Hal - The Duellist #1

Chapter Eighteen - Broken

The carriage hurtled through the night, clattering over cobbles as the horses were driven on with maddening speed, halting only to secure passage through the city gates. Then it continued over paved surfaces which gradually gave way to dirt track as it joined the road north. A full moon lit the way, the din of hooves and wheels driving mice and hare from their hiding places; deer leapt across the path, causing the horses to whinny in surprise. The coachman yelled at them furiously, urging them forward onto open plains.

Inside, the carriage's occupants were violently rocked about as the vehicle swerved from one side of the track to another. Meracad clung to the upholstery, desperately attempting to gather her shattered thoughts. Two of her father's men sat on either side of her and she was squeezed in tightly between them, unable to act on her impulse of leaping for the door and hurling herself out into the night. Two other burly guards stared at her impassively from the opposite seat. Léac had taken no risks in ensuring that his daughter reached her destination.

She fought back an urge to sob, knowing that it would not help. Guile and cunning had always served in the past, enabling her to navigate her way around life and its harsh laws. But all hope of evasion, of escape and freedom had now vanished. She stifled a groan and the guards shot her a curious look. If they knew the reason for her hasty removal to Dal Reniac, they did not seem to care. Their orders had simply been to deposit Meracad at Bruno Nérac's fortress within the space of three days, and never to lose sight of the girl. The carriage was not to stop at any point other than for a change of horses at a tavern in Caraden and then once more on the northern shores of Lake Brennac.

She leaned forward, doing her best to steal a glance through the window. Her father's men bristled immediately. One of them put his hand on her shoulder, jerking her back into her seat.

"I just wished to see where we are," she protested, her voice choking with a frustration which verged on despair.

"We're heading north," the man next to her said, the hilt of his dagger pressing painfully into her ribs. "That's all you need to know. We're to hand you to Lord Nérac personally and you're to remain in Dal Reniac. What's out there ─ it doesn't concern you."

She had to get back; she could not leave Hal to her fate. Whatever Léac had in store for the duellist, it was sure to involve violence. She had seen, over the years, how he had dealt with business rivals, destroying them financially and, in more desperate circumstances, physically. She was aware of the thugs he hired to threaten his competitors, and the thought that Hal had just become their latest victim was more than she could bear. Her resistance gave way. She let her head fall into her hands, her body racked by sobs as the guards looked on, now in embarrassment.

"Don't cry, Miss, for the Emperor's own sake. Lord Nérac won't want to see you with red eyes now, will he?"

The man placed a large, clumsy paw upon her shoulder, this time in sympathy. She did not care. The tears continued to fall, and part of her knew that the shedding of such a burden was necessary. If there were any chance of escape she must first release all such emotion, in order to leave herself wide eyed, clear headed and focussed.

The men stared awkwardly at their feet, and she felt herself drift away again into fitful sleep, succumbing to exhaustion, her head resting on the shoulder of one of the guards.

***

Hal drifted in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of figures moving around her, of lights flickering, low voices and a sea of pain which seemed to overcome her entire body, encompassing even the air she breathed.

It was mid-afternoon the following day when she finally succeeded in opening her right eye, the left remaining resolutely sealed in bruises. She perceived no more than a hazy light, heard little other than dull sounds echoing around the room. Hesitating, she lifted her arm, steeling herself against the waves of agony which ensued and raised her hand to her face. A voice broke through into the realms of her consciousness.