Page 14 of Witchcraft and Fury (Chronicles of the Divided Isle #1)
DUSK’S DELIGHT
House Kingsley collects gods as an archivist collects scrolls.
Their lands are punctuated by temples of religious orders that, elsewhere, faded into obscurity Ages ago.
With so many religious laws guiding their actions, it is little wonder that the Kingsley lords have earned a reputation for honour, piety and decency.
The sceptical claim that they only display such virtues when it suits them.
And others say that such traits are not virtues at all, but rather privileges afforded only by the truly blessed.
For blessed House Kingsley is: in the wealth of its mines and the strength of its subjects.
Bear retired to his tent, and Solar waited for the sounds of him getting under his blankets to subside.
Then she sheathed her sword at her waist, threw on her cloak and slung the bow and quiver that all night duty guards had access to across her back.
Her father had taught her to hunt rabbits with a bow, and the one she wore now was not much different from that which she had practised with.
Dusk had given way to a starless night. She calculated she had just a few hours to find the glade with the dusk bush, make her way back to camp and brew the potion.
Oswald had the uncanny ability of waking up at exactly the time he was required whenever he was on second watch.
If he saw her brewing a potion in the dead of night, her plan would be scuppered.
She left the glow of the campfire and entered the forest. It was eerie and forbidding. Insects hummed, bats flitted through moonlit branches and somewhere a pack of wolves howled at the heavens.
Solar gripped her sword tight and made her way through the densely packed trees. Almost as bad as the terrifying night-time forest was Bear’s refusal to help her. She had felt that he and Pingot might one day come to accept her as one of them and maybe, just maybe, as a friend.
Friend! She felt a hot flush of shame at the word.
What a fool I am! Bear’s contempt had made it quite clear how na?ve she had been: she, a carpenter’s daughter, would always be looked down upon by the likes of him and Pingot.
The thought made her wonder what she was even doing risking her life in the forest for the lordling.
Then she reminded herself that it had been Bear, not Pingot, who had spoken to her harshly, and she continued resolutely upon her path.
Lost in her thoughts, Solar didn’t realise how far she had walked, and soon she emerged into the clearing where she had spotted the dusk bush’s leaves.
She stifled a cry of dismay. There, cloaked in the night, stood half a dozen large tents. Twice as many horses stood tethered beyond.
Flags fluttered in the wind. The thin crescent of the moon emerged from behind a cloud to illuminate them, and Solar saw a griffin segreant emblazoned on each one. Solar groaned inwardly in disbelief. Earl Archdale’s flag! What’s he doing here?
The dusk bush was in the middle of the campsite. She had no choice but to creep past the tents and pluck some of its leaves, all without being spotted. And then she would have to make her way back to the safety of the trees …
Solar looked up at the sky. The moon was farther along its arc than she’d realised.
She was running out of time. Making as little noise as possible, she darted in a hunched run towards the cover of the nearest tent.
A man snored inside. She crept towards the front of the tent and peered round it, holding her breath, trying to spot any sentries that may have been posted.
After a few sweeping glances round the site she decided that she could explore safely.
She hurried forwards again to the centre of the glade.
The dying embers of a campfire stood exactly where the dusk bush had been a week before.
She cursed under her breath. The ignorant earl had built his fire over the rarest and most valuable plant in the forest.
A thick branch lay half in, half out of the fire. She picked up the cool end and used it to sweep aside the ashes. She cringed at the noise it made, magnified in the silence of the clearing. One of the horses gave an agitated snort.
She swept some more, clumsy with haste. Her heart was thumping so loudly she was sure someone would hear it. Then, as she made another sweep with the branch, she saw the violet leaves protruding through the ash. Their powerful magic had prevented the flames from leaving so much as a mark on them.
With fumbling fingers Solar unfastened a pouch at her belt and thrust into it as many of the leaves as would fit. She closed it and made to rise, elated .
Cold steel pressed against her neck. She froze.
‘Well, well. What have we here? A thief in the night?’ said a voice, cruel and icy.
Solar’s heart stopped. She knew that voice.
She tilted her head to look into Grubber’s eyes. They widened in delight as he recognised Solar, her face captured in the light of the moon directly overhead.
‘The earl and his son will be most pleased to see you, Solar Carpenter,’ he said, cold malice lacing every word.
‘We’ve been following you for some time now.
Hroth Archdale is quite set on having his revenge on you, the jumped-up urchin who thought she could rob him of his rightful education.
I imagine that your death will be painfully slow. ’
‘I didn’t rob Hroth of anything,’ said Solar through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm.
Her body was as taught as a drawn bow, ready to run at the slightest opportunity.
‘Loveday recruited me into his magic encampment instead of Hroth ’cos I have the talent to become a great witch, whilst he has nothing to his merit other than the Archdale name. ’
‘You really believe that, don’t you?’ breathed Grubber.
Solar almost gagged from the stench of meat and garlic.
‘I don’t know what Loveday is up to, breaking with a hundred years of tradition and taking you into his encampment.
But I do know one thing: any other wizard looking at you would see only an unwashed commoner. Now on your feet.’
Solar rose slowly, Grubber’s sword tickling her throat.
‘Go on, raise the alarm,’ she said, looking him in the eye. ‘With the magic that Loveday has taught me I could overcome twice the number of men you have in your camp.’
‘A thief and a liar!’ crowed Grubber. He spun her roughly around and rested the point of his sword against the small of her back.
‘No, this is not going to be quick, Solar Carpenter. I wouldn’t dream of waking the earl.
Instead I’m going to tie you to a tree away from camp, gag you and teach you to respect your betters.
I’m sure the earl won’t mind if I take off a toe or two before I hand you over to him. Now walk forwards until I say stop.’
Solar began to walk, her mind racing, desperately trying to come up with an escape plan.
As if in answer to her thoughts, the silence of the night was broken by a bellow: ‘SOLAR, DUCK!’
A figure ran from between the surrounding tents.
Solar threw herself to the ground as the figure launched a branch at Grubber’s head.
The captain staggered back with a roar, clutching at his ear, blood gushing through his fingers.
The newcomer reached the fire, shadow and orange light dancing across his thick, auburn hair and youthful features.
Solar almost laughed with relief. Never had she been so pleased to see her classmate.
Bear dealt Grubber another blow with a branch he took up from the fire.
‘INTRUDERS! THIEVES! IT’S THE CARPENTER GIRL!’ howled Grubber at the top of his lungs, before a third and final blow knocked him to the ground.
Bleary-eyed men emerged from their tents in various states of undress, brandishing daggers, spears and swords that they had taken up as they rose.
Bear stirred the campfire magically into a roaring blaze with nothing more than a glance at the embers, power coursing through his veins.
He lobbed one flaming branch over towards the horses.
They reared and bolted, their panic lending them the strength to break free of their tethers.
Sparks crackled in the air, and Bear directed them with his eyes towards the tents, his pupils shimmering with reflected flames.
The tents caught light, and the confused earl’s men scrambled to douse them.
‘Come on!’ shouted Bear, taking Solar’s hand. ‘Run!’
They darted through the tents, forgotten by the men in their rush to rescue the equipment and horses.
Then out of the smoke loomed a tall figure rushing towards them. He had a boy’s face, but his chest and arms were as broad as a grown warrior’s. Solar recognised in a flash Hroth Archdale. He brandished a sword overhead and had murder in his eyes.
Without thinking she unslung her bow, drew back the string behind her ear and unleashed an arrow. It struck and severed one of the fingers of Hroth’s sword hand, and he dropped his weapon with a cry before falling to his knees and cradling the injury.
Solar and Bear sprinted past him without looking back. They entered the forest and ran as fast as their legs would take them until they were sure they weren’t being pursued.
‘I told you it was too dangerous!’ scolded Bear in between gasps as they slowed to a walk. ‘Who were they?’
‘Earl Archdale and his men, and Captain Grubber too. Seems they want revenge on me for taking Hroth Archdale’s place as a trainee. Why did you come after me?’
‘I heard you leave the camp. I decided I couldn’t let you wander through the forest at night. After all, you’re just a girl.’