Beasts Beyond the Wall by Robert Low

Author:Robert Low
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788633093
Publisher: Canelo Digital Publishing Ltd
Published: 2019-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The snow was a soft smothering death to warmth. This forest seemed swaddled in it, but the white drape of it, the hissing blur of driven flakes did not mask the sounds, the ones no one liked.

‘I hate this,’ Kag muttered. ‘It creaks and cracks and whispers.’

‘It is old,’ Ugo said reverentially, turning in circles and staring up into the blinding blur. ‘Older than any I have been in. A god of forests…’

‘At least it isn’t one of those god-cursed boats,’ Sib muttered and no one argued. They had been withy and skin bowls that only the Wanderer knew how to steer and propel, but even watching him it had been a long, hard sail of spinning circles. No one looked forward to going back in them and Drust was worried that the enemy, if they found out their sacrifice was gone, would be able to row such affairs better and so cut them off.

‘Don’t worry about that,’ Dog said confidently.

‘Speak softly,’ the Wanderer hissed, looking right to left, and Dog laughed. For a moment it seemed to Drust that they exchanged a look he did not care for, one that made him sick with unease. Then Dog pointed ahead and Drust squinted into the snow, saw the clearing and the weathered oak stump.

It was hung with old wither and Drust had to look a long time before he worked out that they were the remains of garlands, made from woven withy and worked with scraps of wool and ribbon, old bone and tarnished silver gewgaws. The patch it stood in was stained, as if the new fall of snow could not cover the dark spread of old straw and dung. Possibly worse, he thought and saw an image of teeth and fire and horns.

They were all half crouched and moving slowly when the blaring call echoed eldritch through the snow-mist. It came from everywhere, it seemed, but Dog pointed to their right, as if he knew already what it was.

‘They are coming,’ he said. Drust realised then that the sound came from horns – but the answer to them, that brassy, bellowing blare from the other side, came from deep in the forest. Ugo heard it and his heart seemed to thunder. He found himself, arms outstretched, axe in one hand, willing it to appear, wanting it to appear. Lord of the Forest. Ziu and Vitharr. Gna and Ing…

‘Bite your lip,’ Sib warned him. ‘We are hiding now.’

So Drust thought. So did they all until Dog came close, so close his breath smoked on Drust’s neck.

‘We may have to fight,’ he said and the words crushed the pips out of Drust. He stared. Dog grinned – at least, he drew his lips back from his teeth and the death face leered.

He stepped out, in full view; the sound of his blade coming out of the sheath was a hiss like the last expelled hope Drust had for truth.

‘And she may not be my sister.’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.