Part 3 Chapter 3

CHAPTER 19

 

 

A

t least a day has gone by since Thorne woke with a sprained leg in the old man’s house. The sprain has healed enough for the wooden makeshift tourniquet to be removed, though if Thorne bends it too much or puts too much pressure on the bad leg the pain returns.

  During that day the old man doesn’t discover who Thorne really is, nor does he ask, but Thorne learns that the old man goes by the name Tyanst and his granddaughter by the name Soija. Though he still has not heard her speak a word or discovered the reason behind her silence she has entered the room he is staying in several more times. Each time she gets bolder and walks further in and stays a little longer before once again rushing out. While still finding it annoying he gets use to it, figuring her to be harmless.

  Thorne learns that this house and the farm are surrounded by similar houses with similar farms. This little hamlet community use their farms to grow food produce to sell at nearby markets, which in turn go elsewhere to be sold in places including Tov’ra.

  Tyanst gives the names of some of his neighbours but Thorne doesn’t listen to them, just how many people are in each house. In case they recognise him and need to be dealt with and they may be able to help when the time comes to leave. No one else in the hamlet enter Tyanst’s house or even come close to it, but Thorne thinks it is because of him and not because of any negative feelings towards Tyanst or Soija. But the reason, whatever it is, doesn’t matter, just as long as he is alone for the time being.

  Several more times he finds Soija standing outside the doorway looking in. the first few times Thorne says nothing just watches back until she runs away, but when she does it again shortly after noon he gestures her to enter. She hesitates for a moment then cautiously walks in, she looks scared but excited.

  After staring at each other in silence for a while Thorne gestures again, she walks until she is next to him.

  “Can you talk?” though Tyanst has said she doesn’t he thinks she can but doesn’t want to. Maybe she feels she can around him.

  He soon thinks he is wrong and she will she her head no, but she nods. He is right.

  “Why don’t you?”

  “Bad words, bad words lead to bad feelings.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “My pa did.”

  Thorne nods, understanding a little better of what Tyanst had told him before.

  “Don’t tell him.”

  This surprises Thorne, fist that it came out of Soija like an order, and second that she doesn’t want anyone to know. ‘Why not tell him?’ he feels like asking her why and telling her not to order him. But remembers she doesn’t know who he is and it is her business what she does.

  He nods which makes her smile gratefully. The two then hear Tyanst calling for Soija and she leaves.

  By the end of that day he stays awake until he hears both Tyanst and Soija go to their separate bedrooms and sleep soundly for at least ten minutes. After that Thorne can barely keep his eyes open so falls to sleep along with them. He wakes early the next morning and for a moment listens for anyone else who may be awake, at first it seems he is the only one but then hears a low voice and realises he is the last one up in the house and Tyanst is talking low to be courteous. Thorne slowly sits up in bed and tests the bad leg, it isn’t completely healed but h feels well enough to resume his search for Olraym but, he suddenly grasps, he doesn’t know where to start looking. He doesn’t even know what Olraym destination is.

  Out of desperation he thinks of what to do, how can he find out where to go? The only thing to do is ask Tyanst or someone else in the hamlet. He slowly walks to where Tyanst is by following the voice. Tyanst and Soija are both in the sitting room having breakfast. At the sight of Thorne Tyanst greets him with joy and Soija perks up as well. She hasn’t told Tyanst she is able to speak and Thorne has no intention of telling him either. They offer him some breakfast which he accepts, they talk for a bit then Thorne asks Tyanst, making sure to be too obvious or to give his identity away, what he went into the sitting room for. Where did Olraym go? Of course he doesn’t ask it in that way, doesn’t use Olraym’s actual name. Tyanst’s answer is that of second-hand rumours. The rumour is that two figures, man and woman, were seen riding off towards Burden. 

  Though at first Thorne cannot believe his brother would go to Burden, Tyanst gives him a (second-hand) description of the two of them. Though some of the details are fuzzy the description of the man matches Olraym.

  It is a good place to start.

  Once all three finish breakfast Thorne helps clean up. Tyanst thanks him and Soija gives him an open toothy smile. He can see that some of her teeth are missing but he isn’t sure if it is because they are poor and therefore have a bad diet or because of the possibility of violence earlier in her life. He doesn’t ask about it Soija doesn’t seem upset that Thorne saw them. Soon after cleaning, Thorne walks out the front door.

  Once outside Thorne finds that Tyanst doesn’t have a spare horse to give and by the looks of the other houses in the hamlet neither does anyone else. Thorne doesn’t want to steal the one that was used to drag the cart, stealing is bad and it will attract too much attention. So, against Tyanst’s advice, he packs up his things plus what little Tyanst can spare for the road and starts walking in the direction of Burden.

  He doesn’t know exactly where he is on the road between Tov’ra and Burden but he guesses he cannot be too far and if Olraym and that Cultist woman have stopped in Burden then all the better.

  As time passes the pain becomes too much so he has to stop and rest with all the pressure on his good leg. He knows this might make it worse but finds no other alternative; he can rest it when Olraym is dead and he is crowned. He waits for ten minutes then resumes walking, with a slight limp now.

  He walks a little further then thinks of stopping again, he feels angry about this but knows he must. While looking around he finds a long thick branch, he limps over to it and picks it up, stands it up tall. It comes to just below his shoulder. Perfect. ‘I can definitely use this’. He tucks it into his armpit and uses it as a walking stick, putting a lot of pressure off his bad leg.

  Part of him wishes he did steal Tyanst’s horse, but that would create more trouble than it is worth and he doesn’t want to turn around.

  He hears a noise every so often that makes him stop and listen but it always turns out to be either wind blowing through the trees or animals and they run away when he gets close to them. None of the animals he sees are overly large or threatening but he keeps his eyes open, some of the larger ones might be around watching him, hunting him.

  An hour and a half after first leaving Tyanst he comes to a split in the road and a pole set in the middle with a few signs on it telling where each new path leads, the top one points south-west has ‘BURDEN’ on it. ‘I’m less than a day’s ride from him.’ Without looking at the others he follows the directions of that sign. And this is when he finds something unexpected.

 

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As far as Harke is concerned he has not failed as Trugaime did, for he is not in a dungeon of any kind. He still has a chance, that is how he sees it and he knows his fellow Cultists will see it that way too.

  He had lost track of the two after his failed attempt at the hands of none other than Trugaime herself. He can’t understand her reasoning, sure she is no longer allowed to be with them but that is no excuse, it’s not like she immediately becomes a target for the Cult.

  Whatever the reason the fact is she has done it, she has gone against them and sided with Olraym.

  He has had to slow due to his broken shoulder. After using a large flat rock standing tall to snap the bone back in the socket and uses spare cloth as a sling. With one hand he finds it difficult but not impossible to manoeuvre the horse. Sometimes he has pulled the reins too much and is forced to stop in order to correct his mistake before moving again.

  He tracks them through the Highlands towards Burden and possibly the Cult’s Den. While he did think that Trugaime would never tell anyone where the Starlight Cult lives, her betrayal earlier makes him doubt that earlier belief. 

  He soon comes to a pole with many signs and follows the one pointing to Burden, less than a minute afterwards he hears a noise from behind him. He turns his head and sees a man following him. The man is limping along the road holding a thick stick under an armpit. He doesn’t look threatening but he does look familiar. Harke pulls at his horse’s reins to stop him and lets the man catch up. The feeling of recognition increases as he sees him in greater detail but still cannot place him.

  When the man sees Harke there on his horse he stops as well though he doesn’t make any kind of similar expression. He doesn’t know Harke.

  “Good day,” says Harke in a polite tone.

  In return the limping man nods at him and lets out a grumble in the form of a reply. The man then resumes limping towards Harke, though isn’t sure if it is him the man is heading to or just past him along the road.

  “Where are you heading?”

  “What’s it to you?” retorts the man (Thorne) just as he reaches the horse’s backside. Harke keeps a close eye on him until the man is ahead of him.

  “Just thinking... If we happen to be going to same way I could give you a lift.”

  This makes him stop again, then, with some work, he turns back around.

  “Help me, for what reason?”

  He doesn’t give one just shrugs, but the actual reason is balance. Though he believes in the teachings of the Starlight Cult he believes that whenever possible he should help someone in need. That way if something is watching he would seem a good person in their eyes.

  The limping man (Thorne) looks as if he is considering the offer and in Harke’s eyes likely to reject it.

  “Where are you going?” asks the limping man. The question surprises Harke since he thought the man would reject him but this question implies otherwise.

  “Burden, I’m going to Burden.”

  “As it happens so am I.”

  Harke feels glad since he is able to help the man. The limping man backtracks until he is next to Harke and his horse again and, with Harke’s help from the arm that isn’t slung; he gets on top of the horse behind Harke. With a nudge the horse trots forward. He sees the man is in pain, probably due to his position and the horse’s constant moving so he pulls on the reins and the horse slows which seems to help the man.

  “Why go to Burden? It is a city of murderers and pilferers.”

  “I need to find someone, and I think he is there. Why are you going to Burden?”

  “The same reason actually.”

  Harke feels the man behind him stiffen but only for a moment. He thinks about questioning him about it but decides not to, but still there is something there. ‘Why is this man going to Burden?’