The Hekamon (9 page)

Decarius
set off again, keeping a fast pace but taking up a stealthier running
style. It might help if he could approach Tansley unseen and unheard.

Somehow he was going have to determine if the Plautius Gauntlets were
indeed in his possession. There were various ways it could be done,
but the method that most readily came to mind drew on his military
training. If he chose that option, it would not be subtle. But the
question of what he would do with Tansley, was moot until he found
him.

As Decarius continued alongside the road, the trees
started to thin a little and he worked his way up the hillside to get
a clearer view. As he rounded the next hill, he suddenly had a much
better view down a long stretch of the highway and several things
caught his attention.

There were people visible, just a quarter of a
mile further down and near a junction that lead to Demedelei Town.
But it was the man nearest to him that interested him the most. He
was wearing a blue hooded jacket and was carrying a white sack over
one shoulder.

He was heading downhill, with his back to him, while
looking around furtively. From the direction of his travel and
Gregario's description, there could be no doubt, it was Tansley.

"No, you first," Aegis replied.

"I'm holding the door."

"I'll hold it." Aegis took the weight of the
door from him and pushed it a little higher.

Gregario sighed apprehensively, removed his cloak,
looped it on his belt and climbed into the hole. He descended the
wooden steps and once satisfied he could pull himself out again,
turned, knelt down and started to crawl along on his elbows and
knees.

His initial progress was helped by the light coming
through the hatchway, but that light was diminishing rapidly. Aegis
had joined him in the tunnel and as the door closed behind them, they
were submerged in total darkness.

He stopped.

"What's wrong?" Aegis asked softly, sensing that any loud noise would bring down a hail of dirt from the
roof above them.

"Nothing," he gasped, almost inaudibly.

"Move then."

Gregario could tell from Aegis's tone that they shared
the same feeling. Neither of them wanted to be in this hole in the
ground any longer than necessary, but he couldn't move.

"Are you stuck?" Aegis asked, a hint of panic
in his voice.

"No," he lied, before realizing he couldn't
leave it at that. "Not exactly," he then had an idea, "If
the door, or whatever is at the other end, is locked or can't be
forced, we're going to have a hell of a time coming back again."

"Yes, but do we have any choice?"

"Maybe we can do it a better way. You stay at the
trapdoor, keep it open so I have some light. If I can get though at
the other end, I'll call you."

"Good idea, let's do that."

In the darkness, he heard Aegis scramble back and start
up the wooden steps built into the end of the tunnel.

As the door
above them opened, the light and fresh air that streamed in, caused
him to untense. The feeling of being buried alive didn't
completely disappear but it faded enough that he could get moving
again.

Keeping his head down, Gregario inched along, keeping a
steady pace.

The illumination the open trapdoor provided was helpful,
to begin with anyway, but as he crawled further along, all too
quickly he found himself immersed in darkness again. Unable to see
clearly, he began to weave erratically from side to side, like a
beetle, startled by the sudden lifting of its protective stone
shelter. His shoulders inadvertently bumped into the wooden support
posts either side as he went. They moved with each impact, disturbing
the earth, which crumbled around him.

The thought that the roof may cave in on him took hold
more strongly. The sensation of his chest being crushed, along with the dusty
air he was breathing, caused him to wheeze and cough. In the confined
space, the sound of his retching stayed with him.

He'd heard such sounds before, or something very much
like it, in the aftermath of particularly fierce battle. The death
throes of mortally wounded men, their bodies writhing in agony, their
eyes pleading for help. Not for him to save them, but to end their
suffering.

The recollection brought back memories, images that did
not help his state of mind at all. The end of the tunnel could not
come quickly enough, but the fact he wasn't there already, meant his
progress must be painfully slow. He crawled on.

From what he had seen above ground he could guess how
long the tunnel was going to be, assuming it didn't go far under the
hut. If that was the case then he must be close, yet the tunnel
continued, and so he struggled on, until eventually, blessedly, he
made it to the end.

The gentle bump of his head against something wooden a
welcome relief. An obstruction that he assumed must give entry to the
trading post. Gregario took a few deep breaths to compose himself,
coughed a little more, and set about breaking in.

He searched around what he hoped was a door. The amount
of light this far in was so little as to be no help, so he had to
rely on touch alone.

From the feel of it, there seemed to be no
handle or keyhole. Pushing had no effect and there was no means to
pull it. Running his fingers along where the hatch met the frame, it
seemed that it needed to open away from him, so he tried shoving it a
few times but it didn't budge.

A rising dread started to creep over him. As though a
multitude of ants, woodlice and earwigs had invaded the tunnel from
every nook and cranny. Suffocating him where he lay, ready to make a
meal of him to consume at their leisure.

"Are you there?" Aegis called, his voice
muffled and distant.

"Yes," he said, his voice weak.

"Can you get through?"

"No."

There was are pause, "Are you coming back?"

There was a longer pause, "Give me a moment to
think." He could hardly get the words out.

His breathing became labored, the sound of blood rushing
in his ears was loud, like a torrent flooding out of the mountains
and sweeping in. Crushing him, drowning him and burning his lungs. His
mind was consumed with thoughts he couldn't dismiss. Trapped and
entombed, the darkness closed in.

He couldn't think of what to do because his mind was
assaulting him with visions. The black canvass all around, proving an
inviting backdrop for any manner of images his mind could conjure.

Mostly of giant insects, though the insects weren't so bad, six legs
was nothing. Giant, writhing multipedal things with claw like
mandibles. Those were the ones.

Closing his eyes didn't help, nor opening them. At any
moment he would start screaming, he could feel it.

A few sips of spring water had refreshed her, but Alyssa's
legs ached with the distance and difficult terrain she had covered.
The only good thing was that the last part of the journey had been
level ground, unlike the long climb back up the foothills.

Leaving the glade that sat atop the moss covered, rocky
escarpment, Alyssa moved back into the forest and on towards
Tansley's hut. Following the sweep of the hillside, close to
where the trees met the sharply rising rock face of the mountains.
The landscape looked strikingly different to how it had by moonlight,
despite this, Alyssa knew exactly where she was.

She
started around the contour of the hill, following the trail she knew
would eventually bring the highway into view.

How busy would the road
be here? She and Kormak knew it would be deserted at night, but how
many travelers might there be during the day? She was close enough
now that she would soon find out for herself. If there
were
travelers walking on the road ahead, they gave no indication of their
presence, at least, nothing discernible. The calming sounds of nature
was all she could hear.

At that moment, from the forest ahead of her and just
around the hillside, came another sound, louder, sharper and
alarming. It got her attention and caused her stop and crouch down. A
falling branch maybe?

A moment later another noise, urgent and
panicked, then she saw them, their wings beating furiously, flying
directly overhead.

The birds had flown from the direction of the highway,
it seemed that something had startled them. Could there be people
there? Were there travelers on the highway? It seemed a reasonable
assumption, and if there were, she would need to approach carefully.
For the time being she remained where she was, crouching and
listening, ready to run should the situation call for it.

Alyssa had keen hearing and she was certain she could
hear something but wasn't sure what exactly. Could it be just be the
ambient sounds of the woodland? The sound of rustling leaves? Maybe,
but if anything the sound grew quieter, and Alyssa started to relax.

Before long, silence descended again, or at least, as
close to silence as it would get. Unlike many areas of the marshes,
this forest was alive. It felt different in that regard. Alyssa
preferred it, but hadn't yet got use to it. There was much here that
was unfamiliar.

After a minute had passed, and once satisfied that any danger
that may have existed was now gone, she stood once more and started
moving again. Following the path that ran between two hills and down
towards a culvert, into which a stream ran.

Having passed through the hills, she was now walking
beside the embankment. A long earth mound that obscured the view of
the trading posts and the highway. It had enabled Alyssa and her
brother to approach and leave the hut undetected, and she made use of
this cover again. Walking between it and the stream that ran
alongside, before stopping at the place she thought to be closest to
her target.

Climbing the embankment carefully, she could see her
sense of direction had not failed her. The distinctive wooden walls
and high eaves of Tansley's trading post were visible through the
trees, with their smattering of autumnal leaves.

It was quiet.

The only sound came from the occasional burst of
birdsong and the squirrels scurrying in the branches above. She saw
no sign of movement. Neither in or around the hut, nor on the road
beyond, at least, from what she could see of it. Smoke rose from the
chimney though, suggesting Tansley was home. This gave her pause for
thought.

How might he feel about her returning? Should she make
him aware of her presence and the purpose of her visit.

After some deliberation she decided to stick with her
original plan and search the tunnel. If she found the necklace there,
she would just leave again. If not, she would knock on the hatch and
alert Tansley, tell him about her lost necklace and ask him if
he'd seen it. But before she could do any of that, she needed to find
the trapdoor.

Decarius continued to give chase, while staying in the
trees and hidden as much as possible, but he could see a potential
problem approaching.

If Tansley took a left turn and went into the
town, he could easily lose him there. It was likely to be much busier
and the man could disappear into any of the buildings. There was also
the question of whether the town's east gate was guarded or not. If
he tried to follow him into the town, there was a real risk that he
would be stopped and questioned by Demedelite guards, something he
had to avoid.

Decarius suddenly felt vulnerable. It was a feeling he disliked
intensely. He promised himself, that, whatever happened, he wasn't
going to be caught by the guards and carted off to the fort.
Yet, such a scenario was a real possibility, especially if he had to
follow Tansley into Demedelei Town.

A panic started to set in. He had
to act, he had to make his move now and while they were still in the
forest. If he waited too long, the chance would be gone. And for
Decarius, action meant military action. It was the only thing he was
trained and proficient in.

Since he'd taken up the pursuit, he had put off the
decision as to what he would do when he caught up with Tansley, he
could prevaricate no more. Reaching to his focale, a red sweat cloth
he wore around his neck, Decarius raised it to conceal his face and
then drew his dagger.

Moving fast now, he broke into a run, the sooner he got
to his target, the less likely the people further ahead on the highway
would see what was happening. He was eighty yards behind the
tradesman, and that gap would close in no time at all.

His training took over, and Decarius began to evaluate
exactly how he would execute his move. He would stay in the trees
until the last moment, darting out and across road.

Approaching his target from behind, he would grab and hold back his head, exposing
the neck, slitting his throat. No, that wouldn't work. Decarius could
see that the way Tansley was carrying the sack complicated that move.
Sixty yards and nearing the man fast, he needed to think quickly.

He would charge the man instead, knocking him off the
road, into the trees beyond and out of sight. The wind would be
knocked out of his victim and, leading with the dagger, the force of
the impact would drive it in to the man's side, a twist of the blade
and then swiftly removed. The blood loss would be fast,
unconsciousness and death would quickly follow. He could steal the sack
and be gone, a violent robbery, not unheard of on this road.

He was forty yards away now, scanning ahead for the
place he would break from the forest. He saw a large tree which he
would use as his marker. Looking for any sign Tansley had seen his
rapid approach, he could see the man was oblivious and now just thirty yards away.
Certain he could execute his attack, he planned further ahead and to
his escape.