In the Shadow of Mountains: The Lost Girls

Chapter Thirteen

  Uncomfortable Allies

  Soo-Kai knew that seeking out her mother and the other Destroyers was a great risk. But it was a risk of necessity. If there was a Destroyer in the castle, and she was bonded, then her motives would be unclear even if her knowledge was not.

  For Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers, access to the Althon Gerail meant escape. Escape from this world where none could breed successfully, and escape from a world that had been their prison for too long. But to escape meant also to resume the Purpose.

  Soo-Kai had no love for the Purpose. Her bond with Rolf allowed her to have this thought, it allowed her to see and think in ways she had not thought possible. To touch an Outsider, and to do what she now did, these would have been unthinkable without the bond. But all that freedom would be gone when the bond ended. And so it must be for the Destroyer in the castle.

  Like Soo-Kai, the Destroyer in the castle would be free to think of other things. She would not be pursuing the Purpose. For her, access to the Althon Gerail would not have the same meaning as it did for Kai-Tai and those with her. But she would know that they would come. So what was she doing?

  Soo-Kai contemplated what she would do if she had access to the castle. For her, escape from Ellerkan was not an escape. Her time with Rolf was her escape, and it was limited. Would she destroy the Althon Gerail? If she did, Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers would have no reason to attack the castle. But that would trap her race here forever. Would she do that? At one time she would have said yes, but now she had to think of the future. The Destroyer in the castle may have no such thoughts to hinder her. But did this Destroyer hate the Purpose as greatly as she now did?

  “Could she be influenced by the man she was bonded to?”

  Soo-Kai turned to look at Rolf, riding on his horse alongside her. She raised her eyebrows and asked, “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  Rolf smiled. “You were so quiet; I assumed you were thinking about what you would do in her place. It is an interesting thought.”

  Soo-Kai nodded. “Your understanding of me has grown as our time together has grown. I am thankful for this. And yes, you are correct; her bond will have an influence. You have always had the ability to command me, but you have never used it. This has also pleased me greatly. The Destroyer in the castle may not be so fortunate.”

  “But if the man she is bonded to is commanding her, he would have to know what it is he ordered her to do,” Rolf said, and then shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t have been able to recognise that thing –what did you call it? An assault ship? No, I wouldn’t have recognised it, nor been able to command you to remove the part that was removed. Like you said, only a Destroyer would know that.”

  “You think too far. For him, his command may be simple, but for her, the solution to it may require complex acts.”

  “You mean he could have asked her to bring light to his castle at night, and she would have taken the power source to do it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then where did the aliens come from?”

  “Only when we reach the castle will we know this.”

  They rode on in silence for a while as they both thought about what could be happening at the castle. Then another thought occurred to Rolf.

  “Why do we need to find your mother?” he asked.

  “Because the Destroyer at the castle will know that this is the year of the ship, and that other Destroyers will gather there. She will feel threatened, and that her bond is threatened. She will tell him about those that come, and why. The garrison will not be weak as Kai-Tai thinks.”

  “So we are going to warn her?” Rolf said in surprise.

  “She is still my mother,” Soo-Kai replied.

  Rolf sighed and nodded. “Yes, she is. But something tells me that she won’t be happy to see us.”

  Soo-Kai picked up the scent of Kai-Tai as they came closer to the castle. As before, she was not alone. But where before there were three, now there were eleven.

  Rolf was correct in his prediction of their welcome. As soon as they came near, Kai-Tai drew her sword and approached them. The other Destroyers came with her, Hai-Fam and Nan-Po among them.

  Kai-Tai didn’t wait for them to dismount, but immediately pointed her sword at Soo-Kai and almost snarled at her. “You should not have come, my seed! To be close to the castle at this time is to court death!”

  “I had to,” Soo-Kai replied. Her sword was not drawn, and she tried to keep herself between Rolf and the other Destroyers. It wasn’t easy, as they were quickly surrounded.

  Rolf found himself staring at the points of many swords. Even Hai-Fam’s expression was unfriendly.

  Kai-Tai still kept her sword pointed at Soo-Kai. “Then tell me why we should not kill the Navak and free you of this bond?” she demanded.

  Soo-Kai kept her nerve as she answered. “Because there is a Destroyer in the castle, and it is her bond that threatens you.”

  Kai-Tai lowered her sword and stared at Soo-Kai. “You risked much to tell me this. Why?”

  “Because I am your seed, and because the garrison will be strong and not weak as you thought.”

  Kai-Tai seemed thoughtful. “Ban te na!” she suddenly called out, and all the swords were lowered.

  Rolf watched Hai-Fam as she replaced her sword in her back. She smiled at him. It was a bright childish grin. It surprised him.

  Kai-Tai and the other Destroyers all replaced their swords in their backs. Soo-Kai dismounted from her horse. Rolf did the same. He still felt uneasy standing there among them all, but he took his chance for a closer look.

  They were a mixture, these Destroyers, but also the same. Rolf gazed around at them all. Like Hai-Fam and Nan-Po, they were all tall and shapely, and all wore the same style of clothes: Black, grey or dark brown tunics and leggings, and long boots. Even their features were similar. Only their hair and eyes were different. Blonde hair, black, brown, or red. Some had their hair long, some short. Their eyes were blue, or brown or green. All their expressions were also the same. Only Hai-Fam’s was different; only she now looked at him with an expression that wasn’t filled with distaste.

  Yes, Rolf felt distinctly uncomfortable. He stayed close to Soo-Kai. But unfortunately, she stood next to her mother, and Rolf could see that Kai-Tai’s eyes held more hatred for him than any of the others.

  Soo-Kai was concerned that Kai-Tai still intended to attack the castle. She said as much to Kai-Tai. And when Kai-Tai confirmed her fears, Soo-Kai became alarmed.

  “But you are only eleven!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

  “With you we could be twelve.”

  “It would not matter if you were twenty!” Soo-Kai replied quickly. “The garrison will be strong. The Destroyer in the castle will have warned them. What you propose is suicide. You cannot pursue an attack now that you know the castle garrison has been warned.”

  “There is nothing you have told us today that we did not already know. Mai-Ra and Jai-Soo found the assault ship yesterday. It’s meaning was obvious.”

  Kai-Tai’s casual revelation that she had known about the assault ship all along made Soo-Kai angry.

  “You knew, and yet you would still attack? This is madness, my mother! Stop this!”

  Kai-Tai ignored her daughter’s outburst. “Your presence here is unnecessary, but understood. Now you have a choice. You must either join us in our attack on the castle, or you must leave.”

  Soo-Kai stared at Kai-Tai. “You would kill all in a fruitless attack?”

  “Our lives would indeed be fruitless if we stood by and let the Androktone in the castle use the coming of the ship to escape and leave us trapped here forever.”

  Rolf now chose to enter the debate. “What makes you all think that she’s going to fight you? For all you know, she could have left the castle gates open and put out the welcome mat.”

  They all stared at him. Only Kai-Tai broke the stunned silence.


  “What would you know about Androktones, Navak?” she said in a stern voice.

  “Not much, but I know a lot about bonded Destroyers,” Rolf replied confidently. “Soo-Kai and I came here to warn you. We didn’t need to. I could have told Soo-Kai not to come, and she would have obeyed me. It would have hurt her, but she would have obeyed me. The point is, she wanted to come here and warn you, even though she was bonded and her path was now different to yours. The Destroyer in the castle could be equally friendly towards your cause. But what counts isn’t what she’s thinking. What does count is what her bond is thinking.”

  “Her bond will be human,” Kai-Tai said with distaste. “That in itself makes him our enemy.”

  “Then why are aliens appearing in the forest?”

  Kai-Tai stared at Rolf. For the first time her expression lost its intensity and became almost puzzled. “We have tasted the scent of such aliens in the forest,” she said in a calmer voice. “But we have not seen any.”

  Soo-Kai now spoke. “We have seen. A boy child; killed by men from the castle garrison. They hide what they do.”

  Kai-Tai became thoughtful. She briefly turned away from Soo-Kai and Rolf as she considered her reply. Finally she turned back to face them and said, “I accept your words. The arrival of these aliens can mean only one thing. Despite my precautions, this Androktone has access to the Ring Network Portal on the Nakora Tabek. At the moment we cannot be sure of her intent, and even less that of her bond. But the castle gates are not open, and there is no mat outside. For now, at least, we will wait.”