Chapter 5

 

Laqueta stumbled along the leaf-strewn path pausing occasionally to rest and replaying the day’s events in her mind. After the argument with Kaiden she had thrown her life’s possessions and savings in a rucksack. Upon checking the coast was clear she manoeuvred herself awkwardly out of her little attic window and onto the roof. She clambered across until she was overlooking the narrow alleyway the bedsit was located on and navigated her way down to street level. It was surprisingly easy to mingle with the crowds on the main street and Laqueta had soon melted out of sight. She knew that time was against her; she wasn’t sure how long it would take Kaiden to discover her missing but his actions would be prompt after that. He was likely to leave her most of the day to cool off, she thought. That meant a fair head start but once he was on her trail he would be able to move a lot quicker then she could. She made a brief, hurried stop at a small grocer’s shop for bread, cheese, dried meat, fruit and water supplies. Such was her impatience to get going that it was only once she had reached the train station Laqueta realised she had left the tonic behind. It would have been difficult to get without Kaiden knowing of course, he kept it in his sight or on his person at all times, but she had no idea what would happen without it. Of course, she reasoned, there was only Kaiden’s word that it was a vital medicine and she was in no mood to trust him right now. She had never felt anger like this before and was unable to think, to function properly with such venom clouding her. All Laqueta knew was that she had to get as far away from Him and Old Town as possible. The train was empty apart from a dirty looking, one eyed man in the front seat. He leered unpleasantly at her as she got on and she shrank back scared. A tall slug-like creature squelched up to take her fare and without thinking she found herself paying for a ticket to the forest.

 "13 lygo pleashhhe,"

 "As… As much as that?" Laqueta eventually found her voice

 "Sh’outshhide city boundarieshhh lasssh," the Slubite replied, spraying slime with every syllable. "Coshtsshh exshhtra." Laqueta handed over the money, which depleted the remainder of her savings severely. If her judgement was not ruled by the red mist of anger it was likely she would have turned back at that point. With no tonic, very little money and the tramp in the corner eyeing her unpleasantly, events seemed to be set against her escape. There was nothing for it now, she had come this far. The train moved off and Laqueta tried to settle down in the small, hard seat. The Slubite shuffled back down the carriage towards the front. He paused by her on his way past and peered at her curiously

"Whatsh a nicshhe lasshh like you doing in the foressht then?" He gurgled. Laqueta was well aware of the city-wide fear that existed with regard to the forest. She wondered what answer she could give without drawing too much attention to herself. The last thing she needed was to leave Kaiden an easy trail to follow. It would be hard enough to elude him anyway.

"Pilgrimage," she said simply. He seemed to sense her desire for secrecy and didn’t push the matter further.

"You wantshh to take care. Dangeroushh placshhe," was his only reply.

"Thank you. I will."

"Quite welcome Lassh. If you needsh anything jusht givesh me a sshout."

"Thank you….er?"

"Name’shh Shhamuel Jacobsshh"

"Samuel. Can you tell me when we reach the first Forest Stop? I’ll be getting off there."

"No Problemsh. Enjoy the ride Lassh" He squelched off again, leaving Laqueta alone in the carriage with the leering tramp. She stared out of the train window at the passing cityscape, more out of a wish to avoid the scruffy Cyclops then any desire to see the sights.

 It felt as if the ride took hours but in reality, she had to admit, it was over fairly quickly. Not a moment too soon, however. Her fellow passenger was making her nervous. He had spent the entire journey staring in her direction, not looking away for even a moment. By the time she disembarked the sharp pains, numbed from the tonic dose that morning, were beginning to return. It meant that the next dose must be due before too long, time was running out. If Kaiden hadn’t already discovered her absence then he would do so very soon. She picked up her pace, stumbling into the forest at a half run. She followed the rough, worn path through the trees, not knowing or caring which direction to head in. Some ancient, hitherto unknown, instinct had taken over, guiding her blindly towards the old mutant settlement and her first, brief, home.

 And now here she was. The pains were rising to agonising levels now. She had broken out in a cold, clammy sweat and all the colour was drained from her face. It was nearly impossible to tell through the thick blanket of leaves overhead but the sun had nearly set. Dusk was coming towards her at a gallop and she was lost and alone. Turning back was no longer an option so she blundered on, deeper into the forest. 

    It seemed to take forever but eventually she came across the charred and ruined remains of an old settlement at the heart of the woodland. Though she had no memories of her time here it felt somehow familiar, as if a part of her had always belonged. In a way she had never left. Her anger was abating slightly, blinded now by the pain. She broke her way into the clearing and, unable to stand any longer, collapsed on the earthy floor.

  

   Kaiden heard Laqueta before he saw her. Still twisting and weaving his path among the trees and shrubs he detected scuffling noises a little way off and then, suddenly, a substantial crackle, as though a large animal had fallen amongst the twigs and dry leaves. He turned and headed towards the source of the disturbance and broke into the clearing to discover her unconscious form sprawled across a pile of bracken and twigs. He landed swiftly and ran over to her inert body. He tried rousing her by shouting and shaking her shoulders but she remained unresponsive. In desperation he lifted the girl’s head and forced a large dose of tonic down her throat hoping that she would not choke on it.

   With that done he turned his attention to their immediate surroundings. It would be impossible, he decided, to move Laqueta while she remained unconscious so they would have to make-do here for a while. The clearing itself was fairly large and grouped at the far end Kaiden could see the burnt out remains of old tribal houses. Most of them were crumbling ruins, long overgrown with a multitude of climbing plants; one, however, seemed to have escaped the worst of the fire that had destroyed the community. It stood at the back of the little group and, though charred and damaged, remained sturdy. The primitive little building would provide the pair with adequate shelter for the evening. Kaiden gently scooped the pale girl into his arms and made his way carefully across the clearing. 

   Once there he set her down in grassy corner and positioned her so she was supported by the wall and sitting up slightly. Most of the tonic had gone down properly but a few stubborn drops remained and began to dribble from the corner of her mouth. The sun was long set and, in the shade of the canopy overhead, the forest was dark now. There was a chill breeze to the air as well and Kaiden set about gathering dry wood for a fire. He arranged the kindling carefully, picking an open spot, away from overhanging plants and branches, and surrounding the area with stones to contain the flames. Setting the whole forest alight would not be a very clever thing to do, not to mention the extreme disrespect it demonstrated.

 

 Laqueta began to stir before too long. She came round to see Kaiden tending the small fire. The flickering light from the blaze provided the only light in the heavy gloom of the woodland. The dancing flames played sinister looking shadows across his face making him look unusually old and worn. He sensed the movement and turned towards her, his stare penetrating her every thought. After an uncomfortably long silence her guardian inclined his head in a slight nod, indicating a truce. It was not his way to dwell on the past and she knew that this would never be spoken of again. He knew she was aware of the seriousness of her actions, the girl was not stupid. She was sorry, lessons had been learnt and it was enough, for now, that she was safe. This would be the end of the matter, on the understanding that it worked both ways. Old arguments were dead and buried here also. It served no purpose to bring them to the surface again.

 She assessed her condition briefly. Her head and back ached from the tumble she’d taken earlier. The stabbing Changing pains were reduced to a dull throb, though, and the fever had gone He must have dosed her. Kaiden’s voice broke into her thoughts.

 "Did you bring supplies?" He waved a hand in the direction of her rucksack which lay, unopened, a few feet away.

 Laqueta nodded, "some." She pulled herself unsteadily to her knees and stretched out a hand for the bag. She pulled it towards her and began pulling out the contents at random. "Water, bread, a little dried meat, cheese. Oh and an orange." She looked up at him with a sheepish smile but he did not react.

  "Good you need liquids. Drink." He fished a container of water out of the small pile of supplies and proffered it. Kaiden paused a while, allowing the girl to drink at length from the leather flask. When she had taken her fill he resumed, "we will linger here a short time. You need to rest and regain some strength. It would be… wise, however, to return to the city tonight. I fear that we will not receive much of a welcome and darkness is the best friend we have."

  "It is my fault isn’t it?" Laqueta said, in a sudden rush of guilt. "I’m sorry!"

  "It is done now," he replied simply. He broke open the parcels of food and split them, giving her a much larger share. "Eat now."

They fell silent for a while, both staring into the crackling flames as they ate. The dancing light was captivating, hypnotising Laqueta as she looked into it and she found her thoughts being pulled inexorably towards her parents. How different her life could have been. But for the fire that had torn the community apart she would have a family now.

"It was the best thing for you," Kaiden said almost as if he were reading her thoughts.

 "How is that?"

 "They were outcasts here; they lived every day in fear of being discovered."

 "But I lost my family." Laqueta felt the anger rising and struggled to keep a cool head.

 "Indeed and that was a tragedy. The fire itself was perhaps a blessing in disguise for you though. A heavy disguise it may be but something happened to you that night. The mutations you were born with were burnt away. The flames suppressed any trace of them and prevented new ones forming until now. Were it not for the fire you would have been severely deformed from an early age, long before the Change." Kaiden paused, aware that she was having difficulty understanding what he was trying to say. He searched for another way to explain it. "Have you heard of the Phoenix?"

  "The Firebird?" The girl nodded.

  "The Phoenix perishes in fire and is reborn from the ashes. New life rises from the flames. You are like the Phoenix. In a way, you were reborn that night. The flames burnt away your old life and gave you a new start."

  "Why did you wait so long to tell me this Kaikai? Why keep it from me all these years?"

  "Would you have been able to cope with this before now?"

 She hesitated, "well…no, I suppose. But still I…"

  "But nothing," he said sharply. "The point is not what knowledge you have but how you deal with it. You would have been overwhelmed. Only now are you in a position to understand. Only now can you learn how to live with it. No one can help you to do that; you must find your own way."

 The silence resumed as they finished their rough meal. The only sound to punctuate the still night in the old house was that of the popping, spitting campfire as it chewed up the kindling. Laqueta’s head was full of the new revelations, trying to make sense of it. Accepting that it had all been for the best was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do. Laqueta knew she had to try, it would take time but she would get there one day. It was the only way forward.

 She settled down to sleep awhile before the journey home. The crackling flames comforted her somehow and she reflected how strange that was. Once upon a time fire had destroyed her home and family, changing her life for good. Once it had been her biggest fear, a mortal enemy. Yet here tonight, with Kaiden watching over her, she felt safe. She drifted off to sleep, soothed by the blaze.  

 

 

 Kaiden watched trance-like as the last flame flickered and died. His mind was working fast, deciding the best course of action from here on. He was painfully aware that, in his rush to find the girl, he had blown his cover. Several people had caught sight of him in full flight over Old Town. Even now mobs would be gathering, with typical prejudice, to march in less-than-peaceful protest, the likely result of which would be his forced expulsion from the district. It would be best for the pair of them to return safely to the bedsit before the riots started, which didn’t give them long. The Old Town Mobs were devoid of any common courtesies and thought nothing of making drunken, late-night visits. It would take a certain amount of time to gather sufficient numbers but once the word got out things would snowball. Kaiden guessed it must be nearing midnight now and an express train was due to pass through the forest. If they could catch that service there would be a chance of arriving home ahead of the protesters. He killed the remains of the fire, shook Laqueta awake and the pair set off for the train stop.