Deltora's Protector

Chapter 4 – Grey Guards and Raladin

There was nothing spectacular about the Broad River Bridge. With mountains to the left of the road creating a boarder from Deltora and the Shadow Lands, the little bridge looked impossibly small. Wooden planks rose from the ground on one side before descending on the other. Open fields lay to the right, areas great for camping and lighting fires, and the water looked so clear that Aiden assumed that it would be safe to drink.

The only thing that was wrong with what normally be a safe picture, was the battalion of Grey Guards already camped out in front of the bridge.

Steven plastered a fake smile on his face and slowed his caravan down. With the sun setting it wasn't safe for them to continue on, they had to stop for the night, but Aiden believed that it wouldn't be safe for them to stop either. He looked at Steven in question and with slight worry.

"Stay on the caravan," Steven ordered in a whisper without moving his lips. "I'm going to talk to the guards."

Aiden nodded and remained perched in his place once the caravan stopped. Steven stepped down and walked towards the Grey Guards with a wide smile on his face. He started to flatter them and promised them a discount on his stores if they would be allowed to camp slightly downstream from them. Aiden swung his feet gently, his green eyes taking in everything at once.

All up there were eight guards. Four appeared to be completely relaxed as they were sprawled on the ground, fire in front of them and leisurely eating what food they had with them. Another two were closer to the river, they had stood when the caravan had come into view, but at the offer of discounted ale their expressions had become greedy and cruel. The final two were on the bridge, and they weren't staring at Steven at all. Their attention was focused on Aiden and their whispers to each other were far too soft for Aiden to make out. He shivered at their stares and stopped the movement of his feet. A quick flick of his eyes told him that Steven had his back to the guards on the bridge and couldn't see them coming closer.

Mellow pawed the ground nervously so Aiden scurried to stand by her side. His small stature only brought him to the horse's shoulder, yet it also hid him from Steven's sight should he turn around. The Grey Guards smirked as they, too, realised this. Aiden gripped Mellow's harness tightly but refused to back down from the approaching danger.

Mellow reared up slightly and neighed loudly to attract Steven's attention. The man turned around and took in several things. First, Aiden wasn't sitting on the caravan; two, Mellow wasn't a horse that was easily agitated; and thirdly, there were two Grey Guards approaching his horse with a malicious look on their faces.

"Aiden?" he called out in concern and fear. Aiden moved forward so that he was in front of Mellow and so that Steven could see him. He didn't smile to his brother, nor did he get one in return, instead, the Grey Guards decided that they would act.

"What luck we've had toady boys!" one of the guards stated. The six others behind Steven voiced their agreements and moved closer so that Steven, Aiden and the caravan were blocked from getting away. The second guard from the bridge darted forward quickly and snagged Aiden's jacket as he tried to move away. Aiden struggled silently but the strength of the Grey Guards was more than he was used to, he was almost completely useless against them.

"Let him go," Steven ordered coldly. Aiden looked over at him and saw his eyes flash a brilliant gold. He shivered involuntarily as he knew that it was Nevets causing the flash. The guard holding him laughed and gripped his arm tighter. Aiden gave a silent scream as he felt the bone bend in a way that it shouldn't.

"Or what?" the guard asked. Steven then smiled. His form blurred as Nevets appeared with a vicious howl. The guard stumbled backwards in surprise, dragging Aiden with him. He didn't stop until he was at the bridge, but by then his teammates had already been attacked, thrown aside or killed by Nevets and Steven. Aiden looked down into the quickly moving water and then back at where Steven was staring at him. He gave a slight wave and then signaled with his hands that he'd see him again.

"Aiden!" Steven screamed in distress. Aiden smiled and directed his free arm at the wall of the bridge, ensuring that his back was facing the Grey Guard. From the power of the bracelet hidden on his wrist he created a powerful concussive force that sent him careening back into the shell-shocked guard, over the bridge wall and into the cold water rushing below them.

To Aiden, it was like escaping from the Island all over again. Except this time, instead of the arms of a dead person around him, he had the arms of an angry Grey Guard securing him against his body, and stopping him from swimming to the surface. Aiden struggled with all his might. His plan had been to knock himself and the guard into the Broad River, escape from his grip, swim to the surface and return to Steven's side. That plan went out the window when he realised that the guard had no intention of letting him go.

Aiden maneuvered his hand so that it was pressed against the Grey Guard's arm. Using the power of the bracelet again, he burnt the flesh of the guard as best as he was able to in the freezing cold water. A burst of bubbles behind him alerted him to the fact that the guard was screaming. When the arm holding him loosened, Aiden broke free and shot up to the surface where he gulped down as much air as he could.

He was moving quickly down the river so he directed the flow of his body so that it reached the bank. There he lay for several minutes to regain his breath and take stock of what new injuries he had acquired. His arm didn't feel broken, just bruised and sore, but other than that all he had were some small cuts and bruises from his fall and journey down the Broad River. He also noticed that he couldn't hear Steven calling his name, like he expected to.

With this curiosity in mind he sat up and looked in the direction he had come from. He couldn't even see the bridge from where he was, he had either miscalculated the amount of effort needed to propel both himself and the guard off the bridge or the current was much faster than it looked. He figured, eventually, that it was a combination of both. His next thought of concern was where the Grey Guard had ended up.

His green eyes panned across the river in search of his assailant but it wasn't his eyes that spotted him first…it was his ears.

The heavy pounding of feet on the ground had Aiden standing up in one swift motion and running back into the foliage behind him. He heard a curse behind him and the footsteps altered the direction they were travelling. Aiden ran faster, grateful that despite how cruel the Dursleys had been to him, they had at least taught him the benefit of being fast and agile. He put all of his training into practice as he did his best to avoid the Grey Guard that was quickly gaining on him.

"Get back here you little maggot!" the guard called angrily. "You will pay for what you've done!"

Aiden had no idea what he was talking about but figured that it had something to do with the incident on the bridge. It could have been the fact that he threw them both into the river without any warning, but Aiden knew the tone that was being used…once I catch you I'm going to kill you.

There was one thing that Aiden didn't know about the Grey Guards though…they were machines when it came to hunting and killing. They didn't tire as a human might, they could run for days without food or drink, though the more food they consumed had the more energy they would have. They didn't feel pain as any other living creature in Deltora, and had virtually no weaknesses. They were created, not born, in barrels in the Shadow Lands and once they reached their expiry date they were discarded and their replacements were taken from the barrels and sent into Deltora to wreck havoc in the name of the Shadow Lord. They Grey Guards could be killed, not easily, but like any living creature they couldn't survive long without their heads.

Unfortunately for Aiden, this meant that his pursuer could continue at the set pace for a good many hours and due to their heightened sense of smell, would be able to sniff him out even if he were to hide.

The two ran east through various bushes, trees and shrubs, Aiden always that one step ahead of capture and the Grey Guard getting angrier and angrier the long they ran for. Aiden was panting heavily, having not needed to run for his life for many months, and his body had adjusted to the almost quite lifestyle he had been living in Deltora. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and was the only thing keeping him moving, that and the fear that if he was caught it wouldn't be a peaceful death that awaited him.

"Gotcha!" the guard stated suddenly and Aiden felt large, strong hands grasp his ankles moments before he fell face first onto the ground. Winded and finding it hard to breathe, Aiden was rolled over so that he could see the guard's face. It was red with anger and hate, spit fell from his mouth but the feral grin that was adorned on his face was terrifying.

Aiden tried to escape, to struggle against the hold he was under, but it was futile. There was no escape. The Grey Guard laughed and hauled the small boy from the ground and over his shoulder. The guard continued east, walking now instead of running, muttering about various torture instruments that he could use or make to keep him entertained. Aiden listened in growing horror, even as he tried even harder to escape, as the guard switched to talking about what parts of the human body were tastier. The cold laughter was soon the only sound that could be heard through the wild land around them.

Days past.

Aiden was weak from hunger, and he knew that the guard was growing hungry, but he still hadn't taken a bite of the boy he carried. Tortured, yes, Aiden was bleeding from several areas of his body, and he couldn't see from one eye as it was swollen shut. There were more bruises around his middle from where he had been lodged on the guard's shoulder during the day, and his wrists and ankles had been tied together to prevent escape. He could barely move his fingers due the tightness of the rope, and he doubted that he'd be able to stand on his own never mind run away.

On the fifth day after his capture, Aiden found himself near the dreaded Lake of Tears. He had heard little about it, as Bee, Steven, Nevets and Verity hadn't seen the benefits of telling him about the dangers, least he go looking for them like the City of the Rats. What little he knew about the Lake of Tears came from the Grey Guard, who took great delight in telling him about what fate awaited him.

The Lake was guarded by a monster of terrible size. It ate whatever it could find and it guarded the Lake with a fury. In the centre of the Lake was a rock that looked like a woman crying, and no one had ever been able to get that far across the Lake before they were swallowed by the monster Soldeen. The Lake of Tears was once known as D'Or, a beautiful place that was like a garden all year round. There was always singing and dancing, until the sorceress Thaegen cast her spells and D'Or became a wasteland, known as the Lake of Tears.

The Grey Guard dumped him on the ground roughly and stalked forward so that he was standing on the edge of the lake. Aiden felt strange being there, his bracelet was warm where it was hidden beneath his glove, just as it had been in the City of the Rats. He figured that one of the Deltoran Gems was in the Lake, and his curiosity had him contemplating what gem it was.

"Soldeen! I bring you something to eat!" the Grey Guard suddenly screamed into the silence. "I imagine you long for the taste of human flesh!"

Aiden shivered before staring in horror at what was happening to the guard. Pale little worms were crawling out from the ground slowly, climbing up his legs and slowly reddening. Aiden realised quickly that the little worms were leeches and they were sucking the blood out of the unaware guard who had stumbled into their territory. The ripples in the lake became more pronounced and Aiden quickly looked around himself to see if there were any leeches eating him. Luckily for him it appeared that he had been dumped just out of the leeches' territory and as such was untouched. His gaze darted back to the lake in time to see a mighty monster erupt from the water with a cry.

Soldeen, for Aiden couldn't imagine it being anyone else, stared at the Grey Guard with piercing red eyes. The eyes briefly took in Aiden lying bound on the ground before retuning to the leech covered guard. The guard also looked back at Aiden, except he smiled in violent anticipation. Aiden was unable to close his eyes, despite knowing what was coming.

"You willing give yourself to me and my brethren?" Soldeen said softly. The guard's eyes flicked back to the lake in denial while Aiden's eyes widened in surprise that Soldeen spoke English, Reeah had only spoken parseltongue, but that may have been because Aiden could only speak the language of serpents.

"No!" the guard snapped. "As if I'd give you one such as I? No, I have found a human boy for you to snack on. He won't run, but he should be a nice morsel to eat before your main meal."

"Yet it is you who feeds my brethren even now, and not the boy," Soldeen replied. Aiden imagined that the aquatic creature was smiling; his teeth were certainly displayed in a manner that many would take for threatening. The Grey Guard looked down in confusion before screaming at the top of his lungs and trying to get rid of the leeches on his legs. All he seemed to do was allow the leeches to gain purchase to his hands.

Aiden stared in horror as Soldeen reared up, mouth wide open, before crashing back down onto the ground, and capturing the guard in its jaws. The guard's scream was cut off instantly and it was like a blanket of silence had fallen across the lake. Soldeen still sat within sight, but appeared to be otherwise occupied with his food. Aiden sat up as best as he could and stared at his bindings. There was no way that he would be able to escape from them and the Lake of Tears before Soldeen was ready to eat him as well.

"Who are you human?" Soldeen asked suddenly. Aiden jumped slightly and stared up into the eyes of the guardian of the Lake of Tears. He had slithered closer when he wasn't looking, and as such Aiden was surprised to find him that close. Aiden reached up and pointed to his neck before pressing his lips closed as tight as he could.

"You cannot speak?" Soldeen asked. Aiden nodded confirmation. "Even to us guardians, it is considered horrendous to harm a child, regardless of their place of birth. The one I just ate, was he the one who harmed you?"

Aiden made a "sort of" motion with his bound hands and pointed to what injuries he could feel more than the others. His neck, when he pointed to it again, he shook his head indicating that someone else had done that.

"His fate was deserved then," Soldeen stated. "You are a curious child. Why would the Shadow Lord's minions hunt you?"

Aiden shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't answer that one even if he wanted to. In fact, he didn't even know if he was being hunted by the Shadow Lord, he thought it was just bad luck that he and Steven had come across the Grey Guards at the bridge. He hoped so anyway. Soldeen leaned forward again, so close that he was actually touching Aiden's skin. His sharp teeth were close to cutting into the boy's arms, but before any damage could be done Soldeen retreated and made some strange sounds that echoed across the lake.

After a moment of silence, in which the echo faded in, various small creatures crept from their hiding places and to the shore. Leeches, ants, spiders, insects and even an old raven came closer to Aiden until they were sitting on his bonds.

"My brethren will remove those bonds from you," Soldeen explained. "You must then leave here as quickly as you can; it is not safe for you here."

Aiden nodded his understanding and looked around curiously. He had no idea where he would go, but he figured that if he went back the way he had come he would eventually find where Steven was. He would try to do that as soon as he was sure that he could walk without falling flat on his face.

"The raven will lead you to safety," Soldeen stated suddenly as the last of the bonds fell away. The little creatures scurried back to their homes, all except for the raven that remained perched on his knee. Aiden smiled at the raven and then up at Soldeen as well. He pushed himself up off the ground and swayed on his feet as the blood rushed back to his legs and arms. He was only able to remain standing for a minute before his legs started to cramp and he had to sit back down to assist with the circulation. He squeezed his eyes shut as the pain erupted from his legs but slowly his expression softened as his blood circulation returned to normal. The raven waited patiently for him to stand again, and once he was vertical and steady on his feet, it flew off, circled back around him and then off again. Aiden knew that the bird wanted him to follow, so with a slight smile he began to slowly walk away from the lake, the only thing showing his presence was the cut ropes which lay where they had fallen.

Aiden followed the raven all night, not stopping once no matter how sore his injuries became or how much longer his eyes would droop from fatigue. It was only after the sun had begun to rise that Aiden finally conceded defeat and collapsed to the ground. The raven settled upon a rock outcropping near where he had fallen in order to stand guard until he woke up. That raven sat there for the rest of the day and the following night watching Aiden. It wasn't until midday that Aiden began to stir, and the most he was able to do was roll over so that he was on his back. He stared at the sky with uncomprehending eyes before sitting up. The raven drifted from the rock to his knee and chirped at him. Aiden nodded and stood up, allowing the raven to fly on ahead in the direction he was supposed to be going.

This continued for another two days. The only time they stopped was when there was food available to eat, water in various puddles to drink, and when they had to stop for rest. On the evening of the second day the raven settled down upon a tree branch and indicated the opening before them. Aiden thanked the bird before walking forward on his own.

The trees parted to reveal a little village…a deserted and empty village but still one with houses and places to rest and recover. Aiden wondered about what had happened to the former inhabitants, but put it out of his mind when his wounds pulsed angrily at being ignored for the past few days. He walked over to the fountain in the middle of what appeared to be the village square and collapsed against it. He would find somewhere to rest properly when he had enough energy to get inside one of the houses.

Aiden was strangely comfortable when he woke up. He was resting on something soft and covered by something warm. There was a cold cloth of some kind resting on his head but it felt nice to his warm body. Opening his eyes Aiden tried to figure out where he was. No Grey Guard would have taken the effort to keep him warm and comfortable, and Steven would have woken him if he'd found him. He moved his head to the side and saw a group of three short people drawing. They weren't making any noise. Aiden noted that they all had blue skin with red hair. He tried to remember if anyone had told him about them, but he couldn't recall anything.

One of the drawers turned around to check on him and jumped when it was noticed that Aiden's eyes were open. Aiden guessed that the one coming towards him was a girl, and that the other two were male. The girl moved the cloth on his head to feel his temperature and then nodded in satisfaction. She smiled down at him and made several hand motions to show that she was going to move the blankets down. Aiden nodded and didn't move as she worked. She checked over all of his healing injuries without making a sound, just a small smile on her face. The other two approached once she was done and sat at the edge of the bed with some charcoal and paper.

Aiden, with the help of the girl, sat up and waited for the other two to talk. The older of the two drew something on the paper before him and turned it around so that he could read it. Aiden stared at it blankly. There were a group of small drawings in a line, obviously their version of the written language, but Aiden couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Well damn, he thought. He gestured to the paper and charcoal so that he could use it and wrote down what he wanted to say.

Can you understand this? I can't talk either but I can't read what you've written

The two males stared at the writing for a while before they smiled and nodded. Aiden let out a breath of relief and smiled at them. The older of the two began to write again.

My name is Arath, my friend is Sameth and the Healer was Trisha. What is your name?

Aiden quickly read through what Arath had written and then picked up the charcoal again.

My name is Aiden. Where am I? How long have I been here? Was there another with me? Has anyone come looking for me yet?

Sameth laughed silently at the rapid questions on the page and Aiden grinned shamelessly. Sameth took up the paper and charcoal this time.

You are in Raladin. We found you above us and brought you here before the Grey Guards could find you. You have been unconscious for a week. No one else was with you and we know of no one who has come looking for you. Any more questions?

Aiden nodded and cracked his fingers in anticipation.

Where exactly is Raladin in relation to the Broad River? How come you can't talk? What do you mean "above"? Why would you help me? Can you teach me how you write?

Arath took back the paper and charcoal with a slight glare to the smirking Sameth.

Raladin is east of the Broad River. We were cursed by the Sorceress Thaegan many years ago and as such we can no longer talk. We instead use flutes to create noise and emotion. This village is built under the one above so that the enemy cannot find us. We helped you because you needed help. Yes we can teach you how to write like us.

Aiden cheered silently before Arath got his attention again. This time the paper that he passed over was full of questions that he needed to answer.

How old are you? Why were you injured when we found you? How did you lose your voice? Who would be looking for you? Is there anything else that you'd like to learn?

Aiden paused slightly before he put charcoal to paper.

I'm 15 years old. The Grey Guard I was with was bored and angry. A monster from my past tried to cut my throat and failed but as a result I can't talk anymore. My adopted brothers Steven and Nevets would be looking for me. We were separated by the Broad River. You play the flute? I'd like to learn that.

Arath nodded with a smile at the last sentence. He wrote a few more things on the paper, telling Aiden that after he had rested some more they would begin teaching him. Aiden smiled at that and lay back down again. He was worried about Steven and Nevets, and he hoped that one of the Ralads would be able to help him out while he was still recovering. With a conflicted mind, Aiden drifted off to sleep.

Aiden stayed in Raladin for another four weeks. In that time he had learnt how to read and write in the Raladin language, and received a basic training in how to play the flute. He was still pretty bad at it but he could play the simple songs that all Raladin children could play. Arath had sent a few Ralad hunters out to find Steven and Nevets. They had returned after a week with good news. Steven was now aware that his younger brother was alive and well, and could expect to see him when he was recovered.

With that worry out of the way Aiden was able to completely concentrate on what was being taught to him.

At the end of the month Aiden packed up his belongings and bid farewell to his hosts. Around his neck with his opal necklace was a small flute that he would practice with whenever he could, and aside from the new backpack that he received with a couple of day's worth of food, was a walking stick that he could also use as a weapon. There was much music and smiles as he finally left. He promised that one day he would return.

With no regrets Aiden walked out of Raladin and towards the Broad River. His intention was to walk back to the orchard by following the Broad River, but like all plans that he made, this one didn't turn out the way it was expected to. For while Aiden had been recovering, the Grey Guards hadn't been sitting around idly. They were out hunting him…the one with the power of the Shadow Lord.

Next up in Deltora's Protector:

Chapter 5 - The Masked Ones and Gla-Thon