Entwine

Chapter 1 – Finding Karigan

Alton D'Yer walked along the wall, watching the first hints of sunrise that turned the clouds pink. He twined his fingers with Estral's and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but she merely looked down at the ground. Alton wished he could make her smile again; since she had lost her voice it was like she had lost an integral part of herself. He reflected that for a minstrel it really was part of who she was. She hardly ate or slept any more, and her golden hair that she wore in a shiny braid down her back was as pale and lifeless as the rest of her.

Suddenly Estral looked up and her eyes widened. They were near the breach now, but she wasn't looking at that. She was looking into the forest. She pulled her hand out of his and ran forwards down a narrow path between the trees, stumbling once over a root as she ran. Alton hastened after her, wondering what had made her run like this. Suddenly she stopped in a small clearing and he saw what had pulled her forward, though what sense had alerted her was still mystifying to him. There was a person lying totally still in the middle of the clearing. They looked unconscious and their face as well as the tattered clothing was smeared with grime and blood. Shards of something reflective were scattered all around her, winking in the dim light that filtered through the canopy. Alton stepped forward and gasped. It was Karigan.

Alton started to take another step forward, but Estral held her hand up and glared, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at her confused, but she just gestured to the right. He turned and realised there was a second person there he hadn't seen before. A very tall person sat against a tree at the edge of the clearing, his beautiful features marred by scratches. His clothing was in equally bad condition, and his pale blonde hair was full of twigs and leaves. The eletian opened his blue eyes slowly and looked warily at the two of them gazing at him. When he seemed to ascertain they were not planning to attack him or Karigan, he spoke with a great effort. "Argenthyne… sleepers… mask", the melodic voice was so soft that Alton had to lean forward to hear him.

Alton moved closer and bowed slightly, sensing somehow not to make any sudden moves just yet . "I am Alton D'Yer, you have made it safely out of Blackveil. What of the others?" The eletian sat up slightly but closed his eyes again. "Grae… gone… Yates… died, possessed by Mornhavon… Ealdaen and Telagioth were alive. Lynx lives but your King's soldiers are dead…" his voice faded out and he slumped back exhausted against the tree trunk.

Estral gently sat by Karigan and took one of her hands, feeling for a pulse. "Cold but alive" she mouthed to Alton. He nodded his understanding. "See if you can clean up some of her cuts… I will go back to the camp and get help. We will have to carry her out… I will come back as soon as I can with a wagon. Don't move her too much."

Estral ignored the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, did he think she wouldn't know that? She loved Alton, but he was still so… commanding sometimes. Maybe it came with being the next Lord D'Yer. She focussed all her attention on Karigan. She had so many wounds Estral didn't know where to begin, but a nasty looking gash on her thigh seemed to be a good place to start. Estral tore a strip off the end of her tunic, thanking the Gods that as minstrels generally had to be self-sufficient, she had some basic healing knowledge. She reasoned to herself that the eletian looked slightly less injured and that she would deal with him next; in any case she could only look after one of them at a time. Her best friend came first.