Chapter Forty Five

No Secrets

Blackberry followed Hemlock with close eyes as he paced around her. She tried to make eye contact with the young, grey buck near her but he refused to meet her gaze and a troubled look was painted on his face.

They were in Hemlock’s burrow again, it was the evening a couple of days after Campion had been arrested. Hemlock finally stopped pacing and called Dogwood over to him. “We will start now. Cloud come here.”

He approached Blackberry until he was only a rabbit’s width away from her. “This is how it works Blackberry.” He pulled the reluctant Cloud closer until he was just as close to Blackberry.

“Young Cloud here is a mystic, the most powerful I’ve ever seen. He is able to see what you’re feeling, but only at the present moment you are feeling it. He is able to go into your mind and see all your memories, to the most acute detail but at a third person perspective, and finally he can penetrate dreams. He can cause disruption in the dream but only if he….stars… in them. Therefore, that certain power is usually worthless… until we discovered he can use other’s minds to do it.” Hemlock stopped talking and looked at Blackberry with the most curious expression.

“For instance…” he started and indicated to Cloud. “He can see every one of your memories right now.”

Blackberry instinctively tried to back up but Dogwood was behind her and he prevented her moving. She coughed deeply and a feeling of overwhelming tiredness overcame her.

Cloud hesitantly placed his paw on her chest and his eyes glazed over as memories flashed through them. Blackberry was in an iron grasp, and she seen everything that Cloud was taking from her mind.

Cloud gasped and stumbled backwards. “I can’t do this sir, its wrong.”

“You will do as you’re told.”

Dogwood flashed his claws behind Blackberry’s back threateningly and indicated for him to continue.

After Blackberry’s overwhelming embarrassment had passed she became angry. No rabbit should have this done to them, every secret she had ever had or any memory she had ever treasured was now known by Hemlock’s officer.

“Can I see what it’s like sir?” Dogwood asked eagerly, ignoring Blackberry’s struggles.

Hemlock said, “After me, Dogwood, patience.” He waited for Cloud to extend his paw towards him. As long as he was in contact with Cloud while he was reading, he would see all as well.

Before Blackberry could react, the experience was repeated. The memories were more recent this time and Blackberry couldn’t take it anymore, she bit down hard on the outstretched arm under her muzzle. It dropped like a stone and Cloud blinked rapidly until his irises returned to the normal pale blue. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, so that only she could hear.

“My turn?” Dogwood pressed.

“Yes, yes Dogwood.” Hemlock smiled and removed his paw. Blackberry was visibly shaken and felt drained. As her arms were pulled behind her back again she used the last of her strength to resist but feel into the stupor for the third time.

………………………….

Fiver was standing sentry for Hazel and the young rabbits and kittens of the warren. Hazel was disgruntled about being treated like a cripple, though at that moment that was exactly what he was.

He had rested up well that afternoon and was looking a lot better. While he was asleep Fiver and Pipkin had cleaned his wound and applied various herbs that they had found in the store. They hoped they would help since they had seen Blackberry use them for similar wounds in the past.

“Fiver?” Hazel asked.

“Hmm?” Fiver raised his head from foraging on the muddy ground.

“Where are Keharr and Hannah?”

“Good question.” Fiver mused. “Probably down at the farm looking for something to eat.”

“How is Ivy?”

“She’s fine, should be up and about in a couple of days.” Fiver couldn’t help smiling in relief as he spoke.

“Could she manage before that?” Hazel asked timidly. “I know you have been trying your best, but Swift has that nasty gash on his face and with this weather it might get infected.”

“Hmm.. .yes, Blackberry had her half trained to be a healer didn’t she?”

“Yep, do you think she’d be up to it? Would she want to leave him?”

“I don’t know much about baby rabbits but when Ivy knew she was going to have some she went to speak to Blackberry. She told her that there was no need to stay with them all day as they might become over attached.” Fiver said knowingly. “Ivy’s finding it hard though, as there is only one.”

Hazel listened intently and nodded his agreement. “When she is ready, the young ones are all squished into their usual burrow. Since Snowdrop, Gillia and Mallow are bigger yearlings now so they are in their own somewhere near the Honeycomb, not that any of them are terribly injured though.”

“Thank Hazel, I’ll be sure to tell her that. Now come and tell Ivy and I what you saw yesterday evening.”

Bigwig, Campion and Yew returned to their burrow again, after another hectic silflay, none too easily. Dogwood and his owsla were angry and peeved that their chief asked them to keep the bucks alive. Why bother?

Campion flopped down with a sigh and his eyes were watching the guards as they took up post outside. He rested his head on his paws. Bigwig was the first to attempt conversation. “So… are you going to tell us what on earth happened the other night? We woke up and you weren’t there and then we had owsla sniffing around even more than usual.”

“But….most important thing first, I think.” Yew interrupted.

Hmm?” Campion and Bigwig looked at him.

“What happened to your face, Campion?” Yew asked lightly.

“Okay… this is going to be hard to explain…” Campion sat up. “Shadow… wasn’t quite who you thought he was.”

“Where is Shadow anyway?” Bigwig cut in.

“He left just as Blackberry and I were about to join all you. But anyways…”

“Yes, continue.”

He told them everything, from the fire halting to the silver fur fiasco. He saw their expressions become more and more awed until Bigwig couldn’t help himself. “Helping us? The Black Rabbit? I’ll never understand the world we live in.”

“You do believe me though?”

“Course we do,” Yew said. “It makes perfect sense. You’re very lucky he’s not the life taking devil that some story tellers like to weave tales around.”

“I know I am,” Campion said earnestly. “Though he still does take lives Yew. Like Fiver’s poor young kitten.”

“But he saved all our lives!” Bigwig exclaimed. “I’d like to talk to this chap if we ever see him again.”

“He did say that he would be with us,” Campion said with thought behind his words.

“In what way? El-ahrairah is with us, but we don’t see him hoping around stopping fires,” Yew said cheerfully.

“He said.” Campion began with a rolling of eyes at Yew and a small smile despite himself. “That we would get out of this and that he hasn’t left us.”

“Strange…. Do you think he is going to help us again?” Bigwig asked hopefully.

“I don’t know…. What was all that about in Hemlock’s burrow? Why did he let us go?”

“And I thought he was going to kill you good and proper,” Yew said in confusion. “Then that young grey buck came in and suddenly Hemlock is all nice and ‘go and take them above ground’. I had a feeling he was planning to starve us to death or something.”

“And that thing Moss said to me before we went under. How can Hemlock hurt me? I mean if he wanted to kill me wouldn’t he have done it before?” Campion said. “Oh, I wish Moss had finished that sentence!”

“Its times like these I wish we had Fiver here,” Bigwig said with a melancholy smile.

Blackberry eye’s turned back to their sapphire blue as Cloud removed his paw. Embarrassed and flushed she turned to Hemlock. “Quite finished?”

“Dear Blackberry that was only an example for you, to show you his powers.”

“And now we know something for definite sir.” Dogwood perked up happily. “That was Campion earlier. I recall what happened in that vision about his scars…. No that doesn’t make sense…” he argued with himself.

“Well, look again,” Hemlock urged.

Blackberry growled quietly and surged backwards. Dogwood hadn’t had time to stop her and she fell onto her back. She didn’t have the energy to pick herself up and just glared up at him reproachfully.

“Cloud!” 

Blackberry saw the paw coming towards her again and she fainted. Her mind couldn’t take anymore.

A short time later her eyelids fluttered open and she was panicked to find herself in a totally unknown burrow with a brown buck. She tried to pull herself up but a paw restrained her on her back.

“Blackberry, its okay, it’s only me.”

Blackberry momentarily calmed when she recognised Primrose’s gentle voice.

“Where did they take me?” she asked and was concerned when her vision slipped in and out and her mind felt weak.

“You’re in the healer’s burrow. You were in the chief’s burrow when you fainted…. Blackberry, what happened?”

Blackberry shuddered and felt the blood flow to her cheeks when she remembered that every memory she had ever had was not her own anymore.

Primrose was going to urge her to answer when the brown buck spoke up for the first time. “Let her be, her mind must still be quite shaken.”

Blackberry looked up at him curiously. He was the same sort of shade of brown as Campion and he had crystal grey eyes that seemed to pierce through her but at the same time contained kindness.

“You had taken quite a blackout; it’s been a full night since you fainted.” He went on, “Any reason why you think it happened?”

“Cloud….” Blackberry mumbled.

An understanding look flashed across his face but then he said gently, “Whatever Cloud has done to you is not the problem, this was caused by something physical. It was your body that shut down, not your mind though it probably feels dangerously weak.”

Blackberry just nodded and said timidly, “What’s wrong then?”

“When you were asleep I examined you. How old are these?” he asked, pointing the large gash on her side and a number of small scratches.

“They are from not very long ago, when we were last here. Dogwood and his owsla thought discipline was necessary…”

The buck’s brow creased and he sighed. “I noticed that you have a bad cough and your temperature was down.”

“I’ve been a bit… unwell recently. I was swept downstream and was outside in the rain for nearly a full day.”

“That would explain it. I’ll just give you sage to help; it should clear up that cough. Eat it all,” he said, dropping the small green herb in front of her.

She obediently chewed at one of the leaves and felt slightly calmer. This rabbit wasn’t going to harm her.

“One more thing….. could you be having kittens?”

Blackberry snapped her head up. “Am… no?”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“Why do you think that?” Blackberry asked nervously.

“When I was examining you I noticed. I’m going to give you a few more herbs to make you strong enough; your immune system has been weakened. I’ll also have to have a talk to Hemlock about the vision sessions.”

Primrose helped Blackberry sit up and went with the healer to get some more herbs from the store.

Blackberry shakily continued to chew her sage and waited for them to return.

They didn’t take very long. The healer gently left the nettles at Blackberry’s feet.

“I think you should stay her for a while. I would like to keep an eye on you. Primrose, a word?”

The cream doe dropped her small bundle as well then followed him out of the burrow with a wistful glance at Blackberry.

Blackberry crawled over to the opening to the burrow and listened carefully. If they were discussing her, she wanted to know.

“If Hemlock finds out he will kill her just to hurt Campion… two birds with one stone.”

“Why does he hate Campion so much?” Primrose hissed back. “Doesn’t he know the danger he’s putting my best friend in by opposing Hemlock!”

Blackberry felt a tinge of annoyance at Primrose. All Campion had ever done for her and the warren had been good and more often than not had saved their lives.

“I’ll do all I can to protect you and Blackberry from Hemlock, I’ll change the diagnosis and not tell him she is pregnant…. assuming Campion is the father?”

Primrose stopped what she was going to say. “Actually I don’t see how that could be…. I mean they have been separated for the last few days, haven’t they?”

“From what I have heard you are right.”

“Well, I’m not going to ask Blackberry…. I’ll take her back to our burrow. How much of the herbs should she take?”

“She can eat the nettle as she pleases but make her finish the sage.”

“Thank you Robin, you are putting yourself in danger for us. Hazel would love to meet you.”

“As I would him. When the time comes maybe... Go now and take care of your friend.”

Blackberry stumbled back and sat down where she had been. Casually she chewed the bitter nettle.

“We just have to wait for Dogwood to come and escort us back to my burrow.”

Blackberry doubted she would be able to look at Dogwood ever again. To think he knew her whole life story. No one, not even her mate knew what he now did. She hadn’t realised that the blood had rushed to her cheeks again until she caught Primrose staring at her inquisitively.

“Until then,” Blackberry muttered. “Can the healer be trusted?”

“Yes, Robin has agreed to change your diagnosis for when he tells Dogwood.”

Blackberry frowned, that wasn’t what she had asked. She sighed, she was thoroughly miserable and just wished she was at home. For once she wished she didn’t care about anyone anymore. It just caused too much pain.