Once walked with Gods

Chapter 34

A warrior with a clear mind lives longer than one remembering the glories of yesterday. Over the course of a day they emerged from the deep shadow of the canopy and into the dappled sunlight that fell on the staging camp when the rain clouds parted. The Ynissul shouted welcome and broke into spontaneous applause that clearly unsettled the TaiGethen and Silent, who were wholly unused to anything beyond the solitude of the rainforest.

Katyett stood at the edge of the covered area, where her makeshift command post was set up, and prayed with each cell, kissing eyes and lips, kneeling in silence and blessing Yniss for the meeting. Her heart swelled at sight of them. Tall, graceful Ynissul, swords across their backs, light leathers and shirts of green and brown, soft boots, close-cropped or shaven heads and camouflaged faces.

She knew each TaiGethen by name, each cell leader by touch and scent too. Out in the forest they had left their work, leaving the sanctity of the canopy vulnerable to attack. But they were here to stop the rape of their land by a plague of men, and all accepted this new task from Yniss with stoicism and determination.

There was little talk beyond the words of welcome and the low voices of those gladdened to see brothers and sisters after long periods separated by the vastness of the forest. Katyett felt the warmth of the gathering and the sadness of its inadequacy. In the finer days of Hausolis three thousand and more TaiGethen had swelled the order. Now, if everybody not assumed lost or known to have fallen attended the muster, eighty-one, making up twenty-seven cells, would stand here. And out there somewhere were twenty of the Silent with their bodyguards.

Still, there was formidable skill and experience among those standing uncomfortably under the glare of the Ynissul civilians’ concerted gaze. Quillar, Thrynn, Acclan, Oryaal, Illast, Kerryn, Dravyn, Corsaar, Estok. All veterans of the war against the Garonin. Tai cell leaders she would trust with her life.

With the muster past sixty, making twenty full TaiGethen cells, the first of the Silent Priests entered the camp with his TaiGethen bodyguard. The Ynissul packing the camp stared in mute respect. None would have ever seen a Silent, the arm of the priesthood that never entered a city, never left the canopy. Face and body painted white, he wore just a loincloth and had bare feet and sharpened teeth and nails. Frightening to the young, awe-inspiring to the adult.

It was Sikaant with Ulysan. Sikaant moved as if he was gliding. Knots of Ynissul parted like the grass before him as he made his way to Katyett. She came forward to meet him. Sikaant laid a hand on either cheek and drew her head forward, kissing her brow and the lids of her eyes.

‘We are blessed by your presence, Priest Sikaant.’

Sikaant nodded. Katyett met his gaze and shuddered.

‘What have you seen?’ she asked.

‘Too much,’ he said. ‘Prayer.’

Every TaiGethen knelt, one hand to the earth, one crabbed towards the sky. The Ynissul followed their lead. Silence swept the camp. Sikaant’s voice, broken and rough, echoed through the trees and from the walls of the dormitories.

‘Shorth embraces our souls. Evil walks the forest. With your blessing, Yniss, we will destroy it. Guide our hands, smooth our path. Prepare us. Sikaant asks this.’

‘Thank you, Sikaant. Any word on the rest of the Silent?’

Sikaant shook his head.

‘Few will come,’ said Ulysan, a young TaiGethen, reserved and deadly. ‘You know what happened at Aryndeneth?’

Katyett nodded. ‘Priest Serrin has been here.’

‘Priest Sikaant was there when the temple was attacked.’

Katyett sighed and offered her hands to Sikaant. The Silent Priest took them.

‘Then you’ve seen what we have. I’m sorry.’

‘Our temple is defiled,’ he said.

‘Yes, and we will scour it. I promise you that.’ Katyett turned back to Ulysan. ‘Tell me, what else have you seen as you travelled here?’

Ulysan wiped a hand over his chin, smearing his camouflage. ‘Stories have spread. Trust in the TaiGethen and the Silent has gone. Most won’t talk to us. Some wouldn’t even let us sit at their fires. There is much to do to restore the forest to balance.’

Katyett turned to her warriors. ‘The forest is failing. But before we restore it, we must sweep away the disease that besets our capital city. Cascarg Ynissul and men from the north. The betrayal goes to the highest level of the priesthood and government of our land. To Llyron and Helias. We can trust only ourselves and the Silent. But we must be careful. The men have brought with them a power that we cannot defend against. I have seen it. Sikaant has seen it. It is more deadly than the blade of a TaiGethen.’

Katyett held up a hand to still the murmurs.

‘And there is one thing more. Priest Serrin and Auum are searching for Takaar. If he is alive, he is coming.’ ‘No, no, no, no.’

Auum stopped again. Takaar was crouching, leaning his head against a tree wrapped in strangler vine. The closer they had come to the staging camp, the more Takaar had drawn into himself. His other voice spoke to him with increasing frequency and increasing authority. Doubt reigned.

‘If I step up there, I will be cast down. Stoned. Murdered. I don’t care what you say. I am what you say I am. What you’ve always said I am. I will not die that way. I will choose. You will not push me.’

‘Takaar,’ said Auum quietly, kneeling beside him. ‘He poisons you. Look into your heart and your soul. Your people need you. I need you.’

Takaar stared at him. ‘Of course you would say that. And he says you poison me. I’m travelling with two people and neither of you is speaking the truth.’

‘The difference is that I am not forcing you to go anywhere. What you do is your choice, what you believe. One of us appears to be encouraging your suicide. Why would someone do that unless they wanted to do you harm?’

‘But I deserve to die,’ said Takaar, his face earnest, his hands pressed hard together. ‘I am a betrayer, a coward.’

Auum fought for the right words. ‘You spent your whole life in the service of Yniss and the elves of every thread. You saved countless lives. The peace of a millennium is your doing. You are no betrayer.’

‘But I am a coward. I ran. Tens of thousands died. You know. You were there.’

‘I know that, without you, the death toll would have been far greater. I know that, without you, we would have cracked and run twenty years before we did.’

Takaar put a hand to Auum’s cheek. ‘You are kind. But I can hear them from here. And they hate me. All of them. Why do the other TaiGethen not come close?’

Auum paused. They were less than five miles from the camp but certainly not within earshot. Other TaiGethen were moving towards the muster but Auum had chosen a path that would avoid all of them.

‘The TaiGethen respect your need for peace as you travel. As do I. None will approach unless you ask it. And the Ynissul await you. They hold hate but it is not for you. It is for those who have committed crimes against them in Ysundeneth these past days. Your coming will give them faith that they can return to their lives.’

Takaar shook his head. ‘I cannot carry that burden. I don’t want their faith. Yes, you’re right. Hate is easier to face. Hate does not require courage and broad shoulders. I know. I shouldn’t have come. I will not lead.’

Auum filtered Takaar’s words for those he assumed to be directed at him. ‘No one will expect you to lead. But come. See the plight of your people. Advise us. Then go if you want to. Surely you still love those who live under the guidance of Yniss? Even if they do profess hate, which the Ynissul do not.’

‘I cannot face so many. The smell of people that close. The crying of their souls. It will hurt my ears.’

Auum held out a hand. ‘I am TaiGethen. And I will protect you, Takaar. In your heart you know you can trust me. Please. Come and look. Do that for your brothers and sisters.’

‘He doesn’t force me. His hand is held out to aid me. It is not to bind me. Stop. Your words are meaningless. There is no cliff from which to jump. I will go a little further. Then we shall see.’

Takaar reached out and grasped Auum’s hand, pulling himself upright.

‘I will not let you down.’

‘I used to say that too,’ said Takaar.

Auum trotted off in a northerly direction, looking to come to the camp via the old western trail. There would be none of it left now of course, but the ground was sure and it was unlikely they’d be seen by any but the outward scouts until they were close to their destination.

The first of the morning rains began to fall. A sharp downpour that rattled and cascaded off the canopy. Tual’s denizens were in full voice above. Birds and mammals, lizards and frogs providing a stunning backing to Gyal’s tears. Auum knew he should have been proud to have brought Takaar this far but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had not done enough work on the fallen hero’s fragile emotional state. He found himself anxious when he imagined their entrance into the camp. Funny thing. In the time before he found Takaar, he had seen faces full of hope, cheering and smiles. Strength and purpose and determination. Too often in the latter days, his visions were of disdain, disappointment and sadness. Shrugged shoulders, tears of desperation and the fading of last hope.

Auum shook his head. The rain helped to clear his mind and he upped his pace. Takaar was in his shadow, moving with that effortlessness that Auum did not understand. It had something to do with his closeness to the lines of energy he could sense in the earth. Auum wondered if all the TaiGethen shouldn’t spend a decade alone with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their weapons and the bounty of the rainforest. To survive, to learn and to become genuinely one with the land they were sworn to protect. A thrill swept through him. To be alone. No priest, no Tai cell.

Takaar heard the voices of the Ynissul before Auum. His hearing was extraordinary. Auum doubted there was a beast in the forest with a keener sense. Takaar had put his hand on Auum’s shoulder and the two of them stopped, crouching in deep undergrowth along the banks of a stream that bordered the camp on two sides.

‘Some are bathing,’ said Takaar. ‘And there is much chatter in the camp. Plainly they are not pressed by our enemies.’

‘Men are scared of the forest,’ said Auum. ‘They cannot pierce it and they don’t understand it.’

‘Don’t be so sure. If what I felt from the city is an extension of their power, they might come into the canopy with fresh impetus and powerful weapons. We cannot afford to be taken by surprise.’

‘With Katyett leading us, that won’t happen. And now you’re here too.’

Auum looked across at Takaar and his heart fell. He had been worried that the sound of voices might trigger the perverse response that had followed his swim from the boat. This was almost as bad. Takaar’s hands were fidgeting. He scratched at his palms, rubbed his hands together, cleaned under his nails, laced and unlaced his fingers. His eyes were hooded and his face was crawling with nervousness.

‘Of course I can’t go in there. It isn’t fear of what they will say. It isn’t. I knew you’d imply that. I need to prepare. To be ready to face so many after so long alone.’ He looked at Auum, the relief of a reason on his face. ‘That’s it. I need to prepare.’

‘Takaar, I don’t think we have time for-’

‘Get down,’ hissed Takaar

Takaar grabbed Auum’s shoulder and the two of them lay prone. Not far to their right, a matter of a few yards, a mage melted into view. Other humans moved up around him. There were nine in all, moving with impressive quiet and with an easy stride. These were not ordinary soldiers nor yet like those Auum had met near Takaar’s hiding place. They were headed towards the stream and the sounds of bathing, thence to the camp.

Auum made to move after them but found Takaar’s hand keeping him still. Auum looked at Takaar. The nervousness was gone and in his eyes was all the focus of old combat back on Hausolis.

‘They are too many, too well spread and too skilled. Follow but do not strike yet. They mean to uncover the whereabouts of the Ynissul. We can’t allow them to escape with that knowledge.’

‘They’ll kill those at the stream,’ whispered Auum.

‘In all things there is a price. Don’t quiz me on why I know that so well.’ One of them managed to scream but it was cut off abruptly. Katyett flew to her feet, her blades in her hands, and tore through the camp, hurdling Ynissul civilians. Every head had turned towards the desperate terrified sound.

‘Tai, with me. Pelyn bring ten. Spread a line across the edge of the canopy. Marack, Faleen, guard our rear. We’re attacked.’

Katyett raced past the last of the dormitories. Behind her, her TaiGethen were ringing the camp and spreading through the fearful civilians. Eighty stood with her now. And fifteen Silent Priests. The muster was all but complete.

She entered the canopy and slowed. Merrat and Grafyrre were at her shoulders. She indicated: spread out. Her eyes adjusted instantly to the light conditions and she searched the undergrowth for signs of disturbance. The scream had come from the stream. Either the bathing area or a little upstream where water was gathered. A look right and back told her Marack and Faleen were on station. Pelyn would already have set her line. Hers was the blade most itching for fresh action. It was why Katyett had not allowed her back into the city. Pelyn was prey to thoughts of revenge and, good as she was, she didn’t have the speed or the skill of a TaiGethen.

The foliage here was not as dense as in much of the forest. The stream wound a slow course east to west and had gentle sides where vegetation grew and overhung the water, giving cover to any of Tual’s denizens who chose to use it. But on the water’s edge there was a silt bank, wide from countless years of deposits as the stream rounded a wide bend.

Anyone who stood there was exposed. Katyett cursed herself that she had been too trusting of human incompetence. Either that or someone had been followed back from the city when they had cut down the murdered forty.

Movement. Directly ahead. Katyett held up a hand, fingers straight. Merrat and Grafyrre stilled. None wore camouflage paint on their faces. It frightened people in the camp and there had been no time when the scream sounded. Katyett felt naked without it. Exposed and vulnerable. She tucked into a broad-leaved plant.

Two men moved up, their footfalls careful and all but silent. They breasted through the foliage, their blades held down, not used for hacking a path. They were about thirty yards distant. Further right, there were two more. Left, two more. Hard to see. Their cloaks were dark green and their hands covered with black gloves. Their faces were dark with beards and long hair.

‘Pairs,’ whispered Grafyrre, crouched at her side. ‘That is a weakness. ’

‘And they are walking too far apart to defend one another. They appear competent but that is a basic error. We’ll take the middle pair. Mop up the rest if they run away. Pelyn and Marack can have them otherwise. Tai, we move.’

Katyett had identified the strike point. A tapir trail led through dying brush leaving the slightest of openings and plenty of room. She moved silently forward, her eyes never wavering from her target. Merrat was two yards to her right, Grafyrre very close on her left. The men had not seen their approach.

Katyett broke cover five yards from the first warrior. He reacted quickly, calling out and bringing his sword to ready. A jaqrui whined past his head, thudding into a tree just behind him. He twitched reflexively. Katyett leapt, bringing her knees to her chest and moving her blades out, tucking her elbows in. The man recovered, tried to raise a guard.

Katyett sliced down with her left blade, beating his sword aside. She slashed the right blade across his face. He ducked but the edge caught the top of his head, thudding into his skull above his ear. He fell sideways. Katyett landed, levering the blade clear. Merrat was sprinting at the other man. A third blinked into view from absolutely nowhere. He was ten paces away, his back to a tree. His arms and mouth were moving.

‘Mage!’ shouted Katyett.

She ran at him. He cast. Katyett felt as if she had been hit with a tree trunk. An invisible force caught her in the chest, spinning her aside to tumble into a thorn bush. Birds scattered. The mage moved his arms in sweeping motions. Brush and branch were bent and broken, flattened and crushed in the path of the casting. Trees shuddered.

‘Get beside him,’ Katyett called, moving again. ‘Graf, move behind trees.’

Merrat and the other warrior had squared up. He was a quick swordsman but he would not be quick enough. Blade and dagger were held in either hand. Merrat chose two short blades. She fenced easily. The man would not know of course that her deadliest weapons were her feet.

Grafyrre was tracking left. The mage drew in his arms, trying to watch them both. From the right, more movement. Another pair of warriors coming in. Presumably there was another mage with them. The movement was mirrored the other side, behind Grafyrre.

‘Watch your rear, Graf. Left flank pair on the way too.’

The mage in front of her punched out his arms again. Katyett was ready, ducking behind a thick banyan trunk. The mage repeated the move, thrusting out towards Grafyrre this time. Katyett moved in.

‘Keep him guessing,’ said Grafyrre. ‘I-’

Grafyrre was projected forward to slam into the ground not three yards from their target mage. Katyett stared left. Two warriors flanking another mage. Advancing fast. Grafyrre was stunned, unable to get up.

‘Merrat, to me. Quickly.’

Katyett dodged behind another tree. The casting rattled its branches and dislodged leaf, twig and Tual’s denizens by the dozen. Katyett dived right. The mage tried to track her movement. The trio of enemies were nearly on Grafyrre. Katyett dropped a blade, took out a jaqrui and threw it. The blade whispered through the air, carving into the gut of one of the soldiers.

Grafyrre was moving but groggy. The mage drew in his arms, meaning to crush Graf with his casting. He smiled at Katyett. He died with the smile still stamped on his face, Merrat’s blade tearing out his throat.

‘Merrat, behind. Take the others.’

Katyett checked Grafyrre and stood in front of him, facing the two humans. Mage and soldier. The mage held his casting close. The soldier moved warily, sword held out, gripped in both hands. Neither of them wanted to die. Both knew Grafyrre was vulnerable and she couldn’t take them both at once.

The humans split, the mage to the left, warrior to the right. The mage was looking for clear space to push out his casting again. Around the next tree and he would have clear line of sight. Katyett followed him with her eyes while keeping a blade pointing at the swordsman. She could hear fighting from close behind her. Merrat had found the others. Katyett made her choice.

She passed her blade to her right hand. In the same move Katyett grabbed a jaqrui and threw it at the soldier. She dived over the prone form of Grafyrre, rolled to her feet and stabbed up. The mage gasped as the blade split his groin and buried in his gut.

Katyett turned and dived back, leaving her blade where it was. The jaqrui had missed. The soldier was running at Grafyrre. Katyett dragged a knife from her belt. She was going to be a heartbeat too late. The warrior raised his blade to strike down. Katyett dived across Grafyrre, meaning to take the blow. It never came.

Katyett heard a thud. She turned her head. It was the sound of the warrior slumping to his knees. His weapon fell from his hands. He stared at nothing, blood flooding from his mouth and over his chest. He reached towards his back and fell to his side.

Behind him, another figure stood. Katyett stared at him. He reached out a hand and she took it, allowing him to help her stand. Katyett took her hand back. She swallowed.

‘Hello, Katyett,’ said Takaar.