Chapter 7
Halt and Crowley rode along the dusty track. They had stocked up on food, thanks to another of Halt's coins.
"Stupid, idiotic, annoying..."
Crowley sighed inwardly, determined to ignore his companion. The hibernian had been muttering descriptive words about the baron for ten minutes. Some of them were quite...creative.
"Arrogant, ignorant, nasty..."
Swift's ears twitched and he snorted. Crowley patted his neck.
"Just ignore him," he told the horse.
"Ugly, foul-smelling, ridiculously- what did you say?"
The blond boy shifted guiltily in his saddle, "nothing," he muttered.
"I thought I heard you say to ignore me?" Halt persisted.
"I would never say such a thing!" Crowley exclaimed, faking horror.
Halt narrowed his eyes.
"And anyway, why'd you ask if you knew what I'd said?" The blond boy added.
"So you did say that?" Halt glowered at him, "Well then, I..."
He trailed off as he saw horse galloping over the crest of a hill. Crowley reached behind him and drew an arrow from the quiver on his back.
Halt touched the knife at his belt, wishing he had a better weapon.
As the other rider neared, they could see him better. He was riding a small shaggy horse like Swift. His clothes were plain, a wollen cloak streaming out behind him.
"Stop!" Halt yelled.
The horse slowed as the rider turned to study them. Crowley tensed, ready to shoot.
The rider saw the gleaming arrow pointing at his chest. He slowly raised his hands in a friendly gesture.
Guiding his horse with his knees, he walked it over to them. His hair was long and greasy, falling over his shoulders. His eyes were bright specks of green, the only bit of him that wasn't dust covered and brown.
"Whoa, there," he said, flashing a small smile. "I'm no danger to you two,"
Halt eyed him with distrust. He saw a knife at the mans belt and a long bow over his shoulder. A hunter maybe?
Crowley slowly relaxed his arm, releasing the tension of his bow string. He kept the arrow aimed though.
There was a moment of awkward silence. None of them knew what to do next.
"What business do you have in Clifend?" Halt asked eventually.
"None," The man said.
"Look, boys," He said after another pause, "Don't go terrorising armed strangers. You could find yourself in serious trouble,"
"Thank you for your concern," Halt replied coldly.
"We can look after ourselves," Crowley added. He lowered the bow but left the arrow nocked and ready.
"You're a ranger?" the man asked, "An apprentice?"
"I am," Crowley confirmed.
"Where's your master?"
Halt saw the other boy stiffen in his saddle. He noticed the clenched jaw and narrowed eyes.
"That is none of your business," Halt told the stranger.
Crowley relaxed a little and mouthed a thank you in Halt's direction. The hibernian dipped his head in a reassuring nod.
"If you say so," the man shrugged. He leaned back in his saddle and glanced at the sun.
"Well, I can hardly leave you out here without any adults," He said, "You'll have to come with me. I'm Lukas, by the way."
"Why would we want to go with you?" Halt snapped at him.
"We're going to Castle Araluen," Crowley said at the same time.
"You think the guards will let you in?" Lukas said, "A couple of travel stained boys like yourselves?"
Halt and Crowley exchanged a glance.
"I don't see why not," The blond boy said.
"They won't," Halt sighed, "Not in a big castle like the king's,"
Lukas shrugged. "Well, if your sure. I have to go now, anyway. Someone has to deal with the dead bodies," her groaned.
"Dead bodies?" Halt asked.
"What?" Crowley exclaimed.
Bright green eyes stared at them both.
…...
Pauline slept fitfully, dreaming of the two boys who had been kicked out of the room. If they were to be believed, they had paid a gold coin for this room. Rosalee had got it free of charge.
She rolled over and stared at her mentors sleeping features. It wasn't fair. Other people had better lives than this. She knew that.
She leaned under the bed and quietly retrieved her diary from it's hiding place in her bag. She lit the lamp, carefully arranging the blankets and her body to limit the amount of light reaching Rosalee. She glanced over her shoulder at the courier.
For once, she didn't feel like writing about her mentor and Orhan. She chose instead to draw a simple picture of the boys. She drew them as she remembered them, the dark haired one furious and the other tugging on his arm.
She drew the baron, the lines on his face crinkled in a sneer. She couldn't decide whether to draw Lady Melaine as a good or bad character so she left her out.
She drew the battlemaster Carver and the two young knights. She left their faces blank, hiding their expressions under their helmits. Like Melaine, they seemed nice but couldn't possibly have missed her terror, could they?
She heard Rosalee stirring behind her. Pauline quickly blew the flame out and hid her diary under the bed.
"Pauline?" her mentor mumbled sleepily.
Pauline lay silently, holding her breath. She heard the courier shift and hoped Rosalee was turning over.
She counted to ten, then carefully placed the lantern back on the table between the beds.
Pauline thought she heard yelling outside the room but was too tired to listen. She let herself drift away from the world.
…...
Crowley covered his nose with his cloak. He felt like he was going to vomit.
Dead bodies littered the ground, covered in flies and blood. There were six of them, clearly a family.
Lukas glanced at the expressions on the boys' faces. "Yeah, it's pretty horrible," he said.
"Disgusting," Halt muttered. He nudged one of them with his boot. Dispite himself, curiosity was rising in him, threatning to keep him awake for nights if he didn't get answers. Maybe they could postpone the trip to Castle Araluen.
Lukas ran a greasy hand through his hair, "It's terrible," he agreed. For a moment, there was a look of utter sadness on his face. Then he straightened up and faced the boys.
"So, will you help bury 'em?"
Halt and Crowley exchanged a glance.
"I guess so," Halt said.
Crowley stared at the bodies, sickened.
"I'm going to throw up," he groaned.
Lukas shook his head, "don't be a wimp," he said.
He grabbed the shovel that was tied to his saddlebags.
"Go 'round back," He told the boys, "There'll be shovels there, surely,"
Halt led the way around the house. There was a small shed by a vegetable patch. He slid the door open, ignoring Crowleys whining, and found an assortment of tools.
"Here," he said, picking up a shovel. Crowley followed him reluctantly.
They joined Lukas who was busy digging in a patch of dirt sheltered by a large apple tree.
It wasn't a particularly hot day, but by the time they had dug a big enough hole to bury six bodies, they were all sweating.
"That'll do," Lukas leaned back, studying the hole.
Crowley swallowed, knowing what they had to do next.
Lukas strode over to the dead man and gripped his shoulders, lifting him awkwardly. Blood splattered on his already filthy shirt. It was just about unwearable now.
Halt reluctantly lifted the man's legs, helping to carry him to the hole. They dumped him in.
"You help too," Lukas said to Crowley with a frown. The blond boy wordlessly followed them to the dead bodies, his face pale.
Lukas lifted another of them, nodding to the apprentice ranger to help him this time. Crowley lifted the legs, but he couldn't look away from the face of the women they were carrying.
Her eyes so wide and desperate, yet so empty. Lifeless. Her mouth still open in a scream.
Oh god. He gritted his teeth. He would never forget the first time he saw a dead human. That time the skin had been blackened, burnt and blistered. The hair had been burnt off, exposing more damaged skin.
The expression had been the same. Only worse. Because Crowley had known the woman then.
Every emotion he had felt returned to him now. Every time he'd blamed himself, every time he'd been alone. It all returned to him.
It was Halt who saw it coming. He darted across the land without thinking and caught his friend as the apprentice fainted.
Lukas cursed as he was left with the full weight of the body. He dropped the woman and lifted the blond boy off Halt. He set him down in the shade with an irrtated snort.
"You'll have to help then, boy, c'mon,"
Together, they managed to bury the bodies. They said a few words over the grave and arranged stones in a circle so they would remember that was the grave.
"I'm gonna rest up here," Lukas said, glancing at the sun, "Stay with me."
As much as he didn't like to sleep in a home belonging to dead people, Halt was too tired to do anything else.
The house had one large room which was a kitchen and living room combined. There was a bathroom connected to it and a staircase up to the next floor. The second floor was made entirely of bedrooms. Lukas picked one with a large double bed. There were two more, one that had a girly feel to it. Halt choose the other one. It was more bed then room, with three beds crammed into a relatively small space.
Crowley, who was now awake from his fainting spell, joined him upstairs.
"We are absolutely not sleeping in a dead persons house!" he insisted. "It's a horrible-"
"You've been sleeping all afternoon," Halt interrupted him angrily and curled up in one of the beds.
Crowley reluctantly lay down on a bed and eventually, he too fell asleep.
