Chapter Ten

Dancing up and down with impatience, Lea was waiting for him at the gate. A food basket stood at her feet with a canteen lying atop it.

When she saw Caelan coming, she began waving for him to hurry.

He wasn’t about to do so and risk anyone glimpsing what he carried beneath his cloak. Feeling self-conscious, Caelan crossed the courtyard, pausing only at a barrel to take out a pair of apples for later. Slipping them into his pocket, he grinned at Lea.

“You took forever,” she said. “It’ll be dusk before we get there.”

“Don’t exaggerate. We’ve plenty of time.”

He glanced past her at Raul, who was waiting to open the gates.

“You two be careful,” the man warned. “Out mucking around in the forest. Ain’t a time for being too far from the walls, for all what those Neika said.”

“We’ll be careful,” Caelan said.

“And you be back well before twilight.”

An involuntary shiver swept through Caelan. If all went well, he would never be back. He frowned, wishing he could tell Raul goodbye. This man had taught him how to ride, had saddled ponies for him, had shown him how to oil and mend lack during long winter afternoons.

Caelan wished he could tell all of them goodbye. Anya would never forgive him for leaving her without a word. As for Old Farns, still unconscious in the infirmary .. . Caelan bit his lip and stepped through the gates quickly before he could lose his nerve.

“Wait!” Lea called, struggling with the heavy food basket. She picked it up and dropped it, nearly spilling its contents. “Help me with this.”

Caelan didn’t pause. “You wanted a picnic. You bring it.”

“Caelan!”

That time he did glance back and had to laugh at her dragging the food basket. It made a wavy furrow in the snow. Raul shut the gates with a casual wave, and Caelan’s heart clenched inside him.

He waved back, but the gates were already closed and Raul didn’t see.

Caelan’s eyes stung a moment; then he steeled himself and hurried back to hand the rucksack containing the medicines to Lea. In exchange he picked up the food basket, flinging his cloak back over his left shoulder to free his arm.

At the designated tree, he took the rucksack from her and stuck it in the fork of the trunk for the Neika. Then he pulled up the hood of Lea’s cloak and tied the strings for her. She had on fur-lined boots and gloves and looked like a tiny imp as she skipped and clapped her hands in excitement.

He wished he could take her with him, but that was not possible.

She tugged at his hand. “Come on, Caelan. Come on!”

The edge of the forest curved away from them in a dark green line, a hundred yards away from the walls. Snow lay white and pure, dazzling in the sunshine.

“I’ll race you to the larch tree,” he said, pointing.

With a squeal, she broke free of his grip and ran with all her might, floundering quickly in the deep snow. Caelan gave her a head start, then followed. His pack and heavy clothing slowed him down, but he was able to catch up with her easily. He stayed on her heels, threatening to pass her every time she slowed down. She kept churning, short legs pumping hard, and he let her beat him to the larch.

Dashing into the undergrowth, he caught her by the tail of her cloak and flung her bodily into the soft fronds of a nearby spruce. Snow flew in all directions, and she bounced on the branches gleefully, her laughter ringing around them.

“I beat you! I beat you!” she boasted.

His breath steamed about his face. “Sure. I’m carrying everything like a pack mule.”

She laughed. “I don’t know why you wanted to bring so much. We won’t starve before we—”

“Show me the cave quickly,” he said, switching the subject. “We don’t have all day.”

She took him a different direction than he’d expected, to a part of the woods where he’d never found any ice caves in his own explorations.

Lea walked across a stream, her boots making the ice crack ominously. Caelan jumped it rather than trust his weight on its surface.

She ducked under a fallen log that lay across the shallow gorge and pointed. “Up there. See?”

Straightening beside her and combing twigs from his hair, Caelan saw the mouth of the cave ahead. The entrance was tucked into a tall bank along the frozen stream, where mossy rocks jutted from the earth in a ridge swathed with dead vines and undergrowth. Unlike most ice caves, which had rock entrances and tunnels leading to the ice hidden deep within, this one was frozen to its very mouth. Concealed in the shadows of the bank, it looked murky and cold.

Caelan’s heart pumped faster. “Stay here,” he whispered.

Lea elbowed ahead of him. “It’s my cave. I’ll show you—”

“No! I’ll check it first. You wait until I say it’s safe.”

She glared at him. “It’s safe—”

“Lurkers,” he said in warning, and she subsided.

Cautiously he pushed ahead, his feet silent in the snow. He sniffed the air but smelled no den. Pausing, he collected a stout stick and brandished it. When he reached the cave, he saw where ice had flowed in half-melted slush from the mouth, then refrozen like a tongue. His senses alert, Caelan focused a moment to see if any animal or demon waited inside. He even dared use sevaisin, the joining.

Nothing.

He crept up to the mouth and peered in. The air inside the cave felt clammy cold. It smelled only of ice and damp, nothing else. He poked the stick inside and banged it on the ice-covered walls.

Nothing stirred, fled, or jumped out at him.

Relaxing, Caelan beckoned to Lea, who came hopping without the food basket.

“I told you it was safe,” she said and ducked inside.

Annoyed by her lack of caution, Caelan shed his cloak and pack and followed her. “Lea, I should go first—”

“Hush.” She gestured at him with equal annoyance. “You’ll scare them.”

“Who?”

“The earth spirits. Be quiet so they can know I’m here.”

He crouched just inside the entrance, tucking his hands under his arms for extra warmth. Maybe he shouldn’t have removed his cloak.

The cave was silent, gloomy, and cold. The inside was completely encased in ice. Even the floor offered a slippery surface.

Lea crept farther in, taking one careful step at a time to avoid slipping and falling.

“It’s good,” she said at last. “We’re welcome here. Come on.”

He scrambled up, almost slipping, and followed her with his hand on the wall for support. The farther in, the taller the cave became until Lea could stand upright. He hunched along, his hair brushing the icy ceiling.

“Not too far,” he warned her. “I didn’t bring a lamp.”

“Silly,” she said impatiently. “I’ve been here lots of times.”

He sighed and abandoned the attempt to be responsible. She didn’t want him cautioning her constantly.

“How far to the emeralds?” he asked.

“Hush. They’re a gift. You can’t demand them.”

Hard not to do so when his need for them was so great. He glanced around him and wondered how he was supposed to appeal to the earth spirits.

“Well, do we look for them or do we—”

She stopped and glanced back at him. “Stop asking questions. We have to stay in the cave long enough for them to decide whether they will give us gifts or not. You’re making everything harder.”

Accepting her chastisement, he rolled his eyes. “I’ll be quiet.”

“Good.”

Finally they emerged in a small chamber about the size of Lea’s sleeping room. It was still too low for Caelan to stand upright, and icicles hung down from the ceiling, some flowing all the way to the floor in frozen forms and shapes that made him smile in wonder. Natural light filled the chamber, but although he looked around he never saw the opening.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Lea asked, her face glowing. “The cave itself is a treasure. The earth and ice spirits made this one special.”

He nodded, enjoying her pleasure. No wonder the earth spirits had given her precious jewels. Who else could appreciate the natural beauty of this place except a child like Lea?

“This is my palace,” she told him, shifting into her own land of pretend. She launched into a whole story then, telling him of all the imaginary rooms that lay beyond, and where her guards slept, and where her servants worked, and where her stables stood, and how many beautiful steeds she owned. She described fabulous white horses that could fly and carry her to any corner of the earth.

She had earlier gathered stones, twigs, and pieces of bark twisted into play cups and platters. These she brought out from behind the ice formations and served him a pretend feast as a welcome guest.

“Wait,” Caelan said. “We brought food. Why not eat some of it now? We don’t have to pretend.”

The light momentarily faded from her face. “That food is for you to take when you leave us,” she said sadly.

His heart turned over, and he realized he shouldn’t have assumed he could keep such an important secret from her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Take me with you.”

He groaned a little and pushed her away. “I can’t.”

“Why not? Don’t you love me?”

He struggled to master himself. “Of course,” he said, and saw disbelief hot in her eyes. Dismay rose in him. How could he explain? “Lea, it has nothing to do with how much I love you. If I took you, Father would have to come after us. You belong to him by law until you are married.”

She tossed her bright head. “I’m not going to be married.”

“Well, even so. I’m going far away. It will be a hard, dangerous trip.”

“You’re going to join the army,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “That’s why you bartered for the dagger that has killed men. You want to kill too.”

Angrily he turned away from her. “Now you sound like Father.”

“It is a bad thing, Caelan. You know it. We have been taught to respect all life, to honor it.”

“I know,” he said, staring at the floor. He sighed. “I know.”

Silence fell between them, and he was grateful for it. He had no words to explain this to her. It was as though the world called him forth, drawing him through a gateway toward exploration and adventure. Overmastered by it, he could do nothing except obey.

“I will pray for you,” Lea said at last, sounding far older than her age. She pulled a little pouch out from beneath her clothing and slipped its thong over her head. “You will need money, and since you did not rob Father’s earnings box like you wanted to, I will give you my emeralds.”

“No!” he said immediately, then saw her face and softened his tone. “Thank you, but they are yours. I cannot take them.”

“But I want you to have them.”

“No,” he said gently, putting the loop back over her head and patting the small cloth pouch. “You will need them someday.”

“But—”

“Not a man in a thousand comes across such a treasure in a lifetime. Your stones are a precious gift. You must honor that by keeping them for yourself. They are not for me. And how do you know I wanted to steal from the earnings box?”

She grinned, distracted by the question as he had intended. “You have no secrets from me!”

He caught her hands firmly in his and squeezed them. “But you must keep mine, promise? You will tell no one where I have gone, even if you guess it.”

Grief darkened her blue eyes. Slowly she nodded. “I don’t want you to go. You said you would never leave me.”

“I have to.” Her pain entered his own heart, and he kissed her hands.

Her tears fell onto their gripped hands, hot on their cold flesh.

“I’m sorry, little one,” he said. “I cannot keep that promise.”

She shivered and he straightened.

“Are you cold?”

She nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “We’ve been here long enough. If they’re going to give you any emeralds, they’ve had plenty of time. Look close as we go out.”

His excitement rose again in spite of his own doubts. He was hardly worthy of any gifts from the spirits, but maybe worth had nothing to do with it. He followed her out, staring at the ground carefully.

He found nothing by the time he reached the mouth of the cave. Ruefully, he shook his head and crouched down. “Well, we tried,” he said, swallowing his disappointment. It had been too much to hope for anyway. “I’m sorry we couldn’t come back sooner while the earth spirits were in the giving mood.”

“They have to be kind to you too,” she said fretfully, disappointment sharp in her voice. She stamped her foot. “You’re my brother. They have to like you just as much as me.”

“Lea, we need to go. I have to get you home, and then I must start on my journey.”

“Not yet.” Bending over, she circled around him and headed back into the cave. “Don’t give up so easily.”

He waited, knowing this was just her tactic to keep him there as long as possible.

She searched, but found nothing. Finally she bumped against his side and sighed, looking tired. “Maybe it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought my stones. The spirits probably think I’m greedy.”

“No, they know why you came back,” he said gently, putting his hand on her curls.

“Go look one more time.”

“Lea, it’s no good.”

“Please.”

“Lea—”

“Please. Just one more time.”

“All right,” he said to humor her. “But then we must go”

The angle of light entering the cave had shifted since they first arrived. He could see better, and he knew the sun was lower in the sky. They had to go soon, he wanted no trouble either for himself or for Lea. He had to see that she was safely home; then he must put as much distance between himself and the hold as he could before darkness fell and he was forced to take sanctuary in an ice cave for the night.

When he reached the back chamber of the cave, the tunnel suddenly seemed too small around him. he stopped, frowning, and looked back. The air grew strangely warm and smelled of sweet fragrance as though flowers bloomed. A shiver ran through Caelan, and he fell the touch of something cool and ancient go through him.

Afraid, he remembered the horror of the wind spirits, but this was nothing like they had been. This was strange but not unpleasant. He sensed no malevolence, only a peaceful presence.

Then the fragrance faded, and the air grew cold again.

Caelan stumbled back as though released. He blinked and shook himself. Suddenly he wanted out of there.

Whirling around too fast, he slipped and fell with a thud. The impact made him grunt. Stunned, he lay there a second in an effort to regain his breath.

As he levered himself to his hands and knees, his fingers knocked against something.

It skidded away across the ice.

Caelan’s heart stopped. For a moment he dared not move; then he scrambled forward on his hands and knees, patting the ground with his hands, searching in the gloom.

He found one stone, rough and angular like Lea’s. A short distance away he found a second. This one was smaller, no bigger than the nail on his little finger, but polished.

He turned them over and over in his hands, unable to believe his luck. It couldn’t happen like this. It simply couldn’t.

Yet it had.

Lea’s good fortune had been extended to him.

His hand closed over the stones and he crawled forward, trying not to whoop with joy.

She was waiting outside. When he came scrambling out, her face lit up. “You found some!”

“Yes!” He showed them to her.

They bent over the stones and held them up to the light filtering through the trees.

“Emeralds,” he said in satisfaction. He wanted to shout, to dance. “I can’t believe it.”

“The spirits here like you too,” she said, skipping around him. “Look at how pretty the little one is.”

“It’s polished, almost cut like a jewel,” he said in wonder. “A miracle.”

“A special gift.”

In sudden generosity, he held out his palm to her. “You didn’t find any today. Take one of them, the one you like best, as your share.”

Her mouth made a little O and she shook her head quickly. “I couldn’t. They’re yours.”

“No, one for each of us.”

“But, Caelan, I have mine,” she said. “Nine is a complete number. Keep these. You must. They’re for you.”

He started to protest, but she pressed her fingers across his lips. “They’re a pair, as we are. This is a special day, Caelan. You have been blessed in this. Don’t let Father or your anger ever let you forget what you have been given here. Believe there is good, and that you are good, just as you have been given good today.”

As she spoke, the sunlight shone down through the treetops and glowed upon her in a shining mantle. Her words seemed to vibrate in the air.

Caelan’s heart nearly stopped. He felt humbled by this child, so wise beyond her years.

Without thought he knelt before her.

She folded his hand around the emeralds. “One is me and one is you. Now you have something to remember us always.”

Her kindness spread over him like a balm. He loved her for it so much he thought his heart would burst. Somehow he held his emotions in. “How do I thank the earth spirits?” he whispered.

She smiled and touched his cheeks with her small hands. “They know.”

He took her hands and squeezed them. “Then I will say my gratitude to you. Thank you for bringing me here, little one. If the spirits have favored me, it is only because of you.”

“Now you cannot forget me, no matter how far away you go.”

He kissed her forehead. “I will never forget you,” he said, his voice rough. “I swear it.”

She pulled a little cloth bag from her pocket and held it up. “Here’s a pouch to keep them in. I had Anya make two because I knew you’d find treasure too.”

Smiling, he tucked the emeralds into the bag. He strung it over his neck and lucked it beneath his tunics. The stones felt small and knobby against his chest, tiny talismen of his sister’s love.

He gathered her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I love you, little sister.”

She hugged him back, tender and small in his arms. She was crying. “Oh, Caelan—”

Through the quietness of the forest came the sound of distant thunder. Frowning, Caelan slowly straightened to his feet and turned his head to listen.

Another sound came, a rumbling bugle note unlike anything he had ever heard before. His breath stopped in his lungs, and he was suddenly afraid.

His heartbeat started pounding faster, harder. No, he thought. This could not be happening.

He heard the sound again, a trumpet call of disaster, eerie and ominous, closer than the first. He had never heard such a noise before, yet instinctively he recognized it. Old stories, told around the hearth, flashed through his mind.

“No,” he said aloud.

Beside him, Lea looked up at the sky. “What is that noise?”

His paralysis fell away. Caelan grabbed her by the shoulders, swinging her bodily around. “Get inside the cave. Hide there, and don’t come out.”

She stared at him in bewilderment, making no move to obey. “But why—”

Gripping her arm, he ran back to the cave, pushing her as he went. He picked up the food basket and tossed it in the cave, along with his cloak and pack. “Hurry!” he said, fear ragged in his voice. “Don’t ask questions. Just do as I say!”

He pushed her toward the cave too hard, making her stumble and fall. Her face puckered up, and tears filled her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

The dragons trumpeted again. The sound filled Caelan with panic. On a sudden shift of the wind, he smelled smoke.

“Gault above, can’t you hear that?” he shouted at her. “The raiders have found the hold. I’ve got to help them—”

Lea’s eyes widened. “Thyzarenes?”

“I think so.” He was busy yanking off his heavy outer tunic. Wadding it up into a ball, he tossed it inside the cave and drew the dagger from his belt.

“No!” She flung herself against him, gripping hard. “Don’t go. You mustn’t go!”

He tried to pull away, but she was crying. Caelan hesitated, his mind tearing in all directions. He was afraid to go back to the hold, afraid of what he might find. His instincts were yelling at him to run for his life, run with Lea and hide deep in the safety of the forest.

And yet, how could he abandon the others, knowing they were defenseless and unprotected from an attack? The walls couldn’t keep out dragons.

“I must help them,” he said and gave his sister a shake. “Lea, listen to me. Listen! You must be brave now. Hide in the cave until it’s safe. I’ll come back for you.”

She shook her head. “They’re going to kill everyone—”

“No! I’ll help them. I can fight, with this.” He held up the dagger, his body thrumming with protectiveness. “Now stay here. You’ll be safe as long as you hide.”

Her lip quivered. She stared at him through her tears. “Don’t go, Caelan. Don’t go! I’ll never see you again!”

He rose on his toes, listening to the strange noises. The forest had gone silent with alarm. He could feel it around him. There was no time to waste with a distraught child.

“Sweetness, be brave. I have to help Father.”

“I can help them too!” she said, refusing to let go of his sleeve. “Let me go. I’ll wish the raiders away.”

“No, you’re better off here.”

Even as he said the words, he wondered. What was he and one dagger against the savages? What if he couldn’t come back for her? How could she fare out here at night in the forest, unprotected? Would she have enough sense to go to E’raumhold? Or would she perish of cold, starvation, and the wolves?

His resolve almost folded, but then he heard the hold bell ringing out an alarm. He gulped in air. “Get in the cave.”

“But they’re ringing the bell for us to come back.”

All their lives they’d been told to come home at once if they heard the bell. She would have run, but he flung his arm across her chest and held her bodily.

“Not you.”

“But, Caelan, they want us to come home. We have to—”

He picked her up and pushed her into the cave. She clung to him, screaming his name, but he pulled free.

“Promise me you’ll stay here,” he said sternly, knowing he must keep her from following him. “Promise me you won’t go to the hold, not until the dragons are gone.”

She was crying again, her eyes clinging to him, eating him up. Slowly, fearfully, she gave him a tiny nod.

“Hide and don’t come out,” he said. “If you run out of food, you follow the stream south. Watch the sun and you won’t get lost. You follow it to E’raumhold.”

“Aren’t you going to come get me?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “I promise I will. Now hide.”

Touching her curls one last time, he turned and started running.

“Caelan!” she screamed after him, but he didn’t look back. There wasn’t time.