CHAPTER
26
“LET’S GO, LET’S GO!” Rotter shouted, shoving them one after another through the gap.
“What about the rebels?” Alice asked, stumbling as her sister dragged her out of the darkness.
“Leave them, they’ll only slow us down!” Sergeant Caulder yelled.
Arcturus grabbed Elaine’s hand and pulled her through. He caught one last glimpse of the two rebels, trussed up in the gloom, then he was blinking in the dawn light.
It was all so green. Bright sunlight filtered through the leaves of the canopy, catching the motes of dust that floated in the air. Vegetation surrounded them, a tangled snarl of branches and viridescent fronds, growing from the black earth beneath. Birds squawked and trilled in the distance, signaling that it was early morning still.
“Where now, Sergeant?” Prince Harold emerged behind Arcturus.
“We split up,” Sergeant Caulder said, shading his eyes from the brightness. “It will confuse the dogs, and they’ll spend time deciding which path to follow.”
“Are you serious?” Edmund asked. “There are too few of us as it is.”
“We’ve no choice,” the sergeant replied. “It’s our only chance.”
“Where are we even going?” Alice asked. “We’re in orc territory now.”
Arcturus was hardly listening. He needed Sacharissa, danger be damned. She was straining within his consciousness, eager to return to the real world.
It took but a moment for him to unravel his summoning map and bring Sacharissa into existence. Then his face was buried in her fur, hugging her for dear life.
She nuzzled against his chest, whining. Arcturus resolved he would not infuse her until this was over. She was the only one he could truly trust: especially after what their captive had said—he would not be the only one wondering why the rebels were after him.
“Let’s head deeper into the jungles,” Sergeant Caulder shouted, throwing his voice toward the crack they had come out of. “We can hide near the mountain pass.”
Then he leaned in, beckoning them closer.
“We’ll go east around the mountain, then head north to Corcillum,” he whispered.
“I’ll take Edmund, Josephine, Harold and Sergeant Caulder,” Zacharias said, shoving Elaine away from him. “Come on, let’s move.”
Arcturus clenched his fists, and looked at what was left … only him, Alice, Rotter and Elaine. Definitely the weaker of the two groups, with Alice the only summoner with any experience, and Elaine without a crossbow. Sacharissa whined, sensing his anguish. At least Rotter had a sword.
“I’ll stay with Alice,” Edmund said in a low voice, stepping away from Zacharias with a look of disgust.
Sergeant Caulder peered into the sky, staring at the mountains above them. Arcturus realized they had emerged from the range’s southern side.
“We’ll hug the mountain’s side; it should lead us back to Hominum’s territory,” Caulder said, half to Rotter, half to Prince Harold. “You go a bit deeper and angle around.”
“Do you think they’ll even follow us in here?” Prince Harold asked. “This won’t be what those men signed up for.”
“Does it matter?” Zacharias snapped. “They’ll be here any minute—we have to go.”
Prince Harold hesitated, his gaze lingering on Alice for what felt to Arcturus like a moment too long. There was something in that look, a raw emotion that Arcturus could not read.
Then Sergeant Caulder was pulling him away, and the three were gone, disappearing into the jungle with a crackle of branches.
“We should go too,” Rotter said, handing the makeshift spear to Elaine and drawing his sword. “Keep your crossbows loaded.”
He pushed his way through the brambles, and Sacharissa prowled after him, her nose low to the ground, hackles raised. Concentrating, Arcturus could sense the alien smells of the jungle blazing through her consciousness. The rich odor of the black soil beneath his feet, the fragrance of exotic fruit and flowers, even the stench of animal droppings, somewhere in the distance.
Arcturus could only follow, wanting to take Elaine by the hand to keep her close, but instead holding his crossbow, swinging it as the green leaves slapped against his face. It was useless—he could barely see Rotter’s back ahead of him, let alone make anything out through the thick vegetation.
Behind, he could hear Edmund murmuring to Alice, and wondered if they were talking about him. Were they plotting … would they use him as a bargaining chip, hold a knife to his throat if the rebels caught them?
This was his best chance—he could lose the nobles in the foliage, and circle back to their hunters. It had to be safer with them than striking out into the orc jungles, whatever they wanted of him.
He looked back and caught a glimpse of Elaine staring at the spear in her hands as if it were a venomous snake. He smiled at her with as much encouragement as he could muster, then stumbled and was forced to turn around once more. No … he couldn’t leave her.
“Have you ever been in the jungles?” Arcturus asked Rotter, hoping to distract himself from the hopelessness that seemed to grip him tighter with every step.
“Aye, we pursued an orc raiding party here once, after they’d slaughtered an entire village. Lost two men that day,” Rotter growled. “Never saw the brutes neither. Only the javelins that pinned my mates to the trees.”
That did not make Arcturus feel better, so he concentrated on following Sacharissa’s bushy tail as it swept back and forth in front of him, wagging frantically as she took in the new world. Despite their predicament, the boisterous creature was enjoying herself, and soon Arcturus could not help but smile as she snuffled back and forth along the ground, sneezing once as she accidentally snorted the dusty pollen from a bulbous flower.
Then the leaves fell away, and Arcturus stumbled into an open space, interweaving branches arching to form a loose thatch roof along what looked like a corridor into the forest.
“An animal trail here,” Rotter said, helping Elaine through. “We should follow it while it goes in the right direction. We’ll move faster, even if it gives the dogs an easier job following us.”
“Just a second,” Edmund said, peering into his scrying crystal. “Athena has arrived in Corcillum. There’s smoke in the air … looks like there were riots last night.”
“A distraction,” Alice said, leaning in to look. “Our parents would have spent the entire night helping fight the blazes.”
“She’s heading for the palace.” Edmund sighed. “If we’re lucky, King Alfric will be there, staying safe.”
“Where else could he be?” Arcturus asked.
“He might have left Corcillum and gone into hiding until the riots have ended,” Alice replied.
Rotter groaned with frustration.
“None of this will matter if we can’t get away from the dogs. We can discuss this later,” he said.
Already Sacharissa was roaming down the path, her nose seemingly affixed to the ground. There was a veritable bouquet of animal scents on the ground, made obvious by the many prints that littered the soil.
But instead of following her, Rotter crouched, holding his hand up to stop them. He beckoned them closer, and put his hand close to the ground, his fingers splayed. Beneath it, Arcturus could see a footprint, complete with five toes. Only … it was huge, as wide as Rotter’s hand and longer than the dirk still strapped to Arcturus’s boot.
The print belonged to an orc.
CHAPTER
27
ARCTURUS STARED AT THE imprint, struggling to fathom the size of the creature that made it. He had heard that orcs were enormous beasts, standing seven feet tall when full grown. But to see it … it boggled the mind.
“It’s a bull orc from the size,” Rotter said, his breath catching in his throat. “They must use this path. Arcturus, can your demon pick up its scent?”
Startled, Arcturus called Sacharissa over with a thought, and the demon immediately sensed his inte
ntions, putting her wet nose to the footprint and sniffing deeply. Within his consciousness, the scent swirled about Arcturus’s head … it was a pungent smell, all body odor and sweat, with a distinctive tinge that he could not place.
Worst of all, Sacharissa was already nosing the ground in the direction they needed to go, tracking the spoor like one of the hunting dogs that followed them.
“It was headed the same way,” Arcturus said, trying to hide the apprehension in his voice.
“Well, we’ll keep our wits about us,” Rotter said. “If there’s just one, I can probably handle it, but you’d better release your demons now, just in case. Hurry, we need to move—they’ll follow our scents easily enough now, demons or no demons.”
Arcturus looked on as Edmund and Alice delved in their quivers, where they had stored their summoning leathers in a handy compartment. The pair knelt in the moist earth and unraveled them, then together they summoned their demons in a flash of white light.
It was with some surprise that Arcturus saw Edmund had a second demon—a Canid. It was a lean, long-legged beast with a pelt of slate fur and a long muzzle, not unlike a giant greyhound. The demon was almost large enough for Elaine to ride, with its back reaching the height of Arcturus’s chest.
Mere moments after it had materialized, the demon hared toward Sacharissa, its tail wagging excitedly at the sight of another Canid.
“Back, Gelert,” Edmund called as the two Canids crouched on the ground, paws extended, play fighting as dogs were wont to do. “Leave that pup alone.”
But Arcturus was not looking at Gelert—for Alice’s demon had brushed against his legs.
He recognized the creature from his demonology book—in fact it was one of the first he had learned of, but it made the beast no less fascinating to his novice’s eyes. It was a Vulpid, and he was instantly smitten.
Its lustrous fur was a yellow white, like finely threaded gold, coating what appeared to be the body of a fox, complete with the animal’s narrow muzzle and broad triangular ears. But most beautiful of all was its tail—or rather, tails: three of them, in fact. Each was as thick and bushy as the real-world counterpart, and the trio of brushes whirled excitedly with every step.
Arcturus had to resist the temptation to stroke the beautiful creature, and suddenly understood Elaine’s obsession with Sacharissa.
“She’s beautiful!” Elaine said, hugging her arms to her chest. “What’s her name?”
“His name,” Alice corrected. “It’s Reynard.”
Arcturus smiled. Sacharissa had competition.
Even as Arcturus watched the three demons meet ahead of them, circling each other with excitement, the faintest echo of a sound broke through. Barking, drifting on the wind.
It pricked up all three of the demons’ ears, and Arcturus spun round, looking in the direction they had come from. His view was obscured by the vegetation, and their pursuers were too far to see regardless, but now he saw the trail they had left—the broken stems and parted vegetation they had pushed through. There was no doubt in his mind which group the hunters would follow.
There was no need to say another word. Together, they turned and ran. It seemed endless, hearts pounding, breaths coming thick and fast, quivers rattling and bouncing along their backs. Rotter was setting an impossible pace, the hardy veteran used to marching long hours.
Elaine was the first to go down. Arcturus knew she had tried, tried harder than any of them, for he had kept a watchful eye on her as they had sprinted along the uneven ground, ducking low-hanging branches and hacking through where the path had become overgrown. There was no room for stealth now; they knew the hunters were chasing them. The barking seemed to be getting louder.
He did not see it, but heard her fall, tripping on an errant root worming its way across the path. She had been too tired to notice it. Too tired to get up.
“Elaine!”
Arcturus ran to her side and hauled her to her feet. She could barely stand, hanging off his arm like a sack of potatoes.
“We need to take a break,” Arcturus gasped at the others.
Rotter turned and held up a hand, chest heaving.
“Let me think,” the soldier said, looking back behind them. “They’re already faster than us, even if I carry her.”
He looked around, then fell to his knees, pushing his hands deep into the dirt. The ground he kneeled on had been torn up by the thoroughfare of animals, and puddles had formed in their tracks, creating a makeshift water hole. The air was tinged with the smell of animal feces and urine.
For a moment Arcturus thought he was praying. Then the soldier pulled out a dollop of mud and kneaded it in his hands.
“Take off your clothes,” he said, standing and removing the red-cloth surcoat that covered his chain mail.
“Are you joking?” Edmund said.
“There’s no bloody time; take off as much as possible. Do it, quickly!”
Arcturus stared at the soldier as if he were mad, but still he did it, tearing at the metal buttons of his uniform and pulling at his shirt until he stood bare-chested beside Edmund. The two girls still wore their lace undershirts to protect their modesty, but their jackets and overshirts were off.
“Wipe your sweat with them—get as much on there as you can,” Rotter growled, mopping at his brow with the surcoat.
In truth, Arcturus was soaked in sweat from his run, and it was a relief to wipe away the salt that had been stinging his eyes.
“Which of your demons is fastest?” Rotter said after they were finished.
“Gelert can run like the wind,” Edmund said proudly.
“Good,” Rotter said, bundling the clothes together in a makeshift knot with his surcoat. “I need you to give him these and send him running down there for as long as you feel comfortable with. Then order him off the path, get him to bury the clothes and roll around in the mud, and take a roundabout path through the bushes before coming back to us. Can you do that?”
Edmund nodded grimly, and the large Canid took the clothing in its mouth. Then, after a quick hug from Edmund, it was off, haring down the path faster than Arcturus thought possible. Soon the demon was out of sight.
“The rest of you, infuse your demons, and I mean all of them.” Rotter looked pointedly at Elaine, who, despite her exhaustion, had surreptitiously hidden Valens behind her back. “Their smell is distinctive.”
“All right,” she groaned, removing a handkerchief-sized summoning leather from her pocket.
Arcturus grimaced as he called Sacharissa, who reluctantly allowed him to infuse her once again. Perhaps if the dogs were not so close, she would have refused him, but the barking was so loud it sounded as if they were just around the corner of the pathway.
“Now, cover yourselves in mud from head to toe,” Rotter said, digging thick dollops of mud from the ground and smearing himself all over. “We haven’t much time.”
So they did, being careful not to take it all from the same place. It was not perfect, but soon they were almost entirely covered by the foul-smelling sludge. Arcturus suspected that other, less savory substances had been mixed in with the mud.
“We’re downwind, so this may just work,” Rotter muttered. “Now follow me.”
They ran farther up the trail; then suddenly Rotter pushed his way into a thinner patch of vegetation, walking along the top of a fallen tree trunk and slipping into the bushes at its end. Arcturus and the others followed, until they were all crouched behind a screen of waxy leaves, watching the path ahead.
“Here, rub these on yourselves,” Rotter murmured, crawling a little way back and tugging a few handfuls of leaves and tubers from a nearby plant. “It’s wild garlic, I think … might help mask the smell.”
They did so, hearts pounding in their chests as the sound of the rebels’ dogs became louder and louder, and the distant chatter of voices could be heard.
Then they saw it. The first dog, scampering past with its nose to the ground, tongue lolling out, tail wagging
. But even as Arcturus allowed himself to feel relieved at its passing, it returned, called back by a sharp whistle.
“Look here, footprints,” shouted a voice. “The dogs ’av’ slowed. Summat’s changed.”
“Keep it down,” growled another. “There’re orcs here.”
“Like the dogs aren’t making enough of a racket,” one more replied. “This is a fool’s errand. We’ll never find them in this mess.”
Now Arcturus could hear the jingle of metal, and the panting gasps of men who were nearly out of breath. And there were dogs passing ahead of him, a whole pack of them, panting as they loped by their hiding place. For a moment one paused, a mangy, flea-bitten thing, its nose snorting in their direction. It growled, its lips curling back to reveal a row of yellowed teeth.
“Gerronwithit,” a voice shouted, and the hound yelped as a hobnailed boot kicked it ahead. “They’re close, I can sense it. Hurry up, lads, we’re catching up to them!”
Arcturus caught a glimpse of several hooded figures running past them, then behind followed a straggled line of others, clutching assorted weapons to their chests.
They remained crouched in the bushes, holding their breaths as more and more rebels thundered past. Arcturus could hardly believe how many of them there were. At least a hundred men had followed them into the jungle. All to find Harold … or him.
It felt like an age until the last rebel had stumbled by, and even then Rotter kept them silent and still for a full five minutes before he allowed them to move.
“I was wrong, ’twas a bloody bad idea following the trail,” he finally whispered. “I thought there would be but a dozen or so of ’em. We should cut through the jungle. There’s too many of ’em to keep up with us—they’ll get separated and lost.”
Edmund cursed, swiping a curious insect from his face.
“Damned vermin,” he growled, waving his hand. “We can’t cut through the jungle now; our rescuers will never find us. The trail is the best marker we have for the Celestial Corps.”
“We haven’t much choice,” Rotter replied, getting to his feet. “We’ve bought ourselves some time, but they’ll be back this way when the trail runs cold.”