6
They found a cave far too small for bears. Too small, even, for themselves. Barsa sat at the mouth of the cave, staring out across the tundra all night, making the occasional growl, disappearing for short times and returning to sit back in the exact same spot he had left.
Únik hated the close proximity to the Ice-Kin, not wanting to be near the creature anymore. Despite that, the size of the cave left little room to sit apart and the girl's surprising body heat helped to stave off the cold. Únik had not wanted to build a fire, even though she had seen enough brush to build a small one. The chances of their pursuers seeing the light made her wary of giving them something to guide themselves by.
After much tossing and turning, Únik managed to fall asleep, assailed by the kinds of dreams she had not experienced for some time. Dreams of her old life, back in the village deep in Uriok, where she had scratched a living, once, with a husband and daughter. A daughter long since dead and a husband that followed her into death. Even in her dreams, Únik felt her ire rise as she remembered the man.
Interspersed with memories she wished she could forget, she found new horrors awaiting her behind closed eyes. Images of her dogs, dragged beneath black, fetid waters, their fur, faces and eyes frosting, freezing, becoming as black as the water. As cold and frigid as the wastes themselves. She saw Gislarik, old and unkempt as ever, his body catching aflame, burning before her eyes and becoming ash.
She jerked awake to find Hatyara staring at her, arms across her small chest. She seemed so much smaller than before, even more like a child. The Ūtharan lifted a hand to her mouth, a single finger pressing upon her lips, urging silence. Then the girl transformed, her hair darkening to almost black, ringlets falling about her face that now became bloodied and bruised. Her skin changed from ice blue, to a dark, swarthy brown and Únik realised she did not look upon Hatyara, but her daughter, Thesik.
"Stay away from the star in the north, mother." The girl, Thesik now, not Hatyara spoke without lips moving. "Stay away. She is not what she seems."
Sitting up, Únik cracked her head upon the low ceiling of the cave. Clutching at her scalp, she looked to the side to find Hatyara fast asleep, curled onto her side. At the mouth of the cave, Barsa now stood, growling out into the near darkness, readying to run, but staying in place, feet pawing at the ground.
"Hush, Barsa!" Nothing more than a whisper, Únik reached out to Barsa, pressing upon his back to make him lie down. She gazed out towards the tundra, following the dog's eyes. "What do you see?"
She saw nothing at first, only rough, rocky ground and the few clumps of brush and weeds. Then, she caught a flicker, some way off, and another and another. Torch light. Gripping Barsa by his collar, she dragged him deeper into the small cave, turning her back to the small opening and lifting her snow bear fur hood over her head.
"What's happening?" Nudged by Barsa's long legs as he settled down, Hatyara opened her eyes, beginning to sit up.
Únik clamped her hand over the girl's mouth, pushing her back to the cave floor. She tried to cover both the girl and Barsa's bodies with her own, crouching to try to make her form appear larger. She could hear movement behind her and Hatyara struggled beneath her hand, attempting to talk, muffled by Únik's large fingers. Barsa laid low, his growls now gone, but his ears still pricked.
"What is it, Ice-Kin?" A man's voice travelled towards Únik's ears, but she dared not move.
"A cave. Something's in it." Another voice, female, with an accent similar to the clipped, haughty way that Hatyara spoke.
"Hey! Away from it, girl! That's a snow bear!" Fear and haste entered the man's voice, the rough drawl of Hagragng noticeable to Únik's ears. "A little one, aye, but even one that size would rip us apart. Best left alone. Come on!"
"Snow bears, plague and who knows what else." The female tutted as their voices retreated. "The sooner I return to Alharai, the better."
Únik could feel her breaths coming in rapid succession. Under her hand, Hatyara's eyes questioned her, but Únik only gave her a small shake of the head in response. Years before, Únik had learnt that snow bears would avoid her if they saw her wearing the furs of their kin. She surmised they either had poor eyesight, or could tell she had killed to get those furs. Either way, she had never expected those furs to come in handy, hiding from people.
For long moments, she remained in place, terrified to even contemplate moving. She kept her eye on Barsa, watching the twitch of his ears, the lifting of his nose as he sniffed the air. After a while, his ears dropped and he reached up his head, licking Únik's face, as though telling her the danger had passed.
Still, she took her time turning to look outside of the cave, ready to spin her head back around and, perhaps, attempt to imitate a snow bear's roar. She had no need. She could see nothing outside the cave, nor at any distance beyond. Their pursuers had moved on.
Lifting her hand from Hatyara's mouth, Únik fell back against the wall of the cave and thanked all the Patrons that her mother had not birthed a small child. She did not doubt her large size helped the illusion no end. Had she had the small, dainty body she had wanted her entire life, like as not she would have found herself gutted right now. Her and Hatyara.
Released from Únik's protective hold, Barsa returned to the mouth of the cave, looking around, his ears twitching one way and the other. Likewise, Hatyara had sat up, and now she stared at Únik. Únik almost thought she could see a hint of respect in that look, though there was nothing to respect in hiding, she believed.
"They'll never stop, you know." The Ice-Kin peeked her head around Únik to look outside. "You could have just given me to them. I'm surprised you didn't. I would have."
"I don't doubt it." With her breathing returning to normal, Únik dug into one of the sacks, pulling out a water skin and taking a long drink. "Good thing I'm not you then."
She looked the girl over and realised that she didn't hate her, as she thought. She blamed Hatyara for things beyond her control. There was no chance that the girl had trapped herself in a sinking ship and become chased by murderous, shadowy figures in order to ruin Únik's life. The girl and Únik were both victims of circumstance. True, the girl had some responsibility for the actions that brought her to Tracis' Midden, but no control from then on. Únik held out the water skin to the Ice-Kin.
"We should have kept moving." Hatyara looked at the spout of the water skin, grimaced and then wiped it with the fur tied about her arm before taking a small drink and replacing the stopper. "They won't stop and neither should we. Now they're closer than ever."
Taking the water skin from the girl, Únik shoved it into the sack, rummaging around until she found a parcel of salted meats. She began to chew on whale meat she had preserved herself. It had a strong taste to it, not lessened by the taste of salt. Still, it was better than nothing. She laid the open parcel between her and Hatyara. If the girl wanted to eat, she could get it herself.
But, after a fashion, Únik knew the girl was right. If they had continued moving, they would have been much further ahead by now, instead of with the wolves at their door. She didn't second-guess herself too much. The fact that they had all felt tired, even Barsa, after the day's events meant they had to rest.
Were they warriors, trained to march for days on end, they may have made it further towards Uriok. But they weren't warriors. Even with her harsh life at the Midden building her strength, Únik doubted she could have continued on for much longer. Rest was the right choice.
Now, however, they had to make their way east with their pursuers close at hand. Únik knew that if they could pass beyond the Tombs of Hagragng, they would have a better chance. Among the forests, the many towns and villages. Places they could find help and places Únik would have to avoid, lest her past catch up to her.
She did not relish returning to Uriok, but it was a big country. She doubted anyone would even recognise her after so long, anyway. At least, she hoped not.
-+-
Several times, over the next two days, they caught sight of their pursuers. Always at a distance. Always appearing to come close to finding them. Únik had to use every method of losing their trackers that she could remember from her days studying with old Gislarik. The grumpy old man had disliked having Únik around, but he always told her he could never live with himself if he left her to die in the wastes without the necessary tools to survive.
Únik had not spoken to Hatyara about what they had heard, that night in the cave. Enemies working together to capture, or kill, Hatyara disturbed Únik. More than once, she found herself staring at the Ice-Kin woman as they travelled, or hid, wondering what could bring together the Ūtharans and the Hagragng. Whatever the union of Hatyara and the Hagragng king, Vraniik, meant to the two nations, it seemed obvious people on both sides sought to ensure it did not happen.
Now, with the towering pyramids of the Tombs of Hagragng looming close, Únik considered, once again, that she needed to leave the company of the girl. No matter how much gold the girl promised, it did not seem at all worth getting pursued all the way to Star Harbour. Once past the pyramids, sat in a long line from one horizon to the other, and as soon as they caught sight of the first large settlement, Únik would return home.
Whether Barsa joined her or not was still open to question. The dog had taken a liking to Hatyara, walking beside the girl at every opportunity. Whatever the dog found attractive about the Ice-Kin, Únik couldn't imagine, but if the dog chose to stay with her, so be it. It pained Únik to think Barsa would choose someone else over her, but she could never begrudge that dog anything.
"They're horrible." At the foot of one of the pyramids, Hatyara gazed up towards the topmost steps, a little shiver reaching her shoulders. "Do you suppose there's any truth to the Uriok tales? That the dead haunt this place?"
"No. Dead is dead. But I have heard tell of bandits using these places. Of grave robbers seeking the riches of the dead." Únik had to admit, the tombs gave off an air of gloom, as though even the little light of this time of year avoided the pyramids at all costs. "If we climb one, we should be able to see the nearest settlement from the top. And maybe keep an eye out for our pursuers."
"I don't want to." Without thinking, Hatyara's hand reached out for Barsa, digging her fingers into the dog's fur. "It doesn't feel right."
"I thought your people didn't care about the dead?" Ignoring Hatyara's fears, Únik continued towards the first step of the pyramid. Whatever the girl felt, Únik would rather catch her bearings before moving on. "If we move around the side, there'll be less chance of being seen as we climb."
"I said we forgot our dead easily. But these tombs are not like ours. These are ominous." Despite her fears, Hatyara began to follow Únik as she moved towards the pyramid.
Up close Únik could see the signs of decay affecting the structures. Over time, stones had become weathered and dislodged. On the next pyramid along, an entire side had collapsed, revealing the high banks of soil that the Hagragng had built the steps against. The one Únik began to climb had the look of something about to disintegrate and turn into dust. A few more years and the tombs may all become nothing but mounds of broken, fallen stones.
Each side of the pyramid had sloping walkways leading to the next step above and Únik felt grateful for that. She did not relish climbing the structure by hand and footholds, the surface of the stones too brittle and crumbling. She supposed the slopes were to help the ancient Hagragng to carry their dead to the mausoleums at the top. Whatever the reason, Únik used them to climb the structure to find a place to be rid of the girl.
Around half-way up the towering pyramid, Únik stopped to look out to the east and smiled as she saw several clusters of lights in the distance. She couldn't make out shapes, or buildings, but lights meant people and clusters of lights normally signalled settlements. She also saw a river. A wide one that she remembered crossing upon a small ferry years ago.
Satisfied of the path they needed to take, she began to follow the step of the pyramid towards the eastern side, to find a slope which they could take back down to the ground. Whether it was the talk of how ominous the pyramids were, or some other reason, she had started to jump at every sound and every little thing she caught in the corner of her eyes. Even the steps themselves began to feel unsteady.
"Let's head back down." Waving a hand, she urged Hatyara to catch up.
As the Ice-Kin neared, the large stone that she walked upon shuddered, listing to the side. A piece broke away from under Hatyara's foot, sending the girl stumbling to the ground, hands dropping to catch herself. The piece of stone tumbled down the steps, cracking against them and making horrendous loud noises as it fell and, as Únik ran to pick Hatyara back to her feet, she heard several more cracking sounds, accompanied by a low rumbling.
With a hand under Hatyara's arm, Únik felt the stone they stood upon drop and tilt. After standing all these years, the very act of their walking upon the stones had caused them to shift. Únik cursed her luck. Lifting Hatyara, she began to drag the girl towards the nearest slope, Barsa at their side, but what had started with one stone, now rippled outwards, affecting the stones next to it and the ones next to those.
Before Únik had time to think, the entire side of the pyramid began to slide downwards, with Únik, Hatyara and Barsa caught half-way up the collapsing structure.
"Únik! What do we do?" Finding it difficult to catch her footing, Hatyara clung to Únik's furs, her head spinning as pieces of broken rocks began to crash about them from shifting stonework above.
"Follow the dog. Jump and keep jumping until we reach the bottom." Únik didn't know if that would help at all, but it felt right to make Hatyara think they had a chance. She threw her arm out, urging Barsa on. "Go, Barsa! Find a way!"
The dog barked and began running towards the east. Sure enough, that section of the collapsing pyramid did not seem as bad. Barsa stopped, turned and barked and then continued on, jumping down to the next level of the steps where a large stone appeared more stable. Reaching the spot, Únik looked down, it seemed quite high and she could understand the hesitation she felt from Hatyara.
Tossing hers and Hatyara's sacks of supplies and the whale hook down to the next level, Únik took a deep breath, picked up Hatyara and jumped down. Her legs felt as though they may break as she landed and Hatyara tumbled from her arms. Barsa appeared before her eyes, barking in her face and then set off at a run again.
Behind them, to the west, the entire face of the pyramid seemed to cascade like an avalanche towards the ground below. They weren't safe yet, however. The step they were on quivered beneath them and chips and stones began to rain upon them from above. Únik lifted her arm above her head to protect herself as she began tossing their supplies as far down the steps as she could, watching them roll and tumble towards the ground.
Hatyara regained her feet and with a renewed look of determination upon her child-like face, she began to follow Barsa as he ran, barking, along the step. Picking up her whale hook, Únik dipped her head and began to run after them. Once again she cursed. This time at her large frame. Barsa and Hatyara had opened up a distance between them and Únik.
The dog had jumped down another level, now, leaving only one more level and the ground to reach. No longer hesitating, Hatyara followed Barsa and Únik tried her best to catch up to them, breath rasping in her throat. Chest aching from the exertions. As she reached the point to jump after Barsa and Hatyara, she paused to catch her breath. She couldn't take too long, however, as the break up of the pyramid had started to catch up.
Steeling herself, she took a step back, ready to jump down.
A piece of rock the size of a head smashed into her shoulder, sending her spinning towards the edge of the step. A second, smaller rock bounced off her head and, as she found herself pinwheeling towards the next step down, she looked up to see a shower of rocks of all sizes following her, ready to crash upon her body.