The Gathandrian Trilogy 03 - The Executioners Cane

turn and ending with the Silent One, who nodded as if she had spoken something directly to him, but she had not.
    The affirmation, when it came, was simple and from them all: the word yes echoing in her head with the voice of each elder part of its music.
    “Thank you,” she said aloud, so that Johan would not be left out in any manner. “Then we must do it now. I must travel to the Lammas Lands and meet with the Lost One.”

Chapter Fifteen: Battles and Silence

    Simon

    As Ralph set out his plan there in the Lammas castle kitchen, it seemed sensible enough, although Simon was no tactician. The remaining seeds would be guarded in storage on a day-cycle rolling rota, whilst the most important fields would gain the same level of protection. The small number of men and women amongst them would be stretched, but they had little choice. This morning-cycle, Ralph and a handful of men, some former soldiers, would track Jemelda’s whereabouts and see if some kind of peace could be reached. Simon had little confidence it would be but he was pleased Ralph was trying. He had assumed the Lammas Lord would fight first and only think of talking later, if anyone was left alive.
    You underestimate me, Scribe.
    The shock of Ralph’s continuing link with him made Simon blink and he glanced down to see the soft silver glow on the mind-cane’s carving. It must be strengthening the connection between Ralph and himself for reasons of its own, though he could not fathom them. Quickly Simon span a mind-net round his thoughts and saw Ralph’s slight smile fade. He turned away.
    “So,” Ralph said, bringing his plans to a close. “That is what we will do.”
    “Unless anyone has any other suggestions,” Simon said quietly.
    Ralph stared at him and then nodded. “Indeed, unless anyone has anything else to say.”
    Nobody did, so Ralph rose to his feet and gestured towards the doorway. With the Lammas Lord, no sooner was something decided than it was done. How Simon remembered that. But just as he too rose, like the others, to follow, there was a shimmer of green in the courtyard, and Simon could feel a great cry in his thought which pierced through all nets and defences.
    “Simon?”
    Ralph’s voice shook him back into himself, but the terrible pain of the cry remained. Outside, the shimmer of green began to dance and flash. Simon started to run, the mind-cane firm in his grip.
    “It’s the emeralds,” he shouted. “Someone is coming to us. It’s not working. They’re in pain .”
    Ralph was right behind Simon as he juddered to a halt in front of the shifting streaks of green. Whatever was going on, and whoever was making this journey, it wasn’t enough to get them here. No more deaths , by the gods and stars, he had promised himself once and he would do his best to keep his word.
    “Do you have your emeralds?” he asked Ralph, and the Lammas Lord nodded, delving into his belt-bag and retrieving a handful.
    Simon snatched them up, although in truth it was more as if they’d lifted into his palm themselves. He could feel a sudden warmth where they touched him. In his other hand the mind-cane began to sing.
    “What can you do?” Ralph asked him, a frown creasing his forehead as his gaze danced from Simon to the fluctuating circle of green and back.
    “Trust me,” said Simon.
    As Ralph and his servants watched, Simon took the emeralds and flung them as hard as he could towards the skies. As they flew upwards, he took the mind-cane, its song piercing his thoughts and mingling with the cries of the traveller, and swept it through the arc of the emeralds as they fell. When the ebony cane touched the sparkling emeralds, the black-and-green melded together, forming for one wild moment a perfect circle. In it, Simon could see the figure of a woman struggling to escape and knew at once it was Annyeke.
    Ralph was at his side at an instant.
    Take my hand, now , Simon said in his mind, praying Annyeke would hear him and somehow she did as she stretched out her fingers, grasped Ralph and then him, and at the next heartbeat all three of them were sprawled on the courtyard cobbles. Around them, the cane and the emeralds clattered to the ground.
    While Simon scrabbled to his feet, Ralph was already helping Annyeke. The Lammas Lord handed her two of the emeralds he’d retrieved as she dusted down her skirts although to Simon’s untrained eye she looked far neater than he felt.
    “Not my best journey ever,” she said with a