Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Slowly, the forest noises returned. Birds chirped. The furtive sound of something small, like a rabbit, rustled in the underbrush. But nothing beyond disturbed earth and some broken branches remained to point to the existence of The Others.
“Dinnae let yer guard down,” Taran warned.
“It could be a trick. But regardless, we cannae continue along this path. Even wi’out the danger of another attack, we could never manage tae get Emily through this section of the forest. We must move tae the edges where ’tisnae so much undergrowth and the trees aren’t so close together. ”
He raised his sword and pointed a few miles west toward a steep, rocky ridge. “There. The forest should thin along the base of that ridge. We’ll try there. Besides, I like having the mountains at my back if we should have tae do battle again. I dinnae relish another attack like the last one.”
“That sound we heard,” Finn interjected.
“I can’t put my finger on what it was. Man or beast. But it certainly got the attention of our attackers.
Was it fear that stopped them, or allegiance to whatever it was?
If it wasn’t human, we need to be wary of it stalking us.
And if it was human, how do you suppose he knew we were under attack?
Unless he was close by? And why did they respond so quickly to that sound, unless… ”
“Unless?” Noah urged.
“Unless whatever, or whoever it was, has power over them. A leader, perhaps? Or is there darker magic afoot than we realize?”
“Are ye suggesting someone at the head of their group, or someone as powerful as, say…The Keeper, might hold power over The Others?” Taran pressed. “If so, ’twould mean he already knows of us and holds ill-will against us. But for what reason? If that is true, our quest is lost before we start.”
Finn shrugged. “I’m only suggesting we have no idea who or what we’re headed for. Man, magic, or…worse.”
“What’s worse,” Noah snapped, “is letting Emily die because we’re too cowardly to try.” The day was slipping away and while they battled here, Emily’s weakened body fought its own battle back in the cottage. “We’re wasting time talking. Time Emily doesn’t have.”
“Now, wait a minute,” Finn growled. “I only meant—”
“Enough,” Taran held up his hand. “We’ve questions and conjecture enough. ’Tis answers we seek. Come. I want tae reach that ridge before we lose the sun.”
By the time they reached the base of the mountain, exhaustion weighed heavily on each of them.
They had fought, and from the look of the way Taran favored his right side, subtle as it was, he’d bled.
Like Noah, Finn had superficial scratches and bruises, but nothing serious.
Taran, on the other hand, must have sustained a deeper wound.
“We should make camp there, in those rocks,” Noah suggested, pointing to an outcropping. “It should provide both protection and hopefully hold in some heat from a fire for the night.”
“We’ve still a bit ’o light,” Taran replied. “We’ll go another few miles.”
“I thought you were in a hurry, lad,” Finn added.
“I’m not in a hurry to lose another member of my family,” Noah exclaimed, pointing at Taran.
“He’s hurt. We need to see how badly. If Paige has taught me nothing else, it’s that wounds need to be cleaned as soon as possible.
And if the look and smell of The Others are any indication, their weapons are likely as filthy as they are. Or worse.”
“I can manage another hour,” Taran insisted.
“No, Noah’s right,” Finn said, already heading to the outcropping.
“I’ll gather wood for a fire. Just a wee one so we can heat some water and tend to that wound.
Then we’ll all get some rest so we’re fit to face what tomorrow brings.
If all goes well, we’ll find The Keeper and get the answers we seek. ”
He turned to Noah. “Drag that stubborn Scot with you while I start a fire, then I’ll keep watch while you patch him up.”
Noah yawned, watching the first rays of light peek over the eastern horizon, illuminating the treetops. Thankfully, Taran’s wound hadn’t been deep or infected, and he’d been able to clean and dress it without issue. But Taran would likely carry a jagged scar as a souvenir from The Others.
Although Noah had slept soundly for the first two hours while the fire dwindled and darkness covered them like a blanket, something had startled him awake, and he’d been unable to find sleep again. He’d finally sent Finn to his bed and taken over guard duty.
Now, as he listened to Finn and Taran stir behind him, the anticipation for what today might bring bubbled inside him.
He prayed to the God of his childhood that they’d find The Keeper quickly and be able to secure Emily’s transport to a time when her illness was not only recognizable, but curable.
He couldn’t allow himself to consider any alternative.
Eager to be on their way, Noah had already built up the fire enough to brew strong tea by the time Taran and Finn finished rolling up their packs. A piece of jerky completed their breakfast.
By the time the sun was full up, warming the air and the land it presided over, they were on the move, sticking closely to the line of the ridge, ever wary of what might lurk in the cracks and crevices of the mountain, or behind the trees of the forest.
“I ken we could manage getting a small cart through here,” Taran stated, evaluating the area they traversed.
Noah nodded, relieved to let that one tiny piece of transportation worry fall away. There were still plenty of other fears and concerns to occupy him.
Keeping a steady pace, they alternated between a brisk walk and a slow jog, ever watchful for any sign of a trail or markings that might indicate a path that could lead to The Keeper.
If Taran’s wound bothered him, he refused to let on. They stopped once during the morning hours for water and a ten-minute rest, but they’d yet to stop for a midday meal.
Sweat trickled down Noah’s back and beaded his forehead, but like his companions, he didn’t waver. He glanced up, gauging the time by the sun, and caught a flicker of something high on the mountain. A bird perhaps. But…
He stopped, causing Taran and Finn to do the same.
“What is it?” Taran asked.
“Thought I saw something.”
Finn visibly tensed and scanned the surrounding area. “Where?”
“There,” Noah pointed to an area between two dark and imposing peaks. Like two giant sentinels, they stood a hundred or so yards apart. “Probably nothing. A bird, or a trick of the light.”
Backing up, Taran studied the area high above them for several minutes as a slow smile curved his lips. “I ken we may have found our destination, lads.”
Noah squinted, looking closer, slowly picking out the stone structure; ancient, weathered, and imposing, from the cold unwelcoming mountainside it seemed carved from.
“’Tis an imposing fortress,” Taran muttered. “A place meant tae keep things out. Or mayhap, something or someone, in.”
After a tedious search, they discovered a narrow path woven around boulders and outcroppings that led up the mountainside. Noah and Finn followed Taran’s lead, their boots crunching over loose stone. As far as Noah could see, no guards stood watch. No movement flickered from window or battlement.
Not even after their steep climb when they finally reached two massive steel and iron doors.
“By the Saints,” Finn declared. “Look at that. It’s taken me seven years to collect a mere portion of the materials in those doors alone. There’s either magic or mischief afoot here.”
They waited, sensing eyes upon them but seeing or hearing nothing.
“This won’t do,” Noah grumbled. “We’ll not wait here like beggars while Emily fights for her life.”
Stepping forward, he studied the intricate door latch, but to no avail. It appeared to require a release from the inside.
Succumbing to his impatience, he pounded against the metal, surprised when the sound reverberated like a war drum.
“If anyone resides within, they surely heard that,” Finn commented, resting both hands on the hilts of his weapons. “You may have just drawn the lot of them down on us.”
Another long silence stretched out before them when finally, a weighty creak signaled the opening of the doors. Noah saw Taran shift, stopping just short of drawing his blade.
A tall, well-armed and heavily bearded man stood in the threshold. Cloaked in black leather with several lethal-looking blades hanging from his belt, his gaze swept over them with studied disdain.
With a warning glance at Noah, Taran stepped forward, purposely shifting his hands away from his weapons. “We come peacefully tae seek an audience wi’ The Keeper.”
“For what purpose?” the guard demanded, his eyes taking in every detail of their clothing and weapons. “Assuming such a person exists.”
“Passage through a portal,” Noah stated abruptly, earning a distinct scowl from both Taran and Finn. Instantly, he regretted his lack of discretion, but Emily may not have time for lengthy diplomacy. Still, he regretted acting so brashly if it meant being denied seeing The Keeper.
The guard exhaled, slow and measured. “You’ve come to the wrong place.”
Noah’s hands curled into fists. The man was wasting precious time. Playing a game. Blast the bloody diplomacy! “A child is dying!”
Though his eyes were clearly calculating, the guard tilted his head slightly, his expression neither cruel nor kind. “And?”
Noah’s blood boiled. He took a step forward, unable to temper his anger. “A portal to another time is our only chance to save her life, and we understand The Keeper has the knowledge to lead us to one.”
The guard’s lips twitched, almost amused. “Does he?”
From Taran’s grunt of disgust, Noah could tell his patience had also worn thin.
“We know the truth,” Taran stated. “We know he controls the portals.”
The guard blinked slowly, his eyes reflecting his amusement.