Secrets and Guardians: Devious Intentions by H. Chambers (summer beach reads txt) 📖

Rona sat next to a Tree Guardian, he didn't speak much. He had never talked when he was a Nefkin, apart from the odd gruff and grunt. Now that he was able to talk, he found it difficult and usually settled for one word answers. Apart from that Fingal made a magnificent Tree Guardian. Much taller and stronger than Gadolin, with long thin branches covered in small green leaves and white flowers cascading from the top of his head and down his back. Over the years he and Rona had become good friends. She often spoke to him about Shade and her daughter, about Kerdred and of course about the enslaved Nefkins.

Today Rona was leaving her shack in the middle of the forest and heading south to be closer to Riftdale. Gadolin and Igmy were packing her few belongings. When they were done Fingal gently picked up Rona's frail body. Fingal began to set an even steady pace in order to make the journey as smooth as possible for Rona. They should reach the south side of the forest in just less than two days. Gadolin was finding the journey quite slow and boring. He could have completed the journey in a few hours. Over the years his confidence at swinging through trees and racing across uneven ground made him the fastest Tree Guardian in the forest, something he was very proud of. Today however he was walking behind Fingal and beside Igmy, sacks on both their backs, trying not to think about Rona dying. To distract his mind he and Igmy started 'sprite spotting'.

'There's one, look there's a yellow one,' Igmy cried in excitement.

Fingal tried to ignore them, but despite himself Fingal started trying to spot them as well, but he kept that to himself.

When they finally reached the south side of the forest, Fingal and Gadolin made a makeshift shelter for Rona. Stretching her aching bones, Rona walked unsteadily around.

'Don't know how much longer I can keep this body going,' she said to Igmy.

'Why don't you become a Tree Guardian like us,' said Igmy, only just thinking of the idea.

'That's a nice thought, Igmy,' said Rona smiling kindly.

Igmy looked sadly down at the ground, 'But you’re not going to become a Tree Guardian are you?'

'No, Igmy I'm afraid not,' replied Rona.

Once Rona was settled, Gadolin and Fingal scouted the perimeter of the forest to see what was happening. Igmy stayed next to Rona, not wanting to leave her.

Rona let herself drift away, over hills, valleys and streams. Approaching Brinkton she could see that Kerdred's vast army was nearly ready to leave. That only gave them a couple of weeks at most.

That evening, through Glint, Rona told Hylaw what she had seen. No one at the table spoke, they had spent weeks planning, preparing, each knew their role.

'Rona says this is the last time she will come here, she needs to keep what little strength she has left for the battle,' said Glint.

'She is not intending to fight is she?' laughed Haystack.

'No but she wants to see Kerdred die with her own eyes,' replied Glint.

'Let's hope we can make that happen,' said Hylaw.

'Not we,' said Glint, 'Shade'.

Glint looked at Shade, 'Rona’s gone now, but she said she'll see you soon'.

Shade nodded, 'We will have to send out scouts to watch Kerdred's progress; this is where my kestrels will prove their worth'.

When everyone else had gone, Hylaw and Nathe sat in the library looking at the plans laid out on the table. Now that Kerdred was on his way, Hylaw was beginning to have doubts. The plans seemed foolish, naïve, inadequate. They relied heavily on guesswork and assumptions. Kerdred was a seasoned fighter, Nathe's advice had been based on that fact. Battles were fought in a certain way, followed tried and tested courses of action. What they were planning wasn't. Each stage had to work, one failure and everything would fall apart. If that happened the battle would be over within a matter of hours. Why had his father not helped Korin when it was attacked? Had Kerdred been defeated then, he would not have to face this now.

'Tell me about my father, before his illness,' asked Hylaw.

'What do you want to know?' Nathe replied.

'When I was young I always thought of my father as being a great man. I would watch him stride down corridors, give inspiring speeches, watch people bowing respectfully in front of him. He was my hero, he always made time for me.' Hylaw paused. 'I was his son, I am bound to think he was a great King before his illness.'

Nathe knew exactly what was troubling Hylaw.

'Your father was not a coward, before he took ill he had already sent some of his best fighters across to Korin and was preparing to send more.'

Hylaw looked questioningly at Nathe.

'It was all done in secret, your father had his reasons,' said Nathe.

'What reasons?' demanded Hylaw more forcefully than he had intended.

'He believed there was a traitor in the castle, who would think nothing of killing him, you and Ami; someone who held power.' Nathe stood up and began pacing the floor. 'I have no proof of what I am about to say, but I believe your father was poisoned, a poison designed to destroy his mind,' said Nathe remembering the sad, mumbling shell of a man the King became.

'Why didn't he have that person seized?' asked Hylaw.

'He may have been intending to do just that when he became ill,' said Nathe.

'Aberrling,' said Hylaw quietly.

'At first I thought that too, but it was Aberrling who first suggested poisoning to me. He blamed himself and set about throwing any man who could have possibly been involved into the dungeon. Many of whom later disappeared,' said Nathe.

'A good way to get rid of anyone who suspected him,' said Hylaw beginning to be convinced by Aberrling’s guilt.

'But he was the one who spent years trying to cure your father, there were wise women, men with potions and strange remedies, he tried everything,' said Nathe.

'To keep him alive until I became of age?' questioned Hylaw.

'It still doesn't make any sense, why would Aberrling have Tremlin killed if he was a traitor?' asked Nathe.

'It has often been said that Kerdred had no love for his brothers. In a few years Kerdred’s own sons will be old enough, maybe Aberrling is working directly for Kerdred,' said Hylaw.

'That would not bode well, for it being Aberrling’s idea to leave Landra, not fight for Brinkton and have us fight Kerdred from here,' said Nathe. 'But it still doesn't add up,' he added.

'Aberrling knows nothing about Rona, but he may have learned about Kerdred's spells of madness, maybe he is covering all options, sitting back at this late stage and seeing who wins?' said Hylaw.

'Your Highness, I believe we may be getting carried away with our own reasoning, we have no proof of any of this,' said Nathe.

Hylaw sat quietly thinking. 'You’re right, I guess I'm just tired, this sort of talk will do nothing to help us beat Kerdred.'

Chapter 25

On the table in the library Hylaw, Darius, Nathe and Haystack looked over the battle plans which were starting to take shape. They had visited the valley where both Bella and Nathe had had their visions that morning. There was logic in facing Kerdred's army there first. The valley stretched about three miles along the road. The forest was to the north and to the south the land dropped gently away. Nathe had slowly taken his horse down the slope on the south side at various points. The stony uneven ground was manageable only with care. It was agreed, work would begin there as soon as Felspar was ready. Felspar was proving to be quite inventive and they had taken on his ideas with a few minor adjustments suggested by the women. Hylaw had been surprised by these suggestions, Haystack had laughed and Nathe had pictured them in his mind; shocking but effective was his conclusion. Their plans were good, but they all knew the odds were against them. Outnumbered by better trained soldiers and at least a couple of dozen Nefkins.

Hylaw sat on one of the benches, putting his head in his hands and closing his eyes. Surrender had been an option, not a very good one for either himself or Ami, but an option none the less. Because Tremlin had been killed and more importantly the way he had been killed, Hylaw knew Kerdred and Hawke would not stop until he and his army were totally destroyed. Offering to surrender now would not save his men.

The door to the library opened, Shade stood at the entrance. She looked tired. Haystack immediately went up to her.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'It's Lowe, Bella is packing some things, Mankin is going to take her deep into the forest,' she said.

It was Darius who wrapped his arms around Shade.

'She needs to be away from us, from this war. I have seen her looking at people hardly able to move with the images she's seeing. If the forest will stop that then she must go.'

Shade nodded, she had only just been reunited with her daughter, would she see her again? So many would die in battle, would she be one of them? What would happen to Lowe if they were defeated, if everyone she knew was killed?

Darius walked with her back to the wagons. Mankin was standing ready to leave. A large sack on his back and in his huge arms, Lowe wrapped in a blanket. Her face hidden against Mankin's chest.

Bella and Shade hugged each other, Darius realised this was more serious than he'd thought. Walking up to Mankin, he gently touched the back of Lowe's head, she didn't move.

He whispered quietly, 'I owe you my life,' then even quieter, 'Lewin if there is anything you can do to help her, then stay with her'.

Bella and Shade said their final goodbyes to Lowe and Mankin turned and headed into the forest. Snapper ran back and forth not knowing whether to follow Mankin or not, finally he made his choice and headed into the forest. Darius decided to stay a while to find out exactly what had been happening to Lowe.

'Her nightmares have been getting worse, many people are going to die soon and she sees their deaths,' explained Bella.

'Some of us, maybe all of us,' Shade said including Ebblin, Ghale and Breaker in her glance, 'are not going to make it, last night I think Lowe saw who'.

'This morning she couldn't look at us, she just curled herself up and wouldn't move,' said Bella.

Darius couldn't imagine what it must be like for Lowe, even in peaceful times it would have been hard. He looked around, Shade, Bella, Breaker, Ghale and Ebblin, he was just getting to know them. Was Shade right, had Lowe 'seen' some of their deaths?

*

Over the days that followed Gadolin watched from the trees as Hylaw's soldiers dug a small long channel across the road at the bottom of the valley. They then placed wooden crisscross stakes over the top, forming a blockade that would stop both men and horses. Gadolin noticed that they left gaps