Chapter 44 Aleksis
44
Aleksis
Under the trees all was still. A strange kind of peace had fallen over the place. The Forest Folk waited, not advancing, simply holding respectful silence and biding their time. Karolis eased the limp form of Pavel from Aleks’s arms to lay him on the ground, and Aleks rose to his feet, facing the woman who had used the slingshot to such precise purpose. Never mind that his heart was breaking. It was time to be a leader.
‘Greetings to you. My name is Aleksis, son of Feliks. My father was senior adviser to the late Lord Kasimir, Ruler of the Northlands. I have held that position since my father’s death, first with Lord Kasimir and then with the current Ruler. Events have caused me to take a different path; I am not here as a representative of Lady Elisabeta. With me are my friends and comrades on this journey.’ Why was it so hard to hold onto his composure? He would not look at Stasya, whose song had made him weep. He would not look down at the young father who had lost his life because of others’ evil scheming. He cleared his throat. ‘I had hoped to find your people under less desperate circumstances, but I thank you for turning the tide of this … this confrontation. I offer my deep regret for the blood shed on your land. And … I hope you may be willing to assist us further.’
‘We know who you are.’ The tall woman’s voice was both soft and authoritative. ‘One among us has followed your journey. Your loss saddens us.’ She glanced at Pavel; at the fallen wolf; at the bodies strewn around the clearing. ‘We will assist you to reach our home, the place you call the Hermit. Practical matters first. You are hungry, thirsty, weary, sad. And …’
‘With your permission,’ Aleks said, ‘we should lay the dead to rest. Our own, and those who have been drawn into this because their orders demanded it. And one other.’ Rihard was gone. He should have lived long enough to answer for his crimes. He should have suffered more … No, it was wrong to think that way. Lukas had spoken with wisdom and balance. He had astonished Aleks with the precision of his act and the power of his quiet words. The goat boy was far more of a man than he had ever realised. Worthy of Stasya , his treacherous thoughts whispered.
The Forest Folk moved then, to walk among the still forms of the dead and to murmur soft words over each. They did not gather them up.
The woman spoke again. ‘This must be done, yes, or the place will forever bear the shadow of what happened here. But not yet. There are wounded among you; you are exhausted and full of sorrow. Come a little way with us. We will provide refreshment and attend to your hurts.’ And when Aleks glanced around him, troubled at the thought of leaving the scene of death unguarded, one of the forest men said, ‘We will set a watch on the place. Nothing will be touched until you are ready.’
—
He could not bring himself to ask the question, not even when they had been escorted to a grassy bank beside a stream, assisted to settle themselves, and offered food and drink from baskets carried by the uncanny folk. He remembered old stories about the dangers of accepting such food, such as the possibility of being trapped in another realm forever or somehow irrevocably changed. But if they were now to walk on to the Hermit, he and his comrades must be prepared to trust.
He wanted to ask, Is there a human man among your number? A man who was lost in these parts as a child years ago? Is the true heir to the Rulership with you at the Hermit? But it was not yet time for that. Pavel had died because of him. Matiss was hurt, Lukas was hurt, Stasya looked utterly drained. He wanted to sit down with her, just the two of them, and try to offer some comfort. To let her talk, to be a listening ear. But not here, with all these folk around, quiet as they were. Besides, Flip had reappeared and was now in dog form again, sitting beside Stasya, apparently quite calm. He guessed she’d been the one who’d startled Rihard and allowed Stasya to escape. As for this peaceful spot, so unlike the terrain they had passed through, he wondered if it had been conjured from nowhere for the purpose of giving weary travellers respite.
The tall woman came to seat herself by him on the grass, while others of her folk tended quietly to his comrades’ injuries, both old and new. He realised there were questions he could ask, safer ones. Best start with the formalities. ‘Might I know your name?’
‘I am known as Kadri. I am a leader among my people.’
‘Mistress Kadri, you mentioned that one among you had followed our journey,’ he said. In his mind was the crone of Stasya’s visions, a person she believed to be at the Hermit. Could visions go both ways? ‘You knew we were coming here, and who we were? You rescued us just in time, and I will be forever grateful for that.’ He would not ask why, if they had been somehow watching his team’s progress, these folk had not intervened earlier, when some lives might still have been saved. ‘Did you know the purpose of our venture?’
The woman smiled. Her eyes were most certainly not human, for they seemed full of light. ‘Do not the tales tell of a quest for treasure?’
‘Treasure can mean many different things,’ Aleksis said carefully. ‘To some, gold and jewels. To others, the ancient trees of the forest. It might be amber. And amber may be valued for different reasons. Or … the treasure might be a man or woman.’
The woman nodded. ‘Indeed, Master Aleksis. I see you have learned much on this journey. More, perhaps, than you would have learned had you stayed at court.’
Karolis was coaxing Stasya to eat some of the fruit the folk had provided; to drink from a cup carved of wood. Her hair was damp and flowed loose across her shoulders, for one of the women had taken her to the stream to wash away the blood and grime, and the thick braid of the journey had been unfastened. Now she wore borrowed clothing of the same green as the garments of the Forest Folk. She managed a smile; it was a wan memory of the way she had looked when she told a story by the fire.
‘We still have quite a way to walk, I think. Two of my companions carry serious injuries,’ Aleksis said. ‘All of us sustained hurts when we were attacked. And … Stasya is distressed. It is not her way to wield a weapon in combat. And the wolf …’
‘You may find the long way shorter under our guidance, Master Aleksis. As for your companions, they all need time to heal. Time to recover. You also. When we reach the Hermit, we can provide that. And learning.’
She left him then, going off to join a group of her own people. And Matiss came over, his old sling replaced by a neat new one. He lowered himself awkwardly to sit beside Aleksis. ‘Poor Pavel,’ he said. ‘I saw him talking to you, at the end. Did he tell you how he came to be there?’
‘Mmm.’ He’d remember those faltering words forever. ‘The Ruler had come to doubt my loyalty. She ordered Pavel to watch my movements closely and report back. The night when we left Dragon’s Keep he could have alerted her, but he came with us instead, intending to tell me everything. He meant to come all the way with us. But when we sent him to Heartwood on his own, he met two men he knew among Rihard’s guards, not far from the settlement. He had a cover story, and it seemed they believed it. But they also shared some terrible accounts of what Rihard had been doing to men who disobeyed his orders. Acts of cruelty toward their loved ones in particular. Pavel came on with us. But fear for his wife and son eventually overwhelmed him, and he headed back on his own, hoping to get them out of Dragon’s Keep and disappear somewhere. He was apprehended by Rihard’s men near Clearwater and taken to the settlement to explain himself. Again, his family was threatened if he refused to lead the Commander up the mountain. Perhaps they were luckier with the weather than we were. They must have made remarkably good time.’
‘The mountain may have played a part in that. Maybe these folk will have some answers.’
They sat in silence a while, then Aleks said, ‘Pavel asked me to get his wife and son to safety. But …’
‘Elisabeta has no cause to harm them while we’re still away from court. She knows nothing of what has happened here. Rihard wouldn’t have advised her of what he was intending. He always did like to go his own way. He’d have wanted to find the treasure first, then report triumphantly back to her.’
‘Mmm.’ A request from a dying comrade could not be ignored. But so much was unknown. Solutions suggested themselves, but all seemed fraught with peril.
‘Leja might be able to do something about Pavel’s family,’ Matiss said. ‘That’s if I can get a message to her.’
Matiss seldom spoke his wife’s name in company, and only ever in a secure place, among trusted friends. ‘We must wait and see what unfolds here first,’ Aleks said. ‘Leja shouldn’t visit Dragon’s Keep in person. But she might be able to send someone unobtrusive. Someone who can get Pavel’s wife and child out on a pretext.’ He did not add, If they are still alive .
‘Master Aleksis?’ A man of the Forest Folk, clad in a nut-brown robe and wearing a friendly smile, had come over to address them. ‘My name is Juho. We have clean garments to offer you.’
Aleks glanced over at Stasya. Her shoulders were tense; her arms were tight around her drawn-up knees. He could imagine what havoc the fight must have created in her mind. He wanted to keep her in sight; to watch over her. But the next task would be laying the dead to rest, and to do so while filthy, bloodstained and unkempt would be deeply disrespectful. ‘Thank you, I will.’
The cold embrace of the stream was welcome. With Juho’s assistance he scrubbed away the worst of the dirt, shaved off his unruly beard, and accepted the garments offered him – plain, comfortable items in the green and brown of the Forest Folk. He kept his belt but surrendered his weapons, which he was assured would be cleaned and returned to him, as would his travel-worn clothing. The Forest Folk had made no attempt to inspect the contents of the travellers’ packs. Whatever it was they had known of this expedition, it had apparently resulted in a significant degree of trust. Or had their ability to fight won them that? He made sure to thank Juho for his assistance, and the man acknowledged this with a grave smile.
‘You’ll want time to talk with your companions,’ Juho said. ‘Then we will do what must be done, with due respect. We are hoping to reach the Hermit before nightfall.’
‘Surely it’s too far away to be reached so quickly.’
‘Perhaps. Let us see how things unfold, Master Aleksis. In this realm, distances can be deceptive. We will not push you too hard; you have already endured much.’
‘Juho … the wolf, too, should be laid to rest. I am not sure how that should best be done.’
Juho nodded understanding. ‘She who called the wolves will have the answer.’
‘Give her a little longer. Then ask her.’
—
By the time he got back to Stasya, Lukas was sitting beside her. He had a hand on her shoulder, as if for comfort. Stasya was talking and gesturing while he listened with grave attention. Aleks could see she had been crying. It was clear his own presence was not required. He walked past them, dipping his head in acknowledgement but saying nothing. He squashed down the feelings that rose in him; they were inappropriate, unworthy of someone who was supposed to be a leader. What mattered was the Hermit and the story of Markus, whatever it was. If Juho was right about how soon they could reach the place, he might have his answer this very day.