Knox of the Bloom

Chapter 8: A Hero's Death

Eriu was standing by the lake's edge. The woman broke through the surface, her eyes glimmering golden, the sun alighting behind her as she rose like a summer's morning. Eriu fell to her feet, exhausted, and the White Woman gently slipped her arms around Eriu, lifting her like a feather on a breeze, carrying her into the water.The cool liquid brushed against her skin, easing the pain of the scratches, the burn of her muscles, spent from running.But running from where? And from whom?Then the memory showed its head and she remembered she was dreaming, that in the real world she had been chased. But then the man had saved her."Yes, Eriu. The White Wolf has risen its head. You must stay with him. Do not let him go, no matter what."Eriu nodded, and then the White Woman submerged her head, and Eriu breathed in the water, and it was bliss. . .*"We must leave in the morning," a voice was saying."We can't just leave her here.""Flint-Blade said that once you were healed we were to catch up.""But—""But nothing, Knox. We need to catch up. The others will need us if we're to have any hope of finding out what happened. By now they'll be scouting around camp, trying to see how many there are."Eriu opened her eyes to see the inside of a small hut. She was lay on a small pallet strewn with hay. Beside her warmth emitted from a large fur blanket, but then the fur opened its eyes and the wolf's bright green eyes seemed to look right into her soul. She reached out and brushed its fur with shaking fingers. The wolf yawned and the voices stopped. The door opened and the young man who'd saved her walked in, carrying a gourd. He was pale of skin but dark of eye and hair, and his smile at seeing her awake put her at ease."You're awake." He walked over, with a limp she noticed, and handed her the gourd, which she took and swallowed down some water. "That's good. I wanted to make sure you were OK before I left.""Who are you?""I'm Knox, of the White Wolf clan from the Slieve Bloom mountains. This here's Yew-Bow, also of the clan. And that beautiful girl beside you is my old love, Tapa." The wolf licked Eriu into the side of the face at the mention of her name.Eriu handed back the gourd."Thank you for saving me. How long have I been asleep?""Just since last night. Old Sister gave you an elixir and it helped restore your strength.""We were glad we could help," said the tall man blond haired man, Yew-Bow. "This wouldn't happen normally. The forest between Old Sister and Hornbeard's camp has always been a safe haven for a traveler.""You mean besides the Fugrah?" said Knox, frowning at Yew-Bow."Yeah, well, that was different.""Wait, you're leaving?" asked Eriu."We leave at first light.""I must go with you."Yew-Bow tensed. "I don't know. Flint-Blade will have my sack if I let another traveler tag along, Knox.""It's just until we get to camp," said Knox. "What's your name?""Eriu.""Right, it's settled then. Eriu can come and hang back when we go scouting.""Who put you in charge, lad?" asked Yew-Bow. He sighed though as he looked down at Eriu and nodded. "Fine, you can come. But we won't slow down for you. You keep up or not at all.""I'll keep up. And thank you, again."The two men and the wolf, Tapa, left her alone to sleep. Once morning came she changed into clothes left on a bench in the corner and she opened a pack beside the bench to see a thick wool cloak along with a pack of dried meat inside. She shouldered the pack and met them outside.A woman was standing on a raised platform in front of a large hut-like building enshrouded in furs. She looked straight into Eriu's eyes, and Eriu sensed power lurking there. The woman beckoned her up onto the platform."So, the Druids send one of their own into the land of the unfortunates," she said in a strong voice, it carried the tone of one who is best listened to. "Long has it been since they have seen to dabble in the matters of the outside world.""How did you know I came from the Druids?" asked Eriu."I seen your scars, but even if not I can sense it. Have you been blooded, and shielded?"Eriu nodded.The woman reached into her furs and took out a bright orange stone, the size of a pebble. On it was carved a tiny fish."Cast me into water and I shall still your soul. Cast me into fire and I shall alight the darkest of nights." Old Sister handed Eriu the pebble, and Eriu could sense the power emitting from the small object."A Chah stone?" asked Eriu, and Old Sister nodded."I am glad you shall journey with those of the White Wolf clan. Though I cannot help in any other way, this is no small boon. Take great care of it.""I will, and thank you.""Perhaps one day you shall return and hold council with me, for it has been a great deal of time since I spoke with the spirits of the Gods.""I will."Eriu met Know and Yew-Bow by the gateway out of the encampment. The three of them and the wolf made their way through the opening gate, and traveled in silence up the slope, eastwards.Eriu sensed she was on the right path, for the first time since leaving the Druids place of refuge. Looking at the sloping gait of Knox, who was strapping that sling of his to his wrist as he made his way up the hill, she couldn't imagine how he was supposed to help her. But the vision of the White Lady still burned in her mind, she could almost smell the pristine air of the white lake still.Whatever entailed for their future, she only hoped that she didn't fail in the eyes of the Gods.*It was on the third day that they were caught unawares by an armed group. Knox had been filling up his skin by the stream below, Yew-Bow had been skinning a rabbit for their night's meal, and the woman, Eriu, had been sat across the fire from Bow, watching closely, rubbing Tapa's ears. Tapa growled then, and ran off into the trees.Two men had come upon them nestled beneath the overhanging rock, bows aimed at Yew-Bow, another two had sneaked up behind Knox and poked him in the back with their spears.Knox slowly stood up with his hands held out. "Don't suppose we can talk this through?" he said, slowly turning around."Unless you want to be speaking through a mouthful of blood, keep quiet and get up to the fucking fire." The spear-men kept their weapons close to Knox as he walked up and sat beside Eriu, being quickly stripped of his weapons as he went."The fuck's that?" asked one of them, pointing to the sling beside his pack."It's your mother's undergarments," growled Yew-Bow, earning himself the smack of the butt from one of the spears to the back of the head for his trouble."Is there anymore of you?" asked one of the spear-men. Knox shook his head."Right, you two take first watch." He nodded to the bowmen. "If any of them so much as puts a foot outside of the light of the fire, put an arrow in their backs."The bowmen sat on either side of the fire, the two spearmen nestled down under the overhang, and Knox spent the night in a fitful watch, with an hour of broken sleep coming upon him eventually."Don't suppose you mind keeping a man warm?" said one of the bowmen, waking Knox from his slumber. Eriu was beside him, and to her the last statement was made."Leave her be," growled Yew-Bow."You shut your fuckin' mouth, Nordner," spat the other.The first bowman stood up and placed his bow out of reach. He slipped out his knife, a crude piece of flint, sharpened unevenly. But it could still do damage."I said I wanna fuck. Now get over there or I'll slit your little lover's throat." He took a step towards Eriu, and Knox made to stand up and stop him, but an arrow came flitting through the trees and took him through the back of the throat. Blood sprayed onto the floor in front of him as he collapsed. The other bowman shouted, waking the two spear-men, drawing back on the arrow and aiming to where th arrow had come from. That's when Flint-Blade appeared behind him, as silent as darkness, as creeping as a fog through a Cold Night.Flint-Blade reached his knife around and slit open the bastard's throat like a fish's gullet, and the other two men were readying their spears when the others rushed in. Clay-Jug brought his axe down, splitting open the back of one spear man's head, and the last man turned and fled towards the trees, but Yew-Bow had the discarded man's weapon in hand and nocked an arrow. He took aim, the fleeing man was zig-zagging though the trees, trying to outmaneuver them, but the arrow took him square into the back, sending him tumbling, dead as dead could be."How'd you find us?" asked Knox, as the group appeared from the trees, followed by the white figure of Tapa, padding along, mask covered in blood."Your wolf found us." Flint-Blade cleaned his knife on the man's dead body. "We need to move. There might be more around.""Are we heading back to camp?" asked Yew-Bow.Flint-Blade shook his head. "There is no camp anymore. They burned it down." He looked at Knox. "Hornbeard's dead, Knox. They murdered everyone in camp.""Dead?" Yew-Bow sat down. "By the Gods."By the Gods was right."White-Fang betrayed Hornbeard. He slit his throat open and hung the head above the camp's gate. We saw it from afar." Flint-Blade sat and warmed his hands over the fire. "But Old Hornbeard gave them hell. There were more bodies outside of the camp than inside. He died a hero's death.""I'll cave in the bastards head with my bare hands," growled Clay-Jug, sitting and rubbing at the clay jug wrapped around his neck fondly.They all sat around the fire. Nemain and Blue-Moon offered to take first watch disappeared into the darkness. Nemain and Blue-Moon were the last of the Red-Pine and Valley-Rain escort that had been sent, and staring around at the remainder of what was left of the Five sitting around the fire, he could only imagine the pain both Nemain and Blue-Moon must be feeling."This is Sol's doing," said Yew-Bow. He looked at Flint-Blade. "What of Bronze-Shield, and Rabbit's Paw?"Flint shrugged. "Dead, as far as I can tell. The bodies scattered around the camp were too many to discern who was who.""Bastard," muttered Knox."At first light we head back to Old Sister's camp, give her warning." Flint stared deeply into the flames. "Get some rest, all of you. We won't be stopping until we make it back, that's a full day's march, with no stopping." He looked at Eriu. "I just hope you can keep up."Knox nodded. "She will."