Ahren by Torsten Weitze

Author:Torsten Weitze [Weitze, Torsten]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Published: 2018-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

It was a sorry sight that greeted Ahren when he reached the village square again. Villagers were standing all around in various states of dress. Most had woollen coats thrown over their nightgowns. Here and there blood-stained bandages glistened in the torchlight and the sound of distraught voices was punctuated by sobs and quiet sobbing. At the other end of the square he could see a row of motionless figures, lying on the ground and covered by woollen blankets.

Falk pulled him away before he could go over. There was no sign of Uldini. He grasped his apprentice by the shoulder and said, ‘you don’t want to see that, believe me’.

‘Who?’ asked Ahren, flatly.

Falk listed off a few names but none of them were people he had been close to. He felt a mixture of relief and guilt, but then Falk continued, ‘Rufus is lying there among them’.

Ahren felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Even though the unremarkable boy hadn’t been a friend really, he had always been nice to him. Ahren had learned to value his calm, steady manner in the Godsday school. Now he recognised three of the names. Rufus’ parents and his ten-year old sister were also among the dead. He could see the faces of the three in his mind’s eye and he felt sick. He doubled over and supported his hands on his knees and breathed deeply while Falk whispered to him, ‘I know it’s hard but every second counts now. A horde of Dark Ones are coming in our direction right now, and the quicker we get away from there, the safer these people will be’.

‘Uldini said the Fog Cats were after four people. He means us, doesn’t he? Likis, Holken, Rufus and me. It’s all connected somehow with the light at the Spring Ceremony, isn’t it?’ Ahren spoke in a hushed voice but Falk motioned to him to be quiet.

‘I’ll explain it all to you later but our friend says the others are safe. The attention is focused on you, him and me’.

‘Why?’ asked Ahren insistently.

‘Later. Now let’s scram’. Falk grabbed his upper arm and led him through the crowd. ‘I’ve already told the village council and Keeper Jegral and explained our future absence. Uldini is waiting with our four-legged friends so as to avoid questions being asked that we can’t answer’.

They arrived at the edge of village square and melted into the thicket of trees before Ahren had a chance to look for any familiar faces among the villagers.

Falk began to march as quickly as possible off through the forest. Within a few paces Culhen was by Ahren’s side and the young man gratefully stroked the animal’s coat, which was now dripping wet. Culhen must have used the free time to have a bath in a stream. Ahren smiled mischievously. He suspected, and not for the first time, that his four-legged friend was rather vain.

Selsena was waiting for them further back in the forest, standing motionless under an enormous oak tree.

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