Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK II - Scene XX

"We're not leaving," stated Allakat, the eldest of the half-tails, though he looked young in the eyes of Eartaria. The forest silence adding a solidness to the words.

"They have powder and shot ..you have arrows," Eartaria responded, now somewhat half-hearted in his efforts to make an argument. Caring not if they left, stayed or headed on to the city. He'd served his purpose. He'd passed the message on. Now he was eager to head on himself. Though as ever he couldn't help but give his advice and opinion. "You'll be wiped out if you stay here. Things aren't as they were before, there's no mood for half-measures now."

"Leaving isn't an option."

"Why not drop back to Terrella? ..or come to Brynnyfirdia with me? We'll arm you; show you how to make black powder. Everyone has the damn stuff now, you need it too."

"We're not taking things to the shores of Terrella," shot back Allakat, quickly, "..the island half-tails have always kept to themselves. They have peace, we're not sacrificing their peace to fight our battles. That's out of the question ..the black powder though, maybe we could use that."

It was quite fitting that the smell of black powder pricked up on the air at this point. The industrious odour now lingered almost ever-presently thanks to the toing and froing of skirmish, with occasional wind currents bringing it more into focus. Its distinctive taste intermingled with the similar, but more natural smell of burning wood that equally carried on the breeze.

It didn't quite register with Eartaria, but all the half-tails noted it instantly. The blue sky above was clear through the green canopy of leaves, still, the linger of smoke always brought with it the dread of fire. Especially so now that the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom had resorted to the crude tactic of using fire to clear patches of land. Another sign, in support of Eartaria's claim, that the vigour of the assault had been stepped up a notch. The ship-building wood was precious, but the cover that the vast woodland scrub afforded made the half-tails an impossible target. Meaning the strategic torching of the very resources that King Brijsk was fighting to stake claim to was increasingly employed. A transpiration the half-tails were only too aware of.

This bouquet of war duly noted they quickly, and without conversation, decided to move deeper into the forest. Eartaria was now back on his feet and could move with more ease, though the pain of his wounded shoulder tamed his agile instincts. So, like the rest, he simply followed on the lead of Allacat. The direction-less woodland being familiar to him and the other half-tails as much as it was disorientating to the outsiders. Sparing only Julen, who by now had acquired a slightly more feral knowing of the sprawling terrain, and who headed on with a dab of impulse, in contrast to the other four, who followed in forest blindness. There was little sense of real panic, but they all stepped at pace. As they headed further into the brush however, the ashy scent followed on the zephyrs.

Suddenly, as Eartaria began to renew his conversation about black powder, a sound of gunshot boomed from the deep forest, echoing pinball-like around the trees. It was clear that somewhere in the far off distance another group of half-tails were engaged in battle with King Brijsk's men. A patch of wood in the tapestry of occupation and defiance no doubt falling to the mainland - or maybe holding out; perhaps with arrowheads from perfectly strung bows cutting down their louder opponents. The reverberations heard just hollow tones from the screaming weapons of dying men. The moving gang had no way of knowing, as they tried to gauge the situation and move towards safety.

Another shot rang out. A flash of blue sky as a brief clearing in the trees opened up, closing above them just as fast. A trail of smoke visible, but barely littering the blue.

Fearing the crack of fire the fleeing assembly hastened their pace to a run, and began to dash through the trees like stalked deer, eager to outrun the danger. The damp floor and crisp air seeming to now threaten sludge and flame in twin measure. Momentarily Liofia lagged behind as a heavy mutter of smoke caught on her lungs. She pulled her hooded cloak closer to her face as Julen grabbed her arm, dragging her along.

As the pace and anxiety advanced the smoke thickened; its black veil becoming a gauze to the darting eyes. "We're being smoked out," whispered Box, the feeling of attack making her overly fearful that some nearby soldier from the Northern Kingdom would hear her words. Goola didn't respond, she just kept on racing through the trees, making sure to keep close. Grabbing a loose clutch of Box's jacket hem to stay in touching distance. The trees themselves becoming like pitons, helping them climb and scramble across the landscape.

Finally, as the fright reached its ascent, a clearing in the forest opened up. The reappearing blue sky and the mildly clearer air giving an instant relief from the smothering undergrowth. The open space allowed them to view the situation with more coherence. They'd ascended in altitude as they'd sped through the woodland. Now, down before them, was a beautiful sloping green pasture, across which they could see a grand ring of deeper green forest. Looking down the eyeline from which they'd came they could see huge flames rising from the treetops. Too far away to ever reach them, the conflagration nevertheless leaked black smoke into the windy sky, running like a rising river in their direction. It remained impossible to tell where the distant fighting had been. The endless forest surrounding the pasture as far as the eye could see. Only conquered by the equally endless sky.

For now the moment of panic was over, but with the danger not entirely extinguished, they headed onwards to safer territory still, trying to catching their breath. As Eartaria tagged along in his pain and exhaustion he remarked to himself with amusement how fitting it was that King Brijsk had repaid his favour in such a way. He liked the forest excitement, but it wasn't where he was meant to be, and all his thoughts were now on his return to Brynnyfirdia.