The Guardians (Book 2) (13 page)

‘
And can they catch you?’ asked Borgulnay.

‘
Not a chance!’ said Callian with a grin. ‘At least, not unless they are faster than they were last time we met.’

‘
So that part of the plan will probably work,’ said Borgulnay. ‘Do we actually need the ballistae? It’s thick bush land down in that chasm. Once we have them in there, we just need to block their exit. Then we can have as many archers as possible sitting up here on the cliffs. We might not get all of them, but we’d certainly lower their numbers.’

‘If we can make this work, maybe we could devise a plan to remove the ring of them surrounding Castle as well,’ said Rudiger, from where he was dripping water into King Dannicus’ mouth.

‘
Alright, as soon as all of our patients have had their water and their herbs, let’s work out some details,’ said Kelian.

Eibhear approached Callian cautiously.
‘Callian, I’m certain you didn’t tell Rudi everything.’ Callian looked at him calculatingly before answering and when he did his voice was barely a whisper.

‘
You and your brother...you’re different. I think you’re changing and you’re going to be very, very different once the changes are complete. It seems you made a choice.’

Eibhear
’s face was unreadable. ‘I have some gifts I shouldn’t be able to use, as one of the free. Is this what you mean?’

‘
Yes. I think if you continue down the path you appear to have chosen, you may regain many gifts.’

‘
And my freedom?’

‘
You know. As I said, it’s a choice. You can’t have it both ways.’

Eibhear stood in deep contemplation for some time,
and then a smile broke over his face. ‘Strangely enough, I think I can live with that.’

Chapter 1
8

Rough Sailing

Elena shouted as the boat lurched sideways and she was flung from her bunk. She gave another cry of dismay as Immosey landed heavily on her.
She crawled away and braced herself between the bulkhead and the bunk and then reached out to help Immosey to do the same. Seconds later the cabin door opened and Yarrabyth staggered inside. Both girls were wedged in position.

‘
Did you get a chance to take a nap? Did you have any sleep?’ he asked.

‘
Not a wink!’ said Immosey crossly.

‘
Yarra, have you seen the Queen,’ asked Elena worriedly.

‘
She’s in her cabin,’ said Yarrabyth. ‘And she’s sitting on the floor in the exact same position you are in,’ he added with a wry smile. ‘Only she’s wedged between a lovely old teak chest and the end of her bunk. Her stateroom is a little larger than this,’ he explained. The Queen had been given the Captain’s cabin for her quarters. She had suggested to the Captain that she was quite comfortable in any cabin, and the rearrangements were unnecessary, but Captain Gillam was adamant that Queen Aithne should have the most comfortable cabin available. Kelian was not pleased with his mother’s decision to return to Castle, and he was even less happy when Elena and Immosey insisted on accompanying her. The only change he had made to their plans was that they should travel by ship rather than by over land.

‘
How long is this going to go on for?’ Immosey exclaimed. ‘It’s been days! Captain Gillam said we were blown off course days ago! And the storm just seems to get worse and worse!’

‘
Unfortunately, it’s been all the Captain can do to keep the ship above water,’ Yarrabyth admitted.

‘
Do we even know where we are now?’ asked Elena in dismay.

‘
Er…apparently not,’ Yarrabyth replied. ‘But as soon as the storm clears the Captain will find a star and steer us home,’ he said confidently. ‘Are you feeling well?’

‘
Fine. Just a little bruised, here and there,’ Elena admitted. ‘Nothing we can’t manage,’ she added with a smile, remembering the hardship they had experienced during their trek through Nyinaku.

By evening the wind dropped and the driving rain eased, but the sky remained covered with clouds. The girls made their way up onto the deck to find the Queen deep in conversation with Captain Gillam and Yarrabyth. There was still enough wind and waves to send sea spray in gusts right up onto the forecastle deck, but the girls were
so glad to leave their stuffy little cabin they took pleasure in the cool splashes of water. Both girls bowed their heads politely towards the Queen, but Aithne stepped forward and gathered them into her arms.

‘
Captain Gillam says that until the clouds clear a little, he can’t be too sure exactly how far off course we are, but it should be dark within an hour and the clouds are beginning to break up, so we should be able to see some stars,’ she said optimistically.

By dark Captain Gillam had them sailing towards Castle. He was dismayed just how far they had been swept off course, and he was anxious to take the Queen home as quickly as possible. Aithne, Elena and Immosey decided to go to their cabins and they all slept until almost dawn.

The sky was beginning to lighten as they made their way back onto deck. Captain Gillam was standing exactly where he had been when they had gone to bed and it was obvious he had not had any sleep. He was speaking quietly with his newly appointed executive officer, Dominique who was more often called Dommy, and sailors were scurrying in all directions. The girls stood beside them in silence as the sun peeped over the horizon, and they watched, completely captivated as the strange cloud formations in the distance suddenly burst into flaming red and orange light.

‘
Uh oh,’ said Gillam as he watched the horizon. ‘That’s not a good sign.’  He gestured to a tall sailor who was repairing one of the huge crossbows attached to the ship’s bulwarks and the man immediately handed his tools to another sailor who continued the work without comment as the tall sailor approached the captain.

‘
I want you up in the crow’s nest,’ Gillam ordered. The sailor bobbed his head and scrambled up the rigging. Gillam gestured towards the burning horizon. ‘Ladies, I suggest you eat now. In a couple of hours I doubt you’ll want to do anything other than hang on to something that’s nailed down.’

Immosey
’s face fell. ‘Is it going to storm again?’ she asked wearily.

‘
When that arrives,’ said Gillam, nodding towards the horizon, ‘you’ll think that the last two days were quite pleasant.’ Without waiting for comment he waved to Dommy who began to issue orders. ‘We’re heading for the Black Apple Islands,’ Gillam continued. ‘With a lot more luck than I think we have, we might just make it before the storm hits.’

‘
The Black Apple Islands,’ said Queen Aithne uneasily. ‘Is it safe?’

‘
The volcano?’ asked Gillam. ‘I’m hoping it’s not sending out ash and smoke at the moment. When we left the Dwellings the sky was clear, not clear of storm clouds, I mean clear of smoky haze. That’s what I would have expected to see if it had been erupting. Even so, the islands are not exactly where I would normally want to take you,’ Gillam admitted. ‘But we have little choice. We must find shelter.’

‘
What are they like?’ asked Elena curiously.

‘
They are great rugged black stones rising out of the ocean,’ said Gillam. ‘On all but one island, there’s no water and no plants, but on the largest island there’s a sheltered bay, and if the volcano’s quiet it’s quite a pleasant place. If you’re prepared to do a bit of climbing, there are trees and springs and even some tiny fresh water lakes. Not that we need anything. We’re not short of supplies or water. In fact, we have no need to go ashore at all. I just want to have this ship in the bay before the storm hits.’

‘
And you think there’s little likelihood of our making it to the bay in time,’ said Aithne, studying the Captain’s face worriedly.

‘
That is true,’ said Gillam frankly. ‘But it won’t be for the want of trying.’

It was late afternoon and they were within sight of the islands when
the storm struck with sudden, astonishing fury. Huge bolts of lightning flashed, and the wind roared as the boat was tossed like a cork on massive and violent waves. Captain Gillam had been correct. The girls were back in their hot, dark little cabin, once again wedged as tightly as possible between the bunks and the bulkhead, but this time with Queen Aithne between them. It wasn’t long before they were all exhausted from the effort of trying not to be thrown around the cabin. The door was suddenly flung open and Dommy practically fell into the room. ‘I’m sorry ladies, but the Captain wants you on the quarterdeck,’ he said, and he firmly took the Queen’s hand and lifted her to her feet. Yarrabyth appeared in the doorway accompanied by two sailors, and minutes later the ladies were clinging to the balustrade surrounding the quarterdeck. The rain was so heavy it was impossible to see anything in any direction. Captain Gillam was standing right beside the helmsman and they were staring anxiously ahead. There was a flash of lightening and for a second they could see massive black rocks rearing from the water on both sides of the ship. The bow of the ship plunged heavily and then soared upwards as the helmsman frantically sought to keep the vessel from being flung against the threatening cliffs. Water burst over the ship and Yarrabyth and two sailors wrapped their arms around the three ladies and pinned them against the balustrade as the water surged past. The bow plummeted heavily once again.

‘
Hard to starboard!’ Gillam shouted over the weather. The ship rolled dangerously as it climbed the next huge wave and then it laboriously righted itself as the helmsman tried to keep it away from the rocks. There was an ominous grinding sound and he cursed desperately. Then the bow of the ship bounced up once again. ‘Now dead ahead!’ Gillam shouted and even as he spoke, an immense wave smashed against the stern of the ship. It was as if a strong hand had grabbed the huge vessel and pushed it forcefully into the bay. ‘Run her in. Steady as she goes…’ Gillam stared around in satisfaction. One moment they were being thrown around furiously and seconds later they were sailing into relatively calm water.

‘
There,’ said Captain Gillam, using a convenient flash of lightning to indicate a point across the bay.

‘
Yes, sir,’ the helmsman replied, adjusting their course and relief could be heard in his voice. ‘Captain, we hit something,’ he said guiltily.

‘
Oh, is that what the sound was?’ said Gillam sarcastically. ‘I think it’s called a rock, Oliver.’

‘
Ahhh…I’m really sorry, sir,’ said Oliver sincerely.  ‘Did you know the rocks were so close together, sir?’ he asked, sounding slightly accusing.

‘
Actually they seemed a lot further apart the last time I came through,’ Gillam admitted. ‘Of course it was a bright sunny day, calm seas, and I was in a much smaller vessel.’ Oliver clamped his mouth shut and stared straight ahead and Captain Gillam laughed at his expression.

‘
Oliver,’ he said, and his face became serious, ‘how much chance did we have of outrunning that storm, had we not made it into this bay?’

‘
Well…we might have made it….’

‘
Sometimes you have to choose the lesser risk.’

Oliver lowered his voice.
‘I just wonder why I always seem to be at the helm when things get dangerous, father.’

‘
You are at the helm because if anyone was going to bring us through that nasty little pass in the middle of a storm, it was you. You weren’t there by accident,’ said Gillam adamantly. Oliver looked at the Captain in disbelief. ‘I’m serious, son. You don’t seem to comprehend how skilled you are.’ He turned away. ‘I have some ladies to apologize to.’ The three women were now huddled together in the pouring rain with their backs against the raised poop deck. They stood as the Captain approached.

‘
I’m sorry ladies. I should have let you remain in your cabins,’ he said sincerely.

‘
Why did you want us on deck, Captain,’ asked Queen Aithne, her smile robbing her words of any accusation.

Captain Gillam hesitated as he
looked at the three soaked, bedraggled, exhausted women. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said again. ‘To be honest, I wasn’t completely confident we would make it through the rocks into this bay, so I asked Yarrabyth to look for any opportunity he could see to get you to safety,’ he said, addressing the Queen.

‘
Did Yarra think that was possible?’ asked Elena.

‘He said he might make it to land with one or even two people, but three would be a challenge,’ said Gillam. ‘I’m just relieved we didn’t have to find out if it was possible. Unfortunately we hit something on the way through the pass, so I want to get you ladies onto solid ground right away.’ He looked around as the Executive Officer appeared beside him.

‘
Captain, I don’t think we’re taking on water.’

‘
Does that mean we stay aboard,’ asked Immosey, looking disappointed.

‘
You can spend the night on dry land if you wish,’ said Gillam. ‘We won’t be leaving until we’ve had a really good look at the damage, and until the weather clears somewhat, so we can remain here overnight.’