Aela Read online

  ‘We must be careful with them, not to push too hard. We do not want to break their spirit,’ Eena whispered into Ardu’s ear. There was a scuffling sound at the back of the cave. ‘Who goes there?’ shouted Eena. ‘Come out now, show yourself!’

  Ardu leapt forwards, with his sword in one hand, and snatched a lighted torch with the other. He ran towards the back of the cave, ready to challenge the unknown danger lurking there. But he could see that there was no one, no human or animal waiting to pounce on them.

  If only Ardu had looked upwards to a small ledge, he may have seen a dark figure precariously lying flat. Clinging with his hands to the wall of the cave, not daring to breath for fear of falling down and landing at Ardu’s feet. ‘Come Ardu, there is no one here. We have much to plan before the next full moon,’ ordered Eena. ‘Let us go outside and continue our conversation.’

  Eena and Ardu walked out of the cave into the bright sunshine leaving the crouching figure cursing to himself. ‘Now I will not be able to hear their plans so I can tell my master.’

  Slowly the figure climbed down, furtively looking around, then shuffled along a side passage. One of the torches briefly illuminated his face, and there in the naked light was revealed, the craggy features of Eena’s trusty servant, Croan.

  Meanwhile Brude had learned of Aela and Rom’s disappearance. He was very angry, he wanted to send out scouts to track them down and bring them back. ‘They must be brought back alive and pay for running away.’

  Brude’s cold grey eyes clouded over with rage. How dare they escape without his permission! They must obey him at all times as he was the master here. He had the power to have them killed. He paced up and down inside the sacred hut, but paused every now and again to raise his clenched fist towards the roof exclaiming, ‘I will have their throats cut. I will run them through with my sword. I will trample them into the ground’

  He stamped his feet on the floor, as if he were carrying out his threat. In came Uthor, Brude’s right hand man, in time to hear Brude’s threats. ‘Are you mad, Brude? We have to be cautious if we want to carry out our plan of invading Juno’s land and steal the Sacred Sword from under his nose.’

  ‘I don’t care about the Sacred Sword. I want to strangle Aela and thrust my sword through Rom for daring to defy me, Brude, High Priest to Athunor, Goddess of the Moon.’ His face contorted with uncontrolled fury, and sweat was pouring from his body.

  Uthor realised that whilst Brude was in one of these rages, it was useless to talk to him, so he calmly walked out of the hut. ‘It is no use reasoning with you. I will come back later when you are calmer.’

  Brude took no notice of Uthor and continued to rant and rave, ‘I will kill them! I will kill them!’

  Outside Uthor met Aeselyn, ‘Don’t go in there. Brude is having one of his rages. Wait until he is quieter.’

  Aeselyn shrugged her shoulders, ‘I know it is not for any concern over me. It is his obsession with Aela. Oh how I could scratch her eyes out. He can’t think any further than his passion for her. I may as well not exist.’

  Aeselyn glared at Uthor daring him to contradict her in some way. Uthor just shrugged his shoulders, ‘I am obviously not needed here,’ and he turned to walk on, when Aeslyn gripped his arm, ‘What am I going to do, Uthor?’ she shouted in his ear, ‘I am losing any influence I had over him. He won’t come to my bed at night even if I wear all the alluring charms for love that old mother Ranana has given me. None of her secret spells work.’

  It was on the tip of Uthor’s tongue to say that Brude wanted to get rid of Aeslyn forever, but he realised this would cause such an uproar and it was not the time to say anything. So he took Aeslyn’s hand in his, looking earnestly into her eyes. ‘Be patient with Brude. He will come back to you in good time. This infatuation with Aela is a passing phase. He will soon forget her and then he will be yours once more.’

  There was hope reflected in Aeslyn’s eyes with Uthor’s soothing words to her. Perhaps by the next full moon Brude would be hers again, thought Aeslyn to herself. ‘Thank you, Uthor for your wise words. I shall stop panicking. I will go to the Temple and ask guidance from Athunor.’

  She tossed her head, gathered her long skirt in one hand and walked purposely towards the Temple.

  Uthor shook his head, ‘Those two are so full of hate and anger for each other, that they lose sight of more important matters such as stealing the Sacred Sword and defeating Juno and his warriors. I am going to have a tough time trying to keep them both steady, so we can work out a plan towards real victory.’ Then a thought suddenly came to him, ‘Perhaps, I can become High Priest instead of Brude one day and have everyone obeying me.’

  Uthor quickly looked around in case someone had heard his softly whispered words. There was no one in sight that he could see, so he breathed a sigh of relief. With his mind full of this new idea of being the next leader, he walked towards the compound of huts.

  By now, Brude had exhausted himself and he fell on the floor in a deep sleep, his last conscious thoughts were that victory must be his only. He must not fail with his plans of conquest. and glory over everyone living in this area. No one came near the hut that night so Brude was left on his own, as everyone in the community would not risk being near him after one of his rages. He was better to be left alone until he had calmed down.

  Next day Brude straggled out of the hut, shaking his head awkwardly, all the time trying to remember what had happened the night before, but it was all a big blur. Then memory returned suddenly. He must bring Aela and Rom back to be punished.

  ‘Uthor, Uthor, where are you?’ yelled Brude, ‘We have much to do.’

  Uthor came running, ‘I am here by your side, Brude. Your wish is my command to obey.’

  Uthor bowed low before Brude. This action pleased Brude immensely. He stood upright, with much dignity and he folded his arms over his chest. ‘Summons the leaders of the clans and their warriors for a council of war. We must plan carefully our strategy of how to take Juno and his men by surprise. I am sure that he has taken the two runaways, prisoners and I am determined, we shall rescue them.’

  Uthor was amazed at Brude’s audacity and lies that he weaved to gain his own ends. But in the same instance he realised he could use this information to his own advantage. ‘I will summons the council immediately, for them to meet tonight in the Temple at sundown.’ exclaimed Uthor. He saluted Brude by placing his right hand over his chest, then marched down the hill towards the compound to organise everyone to assemble as arranged, before Brude changed his mind.

  Meantime there was much activity back at the cave as Aela and Rom were prepared for their future destiny to save the Cave Clan from some kind of disaster. As each day passed Rom was feeling more and more confident with the use of the sword. He was also much fitter physically, realising this would help them when they planned their escape.

  In contrast, Aela was not pleased over her daily contact with Eena, who was trying to improve her psychic abilities. ‘I am confused over what Eena is trying to achieve with me and where it is going to lead. When Eena asks me to meditate, I have an uneasy feeling she is trying to get inside my head in order to influence my actions in some way. I feel I will lose control,’ exclaimed Aela.

  ‘Perhaps it may be best if you pretend to follow her instructions and see what happens,’ suggested Rom. ‘I too, am uneasy about where we fit into Eena’s plans. I do not trust her either.’

  They heard voices in the distance and the sound of footsteps coming from one of the side passages. In came Croan and two armed guards.

  ‘You are to come with me at once. There must be no delay,’ ordered Croan.

  ‘Upon whose orders are we to go with you and where?’ demanded Rom.

  ‘None of your business. Do as I command,’ barked Croan.

  Rom lunged forward with his spear at the ready to strike Croan in the chest.

  ‘Guards take him prisoner,’ yelled Croan.

  There was a frantic scuffle as the g
uards tried to take Rom’s spear. They all landed on the ground rolling around. ‘Aela run for it, get help,’ yelled Rom.

  Aela ran down one of the side passages shouting, ‘Help, help, somebody help me.’

  Rom was finally overpowered by the guards. His hands were tied in front of his chest. He was dragged to his feet and held between the guards by his arms.

  Croan was furious that Aela had escaped. ‘You shall pay for this Rom, my orders were to take you both prisoner.’ Croan hit Rom across the face with his clenched fist, ‘I could kill you now,’ he added. Croan’s face was red with rage but thinking better of it he shrugged his shoulders, ‘At least I shall be paid for one prisoner. Bring him this way you fools.’ Rom was dragged along still protesting, trying to free himself from his bonds.

  Voices were heard from behind them so they quickened their pace to a run. ‘I hope you know where we are going Croan,’ said one of the guards.

  Croan threw him a venomous look, ‘Of course I am familiar with the labyrinth, I have been using them for years,’ spat Croan. ‘Keep running or we all be caught, then we shall be in trouble.’

  They had been running for a while, with Rom trying to hold them back hoping that his rescuers would catch up with them, but to no avail. Then there was a shaft of light in front of them, ‘We are almost there,’ shouted Croan triumphantly. The four of them burst into full sunlight heaving and panting for breath. They all fell on the ground completely exhausted.

  After a short moment, Croan was the first to rise, ‘We must be at our destination by sundown. At least I have you Rom, to hand over to my master. Better one than none at all.’ Croan laughed loudly at this clever thought.

  So the foursome wended their way through the forest, with the two guards constantly having to prod Rom with their spears to make sure he was walking in the right direction. Croan kept looking behind, checking that Rom was still with the guards and he had not escaped. Croan was thinking of the rich reward he would receive for delivering Rom alive to his master. They paused beside a stream to have a drink of the clear crystal water. Rom’s bonds were loosened so he too could quench his thirst and dip his aching wrists into the cool water for a moment.

  ‘We must move on or we won’t be at the Temple by sunset,’ growled Croan.

  Everyone’s walking pace quickened as they pressed their way through the dense forest. All the time Rom was thinking of how to escape from this situation, so he could return to rescue Aela from the Cave people.

  Back at the Cave Aela was thinking of her next move, once she realised Rom had been whisked away by Croan and his assistants. She raised the alarm, as she ran down the passageway crying out for help. Ardu and a number of warriors who had heard her cries, came running towards her. ‘Rom has been taken prisoner by Croan and his men. They went that way.’ cried Aela, ‘Be quick or Croan will get away with Rom. I will show you the passage they have taken.’

  Aela ran ahead of the group, looking back every now and then to make sure they were following her. Very soon it was plain to Ardu that the conspirators had disappeared altogether. ‘It is no use trying to follow them, They are too far ahead of us. We had better go back to report to Eena and plan our next move,’ ordered Ardu.

  Aela was very upset that Rom was not able to be rescued and reluctantly followed Ardu and his men back to the main cavern. There, Eena was impatiently standing, waiting for them to return. She was disappointed to learn that Croan had got away with the prisoner, under her very nose. ‘Why should Croan do this to me Ardu? He has always been faithful to me.’

  Ardu shook his head, ‘Who knows what riches he had been offered and by whom. He also tried to take Aela as well, but that failed.’

  ‘It doesn’t mean that he won’t be back to try to snatch her a second time. We must guard her well,’ exclaimed Eena, shaking her head in disbelief.

  ‘The best thing to do is to take a number of our fittest warriors to follow their tracks into the forest, to try to find out where they have taken Rom.’

  ‘I want to go with you, Ardu and your men to help rescue him,’ pleaded Aela.

  Eena intervened, ‘No, that is not possible, I do not want to lose you as well. Guards, escort her to my chambers, where she will be safe for the time being.’

  Two guards stepped forward, taking up their positions on either side of Aela, saluted Eena, then led Aela away.

  ‘I don’t see why I can’t go with Ardu. It is not fair to also imprison me as well,’ complained Aela as she was escorted away by the guards.

  ‘You must act with speed Ardu. We have to get Rom back at once or our plans are ruined,’ urged Eena.

  Ardu nodded his head in agreement. ‘I will be away, in the blink of an eye of an eagle.’

  Ardu disappeared rapidly into the gloom of a side tunnel. His brisk footsteps echoing in the confined space. Eena let out a deep sigh, life generally never seemed to turn out as expected, no matter how things were carefully planned. She slowly walked to the back of the cavern and disappeared behind a tall rock into a secret passage. Suddenly Eena emerged into her chamber where Aela had been taken by the guards.

  Aela was sitting on a couch impatiently picking the material of her long skirt with her fingers. She rose as Eena suddenly appeared in front of her. ‘Let me go, Eena, I am no use to you and Ardu,’ urged Aela.

  ‘You my dear, are very necessary to our plans, so stop asking me the impossible. I want you to meditate, then I shall take you into a trance to find out what has happened to Rom, where he has been taken to and if possible, who is behind this plot,’ commanded Eena. ‘Now sit down and we shall start the meditation.’

  Aela was asked by Eena to commence breathing slowly, to relax her arms, legs and then her body allowing her mind to become empty of thoughts about every day life, to lift her spiritual self to a higher level towards the white light. Aela began to feel she was flying like an eagle over the forest trees, she was free and weightless as she soared in the sky.

  Then images came to her of men pushing their way through the thick undergrowth of the forest. One of the men she recognised was Rom, being pulled along by one of the other men. Then she spied Croan at the front of the group, urging the men to walk faster. The next image was a circle of large standing stones of monolithic size with a wooden barricaded wall completely surrounding the structures. There were a crowd of people assembled in the middle of the stone circle. Her eagle eye spied a tall figure wearing a mask, her thoughts were this must be Juno.

  ‘What do you see Aela and what is the message?’ Eena whispered into Aela’s ear.

  ‘Croan is taking Rom to the Temple of the Sun to see Juno,’ she replied in a soft whisper.

  ‘Why, why?’ Eena burst out, eager to know Juno’s plans.

  ‘Rom is special, special,’ chanted Aela in a low voice.

  ‘Special, what does that mean Aela?’

  ‘I do not know. The picture is fading, it has gone,’ replied Aela.

  Eena was mystified and confused but realised Aela was not able to stay in a trance state any longer, so she gently brought Aela down to the present. Slowly Aela opened her eyes, she was no longer flying like an eagle and soaring across a forest.

  ‘Juno wants Rom and Croan is taking him to meet him in the Temple of the Sun. We must save him Eena. I am worried that Juno will harm Rom, he could kill him.’

  Eena replied, ‘Just as well Ardu is already on the way, but we must warn him of Juno’s plan to take Rom prisoner to the Temple of the Sun. I will send a messenger with the news, where Rom is being taken to and who is involved in the plot. Ardu and his men can sneak up to the Temple to rescue Rom and perhaps find out other information. I must go now Aela, to organise everything.’

  Aela was left alone with her thoughts that somehow she must escape but she realised that she had to plan her moves very carefully.

  In the meantime Brude was pacing up and down outside the Temple thinking to himself why did he have to wait for the approval of the council before he took action. It
would be so much better for everyone to obey his orders instantly and without asking any questions. Somehow he was going to achieve absolute power over everyone in the community and if any person didn’t agree with him they would be killed or banished from their clan. He smiled at the thought of all persons bowing to him like a god.

  ‘Glad to see you are already here to receive the leaders of the clans,’ Uthor suddenly appeared in front of Brude.

  ‘Start the drums,’ yelled Brude.

  There was an immediate response from within the Temple. A rhythmic sound of drums was heard with the beat becoming louder and louder inside the Temple.

  One could hear sounds of voices were heard at the bottom of the hill, then the scraping movement of footsteps. Soon, it was perceived that a group of people was slowly making their way up the main sacred road to the entrance of the Temple. Brude had already gone inside to receive his subjects, as befitting his role as High Priest. One by one the leaders entered the portal of the Temple, saluted Brude, then quietly sat cross-legged in a circle, each making sure they were placed correctly, according to their rank. With a swift gesture of his hand, the beat of the drums ceased. There was a heavy silence, as each face was lit up by the flames of the torches that were arranged around the inner circular walls of the Temple. Brude deliberately stood still in order to maximise the full effect he was making on all those who were present.

  ‘I have asked you all to assemble at my command, as there is a need to decide a plan to get the two runaways Rom and Aela back immediately,’ raged Brude.

  Marvo, one of the clan leaders stood up looking straight towards Brude. He was short of stature, stout, a fussy man with a waspish tongue, a gossip who had an eye for minute detail.

  ‘Why do we have to get Rom and Aela back? They obviously had decided to leave our community of their own free will. Perhaps you have a personal reason for wanting the two back, especially Aela,’ sniggered Marvo.