Chapter twenty-five

South of the Great West Road

 

They were making good progress now and Rem seemed somewhat less concerned about elves. They tracked south east into the fringes of semi-desert and then back up to the road to check their bearings. Kath realised that there were the remains of ancient mile posts by the sides of the road, and that enough of them were intact to allow the distance to Melloreis to be calculated. By twilight on this particular day Rem had estimated that they had just over a four day journey to Melloreis. Kath had still not decided whether they should go straight there, or try liaising with the authorities (if there were any) in Ortia first. She hadn’t mentioned these thoughts to Rem, however. She thought that he was unlikely to greet then enthusiastically.

They trudged on, with Rem forever listening and inspecting the ground, moving under cover and stopping regularly for both of them to rest. They were travelling together now and overall this slowed them down, but neither of them really minded. As they got closer to Melloreis Rem spoke less, seemingly concentrating all his efforts on finding a safe, uneventful, route.  Every evening he made camp further and further south.

They stopped to camp earlier than usual on this day, as both of them were very tired. Rem had been carrying a young deer that he had caught in the northern scrublands earlier. It had slowed him down and made him irritable, but he was determined to cook it in the evening.

‘Deer very good’ he said, sliding it on to the ground in front of him.

Kath nodded.

‘When we cook the flesh, we call it “venison”’ she explained.

Rem mouthed the word and smiled.

‘Like humans – different word for animal and flesh!’

He got to work preparing their meal. He never let Kath cook anything, but she was permitted to gather firewood.  She guessed that Rem had formed a pretty shrewd idea of exactly how good she was in a kitchen.

So, she collected some wood and laid the fire, and once it was lit Rem placed pieces of the venison on some of the embers. The smell of wood smoke and cooking flesh filled the air. Rem sat on one side of the fire turning the chunks of meat. Kath was on the other side of the fire, waiting, very hungry. The day faded around them.

 

***

It was an hour or so later when the elves made their move: slowly their archers crept up on the camp without making a single detectable noise. They readied themselves and a few seconds later a hail of arrows came straight at Rem out of the darkness. He sprawled on to the floor and was then surprised to find that none of the arrows had hit him. It was as if they had all fallen short by the same amount, defying common sense. He had just turned back to look for Kath when he saw a figure in front of him – a tall man, or just his shadow. What was another human doing here?

Hardacre gestured to Rem, beckoning.

‘Tlaxacan – if you can understand me, nod, and do it quickly’

Rem looked surprised and then nodded reflexively, still feinting left and making to run – he could hear soft elf footfalls behind him. But then there was a sudden chill and he was rooted to the spot. 

‘Envoy – what are you doing’ shouted an elven voice behind him.

‘Capturing my prisoner’ said Hardacre, quietly but very clearly.

‘Kath!’ shouted Rem, ‘run away!’

‘No!’ shouted Hardacre, in response to Rem’s cry ‘Dr Fielding! I’m from Eth – we’re friends’

Kath moved forward warily. She had been the other side of the fire and had seen very little of what had gone on.  Hearing her professional title used for the first time in so many days and during an apparent ambush, made her doubly confused and disorientated.

‘Rem – what is it? Who’s that?’

Rem still couldn’t move and now there was a strange darkness that had covered him. He could hear but he could neither see nor speak. He heard Kath’s voice as if a long way off.

‘Where are you Rem? What’s happening? Where are you?’

Elves loomed out of the darkness threateningly. Kath took a big step backwards. Around her she could now hear the sound of elves, talking in Visneorian, in an accent uncannily familiar. Were these more Portalis elves? Her flesh crawled.

Suddenly from behind her she heard a barked cry of ‘he’s running up the hill - after him!’ in Visneorian.  A group of elves began chasing in that direction, leaving her standing alone next to the crackling fire.  Instinctively, she began to run to follow them, but had only managed a few steps when a pair of human hands grasped her, gently but firmly by the arm. She began to struggle.

‘Dr Fielding,’ said Hardacre, who was holding her, ‘we’re from Ortia – we’ve been looking for you. You have nothing to fear.’

‘What about Rem?’ cried out Kath, fighting to break free, ‘what have you done to him?’

 Hardacre’s brow furrowed. He let her go and she took a few steps backwards.

‘Who is Rem, Dr Fielding?’ he asked

‘My friend and guide’ she panted, ‘my companion’

‘The Tlaxacan?’ Hardacre asked.

‘What?’ shouted Kath indignantly.

‘Your companion is a Tlaxacan’, explained Hardacre.

‘No he’s bloody well not!’ exclaimed Kath, her face flushed, ‘as I said, he’s my companion and guide. He’s my friend – let him go immediately!’

Hardacre looked unusually pained.

‘I can’t’ he said, gesturing surreptitiously towards the Ortian soldiers ‘the elves wanted to kill him. The best that I can do at present is keep him alive. I’ve sent them on a false scent up the hill’

Kath anger was trumping her fear. What right did these people have to capture her and threaten Rem. They were doing quite well enough on their own, thank you.

‘Where is he then?’ she asked.

‘I’ve hidden him, until things calm down’

‘When will that be, for the Gods’ sake?’

Hardacre knew what he had to say but momentarily put off saying it. This was all going very badly.

‘As soon as he’s in my custody’ 

Kath looked around for a weapon.

‘What?’ she shouted, ‘that is not going to happen! This is just insane’

Kath picked up a rock and ran at Hardacre, waving it wildly in his face.

Hardacre stepped back nimbly, sighed and whispered a word of sleep: ‘hun’. There was a brief crackle of energy in the air between them and then Kath crumpled in mid lunge, falling quite suddenly on to the floor.

‘Sometimes it’s better not to get too close’ whispered Hardacre, with a shrug.

As he stared down at Kath’s unconscious body, he wondered how on earth he was ever going to clear up all of this mess.