Sean shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around him. It was really cold and wet in the forest, this time of year… Sometimes he wondered if he should have become a forestguide. But his brother was one, and his brother Jason was the man he admired as a father, because he had raised Sean.
The city was completely silent and all left open windows were closed hastily when people saw the two strangers. "They’re not really fond of strangers," noted Sean.
Now 13 centuries later, Jason will have a second chance to save Sean…will he succeed?
“It’s awfully high, isn’t it?” said Rich, peering over the edge of the building. Someone in Five’s great promo team had come up with the idea to make photo’s of them on top of a high building. Everything needed for the shoot had been dragged up all the stairs, as it was a very old building without an elevator.
Heavy footsteps announced the presemce of his brother. His tall, well-built body threw shadows over the fire. Sean nodded at his brother. "And?" he asked.
Jason shrugged. The village is on the other side of the hill, as we expected. It’ll take about two hours to get there. But that tomorrow. The Lord doesn’t expect us today anyway."
"I don’t really like the landlord."
"Nobody does. But we need the money he offers us to guide him. We only have to bring him and the army to Dubris safely."
"I know. Who does he want to fight now? Isn’t it enough the Summerland is to pieces because of him?"
Jason looked around them shocked. "You shouldn’t say that out loud! Don’t even think it!" he hissed.
"He’s not likely to hear it inside Cuagrach."
"You never know where his spies are. Now, make yourself useful and prepare the fish we caught this afternoon."
The two brothers started to clean the fish. Ever since Sean’s birth and the death of their mother the brothers had been together. Their father was an alcoholic, who left them when Sean was only nine. Now, ten years later, they made their own living as forestguides. They always had work, because 8th century Scotland was in almost continued battle and the Lords often called in their help.
"The daughter of the blacksmith?"
"That’s her. Listen, brother, her father offered me a quite high dowry if I married her. I’m thinking of it, because I’m already 23, you know."
"She’s quite pretty too" Sean added straight faced, although he’d rather shouted out he thought she was a dumb goose.
"I just wanted you to know.But there will always be place for you."
"Thanks, " replied Sean sarcastically, but Jason didn’t notice. Perhaps already thinking of the blacksmith’s daughter, Sean thought, and went to lay down in his cloak to get some sleep.
"They’re afraid, Sean" replied Jason. "I’d be, so close to Cuagrach. I’d rather not live here."
"You’ve said it this time."
With loud cracking, the bridge was let down, and a knight clothed in black armour with the bloodred Cuagrach emblem on the shoulder gestured them to follow him.
Lord Alwyn awaited them in the hall of his enormous castle. "Ah." He said. "The forestguides. We are leaving soon, men. I want to be there first, so we will follow the swamproute."
Jason frowned. "That’s quite dangerous, my Lord, in this season.."
"Was something I said not clear? I pay you, so you do as you’re told." Alwyn told Jason in his shrill voice. An hour later they were on their way.
The rain made a funny ticking sound on the mail and armor of the knights. Sean elbowed jason and whispered:"I’d like to see them brushing all the rust off."
Jason nodded grinning and was about to reply, when suddenly Alwyn’s shrill voice interrupted them. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Shouldn’t we be out of this goddamned forest by now?"
"We REALLY can’t go any faster, my Lord" answered Jason, turning around in his saddle. "That would be far too dangerous."
Alwyn’s eyes narrowed. "Nothing’s happened, you clot. We ARE going faster, NOW."
"Too dangerous" Jason insisted.
"Remember who’s paying you!" said Alwyn, his voice going up several octaves.
"I don’t really got need of money while knee-deep in a swamp, " replied jason calmly.
Alwyn was very short-tempered and irritated by Jason’s impolite behaviour, and exploded. He rode his horse alongside Jason’s and heaved his whip to hit Jason, but he missed and hit Sean’s horse. It jumped forward and stormed off in wild galop.
"No!" yelled Jason, who saw his brother’s horse heading right into the wrong direction, straight into a swamp part. Jason left the Lord and his men behind and went after his brother, but it was too late. He sought desperately, but found no tracks, and had to realise the greedy swamp had swallowed his brother.LONDON,2001,A FOTOSHOOT
“Scardey cat!” scolded Abs. “It’s fun, man.”
“Oh yeah what a fun if this roof’s gonna collapse” mumbled Sean, not really trusting it. He had a weird feeling. This didn’t look AT ALL good.
“Ah FINALLY someone who agrees with me!” exclaimed Rich. “Of course it’s a nice idea but Abs you’ll have to admit this building is quite dangerous…”
Before Rich could finish, suddenly the whole roof trembled.
“It’s nothing, I just dropped a suitcase with clothes!” shouted Ben Skervin, the stylist.
“Good gracious” said Rich. “What kinda clothes?! Ironworked armor?!”
Scott grinned. “It was probably his make up case” he replied, and the others laughed too, as everyone knew Ben had the strange urge to cover them in make up all the time.
“C’mon, c’mon!” Chris shouted. Especially for the occasion he had come down to supervise over the shoot as all their shoots of the last past weeks had gone wrong, for some reason. “Let’s get started. I want these pics to be really good to promote the new single. Stop foolin’ around.”
“Oh, I thought that was what you had hired us for” joked Scott, who immediately got an evil look. The lads gave up and finally succumbed to Ben. He clothed them in black as usual, and it were really nice clothes, a bit to the gothic side, with spikes and the lot. Real heavy black boots came with it. “Now I know where that earthquake came from” J said to Sean, who nodded seriously and replied: “Yeah. I agree.”
J shook his head, and was about to comment when the photgrapher came to fetch them.
“I want you all at the edge over there” he said.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” asked Chris.
“Yeah” added Abs. “We’re too expensive to get crushed down there.”
“I thought you weren’t afraid” said Rich.
“I’m not!” Abs exclaimed.
The photographer was tapping his foot on the roof irritated . “Could we get started?” he asked. “I have more to do today.”
“Lads, do what he says” Chris ordered.
Five minutes later all was set and the lads were posing in the corner of the roof. Sean squatted and noticed several huge cracks in the asphalt of the roof. Rich squatted next to him and pointed at the cracks. “I don’t trust this roof for one bit” he told his bandmate, and Sean agreed.
It was hard to say when the roof really started to fall apart. The pictures were finally getting good, and the photgrapher satisfied, but when they all wanted to walk away a tad too early, he got mad and stamped his feet. The roof trembled and this time, it didn’t stop. It started to form bigger cracks and basically fell apart. Scott, Abs, Rich and J had all moved towards the stairs and started to run downstairs together with the scared make up artists, Ben and Chris. Suddenly J noticed Sean was missing and he ran back up. Sean had caught his foot in a crack and couldn’t get away.
“Help me!” He shouted to his friend. He had never been so glad to see him, he had been afraid to collapse together with the building. With immense power J tore away the asphalt and freed his mate. Wordlessly they both ran to the stairs and joined the others, who had been waiting for them. But J couldn’t really watch the building collapse fifteen minutes later, or listen to everyone calling him a hero. A giant bell in his head kept ringing: “Done, and done!”
