Chapter 20

It took a day and a half for them to leave the forest completely. Lukas glanced back regretfully at the trees, certain that now the greenery was limited, Pauline would no longer be able to hide her threads. But barely ten minutes later, he spotted another one poking out from the grass.

It was so obvious in the afternoon light that he couldn't possibly believe Jarlon hadn't noticed. Yet there it was, shining blue in the sunlight.

The thought had occurred to him that perhaps it was a trap. He had thought long and hard about how wise it might be to keep blindly following the threads. But the alternative, to return to the farmhouse, abandoning Pauline didn't appeal to Lukas at all. He'd grown somewhat fond of the three youngsters that had been living with him for the past month and didn't like the thought of what Pauline might go through should Rosalee and Orhan get their hands on her. He was also naturally curious and didn't like not knowing exactly what was going on. Besides, this was the best chance he had to find the campsite of th group and put a stop to them.

So he didn't mention the theory about the trap to Halt or Crowley. He didn't want to frighten them, after all. A grin twisted the side of his mouth as he imagined the sort of profanity Halt might prepare for him if the hibernian knew what he was thinking.

"What are you grinning about?" Halt asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Lukas said airily, waving one hand in a careless fashion.

"How close do you think we are to catching them?" Crowley asked now the gates for conversation were open.

Lukas shrugged. "I don't know for sure," he said. "We've got an easier time of it, since I can trust you two to keep watch. But then, who knows what might happen? Maybe Jarlon has rendezvoused with more people from their mysterious group. What I do know is we seem to be heading North East."

Halt eyed the land in front of them. The trees seemed to be thinning and the ground was covered in short bristly grass.

"So, we're getting close to the coast?" Crowley asked.

Lukas nodded. "That's right," he said.

On they rode, resting every few hours. Halt kept expecting something to happen, but somehow the days kept passing uneventfully. He waited, half expecting to see Pauline around every bend. He didn't and slowly, he became used to life in the saddle. They rode and rode and nothing happened and it seemed to Halt as if five years had passed, though it had only been five days.

On the sixth morning, they found themselves travelling parallel to the sea. Crowley commented on that, they talked for a while, then everything was the same as it was before. Sometimes, where the land was devoid of plants, Halt could see the glittering blue ocean and he'd peer at the horizen, imagining he could see Hibernia.

It wasn't until the seventh morning that something happened. The day started the same as the other days. They ate breakfast in quick bites, packed up their gear and prepared to mount their horses. Lukas shook his canteen, frowning as he didn't hear the swooshing of water.

"Dammit, I'm all out of water," he said. "Halt, I saw a stream when I was scouting around. Would you like to go top up our water supplies?"

Halt raised his eyebrows. "No, I wouldn't," he said deliberately.

Lukas tossed him the canteen. "Tough, go on."

Halt rolled his eyes and grabbed his own canteen, figuring that he may as well fill his own up as well.

Crowley grinned and raised his canteen to his lips, water dripping down his chin. "Take mine too, Halt," he said holding out his now empty canteen.

Halt glared at him. "Get your own water," he growled.

"Oh, you're so mean!" Crowley said, shaking his head sadly.

"Both of you, just hurry and go," Lukas snapped at them.

Halt shrugged and slipped between the trees. Crowley hurried to catch up with him.

"Where's the river?" Crowley asked.

"Over here," Halt said shortly, annoyed though he couldn't say why. Crowley's voice was getting on his nerves. He actually didn't know where the river was, but figured it couldn't be hard to find.

"How do you know? Crowley asked.

"I just do," Halt snapped.

"But Lukas didn't tell you where the river was, so how do you know?" Crowley persisted.

Halt kicked a pebble angrily, watching it fly into a tree and imagining it was Crowley slamming into the trunk. It was taking far too long to find Pauline. What if they never did? What if for the rest of his life he was wandering the land, searching and searching. He imagined himself as an old man, finally finding Pauline's body lying still and silent in death.

"Halt?"

Halt realised he had stopped walking and started again abruptly. "Do you ever shut up?" he said in frustration to the boy beside him.

Crowley looked hurt and they walked on in silence. Then suddenly, Crowley grabbed Halt's arm.

"Listen, I hear water," he said. "Come on, this way!"

Halt hurried along with him. Now that Crowley had said it, it seemed so obvious. How could he have missed the sound of running water? He'd been blundering along in the wild, hoping to just bump into the river. He should have thought to stop and listen.

Well, how could anyone listen with Crowley yapping in their ear. It was a weak defence but Halt told himself it was Crowley's fault, not his.

The sound of running water grew louder and suddenly, there it was. They walked over to the edge of the river. It was bigger than Halt had pictured. He'd imagined a stream but this was a strong river, three or four metres wide and littered with rocks. He could see by the way the water flowed that there was a strong current.

"Don't fall in," Crowley said, having noticed the same thing. Halt crouched down on a large, flat rock and held his canteen under the water. He couldn't see the bottom, so he reasoned it was quite deep. Beside him, Crowley bent down to fill his canteen as well.

"Well, I'm all done," he said.

Halt ignored him. He put the stopper back on his canteen and started filling Lukas's.

"Halt..." Crowley said. "Do you remember which way we came?"

Halt glanced around at the trees, his heart sinking. He had no idea which way they'd come. Lately, he'd been losing his focus. He didn't care about little things so much. He told himself he should be thinking about whether Lukas was getting worried but a mean little corner of his mind was saying, let him worry. It wasn't Halt's problem.

"You done yet?" Crowley asked impatiently. Halt lifted the canteen from the water and put in the stopper.

The pouch he wore arund his neck swung out over the water as he moved. He tossed the canteens up onto the grass and grabbed the pouch, holding it steady.

"Do you think we'll be able to find our way back?" Crowley asked, looking nervously at the trees. "I don't want to get lost."

"Coward," Halt muttered, still holding the pouch tightly. He didn't care if they got lost. He'd lost everything anyway. One day he would die, far from his home and the people who cared about him. Why wait for that day?

She would be shocked if she knew what he was thinking, Halt thought. A sigh escaped his lips. His thought's had been getting dark recently. This wasn't the life he wanted. He was sick of sleeping in the open, having little food and, most of all, feeling scared.

"What's that?" Crowley asked, staring at the pouch.

"Nothing," Halt snapped, automatically stepping back, away from the other boy. Only, he'd forgotten he was standing on the rock. His foot encountered nothing but air and everything slowed down as he waved his arms, trying to balance on the edge of the rock.

Then he was falling, his arm colliding painfully into another rock, then pain shot up his leg, then his other arm. The world was spinning and water poured into his mouth. He closed his eyes against the water and all he could do was shut his mouth and try not to breath.

He didn't know which way was up. Halt tried to gather his wits about him and try to figure out what had happened. He'd fallen into the river. So now the current was spinning him and sucking him down the river. He forced his eyes open, hoping to figure out which way to swim. All he could see was swirling bubbles in a giant blur. The back of his leg was burning, constant throbs of pain travelling up it. A red tinge was creeping into the water and he realized he was bleeding. He tried to get some control over his limbs.

He moved his leg and the pain lessened. He'd been dragging it against the bottom of the river. His lungs felt like they were about to burst and he knew he needeed air. Using his arms and legs, he pushed himself up, trying to find something to hold onto.

His hand touched a rock and he threw his other arm up. Wrapping his arms and legs around it, managed to lift his head above the water. He took a gulp of air. The water was tearing at him, trying to force him off the rock. He looked over at the shore and saw Crowley running along the bank.

"Halt!" the blond boy yelled.

Halt would be damned if he called for help. He just hung on to the rock stubbornly.

"Wait there, I'll help you!"

"Where else am I going to go, you idiot!" Halt yelled at him. His leg really hurt, even more so than the rest of him. At least it wasn't broken, he could move it fine.

He watched as Crowley looked around frantically for something to help him with. He could hang onto the rock for ages. It wouldn't be pleasant, but Lukas would come and somehow he'd get back on the shore.

He pressed his face against the rough rock. Help me, he thought to his amulet. His amulet! He pulled back from the rock enough to look down. The pouch was gone. He risked letting go of the rock with one arm to fumble around his shirt for it. He couldn't find it. It was gone.

She was somewhere in the river. He couldn't let her die in this foreign country.

Halt let go of the rock. The current swept him away again. He held out his arms, desperately hoping he'd grab the amulet but he was being unrealistic. The current spun him around. It was a miracle he wasn't already dead. Any moment, he expected a rock to slam into his head and kill him.

He kicked up to the suface and snatched a breath before he was forced under again. Where was his amulet? He needed it! It was his family!

Where are you? He thought desperately. Where are you? Where are you?

He grabbed helplessly anything he coul, hoping against hope he would feel the soft leather of the pouch.

His hand closed around something. The current pulled him forward, but the things in his hand didn't budge. He reached back with his other hand and seized hold.

He pulled his head out of the water and took a breath. He was hanging onto the branch of a tree that leaned right over the river. He pulled himself up higher, so his chest was resting on the branch and his legs were dangling into the water.

Then, by some miracle, or maybe just an enormous piece of luck, he saw it. The pouch was caught on another branch, from the same tree, tangled up on the surface of the water. Halt reached out a hand to grab it, but he couldn't quite reach. If he could just strech a little more.

"Halt!" Crowley, puffing from running down the bank, reached him. The blond boy crouched down, reaching out a hand for Halt.

Halt ignored him, still intent on trying to get his pouch. Crowley frowned, noticing what the hibernian was after.

The tree was large and sturdy. Crowley climbed swiftly onto the branch and crept out over the water. From there, he reached down and grabbed Halt's pouch. He tossed it onto the bank.

"There," Crowley said, slightly breathless. "Now, come on, get out of the water."

Halt looked at his friends dangerous perch. One slip and Crowley too would fall into the water. He felt a sudden surge of affection for the blond boy and vowed to be nicer to him in future.

Halt pulled himself along the branch. Crowley carfully climbed down from the branch he had been balanced on and onto the bank. He held out a hand to Halt and the hibernian took it. Crowley pulled him up onto the grass.

Halt seized his pouch and held it tightly in his hand. He lay there on the grass, sopping wet and panting. His body ached from hitting the rocks, especialy his right leg.

"Your leg!" Crowley exclaimed. Halt raised himself onto one elbow, looking down at his tattered clothes. His right leg was dripping red water. He painfully sat up.

"Let me see," Crowley said, gently lifting the leg. Halt winced at the pain.

"You've got a pretty nasty gash there," Crowley said. "We should get you back to camp and bandage that up."

"Or we could just sit here," Halt said.

"Take your cloak off," Crowley said. "It's wet,"

Halt shrugged at slipped it off, tossing it to one side. He shivered. The day seemed much colder than it had before.

"Here, put my one on," Crowley held out his dry ranger cloak.

Halt pulled his wet shirt off and accepted the cloak. He relished the warmth it gave him, wrapping it tightly around himself.

"Thanks Crowley," he said, touched by the concern in the other boys eyes.

"No problem," Crowley said, shrugging his thanks off awkwardly.

"There you are!"

Both apprentices spun around. Lukas slipped off his horse, hurrying over to them.

"You were taking so long, I came to look for you," he explained. "Come on, let's take a look at that leg Halt."

"Aren't you going to ask what happened?" Halt said, stretching his injured leg out.

"I saw it all from your tracks, as clearly as if it was happening in front of my very own eyes," Lukas said. He got out the first aid kit and crouched next to Halt's leg.

He cut the pants away from the wound, wiping the blood off. It was still bleeding but he did the best he could, cleaning and disinfecting it, then bandaging it up. He got out some warm, dry clothes for Halt. Crowley let Halt keep the cloak, choosing instead to use one of his spare ones.

"Up you get," Lukas said, grabbing Halt's arm and heaving the hibernian to his feet. "I would give you both a lecture on not being silly by rivers, but we've wasted enough time as it is. Let's get going."

Lukas had taken all three horses with him when he went to search for Halt and Crowley. He hadn't wanted to waste any more time returning to camp so he figured once he found them, they could get moving right away. He hadn't counted on Halt being injured or having to get him dry clothes.

Halt limped over to Dark, who butted his shoulder playfully. All three of them mounted their horses and rode at a steady canter.

"Let's head a little more east, and see if we can find another one of those threads. We can't be far away now, considering Jarlon has to waste time covering his tracks and we don't have to spend any time looking for them," Lukas said.

Coincidently, the river also curved east and the soon found themselves riding along beside it. Halt glared at it.

As they headed further north, the scenary began to change. Trees were scarce and there were many rocks and boulders scattered around.

Lukas frowned. "It seems we are getting close to the border," he said.

"You mean, the border between Araluen and Picta?" Halt asked.

"That's right," Lukas confirmed.

"Is that bad?" Crowley asked hesitantly.

Lukas shrugged. "It's interesting."

They kept riding. Halt shifted in his saddle, trying to get more comfortable. A stab of pain shot up his leg and he swore.

"You okay?" Crowley asked.

"No, I'm not okay! I've got a bloody great hole in my leg!" Halt yelled at him.

"Well, that's an exageration if I ever heard one," Lukas said dryly. "Surely, you aren't talking about that little scratch from the river, are you?"

"I nearly died!" Halt said furiously. "And it's not just a scratch!"

Crowley looked away. "You let go of the rock," he said.

Halt's face reddened. Yes, he had let go of the rock. But what was he supposed to do? His precious amulet had been drowning. It was all he had of his home.

"It's not that easy to hold on," He said defensively. "The current was strong!"

Crowley turned back to him. "Okay," he said.

"And it was sucking me under!" Halt added. "I didn't want to die, I really didn't!"

"Okay," Crowley said again. "I believe you."

"I didn't have a choice!" And-"

"We get it Halt," Lukas interrupted. "We trust you. You wouldn't let yourself die, not while Pauline is out there suffering."

Halt bowed his head, guilt stinging him. He hadn't even thought of Pauline. Nor of Crowley or Lukas. Never again, he vowed. He would stop being selfish. What if he really had died? What would his friends have felt?

He took a deep breath and regained his compsure. He wasn't afraid to die, but he was afraid of what that might put his friends through.

"Another thread," Lukas said, pointing to a rock. Halt followed his finger and saw the blue fabric shining in the sunlight.

"And look there," Lukas said. "See that hoofprint?"

Halt peered at the ground. It wasn't so much a hoofprint as a very faint scuff in the ground.

"There's another one," Crowley said, pointing to a spot ahead of them.

"It seems that Jarlon has stopped covering his tracks," Lukas said. "He must have decided he was taking too much time."

Lukas urged his horse forward, his eyes intent on the ground. Crowley and Halt dropped back so as not to distract him.

"When we find Pauline, do you think we'll have to fight?" Crowley asked.

"I hope so," Halt said, touching the bow that was slung over his shoulder, then the knife at his belt. "I want to make them pay for hurting her."

"Me too," Crowley agreed, though he looked slightly nervous. Where Halt's eyes were dark and angry, Crowley was less keen. "But not Jarlon, it's not his fault."

Halt snorted. "He's bringing Pauline back to her mentors who do horrible things to her. He deserves to die."

Crowley jerked back in his saddle as if he had been hit. "No!" he cried. "Sure, he's made a mistake but no ones perfect. I bet he doesn't even know what's going to happen to Pauline! Jarlon would never hurt someone so badly. No matter what, he wouldn't!"

"He's changed, Crowley," Lukas said without turning around. "He's a broken man."

"No, he hasn't!" Crowley insisted. "I knew him after his lover died! He was bitter, but he was always kind. He'd never let people know, of course. He was secretive about it. He would do kind deeds for them, help those who are poor but wouldn't tell them he helped them."

Lukas was silent for a while. "Is that what he did?" he said eventually. "Or is that what you want him to have done?"

Crowley turned away, tears in his eyes. "If you believe he is a traitor," he said. "Then I know him far better than you ever did."

"I was his best friend for years, before you were born even," Lukas said. "I think I know him. Now can we please change the subject?"

Crowley said nothing. Halt shifted awkwardly, embarrassed by the emotions, but glad he'd had time to gather his thoughts and cool his own temper.

"The water is getting louder," he observed. Lukas nodded.

"It is, isn't it?" he said. "Maybe there's a..."

His voice trailed off as they rounded a bend. They looked out between the rocks. There was a sudden drop in front of them. The river fell over the edge in a loud, roaring waterfall.

Halt stared at the water dropping through the air and splashing on the rocks below. If he hadn't found his amulet...

"I'm glad we got you out of that river," Crowley said slowly, his thoughts obviously running on similar lines.

"Stop dilly dallying," Lukas said. "Look here, the tracks lead us this way."

He was right. Another blue thread confirmed it. So they headed away from the waterfall, urging the horses into a faster gait because they sensed they were close to finding Pauline.