Treespeaker (24 page)

Lasran stared at her, his eyes wet with unshed tears. Elbarn stretched out a huge hand and toussled the boy’s curls, causing him to flinch away, whimpering.

Jakan shifted his back against the hard wall. “How do you normally calm him?”

“I sing.”

“Try it.”

Nereya nodded and gave a nervous cough, then started to sing. Her voice shook at first, but Lasran’s head came up and his face relaxed. His mother smiled at him as she sang. Jakan swallowed hard, as memories of Jalena singing to Dovan came back with painful clarity. All the devotion and love of a mother wove their way into the notes, softening the air, soothing the edges of the day.

Elbarn sat still, his mouth hanging open. As the song finished he clapped his huge hands, startling Lasran. “Pretty! Pretty song. Sing another. Elbie likes music.”

With a questioning glance at Jakan, Nereya began a different song. It was a low, sad song of a missing father, a grieving mother and a tiny child with no help in the world. As he watched Elbarn’s slow, swinging movement in time to the music, Jakan wondered if Griselka had ever sung this way. Without doubt, she loved her son and he obviously loved music.

Slowly the man-child’s eyes grew heavier. He tried to sing along, but his voice droned, growing more and more at odds with the tune as his head began to sink. With another encouraging nod from Jakan, Nereya moved onto a new song without stopping. Elbarn didn’t notice. Soon his head dropped onto his shoulder and his breath came in short snores.

Jakan waited a few minutes to be sure Elbarn was sound asleep. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. Wriggling his wrists, he tried to free his hands once more, but they burned and the ropes wouldn’t budge.

“Keep singing and turn your back to me,” he whispered to Nereya, whose song had just finished. “I’ll see if I can untie you.”

With a nervous glance at the sleeping guard, she shuffled sideways and for some minutes he struggled with her knots while she crooned. It was no good. He couldn’t loosen them at all. He looked around for a sharp rock and his eyes fell on a shard of pot buried in the sand three feet away. With a quick glance at the sleeping giant, he wriggled to the pot and managed to lift it into his fingers. Then he moved back and with great care, began to saw at Nereya’s bonds with the sharp edge.

Long minutes later, she stopped singing and gasped as her hands came free. Straight away she undid the bonds at her ankles and turned to free Jakan. Rubbing their bruised wrists, they both surveyed the scene. Elbarn’s snores had become loud and steady. Lasran leaned away from him, his face still pale.

Jakan signalled to Nereya that he would untie Lasran, but she grabbed his arm, jerking her head at Elbarn. “What if he wakes?”

“I’ll be careful. Just be ready to run as soon as Lasran’s free. Hide somewhere if you have to. Just get out of Elbarn’s sight.”

"Shouldn't we knock him out or something?"

Jakan gazed at the sleeping man. His hands were curled around his knees and his mouth had fallen open. Hitting him would be like hitting a child. Jakan shook his head. "Just go quickly when the chance comes."

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to get to Dralgo Forest. But I’ll make sure you’re safe first.”

He tiptoed from the cave, his finger on his lips, warning the boy to stay quiet. Kneeling, he moved to undo his hands. Just then, Elbarn gave a snort and shifted his head, muttering to himself. Lasran’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to cry out, but Jakan stopped him with his hand. As the sleeping man returned to his regular snores, the boy relaxed and Jakan’s heartbeat slowed again.

He stood the boy up carefully to avoid knocking Elbarn, then gave him a gentle shove towards his mother. He watched as the two gave a quick wave and headed over the hill. He took a step backwards and cursed silently as he kicked a rock against another with a sharp crack.

Elbarn awoke with a roar.

“You dirty Bakshi. You let ’em go.”

With amazing agility for one so big, Elbarn launched himself to his feet and swung his arm at Jakan before he had chance to react. The blow struck him on the chest and sent him flying to the ground, winding him. He laid waiting for the next blow, too dazed to avoid it, but Elbarn must have seen where Nereya went, for he seemed to have forgotten Jakan. With an angry grunt, he thundered off over the hill.

Jakan pushed himself onto his hands and knees, then stood on shaky legs. He had to follow, to stop Elbarn somehow. He managed to stumble to the top of the hill before he halted, gasping for breath. His heart fell. He had told Nereya to hide, but there was nowhere to go. Over the hill, a grassy plain ran on either side of a stream, without trees or rocks to hide behind. Jakan glanced quickly towards Dralgo. It lay in the distant haze, soft and green and reachable – but only if he left now.

A hundred paces away, Nereya and Lasran scampered like frightened mice, with Elbarn gaining on them by the second. Before Jakan could move again, Elbarn lunged and Nereya’s scream echoed through the valley. Lasran squirmed under Elbarn’s huge arm as the big man reached and grabbed hold of Nereya’s hair.

“Let them go!”

Elbarn turned at Jakan’s shout, swinging Nereya around with him. He stood waiting for him to approach, his face red, his mouth open. “Ma’ll be angry with Elbie,” he said as Jakan stopped thirty paces away. “She told me watch and I felled ’sleep. But I got these’ns.”

Jakan edged forward a few paces. “Your Ma will be pleased you did that, Elbarn. You’re a good boy.” He stopped, gasping for breath now. “But you haven’t got me. What will she say about that?”

Elbarn looked at his two prisoners, then at Jakan, confusion furrowing his brow. “You just come with Elbie.”

Jakan laughed and shook his head. “I’m not going to do that. You’re going to have to put them down and chase me.”

Elbarn’s lower jaw moved sideways as he considered that suggestion. Then he grinned and jerked his head at Jakan. “You think Elbie’s stupid. I put ’em down, they run ’way.”

“No, they won’t.” Jakan nodded at Nereya. “Will you?”

Nereya and Lasran shook their heads. Elbarn narrowed his eyes, but didn’t loosen his grip.

“I’ll show you.” Jakan took a few more steps. “Let the woman go. She won’t move.”

With his head on one side, Elbarn let go of Nereya, his hand still hovering over her brown hair. She stood still, feigning far more relaxation than Jakan knew she could have felt. She smiled at the giant beside her.

“There, see. Now let Lasran go.”

Elbarn shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Ma said catch this’n. Elbie’s not lettin’ ’im go.”

He strode towards Jakan with an air of triumph. Jakan let out a long breath. He hadn’t counted on blind obedience. He ducked away as the man-child passed, but the big man made no attempt to grab him. Obviously he believed everything his mother had told him. These two would not go anywhere while he had the boy. She’d been right. Together they trudged behind Elbarn and the boy as they moved back over the hill.

“What do we do?” Nereya’s voice cracked.

Jakan laid a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “I need to do what you suggested before and knock him out."

“What? No, you can’t. He has Lasran.” Her face twitched with fear.

“As soon as he puts Lasran down…be ready.”

“No.”

Jakan squeezed her shoulder. “It’s your only chance.”

“What about you?”

He looked away from her. “Just be ready.”

The truth was that he had no plan for himself. Just staying on his feet had become a minute-by-minute challenge. The glimpse of Dralgo over the hill had confirmed his worst fear. He had little chance. Maybe, if he’d turned then and walked away, there was a chance his energy would have lasted the distance. But he couldn’t do that. He felt torn in two. He knew Dovan and Megda needed him to return, his people needed him to reach Garuga. But something deep inside him, some intuition he didn’t understand, wouldn’t let him leave these two to their fate, though he knew he owed them nothing.

By the rock again, Elbarn lowered the boy to the ground and picked up the ropes to tie him. As he bent, Jakan also leaned over and scooped up a fist-sized stone. Without pausing, he hurled it at the man. It hit him above the ear.

With a roar, Elbarn straightened, his hand clutching his head. The blow hadn't shaken him. He turned on Jakan, the boy forgotten, the look of vacancy in his eyes replaced by angry, animal determination. With his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed, he launched himself at Jakan, who turned and ran.

“Now, Nereya. Go!”

Jakan knew, even before he started, that running was futile. His chest ached just from walking and his breath came in short gasps, but he had to give the other two some chance. Within thirty paces, Elbarn’s huge hands thumped his shoulders from behind and he fell to the ground with a thud. Dazed and breathless, he felt himself being turned over. Above him, Elbarn’s eyes blazed, his fists shook in the air. Jakan covered his face with his arms just as a rain of blows showered his head and chest. As he pumelled, Elbarn sobbed, like a frustrated toddler.

“Dirty Bakshi. Elbie don’t like Bakshi.”

Jakan’s arms and chest throbbed. “Elbie, no. Arrakeshi, I’m Arrakeshi.” The big man hit harder. “Think. Your Ma can’t sell me if you hurt me.” Still the blows grew heavier. Jakan raised one arm a little, exposing his throat for a moment. “Elbie. Remember the pretty bird?”

Abruptly, the thumping stopped. Seconds later, Jakan felt Elbarn fingering the tattoo. “Pretty bird.” Then the fingers moved sideways and Jakan’s blood chilled as they took hold of the leather string holding his pouch. “What’s this?”

Jakan lowered his arms, panic constricting his throat. “No Elbie, leave it.”

With mouth open in anticipation, Elbarn tugged and the pouch came away. Jakan gasped as the air seemed to suck from his lungs. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch a breath. He watched in horror as the man-child took the stone in his fingers, holding it to the light.

“Pretty.”

Suddenly a figure blocked the sun behind Elbarn. Nereya stood, a large rock raised high above her head. Jakan shut his eyes as her arms came down. He flinched at the thud of contact with Elbarn’s skull. The big man groaned and fell onto his side, but still he didn’t lose consciousness. He lay on the ground, his hands covering the wound to his head, his eyes not focusing. Jakan stared at him in confusion.

“Jakan, get up. Come on, run!” Nereya pulled on his arm. “We’ve got to get away. Get up.”

In a panic, he searched the ground around him until he saw the healing stone and pouch lying on the grass next to Elbarn. As Nereya pulled him to his feet, he reached out and scooped them up. With the stone tight in his fist, his breathing came a little easier, but his legs still shook beneath him. He staggered as Nereya pulled him. She was going the wrong way.

“No…the forest…I have to get to the forest.”

Nereya hesitated for only a moment. Then she threw his arm over her shoulders and dragged him towards Dralgo. “All right, the forest. But you’ve got to move. I can’t carry you.”

Up ahead, Lasran already ran towards the trees. Behind, Elbarn’s groans of pain were turning to angry muttering. With a deep breath, Jakan willed his feet to move and stumbled towards Dralgo.

By the time they neared the forest, Jakan’s world was spinning. His legs moved as if driven by some other force, for he had no control over them. Without Nereya to take his weight, he would have collapsed far short of the trees. Behind them, Elbarn’s shouts grew louder. Jakan forced himself to concentrate on Dovan and Megda’s faces in his mind. He had to make it, if only for their sake.

The closer he got, the easier it became to move. The scent of home lifted his spirit. Fifty paces away from the tree, Nereya and Lasran who now ran beside them, came to a sudden halt.

She took Jakan by the arms. “Can you make it from here?”

Jakan stared at her. “Where are you going?”

“Not in there.” Her face had paled. “I’m not going into the forest.”

“But –”

“Jakan, you don’t know that place. People go in there and they don’t come out. I can understand you wanting to go there, but we can’t. Now go!”

He was about to argue, when a shout behind them caught their attention. Elbarn staggered over the hill, his shirt red with blood and his face red with fury.

“You have no choice.” Jakan took her hand and dragged her towards the trees. He could feel the energy of the forest drawing him towards it. Nereya resisted for only a second before she called Lasran to run ahead and followed.

They didn’t stop running until they were well into the shade of the forest. Elbarn’s voice sounded close behind them. Then he shrieked, a cry of terror that faded into the distance. In the silence that followed, Nereya and Lasran crept close to Jakan.

“Where’s he gone?” Nereya’s voice trembled.

Gazing through the trees, Jakan shook his head. “I don’t know.” He listened for a moment, but could hear nothing. Elbarn seemed to have vanished. Jakan leaned against a tree as his legs finally gave way. “I need to rest.”

Nereya’s eyes burned with fear. “We can’t. What if…”

But Jakan had already slumped to the ground. He rested his head against the trunk. Whether through the thrill of being in the forest or through sheer exhaustion, he felt no fear, just the need to stop running. He stretched out his fingers and grasped leaves, lifting them in front of his eyes and letting them fall to his chest. He dug his hands deeper and held fistfuls of humus to his nose, breathing in the heady smell. His muscles relaxed as the forest seeped into his soul and his mind gave way to the peace of sleep.

***

He awoke stronger, but confused, still clutching the healing stone in his palm. Above him a pale late afternoon sky peeked through the gnarled branches of a huge oak. Somewhere close by a stream gurgled, and the breeze rustled through the leaves. In his mind, he was aware that this was not Arrakesh. It felt the same, smelled the same, sounded the same, but there was not the strength of Arrakesh. Like mead with water added, but it was saving his life.

A voice startled him. It was a woman’s, soft and concerned.

He sat up. “Jalena?”

Even as he said it, the pain of impossibility struck him.

“Are you all right?” Nereya knelt beside him, Lasran close behind. He felt a pang of guilt at having abandoned her by falling asleep. Yet she hadn’t abandoned him. She hugged her arms tightly around herself, her large brown eyes scanning the forest. “I don’t like this place. Something’s watching us. I can feel it.”

Narrowing his eyes, Jakan peered into the dim distance, but he could see nothing. Now that Nereya had voiced her fear though, it did feel as if they were being watched. Then his companion screamed and grasped his arm. She shook as she stared behind him. Lasran hid his face in her back.

Jakan twisted to look around the tree. He struggled to his knees. Behind him stood two huge, bird-like creatures; they stood ten feet tall, with strong eagle’s bills, golden eyes and shining russet feathers. Their thighs were solid like those of an eagle, but they had knees and human feet, brown and weathered. Their tails were short and slightly fanned. From beneath their wings came two arms, feathered to the elbows and with long bony fingers, each ending with a talon. As Jakan got to his feet, one of them moved slowly forward and squatted in front of him, looking strangely solicitous.

Jakan fingered the tattoo at his throat, a depiction of the totem he had always thought long vanished into history. He relaxed a little. It might be fearsome, but this beast had been a part of him since his birth.

“Morshu?” He cast Nereya and Lasran a reassuring glance.

The creature gave a slow nod. It spoke to him, sounding as if it called through a mist, trying to find him. Tears sprang to Jakan’s eyes. The voice – soft, sibilant, whispering – spoke in the same way as Arrakesh. He strained through the fog in his mind to hear its message.

Sho se hijha Jahusah. Imo ha sel yashoh.
Though he had always thought Arrakesh spoke to him in the language of his own thoughts, he understood this strange language too.
You are safe Treespeaker. Do not be anxious.

Then more words flowed into his mind, but this time they were his own.
Rasi se sho? Who are you?
The question had formed without conscious thought. Never before had he realised that his link with Arrakesh came from an innate understanding of the ancient language.

“I am Kel.” The morshu spoke in Carlikan now, nodding at Nereya to include her. It waved an arm towards the other morshu. “And this is Cree.” Its voice sounded dry and dusty. “We are the Fifth Protector of the Forest. We have been here since Arrakesh decreed the Veil.”

“The two of you?”

 “There are many of us in the forest, and other creatures besides.”

“Others?”

“The jikhoshi, the totems of the Arrakeshi.”

“All of them? It’s you who’ve kept the Carlikans from the remnant forest?”

Kel waved his arm around him and bowed his head. “We are the Protectors.”

Jakan stood and peered about him, staring into the canopy. He could see nothing, but had an eerie sense that a hundred pairs of eyes watched them. He glanced at Nereya and Lasran. Terror shone in their eyes.

He turned back to Kel. “These two are afraid because they’ve heard of people entering this forest and never returning. You won’t hurt them?”

The morshu shook his head. “It is Arrakesh’s will that they be here.”

Jakan nodded. That made sense to him, though it didn’t seem to calm them any. They deserved safety. So the morshu knew the will of Arrakesh? How?

“This forest doesn’t feel quite the same as home. Is Arrakesh here?”

“He exists wherever his people are. You know that. So he’s here in you and in the jikhoshi. But Arrakesh doesn’t dwell as a whole in this forest as he does in yours. Centuries ago, he invested some of himself into a Soulstone – the keshfah. That, alone, holds the balance of life here in Dralgo Forest while Arrakesh’s main strength remains in your forest to maintain the Veil.”

Jakan glanced at Nereya and her son, now clinging to each other by the oak. A cold thought struck him. “What happened to Elbarn?” Despite what had happened, he still wished him no real harm. Even Griselka had touched some sympathy in him.

Kel shook his head. “He will not worry you again. We carried him to his mother as she drove her cart from the wheelwright’s. I think the fright of seeing her son flying to her side may have been enough to make her rethink her ways. If not, then the sight of her horse and her cart flying away will surely have done so.”

A glint of humour shone in the creature’s eyes as he pointed through the trees to where the horse and cart now stood.

Jakan frowned. The morshu seemed to know what had gone on before they reached the forest. Yet –

“You knew we were in trouble, but you did nothing to help us reach the forest?” His faith in these creatures fell away. How could they have left him like that?

Cree crouched a little lower, his voice soft. “This child has been through enough terror in recent days, Treespeaker. What do you think would have happened to his mind, if huge creatures had suddenly scooped you all up and carried you away? If we had thought you wouldn’t make it at any point, then yes, we would have saved you, but it was better this way.”

Jakan gave a contrite smile as Nereya’s posture relaxed. A flicker of hope began to burn in his heart. “Kel?” He stopped, afraid of the answer to the question he was about to ask. The
morshu
turned an inquiring eye toward him and Jakan swallowed before he went on. “Can you remove the magic that blocks me from Arrakesh?”

Kel laid a soft hand on his shoulder and shook his head. “There is only one who can do that.”

“Who?” Jakan almost shouted in his eagerness to know.

“Seek Varyd.”

***

By nightfall, Jakan’s strength had returned to normal. Outside the cave, where they had shared a meal with Kel and Cree, he took in deep breaths of the cool sweet air of the forest, savouring the scent of it and wishing he could stay.

Nereya and Lasran had settled down to sleep, both exhausted by their experience. Even though they had come to trust the morshu, they still seemed afraid of the forest, just as he had felt overcome by the vast space of Carlika.

Jakan sat on a log, enjoying his solitude while it lasted, listening to the evening bird song in the treetops, treasuring the smells, the dappled sunlight on the forest floor and the feel of the dry leaf he played with in his fingers. A stick cracked behind him and he twisted to look. Kel bowed his head in silent greeting, his hand held out to calm him. He stalked over to where Jakan sat and, with a lightness belying his size, jumped up to squat beside him on the log.

“You are well now, Treespeaker?”

Jakan smiled and nodded. “Thanks to you. I should be able to continue my journey tomorrow.”

Kel looked serious. “There is something you should know.”

“What?” The sombreness of the morshu’s face made Jakan’s mouth dry and his heart began to beat faster. He dropped the leaf and watched it spin to the ground.

“This forest has given you back some physical strength, but your link with Arrakesh is extremely tenuous. Even with the healing stone and fresh earth from this forest floor, there is a good chance that he will lose his hold on you before you reach home. Maybe even before you reach Garuga.”

 “But I must go on. Is there nothing I can do?”

Kel gave a slight shake of his head. “Only returning to Arrakesh will strengthen the link. Your experience today was almost enough to break it. Any other strain is more than likely to release your soul from his hands.”

“And then?”

The morshu didn’t reply, but his face told him all he needed to know.

“How far from Garuga am I?” Jakan stood, pacing away a little before turning for Kel’s reply.

“On foot it would be about two days. But with the slave trader’s cart, you can be there tomorrow.”

“But I can’t drive a –”

Kel put out a calming hand. “The Carlikan woman can drive it, I’m sure.”

Jakan put his head back and looked at Kel. “Nereya is going with me? Why? I’m hardly a great protector. I’ve proven that.”

Kel hopped from the log and stood to his full height. “It is what Arrakesh wills. Maybe it is what she can do for you that he seeks.”

Jakan’s face grew warm. “I don’t understand Arrakesh any more.” He covered his face with his hands for a moment. “What does he want of me?”

“To seek Varyd.”

“To seek Varyd, yes. But why? And why me? Why didn’t he send a strong hunter who knew the ways of Carlika already? Or a young man, like my son, Dovan, who would have jumped at the chance? Why put me though all this? Am I being punished for something?”