Ganne


26 - Baron's Acre.


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A troop of mounted soldiery was coming up the road from the south.

The Doctor and Genella lay under a tangle of brilliant green ferns in the
edge of the pines.  Below them, down an overgrown bank, the road cut a
narrow slot in the forest.  The gap allowed a view of the lowering clouds.
It was still raining gently.  Water was dripping onto the pair from the
saturated vegetation.

Some way back in the trees, Sarah stood impatiently holding the reins of
her horse, staring towards the road.  It was lighter in that direction;
even so, she could see nothing other than the trunks of trees.  The two
soldiers, under orders from Genella, stood waiting with the patience of
veteran soldiers.

The column of horses drew near to the place where the Doctor and Genella
lay concealed.  As they did so, Genella let out a little gasp of surprise.
The Doctor felt her Ganne block slam down.  He glanced across at her.
Genella's face was ugly with hatred.  She was groping inside her cloak for
the Bayonne.  The knife came clear with a hiss.  The Doctor leaned in
close.  "What is it?"

"Golden Eyes!" Genella snarled.  "It's the Clousaard bitch who killed my
cousins.  Now the murderous bitch dies.  I'm going to slit her open and
strangle the cow with her own guts."

As Genella surged up to commit murder, the Doctor grabbed her arm and held
the woman down without visible effort.  He had been aware of a growing
anxiety in the Ganne, building towards some sort of violent explosion,
ever since that puzzling incident by the lake at mid-morning.  Though he
was not entirely surprised by her sudden outburst, the savagery of it took
him off guard.

The Doctor held no illusions that the dozen armed men would prove little
more than an inconvenience to Genella in the normal course of things; but
the Ganne Harmonic put a different complexion on the matter.  Genella's
unreasoning anger was going to plunge them all into a fight against
superior numbers.  Before he could reason with the woman, Genella lashed
him with the Ganne.

The dozen or so horses on the track snorted and plunged, almost throwing
off their riders.  In their midst,ð
a middle-aged woman with the carriage of a queen, was sitting side saddle
on a white horse.  Her head snapped up.  Golden eyes flashing in the
uncertain light, she stared straight at where the Doctor and Genella lay.

"Now you've done it," the Doctor said.  He was about to stand up, when the
woman's gaze flicked to Genella.  Fear paled the livid bruises on her
face; and she looked quickly away.  She reached out to quiet her mount,
exposing chains about her wrists.  Another chain ran down to a heavy
looking manacle about her ankles.

The next moment, the officer at the head of the party had brought his
horse under control.  He spurred the chestnut gelding into a walk.  With
much jingling of harness and clopping of hooves, the troop started forward
again.

Genella stared after the departing company.  She was rigid in the Doctor's
grasp.  Only when they were out of sight, did the Doctor relax his iron
grip.  Instantly, Genella put the knife to his throat.  Her hand was
shaking with fury.

"Don't,' she snarled between clenched teeth, "don't ever touch me again
without my permission.  I will kill you.  Do you understand, Snake
Eyes?...  I will kill you!" So saying, she scrambled to her feet and
stormed off through the trees to where the others waited.

The Doctor rolled onto his back, and stared up into the cloudy sky.  She
really was spooked.  He frowned.  Whatever it had been this morning, it
had put the madness of the Ganne Dragon into Genella.

They had been riding along the shore of a lake, when the forest had
screamed.  At least, that was what it felt like to the Doctor.  He had
looked round from soothing his suddenly skittish beast, to see Genella
staring fixedly at the wooded hills across the lake.  She was pale of face
and trembling violently, Bayonne held out before her, pointing into the
east.  Golden light was shimmering along the outstretched blade.

Marlek, at her side, was staring across the rain stippled water, his head
cocked to one side as though straining to hear some quiet sound.  Sarah
and sergeant Garron had noticed nothing save the sudden nervousness of
their horses.  After a time, they had all ridden on.  Genella had
vouchsafed no explanation; but ever and again her anxious gaze had turn
eastwards.

The sound of Sarah crashing through the vegetation brought the Doctor's
thoughts back to the present.  He scrambled to his feet.  Sarah looked
worried.  "What happened?" she demanded, obviously relieved to find him
still in one piece.  "Genella looks fit to bust a blood vessel.  What did
you do?"

The Doctor pulled off his hat, brushed ineffectually at the pine needles
and mud on his clothes, before jamming it back on his head.  He gave Sarah
the benefit of one of his widest smiles.  "Nothing to worry about, Sarah,"
he said, "just a little difference of opinion, that's all."

"What about?"

The Doctor glanced past her as the others came out of the gloom.  He
shrugged.  "She just wanted to cut open a woman and strangle her with her
intestines, that's all.  I didn't think it was a very good idea."

He accepted the reins of his horse from Marlek, and turned to mount.
"What was it?' Marlek asked after the Doctor swung easily into the saddle.
The Doctor patted the neck of his animal and shoved his hat onto the back
of his head.

"Twelve men in black uniforms, escorting a female prisoner," he explained.
"I had to stop Genella trying to kill her.  She called her Golden Eyes.
Does that mean anything to you?"

Marlek raised an eyebrow.  "The Golden Eyes!" he exclaimed, and glanced
across at Genella.  "No wonder our Lady is in a taking....  And you
stopped her from attacking her?..." He shook is head in wonderment at such
a foolhardy action.  "You do like to live dangerously, don't you, Doctor?"

"It makes for an interesting life," he quipped breezily.  He went on in a
more sober tone; "what is this all about, Marlek?  Is this anything to do
with that business beside the lake this morning?  Genella's been as jumpy
as a mouse in a room full of cats ever since."

Marlek looked away, but not before the Doctor caught the sudden flash of
fear in his face.  "That had nothing to do with Genella's anger," he said
at last, refusing to meet the Doctor's eye.

"What then?"

"The woman, the Golden Eyes, she killed two of Genella's cousins.  They
were the only real friends she had in the whole world.  They were in a
party which rode out to bring Marika Bah Clousaard to heel.  She had some
sort of argument with her husband and killed him.  Then she began tearing
up the countryside.  Genella's two cousins were badly hurt in the melee.
They were brought home to the Shennon; but the Healers could do nothing
for them.  Madelaine was left a cabbage by the attack, and mercifully
never knew what had happened to her.  She died within the quarter.  Uka
was not so fortunate.  She became a drooling idiot; but the Ganne had left
enough of her wits so that she knew that some terrible calamity had
befallen her, but couldn't quite understand exactly what it was.  One
night Uka got away from her nurses and climbed out onto the roof of the
West Wing and jumped to her death.  So you'll understand that Genella has
no love for the Golden Eyes."

The doctor urged his gelding through the brilliant green ferns, down the
bank, and onto the hard packed road surface.  Marlek came down behind him,
and pulled his great black charger to a halt beside the Doctor.  Pushing
off the hood of his riding cloak, Marlek stared up the now empty road.  He
lifted his face to the rain, letting the misting drops wash over his skin
and into the fuzz of beard.  Pulling his hood back over his helmet, Marlek
asked of no one in particular, "where to now, I wonder?"

The Doctor nodded up the road.  "I gather Starnford is up that way?"

"About two and a half days' travel," Marlek replied.  "If, that is, we
went straight up the road.  But I don't think that's a good idea.  Those
men were soldiers of the Vardenai Empire.  Things are a little - well -
fraught with the Vardenai just now."

Sergeant Garron, who had ridden his horse down onto the road behind
Marlek, exclaimed, "just now!" He carefully ran a finger around the rim of
his helmet, and flipped the water away.  He grinned at the other two men
sourly before adding, "things are ALWAYS a little fraught with those women
hating loonies from over the mountains.  Us of the Ganne have been at war
on and off with the Vardenai since the overthrow of the Golden Tyranny...
And that was so long ago, the term time out of mind might have been
thought up just to describe it."

Sarah urged her mount down the bank, leading one of the pack horses.
Genella, on her little brown mare, came last, leading the other pack
horse.  Pausing only to pass the lead rope to Garron, she rode into the
trees across the road.

"Back into the woods again, then," Marlek observed drily.  He accepted the
lead of a pack animal from Sarah, and urged his horse in pursuit of
Genella.  Garron followed him, leaving the Doctor and Sarah alone in the
middle of the road.

Sarah tugged the cloak tighter about her shoulders.  "I do wish it would
stop raining.  I've had enough of being wet and cold all the time.  I
haven't been warm since we left that inn before we crossed the river," she
complained.

"Chin up, Sarah," the Doctor encouraged cheerfully.

Sarah could not completely shove off the feeling that the Doctor was
enjoying himself immensely, taking a childlike delight in this rough and
uncomfortable journey with the prospect of unpleasantness at its end.
Sarah's lips set in a tight line.  Well, she would not be outdone there.
After all, it was an adventure; and if she looked under the discomfort of
the moment, she had to admit that it had been at the very least
interesting...  If only the bloody rain would stop!

She prodded her grey mare into the trees, shivering a bit as the dripping
fern fronds brushed along the horse's flanks.  They had an uncanny knack
of finding their way inside the cloak to deposit their burden of water on
the linen trousers.

"Watch out for those ferns, Sarah," the Doctor warned.  "They'll get inn
anywhere."

Under her breath, Sarah said a rather rude word.  She pushed on through
the brilliant feathered greenery, keeping her eyes fixed on the rumps of
the other horses as they moved among the wide spaced trunks.

It rained all that day.

An hour before full dark, the party broke from the trees into land which
had once been under cultivation; but no plough had disturbed this ground
for a good while.  The vegetation was rank; it grew up to thigh height on
the riders.  The horses trod down the weeds as they passed.  In silence,
the party passed on through the abandoned fields.  At last, they came out
into a narrow lane.

Without hesitation, Genella turned left.  They squelched along a rutted
track, hemmed in by hedgerows so overgrown they all but closed off the way
in places.  A few minutes of pushing their way through brought them to a
ruined village of thatched cottages.

Water dripped from eaves to puddle in the spaces between the single story
buildings.  The walls were made of an un-mortered grey stone.  About a
dozen of them clustered around a well.  It looked almost as if they had
crowded together for security against the encroaching wilderness.
Everything was still and silent - save for the sound of the rain.  A
desolate air hung over the cluster of hovels in the dying light.

Like a dark omen, a Raven came floating through the wet air.  It settled
upon the roof of a cottage, from whence it scrutinised the party with a
malevolent eye.

"Baron's Acre," Genella announced, peering around.  "My family had a
summer palace on this estate.  It's over there." She pointed off across
the fields to the north east.

On a hillside, about a half mile distant, the chimneys of a large house
could be seen poking up from a cluster of trees.  Not much other detail
could be made out in the murky light.

"We'll stop here for the night," Genella directed.  She pointed to one of
the less tumble down cottages.  "That cottage over there looks to have its
roof intact."

They all dismounted except Genella.  The Ganne leaned down to Marlek.
"I'm going up to the house to have a look around."

"Would you like an escort?" Marlek asked.  There was an edge of something
left unspoken in his voice.


"No!" Genella answered, rather too quickly.  "Just get out of the wet and
dry off.  I won't be long."

The Doctor looked thoughtful at the almost desperation in the woman's
voice.  He splashed over to stand by the Mare's head.  Absently, he patted
the nose of the drooping animal, while scrutinising Genella closely.  Her
face seemed very pale under the cowl.  "How are you feeling?" he asked.
For a moment, he thought she was going to tell him the truth; but she
evidently thought better of it.

With a radiant smile, she replied, "fine.  There's nothing to worry about.
I just want to have a look at the old house while I'm in the
neighbourhood."

The Doctor was not convinced; but he loosed his grip on the bridle anyway,
and stepped back.  His expression was worried as he stood watching Genella
riding away in the rain.

Sarah followed Marlek into the designated cottage.  "Where's Genella off
to?" she asked, slipping out of the cloak.  She peered around.  There was
one room; it was empty save for wind blown detritus.  Sarah hung the cloak
on a bit of wood projecting from the smashed doorway.

"She's going to have a look at one of her family's houses." Marlek told
her a little too curtly, alerting Sarah's nose for a good story.  Marlek
turned to inspect the fireplace in a blatant attempt to kill any further
conversation.  "I think we'll be able to have a proper fire here," he
said.  "This all looks sound enough to me." To demonstrate, he beat a fist
against the brick work of the chimney.  The thud was reassuringly solid.

From next door, the sounds of the horses being settled in came.  There was
the jingle of harness and slap of leather, the voice of the Doctor
mouthing soothing noises, the stamp of the horses, and the rush of grain
as Garron filled their feeding bags.

Sarah rapt arms about herself and leaned against the wall next to the
door.  She watched Marlek clearing out the fireplace.  She was annoyed
with him for trying to conceal information from her.  "Why?" she asked
bluntly.

'Why what?' Marlek answered without looking up.

"Why has she gone up to that old house?  And why have we not been invited
up there." Sarah regarded the dilapidated interior with a weary
resignation.  A drift of wind blown leaves covered the broken planking of
the floor.  Water dripped in at least four places.  "The house on the hill
must be in better shape than this...  So why?"

Marlek shrugged and stood up.  His irritation was clear in his body
language.  He did not want to discuss this, which only made Sarah more
determined to get at the truth.  The soldier turned to stare past Sarah
and out the broken door.  The rain fell steadily through the gathering
gloom.

"Who knows?" he asked at last of the rain soaked wilderness beyond the
door.  "She is a High Ganne - they're not like us.  They're a breed apart,
a law unto themselves.  What they think or why they do anything is beyond
knowing for ordinary people like us.  But her family once owned everything
hereabouts.  I expect she just wants to see how it was in the good times.
She could only have been a child when the Curse came and all the Ganne
sensitives had to move south...  Maybe she just wants to see how it was in
the day of her family's glory."

It all sounded quite reasonable; but Sarah didn't believe it for a moment.
She had her own notions of why Genella was going up to the house.  It was
somewhat less sentimental...  And possibly a lot more sinister.

She levered herself upright and turned to peer out into the dying
daylight.  "I hope she's not too disappointed in what she finds?" Sarah
said.

The trees shielding the house were coming and going between the curtains
of rain.  Sarah bit her lower lip, unable to shake off a dreadful feeling
of grim foreboding.

She glanced back into the cottage to see Marlek on one knee unpacking a
saddle bag.  An army blanket had been spread; and he was laying out
bundles of rations.  The promise of food reminded Sarah how hungry she
was...  And yet?...

"Marlek?" The soldier looked up.  "Marlek, I'm going up to the house."

"What for?" He tried to sound casual; but there was real panic in his
face.

Sarah shook her head.  "I'm not sure.  I just feel I ought to see how
Genella is.  She looked so strange when she rode off.  I'm worried about
her."

"She's a High Ganne...  And a damned powerful one, too," Marlek pointed
out.  There was a trace of pride colouring his irritation with Sarah.
"I'll have a meal ready in a moment.  Why not stay and eat first?"

Sarah looked back out into the damp evening.  She could not shake off the
feeling of foreboding that had gripped her as Genella had ridden away into
the rain.  "No!" Sarah said with determination.  "I really think I ought
to see if she's alright."

"Sarah?  Please...  I think Genny just wants to be alone for a while."

Sarah was not listening.  Or rather, she was listening to a small
insistent voice that was nagging away at her peace of mind.  She took down
the cloak, whirled it about her shoulders with a flourish, and fixed the
clasp at her throat.  Despite her forebodings, she grinned; she really was
getting good at donning the cloak.  Pulling up the hood, she stepped out
into the rain.  "I won't be long," she called back.  "And tell the Doctor
not to scoff all the syrup cakes.  Make sure to save some for me, won't
you?  They're delicious."

With those parting remarks, Sarah splashed away through the mud and
puddles, heading for the lane.  The overgrown track led in an elegant
curve up the hillside, towards the pines on the high ground, which
overlooked the tumble down hamlet of Baron's Acre.

The tangled greenery, spreading unchecked from the banks, deposited their
burden of moisture on sarah as she brushed past.  The damp got inside the
cape, further wetted her already damp trousers.  It even found its way
into her boots.  In only moments, she was squelching as she walked.  Sarah
gritted her teeth, plodding doggedly on.  The sense of foreboding grew
with every step she took.

Deep inside, the city girl threaded inextricably through the weave of
Sarah's soul, was protesting in a selfish whine.  It kept asking her what
the hell she thought she was doing?  There was food back there; and Marlek
would have a fire going by now; she could get warm; she could dry off; and
she didn't really like Genella all that much anyway...  Certainly not
enough to be getting soaked to the skin and chilled to the marrow for.
Despite that inner voice, Sarah trudged on.

A crooked finger of woodland reached out towards the lane from the dark
line of trees along the ridge.  Indistinct in the watery dusk, a cloaked
form stood motionless among the trees at the very tip.  Sarah passed
within twenty feet of the figure, quite oblivious to the watcher's
presence.

Eyes, bright with incipient insanity, studied Sarah from the pool of
darkness under the cowl.  Further back in the trees, a large brown gelding
stood disconsolate in the rain.

The watcher did not move a muscle until Sarah was almost out of sight.
Then the figure be-stirred itself.  A Hand moved under the cloak, and drew
a Bayonne.  The figure held the knife up before the cowl, watching the
rain drops distort the pattern of curling vines inscribed along the blade.
A leather gloved finger cleaned the moisture from the metal in a smooth
swipe.  The weapon was lowered and the watcher stepped down into the lane.
After a glance towards the hamlet, the figure set off to follow Sarah.

Sarah plodded on up the hill.  After ten minutes, the lane arrived at a
set of crumbling pillars with rusted ironwork gates.  They stood
half-open.  The weeds had grown through the grill work, ensnaring them in
a web of green tentacles.  She paused to study the heart-shaped device
enfolded in the complicated curlicues of the ironwork.  Sarah recognised
it from Genella's description; it was the Dishone Clan Crest.  A styalised
dragon lay coiled in the centre.  The golden colouring had been faded by
time and weather to a dull orange.  The eyes were empty sockets where
once, according to Genella, there would have been emeralds.  The sight of
the empty eye sockets made Sarah shiver; and she glanced around, the
hackles on her neck bristling.  For a moment, Sarah thought she caught a
glimpse of something moving; but it was nothing more than a shadow,
melting back into the dripping darkness.

Noticing the hoof marks in the mud, sarah bent to inspect them.  She was
on the right track; Genella had passed this way.  Sarah moved through the
gates into a wilderness that must once have been extensive formal gardens.

A thin sound, weaving in and out of the pattering rain, made her pause.
She cocked her head to listen, and stood a long moment straining her ears
to identify the strange sound; but the low keening appeared to be inside
her head.  Sarah moved on towards the brooding pile of the house.

The front aspect was a series of tall rectangular windows.  As she passed
before them, a curious blue luminescence appeared to be moving on the
glass.  The light was so dim that Sarah was not sure it was actually there
at all.

Ghosts came suddenly to mind.  At that instant, a great rush of wind dealt
a savage shaking to the ornamental trees.  Sarah hesitated.  Of course,
she did not believe in ghosts....  Did she?  No, of course not.  She moved
on toward the porch.

The grand doors stood ajar.  Something was stirring in the shadows beyond.
Sarah hesitated; but when the movement came again, she relaxed with a sigh
of relief.  It was Genella's mare, tethered in the porch, out of the rain.
Harness jingled and leather creaked as the animal moved restlessly.  The
horse was alone.

Sarah moved out of the rain.  Recognising a familiar scent, the animal
whickered and nuzzled her.  Sarah patted its nose, making little soothing
sounds in her throat to reassure the animal.  She eased past its bulk,
intending to go into the house proper to find Genella, but was halted by a
sudden surge of that eerie bluish glow.  A cold prickle of goose flesh
brought up the hairs on her neck.  The elusive keening sound was stronger
here; and recognition came - it was the sound of Genella crying.  It was a
dreadful, low, slow sound of utter despair.

Sarah edged around the horse to peer into the hall.  Her eyes widened in
horror.  A hand flew to her mouth; and she managed to stifle the gasp of
horror which rose in her throat; even so, it did not save her.


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