They had joined a thinner stretch of trees that ran along the mountains heading west, where the fire had blessedly not reached. Perhaps they were more at risk here, however, should the dragon find them, for the wood was only a league wide at most. It was wetter, though, full of streams and moisture in the air. Fat ferns and damp undergrowth surely would not burn as readily as dry tinder, even in the dragon’s magical flame, and the canopy was thicker too.
Sometimes a day passed without sight of Olakanzar, but there were never two before he was back, circling overhead, still searching. They had seen him land more than once, smashing his way into the trees somewhere behind them. Bel thought he was tracking them in a more directed fashion than before. Clearly, burning the forest had not worked. There was little comfort in that.
He knew a dragon’s eyesight was perhaps the best of any, so what was to stop Olakanzar from perching somewhere high in the mountains, and simply watching and waiting for them to emerge?
Nothing.
It galled him no end that he could not stand and fight. What was the point of being a great warrior if the only option was to flee? Anyone could do that! He wondered if he was being a coward, if he’d become too reliant on the path, the pattern, the dance, whatever the blazes it was. Before Drel Forest he had not even been aware of the phenomenon, yet he had still won fights, hadn’t he? Yes – mock battles and archery contests, bar-room brawls in which he had never truly been afraid. Perhaps he had to reach a certain threshold to initiate the right reaction? That was worrying in itself – maybe one day he would be killed by something he did not fear until it was too late, something that did not fire his blood until that blood was leaking out of him. He thought of his old Troop Leader Munpo, who had defeated him simply because Bel had underestimated him.
‘Thinking in circles,’ he muttered, ‘accomplishes nothing but making you dizzy.’
He was answered only by soft snores – it seemed that despite herself Jaya had managed to drift back to sleep. He was glad of that, at least. They all needed rest.
Carefully he freed himself from her and moved some distance away, taking his pack with him. He was not surprised that, upon retrieving the magic sundart, it gave him a chirp, for he’d ignored it the past few days. Fahren had said it only held one message at a time, and he wondered when this one had arrived. Last time he had ‘spoken’ to Fahren, they had been on their way to Shebazaruka’s lair.
When he was sure he wouldn’t wake anyone by activating the bird, he did so.
‘Bel,’ came Fahren’s disembodied voice. ‘I am most anxious to hear you are safe. Have you seen the dragons? Please reply with all possible haste lest I imagine you burnt to a crisp somewhere, and all our hopes dashed to pieces.’
That was all. Bel felt a moment of blankness, then and set about replying. He gave a full report of everything that had happened, from discovery of the murdered Shebazaruka to their flight from Olakanzar. He was as brief and factual as he could be, for going over it all did nothing but tire him.
Finally he set the bird down in front of him and waited. He didn’t quite know what he was waiting for …for Fahren to reply, for his companions to wake, for the roar of the dragon somewhere? He watched a dewdrop rolling down a nearby frond for what seemed an eternity, trying to appreciate it as Losara would have. His other had spoken of beauty worth fighting for, but Bel grew frustrated as he tried to see it. It was only dew on a leaf, an everyday occurrence, common and unremarkable.
The bird chirped with a reply, and he touched the scroll, glad for the distraction.
‘Well,’ said Fahren, ‘I scarcely know where to begin. The most important thing is that you’re all alive and have the Stone. Well done, though I appreciate that the way you came to it must be troubling. I grieve for Gellan, and I worry that you now travel the wilderness without a mage.
‘As for your lack of sensing the path, as you call it, maybe there is presently no way to beat the dragon, or perhaps the path led you away for a reason. Maybe it is a long path, and you will find your way again as circumstances change. This is not advice to try anything rash, mind. I suggest you carry on as you are, for evasion of this Olakanzar may be the best course. I know you’ll recall from your lessons the strength of dragon eyesight, but by habit they are not nocturnal. Without knowing for sure, I suggest it may be wiser, should you have to venture into the open, to do it by night.
‘And now for some distressing news. I’ve received word that Holdwith has fallen. I admit my own failing in this – I have reinforced virtually every other border settlement except that one, thinking that not even Losara would be bold enough to attack a stronghold of mages. He is more powerful than I dared believe, for the conflict was not even long-lived. I have mobilised our army from Kahlay, but I do not know if Losara will continue north from Holdwith or move along the border. At any rate, we must be ready to reinforce or intercept. I do not intend to attack him in Holdwith, for there he has an advantage, but he will have to move sooner or later to another of our fortifications. The bulk of his soldiers are currently south of the Mines, but who knows if that is merely another feint? I will join the army shortly myself, and now that you have the Stone, you must try to do the same as swiftly as you can.
‘As to its use, I see no other option but to enlist Battu. I do not wish it, but alternatives have not come knocking. Any hope of utilising Fazel was slight in the first place, now impossible.
‘However, I remain optimistic. I cannot tell you how relieved I was to hear that Losara did not manage to take the Stone. The fall of Holdwith is a blow to be sure, but only the first blow in a long series of exchanges. If we can deplete the shadow army during its attacks against us, we may be in a position to trap Losara as we have planned, and put you back together as it should be …or, at worst, weaken him to the point where it is we who can march on Fenvarrow. As you know, I was hoping things would not escalate so quickly, but it seems that, for better or worse, events are in motion. Arkus bless you, Bel, and watch over you. Good luck.’
Bel’s mind raced. He could almost feel great forces cascading, far, far away. The thought of combat going on while he sat impotently in the wilderness got right under his skin.
Bel heard a sound nearby, and M’Meska slumped down beside him.
‘How much did you hear?’ he said.
‘Much,’ rasped M’Meska. ‘Though many of words not being my understanding.’
‘I expect you understood enough. War is beginning.’
‘War been going a long time,’ she replied. ‘ Battles is beginning.’
‘And here we’re stuck,’ said Bel. ‘Hiding, getting nowhere. Damn Olakanzar! He doesn’t know what his misconceptions have cost us. I need to be with the army – no, they need me! Would that I had the convenience of zooming around like my damned other. ’
‘One skip at a time,’ said M’Meska. ‘We have problem, yes, and no reason worrying other problems until solving. Yes?’
‘I suppose,’ said Bel.
‘Yes,’ confirmed M’Meska. ‘One claw in front of other claw. Need escape from too-big lizard. Also need to be going in direction for army. Not going there this way.’ She waved at the forest ahead. ‘Going back to Ismore this way, we came already once.’
‘I know that,’ said Bel.
‘Maybe need to change about. Throne Fahren say, too-big lizard not see so good at night? Maybe a break we need to make?’
Bel smiled, despite his melancholy. ‘Make a break?’ he said.
‘Yes. I scout ahead this morning, hunting for rabbits. No rabbits, almost relief, so sick of fur in my teeth …but something else I see. Here we almost north of Crystalweb. Not so far across plains to go, maybe makes a stepping stone. Get away from these stretched-out trees?’