Kingdoms of Caelum; Autumn of the War Queen

Chapter 15

5The Port of the Lost stretched northwards from the harbour and into the surrounding snow capped mountains; it was early and deserted. A low, frozen mist hung in the desolate streets and around the now anchored water ship. Katla looked nervously upon this new land, the Vale of Pelyn. Already it seemed so different and terrifying; she pulled her tunic around her skin tighter.

"Are you ready to depart, miss?"

Pye came and stood next to her as the rope ladder was lowered onto the wooden pier below. She smiled and nodded patting the top of her new bow.

"Thank you for everything. It will always remind me of your kindness."

Pye gave a slight nod.

"Maybe our paths will cross again miss."

"I will hope for that."

The silence of the goodbye was broken by Bane's loud departure as his weight hit the pier. Katla watched him.

"Bane! Where do you go?" she shouted.

"To Fortis" he said without slowing or looking back. Katla stood processing his blunt reply rapidly.

"Does he go now?" she asked Pye, but he shrugged and frowned.

"Bane is a drifter. He will go where he pleases."

A brief anger coursed over her.

"BANE!" she shouted. Her voice bounced desperately around the empty harbour but he did not stop or reply. She began to panic inside and gripped the boat.

"BANE!!"

"Miss, I would search for a new path. A shadow can not be tamed," sighed Pye as he turned from the disappearing warrior. A million different thoughts crossed Katla's mind: should she follow him? Should she stay? Should she head back to Gaar? Then the anger resurfaced and replaced the fear: she deserved an explanation at least and after all she had been through with him, had he not even the decency to say goodbye?

"Shadow or not, manners are learnt at the wet nurses breast," she grumbled under her breath,"Goodbye Pye. Until we meet again."

Katla threw him a smile tinged with sadness as she disappeared down the ladders and onto the wooden platform.

"Good luck!" he shouted through the mist as he watched her go, and for some strange reason, Katla felt like she should be staying, like she was leaving home for a second time. She swallowed the regret down and focused on the large silhouette of Bane's build up ahead. He had already left the staggered streets of the harbour and was striding quickly up the beginning of a mountain path.

"BANE!" she shouted.

Up ahead, he caught the voice echo in the cold air. Could she not take a hint, blasted girl! The Vale of Pelyn was perilous enough without a pampered Kingdom dweller making enough noise to wake the dead. He grunted and walked faster; she was not his problem. Again she called and again he ignored and strode firmly and purposefully up the steep and silent pathway. This unspoken battle between them continued for sometime until he heard the low whistle shoot through the air and a second later, before he registered the sound, Katla's arrow hit him perfectly. It embedded itself in the wooden handle of his battle axe with such force that he stumbled forwards onto his knees.

"You see... I can be useful," Katla panted loudly as she caught up to him, clearly pleased with herself. Bane rose from the ground and brushed loose stones away from his knees furiously.

"I won't slow you down. Now I have this bow, I can hunt... I was the best marksman on Roskilde...-" she began, but stopped dead when she saw the dangerous look in Bane's eyes. He had turned to face her and was pulling the axe from his back. His wild cat hood was pulled over his head and its eyes seemed to glaze with furious intent. Katla took a step back.

"I... I thought we had an understanding," she stuttered, feeling sickening butterflies close in on her. He drew the axe and brought it crashing down beside her in enraged temper. Katla had no time to protect herself and had only half a chance to attempt to draw her bow as the axe hit the stone path in a mighty thud and sent vibrations through the ground, knocking her off balance.

"Understand this!" Bane growled, "I travel alone from now. I got you this far and now we run on different paths."

He took her arrow from his axe and threw it down beside her before turning and marching away. "Stupid, head strong girl", he cursed under his breath.

Katla's eyes stung with tears of humiliation. She sat for a moment on the cold pathway, and only now did she begin to really notice the chill; a chill that smelt of ice and snow, and she knew she would not survive alone. She was dressed all wrong for snow and ice and did not know the first thing about surviving in this environment. Bane knew that. She glanced back down the path and back to the harbour, still covered in a mist of blue haze. The Elljay bobbed gently on the water and she was sure Pye would not turn her away, but in her heart she did not want that. She was born on land, a Kingdom dweller. No. No matter how much he protested, she would stick to her plan and travel to Fortis. If she could keep up with Bane, there was nothing he could do about it. She had seen the softness hidden behind his angry front; this warrior, who looked and acted so dangerously, had fed, sheltered, and saved her life. In a strange way she knew a lot about him in such a short time and his bark was certainly worse then his bite, it seemed. No, she would not back down. Caelum was a free world outside the kingdoms and it was big enough for the two of them.

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