Treespeaker (23 page)

“Yes, of course, you’re right.”

Dovan lay still as the men’s footsteps receded and the forest returned to silence. He was alone once more. Time for him to get out from under the trees. Hopefully he could wriggle from under them without too much trouble.

Putting his hands flat on the ground in front of him and digging his toes into the soft earth, he pushed himself backwards, keeping his face against the leaves beneath him. The cut on his arm stung as he moved, his shoulders ached and his leg was bruised where Beldror kicked him, but he struggled on, forcing his body flat against the earth until, at last, he pulled his head from under the tree and sat up.

Free at last, the enormity of what had just occurred hit him. His body shook and his thoughts tumbled over one another. Without that hollow he would be dead, crushed under three trees. Without the deer distracting him, he would never have known the hollow was there. He retched as he thought of Beldror, searching what he believed to be a dead body for the stones. Feeling faint, Dovan stumbled to a huge rock and made his way to the back of it so that he would not be seen. He lay down on the forest floor, curling his knees up to his chest. Within minutes he slept.

When he awoke, the sun was almost below the treetops. He looked about him for a moment, wondering how he came to be there. Then the sting in his arm reminded him and he looked down at his blood-stained tunic. It was not a deep wound and it had stopped bleeding, but it needed treating.

He stumbled to his feet and clambered on shaking legs over the branches of the fallen trees. They had not snapped, but uprooted themselves. His boots still lay on the forest floor and Beldror’s bag lay where it dropped from his shoulder before he dived. He picked it up, put on the boots and staggered to the stream, walking along the bank until he reached the blue stones.

Wincing, he pulled his tunic off his shoulder and scooped water to wash his arm, before picking up a stone. This hadn’t worked for him yet, but maybe here at Fashmanek it might. There seemed to be some power here he hadn’t felt elsewhere. He took a deep calming breath and held the stone to the wound. As he concentrated on the stone, he felt the burning pain cool. The skin tingled as it healed. Within minutes, there remained only a thin white line on his skin.

Dovan sat on the bank for a while, trying to decide what to do. He couldn’t go back to the village, but the thought of Megda being told the news of his death brought tears to his eyes. She had been through too much already. She was his family, all he had left, and he felt like a traitor to leave her in such grief. He wished that Treespeaking included the gift of flight, so that he could get to her before Beldror, to tell her that he still lived.

His only other choice was to go to Putak. He had let the old Treespeaker down. So much for his promise to be careful. How could he go to Putak and admit that he’d let Beldror learn of his gift so quickly? On the other hand, he had discovered the power of the stones. Putak needed to know that. And perhaps being dead would be an advantage. No one would be watching the movements of a dead man.

He jumped up and walked into the stream. He gathered handfuls of stones and filled Beldror’s bag until it was almost too heavy to carry. Then he turned and headed in the direction of the village. First, he needed to go to Megda.

As the cart moved, Jakan struggled to sit upright. Once up, he shuffled over to lean against the side of his prison. Through a hole in the canvas at the back of the cart, he could see the track disappearing behind them.

He twisted back to observe his fellow prisoners. In the dim light, he could just make out a woman and a tussle-haired boy. Both stared at him, their eyes bright with apprehension. The boy sat close to the woman, his head on her arm. He moved even closer as Jakan regarded him.

Jakan leaned his head against the metal bars of the cage. He’d been a fool. Why had he trusted Griselka, when Hekja had warned him of the dangers in this place?

He spoke to the woman, keeping his voice low. “Where are they taking us?”

The woman stared at him for a moment, as if considering whether to answer. She turned her gaze to the roof of the cage as she answered. “It’s a slave trader’s cart. We’re headed for the markets.”

Jakan’s heart faltered. The tiny eggshell of hope, which had lain so vulnerable in his mind over the past weeks, crumbled to pieces. He shuddered. He wouldn’t make it to any slave market. The strength of the stone, already fading, would dissipate completely if he didn’t get into Dralgo Forest soon to replenish the earth in the pouch. Had Beldror planned this as well?

The woman’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I’m Nereya.”

He paused, contemplating his answer. Did he really want to trust anyone else? Yet here she was, bound and imprisoned just like him. Surely he could fall no further.

“Jakan.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Her lip trembled as she spoke. He shook his head. She lowered her head to rest on the boy’s hair. “This is my son, Lasran.”

Jakan cast the boy a sad smile. “How old are you, Lasran?”

The boy stared at him, but didn’t answer.

Nereya kissed the top of her son’s curly head. “He’s nine. Don’t bother to ask him questions. He hasn’t spoken since we were taken.” She looked away, but not before Jakan caught the glint of tears in her eyes.

“When did Griselka catch you?”

Nereya cocked her head to one side. “Griselka?”

“The woman driving the cart.”

“She didn’t catch us. She bought us at the market in Tomaga. Ruffians attacked us outside Herivisa. They sold us on to this woman, once they’d…” Again she stopped, blinking.

Jakan felt ill. He chose his words carefully, his eyes on the boy. “They hurt you?” His heart beat hard as anger coursed through it.

Nereya glanced at her son and gave a quick nod.

Jakan swallowed back the nausea as he remembered the face of Captain Pevliz, leering at the thought of Arrakeshi women. It seemed there were men here who lacked respect for their own women too.

“How long did they keep you?”

She let out a long breath. “Three days. We were on our way to Garuga to catch a ship to the southern isles to be with my husband. We would have gone earlier, only Lasran was too ill.” Tears shone on her cheeks.

Jakan banged his head gently against the bars. The situation seemed hopeless for them all; a sick boy, an abused woman and a man growing weaker by the minute. What did Griselka hope to gain by selling such a poor cargo? There must be something he could do to get them out of this.

With a sudden lurch, which almost sent the three captives onto their sides, the cart turned eastwards. Jakan’s heart skipped a beat as he saw, through the hole in the canvas, the plush greenery of Dralgo Forest receding into the distance to the west. Despair poured over him. Unless they stopped soon, he would not have the energy to do anything to save himself, let alone these two. Panic rose, making his stomach tighten. He forced himself to take slow, relaxing breaths and concentrated his mind on Arrakesh – if he existed in this godless wilderness.
Are you there, Arrakesh? Can you hear me? Help us, please!

The cart trundled on and Dralgo disappeared out of sight over the hill. He sighed and let his head loll, staring at the opposite wall of the cage. He could think of no way out. The ropes binding his hands, though not thick, cut into his skin when he tried to loosen them. He glanced at Nereya. Her eyes were red and her face grey in the dim light. He thought of Jalena. Would he always watch on, helpless, as women suffered?
No, not again, Arrakesh. Hear me! Help –

A creaking noise sounded from below the cart, interrupting his prayer. Jakan’s body tensed. Then something snapped. He registered Nereya’s scream before he realised that he was falling backwards, with the floor of the cage tilting beneath his feet. When it stopped, he found himself on his back with Nereya and Lasran beside him. The boy whimpered.

Outside, Griselka screeched instructions at her son. Soon the back of the cage rattled and opened and Elbarn appeared, an inane grin lighting his face.

"Ma said, you gotta come out now.”

He reached in and grabbed Jakan’s arm, yanking him towards the door. Jakan struggled against the vice-like grip and let out a cry of pain as his head rammed against the side of the opening.

“Oy! Watch what yer doin’, Elbie. Don’t damage them.” Griselka appeared, hands on hips, around the side of the fallen cart. She grunted in disgust as she inspected the wheel lying in the ditch. Then she stooped down to where Jakan lay. The sincere concern on her face surprised him. “You okay?” There was more than worry about her profit in her voice, he was sure.

He nodded. The movement made his head ache. “Why, Griselka? Why are you doing this?”

“I’m just makin’ a livin’, is all.” She shrugged, but wouldn’t look at him.

“We’re people. You can’t buy and sell us.”

Griselka fiddled with a button on her blouse, still not looking at him. “It’s a legitimate business.”

“But why sell people? Why not chickens or goats?” He flinched as Elbarn pulled Lasran to land on his shoulder. “Look at this child. Look at him!”

Griselka’s eyes rested on Lasran for a fleeting moment, then she stared at the sky. “He’ll make me a few vows.”

“He’s sick. How can you sell a sick child?”

“Even expendables make me money, if I talk them up right.”

Jakan swallowed hard. His heart thudded. His insides turned cold. “Expendables?”

Griselka stepped out of the way as Nereya was pulled from the cart with rather more care than Elbarn had accorded Jakan and Lasran. “Those who are weak can be used for the dangerous jobs. They still come in useful.”

Nereya’s sobs clutched at Jakan’s heart. “But he’s just a child!” he said. “Have you no heart at all?”

Griselka’s eyes narrowed and her mouth set into a thin line as she bent and grabbed Jakan’s chin. She turned his head towards where her son now stood, holding the dislodged wheel of the cart.

“See that one? He’s a child. An overgrown, gormless six-year-old. He’ll always be that way. I’m doin’ it for my boy. Don’t tell me I have no heart. You know nothin’ about it.”

She snatched her hand away and stalked a few paces away, her hands on her hips once more.

Jakan glanced at Nereya. She stood by the cart, staring down at him with pleading eyes. He turned back to Griselka. “Can’t you get work somewhere? He’s a big lad. He must be able to do heavy labour. If you were there to keep an eye on him –”

Griselka spun round to face him, her eyes burning. “D’you think I haven’t tried that? Sure, he’s a big lad. He can lift and carry, til somethin’ annoys him. Then he’s like a roused bear. If I’m not there to calm him, he’s dangerous.” Her face softened a little as she gazed at her son. Then she glared once more at Jakan. “Do you have children?”

He swallowed hard and nodded.

Griselka tossed her head. “Then you know how it is. You’ll do anythin’ you can to help them.”

 She was right. Until she’d intervened, that was exactly what he had been doing, what Nereya had been doing.

“Let these two go,” he said. “Have pity, one mother to another.”

Griselka let out a mirthless chuckle. “My pity’s all runned out. No one ever had it for me.” She jerked her head at her son. “Take them to sit over there by the wall, Elbie. Make sure they’re still tied tight.”

Without a word, Elbarn dropped the wheel to the ground, with a crash that made his mother wince, and ambled over to take hold of Nereya’s arms. He lifted her to near the wall and set her down, then came back and did the same to Jakan and Lasran. When all three sat on the damp grass, he moved back to his mother, who was inspecting the wheel.

“Lift the cart up, and I’ll see if I can’t push this back on,” she said. The man-child did as he was told, lifting the heavy cart with ease. His mother had rather more difficulty with the wheel. Her face turned red and she puffed hard, but the hub of the wheel had cracked and no longer fit the shaft. She threw it back down in disgust, pushing wet grey hair from her sweating brow. “I’ll have to go for help. Come on. We’ll take this lot to the cave. They’ll be safe there.”

***

The cave, a dank hole running into the side of a hill not far from the fallen cart, had obviously been used by the pair before. Disused pots and pieces of rope littered the sandy floor, and a circle of stones at the entrance showed obvious use as a fireplace. The three prisoners, their feet tightly bound once more, sat against one wall near the entrance, while Griselka instructed her son.

“I won’t be gone long. You don’t have to do nothin’ but watch them. I’ve tied those knots real tight, so you shouldn’t have no trouble. Just keep your eye on them, you got that?” As she finished, she walked into the cave and stood before the three. She squatted. “Just you remember what I said about his temper. He’s meek as a lamb normally, but don’t you rile him any.”

Jakan didn’t reply. Was this another trick to keep them where she wanted them?

She pushed herself up to her feet again and, pointing at the boy, shouted to her son. “If they do manage to take off, you go after this one, you hear? These two’ll not go far if you’ve got this one. In fact…” She pulled a knife and cut the ropes around Lasran’s legs. Then she pulled him, struggling, out of the cave. “You keep him beside you. They won’t make trouble now.” She dragged the child, his face white, to sit next to Elbarn, who had flopped against a rock in the shade, ten paces from the entrance.

“I’ll look after ‘em real good, Ma.”

His mother gave a doubtful nod and without a backward glance, mounted the pony she had led from the cart. “I’ll be about an hour,” she called over her shoulder as she wheeled around and headed back towards Tomaga. The sound of the horse’s hooves faded into the distance.

No one spoke as the silence returned. Jakan watched Elbarn closely. Despite his bravado of a few minutes ago, he seemed very nervous about the role he’d been given. He played with a piece of cotton that had come loose at the knee of his trousers, pulling it with his pudgy fingers. Every few minutes he’d glance at Jakan and give an awkward smile, or wink and shrug at the unresponsive child next to him.

Jakan could feel Nereya shaking against his shoulder.

“It’s all right,” he whispered from the side of his mouth. “We’ll get out of this somehow.”

Nereya’s eyes widened. “No. It’s too dangerous with Lasran out there.”

He frowned. It was true. Lasran was in a very vulnerable position. The boy’s chest rose and fell quickly, his body trembled and his eyes shone bright as a startled deer. He looked ready to panic and run at the slightest provocation. What would Elbarn do if he did?

Jakan frowned and turned to Nereya. “You need to keep Lasran calm. Talk to him.”

Nereya sat up and called softly to her son. “It’s all right, little one. He won’t hurt us. Just relax.”