Free Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One by Tania Johansson

woods.
    Throughout the day, I did not
even stop for meals, eating dried meat and some flat bread in the saddle.   I became aware of far off voices and children
laughing. I did not know the area well, but I was not aware of any villages
close by. Curious, I heeled Balder in the direction of the sounds.
    As I got closer, I could hear
them more clearly as well as other general village noises. Some houses appeared
between the trees. I started dreaming of the hot meal I would have if they had
a common dining hall or even an inn. A low growl emanating from Markai brought
me out of my reverie. I could feel her hackles rising.
    As we moved closer, she was
becoming more unsettled. She snarled. Danger,
evil…murder . I realised then that all the noise had disappeared leaving an
eerie stillness.   Even the forest around
us had gone quiet and the constant bird chatter had vanished.
    As we came clear of the forest
we were met by a terrible sight. The village only consisted of a few houses,
but they were all burnt out, smoke still rising from some of the buildings. The
dead lay scattered everywhere. Men, women, children, even
babes lay with cold dead eyes staring as if still seeing their killers. They were not merely dead, but mutilated.
    Unbidden the image of my
father’s mutilated body sprang to my mind, but I quickly pushed it away.
Surely, the village noises and voices I had heard could not have come from
here. To be certain, I dismounted and searched for survivors without much hope.
Among all the chaos, I saw paw prints in the dust. They were similar to a
wolf’s, but much larger and the imprint from the middle pad suggested that it
was split into three parts. I did not recognise them, but Markai with her nose
in the air informed me that this was at least partly the work of the
Dyrrendrel.
    I shuddered, Grer had said that
they were simply animals, so how could they have been involved in this…. this….. massacre ? I could tell from Markai that she smelt
someone, no, something else had been there, but she did not know what. What she
did know, was that this other…. thing that had been
here was pure evil.   
    My skin was crawling; I did not
like being in the place where such an atrocity had been committed and I had an
eerie feeling of being watched. I got back on Balder and started back the way I
had come, but then I heard a groan. I heeled her round and called,
“Hello….hello….I want to help you!”
    I looked around desperately
trying to find him. Just to my right I heard another moan. I saw the boy’s hand
move. I jumped down from Balder and raced over to him. He was only a boy, no
more than ten cycles old. He was very badly hurt.
    Blood covered his face and
matted his hair to his head. Large cuts covered his body. Painfully, he turned
his head to look at me with one eye, the other was swollen shut. He opened his
mouth several times as if to say something.
    I ran back to Balder and grabbed
my water skin from my saddlebags. I dribbled the water into his mouth and was
relieved when I saw him swallow a few times.   His breathing was haggard and wheezed in and out. He looked at me, his
eyes intent.   “Wolves…. listening….. wolves ,” he took another shuddering breath, “listening to…. men….. no ….. not men… monsters.” He
coughed and I dribbled more water into his mouth.
    “They said…. said only
beginning…. were looking for…. for something.” His
eyes fluttered.
    I gave his hand a squeeze. “What
were they looking for?”
    He struggled to open his eyes
again. “I don’t….. I don’t,” his eyes went large and wildly he looked around.
“Monsters… could feel them coming before… no, please. Don’t let them hurt. Don’t
hurt me.”  
    I squeezed his hand gently and
let him drink some more water. “Don’t worry. They are gone now. They are not
here anymore. They won’t hurt you anymore.” He started convulsing; his body
shaking violently. Suddenly he went still.
    He opened his eyes,