Shield Maiden Page 3

  Chapter Two Ellette

  What is it?” Hild asked in a loud whisper.

  No one answered her. They were all eyeing the dark shape they could see moving in the shadows at the foot of the trees lining the road. As it came closer, the shape seemed to merge with the nearest tree and then ... it disappeared.

  Anna crept closer to the tree, staring intently at where the shape had vanished. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The other children held back and peered over her shoulder.

  There was dead silence all round, which made what happened next seem even more terrifying.

  “HELLO!!” screeched a voice from above their heads.

  Once more the children jumped and then they looked up, seeking whoever had spoken. Anna was the first to change from being afraid to annoyed as she spotted what, or rather who, was sitting on a large branch of a tree about ten feet from the ground.

  “Ellette! Is that you? What in the name of the gods did you do that for?” Anna shouted up at the small mischievous girl.

  Nine-year-old Ellette dropped into view hanging upside down from the branch, suspended by her bent knees, her head level with Anna’s. She stuck out her tongue and then made a rude noise at the older girl.

  “Cos I can. You all call me little. But it’s not so bad being little you know. I can move around and sneak up on people. So...” she paused and did a small somersault, landing lightly on her sandalled feet, “what are you doing now?”

  “We are going to explore the ruins,” Lar said. “But you are too young, little elf, so go home.”

  “The ruins. In the dark? They are haunted aren’t they? Great - I’m coming too.” Ellette jigged up and down with excitement.

  “No, you are not!” Anna said.

  Ellette grinned at her. It was not a nice grin. It was a grin that meant, ‘Oh yes I am and you might think otherwise, but there is nothing you can do about it!’

  “If you don’t let me come I am going back to the village and I will tell all your parents where you are!”

  “You little tell-tale!” Wilburh said.

  “Oh, come on! Let me come along. It’s not fair always to be left out,” Ellette pleaded, looking up at Anna with puppy-dog eyes.

  Anna sighed and glanced around at the faces of the other three. Their expressions suggested that she might as well give in and let the girl join them.

  “Oh, very well. But just you do exactly what I tell you to!” she ordered.

  Ellette grinned and this time it was a sweet grin that said, ‘Of course I will. I am a good girl.’

  “If we are going, let’s go now,” Wilburh said, his gaze lingering on the sun, which was already dipping below the western horizon.

  They left the road and headed eastwards towards the ruins, across the flat fields that ran along the north bank of the brook. Beyond the brook, through a small orchard that grew at the top of the village, they could make out the headman’s hut, Iden’s temple and some of the other village buildings. Smoke rising from several of them appeared inviting. The late summer evening was cooling quickly and looking at the dark shape of the caved-in walls and the collapsed roof of the Roman villa, Anna shivered. She felt suddenly cold, as if something was watching them, something ancient and evil.

  “It’s just fairy stories and make believe, nothing more,” she muttered to herself, but by the time they reached the ditch that ran around the ruined house she was already regretting her rash decision to come here. Why had she suggested it? To prove a point that she was worthy to be a courageous warrior? That seemed ridiculous now. She almost suggested they abandon the expedition altogether, yet she could not turn back now could she? Not without losing face. She could hardly argue with her father about becoming a warrior and then run away, scared by a few old stones.

  Anna walked closer to Wilburh. The quiet boy did not say much, but she knew he spoke to Raedann a lot and was always studying runes and scrolls in Iden’s temple. She had once asked him if he wanted to be a priest one day. “No,” he had replied, “a wizard.” She had giggled at the time, but Wilburh seemed so serious and Raedann did tell stories about wizards and magic so maybe it was not so much nonsense after all. As well as trying to learn spells, the boy had learnt a lot from both Raedann and Iden about history, about the tales of the gods and legends about monsters.

  “So, do you think the ruins could really be haunted?” she asked him as they crossed the ditch.

  “As Raedann says, just because we fear them does not mean there are ghosts,” he answered, his tone suggesting she was just a silly girl, but Anna noticed he kept looking nervously at the building.

  The way in to the villa was on the east side of the house, so they had to circle the structure, at which point they entered the shadow on the west created by the setting sun. There, in the gloom, they could make out the entrance. In front of them the wooden door of the building was rotten and had fallen inwards revealing a gaping opening into a dark, cave-like interior.

  “We need some light,” Ellette said.

  “Wait a moment,” the ever practical Hild replied, stooping to gather some branches and dry leaves that had fallen to the ground at the edge of the nearby woods.

  Piling up the leaves and twigs near the doorway into the villa, she reached into her belt pouch and brought out a strike-a-light and a flint. Bending over the kindling she struck the flint against the strike-a-light until sparks flew off it. Some sparks fell upon the leaves and ignited them. She added more twigs and then larger branches, nursing the flame until she had a good fire going. The fire illuminated a hallway just inside the doorway.

  Meanwhile, Wilburh had collected some bark and a long stick and wrapping the bark around the stick, secured it with some rushes and weeds. He took from his belt pouch a cube of pig fat wrapped in a dock leaf. “That should do it,” he said, daubing the bark with fat. Then, wiping his greasy fingers on his tunic, he thrust the makeshift torch into his sister’s fire. Spitting and crackling it ignited and Wilburh held it aloft.

  “Who is going first?” he asked.

  “Oh me, please!” Ellette offered excitedly.

  “Be careful then. I will follow and then Wilburh can come next with the torch,” Anna instructed.

  “Look out for holes in the ground and make sure the roof does not fall in on top of you,” Lar suggested. “Hild and I will bring up the rear.”

  Ellette scuttled forward. Lifting one foot she stepped over the threshold and then she was inside, standing in what must have once been the entrance hall. The hall led onwards into a large central courtyard or garden. It was open to the skies and above them the first stars of evening could now be seen, along with the sliver of the moon.

  The children all joined her. In the flickering torchlight they could see that around the courtyard were doorways leading into other rooms.

  “Where shall we go?” Hild asked, her voice squeaking like a frightened mouse.

  “Try those first,” Anna suggested, pointing to the doors along the left side.

  The first one led to a room containing some rotten sacks and several cracked pots and glass bottles filled with a murky liquid. It seemed to be a store room or pantry. Anna wrinkled her nose at the musty smell. Beyond the sacks they heard a sudden scuttling noise and a large rat ran out across the room and bolted for the door, passing between Lar’s feet and disappearing into the night.

  “Ugh! I hate rats,” Lar grimaced.

  The next room seemed to have been the kitchens. The roof had collapsed into it, but they could see the openings of a bread oven at one end and smashed crockery littering the floor.

  Along the back of the house was a large room with a beautifully decorated floor. The tiles were made of many different colours, shapes and sizes and together they made a pattern. Wilburh held out the torch so they could examine it. It portrayed animals running through a forest and men chasing them on horseback.

  “It’s a hunt - see there is a stag and those are boars,” Hild said.

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nbsp; Above them there was a sudden commotion and the whir of flapping wings. An instant later Anna felt something fly past her and heard a high-pitched squeaking.

  “Bats!” Wilburh shouted. He lifted the torch higher and they could see that where the ceiling over the corner of the room had fallen in, it had revealed the roof cavity above. In the cavity several dozen bats were hanging from the rafters. As the children watched, another pair dropped from the beams and flitted out of the room, passing over Lar’s head. He gave a cry of alarm and ducked.

  “What is it with all these animals and me?” he complained.

  “Let’s go home,” Hild suggested, sounding even more frightened than she had before.

  “But we have not finished yet,” Ellette pointed out, her voice still full of excitement. “Let’s check the other doors.”

  Anna nodded and led the way back, out into the courtyard and across to a door on the north side. She tried to open it but it appeared to be jammed. She gave it a kick but it would not budge.

  “Lar, give me some help!” she ordered her brother. He came and stood next to her and together they shoulder-barged the door. It gave a little, but was still stuck.

  “One last time!” she shouted and they tried again, charging towards the door. This time it flew open.

  Lar and Anna tumbled through the opening into the dark interior and ended up lying sprawled across the damp floor.

  “Ouch,” Lar said, “I think I’ve sprained my wrist.”

  Coming to stand at the doorframe, Wilburh leant forward and held the torch aloft. As the flames lit up the room Anna saw Lar’s eyes widen, focusing on something behind her. She started to turn.

  “Anna,” Lar whispered urgently, “don’t move!”

  Ignoring his instructions, she turned her head and then froze as she heard a hiss. Not a yard from where she lay, its forked tongue flicking in and out, was the uncoiling body of a large snake, its dark eyes staring right into her own. It hissed again and opened its mouth as if ready to strike.

  “Help!” Anna whimpered.