Chapter Ten

The Go-between

They marched for four days without serious incident. They saw 200 Aragonese warriors on the third day, but these passed below them and they were easily able to hide until they had disappeared into the distance. So far they had been totally undetected. On the fourth day, Arturo had found the village and Inaki held council with his men that night.

“How will we find the go-between without raising suspicion?” asked one of the men.

“I’ve thought of that,” replied Inaki. “I will dress in the Moorish clothing we took and go into the village with Umar. The go-between will find us since he is expecting a message. He will make himself known.”

He’s expecting monks, not Moors,” Aguirre interjected. “Will he not be suspicious of you?”

“Perhaps, but I think he’s just hired help. Anyway, we can make up some sort of story along the lines that such important negotiations could not be trusted to monks. Besides, we don’t have a choice.”

“That’s too risky,” another man said. “Why don’t we just watch the village?”

“Because we just haven’t the time,” Inaki said.

The discussion ebbed back and forth for sometime, but eventually Inaki’s plan was accepted as best.

Finally, Aguirre added: “You can’t take the horse. One rider is too suspicious and would raise too many questions.”

It was agreed that the horse remained behind with the men. Umar would be instructed to hobble it.

“What about Storm?” Aguirre said.

“He comes with us. I will need him to keep an eye on Umar. Besides he gives me a certain edge. He’s worth two men.” Inaki got up, the discussion was over. He went over to Umar.

“I have been watching you, infidel, you lead by consent,” said Umar.

“You disapprove?”

“It is not our way. If you had any experience of battle, or knowledge of warfare, you would know that there is no time for conferences. A true leader orders and his men obey without question.”

Inaki bit his tongue. The man’s arrogance was unbelievable. Instead, he said: “Well I’ve a surprise for you. I’m going to confer with you. What is more, I’m going to listen to your opinion.”

In a few short sentences, he explained his plan and Umar’s part in it. Umar thought for a moment and said, “Your plan is good, but it has one serious fault. To pass for a Moor you must pray like a Moor. You must be instructed in our religion.”

“Teach me. I’m a quick learner.”

“You are an unbeliever. You are unclean. It is forbidden.” Umar turned away and tended to his horse. The conversation was over. Inaki stood for a few moments in shock. Then his temper rose.

“You would risk the life of a boy because of your religious beliefs?” he said vehemently.

“It is the will of Allah.”

Inaki turned away in disgust and returned to his men. They sat in silence as he related Umar’s words.

“What do we do now?” Arturo asked.

Inaki did not know what to say. The plan, as far as he could see, had been too deeply jeopardised by Umar’s attitude.

“I think we should go into the village,” Aguirre said, thinking aloud.

What, are you mad?” Inaki could not believe his ears.

Aguirre spoke gently, as if he was explaining something to a small child.

“Inaki,” he said, “you have lived in a village. How long do you think a go-between could live in a village undetected? It couldn’t happen. You cannot keep a secret in a village. No, the whole village would have to be involved. If I am right we will find the answer we seek in the village, but I would not hold my breath. I don’t think we will find anything in the village, at least not what we have been led to believe.”

“What do you mean?” Inaki said astounded.

“I think the Moor was prepared to die, rather than reveal all the information he had. Has it not occurred to you that he could not let the boy fall into our hands?”

“If you’re right, where does that leave us? With nothing? Anyway you’ve never liked the man,” Inaki spoke desperately, his heart sinking.

“Not quite,” Aguirre smiled. “The Moor had to gain time. He told us enough of the truth to keep him alive. He had to make his tale believable in order to stay alive and complete his mission.”

“What is the truth?” Inaki was totally bewildered now, and so were most of the men.

“Well, I think the part about the Benedictines is true.”

“Where does that leave us?” Inaki repeated the question more in desperation than in the belief that there was any possible answer.

“In a better position than you might think.”

“Go on.” Inaki began to feel a glimmer of hope.

“I think that they are and have always been the go-betweens. The rest of the story was just to gain time.”

The men began to murmur amongst themselves. Inaki sat deep in thought. One of the men spoke with the consent of the others.

“We agree with Aguirre, we should go into the village.”

“Not so fast,” said Aguirre, “first we must let the Moor escape.”

“Oh! That’s good,” said Inaki with feeling, “first we throw away a perfectly good plan, now we let the Moor escape. Whatever next?”

Aguirre looked at Inaki and calmly smiled. Inaki recognised the look. He had often seen it when Aguirre had been tutoring him and he had found something particularly difficult to do or understand. Inaki pulled himself together.

“I’m sorry, Aguirre, please go on.”

“Well, the way I see it is this,” Aguirre said, “somewhere close by, there must be some monks. If we pretend to revert to our original plan and watch the village, the Moor will think that he has fooled us. To make his escape easier we will split into small groups, on the pretence that we need to watch all the approaches to the village. Once he escapes two of us will track him. The others will go into the village and make general enquiries about the best route into France. We must try and gain information about the monks, but it must be done without raising suspicion. We will make out that we are making our way to France in order to improve our stock, in Navarra, of sheep. That way we double our chances of locating them. After that it’s a question of discovering how the monks communicate with the Sisters and their location.”

“Sounds simple,” Inaki said, sarcastically.

“It will not be easy and there is a lot that can go wrong, as you well know Inaki.” The rebuke was friendly.

“Yes,” Inaki said with a smile. “I think it’s time for a bit of acting.”

With that, the men rose, looking suitably depressed. Inaki gave his orders and the men split into small groups. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Umar was taking a keen interest. For three days they watched the village. Inaki became more and more impatient. Umar remained with the two men that had been left to guard him. They had orders to give him plenty of space, without making it too obvious. He had shown no sign of making a move. Time was passing rapidly. It would take them at least ten days to return to the Basque country and there was only fourteen days left before Charlemagne’s arrival at Zaragoza. The waiting became unbearable. Inaki felt, not for the first time, that he was living in a heartbreakingly cruel world of unspeakable disorder. He surveyed the land around him. It was beautiful. Behind and to the right and left of him were three huge mountains, their peaks covered in snow. It gave him a feeling of security; he felt at home in these mountains. After all, they where an extension of his beloved homeland. From where he sat, he could see the village comprised of a group of twenty conical stone huts and extending out from the village, in all directions, walled hay fields. Beyond the village and at the bottom of the mountain, a valley was extending east and westwards. A fast flowing river ran through the valley. At the other side, dense pine forests covered the mountains as far as the snow line. Good cover, thought Inaki, all around with plenty of wild game.

Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, the guards found Inaki. The Moor had slipped away that night. Inaki told one of the men to find their comrades and go into the village. He, with the other man, would track the Moor and meet them in the valley. Inaki moved quickly to where the guards had been camped. From his bag he took the Moor’s shirt and placed it over Storm’s nose.

“Seek,” he ordered Storm.

The dog did not hesitate, moving swiftly down the slopes, towards the valley. The horse had found the descent difficult and there were many signs where it had slipped on the stony mountainside. Moving in the darkness, horse and man had fallen several times and the tracking was easy. Once in the valley the Moor had mounted and the tracking had become more difficult. He was obviously aware that he would be pursued and took precautions to avoid leaving a trail. Man and horse had entered the river. The river was wide but not very deep. It took Inaki most of the morning to discover which way he had gone. At first he went down stream, but after searching both banks for several hours, neither he nor his comrade could find any signs of the horse. Storm and Inaki retraced their steps and returned to the place where the horse and rider had entered the stream. They moved upstream. Each man covered a bank. It was now mid-afternoon and still there were no signs. Inaki decide to give up and wait for his men. Perhaps with extra help he would be more successful. He sat down on a fallen tree and thought. What if Aguirre had been wrong? His mood became very black. He was totally despondent. He felt that he had failed. He believed that the loss of his friends had been for nought. His young comrade, a Basque called Elexoste, recognised his mood.

He spoke: “Don’t worry. When the others arrive, we will find the Moor. Have no fear.”

Inaki did not reply. He was too depressed to say anything meaningful.

Towards late afternoon, Aguirre and the rest of the men could be seen coming down river. They had a stranger with them. When they reached Inaki, Aguirre said to him, “You need to pay this man. We have brought two fine rams and six ewes.”

Inaki handed Aguirre the bag of money without a word. Aguirre took some silver coins and handed them to the man. He thanked Aguirre with a smile, bade them farewell and made his way back to the village.

“Robbing bastard,” Aguirre said under his breath.

“We’ve lost the Moor,” Elexoste said to Aguirre.

“Doesn’t matter,” replied Aguirre, “we know where he’s going.”

Inaki stood with his mouth open, the relief written all over his face.

“How?”

Aguirre explained briefly how they had entered the village. Their story had been completely accepted, although it had cost them, since the villagers would not agree that the sheep in France were better than theirs. Rather than argue the point, Aguirre agreed to buy some stock. What was more important was that they had learnt that there was a Benedictine monastery further up the valley. They had also learnt the route the Moor would, in all probability, take back to Zaragoza. Aguirre guessed that the Moor would hide until dark, before entering the monastery. He would be somewhere up ahead. He suggested that they move up the mountainside, using the pine forest as cover, until they found a place to hide above the monastery. It would be dark soon, so they needed to move quickly.

At about midnight they came upon the monastery below them. They had come to the edge of the pine forest. Inaki was beside himself. The journey had taken longer than they had thought. The monastery was a large square building, with high walls of block stone. It had a gate set in a tower at the west wall. It sat on a hill in a good defensible position. Light could be seen at some of the windows, which were set high in the walls. The centre of the square formed a courtyard. This was filled with darkness. The inside of the outside walls had a building attached to them, so that the walls enclosed and protected the whole of the living quarters. Apart from the few lights in some upper windows, the whole building was in darkness.

“They have a visitor; otherwise the monastery would be in total darkness,” Aguirre whispered.

“What shall we do?” replied Inaki.

“Wait. It would be a good idea to move the men into the forest where they could light a fire, rest and eat. I’ll stay here and watch.”

“I will stay with you. There’s no way I can sleep tonight,” said Inaki.

The men moved back into the pine forest. Deep inside the forest they found a small clearing and made a fire. It had been a long and hard day. Soon the men were all fast asleep wrapped in their cloaks. Inaki had remained with Aguirre. Just before dawn Inaki received a sharp jab in the ribs. He had dozed off and Aguirre had let fall asleep. Aguirre pointed below.

“Look!”

In the courtyard of the monastery, torches could be seen moving about. The flickering lights moved towards the gate. Out of the darkness of the gate tower, a rider emerged and rode off down the valley.

“Shouldn’t we stop him?”

“What would that achieve?” replied Aguirre.

“If he gets back, the governor will open the gates. Won’t he?”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. So there’s no point in killing the Moor, Inaki.”

Inaki said nothing for some moments. Then after a while he turned to Aguirre. He spoke in a voice full of desperation.

“I think that we have run out of time. We can’t get back in time to warn our brothers now.”

“Inaki, don’t be so down-hearted. Our brothers will be fully aware of Charlemagne’s intentions by now. A force of his size cannot approach without drawing attention. Don’t worry. They will know.”

“Do you think we should go back?”

“No. We could still turn events with a bit of luck. Eleven men aren’t going to make much difference in the battle to come, but we could do some good here. If only we could find the Moorish boy.”

“I’ll use the mushrooms.”

“No, Inaki, it’s far too dangerous and besides you’re no use to anybody for three days after you use them. We have to be patient and watch. The monks will lead us to the boy.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. Nothing is certain, but we’ve come a long way and it would be a pity to go home with nothing.”

“So, we just sit and wait?”

“It’s hard, I know. But it’s our best chance and we will do all men a great service if we can destroy the Sisters of the Moon. The Moorish boy would be a bonus. Have you thought about killing women? Will you be able to do it?”

“Will it come to that?” Inaki said thoughtfully.

“It will.”

With that the two men fell silent, each with his own private thoughts. Dawn had broken and the monks in the monastery began to stir. Slowly, groups of them would emerge to take up their various daily tasks. Some went into the nearby fields to tend the land; others drove sheep and goats into the pastures. For two days they watched the daily routines of the monks. Sometimes a little excitement was generated amongst the watchers when a visitor arrived or monks left on journeys. But on the whole it proved to be a false alarm. The routines grew monotonous. The watchers became restless. A little hunting relieved their growing boredom and then on the third day, while Arturo and Inaki had the watch, something happened that drew Arturo’s attention. It was late in the afternoon when they spotted three mules arriving at the monastery. What drew their attention was that they were unaccompanied and tied together. As far as they could tell they carried nothing, but were rigged for cargo. The mules came from behind them and made directly for the monastery. A monk collected them at the gate and led them inside.

“Strange,” Inaki said, giving voice to his thoughts.

Suddenly, Arturo could hardly contain himself. “I’ve seen something like this before in the mountains south of Avala. Shepherds will send mules that have been trained to follow the most inaccessible mountain paths to carry supplies back and forth to their masters in the mountains. They travel along paths that men would find difficult to negotiate, if not impossible. They carry supplies and that allows their masters to remain with their flocks without leaving them for food.”

Inaki jumped to his feet.

“Get the men.”

Arturo did not have to be told twice. He left in all haste and within no time at all had returned with the men. As the men sat out of view, watching the monastery intently, Arturo explained what they had witnessed. As the story unfolded, Aguirre smiled.

“The perfect go-betweens,” he said. “Dumb, reliable and can’t be questioned. What a stroke of genius. You have to admire the cunning of these monks.”

For the rest of the afternoon the men sat watching, hardly able to contain their excitement. After so many days, action at last! The evening drew on and soon it was dark. Some of the men grew restless. What if they had been wrong? Doubts began to enter their minds.

“What if they leave in the dark? We will never see them,” said one.

“I think the mules are strays.” Some of the men agreed with Arient, who was one of the older men.

“I think that they are being rested, fed and watered. They have probably come a long way.” Arturo volunteered the information.

“God forbid,” said another man. “We have little time left. If we end up following these mules all over the mountains, we’ve had it.”

“Look!” Inaki said taking control. “We will move under cover of darkness, behind the monastery. You men can get some rest. Storm and I will stand guard. If the mules are sent out they will have to pass us.”

This seemed to calm the men and they moved swiftly to their new position. Few managed to sleep that night and just before dawn the whole group was awake and alert. Suddenly, to the right of them, out of the darkness, the mules appeared. Storm heard them first and began to growl. Inaki clapped both hands over his muzzle, gripping it firmly. The lead mule stopped. Inaki could hear his heart, pounding in his ears. The mule made to move back the way he had come. Without a word Arturo sprang to his feet. He approached the lead mule and gave him a sharp slap on his rump. The mule moved quickly forward and passed the men. The mule was heavily laden. The Basques fell in, a little way behind the mules, without a sound. By morning they were deep into the mountains. Before them an enormous peak rose: the Pico de Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyreneans, stood before them. The mules headed straight for it. They reached it and began to climb. The ascent became more arduous and dangerous. The mules moved steadily upwards. The path became narrower and the ascent steeper. Even for mountain men the going was becoming difficult.

“If they go much higher, we will lose them,” Inaki said between deep breaths. He was now clambering on hands and knees, as were most of the men.

“I know,” said Aguirre behind him. At that moment, one of the men lost his footing and, with a cry, fell. They watched his body bounce over the rocks to his death. At the sound of the cry they had all stopped. In silence they looked down at the body of broken bones below them.

“Come on,” Inaki said sharply. “Don’t look down.”

The men hesitated. They were reluctant to move.

“Come on!” Inaki said with all the authority he could muster.

The men started to move. Some were clearly in shock and distressed at the loss of their friend.

“Drop behind, Aguirre, and keep them moving,” Inaki said without looking back. Aguirre moved to one side, until the last man had passed him. Then he took his place behind the last man and gently encouraged the men to keep moving. By nightfall they were two-thirds of the way to the summit. As the night became darker, they lost sight of the mules and they were forced to stop. Perched like eagles on the side of the mountain they spent a miserable and cold night. The next morning they continued to follow the wild mountain goat tracks that the mules had led them onto the previous night. There was no sign of the mules. They had obviously not stopped and had continued their journey in the dark. The goat paths spread out over the mountain like veins on a man’s arm. If it had not been for the tracking abilities of the dogs, they would have lost the trail.

The dogs led and the men followed. Higher and higher they went. The air grew thinner and colder. The peak was covered in snow and the climb became almost perpendicular. They were now moving along a path that traversed a sheer cliff side. Just as they reached the snow line, the dogs took a trail that appeared to skirt around the summit and led to the other side of the mountain. The cold was unbearable now. The men shivered and if they did not start to descend soon they would have to abandon the climb. Everyone was tired and cold. It was only Inaki’s determination and willpower that kept them moving, that and the fear of freezing to death. Gradually, as they reached the other side of the mountain, almost imperceptibly, the track started to descend. Below them the mountain fell away. At the bottom, they could make out two great lakes. By midday the descent had become rapid and the men moved quickly. Their mood of despondency changed to one of relief and elation. Some leapt from rock to rock and the descent became a race between groups of men.

Not for the first time, Inaki pondered on the human condition. It was wonderful how a bit of sunshine on the backs of his Basque comrades and the chance to show off their mountain skills could change these fiercely independent and freedom loving individuals into a group of children. They leapt and laughed at each other, as a man would attempt an impossible leap to impress his friends, often falling and rolling down the mountainside. The dogs, excited by the antics of the men, were running between them and sometimes over them as they fell, pulling at any piece of clothing that they could grab in their teeth. Sometimes they felled a man as they brushed past with their great bodies. The whole descent became a mass of rolling bodies with the dogs intermingled in the great rolling mass.

Finally, battered and bruised, the whole group came to a standstill halfway down the mountain. A mixture of elation and embarrassment at their childish behaviour prevailed over the whole group. They sat laughing at each other. Below them the mountainside fell away, in a mixture of long grass and protruding rocks and boulders.

Inaki sat amongst the men, laughing and joking. Aguirre, who had made a more sedate and elegant descent, joined them.

“You’re all as mad as the goats that made those tracks.”

“Perhaps,” said Inaki, “but are you not just happy to be alive after what we’ve just climbed.”

Aguirre looked back up the mountain and nodded. He shivered inadvertently. Looking back down, he said: “You know, it’s no wonder that the bitches have never been found. Look, the lakes prevent access to the mountain on this side and who in their right mind would climb that!” He tossed his head towards the cliffside that they had just descended.

“Only the Basques who are known the world over for their foolishness and lack of mind,” Inaki said with a nervous laugh.

“Any thoughts on where the cave might be?”

Inaki shook his head.

“Must be a small entrance somewhere down there, but there’s no sign of the mules.”

“More work for the dogs,” Aguirre said. “We would have been lost without them.”

Inaki nodded. “Let’s rest and eat before we start looking. It could take a long time.”

They sat around talking and eating some cold food; mostly cheese and bread with some cold meat. Spirits were high and the men in good humour after the dangers of the climb. From where they sat, Inaki surveyed their position. Above them the mountain rose in grass-covered slopes, interspersed with boulders and cliffs that rose to the summit. Below, the slopes ended in wooded ravines. Somewhere in those ravines would be the entrance to the cave. The men were making small talk and eating hungrily. The talk soon changed to the possible location of the cave and the Sisters of the Moon. The mood became more solemn. One of the men, Arient, uttered the question uppermost on their minds.

“Inaki, have you any idea as to how many Sisters there might be?”

“Don’t know how many, but a lot I think.”

“Do you think they will put up a fight?” Arostegi, said with a troubled look on his face.

“You can bet your life on it,” Inaki replied.

“They are only women,” Elexoste said, his voice full of contempt, “what can they do against fully armed men?”

Inaki frowned.

“They may be ‘only women,’ but they are like no other women that you have ever known. Remember that these ladies devoured their own children in the past and if they capture you, you will be sacrificed. Your heart will be cut out whilst still alive and eaten! And remember this; they have managed to survive for hundreds of years. That is no mean feat.”

Inaki’s words sent a cold chill down the men’s backs. Several of them looked down at the ground. Aguirre sensed the fear that had entered their minds. This troubled him. He quickly came to the conclusion that if they were to succeed, the men had to be told everything that Inaki knew about the Sisters of the Moon and their place of hiding. To be forewarned was to be forearmed and the truth would put iron in their blood. Turning to Inaki, he said: “You must tell them everything you know, especially your visit with the Sacred Octopus God. Don’t leave out the smallest detail. Their lives depend on it.”

Inaki sat and thought. What Aguirre had said was true. The problem was that women were held in high esteem by the Basques and they would have to kill without thought or compassion. It struck him that the Earth Mother was the most sacred of all the Gods. How was he to persuade them that they had to kill, when it went so strongly against all that they held sacred? He decided that his only chance was to emphasise the Sister’s diabolical sacrifices of humans and their crimes against children. But would it be enough to toughen their resolve? That was the question. He took a deep breath and began.

“Listen to me. The Sisters are the most evil people you are likely to encounter in your lifetime. You have a duty to your families and your children to wipe them from the face of the earth. Furthermore, their destruction and the release of the Moslem child could save our race. The Sisters believe that the Moon Goddess created the spiritual world and that the earth was created by an evil Goddess, the Mother Earth. They condemn marriage and the family; they believe in suicide and recommend it, since it is a short cut to what they believe is the real world: the world of spirits. Human sacrifices are an important part of their religious ceremonies, since they believe that, by sacrifices, they are populating the spiritual world of the Moon Goddess, sending her servants to tend her and securing their place at her side. In the springtime rituals, the devouring of children is common.”

Inaki paused and looked at the men’s faces. The fear had gone. In its place a look of fierce determination could be seen on each of their faces. His words had been well aimed and had hit each man’s heart.

Elexoste jumped to his feet. Raising his battle-axe he said, “Just lead me to them, Inaki. I’ll kill every one of the murdering bitches!”

“Look at him!” Arostegi said.

“The youngest and bravest of us all. Please leave some for us, oh great and mighty warrior!”

“Here,” said Arient standing up, “let me see that axe blade of yours. Oh! It badly needs sharpening if you are going to cut off so many heads. Look at it! What a state it’s in.”

Elexoste looked at the axe blade quizzically. The men fell about laughing. Inaki smiled.

“Never mind them,” said Inaki trying to suppress his mirth. “There will be plenty of them for all of us. Perhaps more than enough. Now let’s find the cave.”

*

With that the men got up and moved down towards the nearest ravine. The ravines had been formed by the water rushing down the mountainside over thousands of years. They were deep and largely covered in shrubs and trees at their base. Some had small streams running down their centres, others were dry. The first ravine proved fruitless, as did the next. At the third they found traces of woodcutting. The dogs became more active and interested. Smelling the ground and moving further up the ravine they suddenly stopped before a rock face. As the men reached the dogs, they could see a narrow path leading to a gap in the rock face. The men stopped and looked at the gap in silence.

“Looks too small for a cave,” Arturo said.

“Look at Storm!” Aguirre said.

The men looked at the wolf-dog. He was standing perfectly still. The dog’s head was held low and the hair on his back was on end. Inaki moved up to him and placed a hand on his head. The wolf-dog, with lightning speed, whipped round and bit his hand. Inaki gave a yelp and jumped back, shaking the injured hand. A deep look of injured surprise came onto his face. He looked questioningly at Aguirre and then back at Storm. He could not understand it. Then a thought came to him… could this be the time that Aguirre had spoken of so long ago when Storm would revert to a full wolf? He had never seen Storm like this before. His whole body language was that of a wild animal. That part that had been dog was totally gone. He was all wolf now. Aguirre came to Inaki’s side and understood the young man’s torment. He spoke softly, so that the others could not hear.

“Don’t worry. He did not mean to hurt you. He’s frightened and just reacted like any animal would.”

In a loud voice, he turned to the men and said:

“There’s your answer Arturo. That dog would not react in that way if there were not something truly evil behind those rocks. How brave do you feel now Elexoste?”

“I’ll take a look. It could be just a bear,” said Elexoste not wishing to lose face, but his blood felt like ice in his veins. He knew that Storm was never wrong. Consciously, with the group’s eyes upon him, he moved to the gap in the rock face and disappeared. He was gone a long time and the men began to worry for him. Some were keen to go after him, but Inaki would not let them. After what seemed like an age to Inaki, he finally reappeared. He was breathless and pale. He had obviously been frightened, but had shown great courage. He gave a short report to Inaki.

“The entrance is a dog leg which opens out into a tunnel. The whole tunnel has light for the first 500 paces through a continuous fissure in the roof of the tunnel. Then it slopes downwards and the light is soon lost. I went on for another 300 paces. The tunnel continues for a long way, but I could not see so I had to come back.”

“Did you hear anything?” Inaki asked.

“No. But there are mule prints and we are going to need plenty of torches if we are to follow them.” He paused.

“Is there something else?”

“Yes.” Elexoste gave an involuntary shiver. “You can’t put your finger on it, but you can feel it.”

“What?” Inaki asked.

“A mixture of evil and death seems to hang in the air. It could be just my imagination.”

Elexoste looked at Inaki like a small child pleading to be understood.

Inaki placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think that it’s just your imagination. Storm knows what you mean. He can sense it too.”

They both looked at the wolf-dog that had remained in the same position throughout their conversation, head down and the hair on his back up on end.

Inaki tried to lighten the moment. “You know he’s the perfect companion. He can understand every word of Basque, but can’t speak a word of it!”

Elexoste gave a nervous laugh.

Inaki turned to the men.

“We had better get to work. We will need torches and lots of them.”

*

The men set to work. Around them there were plenty of pine trees. From them they cut branches and made incisions in the trunks so that the sap would run out. Once the branches had been made into torches, they wiped the sap over the ends of the torches; this would ensure that they burnt well. In the meantime, Inaki lit a fire and placed an iron pot on it with some water. To this he added some herbs. Next he took a Moslem silk shirt and cut it into strips. These he immersed in the pot and then hung them out to dry over a tree branch. He emptied the pot and put fresh water in it. He took some wild cherries and crushed them into the water. To this he added other plants. He then let the mixture reduce until there was only a brownish paste left at the bottom of the pot. He called the men around him.

“I have prepared two things that may give us an advantage in the cave. The cloths will purify the air in the cave when you breathe. You should tie them round your necks and draw them across your mouths and noses when the air becomes putrid. If the Octopus God is right, there will be rotting flesh in there.” He turned towards Arturo and Arostegi. “Only you two will carry bows, since you are our best shots. The paste in the pot is the most powerful and quick acting poison I know. Dip your arrowheads in it. Be extremely careful with the arrows. The slightest graze or cut from them will lead to instant death. There’s no antidote to the poison, so take great care and mark your targets well. When you have coated your arrows, I will bury the pot, since it cannot be used again.”

When they were all ready, Inaki went to the cave entrance and turned towards the men.

“Now,” he said, “before we enter the cave let us be clear that the main objective is to rescue the boy. Move quickly and silently. Hit them hard. Surprise will be our best weapon. Whoever finds the boy first, get him out. Stop for nothing or nobody. Just get him out and away from this place. Aguirre and I will lead, the rest of you follow us.”

He called Storm to him. He would not come. He called again, but no matter how hard he tried, the wolf-dog would not obey.

“Leave him,” Aguirre said.

“He will follow when he is ready.”

With that, the men entered the cave.