morgan; beginning

Chapter 12

As the road wound deeper into the forest the different shades of leaves in the canopy above them blocked out the light and warmth of the suns rays, trapping the vegetation around into semi darkness. Treylas horse fidgeted beneath her as the shadows grew around them.

'I think we are close enough.'Treyla dismounted and pulled the reins of her horse over its head. The horse nudged at her cloak looking for hidden treats as they waited for Aran to climb down.

Treyla led Aran and the horses off the road and into the forest. Even though the ground was blanketed with leaves that softened the sound of their footsteps, to the trained ear they would sound like a herd of stampeding elephants. They walked until Treyla was sure the horses would not be seen from the road and then hobbled them both in turn to prevent the horses from wandering off.

'It will be dark soon. We should hurry to find their camp and locate your sister.' Treyla set off the way they had come and Aran followed in silence, his legs still aching from the days ride.

Aran hoped that they would find Morgan alive and well. He didn't want to think of what he would do if they found that she had been harmed in any way. Thoughts of the evil things he witnessed that night as they fled from their home played upon his mind as he followed Treyla towards the Brotherhoods camp. He hadn't known what else to do, there was no way he could have stood up to the men who had defiled his family without losing his life as well and then what would have happened to Morgan. No, he had done the best thing possible in their situation. His sister was the only family he had left now and he would do whatever it took to get her back and to find somewhere safe where they could try to recover and move on with their lives. He would never forget that night. He would never forget the faces of those men or what they had done to his family. It took a stronger man to realise when it was time to back down from a fight rather than to get involved and put others at risk and thats what he must be now. A man.

Aran, lost in his thoughts, hadn't noticed that Treyla had stopped walking until he collided into her and they both collapsed into a heap on the ground.

'What are you doing?' Teyla scowled at him as she scrabbled to her feet.

'I'm sorry,'Aran muttered as he brushed the leaves and dirt from his clothes. Not that the fall had made much difference to his appearance. He still hadn't changed into the new items he'd bought at the market earlier that morning.

'We have to keep quiet, we are almost upon them.' Teyla indicated to the forest in front of her. 'If you want a chance of getting Morgan back we need to find a place to hide until dark with a clear view.'

'Not a problem.' Aran smiled.

Finally something he could be useful with. He looked up at the branches of the surrounding trees and chose one that seemed to have the largest branches.

'I can not climb that high.' Teyla exclaimed as she followed Arans eyes towards the branches.

'It's OK,' Aran smirked,' I can help with that.'

Aran walked to the tree and placed his palms against the huge trunk. He called out to its spirit. The old tree was stiff and tired, it took Aran almost ten minutes to persuade her into helping them take cover in her limbs and when Aran stepped away beads of sweat had formed over his brow with the effort of communicating with her.

Treyla stood and watched in amazement as the elderly tree slowly lowered one of its branches to where they stood. With her mouth open Teyla took Arans hand in support as they both straddled the offering and were lifted into the air. As soon as the branch was back in its original place Aran made his way to the trunk and thanked the tree spirit for its help. Treyla sat like a statue, frozen in awe at what she had just witnessed.

'Are you alright?' Aran asked.

'I, er, I ... 'Teyla stammered as she carefully turned round to face him.

From where they sat in the branches of the ancient tree Aran and Teyla could see where the Brotherhood had chosen to settle for the night. The men were moving around preparing the camp for nightfall, lighting a fire and laughing as they collected wood from around the area. Tents were in the process of being erected and the horses were tethered at the edge of the camp. There was a cart near where the horses slept, a young member of the Brotherhood stood watch over it as the other men went about their business. Aran remembered the young guard from the first night they had entered into the forest. He had had to ask the tree for help in hiding both Morgan and himself as the man had scanned the area. Aran remembered that for a moment he had thought the guard had seen them, but luckily the fates were on their side at that point in their escape.

Teyla had moved nearer to him and they both settled onto their individual branches as they kept watch over the Brotherhoods preparations. Teylas hatred of them was written across her face and Aran knew that Morgan was not her reason for it. He would ask her about it once they had gotten Morgan and themselves safely away from them, sudden movement in the camp drew Arans eyes back down to the guarded cart. His own anger threatened to consume him as he watched the young man and a rotund older member of the Brotherhood drag his sister, naked from within it.