Bolivar's Sword Read online

  Belwynn nodded. She was happy for Rabigar to make the decisions for now. Last night she and Soren had a very brief conversation, partly because he was worried they would be caught, partly because neither had anything new to say. Her brother and her friends were still being transported northwards. Part of her wanted to turn around and follow, but Soren insisted that she find a secure place for the two weapons before she did anything else.

  ‘Then what?’ she asked Rabigar, leaning over to the fire to inspect breakfast.

  He pointed out a couple. ‘When the shell splits, they’re ready.’

  Belwynn grabbed one. It was hot, too hot for her fingers, and she juggled it around in the air before letting it drop into her lap. She sucked on her fingers to cool them down. Rabigar looked on with a disappointed expression on his face.

  ‘Then we head south-west for my homeland. I don’t know what kind of reception I will get. But at the very least they will keep the Dagger and Staff safe. They may do more to help.’

  He paused, studying her face, as if unsure whether to continue. ‘I’ve mentioned this to Elana already. The Krykkers have another of these weapons. In our Great Meeting Chamber, in the mountain of Kerejus. Bolivar’s Great Sword, which he used in the Battle of Alta.’

  Belwynn nodded. She wondered why Rabigar hadn’t mentioned this before. She could tell that a part of him still had a loyalty towards his people, despite his years of exile. No doubt this sword was a great treasure.

  ‘How many years is it since you left?’ she asked.

  Rabigar seemed to think about it.

  ‘Thirty. And then some.’

  ‘Do you ever miss it?’

  ‘I will always miss my home.’

  It was said with such feeling that it stopped Belwynn from asking her next question. Why was he exiled? But Rabigar knew her thoughts.

  ‘You’re curious to know what happened?’ he asked her.

  She shrugged. ‘A little.’

  ‘I will not tell you, Belwynn. It is no disrespect to you: it is a question of honour to me. It is a matter for my people only—not a story to be discussed by others. I have kept it to myself for all these thirty and more years. That is a long time. But I would have you understand one thing. I was a very different man then than I am now.’

  His gaze drifted to the mountains of his homeland and a faraway look came to his face.

  When Elana and Dirk were ready, they set off for the town of Korkis. They walked mostly in silence, everyone seemingly content in their own thoughts. For Belwynn, though, the morning walk began to make her feel lonely. She missed her brother. But she also missed the sharp asides of Herin, and Clarin’s calm, protective presence. She had come to value her three current companions, but was not close to any one of them. Belwynn began to dwell on her captured friends. She wanted to try to talk with Soren again, but since it could be dangerous for him, she resisted.

  It was a long morning, made worse by grey clouds that blew in and deposited a constant drizzle; but by midday they were on a path heading towards Korkis. The town had been built on top of a hill, and as they got closer they could make out a wooden palisade encircling it. As they made their way up, Belwynn could make out the individual wooden stakes, buried into the ground and sharpened at the tip to make an effective barrier against an attacking force. The entrance to the town was through a formidable looking wooden gate, perhaps fifteen feet high, from where defenders could fire down at the enemy.

  Today, the gate was wide open and there was a single guard on duty, who looked out at their approach with a lazy expression.

  ‘We’re here to buy some basic provisions,’ Rabigar shouted up.

  The guard simply waved a hand to let them through, seemingly more than used to strangers arriving.

  Once through the gate, there was an open plaza. A log built road led straight ahead towards the centre of the town. Wooden built shops and stalls were positioned on either side. A statue of a knight on horseback marked the central square. Because they had arrived at midday, the town was quite busy.

  ‘The number of people here makes it safer for us,’ said Rabigar, speaking under his breath as the four of them began to mingle with the crowd. ‘But there’s no point in staying any longer than we have to. I’ll get the cooking utensils, clothes and any other extras we need if you three get the food. We’ll meet up by the statue.’

  Belwynn, Elana and Dirk soon found that oats were the most plentiful crop in this region. However, prices were still high, and Belwynn noticed that a number of the shoppers in Korkis looked hungry, prepared to buy damp bags of oats or old, shrivelled looking vegetables that in happier times wouldn’t have been sold in the first place. As they moved from stall to stall, Belwynn picked up on the problems the merchants were encountering: trade from Haskany and Persala had all but dried up since Ishari had taken control; the produce which did arrive was mostly smuggled out. Very little arrived over the mountain routes from the Krykkers, while nothing came in from the Grand Caladri at all. There were even problems within Kalinth. A dispute between King Jonas and the Knights of Kalinth, along with rumours of Drobax raids, discouraged people from travelling too far.

  After surveying the choice that was available, they agreed on what to buy. Oats could form the basis of a gruel, quick to prepare and full of energy, if rather dull to eat. They were able to supplement this with beans and vegetables, especially cabbage. A number of stalls sold pickled cabbage in clay jars, which would stay edible for weeks.

  They found themselves fully supplied with food and waiting by the statue for Rabigar to return with the more complicated items. A number of armed guards walked about in twos and threes, dressed in brown leather with a spear and shield motif sewn on to their front jackets. Belwynn noticed how the people in the town shuffled out of the way at their approach and tried to avoid eye contact. The guards would sometimes stop off at a stall to help themselves to some of the food, while the stallholders looked away as if they hadn’t noticed. All in all, there was an unsettling atmosphere in the town. It seemed to Belwynn that with less to go round, the bullies of the community were making sure that they didn’t go hungry. Elana and Dirk seemed to sense it too. They were both very quiet and huddled down by the statue, as if the smaller they made themselves, the less they would be noticed.

  Suddenly there was a disturbance a few stalls away from where Belwynn was standing. A young child was struggling in the grasp of a stall-holder. Peering over, Belwynn could see that it was a girl with close-cropped hair, perhaps about the age of seven. She was thin and hungry looking, but still seemed to think that she had a chance of escaping from her captor.

  ‘Caught her trying to nick a loaf,’ the stall-holder was saying to the surrounding crowd.

  A couple of guardsmen appeared at the scene. One of them held out a hand. The baker wordlessly passed the child over. The guard gripped her wrist hard. She continued to struggle, but the guard struck her across the face with the outside of a gloved hand. The girl stopped struggling and now had tears in her eyes, looking around with a fearful expression.

  ‘We know how to deal with thieves,’ said the guard in a voice designed to carry across the crowd which had now stopped what it was doing to look.

  Belwynn had seen and heard enough. She didn’t think through her actions. Some part of her mind propelled her body towards the confrontation in the street. As she approached their space, the group turned to look at her. The baker frowned at her. The young girl looked up nervously. The two guards stared stony-faced.

  ‘I will pay for her bread,’ suggested Belwynn reasonably. ‘I don’t think she’s a thief. Just a hungry child.’

  Almost as the last syllable left her mouth, the rest of Belwynn’s brain caught up with her actions. This was not clever. The second guard hefted a long spear, pointing the metal end in her direction.

  ‘We don’t have strangers coming here telling us what to do. We have town laws to respect.’

  Some in the crowd murmured their agreement
. The guard, perhaps emboldened by this, gestured at Belwynn’s waist where her sword was belted.

  ‘Drop your sword to the ground. You’re under arrest.’

  Belwynn expected no justice from these men.

  ‘No,’ she said. Instead she drew it out, stepping back slightly to give herself room for a swing.

  At this gesture, there was a sudden rush of movement and noise. The stallholders and shoppers moved away from the confrontation, some gasping in shock at the turn of events. At the same time two groups moved to join them. Three guards who had also been patrolling the centre of town moved over to support the first two. Meanwhile, Dirk and Elana moved over to join Belwynn. Dirk looked ill, but at least he carried a short sword. Elana had no weapon at all.

  ‘Back off,’ said Dirk in a cool voice.

  The guardsmen smiled, their dirty teeth bared in delight at the sudden sport they were being given. All five now had weapons out, two of them holding spears with a reach far greater than the swords held by Elana and Dirk. They began to move towards Belwynn and the others.

  ‘Kill them,’ shouted one of the guards, his eyes staring at Belwynn as he said it.

  ‘Try to leave the women alive!’ suggested another, to the laughs of his comrades.

  They did not take the threat from Belwynn and Dirk seriously, and why should they? Belwynn might show them she knew how to fight. Dirk could probably draw on his last reserves of strength if he had to. But they were outnumbered by bigger and stronger men. Belwynn wished that Elana and Dirk hadn’t come over to help. They would have been more use staying out of the fight. At least, she thought to herself, the little girl had been forgotten. Belwynn could not see her anywhere. No doubt she had slipped away by now.

  Belwynn held her sword out in front of her and edged backwards. Behind her, Dirk and Elana also retreated. The guardsmen fanned out so that they could attack from the sides. Someone came at her from behind and to the right—another guardsman sneaking up on them?

  ‘Rabigar is here,’ said Elana.

  Belwynn was glad she did, because she was just in the process of taking a swing at the Krykker.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he whispered as he walked by.

  Rabigar put himself in-between Belwynn and the guardsmen. His sword was in one hand.

  ‘We’re leaving,’ he informed them in a matter of fact voice. ‘Let us go and there will be no bloodshed.’

  The guardsmen sniggered.

  ‘We want bloodshed,’ said one of them. ‘Yours.’

  To the guards, Rabigar’s arrival didn’t change their superiority and control of the situation. Rabigar’s eye patch perhaps seemed to suggest he was no real threat to these soldiers. But Belwynn knew better. They might have a chance to escape now.

  Rabigar was moving at some speed towards the guardsman who had shouted out.

  ‘You want my blood?’ he shouted, almost roaring a challenge.

  Rabigar reached the guard before the others could react. Once in range, the guard let out a roar of his own and swung a club in a descending arc towards the Krykker’s chest area. Rabigar blocked the strike up high and then spun into the remaining space. In the same motion, he swung his blade up into the undefended neck of the guard, the sharpened point slicing through the jugular vein. As Rabigar retreated, he was sprayed by a squirt of blood, the guard sinking to his knees before toppling over. Screams erupted all around them, as the crowds which had been watching the confrontation turned and fled. The four remaining guardsmen suddenly looked worried. Rabigar turned around.

  ‘Dirk, you lead us towards the far end of the town. I know a way out. Belwynn, we’re walking backwards to put off anyone from following. Elana, you’re guiding our steps. Let’s go, as quick as we can.’

  Pursuit

  II

  BELWYNN KNEW HOW LUCKY SHE WAS that Rabigar knew an alternative exit from Korkis. The trading town was in chaos after the confrontation she had started in the central square, but its soldiers were organised enough to close the gates to prevent an escape.

  Rabigar led Belwynn, Elana and Dirk through a maze of side streets. Following them all the way were two of the town guards. They were wary enough of Rabigar not to challenge them directly, but they made sure not to let them out of their sight. Doubtless they planned to corner them until reinforcements arrived.

  The guards hadn’t bargained on Rabigar’s knowledge of the town.

  They arrived in an alley. Rabigar led them on, but they soon stopped at a dead end. Ahead of them were the wooden stakes of the town walls, driven in too deep to lift out with any ease. The two guards stood at the top of the alley, holding their prey in, but reluctant to move any further. One of them began shouting out their location to anyone who would listen. It wouldn’t be long before they attracted the right attention.

  Rabigar approached the wall. He kicked at it. A section swung open. It was attached with hinges to the rest of the wall, effectively opening as a gate with a space large enough for one person to fit through. It had been constructed well, invisible except to those who knew to look for it.

  Rabigar stepped one foot over onto the grassy hill outside the town wall.

  ‘I’m glad that’s still there,’ said Rabigar, grinning at the others. He turned around and climbed right through. Belwynn, Elana and Dirk quickly followed and they were all outside by the time the two guards reached the gate themselves.

  Rabigar led them away from the town, making for a wooded area about a mile to the north. For a moment Belwynn thought they were safe, but the guards were not giving up so easily. Korkis seemed to be an independent and military minded town. The soldiers were not about to let them escape unpunished. The two guards had soon attracted the attention of their colleagues manning the northern gate tower, to the west of the postern gate. By the time Belwynn and the others had reached the outskirts of the wooded cover Rabigar was leading them to, a force of about a dozen soldiers had set out from the town to chase them down. There was no doubt that the men of Korkis could see them.

  When they entered the tree line, Belwynn glanced back once more. A single rider had now joined the men on foot. He would be able to eat up the distance between them, and ensure that the soldiers wouldn’t lose their quarry. She shared a glance with Rabigar.

  ‘I think they’ve got a couple of dogs as well,’ he said, his head cocked upwards, suggesting he had heard rather than seen their presence.

  They pressed on into the wood. It felt a little safer once they were out of sight from the soldiers, but Belwynn knew that their pursuers would have no problems following their trail.

  Rabigar looked upwards. ‘Less than two hours until it gets dark. Then they’ll have to stop. A night out in the cold might persuade them to give up the chase. We’ve got to keep going.’

  Dirk and Elana nodded in agreement at his words, but they didn’t seem particularly reassured by them.

  Belwynn felt terrible that they were in this position because of her actions. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘If I had just kept out of it we wouldn’t be in this mess. It was stupid.’

  ‘No-one blames you,’ said Elana, gripping her shoulder. ‘You acted bravely, for that young girl.’

  ‘Maybe, but there are more important things. I should have been thinking about the weapons, about Soren—’

  ‘No,’ said Elana. ‘You did the right thing.’

  Elana sounded like she meant what she said. It made Belwynn feel better.

  It wasn’t long afterwards that they heard the barking of dogs behind them, indicating that their trail had been found and their pursuers had entered the woods. They were travelling as fast as they could, but Dirk was still unwell and they had been walking almost all day. The soldiers would be stronger and faster. They had to make it to nightfall.

  They marched on, Rabigar trying to find a passable route through the trees. The sound of the soldiers and the dogs behind spurred them on. Rather than following directly behind them, they seemed to have fanned out to the left.

 
‘Cutting us off from the deeper part of the wood,’ said Rabigar grimly in explanation.

  Belwynn gave him a worried look.

  He shrugged his shoulders as if it didn’t matter. ‘They want to push us out into open ground. If they want to waste time doing that, it’s fine by me.’

  Gradually, but inevitably, they were getting closer. An hour passed in this way, Belwynn and the others trying to maintain the ever-diminishing gap which would keep them safe. Meanwhile, the Korkis soldiers continued to herd them in a north-easterly direction. The sun moved lower and lower in the sky and the light began to go. Soon it would disappear altogether and they would have to stop.

  Belwynn heard a horse’s hooves behind them. She turned around, grabbing the hilt of her sword. The horseman from Korkis was a hundred yards behind them. He had moved ahead of his other comrades and was alone. Rabigar moved towards him, sword in hand, to stand in front of the others.

  The horseman moved a bit closer and then stopped, eyeing up his opposition. He was a young man, perhaps just into his twenties. He drew a sword from his belt.

  ‘I’ve found you,’ he said, smiling at the idea. ‘The others aren’t far behind. Turn yourselves in now.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Rabigar. ‘Scared of spending the night out in the woods?’

  ‘You’re the one who should be scared,’ the soldier retorted hotly. ‘Give up now, or I’ll finish you off myself!’

  ‘Go ahead and try,’ replied Rabigar calmly. ‘I could do with that horse after I slit your throat.’

  Rabigar’s bravado seemed to pay off. The soldier looked at him uneasily. He did not seem entirely comfortable on the horse and had no doubt heard that Rabigar was a dangerous opponent.

  ‘Maybe I’ll just wait here for the others,’ said the soldier. He cupped his hands to his mouth. ‘Over here,’ he shouted.

  A surge of panic ran through Belwynn’s body.

  ‘We’re going,’ said Rabigar, maintaining his steady voice. ‘Belwynn, you lead the way. I’ll stay behind in case he tries anything,’ he said loudly.