Valorian (31 page)

Keeping his face unreadable, the Tarnish officer saluted and moved to obey his commands. After a few brief orders, the ranks of legionnaires broke into groups and set about their duty with a vengeance.

With ruthless efficiency, they tore down every standing building, corral, shed, shop, and pen, and piled the debris on the blackened remains of the burned hal . They scattered salt over the plowed fields and small gardens, demolished the shrine to the Clan gods, poisoned the well, and kil ed every stray dog and abandoned animal they found. The palisades were broken to pieces heaped on the growing pile of shattered ruins. Nothing was left standing.

When the town was completely leveled, the soldiers stood back while several of their number soaked the huge heap with oil and set it aflame. The fire burst into light with a hungry roar, consuming the remains of the Clan village in a searing bonfire that sent clouds of black smoke billowing high over Stonehelm.

Tyrranis looked on in grim satisfaction. When nothing remained but a few bare patches and the blackened stone where the coals of the pile were stil smoldering, the Tarns remounted and rode down from Stonehelm. They, too, trotted over the ridge and disappeared to the south on the trail of the Clan.

* * * * *

The last rays of sunlight were streaking the pink western sky when the Clan final y reached the meadows below the ridge where Valorian had been struck by lightning a year before. The wagons creaked to a halt, the footsore animals fell to grazing, and the clanspeople heaved a mutual sigh of relief. They had been traveling almost constantly for six days, and they were exhausted.

Valorian had been pushing them hard over rugged terrain, for he knew Tyrranis's troops could move faster than laden wagons and herds of livestock, and he wanted to put as much distance between them and the Tarns as possible.

This night, however, he allowed the caravan to stop a little early. He had sent out scouts several days before; and they were to rejoin the Clan here at what everyone had started calling Lightning Ridge.

He didn't real y want to wait, but he badly needed the scouts' information, and the weary clanspeople needed the rest.

Through the dwindling daylight hours, the people bedded down the herds of horses and livestock, set up shelters, and found food for everyone before col apsing on their blankets for some much needed sleep.

Valorian thought several times about riding Hunnul up to the top of the ridge, but there was no real reason to do so and too much to do to get the Clan camped for the night. Being responsible for about six hundred people was quite different from leading a small family of fifty.

In the past few days, Valorian had come to truly appreciate the awesome responsibilities of his position as lord chieftain. Not only did he have to lead a large caravan over difficult trails, but he also had to elude the Tarns, see to the people's everyday needs, settle minor disputes, and make countless decisions about everything from whether to send someone to search for a lost goat and how to punish a young woman who stole food, to which men should ride in the rear guard. In order to preserve his strength, he refused to use his magic for anything but emergencies, and he delegated some of the duties to Mordan, who was increasingly becoming his invaluable friend and right-hand man, and to the other heads of the families. But the brunt of the work and the ultimate responsibility were still his.

Despite it all, Valorian wouldn't have exchanged places with anyone. He relished his new authority and gave his people his ful attention. His constant optimism and his evident pleasure at being on this journey were infectious to al who were with him. He gave hope and purpose to everyone during the long and difficult days of travel.

Perhaps because of their new hope and anticipation, the people had traveled faster and harder than Valorian expected. They had put aside their major differences and were working together to achieve their common goal. No one knew for certain if Tyrranis and the Tarnish soldiers were coming after them yet; they only knew their decision to leave Chadar had been irrevocably made, and they were on their way to a new home.

Late that night, however, the first of the scouts returned, and the Clan learned the truth that Valorian had feared.

"They've found our trail again," the young man wearily told Valorian and the few other men who had awakened when he arrived. "We lost them for a while, but they're catching up now. About a day behind."

Valorian nodded, hardly surprised. "Is Tyrranis with them?"

"Yes, lord. But not the full garrison. I only counted about two hundred men."

"Interesting," Mordan said, stifling a yawn. "Either the Tarns are incredibly arrogant, or they're not going to try to stop us."

The chieftain scratched his jaw thoughtfully. His expression was unreadable in the darkness. "I can't believe. . ." he said half aloud, then he paused and said to those around him, "We'll wait to see what Ranulf has found. But with the Tarns so close behind us, we cannot wait here for him. We wil have to leave at daybreak."

The others agreed.

Valorian didn't go back to his blankets after that. Worry weighed heavily on his mind, so instead of futilely trying to sleep, he went to check the brood mares. All of the Clan's precious brood mares were together in one herd, faithful y tended by Gylden and a flock of enthusiastic boys. In the past seven nights, twenty more black foals had been born, all with the white lightning mark of their sire. To the delight of everyone, Hunnul's foals were already showing signs of being stronger and more intelligent than the other new foals born on the trail. No one had the slightest doubt that the black foals were another blessing and omen sent by the goddess Amara.

Valorian stopped to speak to Gylden, who was taking his turn at guard duty, and sent him back to bed. Then he rode up the slopes among the peaceful horses. Hunnul found a quiet place near the herd and stopped to watch over his mares. Stiffly the chieftain rubbed a healing bruise on his arm and leaned back on the stal ion's rump. He spent the remaining hours until dawn wondering what Tyrranis was planning to do and how long he would have to wait to hear from Ranulf.

It turned out that Valorian didn't have to wait long at all.

The young man sent to scout the trail ahead for Tarnish patrols came galloping into camp at dawn as the clanspeople were harnessing their horses and packing their gear. Disheveled and worried, he was met by Valorian, Mordan, Karez, and several other men at the head of the forming caravan.

His words came tumbling out even before he saluted the chieftain. "There's a big force of Tarns, Lord Valorian," he excitedly. "They're ahead of us on the trail around the great canyon."

The chief's mouth tightened into a grim line. "How many?" he asked.

“About four hundred, as close as I can count," Ranulf replied. "They just arrived there yesterday.

They must have force-marched down the lowlands to cut us off."

Mordan folded his arms. "Tyrranis probably knows where we’re going by now. I'd say he's going to try to trap us between a sword and a shield."

“He's picked a good place to do it," Valorian said, his concern plain on his face.

The other men with him looked mystified by their chief’s grave reaction to the news. Few clanspeople had ever traveled this far south, so they weren't familiar with the territory. "Why can't we just go around through the hil s?" asked a Clan priest.

Picking up a stick, Valorian scratched a crude map of the lands just to the south of their position.

"The Darkhorns run in a fairly even line north and south of Lightning Ridge, except right here," and he stabbed the stick at the place in his drawing. "The mountains bulge out there in high bluffs on either side of a very deep canyon. We can't take the wagons and carts across the canyon and we can't go around it to the east because the canyon is too long. We can only drop down to the lower hil s to the west to pass around it—"

"And the Tarns are waiting for us there," one of the men finished for him. The truth of their predicament became all too clear.

"By Surgart's sword," Karez suddenly snarled. He jabbed his bandaged arm at Valorian. "You're the one with the magic in your grasp. Use it to wipe out our enemies once and for all!"

Mordan rol ed his eyes. "Don't you pay attention? Lord Valorian will not use his power to massacre other men."

"I say that's ridiculous!" Karez roared in reply. "What about us? Are we to be slaughtered because our chief is too squeamish to slay a few Tarns?"

Several of the listening clansmen nodded in agreement and watched Valorian expectantly.

The new chieftain felt his anger flare at the big clansman. Karez hadn't changed a bit after his defeat. He was as arrogant and abrasive as ever. Valorian bit off a sharp remark and decided he shouldn't lose his temper now. "Ridiculous or not, that is my vow," he said adamantly. For the benefit of his other companions, he added, "Even with my power, I cannot defeat half a legion alone. We must get past Tyrranis's army to reach the Bendwater River. Once we're over that, we're out of his jurisdiction. He wouldn't dare bring his armed troops into Sarcithia without Governor Antonine's permission."

Karez spat at the ground. "And just how do you propose to elude the Tarns? Do we fly like birds?"

Something in Karez's snide words triggered a sudden inspiration. "No," Valorian said in a voice tinged with satisfaction. "We'll tunnel like Carrocks!"

The effect of that statement was everything Valorian could have wanted. Karez was effectively silenced with surprise, and the others stared at their chieftain as if he had suddenly lost his sanity.

"Tell the people to make torches and to gather all the firewood they can carry. Fill the water bags, too. If al goes wel , we should be underground about three days.” He turned on his heel and quickly mounted Hunnul to hide the shadow of doubt creeping into his own face. "I'll ride ahead to the cave entrance to contact the Carrocks. Aiden, you and Ranulf bring the caravan as soon as it is ready."

Hunnul cantered away before they could respond and headed toward the val ey and the cave not far away where Valorian and his friends had come out of the Carrocks’ underworld last winter. The chieftain groaned inwardly as they left the Clan behind. He had blurted out his nebulous idea without any consideration, and now he was stuck with hadn't thought about how he was going to contact the Carrocks or how they would react to an invasion of people and animals into their realm. What if they didn't agree? Then what would he do?

If his plan worked, however, the Clan would save several days of travel and come out of the caverns south of the Tarns' position, only a day or two from the Bendwater River. That alone would be worth the risk of taking such a large caravan through the subterranean passages. But only if the Carrocks agreed.

Without their wil ingness to tolerate the intrusion, the clanspeople would be in even worse trouble.

Hunnul slowed to a trot over the rocky trail and passed by a huge old pine with a double trunk.

Valorian remembered that tree, and he counted five hills to the valley where the cave opened out of the mountains. They topped the slope of the fifth hill to drop sharply down into a valley strewn with small trees and early spring flowers. The cave opening was about half a league into the valley, disguised by a grove of scrub oak, cedar, and pine. Valorian found its entrance by memory and sent Hunnul clattering into the cool, dim interior.

How will you find the Carrocks, master?
Hunnul asked in Valorian's mind. The sound of the stallion's hooves echoed in the hol ow spaces.

"I don't think I can," Valorian answered. "They will have to find me."

They rode deeper into the cavern until the light from the entrance was a mere pinprick and Valorian was forced to form a sphere of glowing light. In its pale illumination, he stopped Hunnul and let the silence settle around them. After a thoughtful pause, he drew more magic to his bidding, armed a spell, and raised his hands to his mouth. Loud and strong: carried on the power of his magic, his call rang down into the depths like a pealing bell to summon the denizens of the eternal rock and endless night.

He waited for a long time while his hands and feet grew cold and his doubts hardened. After what seemed an endless wait, he called again and continued to listen in the darkness. Hunnul relaxed a hind leg and let his neck droop. Only his ears pointing toward the black passage indicated his alert awareness.

Valorian was considering riding deeper into the tunnel when Hunnul raised his head, his nostrils flaring at a familiar scent
. They come,
he told his master silently.

Somewhere deep down in the passage, a heavy grating sound grumbled out of the darkness.

Valorian's stomach lurched, and his hands tightened on Hunnul's mane. He could see only the smal area lit by his sphere, but he sensed several large beings moving slowly along the tunnel toward him.

They stopped somewhere out of his sight. "Us you cal ed, magic-wielder. Come have we," a strange, hard voice said.

Valorian sat back in relief. "Thank you!" he cried. "I did not wish to disturb you, but I must ask for your help." He quickly explained the Clan's danger and his wish to travel through the Carrocks' caverns.

"I would not ask this of you if it weren't desperately important. We are seeking to leave this land, and if we are successful, we will never bother you again."

A different stony voice responded, "And if successful you are not?" Valorian gave a dry chuckle.

"There won't be any of us left to worry about."

There was a lengthy pause. No sound or movement disturbed the earth's silence. Then the first grating voice said, "Come, magic-wielder. For the sake of the Mother, pass may your people. But beware you must! Stray not from the path nor touch the works of the Carrocks. Watch we will!"

The heavy sound of stone moving on stone came again and vanished, leaving the tunnel in emptiness.

Valorian leaned his arms on Hunnul's neck as his breath slipped away in a ragged sigh. There was barely time to savor his relief before Aiden, Ranulf, and the vanguard of armed warriors came trotting into the cave. Valorian turned back to meet them.