The Towers

Copyright (C) 1997 by Charles Tryon


3: Poison

GreyEagle was jarred out of her sleep in the middle of the night by the howls of an attack. She rolled out of bed and fumbled in the darkness for her sword. It sounded like goblins, but there were other sounds mixed in. Wolves, she suddenly thought as she recognized the snarls -- there are wolves with them, and her skin began to creep. Already she could hear the cries of the defenders, with Coyle's strong voice barking commands above the others. She found her sword and pulled it out of its scabbard just enough to let out a thin beam of light to penetrate the darkness around her. With that light, she jumped to the door and threw it open.
The others in the wagon were stirring. "What is happening?" Marianne's broke the darkness behind her.
"We are under attack. It sounds like goblins and wolves, but it is too dark to tell much. Stay here." Her head suddenly started to pound, and she cursed, remembering how much she had drunk with the soldiers around the fire that evening.
"I am coming," Marianne said as her feed hit the floor.
GreyEagle had no time to argue or wait. She clenched her teeth and willed her head to stop spinning. The camp was in a state of confusion in the semi-darkness as she leapt to the ground, thankful that she had left on her leather armor for the night. All around she could see the twisting yellow forms of the goblins, armed with maces, stone axes and knives. Many of the soldiers were already awake and fighting. As she drew her own sword, its magic seared through her once again and its light flung the darkness aside.
At the same instant, her blood froze as the sound of a hideous scream tore through the night behind her. She spun around to see the stars blotted out by a dark form falling upon the creatures, throwing them in all directions. In the dim firelight, she could barely make out Horton's outline as he howled in rage, and she ran to join in the attack.
Between the sight if the dragon on one side, and the brilliance of GreyEagle's sword on the other, the cries of glee coming from the goblins quickly turned to screams of terror. Thrown into confusion, they began to flee back into the darkness they had come from, many dropping their weapons in their haste. Sucaba and Horton were not about to let them escape, and gave chase, cutting down goblins and wolves like so many blades of grass. Soldiers quickly followed after, cleaning up the few who managed to escape the fury of the dragon and mage.
GreyEagle began to follow, but she caught sight of another pair of figures out of the corner of her eye. It was Recuahc and Coyle, still in the midst of a battle with one of the larger of the goblins. The bodies of several goblins already lay sprawled around their feet, but Recuahc was holding his side as if he had been injured. GreyEagle gave one last glance in the direction of the fleeing goblins, decided that they would be adequately taken care of by their pursuers, and turned to help Recuahc.
Even as she ran, she saw Recuahc lunge at the goblin. There was a desperation in his attack that she had not seen when she had practiced with him. This was no longer play-acting. The goblin slumped to the ground, neatly run through by Recuahc's sword, but Recuahc could hardly stand. His breathing was labored and pain lined his face.
"Help me get him over to the fire," Coyle called to her. The two of them put their arms around Recuahc and helped him over to one of the watch fires. New wood had just been heaped on it and the flames were already licking brightly at the twigs and branches. Some of the soldiers had already brought over another fallen man and a couple of the women were there with water and bandages to dress the wounds. Marianne arrived, still pulling a shawl around her shoulders, and shooed the others away from Recuahc. She dropped to her knees next to him and gently eased off his tunic. Recuahc bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain as he sat.
GreyEagle drew her breath in sharply. A long white scar ran clear from his shoulder to the middle of his chest. This young man was no stranger to swords, pain and blood. There was more hidden behind that smiling face than she had first imagined. She edged around Marianne to see the wound that Recuahc had just suffered. It was ragged gash in his side, but it didn't look serious enough to be causing him so much pain. However, the color was already draining from his face and his breathing was shallow and labored.
One of the young women rushed up to Marianne as she bent over Recuahc, examining the wound. The girl's eyes were wide and her face white with fear. She looked like she desperately wanted to say something, but couldn't gather the strength to say it.
"Kettrick is already dead?" Marianne asked flatly as she looked at the girl. The girl nodded, and then collapsed into a heap on the ground, silent sobs wracking her small frame. "Poison," Marianne said as she looked at Coyle and then back at Recuahc. "I will do the best I can. I will need warm water." One of the other girls ran to fetch a pot that had been warming on a fire near by. Recuahc moaned softly and slumped forward, and Marianne was just barely able to catch his head before it slammed into the ground. She swiftly sifted through the assortment of herbs which she had brought with her and their aroma filled the night air as she carefully crushed a few selected leaves into the small cup of the warm water which had just been poured for her. She dipped a bandage into the mixture and cleaned and dressed the wound. GreyEagle watched intently as Recuahc moaned weakly.
After a while, the herbs seemed to take effect and his breathing started to relax. His eyes were already half closed as he muttered a weak thank you, and slid into a deep sleep.
Marianne leaned back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "He will sleep for a while now, but I still need to bring him to my wagon for the night to keep an eye on him." She called over a couple of the men and they gently carried Recuahc's limp form back to the wagon.
GreyEagle was uncomfortable, and it suddenly dawned on her that it was her shoulder that was aching. She spun around half expecting to see the dark form of a half-orc lunging at her out of the night wielding a long black dagger. The wound she had suffered that night long ago had been no ordinary gash, and it had been long and painful in healing. At times like this, when her thoughts were troubled, the scar still bothered her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Ormec's grumbling. He had grabbed his shield and battle axe, but had apparently arrived too late to participate in any of the fighting. His eyes were red, even in the light of the watch fire, and GreyEagle wondered if he'd had a bit too much to drink the night before. He plopped down next to the fire, mumbling to himself.
"Do not be so eager to rush into battle Ormec," GreyEagle said quietly. "Poisoned weapons are not a threat to be taken lightly, no matter how small the foe who wields them. We will have opportunity enough to earn our keep here."
Ormec's face grew red. "You may have beaten me at practice but I am still skilled enough to deal with puny goblins, poison or no," he shouted. "I am not about to sit back and let young boys like Recuahc die to secure my safety!" He rose roughly to his feet and stomped off in a huff.
"That's not what I mean!" GreyEagle sputtered as he stormed off, but he was not listening. She considered following after him, but she knew that she would get nowhere with him as long as he was in such a hot a temper. She'd have to deal with Ormec later. She looked towards the wagon where Marianne had taken Recuahc and wished for some potions of healing. However, wishing would get her nowhere. She went off to see if she could find Coyle.
He was examining the captured weapons when GreyEagle found him. "Poisoned, all right," he said, spitting his disgust. "Most of them anyway. You can see the discoloration along the edges. No doubt they hoped to hit and run, wounding as many as possible, and let the poison do the dirty work. They could whittle us down a little at a time." He shook his head slowly. "No grand military strategy, but effective. I'm glad we had no more casualties. We will need to burry these to make sure no one accidently cuts themselves on them." He tossed the stone blade back into the pile with the others. "Any word on your friend Recuahc?"
GreyEagle shrugged. "Marianne seems to have him under control." She didn't know what else to say. With the death of the other soldier, she knew the potency of the poison, and the speed at which it worked. The fact that Recuahc had survived this long seemed to bode well that he was past the worst of the danger, but how long he would take to recover fully, or what long term effects there might be, was still very much an open question.
Sucaba and Horton returned after an hour or so to report that there were now no goblins in at least a five mile radius. GreyEagle shuddered when she saw the dull red glow in the dragon's eyes as it sat carefully licking its talons like an immense feline.
Once the camp was cleaned up and set in order again, people began to go back to bed, but GreyEagle had no desire to sleep. She sat for a while at the edge of the watch fire and gazed into the embers. The watch fires had once again burned low, and beyond the edge of their flickering circles of light, the night was quiet again, disturbed only by the hushed whispers of the watchmen as they cautiously made their rounds.
She kept thinking of Recuahc and the poison. Battles and blood she knew, but poison made her uneasy. Marianne had sent the other girls in the wagon off to find other beds so that she could attend to Recuahc in peace, and now GreyEagle felt uncomfortable going back there. She sat for a while with her eyes closed and listened to the sounds of the night, drawing in its peace and quiet. The night wind had taken on a chill and she edged closer to the fire for its warmth. Her shoulder now throbbed dully, and she tried to move it around a bit to work out the stiffness. She knew the chill was probably not helping it any, and glanced over again at the wagon where Marianne had taken Recuahc. She envied Marianne's skill with herbs and healing, and wondered how much Marianne might be able to teach her while they were traveling together. Probably not enough to be of any real use, she sighed. The time they had was too short and she would probably know just enough to be dangerous.
Time. It was always slipping past her. The time she had been able to spend with Schimray had been so short, and her eyes began to sting when she thought about how long it would be before she would see him again, and the dangers which both of them would have to pass through. Life was so fragile. A little poisoned dagger in the hands of a goblin, and it could all be over, like a candle flame puffed out by a night breeze.
The memory of a face staring blankly up at the stars came back to her again and she covered her face to try to block it out. That face spoke of the faces of all the innocent ones, those who had no interest in gold and treasure, preferring to live their lives and raise their young ones in peace, those who had been caught and destroyed by the evil ones all around them. Somewhere out there, in a dark tower, lurked a demon grasping for power. Once it clutched that power, there would be so many more faces. She had already seen some of them at the previous tower. One had been a young boy with its throat slit. Another had been a little child trying to wake a man from his sleep of death. The tears flowed silently now. She could not turn back. She did not know if she could face the demon and survive, but she knew she would have to face him soon. Time was slipping away too quickly.
She rose quietly, slipped from the edge of the fire and walked to Marianne's wagon. She knocked quietly on the door.
"Who is there?" Marianne's voice came softly from the interior.
"GreyEagle. May I enter?"
"Yes child, please come in."
GreyEagle pulled the door open and the small candle which burned on the stand my Marianne's bed flickered and almost went out. She quickly entered and pulled the door shut behind her.
"I wondered how long you would be before you came back," Marianne said with a soft smile as GreyEagle sat down gingerly on the bed opposite Recuahc. "I knew you would not be long." GreyEagle blushed. "You carry a sword and shield young woman, yet there is healing in your heart. It is in the sound of your voice and the touch of your hands. Guard that quality. It is easily smothered by other forces." GreyEagle was not sure she understood, but she nodded her head.
"He is doing well," Marianne answered GreyEagle's unspoken question as she saw her looking at Recuahc. "Death was banging at his door, but there is a strength deep within him." She reached over to soak another bandage in the mixture of herbs and medicines which stood on a small table bear the bed, and applied them to Recuahc's wound. He groaned slightly in his sleep, but didn't awaken.
GreyEagle thought of how much Recuahc reminded her of her brother Durran. Once, when they had been younger, she had almost killed herself while climbing high on a cliff to an eagle's eerie to see the young. On the way back down, she had slipped and fallen to a small ledge, twisting her ankle in the process. Not having told anyone where she was going, she had no way of getting down, or hope that anyone would look for her there. Durran had been the first to notice her missing, and the only one with the faintest idea where she might be. He had found her three days later, cold and weak. Ever since that time she had been afraid of heights. Like Durran, Recuahc was sensitive, and treated her like a human rather than some oddity -- a fighter in a skirt. She leaned back on the bed and thought of Recuahc's silly stories and music, and of his apparent innocence. She wondered what else lurked behind that mask of foolishness and mirth.
GreyEagle woke with the sun the next morning and realized that she had fallen asleep. She started to apologize to Marianne for being more of a burden than a help, but Marianne would hear nothing of it. "Where would we be now had it not been for your sword? No, I was the one who let you sleep late. Now off with you. I must stay here with your young friend, but I am sure you need some breakfast, and there is still plenty of work to be done. These folk won't let a few injuries stop them," she said with a grin.
GreyEagle rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stumbled out the door of the wagon. The sun had not yet burned off the mist which hung low along the ground, but most of the caravan people looked like they had already been up for quite a while. It irked GreyEagle that Marianne had let her sleep for so long, but there was nothing to be done about it now. The cooking fires were just being cleaned up, but GreyEagle was still able to scrounge up enough to satisfy her early morning hunger. With a small loaf of bread still in her hand, she went to search for the others.
She met Trouble walking down the road from town with a smug grin on his face and she guessed that he'd had suitable companionship for the night.
"You missed the excitement last night," she said.
Trouble snickered. "I think I had enough excitement to keep me busy."
"There was an attack on the camp."
"What!"
"An attack, and you were off playing in town." GreyEagle grinned at his consternation.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"Just goblins and wolves. Actually Horton scared them off pretty quickly, though not before they killed one guard and wounded Recuahc with a poisoned knife."
"Poison?" Trouble looked up. "Did you capture any weapons? Where are they -- the weapons that is?"
"The soldiers already buried them," Sucaba said as he walked up to join in the conversation.
Trouble threw up his hands and sputtered. "Where is your sense, man? We should have saved some of them."
"But why?" GreyEagle asked, puzzled why anyone could possibly want to save such a thing.
"Why to study them, of course," Trouble sputtered, beginning to loose his patience. He turned and started walking towards the circle of wagons. "It is probably too late now," he muttered, shaking his head. "So what else happened?"
"Recuahc is resting in Marianne's wagon. He survived the poison, but it was close."
"Where did you say he was?" Trouble shot back, with a hint of a chuckle in his voice.
"Marianne's wagon. The same one that I have been staying in."
Trouble shook his head with a laugh. "Why that little snake in the grass... Knows how to make the best of a bad situation."
"Speaking of snakes in the grass," Conrad added as they walked past where he was standing by one of the wagons, "I thought we were being paid to escort this caravan and protect the merchants. Don't you think you'd be doing a better job protecting them by being here, rather than in some featherbed off in town?" Trouble snorted and walked on.
A subdued hush covered the caravan as they broke camp, but with the coming of the sun and the bright glow which it cast over the countryside around them, spirits slowly began to lift. Sucaba was eager to get moving, and fidgeted atop Horton's back. As soon as the wagons were packed up again, the captain gave the order to move out, and once again the caravan slowly pulled itself back up onto the road.
They had not traveled long before the StarWater River came into view. Sucaba was anxious to do some fishing, so captain Metzler agreed to call a halt along the banks of the river. He announced that the caravan would rest there until noon, allowing people time to recover from the shock of the night before.
Marianne was climbing down from the wagon as GreyEagle went back to find her. "Your friend seems to have recovered well and is awake again," she said, "though he is still weak. He will recover in time, but he will need much rest. I will bring him out to sit by the bank of the river. The fresh air will do him good." GreyEagle hesitated. She wanted to go in and talk with Recuahc, but Sucaba was impatiently calling for anyone who was interested in fishing. She decided that she would talk with him later when Marianne brought him out.
About a dozen people already surrounded Sucaba by the time GreyEagle got there. The mage displayed a rare exuberance as he explained how to deal with the confusion of hooks and bait and line. GreyEagle poked her fingers more times than she could count before she finally managed to get everything set to Sucaba's satisfaction. He pointed out a number of spots along the river where he thought the fishing would be best.
Just as she finally got herself set in a comfortable little patch of grass along side a small still pool in the river, GreyEagle saw Marianne coming down towards the bank with Recuahc. She quickly got up to help Marianne, dropping her line on the ground where she had been sitting. Sucaba saw her get up and started to protest, but at that instant, someone else called out to him with a question, and he just threw up his hands in disgust.
Marianne helped Recuahc to a comfortable spot close to the edge of the river. He was still pail, and leaned heavily on Marianne's shoulder.
"Now don't you go wandering off," she said sternly as she placed a bed roll behind his back. "You are to sit here and relax, and get some fresh air and sunshine. If you need anything, send someone to get me."
Recuahc sighed. "Don't think I'll be running any races today, though I do appreciate the chance to get out a little."
Trouble wandered over as Recuahc was getting himself settled. "Well," he said with a sly grin, "congratulations on managing to work your way into the women's wagon."
"Dirty job, but somebody has to do it," Recuahc replied with an innocent look. "Besides," he said, with a weak laugh, "if you'd been around, maybe you could have been in there with me." He looked around to see if he could spot the others. "Hey, where's my little buddy Conrad? Is everyone else okay?"
"Yes, Conrad and all the others are fine. It seems that you did a pretty good job scaring the goblins off with your dazzling swordplay," GreyEagle teased.
"My swordplay?" he chuckled, "I barely had a chance to take a swing at the little vermin." He was still groggy from the effects of Marianne's herbs though, and before GreyEagle could say anything else, his eyes closed and his chin slumped to his chest.
The hours passed pleasantly as the sun crept higher in the sky. GreyEagle took frequent breaks to check on Recuahc, but soon found that he had attracted a number of the younger girls who waited on him hand and foot. He protested weakly, but GreyEagle didn't think he looked like he really objected to all the attention. As lunch was served, he was joined by Marianne and a couple of other girls who made sure he lacked nothing. GreyEagle raised an eyebrow at all of his "nurses".
"You seem to be well cared for, my friend," she teased him. "So, how long do you plan on being sick? Methinks you might never recover, what with such wonderful care." Recuahc grinned broadly.
After lunch, Marianne collected Recuahc to bring him back to the wagon where she had been taking care of him. She asked for a couple of the girls to help her keep an eye on him so that she could get some rest, and was besieged by a host of volunteers. She selected two of the older girls and headed back to wagon as the caravan prepared to get under way again. Trouble gave Recuahc another wink as he headed towards his horse and Recuahc laughed wearily and smiled in return.
They traveled for the rest of the day and on into the evening without further incident, going a little longer than usual in order to make up for lost time. It was clear however, that the break had been time well spent as everyone seemed to be in better spirits. Dinner was quickly prepared, and included some of the fresh fish which Sucaba had caught earlier. For Recuahc, dinner was a repeat of lunch, with several girls fussing over him despite the disapproving looks of the older women. GreyEagle had become a little disgusted at all the attention that he was getting from the young girls, but she bit her tongue. When it came time for them to retire, the older women insisted that the young girls bunk elsewhere for the night, and GreyEagle hid a snicker as their protests were firmly glared down. They quickly collected their things from the wagon and headed off to find other bunks for the night.
"Well," Marianne said, looking squarely at the women, her hands on her hips, "I still have my responsibilities, and I would be glad for GreyEagle's company."
One of the older women sniffed at her. "Well, it's all right for you. You've already made your bed." With that, the woman turned on her heels and walked off with her nose in the air and the others right behind her. Marianne opened her mouth to reply, but then she shrugged and turned to help Recuahc to the wagon. GreyEagle was confused by the remark and gave Marianne a quizzical look.
"Never mind them," Marianne said quietly as she helped the groggy Recuahc. "We have work to do." GreyEagle shrugged and followed her.
Marianne helped Recuahc into one of the beds lit a candle. He was settling down when GreyEagle bent over him to help him get his boots off. He paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Thank you again for all of your attention," he said at last. "I hope that I prove worthy of all this fuss and bother."
"Have no fear, Recuahc," GreyEagle said as she gently pushed him to lie down. "We each will have our turn to serve, and be served. Now it is your turn to rest. I have no doubt that you will have the opportunity to return the favor some time in the future. It is no accident that we are all here together."
Recuahc smiled weakly. "It would be an honor to be able to serve you." He lay his head back on the pillow and was silent for a minute. "You sound as though you believe in the all-knowing hand of fate," he said quietly. "I, for one, cannot dismiss our actions, or those of others, as unavoidable. No, you are not here because some other put you here, but out of your own goodness." Recuahc chuckled. "Perhaps I am more tired than I believe. I do tend to babble a bit I fear." His eyes were heavy and already beginning to close. "Perhaps we can discuss this when I am feeling a little more clear in my head." With that, Recuahc closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep.
"You are right," GreyEagle said softly as she sat back. "Fate does not blindly lead us down a path of its own choosing, but it does shape the paths we have to choose from. You flatter me too much I think though. I am no hero -- I merely do what needs to be done." After a long pause, she rose and tucked in his blanket. "Sleep for now young philosopher, and we will see what tomorrow lays in our path."
Next...

7 April, 1998