HARMION: BOOK FOUR - SUMMER’S FATE - PREVIEW SEGMENT

Was it that simple, that a person could spend their life fighting for a just cause, only to emerge one day to realise that their cause was rotten to the core? Pietrich wondered how aware Lynden might be of her new position. She had been the very best of them. Could she really be lost?

‘If the schools are part of Sol’s aim to build a new army as you suggest, then can we trust the principal at Wendeltown?’ Marilia asked. ‘I spent some time with her and she was kind but even then there was a suspicious air about her.’

‘Trust her? No, we cannot. But we must not assume she is as deeply rooted as Lynden is with Sol. Remember, these are good people that have been pledged to an endless fight for decades, they may not be aware that the roots of the tree they climb have become poisoned, it could be when they do realise it, it will be too great a height to risk falling from. Our best hope is to buy ourselves time and seek alliances, no matter how unlikely they may seem.’

‘How can we be sure either way that the school will accept us?’ Marilia said, ‘I have seen Wendeltown, and fair a place as it seemed, if word has spread we may not be well received.’ 

‘I am visiting on the premise of seeing Mrs Hyatt to take instruction for the school in Knighton,’ Jonah offered in return. ‘We will have to assume that we ride faster than the news spreads. Calmstone has been devastated and we still do not know the extent of the displacement. Sol will not know either and yet he has put himself in a position whereby he must aid any and all who have lost their homes. For it is their families who will fight for him. He must not leave them to starve or clamber on to life without shelter.’

‘Any who Sol may give aid to will be poisoned with the lie that Pietrich was responsible for the fire,’ Marilia said. ‘In one hand he will offer them bread and in the other he will place a sword, pledging them to his cause.’ 

‘Yes, that is the strongest play that he has. But it will require weeks of effort and the strength of his entire army. They must build asylums, deliver water and carry thousands of potentially gravely injured to regions already stretched to the brink. Our best hope lies at the task ahead of him. So we may assume that Sol will not send needless thousands of soldiers to seek us out. Not yet. We must not forget that Tritan is one of the fiercest warriors in Harmion. His position in Augustus’ army will command some respect from those who remember the Forty Years war. In time, we may not be as alone as we now fear.’ 

Pietrich raised his head at that. He wanted to be in the company of his father. But the idea that they would need him to once again become the solider he had tried so hard to leave behind, he dreaded that. What did his father, the teacher, recall of that old life? Would Tritan be ashamed of what Pietrich had become and would he refuse Jonah’s call to arms? Part of Pietrich, a deep rooted part that would never speak its mind, prayed the answer was yes.

‘If Jean asks, we have left the school in Knighton in good hands,’ Jonah continued. ‘And due to the tragedy in Calmstone, the new arrivals have been delayed so our presence at home was not necessary.’ 

‘And what of the soldier woman?’ Marilia asked. 

‘Aisha?’ Jonah seemed to have almost forgotten her. ‘She claims that she was conscripted to join the faculty in Wendeltown, so her journey is justified also, provided she has been honest with us, and so long as Wendeltown is still in the dark about her supposed incarceration, I see good value in her attending with us.’

‘I am worried about the extent of her wounds,’ Marilia said. ‘They alone raise suspicion. And though the other carriage is comfier, these rocky roads are aggravating her dressings.’

‘There will be facilities in Wendeltown. But perhaps we should check on her soon,’ said Jonah.

Pietrich was worried about her too. But was he more worried she would succumb to her injuries, or that she would survive them? He had only spoken briefly with Aisha, of what she had seen in Calmstone and of her knowledge of Tree. Their brief impasse had shone no light on the matter and was cut short due to her delirious state. Marilia and Jonah had seen to her wounds but they had done so in a rush in order to see that they could depart immediately. Whatever outcome belay her, Pietrich couldn’t help but think that Aisha was a bigger piece of the puzzle than she even knew herself.

The air in the carriage changed as the three companions fell silent, holding their breath that their hearing would not be disturbed. The fear they shared was justified as the carriage driver called out to them from above.

‘They’re here!’ 

The tail end of a loud yell eked its way down their spines and Jonah shot up off his seat, craning his head out of the window. A dust cloud in the distance caused him to squint and sharpening his sight he saw a scouting party advancing upon them on horseback. 

‘Dammit, how did they find us?’ he shouted. ‘They must have scouts and guards placed everywhere. I thought we’d be safe this far from the royal roads.’ 

‘We can’t outrun them in these carriages, what do we do?’ said Marilia. 

Pietrich felt his heart sink. Their cause was noble and he loved them for it. But surely it was time to accept the reality of their situation. 

‘You have to hand me over. I’m the reason for all of this. You don’t need to endanger yourselves anymore for my sake,’ Pietrich pleaded, placing his hand on his mother’s shoulder. ‘Pull over now and leave me here. Just promise me you’ll find Tree, that is all I ask.’ 

Marilia took Pietrich’s hand in hers. He could tell by the way she grasped it that she would not accept his plea. Neither would Jonah and so would they fight? A helpless crew, but no luxury to alternatives presented themselves.

A deep wooden thud sounded behind them. The pursuing riders had two archers at their front and had fired upon the carriage. 

Another thud, then another, as a barrage of arrows pierced the rear wall of their holding, the wooden shafts careening through the air and whistling taunts and torment. Then the sound of a man screaming came. The carriage lurched and the three inside fell from side to side.

‘They shot the carriage driver!’ shouted Jonah. 

Pietrich begged them once more. ‘It’s hopeless. Please just let us pull over.’

This time it was the horses that disobeyed, speeding up. The passengers were thrust about all over as the approaching riders caught up to the rear window of the escaping carriage. Jonah scrambled to close the shutters just as an arrow flew towards them. It pierced his forearm and broke through the skin at the other side. He reeled back in pain and the shutter swung open again. 

The adjacent archer on horseback had a clear shot and lined an arrow up with the head pointing directly at Jonah’s chest. 

Jonah stared down the sight of the steel tip. 

Pietrich was thrust into a sense of awareness. 

No! 

He couldn’t listen. It was a thought that would betray his promise. He silenced his dark mind from its intensions but he hated himself for it. Who was he if he could so easily ignore the chance he had to save Jonah? How could he be true to Eira and her wish for him to just be the man she loved? Did it mean letting others he cared for die too? He couldn’t bear it. Would he suffer this torment indefinitely?