Hawkmoon (The Hawkmoon Chronicles) (15 page)

                                                               Kidnapped.

The land around Silverlode was beautiful until they started blowing it up.... Most days it was covered in a pall of  dust . They worked on the balloons at the other side of the mountain.  Tomorrow he would visit the glassmakers. They were the key without which the powder was little more than a heap of dangerous chemicals.

What distance would they go if launched from a height? He picked up one of the spheres. How far could a man throw one of these?  Could they make a catapult that could be used by one soldier? The problem was the strength of the container.  Too strong and it would  not break; too weak and it would shatter at launch.

Two dwarves died when the glass broke as it was released . Norry had watched as their bodies were consumed. Torn with guilt, he was on the point of stopping when Regina  came to see him. She said to think of them as soldiers. They had died in the service of their people and they would be remembered . The fate of the dwarf nation rested with the work he was doing. Before she left he told her of his overwhelming fear; the sense of millions of tons of rock pressing down…. Against the advice of her councillors she gave permission for  Norry to work outside. He wished Sharon was here..... She was  going  to the Plain of Jars to test  if  the balloons could be used to send  messages over long distance.

A massive hand clamped over his mouth. Another squeezed his neck until he passed out. When he came to, huge warriors were ransacking the office. He was gagged and bound with strips of leather . His feet were free. One of them   spoke, brandishing a sheaf of paper. A smaller touched the giant who moved away. It spoke the common tongue.

“It is essential that you draw no attention nor make any attempt to raise an alarm. When we are away from here I will remove your gag. Your hands will be freed…”

A door opened, his assistant came in, stopping in surprise. If he recognized the company from the stories of his parents and grandparents  he gave no sign. The sight of his boss tied up broke through his confusion. He made to step back. A sword split him to the breastbone. Norry screamed behind the gag, tears   running from his eyes. He fought to overcome despair. The worst of all possible worlds... A weapon to avenge his people .. Now it was the enemy who had it. He had given it to them. All because he could not stay underground...

The thin one bent to him.. Taking a pointed dagger he removed the gag. “That was unfortunate however we need your advice. Which of these contain the mixture? I am a wizard. I can tell lies from truth. There are more like him at the guardhouse If you lie I will have them brought here and killed before your eyes. Is that what you want?”

“Take the bags marked with the blue stripes. Leave the ones marked in Yellow. They are part compounds”. The Reiver put the  dagger to Norry’s cheek and   drew a jagged line below his left eye  to his  lip. “You lie, I warned you not to lie. Now let us try again. Where is the formula for this amazing compound?”

“There is one copy in existence. It is in the possession of the Queen of the Dasatii.”

The wizard looked closely at him. “What is to become of me?” Norry asked.

“You will go with us to Kallendar where you will be honoured and treated better than you have ever been in your life.” The Reiver looked around.” Such basic quarters for someone of your importance… When this war is concluded you will have a place of honour in our councils and your people will be safe”

Knowing that his warning had been understood the Reiver continued. “The journey back will be long and taxing. We will do all we can to provide for your comfort and security. My name is Hiram Sulk, the big fellow is Rond. Try not to irritate him”

One of them tied a rope to the bindings on his wrist. Bodies lay outside  steaming in the  cold air. His gorge rose as they passed the guardhouse. The stench of blood  and open bowels  came through the windows.

He was dead. Still breathing and moving, but dead. No matter what they promised they would have it from him. All that mattered was that they would never get the formula. With luck the compound would be ruined before they got back.  Sorrow rushed at him with thoughts of friends he had made; the day he met the Queen...He wondered where Hawkmoon was. Off on some adventure, no doubt…

They were in the woods as dawn   pencilled  the  horizon Norry was tired and hungry, his hands swollen from the ropes. An argument started between the leader who wanted to lie up and the wizard who wanted to keep moving. He did not understand their guttural language but that was plain. During the night as he stumbled in the dark he pleaded for the rope to be cut. The request earned a beating. They gave him to something to drink. It made him retch and this earned more blows. He forced himself to take more straining   to keep it down.  He looked around smiling. They laughed. The one who hit him was ordered to tie him on his back. His bindings were cut.

Night came as they reached the foot of a hill bare of trees. At the top they entered a low cave. The wizard spoke a word to bring light from his staff. It lit their way into the back, stopping  when there was no chance of light being seen   from outside. They broke out food wrapped in dry leaves. Their knives and swords were abandoned.  It was then he noticed the stone. It was small, the size of his palm. It had an edge; obsidian or something like it. He looked about to find the magicker watching him. The Reiver finished eating and crouched near him.

”You are thinking of means to escape. Down here there are none …You are about to go to a place that few have seen and lived to speak of. It has its own rules and the first is do not trust anything your senses tell you. The second is, keep your nerve” The wizard paused, staring at Norry.. “Eat nothing, only what we give you. If we  run out of water take none  no matter how thirsty. From now until we come back to the world you will be secured to a chain. What you must understand is that once parted from the chain you are lost. You are on that chain not as our prisoner but to save you from demons. Those  that wander here feed on  more than the physical body ” They stood while the chain was passed back. Making a business of dusting his clothes he slipped the stone inside the sleeve of his tunic.

The tunnel rose on a slope before descending.  At first the angle was easy but after a time it steepened  until  his legs shuddered  to the point of collapse. He stumbled forward into someone who cursed at him. The wizard was in front with the staff  bright enough to see the way . Dust rose in the shadows  making him cough. All that could be heard was their breathing and the  scrape of boots. Skittering  on the rock above him. He looked up but it had gone. The slope began to ease. The walls to right and left were gone. They stopped  to eat  their rations and  sleep. The sound of bells came from  the shadows ; a thin little wisp of a man came out.

“Mynheers, estimable gentlemen , true knights” he bowed. “Yours is the courage of warriors that you would venture in this benighted place. Your quest is valiant, doubtless the rescue of a fair maiden from the hands of some unconscionable rogue. May I, Thermidor J. Frump assist you by the provision of certain items that will be of aid?” Reaching to the edge of his  coat, he opened it. Multi-coloured light swirled, lighting the shadows.He held out a piece of glass “I present the eye of the Basilisk. You will see all your enemies  in the world above and below. You will find their most cherished treasures.” Norry looked at the Reivers. He was able to look away while the others could not take their eyes from it.

“No interest?  “This is Illian. It cures all maladies.”

“Excuse me”

The little fellow ceased his spiel. For a moment his faced changed from friendly banter to a look of rage. “Yes, my good man, what can I do for you?”

“That which you hold is not Illian. It would not be found anywhere in the infernal regions. As to the eye ,few have seen the Basilisk and no one has ever been close enough to take its eye”

The expression of delighted helpfulness slipped momentarily. “Why  if it isn’t  a Halfpint… You don’t take offence at the term, I trust?”

“Would you be so kind as to close your coat? My companions are quite bemused with your antics”

He appeared crestfallen. “Unfortunately I cannot accede to your request. Were I to do so they would be upset perhaps to the extent of causing me bodily harm…. I must admit to being disappointed at myself for failing to recognize one of your worthy people.  Those of the Parish are said to be immune to our blandishments…. I have a proposal.” He said as he sat on a stone while managing to keep his coat open.

“Let me have these and I will escort you from this place with all the wealth you will ever need. What do you say?”

“I say no”

The little fellow was taken aback. “But you are their prisoner. I have been following long enough to know that much. They are Reivers and whatever end the plan for you I can promise it will be painful”

“You make a point but I must decline. It is true they intend to harm me. The difference between them and you is they torture the body while your kind   torment the soul. If I was captured here I would die a thousand times and my sufferings would not have begun. “

The Reiver wizard groaned with the effort he was making to free himself. The little fellow’s attention wandered for a moment. He swore as a rock struck him on the forehead. The folds of the coat closed freeing the Reivers who roared and charged at him. Scampering to the  edge of the precipice he jumped. They could hear laughing as he fell.

The Reivers stared into the abyss.  Rond  looked at Norry …“ You could have taken his offer.”

“I would if it had been genuine.”

.“Collect the gear. We keep moving until we get out of here. Eat and drink on the move. If you have to shit, do it now. Anyone that stops gets left behind…

Footsteps sounded in the long dark, some light, some with a heavy tread. Eyes watched , yellow and feral  . Norry was tied on the back of one of the Reivers ducking as the tunnel came lower. Running, they kept on until he lost track of time..

He had a choice. Escape now or wait until they came back to the world. If he  escaped after they came out he would not be at liberty for long.  Reivers could track like bloodhounds. …If he waited the world and the people he loved would go down to ruin. If he stayed  he would face damnation. He worked the  stone into his palm.  

Fresh  air  came around their feet; sweet with the promise of water. They surged forward, maddened by thirst. The light grew stronger. The sorcerer turned to Rond.”Keep them together, we are near the end” His whisper carried and the others cheered.

Norry jumped, head banging against a sidewall. Cowering in the shadows, blood  dripped from his scalp…The magicker let  the staff blaze, searching for him. Scrambling to his feet, Norry bolted. The wizard called, pleading with him to return. He would be safe, honoured. All he had to do was stop and come back. Norry’s feet slowed . He glanced over his shoulder. The wizard was gesturing, reaching out to him, like a loving parent. How could he do this? run  from those who loved him.  A lip of rock caught his foot, crashing him to the ground. Pain flared clearing his mind.  He  jumped  to his feet.. At the edge  where  the wizards light gave way to darkness a fissure loomed. Air came from it, foetid with the smell of corruption. Hands reached for him. Avoiding their clutches he  ran to the edge and launched himself into abyss.

                                                              Wild Country 

The dogs were the problem. If they went south at the crossroads they could stay where they were.  That would change if the patrol came the other way.  “We should have moved when we had the chance. If they come by the road the dogs will smell us .”Hawkmoon  blew on his fingers“Get the weapons and the gear.”

Taking the glass Hawkmoon searched   the village.  Standing by a Monkey Puzzle tree,an officer was arguing with  a frightened man. A woman came with a basket. She smiled at the commander , touching him. He pushed her away, shouting at his troops. They ran to a barn pulling the doors open. Sacks and barrels were pulled out. One of the barrels split, spilling grain. An argument broke out with the officer who struck the headman with the hilt of a sword

A wagon rolled to a stop. The soldiers started loading. A crowd was beginning to gather near the headman who sat in the snow, dazed. Waving swords the soldiers began to push them to the warehouse. Hawkmoon tensed...“Hawkmoon listen to me. There is nothing we can do. “

The last of the grain was loaded. The wagon pulled away and stopped. A young boy caught his sister’s hand and ran. He was near the riverbank when he stumbled, an arrow in his back. His sister screamed. She was dragged back.  The woman pleaded with a sergeant who laughed. One of them tore at her blouse. The rest were shoved into the barn. They pushed against the doors as they closed. Hawkmoon rose , gathering his weapons. “This is madness. I am not going down there”.

“I don’t need you below. I want you up here with the crossbow” Hawkmoon passed from cover under the trees.  The dogs spotted him, immediately, racing  up the slope. The officer looked to the treeline, catching sight of a man clambering through the snow. For a moment it looked like he was trying to escape but to the officer’s amazement the fellow seemed to be coming down

The fool means to fight us.

The dogs  had almost reached him. One sprang for his face ; the man slashed at it.The other ran onto the point of a spear.

The officer shouted.“Sergeant, Leave the woman, go and kill him” The others continued with preparations to burn  the warehouse. One padlocked the doors. Another bent over straw with a flint. Sparks flew . He was blowing on the flame when something struck  him low in the  spine.

The sergeant shouted at the archers. One collapsed face down. The madman reached them. At first he looked as if he would stop to fight, instead he ducked under a wild swing  and ran past The  other turned, pointing a crossbow. A bolt struck his hand, slicing his fingers.

The soldiers were rushing up the lane as he rounded the corner. An axe swept for his head as  he slid on ice. One of them stopped, head to one side .Blood poured through the chainmail. The officer stood back as three Reivers formed a circle around the interloper. One of them  had a curved sword. The second was frightened. He was the one with the axe. Tall and skinny, in the confusion he had picked the wrong weapon. The swing from the axe would be slow, without power. The third was a problem.

Hawkmoon stopped, shoulders slumping, his expression dejected; a beaten man. The young one rushed in blade reaching  for his  gut. Hawkmoon stepped  aside turning his wrist  and  stabbed him with the short sword. A whisper  of air him gave him warning  and he  stepped  back . The axe smashed the short blade, numbing his hand .The skinny  one  lifted the axe again.  Changing hands Hawkmoon stabbed him in the eye. That left the big fellow…

Bekter had come down.  He stood above the lane, crossbow pointing at the officer. The Reiver picked up the axe. From the way he held the weapon it clearly belonged to him.   A narrow space was nowhere to face a battleaxe  in the hands of someone who knew how to use it. Hawkmoon turned, sprinting from the lane.   Mistaking it for fear, the chief roared   in delight, .Hawkmoon stopped in the square, his back to the tree, watching as the big Reiver approached.. He was heavily muscled   and quick on his feet. Gleaming in the light of the snow, the axe had double blades, shaped like a butterfly’s’ wings.  They stood, measuring each other. It began.The Reiver  moved in constant  balance. No matter how he wielded the axe he always brought it back in time to parry .He made his mistake when he missed, opening himself to a counter strike.

It was a trick. The axe stopped , reversing itself. Hawkmoon  had time to marvel at the strength it took to  turn such a weapon  in mid sweep before the  axe came  round to shatter his sword. The next blow was  coming to his neck. He  ducked, squeezing his body into a tight ball. The axe buried itself in the tree. The Reiver pulled at the weapon, grunting as he   struggled to lever  it free.. Ducking under the  handle Hawkmoon stabbed  the Reiver in the groin with the remnants of the blade.  His opponent  fell , blood gouting on the snow.. Hawkmoon knelt alongside the fallen warrior.

“The Monkey Tree. It traps the blade.”

His face had paled with blood loss. Grasping Hawk moons’ sleeve he gasped  his final words;”I will wait for you at the river”

The officer ran for the horses. Bekter shot him. They went to the storehouse and broke open the doors. The villagers rushed out, crying. The headman was profuse in his thanks.

”I was not aware people had pushed so far into Reiver lands”Hawkmoon observed.

“It is not their land. The Men of the North owned all this... They let us live as long as we pay taxes and take nothing they want for themselves. I don’t understand what happened today. There is no trouble normally”

“They have an army to feed and they don’t mind where they get provisions. The ones that came today are dead but there will be more. If they find the bodies you will be executed. All we have done is to buy you time. “.

“We will sink their bodies in the deep part of the river. The fish will deal with their remains. Will you help us get away?”

Hawkmoon shook his head. “We leave in the morning. I will give you a letter to the Elven King. He will provide for you. Leave as soon as possible”