Under Fragile Stone (27 page)

‘He's gone to rescue his gruncheg,' Rug replied.

‘If I ever get my hands on that Gutsnape, I'll wring his scruffy neck. Right, well, we're up here now. We need to find a path that'll take our weight. Preferably before the
hunnuds
find our trail and come after us in a pack.'

Finding a safe path in the darkness was not easy and when they did finally manage to pull themselves back onto the roof of the forest, they had to stay on their hands and knees to avoid putting too much weight on one spot and
falling
through. They were back near the edge of the hole through the trees, which helped them get their bearings.

‘We need to head northwest,' Draegar told his companion.

Even as he looked up in that direction, they heard the drumming rustle of feet and soon a shape rose out of the blackness of the horizon and approached them. Rug and Draegar threw themselves flat, the Parsinor drawing his sword.

Two grunchegs drew up to them, one behind the other, the second animal without a rider, its bridle tied to the one in front. The lead one sniffed carefully and the silhouette of the man in the saddle leaned forward over the animal's head, chewing noisily and then spitting a lump of well-used hajam weed out into the trees.

‘If you boys could use a ride, I could use some 
reinforcements. These puss-filled, mangy, dog-eaten
bladder
mouths've got theirselves some friends.'

Emos woke slowly, opening his eyes and staring up at the night sky. He was under a blanket on the flatbed of Jube's wagon. There was some kind of commotion over at the house and he sat up to look out over the side and see what it was. In the lantern light from the porch, he could see that the three grunchegs were back. He looked again; there were three animals, but one of them was different, a female.
Shindles
was up on the porch, arguing with Pobe and his friend Macob. Vuntz was nowhere to be seen. Emos got stiffly to his feet and stretched, trying to rouse his senses – he was still feeling very tired.

Jube was asleep on the other side of the truck, snoring softly; Khassiel was sitting on the tailgate, her legs dangling over the end, her ever-present crossbow nestled in her arms. She glanced back at Emos, but seemed intent on listening to the dispute. Cullum was up on the porch, dozing in the
rocking
chair, oblivious to the whole affair. Emos looked up at the sky, judging the time.

‘You should have woken me earlier,' he told her.

‘You looked like you needed the sleep,' she replied. ‘Our friends here have lost their mate, and they say the woods are full of hunnuds, but they don't know whose.'

Emos jumped down off the truck and walked over to the porch.

‘You can't just've lost 'im,' Shindles was saying. ‘Where did you last see 'im?'

‘He'd caught that other gruncheg,' Pobe explained. ‘We 
had this one so we came on back. We thought he was
followin
' us.'

‘Well clearly he wasn't!' the healer snapped. ‘And if you two half-wits had been born with more intellect than the gods saw fit to give an aukluk, you'd 'ave had a look behind yuh and seen that for yourselves. Now you go on back out there and you find your cousin. And when you find 'im, you go and find out who's huntin' on my land without my say so. What you standin' dawdlin' for? Get!'

The two humiliated young men led the female gruncheg they had captured into the corral and were about to get on their own mounts when a voice called down to them from high in the trees overlooking the yard.

‘Hello there at the house! We mean no harm, we're coming down!'

Emos's face burst into an uncharacteristic smile. There came the sound of dozens of feet and two grunchegs wound down through the trees and into the yard. Draegar was riding the first, and behind him were two strangers. Emos's smile slipped as he realised Taya and Lorkrin were not with the Parsinor. He strode up to his friend, taking his hand as Draegar dismounted, the two touching foreheads in the Parsinor manner of greeting.

‘I found them. We got away from the Reisenicks,' Draegar told him. ‘But we got separated when we were attacked.'

He aimed a hard stare at Pobe and Macob. Emos's eyes turned cold as he looked towards them.

‘They've taken to the wing,' Draegar continued, the pain written on his face. ‘They're up there somewhere now. Trankelfrith here was helping us catch up with you when those two and another one jumped us. I'm sorry Emos,' 

‘That's my animal,' Trankelfrith was saying to Macob and Pobe. ‘And I'll be takin' her back.'

‘I don't know what you're talkin' about,' Macob sneered. ‘I've owned that gruncheg for years. But I recognise that other one you've got there. Belongs to my kin.'

‘Your kin left it to me when he died,' the Gutsnape told him.

Macob's face went purple and he pulled his knife from its scabbard. Trankelfrith drew his and held it loosely by his side. He was weedy and old compared to the stout Reisenick, but looked completely undaunted by the younger man.

‘Macob!' Shindles shouted. ‘There'll be no knife-fightin' in the yard. The Gutsnape's got a fair grievance and if Vuntz is dead, then there's a body to be found and brought home.'

She came down the steps and faced Trankelfrith. Cullum woke as she passed him. He stood up and limped to the top of the steps to see what was happening.

‘You killed him to protect yourself an' your property an' that's life,' the healer said. ‘If Macob wants to even the score, then that's life too. But the boy you killed is kin and I want to find that body, so I say you can take your gruncheg away from here if you'll lead us to where you left Vuntz. After that, you and Macob can go at it all yuh like. But not in my yard. I demand peace and quiet around my home. So, are you agreeable?'

Trankelfrith returned her even gaze.

‘I am.'

‘I'm not!' Macob snarled. ‘I'm droppin' this runt right here. No one kills my kin and bargains with his remains.'

‘Macob,' Shindles hissed, keeping her eyes fixed on the 
Gutsnape. ‘If you don't put that knife away, I'm goin' to take it off yuh and trim your ears with it myself.'

The big Reisenick ground his teeth, but one steely glance from the old woman wiped the defiance from his face and he sullenly sheathed his knife. Trankelfrith did the same, and then made his way over to the corral, clicking his tongue at his beloved gruncheg, who squealed with delight at seeing him again. Muttering under his breath, Macob stamped up the steps and as he came up onto the porch, he accidentally stood on Cullum's swollen foot. The Noranian let out a bellow and swung a fist into the woodsman's jaw. Macob's head was rocked back and he flipped backwards over the porch railing. He landed in a heap by the side of the steps, a stunned groan drifting from his lips.

‘Boy always had a hard mouth and a glass jaw.' Shindles shook her head in disappointment.

Emos was leaning against the posts of the porch, the blue brand on his face standing out strongly against his now pale skin. While he had believed Taya and Lorkrin were with Draegar, he had been able to focus on getting to the cave and helping his sister and brother-in-law. But with his nephew and niece lost over Ainslidge, he was torn between looking for them and continuing on. And with the roads being watched, their chances of reaching the cave safely seemed all the more remote.

‘They're smart, and they're tough little urchins,' Draegar said, putting a hand on his shoulder. ‘The trucks will be
visible
from the air. They know which direction we're going. They'll find us.'

‘Not if Ludditch finds us first,' the Myunan replied. ‘And they're exposed in the air. If the Reisenicks see them …' 

‘Have some faith in them,' Draegar told him. ‘They'll be driving you demented for years yet.'

Rug was standing out in the yard, having dismounted from the saddle and was now at a loss as to what to do. He wasn't feeling very well. His insides were aching and his head felt slightly numb. Jube had woken up and after watching the exchange between the Reisenicks and the Gutsnape, he strolled over to where the tall, gangly figure was hovering.

‘I'm Halerus Jube,' he said, holding out his hand. ‘What's your story?'

Rug looked at the hand, unsure what he was supposed to do with it.

‘My name is Rug,' he responded, looking at the hand, then up at the miner's face. ‘I don't remember what my story was. Now I'm just following Draegar and Taya and Lorkrin, until I start remembering again.'

‘A few days ago, I'd've thought that odd,' Jube quipped, taking up Rug's right hand and shaking it gently. ‘We're on our way to Old Man's Cave to rescue some folks who are trapped down there. We could use another strong pair of hands.'

‘I would be grateful if I could come. I … I don't have anywhere to go. I would like to help, too.'

‘Glad to have you aboard.'

Emos was having a few words with Shindles. He thanked her and strode over to the others. Cullum was limping along behind him.

‘We're leaving,' Emos told them all. ‘We need to get back on the road to the cave as soon as possible.'

‘What about the lookouts on the roads?' Khassiel asked.

‘Let me worry about them.'

The look on Emos's face discouraged any further 
argument. They all got the wagons packed up and the engines started. Rug joined Draegar and Emos on the flatbed of the lead wagon, Cullum climbed into the cab of the
equipment
wagon with Khassiel. They waved goodbye to
Shindles
and Trankelfrith and then the trucks rumbled out of the yard and started down the dark, foggy road.

Rug took the nail from his pocket and gazed at it. He caught Emos looking curiously at the rusted bit of metal and furtively returned it to his pocket. They were going to a cave, the man had said. That had triggered something in his mind. Somewhere, way down deep, a memory stirred. Darkness and stone and agonising pain. There were no images, just sensations, and it left him even more confused. But the more he thought about it, the less he could hold on to the vague memory. A sudden need came over him. He wanted to see this cave; he was sure it had a story to tell him. He stood up to look over the roof of the cab, eagerly watching the road pass beneath them in the light of the headlamps.

Taya shifted her bottom to make it more comfortable on the hard wood. She and Lorkrin were in the tallest tree they could find, ensconced in a cradle of forking branches high up on the trunk. Lorkrin was dozing and Taya had to keep her eyes on him to make sure he didn't slunch in his sleep. They had kept their bat-like shapes when they landed, knowing that if the hunnuds found them here, they would have to take off quickly. But it was difficult for Myunans to creft their shape-shifts while asleep.

They were overlooking a road. It was going in the right direction, so they had decided to follow it as far as they 
could. It was a reassuring feature on an otherwise unbroken plain of treetops and fog that stretched into the darkness. It would be a while yet before it was her turn to sleep, and Taya kept herself alert by listening to the sounds of the forest and trying to identify them.

There were the bats, of course, flying past with their
incessant
clicking. The occasional owl, too, would hoot in the
distance
. But there were also more unusual sounds – ones she had rarely heard, if at all. There was some kind of nocturnal woodpecker that she was sure was communicating with others further away with its pecking. There was the mewling of grunchegs, either wild or domesticated. But most of the noises were furtive and soft: hunting animals on the prowl, and grazers trying not to attract attention to themselves. At the limit of her hearing, another sound attracted Taya's attention. As it grew nearer, it developed a rhythm and
several
distinct strains. It was music. She turned towards the southeast, searching for the source and saw a glow on the horizon. There was something on the road, and it was coming their way. She shook Lorkrin awake.

‘… I didn't eat it!' he blurted out, blinking and looking around in bewilderment.

He gradually remembered where he was and groaned as he stretched his wings.

‘There's someone coming,' she told him, pointing at the light.

Turning to look, he cocked his head at the sound of the music.

‘Reisenicks,' he said. ‘Playing the twangoes and those rattles of theirs. Sounds like they're off to a party or something. Making enough noise.' 

‘What do they have to be quiet about?' Taya muttered. ‘Nobody's hunting
them
.'

The Reisenicks were on five well-lit wagons, one covered, one with a cage on the back for their hunnuds and two
flatbeds
. The fifth was Kalayal Harsq's generator truck. Behind the vehicles, six woodsmen on horses brought up the rear. The flatbed wagons were filled with singing, laughing
clansmen
of all ages. Sitting in the lead vehicle was Learup
Ludditch
III, singing along with the rest of them. The wagons passed beneath the Myunans' tree and carried on up the road.

‘Oh, something's definitely up,' Lorkrin said. ‘Why are they heading that way? They can't be going to the cave?'

‘Let's find out,' Taya suggested.

‘You're on.'

Launching from a height still made them a bit nervous. If they took off from the ground, they would be quite low if they made a mistake in the first few shaky beats of their wings. There was no such luxury jumping out of a tree. But the thrill was well worth it. Lorkrin spread his wings, ran out along a sturdy bough and leapt into the air. He dropped at first, then caught his weight on his wings and swooped away. Taya followed him, throwing herself into the damp night air and relishing the feeling of swimming in the sky. Careful to keep low and over the trees, they kept as close to the wagons as they dared, reinvigorated by their new challenge. The sight of Ludditch and Harsq still working together told them that the problems were not over for the lands around Absaleth, or for those trapped beneath.