The Hekamon Read online

  Suddenly the man was moving, with purpose and towards her. Alyssa slunk back further still, suddenly realizing what she was wearing. She was not well camouflaged in these clothes. Panic started to set in, there was every chance she would be seen. Why was he coming back this way? What of their conversation had she missed?

  She rolled and pressed herself low to the ground, weighing her options. If she was going to run, her position was all wrong. She could not spring to her feet, at best she would stagger to them. Her situation was bad, no, it was worse than that. The tree she was hiding behind was concealing her, but in the process it was blocking her view. She would not be able to see if the guards were coming right for her, not until it was too late. They would be on top of her before she could do anything about it.

  She was angry at herself. She had become transfixed by her prey, yet he was nothing of the sort. Alyssa's eyes grew wide at her terrible position. Even her dagger, normally close at hand, was hard to get at under the jacket she was wearing. If they caught her, she would be taken to the fort. She would be a prisoner. What would happen to her there?

  At that moment the sound of the approaching footsteps changed, as the men stepped from the rocky escarpment and back into the forest. Suddenly the two guards were right next to her, less than ten feet away. She peered up through the undergrowth that barely concealed her, ready to jump to her feet, yet knowing she would not be able to.

  The fear gripped her and held her tightly. From where she lay Tregarron appeared a giant, a monster. Alyssa knew she could never out run him, and when he caught her, she would be defeated in any manner of his choosing. She couldn't move, could hardly breathe, and as she closed her eyes, she heard the guard speak.

  "Is something wrong?"

  Then came another voice, "Whoever it is, they're looking for something," she heard Tregarron say. There was a timbre to his voice. His words had a flint-like edge but there was a growl beneath them, "Croneygee and Tansley both leave the armory and both are attacked."

  "You think we should go to Croneygee's workshop?" The guard replied.

  "Yes. Yes I do."

  After a few seconds, and hearing the sound of retreating footsteps, Alyssa opened her eyes again. She watched as the two men walked away. Laying still, gradually the feeling returned to her limbs and her heart rate returned to normal. She had never been paralyzed with fear before and never wanted to be again.

  If becoming petrified had worked, it was only because Tregarron was not as good as his reputation had lead her to believe. He could be distracted and lose sight of what he was looking for.

  The object of his pursuit had been just a few feet away from him and yet he had not realized. She would not have been so blind. Not only that, he was going to lead her exactly where she needed to go. His hunt would fail. Hers would not.

  She slowly climbed to her feet, watching the two guards until they were at the limit of her view through the trees, before following once more.

  Even the most impressive pack leaders become blind and deaf in old age, Alyssa reminded herself, her self assurance returning. She even started to pity him. This thought caused her to reach for the Ettinshel, if only to confirm her instincts. That she needed to do so was perhaps an answer in itself. Or at least, it was the only answer she was going to get, so it would have to do.

  A wolf will eventually lose all the attributes that make it such a creature, but the last thing to go is the bite. She would stay vigilant. He was not her prey but her guide, an unwitting guide who would not want to be followed.

  Chapter 9

  58

  Kormak and Tolle walked ahead. The pair had been deep in conversation since leaving the Egret Stockade, with Tolle asking him all of the questions, and he giving most of the answers. Like Palfrey had guessed, Tolle was not happy at Alyssa having been left behind, but nor was he particularly angry either.

  "The problem with your sister, is that she can be feisty," Tolle said, "and doesn't always do as she's told."

  "I know. I told her that I would help look for her stupid necklace, once I had secured the grippers, but she ignored me and went by herself anyway," he said, and they both shook their heads.

  Some time ago, Tolle had taken a shine to Alyssa, but his affections had neither been wanted or reciprocated. But the leader of the Egret Patrol was a nephew of Vondern, and as such, he had some influence with the voight, so Alyssa's unwillingness was irrelevant.

  Vondern had thought the potential pairing an agreeable one, and so had decreed that Alyssa was to be Tolle's betrothal. When the voight made such decisions, they were final and not something open for debate or disagreement. Unfortunately, Alyssa had been less than co-operative.

  As her brother, he had told her that she was being stubborn and unreasonable, but she didn't listen. His friend, and patrol leader, had decided to give Alyssa some time to come around to the idea but both of them knew that, eventually, Vondern would intervene. If she continued to refuse to fulfill her obligations to Tolle, Vondern might decide to betroth her to someone else, quite possibly someone much older and less understanding.

  So, knowing Alyssa as he did, Tolle seemed not at all surprised at Kormak's description of her behavior, "She's behaving recklessly, searching through the glades on her own, what is she thinking?"

  "It's selfish of her," Kormak agreed, "We're worried about her but she doesn't care. The Ettinshel, or whatever she calls it, is all she cares about," and they both nodded.

  With Tolle satisfied by his version of the previous night's events, the pair of them slowed to let the other three ferguths catch them up. The path they were walking was now running beside the river, and their destination was now in sight. The five became silent and observant, as the bridge came into view.

  Kormak watched as the eddies and currents swirled slowly, like sap bleeding out from a tree and navigating the channels of its bark. The slow moving river was thick with detritus and sediment. It brought the stench of decay, but also the fertile sediments that would ensure a healthy yield of herbs. For the most sought after and valuable of their herbs, the yield was the only thing that could be said to be healthy about them.

  They walked on for a while, before Tolle took a deep breath and sighed, "Despite everything, Alyssa's safe return is the priority for us now, she's not just your sister and my betrothal, she's part of the Egret Patrol. She's one of us, and the patrol needs to look after its own."

  Kormak nodded in agreement, "Either she finds her own way back, or we'll bring her back, with whatever it takes."

  The ferguths moved along the Ochre Way, purposefully, but with increasing caution. The herons that stalked the river bank for marsh frogs could not have moved with more poise or attention to the subtle sounds of this stretch of river. Their pace slowed to a complete stop, as they arrived at the junction with the Fennelbek Way. From this position, it was possible to see across the Rhavenbrook bridge and a few hundred yards past it. A view of particular interest to Kormak.

  There was no sign of her. There was no sign of anyone. Perhaps the quietness of the road was a blessing. He looked at Tolle, who had carried on a little further and was looking north along the Fennelbek Way, before turning and shaking his his head, "Nobody. Might she have gone that way home?"

  Kormak considered his suggestion. It was a longer route and there was more chance of meeting other travelers. The upside being, that it avoided some of the more difficult paths through the marshes. After a moment's thought, he shook his head.

  "She would have taken the Ochre Way, it's quicker and she would have returned home by the same route."

  "Then she's still south, should we go across or wait?" Tolle asked, looking over the bridge.

  They had a decision to make.

  59

  Hayden carried two jugs of ale over to a table in the corner of the inn. While the young man he was with carried two wooden platters, each laden with slices of bread, cheese and pickled beets, and followed him to the table and sat down.

 
He took a sip of ale and looked at the young apprentice, "What you don't drink, I will," he said, but after seeing Galvyn take a few hearty gulps, realized that wouldn't be necessary. "Feeling better?" he asked.

  The young man nodded and took a bite to eat, Hayden did likewise and the two of them sat there, eating and lost in their thoughts. They both had a lot to think about.

  After a few minutes, Hayden spoke again, "You know, it might have been better if we'd left your workshop separately," he said quietly, looking around at the few customers at the bar. "We probably shouldn't be sitting here together now."

  "I wouldn't have wanted to leave by myself, it's like you said, there might be others," Galvyn replied, looking around, too.

  They both returned to eating in silence.

  Since they had left the workshop, Hayden had been trying to figure out how his predicament had seemed to become a whole lot worse. It wasn't as though matters in Coralai hadn't been complicated enough. He'd decided to leave for a time, to let things cool down, now this.

  Should Decarius ever find out that it was he who had knocked him out, then it would mean any return to Coralai was out of the question. Decarius had a lot influence there, especially with the militia. He was a difficult and dangerous man to cross, he was best avoided.

  He had some influence too, but only with Saceress Volusia, and there was a limit to how far she could go to protect him, and she had endangered herself already. It was why he was leaving for a few months, to give the dust time to settle.

  "When I've finished this, I will go up to my room, pack my things and leave," he said, taking another swig of ale, "It will only take me a few minutes to get my belongings together."

  "Okay."

  "It might be better if you've gone by the time I come back down. Then we'll go our separate ways, safer for both of us that way," he continued, looking carefully at Galvyn, safer for me maybe. "What will you do?"

  "I'll go back to my lodgings and wait for a while, then go back to my workshop. Mr. Croneygee should be back by then. I might tell him what happened, it might be for the best."

  "Galvyn, it would be better for me if you didn't," he said soberly, considering the implications.

  "I was thinking, the man who attacked me, Decarius you said his name was, must have come into the workshop through the mine. I could tell my boss that I heard noises, went to investigate and the man attacked me, that much is true. I could then say, I dropped the door on him and he fell into the mine. Croneygee and I could then go down and search, thinking he may have staggered around in an injured state. I would then go to the place we left him and let Croneygee decide what we should do from there. I don't have to mention you at all."

  Hayden considered this.

  "That's not unreasonable, but could you stick to that version of events?"

  "I think so."

  "Even under questioning by Tregarron?" he said, looking at Galvyn intently. "Maybe we were seen leaving your workshop together, maybe the innkeeper here informs the guards about guests," they both glanced at the Innkeeper across the room, who looked back at them and then away again. "Decarius recovers, and tells whoever will listen a different story, he'll say he was taking to you and was violently attacked."

  "He wasn't just talking to me, though, he was strangling me."

  "When he is being interrogated by Tregarron, he'll give a version of events that suits himself. He is an adept liar, he will shift the blame from himself. It will be your word against his, you would need to be sure you can stick to your version no matter what."

  Galvyn shifted uncomfortably on his seat, "Well, I can hold out long enough for you to get a long way, away. The guards won't follow you, especially since you helped me. That I can maintain, because it's true. I can vouch for you."

  Hayden finished the last of his ale, "But Decarius will follow me, once if he finds out that it was me that hit him. He knows where I'm heading and I don't want to change my plans that much. It also means it would be hard for me to return, I have a…friend in Coralai, I wasn't leaving forever, just to let things settle down. Over the winter maybe."

  "He won't be able to follow you if he is being held at the fort."

  "How long will they keep him? So far he's come of worse. He can be duplicitous, he'll talk his way out of it. Once you start to crack and say what really happened, Tregarron will have no choice but to let him go, if it turns out the only witness is making things up."

  "But you said he is the Kentarch of Coralai, that makes him a militiaman he shouldn't be here, Tregarron will have him for that."

  "You're right, he shouldn't be here and I'm surprised he is, but he'll say he's out of uniform and it's a personal matter. Tregarron won't want to start something with his Coralai equivalent.

  What will they say in Coralai? When they find out that their kentarch was beaten, dumped in a mine and then taken to the Demedelei Fort to be interrogated. There will be a few who will call for a resumption of hostilities."

  "Do you think that will happen?" Galvyn asked, looking worried.

  He shook his head, "It won't come to that. Jephson will order him released, even if Tregarron doesn't. Jephson has too much to lose, he will smooth things over."

  "What if those guards searching the mines find him? What then?"

  "We hid him well, but if the guards do find him, then they will take him to the fort and question him but he would question them as well, in a subtle way. He will spin a yarn about he being the victim and it was all somebody else's doing. Then find out from them what he can."

  "Then he'll find out anyway."

  "Not if the guards don't know anything themselves, that's why you're best keeping out of it."

  "Won't he tell them about me?"

  Hayden shook his head. "He'll tell them nothing, he'll say he was attacked and can't remember anything. That might even be true, I gave him a pretty good whack, he won't know what day it is. Either way, he won't bring you into it, or invite the guards to come asking you questions, that would be pointing them in the direction of someone he was strangling. He would risk incriminating himself. He will only contradict your account of what happened, if the guards put your version of events to him. The man's as shifty as they come."

  Galvyn nodded, "So what should I do?"

  "The best thing to do, is let sleeping dogs lie. Leave him to wake up and slink back to Coralai. He'll be none the wiser of what happened to him and will think twice before ever coming back again."

  Hayden watched as Galvyn considered this suggestion, and after some thought, the young man spoke.

  "You're probably right. It's just that, it will be difficult for me, knowing he's down there." Galvyn said, pushing the jug away from him, "I think I've had enough."

  "Me too," he said, declining the offer of more ale, "look, do what you have to do, maybe your way is for the best, you have to live here. My returning to Coralai might have wishful thinking anyway. A clean break, no going back and all that."

  The two sat for a while, their meal finished. Galvyn rested his head in his hands, but after a few moments contemplation, raised it again.

  "No, let's do it your way. I'll find the right words to say to my boss, that there was someone acting to suspiciously but nothing more. We will stay alert. If Decarius just leaves and doesn't come back, like you say he will, all well and good. If he returns, we'll be ready for him, Croneygee was a soldier and it's not like we are short of armaments."

  "Thank you."

  "You helped me, maybe saved my life. So I promise not to mention you, if that's what you want. Not by name, not at all. I owe you that much."

  "I was happy to help," he said, before lowering his voice, "besides, it gave me the chance to repay a few old scores."

  "It was a pretty good whack." Galvyn said, getting his gist and giving a knowing smile.

  "Yes, but maybe I should have hit him harder," he thought aloud, not sure if he was joking or not.

  "You know why you didn't?"

  "No, why?"
<
br />   "Because you're a good person," the young man said earnestly.

  "Don't be so sure."

  "I am sure, and if you come back through this way, look for me." Galvyn said, extending his hand, and the two men shook hands.

  "I might do that," he said, before adding, "Strength be to he—"

  "Who is born from the rock," Galvyn grinned.

  Hayden gave the apprentice a warm smile as he stood. The young man would make a good initiate, he thought to himself, as he left the table and started toward the stairs. But what grade would he make?

  Well, since he was an armorer, his symbol would be…the anvil? No. The hammer? The hearth? The fire shovel? He paused at the first step and glanced back to where Galvyn was still seated. The Lion?

  He continued up the stairs, smiling more broadly, and shaking his head.

  60

  For Kormak, the question was particularly finely balanced. His instincts told him to cross the bridge and follow the route they had taken toward the trading post. If Alyssa had remembered the way, and kept close to it, he would find her.

  The problem was, the agreement for safe passage only applied to travelers and not to agents of the law. The Demedelite guards were prohibited from traveling into Fennelbek and likewise ferguths would not be accepted in Demedelei. The three way agreement applied to Coralainian militia, too. It would be easier for a guard or militiaman to shed his uniform and travel incognito than for a ferguth his distinguishing tattoo. It seemed Loccsleah understood their predicament.

  "I could go and look, if you wanted."

  Facial tattoos were only worn by men, since only men could be ferguths. The tattoo was their uniform, their insignia, their badge of honor. They allowed Alyssa and Loccsleah to join them, but only to make up the numbers. Their youthfulness and lack of equipment meant they could hardly be considered a patrol if they didn't.

  "Thank you for offering Leah, but if anyone takes the risk, it should be me," Kormak said.