The Soterion Mission by Stewart Ross Read Free Book Online Page B

covered an ancient vineyard. One or two wild vines remained and the party eagerly grabbed the purple grapes as they hurried by. From time to time, Cyrus raised a hand and they paused to listen for the sound of dogs. Not till well into the afternoon did they hear the ominous barking echo up from the valley behind them. Faces furrowed with anxiety, they gathered under a broad-leafed beech to listen.
    “Six, seven thousand paces away?” suggested Cyrus.
    “Yeah, about that,” nodded Navid.
    Cyrus ran his hand through his hair. “Good. There’s no way they’ll catch up with us by sundown, and then they’ll have to call off the hounds in case they lose them. We’ll be safe in the dark.” 

    Roxanne shook her head. “No, not safe, Cyrus. We’ll never be safe from Timur as long as he’s alive. I know the man only too well. He wants my secret and he’ll pursue me, day and night, until he gets it.”
    “Then we’ll stay ahead of him, Roxanne, and get to the Soterion before he finds us. Trust me.”
    Cyrus looked towards Zavar, who was sitting with his back against the trunk of the tree. “How is it?” he asked, squatting down beside him.
    “To be honest, Cyrus, the pain’s quite bad. I’m sure it’ll ease off, but just now my whole body’s throbbing like I’ve got a drum inside me.”
    No one replied. They all knew, as Zavar himself did, that wounds like his took weeks to heal, if they healed at all. Even innocent-looking cuts became infected and the sufferer died of blood poisoning. And Zavar’s wound did not look innocent.
    Cyrus searched his mind for a solution. He had been on many Tallin salvage parties bringing back medical supplies from shops and other buildings that had escaped looting. Sadly, they didn’t know how to use the loot properly and powerful drugs, well passed their use-by date, often made patients sicker rather than better. Did the literate Yonners know better?
    “You know how to read, Roxanne,” he said slowly, “and where you were brought up they have books –”
    “Only three, Cyrus.”
    “Yes, but don’t those books tell you about healing, about cures and that sort of thing? Like in the time of the Long Dead. Maybe you know something to help Zavar.”
    Roxanne shook her head and, despite the cruel circumstances, smiled at his optimism. Not for the first time in her presence, Cyrus felt a wave of unexplained happiness wash over him.
    “I wish I could be of use,” she said, looking round at the others. “Unfortunately, the Books of Yonne don’t speak much of science or healing. They are, well, odd. Difficult to understand – not the words themselves but the information and ideas they stand for. Generations of Yonner scholars have argued over them, trying to work out what they mean.”
    Before anyone asked what these books were, the sound of barking began again in the distance. “Come on!” called Cyrus, snapping back into his role as leader. “I’m sure Zavar will be OK – and Roxanne can tell us about her weird books later. So, let’s go! If the mission gets through, there’ll be more books and knowledge than we ever dreamed of. But if we fail…” He left the sentence unfinished.
    Cyrus and Taja helped Zavar to his feet and the party continued on its way. Out in front, after Roxanne and Navid had walked in silence for a while, she turned to him and asked earnestly, “You know how to keep wounds clean, don’t you Navid?”
    “Yeah. That’s why you put those leaves on Zavar’s shoulder. Keep out the dirt.”
    “Yes, but it needs to be properly cleaned. Water, Navid. We need to find water to wash the wound. Have you ever been here before, on a patrol?”
    Navid shook his head. “Never. But if it’s water you want, I know a fellow who’ll find it for you.” He stooped down and patted Corby’s massive flank. “Drink time, old boy,” he whispered. “Go on! Drink! Find drink!”
    The dog looked up at him as if to say, “Water? Well, why didn’t you say so