They reached the stone flutes the next morning. Riding perhaps a kilometre away from the monoliths, they were all content with not having to go any further. Kath shivered. The full night's sleep had done her good but the constant grating song was wearing her down and as tired as she was, she was easy prey to be emotionally drained. Gilan saw the movement and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Halt hid a smile.
"Next flute player I meet," said Gilan grimly, "I'm going to split his lip for him."
The plainsman had risen suddenly from the ground; filthy, faded rags hanging off his bony frame. He stared at them with what? Interest? Wariness? Kath couldn't decide, nor did she have too for within seconds he had disappeared again, bending double as he ran. The arrow she'd selected remained undrawn on her bow and she looked curiously first at Gilan, then at Halt.
"May mean nothing, or it may mean he's gone to tell the Kalkara. But we can't shoot him simply on suspicion." Kath nodded glumly at the words. She felt tensed from the sudden arrival, and that coupled with the grating of the flutes meant she just wanted to do something. Get the pent up nervousness out of her system. Though shooting an innocent man probably wasn't the ideal thing to do, she reasoned.
"Halt?" Ventured the young boy. Kath swung to look at him. "Why would Morgarath release the Kalkara? What does he stand to gain?"
She nodded and turned to look at her old teacher; she'd been wondering that too and from Gilan's expression he had as well. Halt considered the question before answering. "Who knows why Morgarath does anything? We can't know for sure but what I suspect, and Crowley agrees with me here, is that this is going to be a big war. Bigger than we've ever fought before and we're going to need all our best leaders to win. So by killing them off, as Morgarath has done, he seeks to sow confusion and weaken us. Our Supreme Commander and our best Cavalry Commander are dead, of course other men can and will step up to this but there's bound to be in-cohesion and confusion. That's exactly what Morgarath is trying to induce."
Gilan spoke up now, "There's another element to it as well."
Kath nodded, the same thought had occurred to her, and now she spoke for her friend. "Both men were instrumental in Morgarath's defeat last time."
"He's destroying our command structure and getting revenge at the same time," Gilan put in.
"Revenge can be a powerful motive to a twisted mind like Morgarath." Added Kath. It was Halt's turn to nod. "That's true of course, and I reckon there are still killings to come."
Will drew in a sharp breath which his master noted, "That's why it's our job to stop them." he reminded gently. Halt then stopped in his saddle and looked around. "The sun's going down. We should camp here." They all swung down stiffly and Gilan grimaced, "That's the only good thing about this blasted place. One spot is as good as another to camp. Or as bad."
Kath woke suddenly to a hand clamping over her mouth. Her eyes widened and her grip on her saxe tightened, but then as she saw Gilan's friendly faced she relaxed, raising her eyebrows in question. Gilan removed his hand and held it out to help her stand, the other pointing into the night air, gesturing for her to listen. A high pitched howl carried across the plain and the sound shivered up her spine. Then another howl, in answer to the first sounded, inhumane and tortured. A sound that she had never wanted to hear again. It was the Kalkara, and they were hunting. Gilan moved to saddle Blaze but Halt held out an arm to stop him, "I'm not taking any risks, we wait till first light." Gilan's hand in Kath's relaxed. She frowned, not realising earlier that he hadn't let go but then she smiled slightly. It was a comforting presence in the cold, sleepless night.
They found the tracks easily enough the next morning, the long grass crushed by heavy bodies. The two beasts travelled parallel to each other but a quarter of a kilometre rested between them for safety and support. Halt considered the situation, but the answer was rather obvious. "You two follow the second set whilst Will and I follow this. I want to see if they head in the same direction. Pay close attention to Blaze and Julius, they'll warn you if the Kalkara are anywhere near."
The young Rangers nodded before returning to the second trail, and after a gesture from Halt, continued down the track.
The two friends and horses were used to spending a lot of time together and fell into their customary positions, Gilan on the left and Kath on the right. However this time there was no casual chatting or gentle teasing and they both rode on in silence, not wanting to be distracted from their task. They had been riding for maybe an hour when they heard a piercing whistle; three sharp notes in ascending order. Kath glanced sideways at Gilan but he just shrugged and repeated the notes backwards. What was the matter? The two of them turned curiously to their companions, and Gilan held out his hands in a clear question, but Halt made a negative gesture and shook his head. Nothing. They began to ride again, but this time Kath noticed that Will was looking at them carefully and gave a small smile. "Halt has Will watching us. I bet every time we disappear, he lets his teacher know."
Gilan smiled too, "He's a nice kid, smart like Halt said. I just wish he didn't have to come, no fifteen year old should have to do this." Kath nodded and blew air out from her cheeks in a sigh. Gilan raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"
"Yeah, just … we're heading straight for the stone flutes.
A/N: Hey to all those who are reading my story, thank you so much :)
Once again, anything belonging to the original books isn't and will never be mine.
Also to the guest reviewer, you're comment made my day! Thanks!
