Chapter 42 Aleksis
42
Aleksis
Stasya’s words had given him new hope. Despite the injuries that slowed them they were making progress. The Hermit was not always in view, for they were working their way through dense tracts of forest now. But whenever they caught a glimpse of the towering rock formation in its cloak of mist, it seemed a little nearer. And Stasya was still finding signs. He’d started seeing them too: patterns on bark, almost like writing, but in a script indecipherable by humankind, its swirling shapes almost dance-like. Small stones in piles, sometimes balanced in ways that looked impossible. He noticed how Stasya picked up feathers, touching them almost as if they were sacred and whispering words he could not hear. She tucked them into her pack; they were some sort of gift, an understanding between her and the forest.
There was no pushing the pace. They were all worn out. Matiss could not carry a pack and needed help to climb. Lukas was clearly still in pain, though refusing to admit anything was wrong. They’d given up keeping watch at night. Rest was imperative and likely safe enough now. There’d been no more uncanny occurrences since they got across the ridgeway, and surely even the most dedicated of the Ruler’s followers would not – could not – pursue them so far.
And then, as they prepared for sleep in fading light, they heard it. An outburst of shouting. A scream. Those sounds were not made by wolves or bears or night birds. They were the voices of men.
For a few moments, all of them froze, silent. Then Matiss cursed under his breath. Stasya and Karolis jumped to their feet and began to throw on various items of clothing. Flip started a high-pitched barking; Stasya quickly hushed her. Aleksis’s heart was pounding like a war drum. He felt chill all through. After all this time. After everything.
‘Pack up quietly,’ he murmured, struggling to sound calm. Keep the balance. The shouting had ceased. The only sounds now were the sleepy calls of birds in the forest around them. But that cry had been unmistakable, and surely not so very far away. ‘Stasya, what’s your estimate of where they are?’
She was busy rolling up her bedding and did not look at him. ‘Sounded close. But everything’s tricky up here. They might be at the ridgeway, though they’d be crazy to try it at night. We need to move on right now. Find a hiding place and hope they pass us by.’
‘Make sure you have a weapon at hand,’ Karolis said, keeping to an undertone. ‘And pack up everything. Leave no clues behind. Quick as you can.’
They doused the remnant of the fire and did their best to erase other evidence of the camp. The moon was waning; with luck, the pursuers would miss the signs. Why were they out there at night? Who were they?
‘Stasya?’ Aleksis asked.
‘What?’
‘Couldn’t Flip fly back? To find out who it is?’
No reply.
‘I know what you said. But …’
‘She’s scared, Aleks. It’s getting dark. And we have to move on anyway. She might find us somewhere to hide. But I won’t ask for more than that.’ A silence, then she added, ‘There are wolves nearby.’
Wolves. That was all they needed. ‘Will you lead us?’ he asked. He wished he could keep her safe instead. Karolis was giving her one of his big knives, helping her attach it to her belt. Aleksis did not want Stasya fighting; he did not want her under attack.
Without replying yes or no, she hitched up her pack and said, ‘All set to go? Don’t talk unless you must. If we can hear them, they can probably hear us.’ Sounding unafraid. Sounding like a leader. She walked away down a near-invisible forest track, with Flip in dog form by her side, and the others followed without a word. But Aleksis saw the look Lukas gave him, even in the dim light of the waning moon. That look said: If she is hurt, I will lay the blame on you. If she is killed, I will make you pay. Aleksis understood all too well. In Lukas’s place, he would have felt the same. But he knew, deep down, that Stasya was her own woman and would make her own decisions. Then there was the undeniable fact that of the five of them, Karolis and Stasya were currently the fittest and strongest. He felt deep gratitude for the covert tutoring in close combat that both Matiss and Karolis had given him in the months leading up to their departure from court. He was a scholar, a negotiator. His early training in the wielding of weapons had been limited, unlike that of Markus who, as a future Ruler, had been provided with a far broader education. Oh, Markus. Please be there, and please remember me. We need you . All very well, but first they had to get there. Scant hours ago, the remaining distance to the Hermit had looked achievable. Not so now.
Stasya stayed in the lead, with Flip pattering along at her heels. Matiss came behind her, then himself, with Lukas next and Karolis as rear guard. Not a whisper; the loudest sound he could hear was Matiss’s breathing, which held a rasp of effort the big man could not suppress. Gods, what if this killed them all? His loyal friends who had set aside their own lives for the sake of his cause, and the two innocents from Heartwood settlement, caught up in a disaster of his making? Stop it, Aleks, he ordered himself. Be the leader you should be and bear the consequences.