‘A good night’s work,’ he said.
Chapter 17
A human will never understand the essential simplicity of the forest and he will die as a result.
Auum, Arch of the TaiGethen
‘ ‘‘Build more barges’’,’ said Hynd. ‘That was what you said, wsn’t it?’
Jeral tore his eyes from the river, the burning barges and the awful thrashing in the water. He glared at Hynd, assuming he was being ridiculed. But Hynd wasn’t even looking at him. He was staring at the garish scene, his face drawn and pale in the half-light.
‘Yeah.’ Jeral’s voice caught and he cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, that was me.’
The three burning barges had not been put out yet and Jeral didn’t blame anyone for not getting any closer to the river than they absolutely had to. All three still had crew and soldiers aboard. The fires were contained, at least for now, and it looked as if heavy rain was coming. They could hope to salvage the hulls if not the cargo they carried.
Jeral wasn’t sure what would happen now. He’d have brought all the barges to the bank and disembarked everyone for the time being. The trouble was, no one knew where would be safest — not now.
‘Did we know they could swim?’ asked Hynd. His head was shaking slightly and he gestured out at the water.
‘I think we all assumed they could swim, Hynd. Y’know, most of us can swim.’ Jeral stood up and moved another pace further from the bank and nearer his fire. ‘But there’s a difference between going for a dip and volunteering to swim through infested waters to get at a load of humans you could easily have killed on land.’
‘What surprises me most is that they didn’t launch a land attack too,’ said Hynd. ‘After all, none of us were watching our backs, were we?’
Jeral shrugged. ‘It’s all the same message. Like we didn’t know we weren’t safe out here.’
‘There’s got to be more to it than that,’ said Hynd, turning from the river at last.
‘Sure there is. They’re trying to wear us down, make us scared of closing our eyes to sleep, and it’s working, isn’t it? Now every man on those barges feels exposed and is shitting himself waiting for the next ripple to get close to their boat. Put a foot in there and you lose it, right? Can’t shoot an arrow across the deck. Can’t wash it with a spell either. You won’t catch me on one of those things now, that’s for sure. Not a fucking chance.’
Jeral looked back at the water. Burning barrels and sacks had been pushed into the water, diminishing the fires still further. There was almost total silence. The water had ceased to churn. A couple of rowing boats were scudding between barges. Men were being transferred and the occasional glow signified mages at work, tidying up wounds. But of those who had fallen into the river, there was nothing left to save.
In the forest the pickets had been strengthened, and everywhere you looked hardened soldiers were shuddering and shivering as if cold. It wasn’t even raining yet.
‘Seen anything of our glorious leaders?’ asked Hynd.
Jeral sniffed. ‘What do you think? No doubt they surrounded themselves with mages, castings and spears and crawled under the biggest rocks they could find. No, strike that. It’s the middle of the night, isn’t it? Loreb will be pissed and won’t know anything’s happened. Killith is probably organising a sing-song or something. Pindock, now he will be under a rock somewhere with shit dribbling down his legs. What we could really do with is a word from your lot. I mean, how much further is this place? It had better fucking exist, that’s all I can say.’
‘Takaar is on the move,’ said Hynd. ‘All we can do is follow him.’
‘But for how long? Ten days? Forty?’ Hynd shrugged and Jeral blew out his cheeks. ‘Look around, Hynd. There are plenty of scared people out there. We don’t know how long we’re going to be marching deeper and deeper into this hideous leafy hell and we’ve just lost a load of our food into the bargain. How are your blisters?’
Hynd smiled. ‘Being a mage has its benefits.’
‘Haven’t fixed mine though, have you? And I’m not the worst. We’ve got rot and splits deep enough to have been made by a knife. What we need, us ordinary soldiers, is a bit of communication. This can’t go on.’
‘Tell Killith then,’ said Hynd sharply. ‘It’s not up to me, is it? Anyway I don’t know any more than you do.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. You know how this works. We follow the elf to Katura and then we kill whatever we find there.’
‘And we hope to hell he doesn’t just wander around in a big circle.’
‘Ystormun doesn’t think he will.’
Jeral spat. ‘Well Ystormun isn’t out here. And I think we’ve already had ample evidence that the elves are a bunch of sneaky bastards. I wonder how many men we’ll have left when we eventually get a proper fight?’
‘You worry too much.’
‘Nuin said the same thing, just before a panther ripped out his throat,’ said Jeral, scratching his scars. ‘I mean, has it really not crossed your master’s mind that Takaar might lead us astray to give the TaiGethen more opportunities to scare the crap out of us?’
‘He’s travelling almost due south,’ said Hynd. ‘He’s not going in a circle. We’re scouting ahead of him when we can but our stamina is finite.’
‘So is the flesh on my feet. So is the army’s morale — especially after tonight. We’re marching into nowhere and every footstep places us nearer an enemy we can barely touch. Hardly matters how few of them there are, assuming that piece of intelligence is remotely accurate. Until we get to this city, they don’t have to meet us head on, do they?’
Hynd rubbed his hands over his face. ‘All right. I’ll go and talk to Lockesh. So long as you stop whining.’
Jeral chuckled. ‘I can promise you a lot of things but don’t ask that of me. After all, what would I have left then?’
‘Companionable silence.’
‘I am loyal among the faithless. I am the truth among lies. I am the word among savages. I walk through history and I am the future. I am the first breath of the new born. I am the last and fatal blow for the dead. I am the Arch of the new immortals.
‘I am complete.’
The last of his paint was across his chin. Takaar stood in the wet dawn of the new day and his nostrils were full of the glorious scents of Ix and her energies.
Who is it you are today?
‘I am Takaar and I am the first of the Il-Aryn.’
And the camouflage…
‘Today we fuse magic with the art of the warrior. Who better to teach this than he who walks among the gods.’
Dear Yniss preserve us, this is going to be good.
‘You think me unsound of mind?’
Well, you’re still talking to me.
‘But for all you are ever present, you missed my walk into the light of knowledge as we all slept.’
Please go on.
‘The path is clear. The learning shall be swift and the rise of the Il-Aryn assured.’
Which I presume means you’re taking your leave of your poor confused followers.
‘You’re wrong. They believe in me.’
They believe in Onelle. They are wary of you. This little act should tip them right over the edge.
‘I am the only one who can school them. The only one who can save them.’
Save them from what?
Takaar smiled and began walking back to the camp perched on the banks of the River Shorth.
‘Save them from the Il-Aryn, a power that will consume them unless they can truly accept it.’
What are you talking about?
‘Listen and learn.’
I hate you when you’re like this.
‘Then I am truly One today.’