairs on his head. Blackpaw’s cry joined with those of the creatures outside, and as the sound faded away it seemed to blend into the calls of the other felrin.
Those cries carried on, ringing out into the night sky, even as Blackpaw paused. And then, for the first time, Corin heard it. And once he had recognised it, he felt foolish that he had been oblivious to what was there. That it had remained unknown to him, for this long.
But he could hear it clearly now. The call of the beasts, given shape and form. Melody, entwined and hidden within the apparent discord. Harmony within the chaos, calling to his consciousness and beckoning him to join in with their chorus. And to hear their story.
It was the Song of the Felrin.
And it was beautiful.
20
Allana
–
Year of Our Lord,
After Ascension, 770AA
Allana watched with appalled fascination as the battle at the Sept River Bridge took place in the valley before her.
She was standing on a hill at the edge of a wood, over two hundred metres away from the river and from the fighting. Her four personal guards were around her, and they were also surrounded by many other camp followers.
Allana was feeling safe, despite her proximity to the battle. This sense of security was derived mainly from the fact that the fast-flowing waterway lay between this vantage point and the killing grounds. All of the fighting was taking place on the southern side of the Sept River, with only Elannis and Berun soldiers on this northern side.
‘You still think that we’re winning, yes?’ she asked the lead guard Connar, who was by her side.
‘Yes, my Lady. As far as I can tell, the battle’s going very well.’
She could see that he was careful not to allow his eyes to drift downwards across her body, as he said the words.
Allana liked the young officer. He had spent a lot of time in her company in the last week, being attentive in his assigned role of lead protector as their army had moved southwards. He had been particularly diligent whenever their column had arrived at hostile Western Canasar settlements, passing through places which had been pillaged by the army. However, his attentiveness had now morphed into something else.
He yearns for you, Lana. How easily you’ve begun to consume his thoughts.
The desire that she could sense in him was ever-present and building. Occasionally, she would allow invisible tendrils to ease into his mind, and would then enjoy watching his unwitting reaction as she teased his body with sensations of pleasure. However, she would never partake in more than that, despite being flattered by his attention. Given her new status, it would not be appropriate to have any dalliance with common soldiery.
‘Tell me what’s happening, now, then,’ she ordered.
‘Well, if you look to the far side of the bridge, my Lady,’ Connar stated, gesturing as he spoke, ‘you can see that we’ve pushed the enemy back, and we’ve a spearhead of troops on the south bank. That’s Duke Berun’s banner, just there. If that spearhead can push a little further forward, then all of our men will be able to cross the bridge, and we’ll slowly overwhelm them.’
Allana shuddered as she looked past the wide, arched stone bridge. Somewhere down there, Jarrett was in the midst of that maelstrom of battle. He had told her that he was going to be dismounted for the bridge advance, and she could not pick him out despite his extraordinary size.
He’ll survive to return to you, Lana. And he’ll be a terror in battle. What man could possibly stand against Jarrett?
Allana could see the spearhead to which Connar referred. A mass of yellow and darker blue tabards had fought their way onto the far bank of the river, expanding outwards from the southern mouth of the bridge. This growing cluster must have represented upwards of a thousand men, but they were facing an even greater number of the lighter blue of Western Canasar.
On the bridge itself and on the near side of the Sept, thousands more Elannis and Berun infantry were still waiting to cross. In addition, hundreds of yellow-clad archers were arrayed along the river bank, firing waves of arrows into the body of the Western Canasar forces.
However, despite the intensity of this battle around the bridge, the location of the fiercest fighting appeared to be two hundred metres along the river, to the west. Elannis and Andar forces were also engaged in combat there, on the meadows beside the southern bank.
‘And over there?’ Allana asked, pointing in that direction.
‘Over there, we appear to be winning, my Lady,’ stated Connar. ‘You can see that the Western Canasar lines are being driven back by Elannis pikemen. And that Prince Markon’s cavalry are starting to move around the enemy’s exposed flank. It looks like we heavily outnumber them there. Possibly by three-to-one. I doubt that they have the numbers to both hold the bridgehead and to stand against Markon’s force.’
‘Very good,’ Allana replied, still feeling mesmerised by the sights and sounds of the spectacle.
The noises which were carrying to her from the river were awful to listen to, though admittedly also exciting. She could hear a constant clash of metal on metal, accompanied by cries of pain and anger.
Did you ever expect to find war so thrilling, Lana?
She understood from Jarrett that the invading army, which comprised of almost thirty thousand men, had split a couple of days earlier. Half of this force, including the contingent from Berun, had stayed on the main highway towards this Sept River Bridge. The remainder had been led off by Prince Markon El’Augustus, to cross the river at the place called Moss Ford.
When Jarrett’s half of the army had arrived at this bridge, they had encountered a defending force of thousands, which had been positioned on the south side of the water. Jarrett’s orders had been to establish a defensive line on the north bank of the river, holding those enemy troops in place until Markon arrived, after which Jarrett’s forces were to attack.
