The Quest (The Sons of Camelot Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Were it not for Merlin’s sleep spell, none of them would have closed their eyes and rested that night and their greater worry wouldn’t have been whether or not to cover their heads against the cold. The encounter had left all of them on edge and they had watched the surrounding woods, jumping at every sound as they sat around the fire in the darkness.

Well rested, but wary, dawn brought a new challenge as they started up the long valley once more.

“They’ll attack when we are in a mist,” Alpina advised. “Until then, we might feel them or even get a glance of them as they watch us, but they will not show themselves.”

“How are we to fight them in the mist?” John asked. He’d remembered not being able to clearly see the head of his mount. “How can they hope to press an attack? Do they all have your gift?”

“Some of them might,” she replied. “It’s not uncommon among these people. Remember, I told you that they are not entirely human. However, gift or not, through years of practice, they have learned to know the sounds and how to fight within the fog. I’ve heard that some of them even close their eyes as they fight, so as to make use of their other senses.”

John had never heard of such a thing. Who would close their eyes in battle? It would certainly mean instant death. He rode quietly, pondering the idea, until another sprang up in his mind. If those who had the gift and could see through the fog were not entirely human, then did that mean that Alpina was not entirely human? He considered the question for a moment. He recalled that Dunmor had referred to her as a seer as well. What sort of woman was he riding with? They had gotten more comfortable around each other in the past few days and John finally decided that the right opportunity to solve the mysteries surrounding her had arrived.

“So, if they are not entirely human,” he began, “does that mean that you’re not entirely human?”

“I wondered when that question would come,” she laughed. “The answer is no.”

John waited for an explanation, but none was forthcoming. He pressed on. “So, if you’re not entirely human, then what is the other part?”

“I’m also part fae,” she replied. “A particular type of fae that are human in form. That magic is what gives us certain gifts that humans don’t possess.”

“Like being able to see through a thick fog,” he responded.

“That and others,” she smiled.

“What others?” he asked.

“Being able to see something of the future,” she responded. “Not in great detail and visions, mind you, but by impressions.”

“Is that why Dunmor referred to you as a seer?” John asked.

“It is.”

Seeing the future, even a blurry impression of it, was a gift that John had always wished of having and he was fascinated by it. “So, you knew that they would come at us and surround us yesterday?”

“Not exactly,” she responded. “I felt as though an uncomfortable moment was coming, but I also felt that it would only be an inconvenience and no great tragedy.”

“You knew that it would turn out okay?” he asked.

“Why do you think that I held you back and advised you to let Merlin do his work?”

“I assumed that you didn’t have faith in our skills,” he laughed.

“That entered my mind,” she returned. “There were nine of them after all.”

“I only saw five,” John answered.

“Exactly! So now I hope you fully understand how severe the matter really was,” she replied.

Nine was more than twice their number if you considered only the two knights and their squires. Of course, Merlin certainly made up the odds with his trickery, but John knew, all too well that Merlin’s magic didn’t make up all of the difference. It hadn’t in the battles against Mordred.

“You, like many humans, depend too greatly on your eyesight to reveal things to you. The truth is, the sooner you realize that vision is sometimes the least reliable of your senses, the better of a warrior you will become.”

John was puzzled by her advice but he considered it seriously. He couldn’t help but ask about what would happen later in the day. “So, do you have an impression of the day’s events?”

“I’ve had none yet,” she smiled. “But I think it will be a happy day for us both.”

John saw something in her eyes as she spoke that sent a thrill through him, though he didn’t quite understand what it was. That untamed, unknown something that he’d seen in the depth of her eyes twinkled with some sort of delight. He had to look away.

They rode along in silence for a time and then she drew up and stopped the group. “Do you feel them?” she asked.

Although he hadn’t been fully aware of it before, in that instant, John knew that there had been some nagging discomfort. “I think so,” he said. “Are you having a vision?”

“I don’t have visions,” she replied, “just impressions. But we need to ride and ride fast.”

The following several minutes reminded John of the race that the two of them had enjoyed outside of Penrith. With Ganador and Blackbird thundering ahead and the others coming along behind at as quick a pace as leading pack animals would allow, they put a great deal of distance between themselves and their stalkers.

As they rounded a bend in the trail, they came to a short, sharp descent in the trail that was covered in shale. Ganador, having been slightly ahead, felt the unstable surface beneath his hooves and dodged away from it, finding his footing on more stable ground. But Blackbird was too late in recognizing the danger and skidded down the slope for several lengths of a horse before turning sharply toward the solid ground under Ganador’s feet.

When Blackbird made the sharp turn, which happened in the blink of an eye, Alpina could no longer keep her seat in the saddle and flew free of her mount. She landed on the shale slope, tumbled and skidded until she came to rest with a jolt against a boulder.

John, unaware of what had taken place behind him, only realized that Alpina was no longer on her mount when he saw the riderless mare come up beside him. He drew back on his reins and turned back. “Alpina!” he called out.

In a panic, John rode back to the foot of the descent and instantly saw the still body of Alpina against the stone. He hurried to her, quickly dismounted and scrambled to her side, turning her to see if she was conscious. “Alpina! Alpina!” he called out to her.

Alpina did not respond.

John heard the sound of the others as they neared the crest of the descent and called out to them. It was Thomas who had arrived there first and his mount had reacted much the same way as Ganador. No doubt, the two battle-tested mounts were a bit quicker in their reaction, but Thomas was able to turn him back toward the others before they came barreling forward and caused a horrible disaster.

Seeing that disaster had been averted, John turned back to the lifeless form before him. Scooping her up in his arms, he held her against him, turned his eyes to heaven and whispered a prayer. “Don’t take her from me now.”

When he looked back down at her, he was rewarded with the sight of her crystal clear blue eyes looking up into his.

“You live!” he cried out. In his excitement, he pressed his lips to hers before realizing what he was doing. He drew back again. “Are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Only a bit dazed from the fall.”

“I will carry you with me then,” John replied. “You can’t possibly ride further.”

“As much as I would like that,” she smiled softly, “I think that I can ride.”

“But…” John was unable to finish his response as he watched her push away from him and steady herself on her feet. His mouth fell open as he looked at her. It had to have been some miracle that she was on her feet when moments before he was certain that she was dead.

Chapter Fourteen

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” John asked. It had been the same question at least a dozen times since she’d been tossed from Blackbird’s back.

“I have already told you that the ladies of Auchavan are made of more durable stuff than those delicate flowers to the south,” she laughed. “Please, John, stop worrying over me. I’ll have a bruise or two and walking won’t be easy for a day or two, but we’ll be in the saddle, so I’ll be fine.”

There had been a discussion about making camp earlier. John had insisted that Alpina needed tending to, but she had stubbornly limped to Blackbird and remounted the mare without giving heed to him in any form. “We must take advantage of the distance we have gained,” she said.

They’d ridden on at a slower, but steady pace and John had stayed very close behind and beside her whenever a wider spot in the trail presented the opportunity. His constant nagging had begun to wear thin on her and she finally snapped at him.

“John, stop! I’m fine.”

It was in that moment that he realized that she had dropped the sir and called him only by his given name. He also realized that he didn’t mind what she called him anymore. Though his concern for her had pushed it out of his mind, the memory of her soft lips pressed against his and the tingle that had gone through him returned once more. It had been, though perhaps an accident, a very delightful one.

“I’m sorry,” he replied. “I’m just concerned…”

“No need,” she interrupted. “I am thankful for your concern, but, please believe me. I am fine.”

John fought to refrain from voicing his concern as they continued along the trail. He still wondered if she was truly okay or if she was truly injured gravely and just trying to be strong. No doubt, her stubbornness was playing a role in that. Through the mix of feelings that were assaulting him, John remembered their earlier conversation and began to chuckle.

“What?” she asked, slowing the pace and allowing him to draw up next to her.

“Some seer you are,” he grinned. “You didn’t see that tumble coming or you might have avoided it.”

“Who said that I wanted to avoid it?”

“But you might have been killed!”

“Dear John,” she laughed. “Don’t you recall that I said that it would be a happy day for the both of us?”

John was offered no opportunity to reply as Alpina touched her heels to Blackbird and picked up the pace, riding ahead of him on the trail as it narrowed to traverse a steep slope. Unsure of what she meant, John hoped to move up alongside her and question her some more, but the opportunity never presented itself again. He settled in behind her and allowed his thoughts to return to that moment beside the boulder.

“I know the cause of that smile,” Thomas said, grinning at him as they sat beside the fire later that evening.

“I know nothing about what you are insinuating,” John lied. Though Thomas was like a brother to him, he had no intention of sharing that pleasant moment with anyone, especially not to have it cheapened by the bawdy discourse that he’d heard so many knights engage in.

“Fine,” Thomas shrugged. “I have noticed that she dropped the sir whenever she addresses you, though. That must be significant.”

“Status and rank have fallen away from all of us at this point,” John replied.

“And yet, she still refers to me as Sir Thomas,” he chuckled.

John ignored the comment. He tried to push the scene out of his head. It had made his mind cloudy all afternoon and that had worried him. As sweet as that moment had been, they were still being pursued by Dunmor and his brothers. They might already have caught up to them and were waiting to attack them as they fell asleep.

“I think we should take turns standing watch this evening,” John began. “As much as I enjoyed the peaceful sleep of the previous night, we might never awaken again if the same spell were cast upon us tonight.”

“Would they attempt an attack in the darkness?” Thomas asked.

“The same as they would in the mist,” John replied. “Alpina told me that they have trained, since birth, to make use of heightened their senses and can navigate and fight without being able to see.”

“That’s impossible,” Thomas replied.

“That’s what I said, but she assured me that they are quite adept at the practice; some of them even close their eyes when they’re in the mist. They move and attack by use of hearing and their other senses.”

“Then there is no hope for us at all,” Thomas sighed. “We can’t possibly contend with that. In a stand-up fight, in broad daylight, we would slay the five of them to the man, even without Merlin’s magic.”

“Alpina said that there are nine of them,” John responded.

“Even then, in daylight, with Merlin’s help, we would make short work of them.” Thomas had always been confident in their skills and also recognized that the two squires were nearly as good at swordplay as their two masters. They had, after all, been sparring partners as each of them trained.

“But they will attack using the mist or darkness,” John replied. “We’ll never see them in a fair…” As he was speaking, an idea came to him suddenly. “I’ve got it!”

“Got what?”

“I know how we can draw them into a fair fight,” John beamed.

“Would you like to share this revelation of yours?”

“How long do you think that that heavy fog sets in before it rises again?”

“It’s hard to tell,” Thomas said. “It’s not long, but it is certainly long enough for them to slay us all.”

“What if we aren’t where they are attacking?”

“If I didn’t know any better,” Thomas responded, “I’d think that it was you that had taken a tumble from your horse earlier today.”

“Pay attention, Thomas, I’m serious,” John snapped.

“Then explain what you mean.”

“If they navigate according to the sounds they hear, then they will be listening for the sound of our horses passing through the mist and, no doubt, they’ll be listening to Alpina singing as she leads us, right?”

“Yes.” Thomas frowned.

“Suppose that the moment we entered the mist, the four of us slipped from our horses and Alpina and Merlin continued forward, drawing them toward that sound and then, as the fog lifts, we can turn their attack against them.”

Thomas’ eyes lit up as he understood. “That just might work.”

“I’ll say it would,” John chuckled. “Then, we’ll have the opportunity to fight them in a fair fight, just as you said.”

Thomas was silent for a moment, running the plan through his head once more. Then he wrinkled his brow and posed another question. “What happens if they attack tonight?”

“I wouldn’t worry over that,” Merlin’s voice interrupted. He had, no doubt, been nearby and listening to them without their knowing of it.

“What do you mean?” John asked.

“You can sleep peacefully tonight,” Merlin grinned. “I’ve set up some surprises for our guests, should they happen to want to spoil our sweet dreams.”

“I can’t even imagine,” John sighed.

“Let’s just say, though they might be awake, if they approach us in the night, they’ll encounter all sorts of nightmares,” Merlin replied. “And, I might add, I do like your plan for drawing them out tomorrow. I can even be of some assistance in helping to carry out that plan.”

“Hatch a plan and then add a wizard,” Thomas laughed. “It makes us unstoppable.”