After five days Marcos left to recover the few of his army who were still unwelcome guests in Agor and took them back to the coastal villages of the northern mountains. He persuaded all the mountain communities to accept the new treaty, promising them that they would be safe once Wolf had taken his punishment. Some trickled back to the lowlands to witness the event.
Luke rode down to meet Morian and the core of Elders who could make up a new council. The first issue was how to deal with Wolf but no one had witnessed a public execution.
“There is a tree called the Hanging Tree which was used by our ancestors. In our more civilised times the custom has been for blood feuds to be settled by the injured party. So if a man is judged he is executed by his enemy, or if there is a mutual blood feud they settle it with a head fight.” The old man, Luke barely knew him, sat back onto the ground with some effort.
“I have not witnessed any public executions in Elenea,” said Luke. “I don’t think they even have a custom. Prisoners there are far more valuable for the work they do. Only in this special case, we cannot risk the man staying alive and regaining his army. Military enemies are normally despatched with arrows as soon as they are overcome, and I wish this had happened.”
It was soon agreed that the next day the prisoner would be taken to the Hanging Tree for its symbolism, and after calling the gods for forgiveness they would shoot him three times with arrows. To Luke’s relief the meeting then turned back to constitutional issues.
The ancient Hanging Tree was feeble and near to collapse so they chose a nearby pair of thrusting young saplings standing twice the height of a man a few feet apart. Stringing vines from the top branches to support the victim by his wrists they managed to arrange it so the victim was stretched and almost immobile, arms in the air and feet on the ground. People gathered from all parts and by midday there was a throng. Everyone had brought food for the day and was taking the chance to catch up with old friends and pass on their own version of the news and gossip.
“We’ll leave him here on public view morning and afternoon and despatch him at sunset. Plenty of fires and feasting for the people of Athelea.” Luke ordered four soldiers to stand guard, the duty rotating to another four every quarter of daylight. He faced the condemned man in the mid morning breeze.
“Curse you, Luke." The words came with difficulty. "A farmer from Athelea who thinks he can command a nation. One day you will know differently.”
“It is you who are cursed. You have tried to steal a country’s freedom and now you have to pay for your actions.”
“Truly I am cursed. I am the one who came second. That was curse enough, the day I came into this world. For the first, fame and adventure. For the second, suffering. One day your brother will take revenge on you for me.”
“Marcos will never kill me any more than I would him. He will have his lands, I will have mine, and free travel between the two. Wherever we rule, in whoever’s name, there will be peace, and one day it will extend throughout the world.”
Wolf tried to spit but with his arms under strain could not find the breath. He grimaced as the bonds cut into his wrists. Luke looked up at the tension in his brown eyes and recognised Hartor in some of the lines of his face.
“You deserve the day you have. May it set an example to others.”
He turned round and called for his horse, jumped on leaving the condemned man to his mounting discomfort.
*
Luke walked among the evening fires, turning occasionally to watch where the body had been, as if to check that it really was gone. By now it was buried according to custom of blood feud, under the place of death. It had turned into a hot afternoon, a freak of late autumn, and Wolf had been ready for the end by the time of his appointment. Luke and two of his soldiers had fired an arrow each but the man was strong and they just caused him pain. Luke had taken his metal dagger to him.
“In the heart, Luke. That is where it hurts.”
He played out in his mind the point where he had flattened the blade and passed it cleanly through the ribs. Metal really did work so much better. The man shook a couple of times, made to cough and gratefully expired. Luke had seen men die, he did not really care for the sight of blood coming from the face.
“Enjoying the celebrations, sir?”
Brought back to reality. “No, not really. Tell me, Simen. Igor understands Athelean, doesn’t he?”
“I believe not, sir. Though he must certainly know words and phrases. Peter is his translator and I have never heard them speaking anything other than the Trantrith dialect. But Peter has a fine ear for gossip and rumour and is very astute. I’m sure that’s the source of Igor’s information.”
“And what’s your information on Igor?”
“If you ask me, sir.” He stopped and lowered his tone, checking that no one was nearby. “Igor is useful to Hartor. I would think he can be a pretty difficult person to deal with so the old man will keep the two of you apart as far as possible. That is his mind.”
Luke moved on, coming to a large fire where a goat had been roasted. The head blazed in the heart of the fire, an offering to the gods in thanks for deliverance, and propitiation for taking a human life. He picked up a large steak as it was cut from the body and nibbled tentatively at the scorching flesh, tossing it from hand to hand to keep his fingers from frying. A song was starting, adding to the general din from all the fires. and Luke looked round to see how many people he knew from Athelea were present.
The innkeeper from Agor was not far away, with barrels of his trademark beers Oak and Willow, each with two handles, just the right size and weight for a pair of men to carry. He saw a couple of women he knew but none of the men he was looking for. Moving to one of the smaller fires he instantly recognised a deep bass singing voice.
“Stavros, may I have a word please.” He moved in on the group just as the song finished, before the singer had a chance for his next piece. Several of the women protested at the intrusion. Luke took his charge into the twilight of a grove of trees.
“Luke, how are you? Do I have to call you sir now?” It was a question he had heard more than once that day.
“No, but you could perhaps give me some information. I want to know how things have been run here during the occupation. I need to find out who’s reliable here.”
“Hmm, it is hard to know sometimes how many people are on each side. Half the fighting men sided with Marcos and Wolf. After all they knew Marcos already. Others kept low and pretty well all the ordinary people just went along with whatever they were told. There is a group of holdouts in the Forest. They were the ones who went out and gave the message not to resist the Elenean invasion, despite deep memories of the times before the Mountain Wars, all that time ago.”
“So who is in charge of these men?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Their appointed leader is called Rav. Wolf made terrible threats to local farms if they failed to catch him and hand him over, but fortunately he never had time to carry them out.”
“Yes I know him. Not very well. Surprised he would be the one. Do you know what’s happened to them?”
“Normally they send a message at least once a day. We haven’t heard from them since you came. With so many things happening they’re probably just holed up waiting to see what happens.”
“Well they won’t be at the Lodge’s agreed retreat point. Everyone including Marcos knows where that was. By my heart I know they’ll be in the soft ground at the southern edge where the river runs a few leagues up from Northcliff. It would be virtually impossible to track into that ground without being ambushed.”
Luke sat by himself on the mossy earth, still holding a fragment of his meat. Rav. Who would have thought of him as a leader? We’ll see. Maybe the appointments to the Elders will fall into place more easily.
*
He rode into the Forest with just two soldiers and his own dogs. From his belt stood a long pole, reaching up above his head with the flag of the nation hanging from the top. Wearing leather armour but with only light weapons he picked his way through the unfamiliar paths leading to the area of bog, taking care not to catch the flag on low branches. Nearing his goal he became less cautious, calling for Rav by name. As he noticed the ground becoming softer under the horse’s feet an arrow flew from a tree and sunk deep into the soil in front of him. Just a signal shot but the horse startled slightly and Luke pressed himself against its neck, calming it and turning round to face the sender. He stopped and gazed at the circle of men who had coalesced from the bushes.
From his horse he gazed at them one by one. There were eleven in total. It took him some effort to identify each. Dismounting he turned to Rav.
“We dare to win,” he said. Rav smiled and they slapped hands. Everyone relaxed.
Luke made a ritual of showing the members of the gang his rings and tattoos. The men were proud of the fact that they sported only the deer emblem of the Lodge on their own arms.
“No wolves among us,” said Rav. “Why don’t you come and see our hideout? I guess we ought to destroy it if we’re not going to use it again. No point leaving it for bandits.”
The huts were roughly constructed in the lowest branches of a grove of trees, it must have taken a great deal of cutting and tying. The settlement stood on a bank of firm ground surrounded on three sides by light marsh. On the land side a briar fence had been built, and the only entry was by climbing a tree, shinning along its branch and descending with the help of a vine on the other side. The tree provided a perfect vantage point, while the huts were almost invisible from any distance.
“We knew you were coming three days before the battle,” said Rav as they shared a generous ration of their supplies and a hot drink. We had news there were horsemen riding towards Halfway House. We knew you had to have something to do with it because Elenea had never had horses before. But we were totally amazed by the strength of your force. And Rico says you have new weapons.”
“Have you been listening to village gossip?” asked Luke.
“No”, replied Rico. “I was scouting the other side of the battle after all the corpse-strippers had finished. The bodies were so clean, they must have died quickly. None of the normal mess and struggle you get after people get shot. Though I’ve only seen battle victims twice in the past myself.”
“Yes.” Luke paused. “It’s true. There are new weapons. He took out his dagger and passed it round for the men to appreciate. We’re all going to learn how they’re made and used.”
“We? Are you back in Athelea now?”
“I certainly am. And so are you. Let’s get this building down then trek out of the Forest. If you show me somewhere I can semaphore from I’ll send a message back to my men.”
They emerged from the Forest late afternoon, along the safety of Broad Trail, talking casually. A reception party was waiting once they were out of the trees. Rav ran out to greet his mother and father and the rest of the group quickly melted into the throng. Warm rain spattered from the sky as the crowd headed off towards Cano and Agor. Luke walked alongside his father Darios. Somehow Marcos had materialised as well, his horse and a couple of his men nearby.
“Nice to see you can sneak in a little time for your old father among all your important duties.”
“Not that important for the moment. Things can wait till tomorrow. And not that old either. Anyone who can ride a horse up to Goat Pass can’t be completely infirm.”
“You mean I’m just half way there? You youngsters. Anyway I hardly rode. More like being dragged up the hill. I don’t suppose I’ll ever get used to all this new stuff. The younger generation’s taking over the world now.”
“Well it wasn’t really so good when Uncle ran the Lodge was it? Besides we’re old enough now. It’s our turn to start doing something.”
“Perhaps. My father used to say the same thing after the Mountain Wars when I was a boy. It’s our turn now. We’ll have a big border land between Athelea and Elenea so they can’t fight any more, and the mountains will be left to the animals. It didn’t really work did it?”
“Your father? You mean Grandad?”
“Yes, of course.”
“So Uncle was his brother?”
“What are you talking about. Uncle was on your mother’s side. Mim’s first husband’s brother so Ma's true uncle. The husband was killed in the Mountain Wars. Mother never spoke about him or had any dealings with Uncle. I didn’t even realise they were related until just before Mother died, when she wanted to make her peace with him. I knew of course from Mim that Gramp was not Mother’s true father. But it all seems pretty irrelevant now.”
“He didn’t die,” said Luke. Darios seemed surprised. Marcos did not react and Luke was sure his brother had been aware of this all along. “He only died in Trantrith about five or six years ago. Remember when I was captured and taken into the mountains? He was there. He must have ordered it because it was the only way he could get to see me.”
“That’s great,” exclaimed Marcos. “Mim had two husbands at the same time. She didn’t even realise.” He turned and studied Luke’s expression. “Must be a strange thing.”
*
Luke sat at the door of his father’s storehouse, staring at the air. Things could wait in this timeless zone. No one would travel much once the colder weather set in. Turning he leant against the frame. All around him the familiar trappings of his childhood. Straps, blocks, tools. Stone, wood, leather, carved bone. Containers of all sizes carved or jointed from wood or fired out of clay. He wondered how Joa managed with it all. Strictly speaking he should call her Mother but it seemed inappropriate. She was only a few years older than him. And Ma had tried so hard to bear children before she became ill, Joa still awaited her first. Luke and Marcos. That was all David had to show for his efforts after all these years. We would have to serve him well.
A lessening of the rain reminded Luke the outside world still had business and would at some point require action. Remembering the corpses on the battlefield he wondered who his next enemy would be.
The Castle Guard. They must have moved in straight after the battle, while I was in the Forest. Every shaft, every head. They must have used my tools to extract them so quickly. But who was in charge on that side of the river? Igor. Could he have done it? Would he? What was it Hartor said? A top warrior is a dog. He is your best friend. Use him to round up cattle. Use him to fight off wild animals. But dogs bite. They are clever.
Luke stood, readying himself for the world beyond the doors of his childhood.
Igor will go the way of Stefan, eventually. Maybe I will too.
The grey became less subdued. Gradually the rain died. Stepping out he ran through ways to gather his forces. He had it in his head now. Igor, Thomas to act as translator, Simen would stay. Rav to command a force monitoring activity in the mountains. Wolf’s leading horsemen would be given a chance to adapt their loyalty, they certainly had ability. Luke’s father would perhaps get himself interested in a project to bring wheels to Athelea. And the metal that was probably still lying discarded, unrecognised in the ruins of the old houses. And Morian, of course. Faithful, honest Morian, whose family had served their country from time beyond history. Who would help to rebuild the Lodge and the battered patriotism of its people.
Darios was in the main house, just thinking his thoughts. Luke stood in the doorway.
“Off to Agor now, want to see what can be done about the Lodge. Those guys in the Forest, they can build. Thought I’d take them to Treaty to see the work Peter’s been doing. Not too difficult a journey with horses. You can come if you like.”
“Too far for me, I’m halfway gone already. Like you said.”
“Nonsense. But it doesn’t matter. What you would like though, is to know about metal. We’ve made a lot of advances.”
“May be interesting but there must be a new generation who will deal with it. There are so many things we missed while just farming and surviving.”
“Well I’ll be back whenever I’m in the area. If you don't mind me staying here from time to time. You’ll have to put up with my men but I’ll make sure they do work for you. I’ll say goodbye to Joa along the way.”
The mud sucked and squelched underfoot as he stepped over to the horse in the old paddock where it had all started. Turning her around he gazed over the farm. The field he stood in lay fallow and grassy. Soon their might be horses here again, but this time over all Athelea as well. The Forest and the mountains would be scoured for the wild, frightened animals and their valuable young, to be driven into pens by dogs. In the spring more would be born until Athelea would match Elenea in horsepower. Luke thought once again of the Lodge’s motto. To dare, you have to be strong. Just don’t end up dead.