FIFTEEN

 

HAUNTING MEMORIES

 

The first fingers of dawn-light stroking Karina’s face woke her. Blinking against the sun’s caress, she opened her eyes. As over the past few days, she was greeted by a clear blue sky peering back at her. She stretched and rolled over, colliding with the broad bulk of the individual sleeping beside her.

Lorenso is going to kill you, she thought on seeing Alecsis’s sleeping face only inches from her own. Her movements hadn’t disturbed him. He lay on his side facing her, his breathing shallow and uneven. Something was wrong. She felt cold and stiff, soon realising why. She had spent the night curled up on hard, rocky ground.

The reason for the wrongness hit her as she sat up. The memories of last night avalanched her mind, filling every pore, every fibre with terror and agony.

She had been raped by Leonado, and Alecsis hadn’t done a thing to stop him!

The tears quickly followed, and she crouched there, letting the sobs rock her tormented heart. Physically she felt no pain, but in her mind she relived every horrifying moment. She remembered the helplessness, the humiliation of his domination. She meant nothing to him. She had merely been a vessel to assuge his lust and lord his power over her. Whatever affection he might have once felt for her had long since been corrupted and turned into contempt.

Why didn’t you stop him, Alecsis? Why?

Her silent plea woke him. He stirred beside her, rolling onto his back. Through her curtain of tears, she saw him grimace and stare up at her.

“Karina!” he gasped, sitting up. Again his face contorted as though he was in pain. Your torment is nothing compared to mine, she thought tearfully. Everything has changed, broken and shattered like a boot crushing a flower. “What is it? I thought Lorenso healed your injuries.”

“He might have done. But he didn’t heal my mind. ‘Tis all still here. Every horrible moment of it.” She jabbed the side of her head with an angry finger.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he whispered, reaching out to take her hand. She snatched it away.

“Don’t touch me!” she hissed. “I couldn’t bear it, not after what he did to me.”

He looked stricken, his green eyes as wide and troubled as a stormy sea. His mouth twisted with worry. “I only seek to comfort you, soothe the pain away. You know I’d never hurt you.” He extended his hand to her again.

“Leave me alone. Just leave me alone.” She scrambled to her feet and staggered across the desolate campsite.

Alecsis watched her lower herself onto a boulder some five feet away, his heart twisting and churning with anxiety. For a moment the agony in his gouged legs was forgotten, as he stared at her rigid back. She can’t even bear to let me touch her now.

Karina’s terse words woke the others, and Nira hurried to Karina’s side, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. That’s all I was going to do, Alecsis thought dejectedly, offer my love and support, but he undrstood why she sought it elsewhere. She had depended on him to protect her... and he had failed her. It didn’t matter that magic had prevented him from going to her aid. He should have been able to do something, anything to save her from Leonado.

He’d failed the one person he cared most about. Disgust and self pity rolled over him, as he watched Antano crawl towards him, his face drawn with worry.

“Give her time,” the youth said. “She’s had a traumatic experience. Any man will seem like the enemy.”

Alecsis shook his head sadly. “Wise words, my young friend, but time is something I doubt we have much of.”

Antano didn’t answer, and Alecsis returned his gaze to the two women. Karina now leant limply against her maid, who rubbed her mistress’s back with a comforting hand. Biting his lower lip, he turned away. If Nira could give her the comfort she needed, so be it, but Alecsis couldn’t help feeling shut out and rejected.

Suddenly he realised that Lorenso was missing. How could we have all fallen asleep without finding out the result of his battle with his lunatic son? Because I took enough of the wizard’s pain numbing potion to sink a warship, he answered himself, painfully aware that its effects had well and truly worn off. “Watch over them,” he said. “I must seek out Renso.”

It wasn’t until he tried to get to his feet that he realised how badly he had been injured. Spears of utter agony lanced up his legs, making him giddy with pain.

“Sweet Lorin!” Antano gasped. “Your leggings. They’re covered in blood.”

For the first time Alecsis looked down. There were several large rents in the materiel through which blood had seeped, leaving great dark patches on his pants.

“Mayhap t’would be best if I went,” Antano suggested, jumping to his feet.

“Nay. The girls need an able-bodied man to watch over them.” He reached for Lorenso’s healing satchel, fishing out the little pouch he’d used during the night. Only a few leaves of the herb remained. That will have to do, he thought, crushing them into his palm. “Pass me the water-flask.”

Antano did as he was told. “Ye should be taking a healing potion instead.”

“I’m sure those claws were evilly enchanted. I would have the same problem as I did with Darkfire’s wound, shutting the poison in instead.” He washed down the herbs with the water, and passed the water-flask to Antano. “Now help me up.”

“But Alecsis - ”

“Don’t argue with me. Just do as I say. Give me that twig.” He pointed to a small branch on the ground about a foot away. Antano handed it to him, and Alecsis placed it between his teeth. He would need something to gnash against if the pain of walking became unbearable. Then he slung the satchel over his shoulder, and extended a hand to Antano.

With a sigh the young man pulled Alecsis to his feet. The herbs had helped numb the pain a little, but Alecsis would have to take it slowly and carefully. He stopped, removing the twig. “I hope he’s still alive.” He turned to Antano still hovering at his side. “Why didst ye not wake me when I dropped off? We should have gone in search of him last night.”

“I tried, but ye were well and truly under the influence. I thought of going on my own, but I was worried about the girls. Besides, if he’d been killed, we all would be dead by now.”

“Perhaps that demented son of his is simply biding his time, waiting until I find Lorenso’s remains to exact his revenge on the rest of us... If I fail to return within the hour, saddle the horses and get out of here. Do not follow me.”

“But Alecsis - ”

“I mean it,” Alecsis insisted. “Retrieve The Holy Avenger and take the girls home.”

“But we’re all fugitives now.”

“Ye’re a resourceful young man. Ye’ll think of something.” He stuck the piece of dead tree back between his teeth and resumed walking. Antano did not follow, but of the corner of his eye Alecsis saw the way he stared after him, a single line of worry marking his young brow.

Alecsis trudged through the looming crags. Each step was a spear of agony, and he had to stop often to lean against a convenient rock-face. The early morning sunshine failed to warm him, and the gusty wind bit through his clothes, making him wish he’d kept his cloak on.

He finally reached the amphitheatre, spotting the wizard straight away. Lorenso lay curled up on the first step on the other side of the circular rock formation. Biting hard on his stick, Alecsis hobbled towards him, hoping beyond hope that he had merely fallen asleep. He could see no sign of Leonado, but he kept glancing around in case he was hiding in some convenient alcove. About half way across, he saw a bright red patch on the ground. Blood? He leaned closer to examine the stain. It could be nothing else. But whose?

By the time he reached Lorenso, his legs were unable to support him, and Alecsis collapsed on the rocky step beside the wizard. He spat out the twig, and taking deep breaths, worked the pain down to a bearable level. When he thought he could cope with discovering what kind of state Lorenso was in, Alecsis gently touched his slender shoulder.

The mage jumped up at once, his eyes darting around wildly.

“You’re alive!” Alecsis breathed in relief.

“Of course I’m alive. Do ye honestly think I’d let a child defeat me?”

“He’s dead then?” Alecsis asked hopefully.

“No. No. It never came to that. But it will be a long time afore any of us see him again - if ever.” He patted the small leather pouch attached to his weapons’ belt, his expression strangely devoid of emotion. “I have his power right here, preserved under an out-of-time spell. If he wants it back, he has to come to me. See that patch of blood.” He motioned towards the stain Alecsis had examined earlier. The young man nodded. “I called on Makim - ”

“Ye summoned your god! Why did we not hear or see anything?”

“She only reveals herself to those she believes are worthy. But she spoke of you.”

Alecsis’s eyes widened. “Makim knows my name?”

“Aye. It seems she knows your destiny. But more of that later. A magician is severely disabled without what?” he prompted.

Alecsis shook his head. “Now you talk in riddles.”

Lorenso wriggled his hands, and then jabbed Alecsis in the chest with a sharp nail. “Makim took both his magic fingers. Without them Leonado is disabled... and in some monastery in the middle of nowhere with fifty feet high walls. That boy will learn his lesson well there, do you not think?”

“Are ye sure that’s where she sent him?” Alecsis asked.

“Where else would a god send a wayward follower? Now all we have to work out is how to get your memory back.”

Alecsis stared at him for a moment, wondering why his memory was suddenly so important to Lorenso, when he’d never been particularly interested in it before. “My memory can wait. What I really need right now is some more of that special healing potion, and your powerful spell-binding. My legs are killing me, and it has naught to do with too tight lacings.” He indicated towards his blood-soaked leggings.

Lorenso looked down. “Oh my!” he gasped. “How did ye manage that?”

“Struggling against the stone claws, trying to save Karina.” He dumped the healing satchel in the wizard’s lap. I would give anything to turn back time, he thought miserably. But of course that was impossible. Not even Lorenso had the power to reverse deeds already committed.

“How is she this morning?” Lorenso asked, as he began rummaging through the bag.

“I doubt she’ll ever be the same again,” Alecsis said, lowering his gaze. “She blames me for failing to save her.” He looked back up, meeting the old magician’s eyes, his own deep pools of torment.

Lorenso reached out and placed his gnarled hand over Alecsis’s. “How could you? Ye were bound by his evil magic.”

Alecsis draw his hand from under Lorenso’s, and clasped them to his face. “But I should have been able to do something,” he muttered through his fingers.

“There was naught you could do. Believe me. Some things are beyond the power of the sword.”

Alecsis slapped his thighs hard. “But he raped Karina, raped her!”

“She’ll heal. It will take time, but if you cherish her as you have always done, she’ll come through. Now let me tend your legs. It will mean having to remove your boots.”

Alecsis pulled a face. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.”

Nira continued to sit beside Karina while Antano went to retrieve Alecsis’s enchanted sword. From her vantage point, she could see it stuck between two boulders, its blade shining brightly in the early morning sunlight. As she watched the young man scramble down the rocky embankment, she mulled over recent events, trying to work the dazed feeling from her mind. Everything had happened so quickly, she felt as though she was being swept along by a giant tidal wave. But mostly her heart ached for her mistress.

Nira understood how Karina felt. She supposed all women did. Alecsis might think her a tart, but Nira had endured numerous unwanted advances. Rather than trying to fend the drunken louts off, she had put up with their physical possession of her, not wanting to end up battered and bruised, or worse still, bashed to death. She should have told Karina not to fight the young wizard, but in her terror, her voice had deserted her. Alecsis had done enough screaming for everyone.

After last night she’d revised her opinion of him. She now understood Karina’s love, Antano’s devotion, and Lorenso’s respect. Alecsis had been prepared to risk his life for them all. His anguished sobs still echoed inside Nira’s head. Karina hadn’t even noticed his blood-soaked trousers, but Nira was certain he would walk beyond endurance in search of Lorenso.

No longer did she see him as a stone-faced warrior. Since coming across the two men bathing in the creek, she had seen a myriad of emotions cross his features.

Nira had to smile at the memory of that afternoon. Antano certainly proved himself to be the shy yet tender lover she had envisaged. So few men took the time to pleasure their partner. Antano, despite his uncertainty, hadn’t ignored her needs. Now she wondered if Alecsis had something to do with his considerate nature. He hadn’t become the leader of King Rostan’s army through ruthlessness and cunning. He had earned the monarch’s respect in the same way he’d impressed her with his concern for their safety.

And now Karina had turned her back on him, rejecting his attempts to comfort and console. She didn’t even seem to notice Nira sitting patiently beside her. She stared blankly ahead of her with glazed eyes.

“Come, come Karina. Remember ye’re the strong one,” Nira said softly, gently touching her mistress’s arm. “Don’ let me down now.”

She shook Nira’s hand off. “Alecsis is the one who’s let us down.” Her face twisted, her words harsh and biting. “Big brave warrior with an enchanted sword, and he couldn’t even defend me against - ”

“How can ye say such a thing?” Nira gasped, seeing Antano reach for the aforementioned weapon. He picked up the sword, and looked up at them with a grin. Nira couldn’t bring herself to smile back. She returned her attention to Karina. “I thought ye loved him.”

“I did... I do. But I feel as though he’s abandoned me, left me lost and floundering.” Antano turned and began retracing his steps, The Holy Avenger now sheathed in his sword belt. “As soon as Antano returns I’m going to ask him to take us back.”

“Alecsis said to wait an hour.”

Karina shook her head. “He won’t be back. How could he face us again without Lorenso?”

“Lorenso might still be alive. I’m waiting the allotted time with Tano.” She stood up, suddenly angry. “What could Alecsis do bound to the ground by Leonado’s magic? What could any of us do? Tell me that!”

Karina’s silence was answer enough. Returning to the camp, Nira sat down in front of the fireplace and picked up a piece of their discarded dinner. Even though it was cold and covered in dust, she brushed it off and took a bite. It would have to do.

Antano joined her a few minutes later, and she passed a piece to him.

“Karina should eat something too,” he said, motioning to her still sitting on her rock.

“Leave her for now. Nothing I say or do seems to make a difference.”

Antano frowned. “She’s taking it badly?”

“Very. But ‘tis Sir Alecsis who’ll suffer for it. They’ll both need our support.”

The pair fell silent, and sat waiting for Alecsis’s return. The hour soon passed, but Antano was reluctant to leave. “Let’s give him another,” he said.

Nira glanced across at Karina, but she hadn’t moved. She continued to sit there like a statue, as still and silent as the rocks around them. “All right,” she agreed.

They eventually heard the sound of footsteps scaping on the rocky ground when the sun reached the middle of the sky. Both glanced up. Lorenso was walking slowly towards them.

Antano jumped to his feet. “Where be Alecsis?”

“Resting. Like that time we treated Darkfire’s wound, he needs sleep to recover,” Lorenso answered. “He’ll be all right.”

“And you?”

The mage spread his hands. “As ye can see, I’m still in one piece.”

“Ye killed the fiend then?” Antano went on.

Lorenso shook his head. “Nay, but he shan’t bother us again.”

Antano placed his hands on his hips. “Where is he if you didn’t kill him?”

“Disabled and banished.” He told them about Makim and what she had done to him.

“What were you thinking? Ye should have asked her to kill him,” Antano insisted, clenching his hands into fists in front of him.

“Where’s your humanity, boy?”

“Where’s Leonado’s? He murdered Prince Dorban. He raped Karina, and what kind of havoc did he reap with the pirates’ help? He should have been destroyed.”

“I agree,” Karina shouted, springing up off her rock. She hurried towards them, her face streaked with tears. “Why in Makim’s name didn’t you kill the monster?”

“That is what I’m trying to explain - ”

“You couldn’t do it because he’s your son,” Karina spat.

“Yes, that I will admit to.”

Karina turned away in disgust, but Lorenso continued to address the rest of the group. “Leonado needs to learn how to love, how to be humble. Destroying him wouldn’t have given him the opportunity to redeem himself, and I believe he’s redeemable. He was being controlled by an evil being. Not that I see that as an excuse for his behaviour. If he hadn’t been so weak in the first place, this creature would never have been able to influence him... He will suffer. Have no doubt about that. Living without the ability to spell-bind would be a fate worse than death for someone like him. In the company of monks, he’ll come to realise what he hath done was wrong.”

“Makim sent him to a monastery?” Antano asked, wide eyed. “That would definitely be a fate worse than death to him.”

“So ye understand why I did what I did?”

“Aye,” Antano murmured eventually, and Nira nodded.

Karina kept her back to them, saying nothing. The deed was done. No matter how he had been disposed of, the memory of what he did to her would haunt her till the day she died. Unless...

“Lorenso, can you make me forget?” she asked, spinning around. “Cast a spell over me to erase what he did from my mind?”

A shadow crossed his face as he turned towards her. “I wish that I could,” he murmured.

“What do ye mean, you wish? Ye’re a wizard. You can heal horrendous wounds. Why can’t ye heal those inflicted upon the mind?”

Lorenso chose his words carefully, not wanting to cause her any more grief. “Leonado’s power is different to mine.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I have little control over dark magic. I never studied it. I healed you physically, but to erase the incident... that I cannot do... It isn’t within my power.” He became contemplative. “In fact I don’t know a single spell to aid the sicknesses of the mind. I don’t believe any mage can.”

Karian’s shoulders slumped in defeat. Everything had changed. Her life as a princess was over, but what did the future hold? At the moment it looked dismal and dark, full of frightening shadows. With a frustrated sigh, she collapsed onto her sleeping robe. Wrapping her arms around her bent knees, she asked, “So what happens now?”

“We wait for Alecsis to return, then plan our next move,” Lorenso answered as gently as he could.

 

The images of the man who looked like him returned to Alecsis as he slept. Like before, the stranger leant over him in that wood-paneled room, his ice-blue eyes chilling him with their contempt. He felt the bed move beneath him, the motion making him feel queasy.

Somehow Alecsis knew he was was on board the ship that had brought him across the Noiva, but who was this grim-faced man who looked at him with such hatred? And why do I feel such heart-wrenching misery?

The images shifted and changed, pitched and rolled, and light exploded into another darkened room with a resounding crash. It was some kind of storage chamber where he’d made a bed amongst discarded ropes and mats. The door had been flung open by the wind, and Alecsis saw men rushing past, their shouts lost to the tempest.

He stumbled outside. Angry black clouds churned across the sky. Lightning spat jagged white streaks into the foaming water. Thunder roared its outrage. Huge waves towered over the ship, soaking the terrified men as they battened down.

Some lost their footing and were swept overboard. As he skidded forward, Alecsis managed to clutch hold of the railing. He watched the men flounder, their pleas for help lost in the ocean’s deadly roar. He saw a pale head disappear and not surface again. They must have displeased their god once too often, he thought, as he clung to the wooden rail, his body chilled through from the icy sea-spray.

That didn’t save him, of course. The sudden agonising thump against the back of his head forced his fingers from the rail, and the next wave that assaulted the vessel shoved him into the churning ocean.

As he fought to stay afloat, he looked up to see the stricken ship pitch so far to one side, he thought that would be the end of it. At that moment a stream of white light arched out of the sky to save it and set it back on course. Alecsis saw a figure materialise in the very spot he’d been standing, a young man with multi-coloured hair, wearing a blood red robe. He turned to stare down into the swirling water, and his dark eyes fell on Alecsis floundering in the waves. Smiling, he turned away, leaving the young sailor to his fate.

Alecsis jerked awake, and found himself sitting on a cold stone slab, bright afternoon sunshine streaming down on him. His breath came in short, sharp gasps, and he clasped trembling hands over his mouth, realising that he had been about to scream.

“By the Gods, that really happened,” he gasped, managing to keep the nausea down. Leonado had saved the ship he’d been travelling on, no doubt intent on using it for his own dioblical purposes.

This could only mean one thing; it was still anchored offshore somewhere.

Lorenso had been right. The key to the future lay in the past. In order to go forward he had to travel back. He had to find out who he was and where he had come from.