,’ hissed Meryn. ‘Be
silent now or they’ll find us.’ The sobbing became quieter as the noise got
nearer. When the clouds parted, the moon shone down into the wood to reveal Cal standing in front of
them gazing about with a look of fear and
panic on his face.
‘ Whaaa !’ he shrieked as he
saw them and fell back into a bush.
‘ Shh ,’ cautioned Meryn.
‘They’re still here.’ Cal
nodded and clambered to his feet, then smiled as Clarise came running into his
arms. As the clouds once more cloaked their progress, Meryn led them through
the trees and away, the sounds of the
Picts searching behind them fading into the night.
****
‘Weren’t
the bad men following you?’ Usher stopped his line of thought and looked down
at the boy sitting cross-legged on the floor with two of his friends. All three
had the rapt expression of complete belief in his story that he so often craved
when spinning a tale. He smiled.
‘Oh, they came after us. We had a good start, thanks
to Calvador here, but they weren’t happy and they wanted the children back.
What they wanted them for, we didn’t know at the time, but we knew it was for
some reason bad enough to burn villages to get them.’ He took the opportunity
to have a drink of ale and filled his pipe afresh.
‘I remember being scared of the Picts as they hunted
us, but I also remember being mighty scared of the one who hadn’t been there
that night, the rider… the man in black.’
‘Horsa,’ muttered Calvador, scowling into the fire.
‘Now, Cal,
don’t go spoiling my tale. Yes, it was Horsa. We learnt his name later, but he
wasn’t in the camp that night, thank the spirits, just the Picts, and now six
of them were hunting us. It was around dawn that we heard them coming… calling
out and shrieking they were, trying to scare us into running and giving
ourselves away.
Chapter Four – The sound of falling leaves
Meryn
spun towards Cal.
‘Keep the girls quiet, the Picts are getting close.’ The four girls cast tear-filled
eyes towards the old archer and stifled their sobs as Cal whispered quietly to them. The two boys
were also scared, but were trying their best to be brave and follow Cal’s example.
Meryn shook his head and sighed. ‘I’m going to try
and lead them in another direction, maybe pick a few off if we’re lucky.’ He
pulled Usher away a few steps, and then lowered his voice even further.
‘Listen, lad, we have to put some distance between those Picts and us. Hide
here for a while until you hear them going after me, then I’ll swing back and
join you later.’ His grip on Usher’s shoulders became tighter. ‘We’ve now
entered the tribal land of the Trinovante. Keep to this path and don’t leave
it. You’ll come to a settlement called Witney before sunset, rest there. Egan
Dale is the local reeve. You can trust him. He’s an old friend and the
Trinovante are fine people if you don’t mind their ways.’ Meryn looked up as a
long drawn-out call echoed through the still forest. Another cry answered it,
much closer than the first. ‘Stay low until they’re gone.’ With that, he was
away, darting through the undergrowth, already notching an arrow as he ran.
Usher glanced across at the tangle of bushes where Cal crouched with the
others. The children all looked scared and he offered a smile of encouragement
before creeping over to them.
‘Don’t worry; everything will be fine as long as we
can stay as quiet as mice. Meryn will lead them away and then we can get
moving.’ He glanced round as a sharp scream
of pain sounded close by; a moment later it was followed by the sound of a body
falling to the leafy forest floor. A low moan came from somewhere through the
bushes about twenty paces away. Usher glanced at the girls and held a finger to
his lips to make sure they remained silent, large eyes stared back at him. They
huddled together, shivering with fear. Cal
held his arms protectively around his sister, and then nodded
silent now or they’ll find us.’ The sobbing became quieter as the noise got
nearer. When the clouds parted, the moon shone down into the wood to reveal Cal standing in front of
them gazing about with a look of fear and
panic on his face.
‘ Whaaa !’ he shrieked as he
saw them and fell back into a bush.
‘ Shh ,’ cautioned Meryn.
‘They’re still here.’ Cal
nodded and clambered to his feet, then smiled as Clarise came running into his
arms. As the clouds once more cloaked their progress, Meryn led them through
the trees and away, the sounds of the
Picts searching behind them fading into the night.
****
‘Weren’t
the bad men following you?’ Usher stopped his line of thought and looked down
at the boy sitting cross-legged on the floor with two of his friends. All three
had the rapt expression of complete belief in his story that he so often craved
when spinning a tale. He smiled.
‘Oh, they came after us. We had a good start, thanks
to Calvador here, but they weren’t happy and they wanted the children back.
What they wanted them for, we didn’t know at the time, but we knew it was for
some reason bad enough to burn villages to get them.’ He took the opportunity
to have a drink of ale and filled his pipe afresh.
‘I remember being scared of the Picts as they hunted
us, but I also remember being mighty scared of the one who hadn’t been there
that night, the rider… the man in black.’
‘Horsa,’ muttered Calvador, scowling into the fire.
‘Now, Cal,
don’t go spoiling my tale. Yes, it was Horsa. We learnt his name later, but he
wasn’t in the camp that night, thank the spirits, just the Picts, and now six
of them were hunting us. It was around dawn that we heard them coming… calling
out and shrieking they were, trying to scare us into running and giving
ourselves away.
Chapter Four – The sound of falling leaves
Meryn
spun towards Cal.
‘Keep the girls quiet, the Picts are getting close.’ The four girls cast tear-filled
eyes towards the old archer and stifled their sobs as Cal whispered quietly to them. The two boys
were also scared, but were trying their best to be brave and follow Cal’s example.
Meryn shook his head and sighed. ‘I’m going to try
and lead them in another direction, maybe pick a few off if we’re lucky.’ He
pulled Usher away a few steps, and then lowered his voice even further.
‘Listen, lad, we have to put some distance between those Picts and us. Hide
here for a while until you hear them going after me, then I’ll swing back and
join you later.’ His grip on Usher’s shoulders became tighter. ‘We’ve now
entered the tribal land of the Trinovante. Keep to this path and don’t leave
it. You’ll come to a settlement called Witney before sunset, rest there. Egan
Dale is the local reeve. You can trust him. He’s an old friend and the
Trinovante are fine people if you don’t mind their ways.’ Meryn looked up as a
long drawn-out call echoed through the still forest. Another cry answered it,
much closer than the first. ‘Stay low until they’re gone.’ With that, he was
away, darting through the undergrowth, already notching an arrow as he ran.
Usher glanced across at the tangle of bushes where Cal crouched with the
others. The children all looked scared and he offered a smile of encouragement
before creeping over to them.
‘Don’t worry; everything will be fine as long as we
can stay as quiet as mice. Meryn will lead them away and then we can get
moving.’ He glanced round as a sharp scream
of pain sounded close by; a moment later it was followed by the sound of a body
falling to the leafy forest floor. A low moan came from somewhere through the
bushes about twenty paces away. Usher glanced at the girls and held a finger to
his lips to make sure they remained silent, large eyes stared back at him. They
huddled together, shivering with fear. Cal
held his arms protectively around his sister, and then nodded
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