Illengond Read online

  “Eagles,” Bandor announced. After a moment and after a moment he added, “I wish we had their eyes.”

  “We do,” Noab replied. “Be quiet.”

  “What?” Braga asked. He was about to speak when Bandor put a hand on his shoulder and silenced him, then turned to watch Noaem. Elynna guessed what Noaem was attempting, and she also watched him intently, jealous that his use of his gift did not cause the pain that hers did. He was standing a few feet away with his eyes closed, deep in concentration. Elynna lifted her chin and looked skyward again. A moment later one of the great birds gave a cry and veered southward. Another left its circling flight and turned west.

  Noaem sighed and said something to his brother. “He has sent them searching,” Noab told the others.

  “For what?” Aram asked.

  “For whatever they find,” Noab replied. “In the meanwhile, let us rest or use the opportunity to gather food. I don’t want to complain about the gift of deer from our four-legged friend, but I wouldn’t complain about some roots or herbs or fruit or something other than eel and venison.”

  Elynna pondered Noab’s suggestion. She did not know how far behind their pursuers were. The Daegmons, of course, could find her any time. They were probably never further than a few hours away by flight. But now she was just as worried about Golach and his men. Her company needed to put as much distance as possible between themselves and his army. And yet despite their urgency, she knew also that they could waste far more time wandering the hills looking for a route. If a delay was unavoidable, they should use it well. While they still had an hour or so of daylight, their best scouts could search for a way forward. Let a few others look for food. And let those rest who could, and who needed it most.

  Elynna shared her plan with the company and the others accepted it without argument. They sent three small parties off scouting and hunting. Namha and Tienna headed south, following the ravine upriver, looking for a passage across the water but also bringing bows in case they came upon any game. Arreg, Krag, and Regon started downstream with the same goal. Bandor, Theo, and Noab backtracked toward the east simply looking for game. The others cleared snow off of rocks and logs and found themselves places to rest.

  The sun was touching the horizon to the west before the three Undeani hunters returned. Between them they had managed to shoot a pair of large hares. A short time later, as the sky changed from bright yellow to dark orange, Bandor, Theo, and Noab returned. They reported seeing a dozen elk from a distance, but had not gotten close enough for a shot and had decided against trying to chase them. However Bandor had collected several handfuls of dried berries the bears and birds had left behind in a thick patch near the river. He also found a small amount of wild kale still growing through some thin snow—enough to provide for each of them a few bites of the first edible greens they had seen since leaving the Plains. And Theo had discovered a cache of beechnuts in a hollow in a tree, and the three of them had carried them off despite the angry scolding of a fat yellow squirrel.

  Namha and Tienna were the last back. When they glided silently into camp, the sun had dropped out of sight altogether and the sky to the west had faded to dark purple. To the east, the moon still in its pale phase had peeked up over the distant lower slopes of Illengond. The wait proved worthwhile, however. The huntress and the Amanti brought with them a large buck. They had shot it in the woods, and had already carved and quartered it. Since they had no need for it that night, it would feed the company for two more days, allowing them to travel without further delays.

  They also brought news that for the first mile upstream there was no sign of any place to cross. The terrain grew much steeper and the river emerged from a ravine that was at least sixty feet deep. However beyond the ravine the possibility of passage east looked more hopeful; the river branched into a pair of smaller tributaries that came tumbling out of different valleys.

  “Then in the morning let us head upstream and look for a ford,” Cathros suggested. “If we are to traverse the southern edge of Illengond and head for Aeti we will need to travel southward anyway.”

  “Yes,” Theo agreed. “Illengond is at the heart of a vast wilderness. The closer we get to it, the more dangerous the land becomes. The farther south we go, the safer I’ll feel.”

  “But don’t we run a greater risk of meeting an army from Citadel the farther south we go?” Beth asked.

  Nobody had a chance to answer. A piercing whistle signaled the return of the two eagles. Elynna could not see them in the dark, but Noaem closed his eyes as before, and all fell silent. When he opened his eyes again, his face was grave. He spoke rapidly to his brother in the Ceadani tongue. Noab translated. “One of the eagles flew over the ridges from which we came to see if we were pursued. A company of humans has come around the mountains to the west and now approaches at a great pace.”

  “Soldiers?” Bandor asked.

  “Noaem asked that of the eagle, but it did not understand the concept. It saw only that the company was mixed: some of the men had skins colored like the sky, while others were white like sheep.”

  The color of sky, Elynna thought. Blue. The uniforms of Citadel. She was about to speak but Braga beat her to it. “Creagon has joined his Undeani hunters with the army from Citadel. They are chasing us.”

  “Golach,” Bandor spat. “He won’t give up.”

  For Elynna, it was not news. She had not doubted they were pursued, by human foes as well as the Daegmon. Yet it still sobered her to hear it confirmed. Perhaps it would be good motivation for her company. There would be no illusions.

  Noab shrugged. “The great bird can tell us no more than that. It did not watch long, for traveling along the ground not far from the men were two great beasts of terror, and a third circled above. The creature would not let the eagle near.”

  “The Daegmons,” Cathros said. “All three of them. What other bad news can haunt us this night?”

  “There is more,” Noaem said through his brother. “The other eagle flew far to the south and east. What it saw was equally disturbing. A large company of humans travels northward through the mountains.”

  “Thimeon?” Tienna asked excitedly. “Has he come to meet us?”

  Noab shook his head. “The eagle has no vocabulary for numbers, but the men were counted like flowers in a field and were as brightly colored. Unless Thimeon has found an army…” His voice trailed off.

  Bandor put his hand to his head and whistled in dismay before giving his interpretation. “A large war band with uniforms coming up from Citadel.”

  “That was Noaem’s thought also,” Noab agreed. “The men were on horseback. And they were not alone either. Another of the creatures walks on the ground behind them, driving the armies forward.”

  “There are four Daegmons?” Elynna asked in dismay. “Do they all pursue us?”

  “It is worse still,” Noab said. “Just as the eagle was wheeling around to return, it caught sight of two dark shadows far to the south, winging northward at terrific speed. If it was not deceived—and rarely do their eyes misjudge—then the smaller of those shadows was the size of a Daegmon.”

  Six? Elynna wondered.

  A dread silence fell over the company. Elynna knew what the message meant. When the shock had faded, they questioned Noaem further, but he could give them little more information. Birds, even intelligent ones, were more difficult for him to speak with than mammals. He was able to get only a vague idea of how far away the approaching armies were. The eagles communicated the distance in terms of where updrafts were, and how long it took them to fly—useful information to the birds, but not easily translated into distances on land. All Noaem was able to determine was that the army to the southeast was beyond the range of mountains they had just crossed. So the company was safe for at least that night. But with six Daegmons approaching, there was little hope beyond that.

  10

&nb
sp; LAKE AND MOUNTAIN

  The news brought by the eagles that six great winged beasts were approaching shook Elynna. Six Daegmons? She had been overwhelmed by the thought of three. The news brought her yet again to the edge of despair.

  Yet that evening, when Bandor suggested they risk a fire, Elynna did not argue against it. The Daegmons did not need a fire to find her. And she had no doubt now that the Daegmons were directing Golach. So what difference did a fire make? Let her companions be warm. And let them all enjoy the meal they had found. They might not live to enjoy another.

  Bandor took charge of roasting the rabbit and the venison over spits, while Theo baked the beech nuts on a hot rock. They had to eat the kale and berries raw. They ate some of the venison, but most of it they packed away for the days ahead, knowing they might not get another chance to hunt or gather. Nobody had quite enough of anything, but it was still the best meal they had eaten in days.

  Despite the food and fire, however, the new report relayed from the eagles through Noaem left Elynna in a solemn mood. And judging by their faces and the lack of conversation, her companions were in a similar mood. Yet they now had a new decision to make. To follow their plan of turning south might bring them right into another enemy army. When the food was nearly gone, she took a deep breath and broached the subject again. “We must rethink our plans. I don’t know this land at all, but turning southeast may no longer be an option.”

  “Of course it isn’t,” Bandor answered almost at once.

  Elynna looked at Bandor, surprised to hear him speak. She’d thought that he and Theo would still want to go close to Aeti, despite the risk. If they had come anywhere close to the Westwash, and she had still had family there, she would have wanted to pass through. She looked at Aram and Cathros, who had also wanted to make for Aeti in order to follow the eastern trade road toward Anghata. But they said nothing.

  “But if we turn north,” Braga said, “we risk being trapped against the lake. What if we turn due south, and slip between the two approaching armies? Get them both on the same side of us. We might even be able to hide in the southern Undeani mountains.”

  “You forget,” Cathros said. “We might hide from humans. We cannot hide from the Daegmons.”

  Elynna knew the truth of Cathros’ words. The only hope the others had of eluding pursuit was to leave the gifted. The gifted had no hope. Yet she had to take the concerns of the Undeani seriously also. What if they were caught up against the lake before they could slip along the shore to the east. Nobody was going to suddenly appear and lead them into a hidden cave. “Maybe you should take the Undeani and flee,” she said quietly. “Staying with us will only bring you deeper into danger. For us there is no hiding.”

  Braga shook his head, but he looked around and said something to his people in Undeani. Several of them gave what sounded like angry answers. Braga turned back to Elynna. “We will not leave you,” he said.

  Elynna wanted to argue, but she didn’t. In the past, this news might have brought her more guilt, but at the moment she felt only gratefulness. And she remembered what Thimeon had said many weeks ago. He would not turn away any who would help. Their need was too desperate.

  “I think we have little choice,” Tienna said. Elynna saw the other companions lean forward to listen. All but the Undeani knew Tienna well. They trusted the huntress perhaps more than they trusted any who had been in the company. More than Elynna. More even than they had trusted Thimeon.

  “We have had little choice for many days, it seems,” Tienna went on, echoing what Elynna herself had been thinking. “We cannot turn to the west. We cannot go southeast. Perhaps if there were a way east over this gorge we could attempt it, but we found none, and even if we did we would soon need to veer to the north. I understand Braga’s fears, that we could get trapped against the shore with no place to flee. But I would rather be trapped against the shore by one army than get trapped in between two. I do not know what the shoreline is like, but looking at the lake from a distance it seems that once we reach the lake we could still continue east and then north.”

  “Traveling along the lakeshore will not be easy,” Braga said. “And yet she speaks the truth. All other paths are closed to us. We are the prey, and the best direction for prey to flee is away from the predator.”

  There was no more dissent. The decision was made. Sharing amongst them the few blankets they had, the members of the company huddled as close as they could to the fire and sought what sleep they could.

  Elynna awoke the following morning as the moon rested on the western ridges like a glass fishing float bobbing on the surface of a river. She looked eastward. The sky was just starting to brighten. To her relief, she had no sense of any Daegmons nearby. Yet she knew they would be coming. It would not surprise her if Golach and his men had traveled through the night. That thought, and the brisk winter air, caused her to shiver. She rose and threw a few branches onto the fire, stoking it until it began to blaze. Then she began waking the others. The sooner they began to move, the better their chances of escaping along the shore.

  They had too little food left to break their fast of the night. They filled their water skins, and as soon as it was light enough to travel they departed northward on empty stomachs. Braga and Namha once more took the lead. There was little leading to do, however. The ravine blocked their path to the east. And Golach was coming from the west. Their only hope was to continue downriver until they reached flatter ground and could cross the river and follow the lakeshore east and north. So, keeping the ravine forty to fifty yards off to their right, they made their way down the hill.

  An hour into their walk the sun rose somewhere far to the east, behind the lower slopes of Illengond. Though they could not see the sun, the peaks of Illengond suddenly lit up like a shimmering gold crown. Mist swirled within its bowl.

  Elynna paused long enough to take in the sight. Then she lowered her head and continued on. When next she looked, the peaks were veiled in cloud.

  As the day progressed, the descent brought them ever closer to the shores of Uustgond. Each time they got another view of its glittering surface, it seemed bigger. When they paused briefly at midday to rest and share a few morsels of venison, the lake filled much of the horizon. By the early afternoon, however, they had lost their higher vantage point, and the lake was no longer visible through the trees.

  Twice during the afternoon, Elynna sensed an approaching Daegmon. She warned her companions. But both times it passed far overhead, circled, and then flew back toward the southwest. They saw no sign of other humans, either friend or foe. Nightfall brought them to a sheltered hollow against the south side of a hill. They did not risk a fire, and were thankful they had already cooked the meat. They built a quick makeshift shelter of fir bows, and with the tiger pacing the snowy moonlit woods, Elynna fell asleep.

  A distant scent of the Daegmon—a dull ache deep in her consciousness—woke Elynna the next morning, but almost as soon as she was fully alert and aware it disappeared. Bodies slept all around her, huddled under their shared blankets beneath their needled roof. She arose and crawled out, glad to be able to breathe without the pain of her enemy’s presence. The hill to the north blocked any view of the lake, but she scanned the horizons west, south, and east. A row of clouds lined the horizon to the west, but to the east the sky was clear. Though it would be another two hours before the sun appeared over the tall southern slope of Mount Illengond, the sky was already turning from black to gray.

  Her eyes fell from the eastern sky to the clearing at the edge of the trees. The tiger was nowhere to be seen. A large pair of footprints disappeared into the woods to the northeast. She guessed by the size and length of stride that they were Namha’s tracks.

  Where the tracks disappeared into the woods, Bandor and Braga stood conversing in low voices. Elynna thought of the longstanding distrust between their peoples, the Andani and the Undeani. Despite both being
highland races, their cultures were as different as their languages. The heavily forested Undeani highlands, as Elynna had experienced for several days, were wilder, harsher, and less forgiving. And the Undeani people had adapted to that terrain. They seemed little interested in farming or cultivating the soil, and she had seen no evidence other than their sheepskin attire that they had a shepherding culture. They did not like outsiders, and didn’t mingle with them or venture outside their land. Yet in a short time, Braga and Bandor seemed to have established a strong sense of trust and even admiration for one another.

  She approached them, and was surprised to hear that they were arguing, for there was no evidence of anger in their voices.

  “It won’t work,” Braga said. “The lake will not be frozen so early in the year, despite the cold. It is deep. It does not ice over until the middle of the winter, long after all the other lakes are frozen.”

  “I’m sure I saw ice as we crested that hill last night,” Bandor said.

  Braga crossed his arms and shook his head. “At best there might be some thin ice around the shore of a few shallow inlets. Away from shore, the water will still be open.”

  Bandor sighed. “Well that eliminates one plan.” He turned and nodded to Elynna, acknowledging her presence.

  “What was your plan?” Elynna asked him. She was desperate for any idea. And Braga and Bandor were the two she trusted most to guide them in these highlands.

  “Crossing the lake on ice,” came a woman’s voice. Elynna jumped. Tienna was standing in the shadows against the dark trunk of a tree. Though just a few steps away, Elynna had not seen her. “But Braga thinks it is not possible. And I am inclined to accept his word. Ice-walking is mere foolishness.”