Kaelin could no longer resist the urge to locate Chara. 'And his daughter?' he asked.
'She and Bael have gone with him.'
The news struck Kaelin like a blow. It had been annoying to have been left for most of the day, but to find out she had just wandered off for a few days without a word of farewell left him sick with anger. His mood darkened. If she thought so little of him, then he would leave, and be damned to her and all of the Black Rigante. He became aware that the man was speaking to him. 'That was a good fight today, southerner. Old Grymauch trained you well.'
Kaelin struggled to remain calm. 'You know my uncle Jaim?'
The man chuckled. 'Everyone knows your uncle Jaim, lad. He was raised here. He's one of us. Is it true he thrashed the Varlish champion, Chain Shada?'
'No, not Chain. He beat a man named Gorain. It was a grand battle.'
'With Grymauch it would be,' said the man. 'You want some food?"
'Aye, for the road.'
'You're leaving? In a storm?'
'My business here is done. No purpose would be served by-staying.'
The man shook his head. 'They breed 'em strange in the south," he said. Pushing himself to his feet he wandered back to a deep pantry and began to gather food.
‘I’ll need to borrow a cloak and a food sack,' said Kaelin. ‘I’ll see them returned at next tribute.'
'Watch out for bears,' said the man, with a grin. 'In this weather those pistols will be useless.'
‘I’ll remember that.'
'You want me to leave a message for the chief?'
'All that needed to be said was said,' Kaelin told him.
His hood held firmly in place by a borrowed scarf Kaelin Ring made his slow way down the pass. The stockaded gates were closed, but the guards came out from under rough-made tents to open them for him.
'Steer clear of the bears,' called the last. Kaelin did not respond. Shoulders hunched against the driving rain he walked on. Chara had obviously spread the story of his stupidity throughout the clan. Yet another reason to be glad he was rid of her, he told himself.
The pass was steep, and twice he slipped and fell, once sliding on the scree for several yards. The rain beating against his face had softened the scab over the cut and the wound tingled and stung. He tried to hold his hood over the stitches, but the wind whipped it back. Within the hour he was wet through, and desperately cold. Even in summer the mountain nights could turn savage. He shivered as he walked. Lightning seared across the sky, immediately followed by a roll of thunder so powerful that Kaelin felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.
Anger gave him strength, and he pushed on. Happily there was only one road, and Kaelin held to it. Had there been many branches to the trail he would certainly have been lost by now. This was a stupid thing to do, he told himself. Since Chara and her father were going to be gone for some days he might just as well have remained in the great house until the storm passed, or the dawn came. Best to be away, though, he argued. Best to put the bastards behind me. A pox on Call Jace and his murderous family!
Despite such dark thoughts, however, he could not stop himself from picturing Chara's face by the firelight, nor erase the joyful memory of his walk with her, feeling her presence beside him.
Emerging to the flank of the mountain he felt the full force of the storm wind in his face. It was gruelling work trying to force his way through it. Although he had slept for several hours he was still weary from the fight, and he had lost blood. He struggled on. Lightning flashed, and he saw that the trail entered the woods up ahead. Here, with the force of the wind lessened by the trees, he could make faster time.
But Kaelin was stumbling and weary by the time he reached the haven of the tree line, and he sat down on a jutting root. He had been walking now for almost two hours and was close to exhaustion. His anger-fuelled strength fading, he knew he needed a place to make camp. It was pitch dark here and he waited for another lightning flash, hoping to see a rocky outcrop or an overhang beneath which he could rest awhile out of the rain.
For some time he sat there, trying to accustom his eyes to the darkness. The root was uncomfortable and he adjusted his position. As he did so he saw a brief, flickering light in the distance; then it was gone. He stared into the darkness. There it was again. It flickered momentarily and faded. Rising, he began to walk in what he believed was the direction of the light. He blundered blindly into bushes, having to feel his way around them. Just when he thought he was lost the light came again. He realized it was a camp fire, and the wind was occasionally flaring the fames, causing brief, bright reflections against a rock.
The ground was rising now, the trees thinning. Up ahead was a group of huge boulders against a cliff wall. Firelight could be seen glowing red on the grey rock. He approached and called out. 'Hello, the camp!'
'Come on in,' came a voice, distorted by the storm.
Kaelin, his hand upon the hilt of his hunting knife, walked to the fire, which had been set under a jutting shelf of granite. Beside it he saw Jaim Grymauch, who grinned up at him. 'By heaven, boy, what are you doing out on a night like this?'
'Felt like a stroll,' said Kaelin, joy surging through him. Moving to the fire he sat down and removed his cloak. 'I did not expect to see you here.'
'I brought another of Maev's wagons to the farm. They told me of your trouble with Call. Thought I'd come and see if you needed a friend. I see I was a little late. Who cut you?'
'Bael. We fought a sword duel.'
'You kill him?'
'No, my sword shattered. Then he spared me.'
'He's a good boy, Bael,' said Jaim. 'Swift to anger, swift to forgive. I'm surprised Call would send you home on a night like this, though.'
'He didn't send me home. I decided to leave.'
Jaim glanced at him, but said nothing. Reaching into a food sack he produced some dried meat and a hunk of bread, which he passed to Kaelin. They sat in silence for a while, Kaelin enjoying the warmth of the fire. There was little wind here, and no rain. Having eaten, Kaelin stretched out on the rock. 'It is good to see you, Grymauch,' he said.
'And you, boy.'
'I am sorry for what I said to you back at the bridge. You are not a fool. You are a great man, and my friend.'
'Whisht, now! Stop talking and get some rest.' Grymauch gathered up his cloak and folded it, making a pillow for Kaelin's head. 'Dream good dreams. We'll talk in the morning.'
When Kaelin woke the sun was up, and the storm had passed. Grymauch was sitting close by, chewing on a stale oatcake. Kaelin sat up, and winced as the stitches on his face pulled tight. He lightly touched the wound. There was blood on his fingers when he pulled them back. Without speaking to Grymauch he wandered from the camp and emptied his bladder. The sun was warm, making the freezing cold of last night's storm seem unreal.
He stared back towards the Rigante mountains. He had covered no more than four miles last night. Had he not found Grymauch he might have died in the woods. Berating himself for such foolishness, he returned to the camp. Grymauch was still sitting on a rock, looking off into the distance.
'Good morning, Uncle,' said Kaelin.
'Aye, it is a good one,' agreed Grymauch. 'Tell me, did you part friends with Call?'
'I don't know. He wasn't there when I left. He'd gone to the West Hills.'
'His mother lives there. The man dotes on her. So, what happened?'
Kaelin told him of the fight at the farm, the invitation, and the duel. Grymauch listened quietly. When Kaelin finished he asked: 'And what are you leaving out?'
'What do you mean?'
'Finbarr told me the trouble at the farm was caused by you ogling Call's daughter. Yet not once have you mentioned her. Was she not at the great house?'
'Aye, she was there.'
'Was it she who stitched your wounds?'
'Yes.'
'I see.'
'What do you see?' asked Kaelin, reddening.
'Not as much as I used to,' said Grymauch, fallin
g silent. Pulling off the black headscarf he rubbed at the ruined socket.
'I thought she loved me,' said Kaelin suddenly. 'I told her father I wanted to marry her.' The dam burst then, and the story poured out. He told Grymauch of the bear, and the walk with Chara, the kiss on the mountain top, the swim in the lake. He spoke of his anguish and hurt when she walked away from him, and then left for West Hills without a word of goodbye. 'I feel like a fool,' he concluded.
'Aye, well, it's fitting then that you should have behaved like one.'
'You think it was foolish to leave?'
Grymauch laughed. 'You need no answer to that, Kaelin. Wounded and tired you walk off into a ferocious storm with no real knowledge of the countryside. I'd say that was foolish. You should have told her you loved her, that she was the most precious creature in all the world, and that you could not imagine life without her.'
'I wish I had.'
'It's not too late. We're only a few miles from the gates.'
Kaelin shook his head. 'No. I am going back to the farm. If she wants me she can find me there.'
'What if she doesn't come, boy?'
'Then she doesn't love me, Grymauch.'
Grymauch replaced his headscarf. 'Perhaps that's what she'll think when she finds you left without - as you say - a word of goodbye. If you want to win the girl you'll need to swallow your pride and say what needs to be said.'
Kaelin thought about it, then he shook his head and smiled. 'Why is it, Grymauch, that you have never swallowed your pride and told Aunt Maev you love her?'
'I'm not good enough for her,' said Jaim simply. 'Maev is a woman of fire and iron. I'm just a whoring drunkard - and an ugly one to boot. No, 'tis enough for me to be close to her, and help her where I can.'
'She's not too good for you, Grymauch. Maybe you should just ask her to wed you.'
'Now it's you giving advice, is it? Maybe one day I will, boy. When the time is right.' He gave a great sigh. 'I have to say I'd be the proudest man who ever lived if she were to Walk the Tree with me. I love her so much I feel that my heart will burst from it.'
'That is how I feel about Chara. I feel we are meant to be together.'
'My, but it is a good feeling, isn't it?' said Jaim. 'Now, which direction should we head?'
'Back to the farm,' said Kaelin. 'I made the decision to leave, and I'll not make a fool of myself by creeping weakly back to the great house.'
'Well, I've said my piece, so I'll just walk with you.'
Jaim climbed down from the rock and gathered his cloak. From behind a rock he lifted his massive broadsword, and hung it between his shoulders. He saw Kaelin looking at him.
'What are you thinking?' he asked.
'I'm thinking that you'll never ask Maev to marry you. It makes me sad.'
'It shouldn't. There is nothing in the world so great as love, Kaelin. I feel privileged just to have felt it. My wife was a good woman and - though I didn't love her as I love Maev - we were content. Two bairns and a little farm. When she died, and the beetlebacks drowned my boys, I was filled with hate. The rebellion was in full flow and I cut and killed my way from Eldacre to Three Bridges and beyond. I butchered beetlebacks wherever I found them. After the rebellion was lost I crossed the sea, and fought in several wars. But the hate never left me, Kaelin. It burned like fire on the soul. When I came back Maev healed me. Not just my eye, but my heart. Love does that, boy. So you should understand that my life was made infinitely richer just by knowing Maev. I get more pleasure from seeing her smile than I have ever had from rutting with Parsha Willets or anyone else. She is the love of my life, and the life of my soul. I don't need to be wed to her. I don't even need that love returned. It is enough that I am close to her, and can protect her.'
Kaelin saw the sorrow in the big man's face, and knew Jaim was not telling the whole truth. He did need that love returned. Who wouldn't, thought Kaelin? The silence now was uncomfortable and the youngster knew he needed to find something to say to restore their normal friendly banter. He stepped forward and lifted his borrowed cloak from the rock where Jaim had laid it to dry. 'So,' he said, 'how is Parsha Willets?'
Jaim laughed. 'Fat and willing, and wonderful company. I've never regretted a single daen I've paid her.'
'Judging by the amount you've given her she must be one of the richest women in the highlands by now,' said Kaelin.
'Och, it's not that much.' Jaim thought about it. He grinned broadly. 'Maybe it is. Maybe I should marry Parsha Willets and live a life of luxury.'
The mood restored, they set off towards the east. Kaelin glanced back once, hoping to see Chara coming to find him. But the land was empty.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAIM STAYED AT THE FARM FOR LESS THAN A MONTH. KAELIN KNEW HE was anxious to return to Maev and made no attempt to delay him, though he dearly wanted to. The big man's presence at the farm changed the atmosphere. He laughed and joked with Finbarr and his brothers, which, in turn, drew Kaelin closer to the group. By the time he left Kaelin felt more at ease with these northerners, and they were more friendly towards him.
At least part of this change was down to the duel with Bael. Word of it had spread and Kaelin's standing among the folk of Black Mountain had risen as a result. But it was mainly the easygoing presence of Jaim Grymauch that made the difference. He worked as hard as any man, repairing fences, digging ditches, clearing blocked water inlets. At night he would produce a jug or two and regale the labourers with his own bawdy poems. They also witnessed at first hand Jaim's remarkable bull-charming talents. An old bull, with a huge sweep of horn, had become trapped on a mud bank by the river. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. When Kaelin, Finbarr and Senlic tried to reach him, laying long planks across the bank, the bull dipped his head and lunged at them. Jaim sat close by, drinking from a flagon of uisge and laughing at their efforts. Then he placed the empty flagon on the ground, looped a coil of rope over his shoulder, and walked out to stand some ten feet from the panicked animal. When he spoke his voice was low and easy.
'Once I was lighter than sunshine on water,
I danced through the heather,
As ever I sought her.
I knew not the seasons, nor even the reasons,
Nor what I would do,
If ever I caught her.
'For life is a shadow, a cloud on the meadow,
And love is a whisper, a kiss 'neath a rainbow,
And ever we travel, and seek to unravel,
The spirit that urges us all just to follow.'
The bull dipped its head, and shivered. Jaim placed a loop over its horns, then directed Kaelin and the others to continue placing long planks around the beast. When they had done so Jaim spoke to the animal.
'Come, my friend,' he said. 'This is no place for you. Your ladies are waiting. Let's have a little effort now.' So saying he leaned back into the rope. The bull's shoulders heaved. He managed to get his front legs on the nearest of the planks. Kaelin, Finbarr and Senlic moved in behind him, pushing hard. With an angry bellow the bull powered himself clear. Kaelin fell face first into the mud, and Senlic hauled him up. The old man was laughing fit to burst, and then Finbarr began to chuckle. The sound was so infectious that Kaelin found himself laughing with them. Jaim was lifting the rope clear of the bull's horns. 'Are you lads finished with your playing now?' he called. Kaelin scooped a handful of mud and hurled it at him.
Incidents like this meant Jaim's departure was greeted with general dismay.
'A man like you is wasted in the south,' said Senlic, as Jaim climbed onto the wagon.
'I have to be there,' said Jaim. 'They need to be reminded of what a real Rigante looks like.' He glanced down at Kaelin. 'You remember what I told you,' he said.
Kaelin nodded glumly. 'Give my love to Aunt Maev - and next time you come bring Banny with you. He'd like the trip and I miss him.'
‘I’ll do that.'
As the wagon rumbled away southwards Kaelin stood with Senlic and Finbarr staring after
it. 'What the hell is in the south that holds him?' asked Senlic.
'He's in love,' Kaelin said, before he could stop himself.
'Ah,' muttered Finbarr Ustal. 'That explains it. Why doesn't he Walk the Tree with her and bring her north?'
'Maybe he will,' said Kaelin.
'No he won't,' observed Senlic. 'She doesn't love him.'
'That's a shame,' said Finbarr. 'Obviously a stupid woman.' With that he strolled away.
Senlic glanced at Kaelin. 'There's only one woman I've heard Grymauch talk about, and that's your aunt Maev. I've met her and she has a mind as sharp as a dagger. Handsome woman too, by heaven.'
Kaelin was uncomfortable with the conversation. 'I should not have spoken of it,' he said. 'I ask you to put it from your mind when next he visits.' He changed the subject clumsily. 'So, will you need my help marking the cattle?'
'No. The lads and I can tackle that. My bones tell me it's going to be a hard winter, and I reckon we should halve the herds. We'll lose many when the ice comes. Beef prices are high now. Good time to make the decision.'
'I agree,' said Kaelin. 'Mark out half, and bring me the count. Will you take charge of driving them south?'
'Not this time. I'm getting old. Finbarr can hire the men and lead them. It's time he learned a little responsibility.'
'Good enough,' said Kaelin.
Back at the house he made himself a second breakfast, frying several thin steaks. As he ate he thought of the advice Jaim had given him that morning. 'Don't leave it too long, boy. You don't want her marrying someone else.'
Kaelin had heard nothing from Chara Jace in the last month, and it hurt him deeply. Did she think so lightly of him? Had he been wrong to think she loved him?
'Go to her,' Jaim had advised.
But pride prevented such a move. It was she who had first walked away without a word of farewell. It was she who should make the first move towards reconciliation.
What if she doesn't?
The thought was chilling. Every night as he went to his bed he thought of her. Every morning as he woke it was her face that leapt to his mind. Throughout the working days he would find himself remembering their conversations, picturing the sun on her hair, the brightness of her smile. Perhaps she will come when the tribute is due in three days, he thought.