Chapter 25 – The Bow

Leila sat in the bow of the small boat, watching the shore as Lucius steered their craft down the river. It had been a month since she had dreamed with her brother, and her heart felt light. He was in dire need, but he was alive and that lifted a weight she hadn't realised she was carrying off her heart. What she needed to do now was find him and help him as best she could, but first she had to find a way to lift the curse which stopped her from finding him, and for that she needed advice.

The river was lined with thick forest that marched up the flanks of the river valley to the snow capped peaks high above. They had left behind the settled lands of the 4th Kingdom and entering the wild lands between the 4th and 3rd Kingdoms.

The river would eventually lead into the 3rd Kingdom, into the troll's lands, but the two wolves were not going that far. Leila had been watching the bank for hours now, looking for the spot she had grown to know and love so well, and at last, near night fall, she saw it.

"Over there, Lucius," she called, pointing to a small clearing leading down to the waters edge.

Lucius expertly guided their boat to the bank and Leila jumped nimbly ashore to tie their boat to a tree. Lucius tossed their packs to her then followed her onto land.

"It's good to be back," Leila said, gazing fondly around the tiny river meadow.

"What is this place?" Lucius asked.

"I told you about mad old Simon, didn't I?"

Lucius nodded.

"Well, this is where he lives. Come on, I'll introduce you."

Leila led the way up the gentle slope and into the trees. Behind the screen of trees was the small cottage she had called home for more than a year. Smoke was coiling from the chimney and the shutters were open in invitation.

"Simon?" Leila called as she ducked in the low door. "Simon, are you here?"

"Who is there?" a weak voice asked.

Leila frowned, that didn't sound like the hale old man she had known. She crossed the main room to the small bedroom. "It's Leila, Simon, are you all right?"

"Leila?" the voice brightened.

Simon emerged from the room. Leila was surprised at his appearance. He had aged considerably in the three years she had been away, he seemed to have shrunk and his grey hair had thinned to a meagre covering of fine strands over his wrinkled skull. He looked frail, frail and ill.

"Simon, what's wrong?" Leila asked in alarm, "Are you ill?"

Simon waved away her hand as she moved to help him. "Not ill, little wolf, dying."

"But you can't be!"

"It isn't something you or I can prevent, little wolf," Simon said, "Years roll by and we must accept that our lives roll with them. But you are home now, and we are very glad to see you. Come, share a meal with us and tell me all that you have been doing over the last few years."

"I have a friend with me," Leila said, helping Simon to a chair and waving Lucius forward into his line of sight. "This is Lucius, we're travelling together."

"Well, welcome, Lucius," Simon said, "Any friend of Leila's is a friend of mine. Where did you two meet?"

Leila could see that Lucius was reluctant to talk about personal matters with the old man, so she jumped straight in. "Up a tree," she said with a fond grin.

"I beg your pardon?" Simon asked, "I thought you were a wolf, not a squirrel."

"We were hiding from hunters," Leila said, "In the 2nd Kingdom, and hunters never look up when they are chasing people."

"Why were they chasing you? Apart from the obvious."

"They were chasing me, sir," Lucius said, "Leila helped me escape. Without her I would have been a pile of ashes."

"Oh, you're a wolf too?"

"Yes. I hope you don't mind, sir."

"Why should I mind? I'm not Leila's father to tell her who she can and can't be with, she's a woman grown and can make her own decisions," Simon said, "And since she has chosen you, you are welcome here."

Leila grinned at Lucius, "See, I told you he would welcome you."

"I'm sorry I doubted you," Lucius said. "I'll go and check on the boat, leave you two alone for a while."

Lucius left quietly and Leila settled the old man comfortably in his favourite chair.

"I was going to make tea while we talked," Simon said, "And do stop treating us like an old man."

Leila shook her head and chuckled at Simon's grumping. "You sit there, I'll make the tea and then you can spend the next few hours listening to me talk," she said firmly.

Everything was exactly where she remembered it and in minutes she had a pot of tea made and was sitting on the only other chair in the cottage.

For the next hour Leila spoke of what had befallen her since she had left, from the revelation of her connection to the House of Red, to the Three-Fold Goddess and the witch's curse and their journey back to the 4th Kingdom. Simon listened carefully, not interrupting until, at last, Leila had finished.

"What am I to do, Simon, about the curse?" she asked.

Simon was silent for a few moments, his two minds working on the problem. "The Goddess said that you were to unite the Wolves and Humans?"

"Yes, but I don't know how. Wolves and Humans have hated each other for thousands of years, how am I supposed to unite them?"

"We think that is a secondary question at the moment," Simon said, "What you will need to do first is find your brother, find out what the witch intends to use him for and stop it from happening."

"And to do that I need to lift the curse that she put on me," Leila said.

"What were her exact words?"

Leila thought back to her encounter. The words had been engraved on her soul. "She said 'I will confound your steps, no matter where you go, no matter how close you get to him, you will never find him, not until the day you die'."

"Ah," Simon exclaimed, "Not until the day you die. That is how you can break the curse."

"What do you mean? That I must die in order to break the curse? That doesn't leave me any better off."

"It means, little wolf, that she intends to have you killed somehow, to stop you from fulfilling the Goddess' prophesy."

"Oh great," Leila moaned, "Now I'm going to have to look out for someone actively trying to kill me as well as watch out for trolls, pitch fork wielding villagers and Queen Red's troops and try to find another way, apart from dying, to breaking the curse."

"What's this about dying?" Lucius asked from the doorway.

"It looks like the only way to break this damn curse that stops me from finding Warren is to die," Leila said.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose?" Lucius asked, coming to her side. There were no other chairs, so he sat on the floor beside her, taking her hand.

"Simon also thinks that the witch will actively try to kill me, I'm doomed," she moaned. "I think it would be better if I just stayed here and forgot that the outside world exists."

As she said it, Leila realized what an enticing prospect staying with Simon would be. Here she was safe, she had a home and someone who cared for her, and if Lucius stayed as well she may be able to start a family. Leila longed for safety, security and family and wished with all her heart for them.

"You wouldn't be content here for long," Lucius said, "And I would not be able to stay with you for long, I have to find where my Grandfather died. I want to find out what happened to him, and I want to find our family's ring. It's the only thing I know of which still holds the family crest. Grandfather was the last person to have it."

Leila nodded. He was right. She could not stay here, there were too many unanswered questions for her to settle in this hidden place and without Lucius she would be utterly miserable. He had his own quest and it would not be fair of her to demand that he stay with her just because she was too afraid to meet her challenges.

"I'm just so scared," she said, "I've been hunted before and I hate it. I don't want to live that fear any more."

"The only way to stop it is to meet your destiny," Simon said. "Face your fear and defeat it. But no one said you have to meet it alone and unprepared."

"What do you mean?"

"I will go with you, Leila," Lucius said, "To the ends of earth if necessary."

"I can't go with you," Simon said, "But I can help. Bring down that box off the mantle."

Leila retrieved the box that had sat on the mantle above the fire for as long as she had known, unopened. She passed it to Simon who took a tiny key from around his neck and unlocked it. Both Leila and Lucius leaned forward to see what it contained.

Within the box was a beautifully wrought medallion of silver engraved with a falcon's head and surrounded by rubies. It glinted in the late afternoon light, shining brighter than was natural even for perfectly polished silver.

"Do you remember what I told you of my brothers?" Simon asked.

"Yes," Leila said, "That they were all called Simon and each had a special skill."

"Do you remember what I told you of Simon the Bowmaker?"

"That he could make a bow that would hit whatever the eye sees," Leila said.

"That's right. After he left King Archidej he was captured by a King in a far off land. That King forced him to make a bow more powerful and more deadly that any that had come before. No matter who wielded it, a bolt from it would not stop until it hit the heart of a living being, even if it had to fly miles to do so," Simon said. "But our brother tricked the King and made not only the bow but this amulet. This is made from the same silver as the bow and where the other is death, this is life. It protects the wearer from the bow, so that he or she who wears it cannot be killed by it. I want you to have it."

Leila held up the amulet and admired its craftsmanship. "But how did you come it have this?"

"My brother escaped from the King and found his way, like you, to my door. We lived in peace for many years, but making the bow and putting the spells on it had taken part of his life and he died well before his time. He is buried down by the river," Simon said.

"Who has the bow now?" Lucius asked.

"A servant of the Queen of the 4th Kingdom, a man called the Huntsman. He is her assassin. He is very dangerous, he is an expert tracker, a forester, and utterly without mercy. Beware of him, my cubs, the Queen is the witch's instrument, and he is the Queen's. She may be in prison, but her influence is still strong," Simon took the amulet and placed it around Leila's neck. "Wear this always and there will be one less enemy for you to fear. Now," he said brightly, breaking the sombre mood, "The day is waning, time for supper."