Surviving Prophesy: The Immortals Read online

  Surviving Prophesy

  The Immortals

  Frances Howitt

  Copyright © Frances Howitt 2014

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons,

  living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank my husband for providing a sounding board for new plot ideas and generally for your invaluable advice.

  I would also like to express my thanks to my editor Patrick for helping to smooth any rough spots and make this a better book.

  1

  Megan stopped abruptly and turned around, a frown creasing her brow. She stood motionless, completely focussed, as though staring at something in the distance. They were crossing a low forested hill and glad of the dappled shade, for it was mid afternoon, and hot. The road they walked was narrow, and so little-used no one had bothered clearing natural obstacles to straighten it. Up on the brow of the hill in particular, the road meandered around several large rocky outcrops and with the close growing trees to either side, there was very little view ahead or behind them.

  The merrily chirping birds began to fall silent as shrill warning calls echoed behind them. A prickle of unease passed over him wondering what Megan, and now the birds, had noticed.

  ‘Megan?’

  ‘I sense something strange following us and fast,’ she told him, nervously reaching for his sleeve. ‘Its aura is evil and oily with malice. Quick! We need to get off the road, and right out of sight,’ she added urgently and decisively.

  ‘What is it Megan?’ Zacharias asked scanning what little he could see of the road behind them even whilst leading her quickly but carefully aside. He knew better than to doubt a wizard, even a blind one and her anxiety was infectious. He also knew better than to discount the warning cries of the animals. With the malevolent influence of Caerton and its mad wizard-lord spreading, the countryside was now empty of those who had anywhere else they could reasonably go. Everyone else kept their heads down and their eyes open.

  ‘It feels like a swarm of insects, but ones I don’t recognise,’ she told him, glad he wasn’t waiting for an explanation before moving. She felt him flinch; he obviously recognised that anything that swarmed tended to be both voracious and dangerous.

  ‘Flying insects?’

  ‘I don’t know, but whatever it is feels abnormal somehow. The signature is unusually strong and focussed for ordinary creatures. It’s either a really huge swarm or something unnatural out of Caerton.’ She fell silent as the creatures drew close. She could hear a strange rustling, swishing and also unnerving clicking sounds. What was making those sounds? She heard Zacharias’ sharp intake of breath, after much shifting about and guessed he could now see something through the dense trees and bushes they’d hidden behind. ‘What can you see?’ she whispered softly.

  ‘I see them but I don’t know what they are,’ he murmured slowly. She might be a powerful young wizard but she was blind; it was up to him to be her eyes. ‘They’re huge beetles, shiny blue-black in colour. They look like enormous cockroaches,’ he added and a repugnant shudder passed through him. ‘There are hundreds of them scuttling along the road. What the hell are they?’

  ‘How big is huge?’ she asked, aware he was staring with morbid fascination.

  ‘They’re about shin height, but a couple of feet wide.’

  ‘Scritchers,’ she murmured with a shiver. ‘We’re not far enough away, they might smell us.’

  ‘We’re downwind and well back from their path.’ A Scritcher stopped suddenly, its long antennae twitching all around but mainly in their direction. Something about its pose felt threatening. Could it see them? Was it searching for something? He remained perfectly still and held his breath nervously, clutching her protectively behind him. He only let out his breath when it moved on. Damn that thing was creepy.

  ‘You’re immortal Zacharias. If they get your scent they will hunt us. Hurry,’ she added tugging at his sleeve. She was very relieved he silently began to lead her further away. His sudden tension a moment ago had scared her. She’d realised there was a strong possibility they were about to be found. If they had to make a run for it she’d be done for. Unless the footing was perfectly level and unobstructed she couldn’t possibly walk quickly, let alone run. Trying to escape through woodland, with so much undergrowth, would be impossible. He would have to carry her and that would make it difficult for him to run. She hated the fact her disability would be a real liability to his safety. She might not be able to run but she was not completely helpless. She would not go down without a fight. She had magic and should be able to delay them long enough to give him a decent head start.

  ‘They are predators too?’ he asked uneasily, having initially been reassured that they were mowing down every plant in their path. Only the trees, with mature tough bark, escaped destruction. Thin skinned saplings, bushes and low branches weren’t so lucky. Then he considered her phrasing and the sight of that creature standing so still with its antennae waving. ‘You think they would seek me out in particular? Why?’

  ‘They prefer live food. If they caught me I would die quickly. You would not die so quickly. You might live for days feeling them gnawing on you before you died.’

  ‘Thanks for giving life to my worst nightmare,’ he muttered in appalled revulsion, reflexively clutching her closer and backing up yet further. From a much safer distance he watched the dangerous creatures. The leading edge of the swarm constantly changed places. The leaders paused just long enough to munch what was directly in front of them, allowing the Scritcher behind to overtake into the lead until they found something to stop and eat. In this way, they travelled quickly, pushed on by those behind.

  They both breathed a sigh of relief when the last of the swarm finally passed, without noticing them and quickly trundled out of sight. Zacharias warily led her back to the road. The swarm had left a swathe of destruction in their wake. For about ten paces either side of the road, anything living had been eaten. They were like locusts stripping all the vegetation they could reach. ‘They can’t fly, I trust?’

  ‘Thankfully, no. But I hear they can keep going day and night without rest. Certainly long enough to wear down and catch most prey.’

  ‘Real ray of sunshine aren’t you,’ he chided lightly. ‘So how do you defeat them?’

  ‘They can’t swim, so crossing a river would work, although if they’re determined, they would search for a way to cross. People tend to build bridges, fords and stepping stones at regular intervals, so don’t count on being completely safe. Fire’s a good deterrent for most wildlife, but from what you saw, they’ll eat everything around you that you could use as fuel for the fire.’

  ‘Why are you telling me all this? Are you saying we haven’t seen the last of them? Or that it’s impossible to defeat them?’

  ‘No. In small numbers you have a chance; but that’s a swarm. You need to know just how dangerous they are,’ she said grasping his arm for emphasis. ‘They are not a natural creature. Scritchers were designed as a weapon to kill immortals. The fact someone has released a swarm so close to your home makes me nervous.’

  ‘Someone released them to hunt me?’

  ‘They were following a road, which no animal would voluntarily do. They must be under a compulsion to go somewhere specific. Your home is on this road isn’t it?’

  ‘I tend to go cross country, but yes.’

  ‘It’s possible someone wishes you dead. We should be prepared.’

  ‘Prepared? How?’

  ‘You can
keep watch for evidence of destruction and I will listen out for their aura. You’ll be alright while you’re with me. I’ll protect you,’ she reassured lightly, hoping he wasn’t about to leave her. Travelling alone without a guide would be difficult, but they were back on the road home now, so it was not impossible to find her way. She had noticed that he repeatedly put her behind him, instinctively shielding her from danger. She suddenly wondered whether he would allow her to sacrifice herself to protect him. He didn’t strike her as a selfish person, but terror had a way of overpowering good intentions. Equally he might refuse to leave her behind. She simply didn’t know him well enough to judge and therefore plan, although she suspected the latter. He hadn’t seemed very surprised someone might wish him harm, which in itself was alarming. However, an immortal’s very existence sometimes incited unreasonable jealousy in mortals. She knew he lived alone in a remote place and now wondered about that. Was he hiding from someone or just preferred to be alone?

  ‘You have magical ways to defeat them?’

  ‘I’m not sure what would work. There may be some spells I can try. I’ll have to give it some thought.’

  ‘You said they would smell me. Do I smell different to a mortal human then?’ Zacharias asked as they warily continued their journey. The idea that they might catch up with that swarm, that they were following it, just felt wrong. He really wished he could run in the opposite direction; put as much distance between them and such deadly creatures, as possible. The thought of coming round a corner and finding himself face to face with a swarm, scared him badly.

  ‘I’m not animus; I don’t have an enhanced sense of smell. What I can tell you is that your aura, or life-force, is certainly different. It’s far stronger and brighter than a mortal’s.’

  ‘You sense my aura? That’s really weird. So is that how you recognise that I’m different?’

  ‘Yes, you are quite distinctive.’

  ‘If they were hunting for me, I wonder what I’ll find when I get home,’ he mused uneasily. He wondered if those beetles were intelligent enough to prepare an ambush. That was a very unsettling thought. Animals who hunted were usually more intelligent that those who were prey. They would have some kind of hunting method. Were they waiting for him somewhere along the road, in these trees? He glanced down at her and noticed she seemed pensive now. She had sensed them once; it was likely she’d be able to warn him of any ambush. That thought calmed him more than he expected. He already trusted her.

  ‘It really might be better to avoid going to your home. If someone has orchestrated this swarm’s release, then that’s precisely where they’ll be waiting.’

  ‘I know, but I need to see for myself how things are before I just run away. That’s been my home for over fifty years! Damned if I’m just abandoning it unnecessarily. I’ll stay well back from the road and be careful to circle round to remain unseen. Besides, those beetles might not have been after me. It could be a coincidence.’ He noticed she was biting her lip, obviously not agreeing with him and worried. ‘There are certainly a few things there I’d rather not abandon and I need to get my horse. She’s shut in the stable,’ he added.

  ‘I wonder if the healer hall is safe,’ she murmured anxiously, aware it too was on this road. She absently clutched the basket she still held with all the medicinal flowers, roots and stems she’d collected today. Zacharias had her other arm tucked through his as they walked. Despite the agitation she sensed from him now, he remained considerate and gently steered her around obstacles. He had increased the pace though and she had to stretch her legs to keep up. She didn’t complain; she too was anxious. She was also determined not to hinder him.

  ***

  Zacharias visited the academy from time to time to trade for supplies but they had only met when he’d actually needed medical assistance to treat and fix his broken arm. Whilst Megan’s blindness hampered her with the simple things others took for granted, she was able to sense things others could not and which were invaluable when diagnosing patients.

  She’d heard the rumours of evil spreading ever closer to them, but she, like so many of the others at the academy, had nowhere else to go. Born blind, her parents considered her a liability and unwelcome burden on their farm’s meagre resources. Discovering she had magic meant they could legitimately offload her on to one of the academies that trained the magically gifted. At least there, she could work for her keep. Her magic gave her the ability to sense the natural world around her, but it was vague, often ambiguous and nothing like real sight. She knew Zacharias walked by her side, not just because he held her hand, but because she could feel his presence. She knew the road curved to the right because she could sense the difference between dead stone and the living plants bordering it. It was tricky to differentiate between forest and meadow, but that was easier than finding a corridor between the walls of stone at the healer hall. She traversed the corridors with rugs if at all possible, able to sense in a dull way, organic things like wood and wool and the woven grasses that had once lived. Otherwise she had to rely on remembering how many paces and where to turn at each intersection to get to her destination.

  ‘So what am I going to do if they come back in the night?’ he asked nervously.

  ‘We could find a nice sturdy walled inn to hide out in tonight until we are sure it’s safe to go home. I could set some magical safeguards to hide you.’ He was silent for a couple of minutes as they continued to walk, considering that. His aura had flashed strangely though; she suspected he was thinking about something other than safety.

  ‘I really need to check all is well at home before I run off. There are things there I need and besides, those Scritchers might have bypassed my place altogether.’

  ‘Mm. Well, you’re my eyes remember,’ she reminded. She wasn’t entirely sure where they were now they’d left the road, or how to return to the healer hall without his guidance.

  Zacharias glanced at her regretfully. If he did have to go on the run he’d be unlikely to ever see her again. The sun shone on wavy dark hair that fell halfway down her back. She was a slight young woman and it tore at him that those beautiful big brown eyes didn’t see the world properly, that she would always have to rely on the help and kindness of others. He’d discovered that her family had pretty well disowned her, and whilst she had friends amongst the other girls, most were paying students who expected to complete their training and go on their way. They didn’t have to work for their keep as she did. She had no-one who truly cared about her. But someone, perhaps one of her patients, would eventually see past her disability to the courageous compassionate and intelligent woman beneath and marry her. Then he truly would have lost his chance.

  Megan caught hold of his arm. ‘Stop,’ she whispered. ‘I sense something strange up ahead. What’s there?’

  ‘My house is close. Is something lying in wait?’

  ‘I can’t tell, but something isn’t right.’

  ‘Wait here then,’ he said.

  ‘No. If you’re going, we both go,’ she told him. ‘I know I can’t do a lot of running, but neither can you raise a shield if necessary.’

  ‘I really don’t like taking you into danger,’ he admitted reluctantly. He felt torn, aware that putting her somewhere out of sight might be more dangerous. He wondered why she seemed determined to protect him when doing so risked her own life. She was mortal and so much more fragile than him.

  ‘It’s safer to stay together.’ She heard him sigh unhappily but he took her hand and led her slowly forward.

  They approached slowly and quietly through the woodland edging the meadow his house sat at the back of. He stopped them in the shelter of the last of the trees and studied his house. Superficially, everything looked fine, and he knew if he’d been coming home alone, he’d have just gone straight up to the front door and entered. But he knew he hadn’t left one of the downstairs windows open. Looking more closely he noticed the window was darker than the others; he suspected the glass had been broken.
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  He circled round the back of the house, keeping to the trees. His horse was still in the stable set well back from the house, but the ground around the house itself seemed quite bare as though something had stood here waiting and chewed the grass. There wasn’t the very obvious devastation that had edged the road though.

  ‘What do you see?’ she whispered.

  ‘My horse is still here,’ he said since that’s the direction she kept glancing towards. ‘I think someone or something has been in my house though. There’s a window broken and the grass round the back here is chewed short.’

  ‘Saddle your horse before you investigate inside,’ she suggested. She was glad the large strong live presence she’d detected was something innocent like his horse. With that identity question answered she could turn her attention to what might be lurking nearby and in the house.

  ‘Good idea,’ he responded whilst leading her away from the dubious safety of the house. At least with Ginger saddled ready, he could get Megan away quickly if necessary. Taking such a precaution wouldn’t normally have occurred to him though.

  Cautiously, he went in the backdoor, Megan just behind him. The kitchen was a mess, with all the larder cupboards open and their contents spilled across the floor. He quickly went over to the knife block and drew the biggest pair of knives.

  ‘Here’s a knife,’ he murmured pressing the handle into her hand. ‘Don’t stick me with it,’ he added.

  ‘I’ll try not to,’ she whispered. ‘Something was in here and I’m not certain it’s gone,’ she warned. ‘What do you see?’

  ‘Mess. Something has turned out every cupboard. Careful,’ he added and guided her steps around the debris and out into the clear footing of the hall. He grabbed his sword from its hook high in the shadows at the back of the hallway. Feeling better armed with a real weapon, he tucked the kitchen knife into his belt. The lounge didn’t seem as disturbed but Megan anxiously stopped him before he went past the threshold. He backed them out of the room, regretfully abandoning the thought of taking some of his favourite possessions. Instead, he quickly grabbed his hidden stash of gold from behind a wall panel in the hall. Travelling was always expensive.