Child of Conquest

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Einar Attack

Seraphina was scraping mud off the bottom of her boot, as she watched Trantor and Birjer arguing.  Waiting for them to finish their bickering she looked around at the landscape, the greens of the summer had now turned into the yellow and gold’s of autumn.  She spotted some more bags in a muddy puddle and went over to pick them up.  The wagon had struck a rock and tipped its load which was the reason for their delay and Birger’s impatience.  She watched them snatching rope from one another’s hands as they argued on the best procedure for tying a knot, eventually giving in Birjer went back to his horse in annoyance.  Just before mounting he stopped mid step and looked around as if someone was behind him.  Seraphina automatically turned around too but she could see nothing.  Behind them were only trees and to the left the path back to Merton, to the right the hills that led to Raeburn.  Birjer mounted slowly and looked at Seraphina in a way that unsettled her.  He said nothing, (but that was nothing unusual) and with a kick his horse sped off straight past Seraphina. She ran down to Trantor and helped him finish tying his things down.

“Where’s he off in such a hurry?”  Asked Trantor

“I don’t know.”  She looked around again nervously, not knowing why.  What did he see that would cause his sudden departure?  As she mounted up, only then did she really look at the muddy ground.  Trantors wagon had not struck a rock but a large hollow in the ground.  The ground was full of hollows and divots, she looked back at the way they had come to find that it did not look at all similar to what lay ahead.  It came from the direction of the Milburn Mountains and as she got closer, she saw that they came from the river and curved onto the pathway before them like a great snake. Seraphina knew what these marks were they were the divots made by horses hooves and from the state of the path, an immense number of them.  Trantor by now knew what had caught her attention and they both stood looking at the ground.  They said nothing as they set off for home with a greater sense of urgency.  The next few hours were painful Seraphina had left Trantor behind as she sped home; she heard the distant cracking of his whip as he pushed his horses to go faster.  As she approached the last few hills before Raeburn Birjer was waiting for her, she pulled up alongside him and he grabbed Ciardha’s reins.

His face was grave “We have to go around Raeburn with without being seen , what’s the best way?”

“What do you mean?  We’re nearly home, it’s just over those hills.”  Seraphina pointed.

“No, we have to go.”

“What do you mean?  That’s where were supposed to be going.”  She looked back for Trantor who she could see catching up.  Birjer looked at her and his voice remained strong as hers began to waiver.

“Seraphina its not safe to go home, we’re in danger we need to get to Hallam without being seen, can we get through the woods?”

“What on earth is going on?”  Shouted Trantor, Birjer looked at them both.

“There’s no time for this, we have to get to Hallam and warn them without going through Raeburn is there another way round?” 

Trantor looked at Seraphina in bewilderment “What’s he talking about?” 

Seraphina shook her head trying to remove the feeling of confusion from her head.

“Trantor the Einar are here, over that hill and heading towards Hallam.”  He looked at their disorientated faces they were unable to take in what he was saying.

Birjer stopped for a moment hoping that all the information would be taken in.

Birjer stopped for a moment hoping that all the information would be taken in.