arrived.
I don’t know where Morcant’s Legio IX might be camped, but they cannot be far away and I am afraid I’ve stayed here too long. I head north because I know the Brigante lands lie to the North of the Parisi. But that is all I know.
I haven’t gone more than ten paces when it happens again – the dizziness and weakness. I hope Morcant doesn’t see me sit down abruptly so that I don’t fall. When the vision comes, it is sharp as a stab wound in my mind – I am in the Chief’s hall as the legion comes. Elen and the rest of them are screaming. Swords slash through flesh and bone and the ground is slick with the blood of the slaughter. I choke and cough as the thick black smoke of the hall’s fire catches in my throat, my eyes stream, nausea grips me .
My vision clears and I’m back in the snow-covered grove. I wipe snow across my face to revive me. I don’t know if this massacre has happened or is yet to come but I’ve got to get further away. The hall and all this horror are still too near.
‘Hey! Hold on! Are you all right?’ Morcant’s voice is different, strong, ‘You can’t travel alone!’
Of course I can travel alone. I turn back to answer him and see that the wolf wraith is fully awake now and restless. The wolf returns my look and does not look away, but sniffs the air, ready to move on. The man is already putting out the fire and gathering up his kit. ‘Are you hurt?’
His movements are swift, neat, and in moments he is with me and helping me to my feet. His arm is strong; he almost lifts me from the ground.
‘I’m fine,’ I say, irritated. ‘We’d both be better off travelling alone.’ I know my voice trembles with weakness because it always does after a vision, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. I’ll be stronger in a moment.
‘No. It’s much safer if we travel together – we can sleep in turns.’ I don’t argue. I haven’t yet got the strength. Besides, it is the wolf I hear in Morcant’s voice – assured, with the promise of violence. Short of putting a spear through Morcant’s guts, I don’t think there’s much I can do. Could I have chosen a worse travelling companion? It is hard to imagine one.
I must still be befuddled by my vision, because when I allow him to help me it is with a lighter heart than I’ve had in a long time.
Chapter Six
Morcant’s Story
The female is sick, she smells wrong. Perhaps I am sick too and that’s why I can’t remember last night. There are shadows: smells, sounds that I can almost recall – fever dreams, nothing more. I’ll be fine if I keep moving away from this forest, away from this country. The woman recovers quickly and strides ahead. I focus on following her long, straight back. I could almost imagine she were Lucius leading the way if she were not so tall. I know everything is not as it was yesterday; my churning guts and the chill in the marrow of my bones tell me that everything is different.
When the sun is high, we stop for a drink of water. It’s still cold but the sun is bright and the snow is beginning to thaw. At least our trail of footprints in the snow will melt.
‘We need to find something to eat.’ She doesn’t answer.
‘Do you remember what happened yet?’ I shake my head. She gives me a look that is close to contempt.
‘You need to try harder,’ she says and her eyes are very cold.
We walk and then walk some more. Even the army is not so hard a taskmaster as this woman. We leave the forest behind and come to an area of tilled ground. The woman stops, then ‘By Lugh, no,’ she whispers and what little I can see of her flesh is corpse white.
‘What is it?’
‘These are the Chief’s fields. I’ve brought us back full circle. This is the place I ran from.’
The stench of fire is in the air: ash, charcoal, burned flesh.
‘Shall we turn round?’
‘No. The gods have brought me here for a reason, I must see what they want me to see.’ Her voice is flat and lifeless. She already
I don’t know where Morcant’s Legio IX might be camped, but they cannot be far away and I am afraid I’ve stayed here too long. I head north because I know the Brigante lands lie to the North of the Parisi. But that is all I know.
I haven’t gone more than ten paces when it happens again – the dizziness and weakness. I hope Morcant doesn’t see me sit down abruptly so that I don’t fall. When the vision comes, it is sharp as a stab wound in my mind – I am in the Chief’s hall as the legion comes. Elen and the rest of them are screaming. Swords slash through flesh and bone and the ground is slick with the blood of the slaughter. I choke and cough as the thick black smoke of the hall’s fire catches in my throat, my eyes stream, nausea grips me .
My vision clears and I’m back in the snow-covered grove. I wipe snow across my face to revive me. I don’t know if this massacre has happened or is yet to come but I’ve got to get further away. The hall and all this horror are still too near.
‘Hey! Hold on! Are you all right?’ Morcant’s voice is different, strong, ‘You can’t travel alone!’
Of course I can travel alone. I turn back to answer him and see that the wolf wraith is fully awake now and restless. The wolf returns my look and does not look away, but sniffs the air, ready to move on. The man is already putting out the fire and gathering up his kit. ‘Are you hurt?’
His movements are swift, neat, and in moments he is with me and helping me to my feet. His arm is strong; he almost lifts me from the ground.
‘I’m fine,’ I say, irritated. ‘We’d both be better off travelling alone.’ I know my voice trembles with weakness because it always does after a vision, but that doesn’t mean I’m weak. I’ll be stronger in a moment.
‘No. It’s much safer if we travel together – we can sleep in turns.’ I don’t argue. I haven’t yet got the strength. Besides, it is the wolf I hear in Morcant’s voice – assured, with the promise of violence. Short of putting a spear through Morcant’s guts, I don’t think there’s much I can do. Could I have chosen a worse travelling companion? It is hard to imagine one.
I must still be befuddled by my vision, because when I allow him to help me it is with a lighter heart than I’ve had in a long time.
Chapter Six
Morcant’s Story
The female is sick, she smells wrong. Perhaps I am sick too and that’s why I can’t remember last night. There are shadows: smells, sounds that I can almost recall – fever dreams, nothing more. I’ll be fine if I keep moving away from this forest, away from this country. The woman recovers quickly and strides ahead. I focus on following her long, straight back. I could almost imagine she were Lucius leading the way if she were not so tall. I know everything is not as it was yesterday; my churning guts and the chill in the marrow of my bones tell me that everything is different.
When the sun is high, we stop for a drink of water. It’s still cold but the sun is bright and the snow is beginning to thaw. At least our trail of footprints in the snow will melt.
‘We need to find something to eat.’ She doesn’t answer.
‘Do you remember what happened yet?’ I shake my head. She gives me a look that is close to contempt.
‘You need to try harder,’ she says and her eyes are very cold.
We walk and then walk some more. Even the army is not so hard a taskmaster as this woman. We leave the forest behind and come to an area of tilled ground. The woman stops, then ‘By Lugh, no,’ she whispers and what little I can see of her flesh is corpse white.
‘What is it?’
‘These are the Chief’s fields. I’ve brought us back full circle. This is the place I ran from.’
The stench of fire is in the air: ash, charcoal, burned flesh.
‘Shall we turn round?’
‘No. The gods have brought me here for a reason, I must see what they want me to see.’ Her voice is flat and lifeless. She already
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