David Gemmell – Rigante 3 – Ravenheart

The thought continued to occupy his mind as he left the Five Fields and began the long walk back to Old Hills. The numbness of shock began to wear away, leaving grief to rise in its stead. Kaelin saw again Chara Ward’s bright smile, and heard her voice whispering in his mind. She had set off for a day of sunshine and laughter, and had her life ripped away in a lonely wood. Kaelin paused by a hedge, and wept for her.

He heard a murmuring voice and looked around. The road was empty. The voice came again, and he recognized it as the Wyrd’s. It was as if he was listening to an echo from far away.

‘Kaelin, can you hear me?’

‘Aye,’ he said, pushing aside the branches of the hedge, expecting to find her on the other side. The field was empty. ‘Where are you?’

‘I am in the Wishing Tree wood. I cannot hold this spell much longer. So do not talk – just listen. I saw the killing. I have tried to touch the spirit of the white-haired officer, but he is not of this land and my words whisper past him. Go to him. Urge him to find Bindoe. He is at the barracks, but not for long. He plans to take the Scardyke road. If he is not apprehended now, then by dawn he will have reached the old log bridge and crossed into the lands of the Finance. You understand me, Kaelin. Find the officer.’ The words faded away.

Kaelin stood very still. Yes, he could run back to Eldacre and try to find Mulgrave. What then? Bindoe had been accused twice of rape, and both times had walked free. The second time his accuser had been birched for fabrication under oath. Would there be justice? Mulgrave seemed a fair man – but then so did Galliott the Borderer. Yet he had spoken up for Bindoe, telling the court that the sergeant was in his company when the second rape took place.

The choices seemed simple to the young clansman; trust in Varlish law – or find Bindoe and show him Rigante justice. A terrible stillness settled on Kaelin Ring. The night air seemed charged as he gazed at the stark outline of the distant mountains.

Do you have the nerve, he asked himself?

The old log bridge was nine miles east and south of Old Hills. If he moved swiftly he could make it home, and be at the bridge an hour before dawn.

Kaelin began to run, long easy strides that ate the miles between Five Fields and Old Hills. Just under an hour later he slipped through the rear door of Aunt Maev’s house. He could hear Grymauch snoring, but apart from that the house was silent. He made his way to the old teak cabinet in the sitting room. Opening the lower door he carefully removed the bottles of elderflower wine Aunt Maev kept there. Behind them was a polished panel. Kaelin reached in and – with great care – eased it out. Hidden behind it was a dusty walnut box, some eighteen inches long. Kaelin lifted it and carried it to the table by the window. As he opened the lid moonlight fell on two ornate silver duelling pistols. Beside them, in cunningly crafted compartments, were a silver powder horn, a small phial of oil, a packet of gun cotton wadding, and a box of lead balls. Once, when Maev had been away on business in Eldacre, Grymauch had taken out these pistols. ‘They belonged to your father,’ he said. ‘One day they will be yours.’

They had spent an hour loading and firing the pieces, before cleaning them and replacing them behind the hidden panel. For a highlander to be in possession of projectile weapons such as these was a hanging offence.

Kaelin loaded both pistols and tucked them into his belt. Then he replaced the panel, and lifted the wine bottles back into the cabinet. Rising, he slowly climbed the stairs to his room. From the back of a drawer he pulled clear his bone-handled skinning knife. The four-inch curved blade was as sharp as any razor. Placing knife and sheath into his coat pocket he descended the stairs to the kitchen, and stepped out into the night.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *