Chapter Twenty Six – The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep by Kelly D. Tolman

Posted by admin on March 23, 2009

The Cleansing of Darnuth Keep is a fantasy novel describing the adventures of Colter Halfspear as he becomes a man and an initiate of magical powers.

We turned south again, and Baghorn seemed in good spirits after acquiring more wool than anticipated. The weavers of Anascrag would pay handsomely for the quality we brought. As the markets passed, Pascalli mentioned his fears of the Kaarum again.

“They’ve had time to learn what happened in full at Havensod. They know we’re watching. It’s only a matter of time before they attack again,” he warned.

Baghorn also wished to reach Anascrag, where he had a home and shop, but seemed in no hurry. “The nobles won’t have arrived yet, and they’re the ones with the gold. If I return now my wife will spend all my profits before the festival even draws close. You’ve filled your contract. You’re free to go if you wish. The roads should be relatively safe now, and the wagons will be cumbersome for most robbers to think of stealing.”

“We’ll see you through to Anascrag,” I replied.

Pascalli began scouting ahead after that. He seemed preoccupied, though I could not guess his mind. Iven talked of nothing but his home. I drifted into the routine of daily work. The burdened wagons made only slow progress while we labored over the narrow roads which no one bothered to maintain.
Pascalli pulled me aside after returning from his scouting venture one evening. “I found the trail of Kaarum.”

“How close?” I asked.

“A few hours, I would guess. They were heading south ahead of us, but they could easily double back or circle around again. They’re avoiding the road, of course, but that means little.” He seemed more concerned than I expected. “I think they are scouting in force. Either that or this group has been lost a long time since Havensod. I counted a dozen tracks, but I’m sure there are more.”

“We better position ourselves for an attack, then,” I suggested. “They will be scavenging for food. It won’t take them long to realize that we’re here.”

We explained the situation privately to Baghorn. His face betrayed his alarm, though he kept his voice as calm as he could. “I’ve never heard of so many out here without their full army close by. If they’ve come down from the mountains again we’ve no chance at all.”

“True enough,” agreed Pascalli, but he winked. “They are either lost or scouting in force. I am certain any army is still hiding in the mountains. Though they will most certainly attack us if they find us, we have sufficient men here to save ourselves if we are smart about it.”

“I’ve no head for battle,” conceded Baghorn. “If we’re to live, then I suppose we’ll have to trust your judgment and hope for the best.”

He left us to organize the defenses and answer the questioning faces of his wife and servants. Pascalli looked at me expectantly, but I had no plan to offer. I glanced around the camp, quickly recounting the number of wagons, people, and livestock.

“The stream to the west will make approach from that direction difficult,” I said aloud as I thought through the plan. Pascalli smiled in response, but didn’t interrupt. “We can effectively block the road north and south with the wagons, which leaves the east open.”

“They are not highly intelligent creatures, and will likely take the easiest path, so they should choose the east, though they are also very unpredictable,” said Pascalli.

We bedded down for the night with the sure expectation of attack. Bracken and I shared the first watch. Iven lay near the wagons at the south edge of camp, but I knew he would sleep only lightly if at all until his turn at watch. Pascalli lay closer to the fire, but he also would likely not be asleep despite his pretense. Among the others nerves might keep some of them from their rest, but any experienced soldier steels sleep when offered the chance.

Though a veteran of many fights, Bracken still held little respect for any other man’s sword. He loafed near the fire, keeping the altitude’s chill at bay. In the distance a lone wolf cried out in the darkness. The sound echoed false, and I strained my ears for any other sound from the darkness. Bracken emptied his pipe into the fire, sending the sweet fragrance of the western leaf he favored across the camp.

“There’s nothing out there but wind and crickets,” he grumbled. “You jump at everything.”
The creak of leather rose above the muffled shift of leaves in the darkness. I drew an arrow and fired at a shadow blocking the reflection of the stars.
“They’re coming,” I cried.

My shout opened the attack as if my voice had the power to drive them forward. Dark animal shapes poured into the camp from the east and south. Bracken whipped his sword free and leapt to cover the space between the wagons blocking the south end of the camp. Someone behind me fired an arrow as I loosed a second shot. The first Kaarum reached the camp and I dropped the bow in favor of my spear. As expected, Pascalli met the attack at my side, his sword beating the familiar rhythm against the horns and claws of the Kaarum.

I set my spear against a charge and caught my enemy below his guard. The spear tore free, and I let it fall. As I drew my father’s sword I glanced south to see Iven crushing into another with his hammer. I looked quickly to Quivain’s blankets, but they were empty. Baghorn handled his rapier expertly. He closely guarded his wife and daughter while the servants struggled with cooking knives and logs from the fire.

Desperately, like wild cats forced into starvation, the Kaarum threw themselves at us. My warning had given us just enough time to bring our weapons into play, but they outnumbered us almost two to one. Two drivers fell to the onslaught. Their attackers tried to drag them back into the forest rather than face continued danger. Pascalli chased them down while I retrieved my bow. All around me, the frightened faces stared in disbelief at the remains of violence.

“Drag the Kaarum into the woods,” I said. “Let the scavengers have them if they can stomach them. Who’s hurt and who can help?”

“Only a bit of a scratch here,” said Bracken. “I think the drivers got the worst of it.”

“We’re all right,” said Baghorn. “I don’t see Laural.”

“Quivain is also missing,” said Pascalli as he added fuel to our dwindling fire.

“I’ll get a shovel,” offered Iven. “You can worry about the rogue another day. If the Kaarum dragged him off then I say good riddance. If he bolted then it’s the same.”

“I’ll have me a look,” said Bracken. “I don’t fancy Laural would slip off without at least telling me.”

“She’s gone,” said Pascalli. “Her bag is missing, and so is the pack Quivain won at dice just two markets back. Their trail will be easy enough to follow when the sun rises, if you’ve the inclination. They’ve taken a pair of horses as well, though, and they’ll have several hours start.”

“I knew he would bring nothing but trouble,” grumbled Baghorn. “You should have killed him when you had the chance.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Pascalli spoke first. “We are not the masters of life and death. Scratch did what he thought best, and his thinking kept you alive tonight. Any evil that comes of this will hurt him harder than you, that much is certain. If it’s the price of horses that concerns you, we’ll pay.” He drew a bag of coins from within his cloak. He slowly counted them over to Baghorn. “We’ll drive your wagons to Anascrag, but the pace will double. I’ve no concern for your profits or the welfare of your caravan, though I respect the boy’s judgment there. I’ve business in the west that cannot wait.”

Bracken watched the coins drop into the merchant’s hand and followed the bag as it disappeared again into Pascalli’s cloak. He caught my eye and turned quickly to help Iven with the dead. I moved to help restore order to the mess but Pascalli pulled me aside.
“By winter the Kaarum will be forced to move. Already some are willing to try the wilderness away from the main body. When the food disappears entirely on the other side of the mountains they will be forced out. Time is growing short.” The earnestness in his eyes frightened me a little. I relied on his calm reassurance to bolster my own bravado.

“How long will it take us to reach the keep?” I asked.

“We’ve many markets ahead of us yet, and tasks to perform before we get there. We can reach Last Gate by the end of summer if nothing more than expected goes wrong. Any later than that and we may have trouble surviving the winter.”
Copyright 2008 Kelly David Tolman

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