Brotherband Chronicles: Lydia's Past

Chapter 16: Grumpy Thorn tearing up

There were some rare occasions where Ulf and Wulf were not fighting, arguing or annoying people. This was one of these rare occasions.

After Lydia had awoken and she had spoken to Hal, the two concluded that the Herons had to be notified immediately.

Since Lydia was still too weak to walk and Malcolm's little cottage was too small, the Herons had carried Malcolm's comfortable chair outside, the protests of Malcolm were ignored. They had then carried Lydia outside; a couple of blankets were placed on Lydia's shoulders and legs. Her protests were ignored as well.

The Herons were overjoyed to see Lydia awake, the twins had even hugged her at the same moment and did not argue about the fact, to which Lydia expressed her concern, but even that could not remove the big grins from their faces. The others were either smiling or crying, in Ingvar's case both. Ulf could have sworn that even Thorn, grumpy Thorn, teared up when he saw Lydia was alive and recovering.

The enthusiasm however did not last long. Lydia told them of the choice her father made a long time ago. How he had poisoned the clams, the Sha'shan's favourite meal, to make sure the terrible plan of his leader did not take any form. By doing so, he saved more lives than he could have imagined, thanks to him the invasion had ended. However, by doing so, he had also unleashed the wrath of the Sha'shan's wife upon himself. She had send her young cousin after Lydia's father to kill him and avenge the Sha'shan. Ly'an had roamed through countries until he had shaken his chaser off. After that, Ly'an was left alone and eventually he met a young woman whom he fell in love with. Lydia was born not long after and the three lived their lives happily together.

'Until that dreadful day.' Lydia paused and closed her eyes. She felt hot tears behind her eyelids, but she refused to cry. Ingvar, who had not left her side, gently took her hand in his.

'It is all right Lydia, take your time.' The giant of the group said, giving her a soft squeeze. Lydia took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. The Herons all sat on the veranda and patiently waited for her to continue. However, she knew that she could not tell them all the details, not yet at least. It was too painful and the memories that she had locked away for so long were vividly present. She wandered if that had something to do with the poison in her system. She slowly shook her head; she would ask the healer later.

'Well,' she continued, 'they found us. My parents were killed by the heirs of the Sha'shan's cousin, but apparently they swore to end my father's bloodline.' She swallowed and took a shaky breath. 'My bloodline.'

The Herons stared at her, all kinds of emotions crossing their faces. Anger, indignation, confusion, but most of all there was sadness. Sadness that this had happened to their crewmate, their friend whom they loved dearly.

Eventually it was Hal who spoke, directing the attention away from Lydia. 'The man that poisoned Lydia is still out there. We do not know if he has allies or if he is alone.' He stared at the Herons intently. 'What we do know is that he is determined to kill Lydia.'

To their surprise, it were the twins that spoke first: 'We will not let that happen.'

The others quickly agreed. They had almost faced a life without their friend, and what a horrible life that was. In the years that they had been together as a crew, Lydia had become a vital and unmissable part of their crew. Whoever it was they had to face, no matter how strong or smart this person was, they would defeat him.

Not long after Lydia had told her story, she was fast asleep in Malcolm's little cottage. The Herons were already making plans to face their unknown enemy. What none of them realised was that their enemy was closer than they thought.

***

The ship with the hooded man had reached the shore. Determination was written all over his face. His ally had poisoned the girl, but he knew she was not dead. Not yet at least. He had seen how a small man had lead the crew into the woods.

He cursed under his breath. Had it not been for this small man, then his task would have been completed. He could still hear one of those kids say it. 'She has stopped breathing.' He had felt glorious at that moment. He had done it, he had for filled his oath. However, as he was enjoying his victory, the man had shown up. The thought that they had found a healer still made his blood boil, but he knew it eventually did not matter. He would end her anyway, one way or another, he would end the bloodline of the traitor once and for all.

After a while, he found tracks of their footsteps leading him into the darkness of the forest. He had to be smart, for he could not face the entire crew. He had heard stories about the Herons, once outcasts, but now heroes of Skandia. They were skilled, loyal to their cause and to each other, but above all the stories told of their bright leader. Half Skandian and half Araluen, a lethal combination for their enemies. He had to be aware of the skirl's clever ideas the most.

The man continued to follow the tracks. He did not fear these children. He would not fear them. If it had not been for Ly'an back then, those children would have been his slaves. Cold-blooded anger rose in his veins. They would have to fear him. He would make them crawl. Beg for the girl's life and then, a mad grin formed on his face as he finished his thought, he would kill them all. He would make his uncle and aunt proud. All he had to do was kill the girl and his oath would be held for filled, but the Herons had brought their fate upon themselves. As the sun slowly vanished and night took over, he continued his path. He would not spare them, before the following night, they would be dead.