Sorceress

Chapter 22:

As soon as we have crossed to the South, I leave no time for rest, or relief. I know that The Ravine will no longer serve as an effective hindrance of passage to the Vikings, and therefore, I cannot spare any time in resting or stopping for a while. We continue through forest for what seems like days- but is in fact only hours- and as glowing embers of daylight flutter through the webbed branches, we gallop out of the forest and onto a strange landscape that of which I have never seen the likes of before. Slowly drawing Dale to a halt, I cautiously get off the horse, trusting him to stay where I left him, and I continue a couple of meters on foot. It is an almost barren landscape, made of huge rolling hills- but there is no green- only cracked stone lining the mounds stretching out into the horizon. After adjusting my eyes, I can make out scatters of forest lining each mountainous hill. I cannot call them mountains for their shape, but their height certainly suggests a mountain. It comes to my realization that Dale will not be able to continue on such terrain- and neither will the Vikings. But I have to continue, and stay clear from any Viking infantry, therefore, I will need to carry Una on my own. Slowly, I ease her off the saddle, and rest her on the floor, before turning to Dale, and muttering to him as I take all of my herbs that I picked up off his back,

"Beannacht a Dale," I rub his ears as he snorts in frustration at not being able to continue with Una and I, "Stay away from the Northern enemies, stay well, and good luck. Now GO!" I know that if the Vikings do capture him, and he will not let them saddle him, then he will be killed. He flicks his ears one last time, and gallops away back into the forest. Una starts moaning as I attempt to lift her up. Lying her back down on the ground, I go through a pouch on my belt and get a bunch of herbs out, roast them in my hands, pour water on them, and mix them into a paste. I tip Una's head back, and attempt to get her to swallow the herbs. However, she continually spits them back up, and resumes moaning, "Una, they will help take away the pain," I desperately whisper to her.

"Aine..."

"Yes," I gasp back,

"Keiran is dead, our tribe died trying to save us... Allil died," carefully, I answer her question,

"Yes, but it was our own decision, you can't change what happened," Una slowly shakes her head, gazing up into the grey,washed out sky,

"I am going to die,"

"NO, Una... no," I gulp desperately, tears streaking the grime plastered to my face. Una smiles at the strange but stunning landscape before us,

"It is so beautiful, why would the Vikings wish to industrialize it? I am happy to have seen The South before I died," she squeezes my hand, closes her eyes, and draws a final breath.