by V F Sharp
“This is getting really scary,” said Pallu.
“Ah, but it gets even more interesting. In the creature’s final breath, it said, ‘Ne levitorum eximum de terrason,’ which means, ‘We shall rise again from the depths of the earth.’ This saying is then repeated throughout the scrolls in its shorter and more widely known form: From the depths cometh bloodshed, which in the old tongue happens to be the very words Miss Lanzzie heard in the forest, ‘Eximum Venirum Sangamort.’”
“Those were the words!” said Lanzzie.
“Indeed,” said Eliezer. “From the depths cometh bloodshed.”
Ezstasia felt the fine hairs on her arms stand up.
“So what does all of this mean?” said Fin. “Are you insinuating that the darkness in the forest is because of an old curse?”
“Not so fast,” said Eliezer. “We would be foolish to presume. But we do know that there seems to be intent behind the darkness, with a potential direct tie to the Great War.”
The room grew alarmingly silent.
“So, in a nutshell,” said Zander, “someone wants us all dead.”
“What do we do now?” said Fin.
“It appears that I must journey to Rhyceton in the morning,” said Prince Alazar from behind the group. “I must alert my father of the threat.” He looked at the group. “Since you’ve all made such an impact on our findings, you’re welcome to join me on the trip, but only if you wish to do so. You might find Rhyceton interesting. Besides, your personal experience and accounts may be useful.”
“I’ve always wanted to see Rhyceton,” said Meldon. “The Great Library alone would be a sight to see.”
“Count me in, too,” said Fin. “Who else is up for the trip?”
“I think we should all go,” said Ezstasia. Everyone agreed.
“I can just see my hero painting now,” said Pallu, “gloriously positioned over the fireplace.”
“This is no time for joking,” said Zander. “You do realize we could all die.”
“You know, you’re right,” said Pallu. “Can you imagine how much more my painting would be worth after my heroic death?” Pallu laughed and gave Zander a push. “I know what you’re really thinking, so relax Zander. We’re not going into the forest. But if we do, I’ll bring my spider-squasher.”
“Do we have to bring him?” said Zander, rolling his eyes.
“The greatest virtue of all,” said Eliezer, as he let out a slight chuckle, “is to bring love, joy, laughter, and inspiration to others. Master Pallu, I advise you to stay just who you are. You’re a tremendous asset to your friends.”
“See?” said Pallu. “I’m an asset!”
“You’re half right,” said Zander under his breath, smirking.
The prince bid farewell to Eliezer, and Ezstasia and the group followed him out of the room. She’d read about Rhyceton and its beautiful mountaintop kingdom surrounded by a dense forest, but never dreamed she’d actually get to go there. She definitely didn’t feel ready to pass through another forest any time soon, and she still felt a knot in her stomach as she thought about the implications of dark magic returning on a larger scale. It made her long for the simple days at the Cottages.
As she began the walk down the long hall to her room, she observed everyone quietly dispersing in different directions. She noticed Pallu yawning, which made her realize how exhausted she was herself. She looked forward to a good night’s sleep. The last few days had been eventful to say the least. She was almost afraid to think about what awaited them next.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Is that Pallu?” said Ezstasia, squinting to see the two figures approaching the entrance to the stables.
“That’s him,” said Zander. “Late as always. Except this time, he’s with the village girl that he’s been stalking.”
“Her name’s Ellie,” said Ezstasia.
“I think she likes that he stalks her,” said Randin. “But what’s she carrying?”
“I think it’s Pallu’s food basket,” said Zander.
“That’s a big basket,” said Fin. “How long is he expecting this journey to take?”
As Pallu and Ellie came in from the glaring morning sun, their faces were beaming. Ezstasia had never seen him so happy.
“Good morning, ladies and gents!” said Pallu.
“Did you rob a bakery?” said Randin.
“It might be a long trip,” said Pallu. “You’ll be thanking me later when you’re all hungry.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” said Ellie, hugging Pallu. “Thinking of all your friends. You’re definitely the sweetest peach in my basket.”
“How many peaches does she have?” said Zander.
Pallu smiled as he proceeded to his rabbit while holding his satchel.
Prince Alazar rode in on a striking black horse. Several horsemen followed behind him, wearing silver breastplates and chainmail. They must’ve all been coming from the Royal Stables, which Ezstasia had learned from Miss Tee were separate and to the eastern side of the castle.
“Is everyone packed and ready?” he said.
Ezstasia was tying the last of her supplies onto Tia’s saddle while Fin took count of everyone.
“We’re all set, sire,” said Fin.
“Good. I want you all to be aware that this is difficult terrain we’ll be crossing. Rhyceton is over a day’s journey south from here and we’ll be traveling through mountains and crossing the Galoran River. I see you all have the supplies and rations we provided. Please be sure to stay together. My knights will do their best to protect you.”
“Protect us?” said Pallu. “From what?”
“From anything and everything.”
“Don’t worry, Pallu,” said Zander, patting him on the shoulder. “If anything attacks us, you can beat it with one of your loaves.”
“Even big spiders?” said Pallu, grinning.
“Not funny,” said Zander, getting on his rabbit. “Not one bit funny.”
The prince and his horsemen trotted out of the stables and Ezstasia and the group followed. She was surprised to see how many villagers had gathered outside to see them off. Word must’ve spread about their journey.
As they rode off, she saw Pallu blow a kiss to Ellie, who was standing in the crowd, carrying the large empty basket and waving a white, dainty cloth.
“Be careful!” yelled Ellie, as she dabbed the cloth below her eyes.
“Wow, I’ve never felt so proud in my life,” said Pallu.
“But you haven’t done anything yet,” said Zander.
“A hero in the making, my friend.”
They followed the prince out the Western Village Gate and then south through the same road that led to the Cottages. After about an hour, he led them toward the sea and then south again, through wide areas of green grass that extended on all sides, as far as the eye could see. They stopped for a short break, but then continued riding for a few more hours until the landscape began to change. Small yellow and white wildflowers dotted the land around them and the road grew rockier and narrower. In the distance, the faint outline of mountains could be seen on both sides, and after a while, the largest of all the mountains began to emerge on the horizon.
They finally paused for another break to give the rabbits some rest. Ezstasia was exhausted already from the sun, so she could only imagine how the rabbits felt. She tied up Tia and placed some greens and berries in front of her and walked over to the prince.
“Down past that valley is the Galoran River,” said the prince, wiping his forehead with a cloth. “That’ll be our first challenge. We’ll be crossing at low tide, but the currents can be tricky.”
“Do you travel to Rhyceton often?” she said.
“Not often enough, if you ask my father,” he said, filling a small water bucket for his horse. “But too often, if you ask Torrance,” he added, patting the beautiful, black steed. “He’s made this trip more times than a poor charger should be asked to do. Isn’t that right, Torrance?” T
he horse whinnied and seemed to nod his head.
Before long, they were back on the journey and descended the hill toward the dense forests of the valley.
“Are we really going through that forest?” Zander called out to Prince Alazar.
“No other choice,” said the prince. “Just stay close.”
Ezstasia rode up beside Zander. “Don’t worry, it’s not the forest we were in,” she said. “This one should be fine.” She hoped she was right. But if she wasn’t, at least they’d all be together.
They entered into the woods and Ezstasia was relieved to see that these trees, while old, didn’t look nearly as unusual as the ones in the forest near Old Vynterra. She still couldn’t help but feel nervous riding through the thick woodland, and from the looks of the others, they were apprehensive, too.
After a while, they emerged from the forest to the banks of a large river, just as the prince had mentioned. This must be the Galoran River, Ezstasia thought to herself. The river was wider than she expected, and the land on the other side was surprisingly barren from what she could see. There wasn’t a touch of green, just rocks, boulders, and pebbly sand.
“We’ll cross here,” said the prince, turning Torrance around to face the group. “Even at low tide, there can be a bit of a current and sudden drop-offs, so please be careful.”
He motioned for several of his knights to go first -and he followed suit. Three other horsemen stayed behind on the prince’s orders to make sure the group made it across safely.
Ezstasia watched carefully as the prince and his guards crossed the river. It didn’t look to be too deep, it may have reached up to their horses’ knees at most, but even so, the horses seemed hesitant to walk further in. Little by little, their riders coaxed them through the flowing waters. About halfway across, she noticed that the horses were swimming, so they must have been passing one of the drop-offs that the prince had spoken of. She looked down at Tia’s webbed feet and hoped she’d do okay. The giant rabbits were accustomed to streams and creeks, but if the water became too rough, she wasn’t sure how she’d react.
“Lads,” said Fin, “who’s going to tag behind the ladies to make sure they’re safe? The rest can go in front with me.”
“I will,” said Zander.
“Me too,” said Pallu. “Not that I’m afraid to go in first or anything, but I want to make sure the ladies are safe.”
“And we’ll make sure you two are safe,” said one of the horsemen, laughing.
Fin and Ithron entered the water first, followed by Meldon. Once Ezstasia saw them reach the halfway point and saw the rabbits swimming, she sighed with relief.
“Ready?” she said to Lanzzie and Jezreel, peeling off her shoes like the others before her. They nodded and did the same, riding beside her to the riverbank. Pallu and Zander lined up behind them.
“We’ll catch you if you fall in,” said Pallu.
Ezstasia proceeded into the river with the others, and it wasn’t bad at all. Her feet were cold from dipping into the water, but if that was the only discomfort, she could live with it. The problem was that the water was murky so she wasn’t able to see where the drop-off point might be. As they approached what appeared to be the halfway point, she gripped Tia’s reins tightly. Within a minute, the rabbit dipped lower into the water and was unmistakably swimming.
“Good girl, Tia!” She held the reins as Tia made her way across.
“Hey lady,” said Zander, smiling as he approached her on his rabbit. He and Pallu had just caught up to her, while Lanzzie and Jezreel were just ahead. She turned around to see the horsemen lagging slightly behind to bring up the rear.
“Oh no!” yelled Pallu, behind her to her left.
Ezstasia turned her head just in time to see one of Pallu’s loaves floating downriver. Pallu started to slide off his rabbit’s saddle as he reached for the runaway bread that was quickly drifting toward the sea.
“Pallu, don’t even think about it,” said Zander. “Some things, like soggy bread, aren’t worth dying for.”
“That was freshly baked!” he yelled, reaching with his left hand until it looked like he was about to fall into the water.
“Pallu, you have twenty more,” yelled Ezstasia as she put her arm out, just in case she needed to grab him. “Please. Get back up before you slide off.”
“Pallu, you’re crazy,” said Zander. “It’s gone.”
As Pallu pulled himself back onto his rabbit, they watched as it floated further down the river and out of sight.
“Goodbye, bread,” said Pallu. “And thank you both for saving my life,” he added, jokingly.
Just then, Tia bucked slightly as her legs touched the river bed, and then she returned to her usual gait.
They finally emerged from the river and dismounted their rabbits on the once-dry riverbank that was now splattered with mud from the animals. Pallu and Zander walked to the river’s edge, so Ezstasia joined them.
“Are you all okay?” said the prince as he approached.
“We’re all good, except for Pallu’s bread,” said Ezstasia, smiling. “Should we hold a memorial service for it, Pallu?”
“Ha! Actually, the death of my bread on these travels has made me curious,” said Pallu. “Is the river the hardest part of our journey?” He looked toward the prince.
“If you’re afraid of water, yes,” said the prince. “If you’re afraid of heights, no.”
“Heights? Um… we don’t have to climb that, do we?” Pallu pointed to the large, rocky mountain in the distance straight ahead.
“I’m afraid we do. The kingdom is at the top,” said the prince, as he turned to go to his men.
They all began to travel again and progressed through a wide, dirt path lined on both sides by high rocks with a smattering of trees atop of them. Before long, they emerged from the path and came to a pebble-covered hill that was more challenging to ascend than it looked. Once on higher ground, they traversed through slightly uphill rocky terrain for what felt like forever, though they stopped for occasional breaks. The sun was beginning to go down and Ezstasia felt a chill in the air. Eventually, they reached a plateau at the foot of the mountain. It was dark by now; the only illumination was coming from the guards’ torches and the glowing moonlight. She could see that everyone looked just as exhausted as she was. The prince stopped and addressed everyone.
“We’re going to camp here,” said the prince. “You will all need your strength to get up that mountain in the morning.”
“Thank the wizards!” said Pallu, as he dismounted his rabbit. “Thumps couldn’t have made it another foot.”
“Neither could his rider,” said Zander.
“Do you know where that expression comes from?” said Meldon.
“What expression?” said Zander.
“‘Thank the wizards,’” said Meldon. “It originated in the old scrolls when the Unseen Wizards decided that all magical beings had to enter the war and help our ancestors.”
“That’s great, Meldon,” said Pallu, as Fin approached. “Anyway, do you know what I’ve been thinking, Fin?”
“How would I know what you’re thinking?” said Fin.
“Good question,” said Pallu. “Well, I’ll tell you. I’ve been thinking that the mountain may be too much for Thumps.”
“What are you saying?” said Fin.
“I’m just saying this looks like a nice, comfortable place to stay awhile. It’s nice and open. I have plenty of food. I think Thumps and I will wait here while everyone—”
“Pallu!” said Fin. “We’re not leaving you here.”
“Fin, hear me out. I already saw, firsthand, how that tiny, little river ripped a loaf of bread out of its perfectly secured spot in my sack and carried it away to its soggy death. I can’t even imagine what that gigantic mountain—”
A wolf howled in the distance, stopping him in mid-thought. The long, soulful wail echoed all round them. Another wolf joined in, and then one or two others, their song filling th
e air.
“On second thought, I think we should stay together,” said Pallu. “Strength in numbers and all that.”
Fin looked at him blankly and then laughed as Pallu walked away toward his rabbit.
“Well, that helped change his mind,” said Ezstasia. “But do you think we need to worry about those wolves?”
“No, they sounded far away,” said Fin. “I’m sure the prince would let us know if they were a concern. We should be fine.”
“We should be fine,” said Zander. “Famous last words.”
* * * *
While everyone was busy setting up their tents, a few of the horsemen worked on building a fire. Ezstasia left her tent only partially set up and walked over to address the prince. He was conversing with one of his knights, the one she’d seen him riding next to for most of the trip.
“Lady Arrow,” said the prince. “This is Sir Kyrian. He is one of my bravest and most loyal knights.”
The knight bowed his head. “Pleasure, my lady.” His voice was deep and strong, fitting for a tall man with a face and torso that appeared to be chiseled out of stone.
Ezstasia curtsied. “Thank you for your protection.”
“It is my duty to serve.”
“My lord,” she said, addressing the prince, “are you certain that staying here is the best decision? We do need to get word to Rhyceton as soon as we can, do we not?” She wasn’t even all that concerned about the wolves, but she did feel like they were running out of time against whatever evil forces may be returning.
“My lady, do my ears deceive me?” said Kyrian. “Did you question the prince’s decision?”
Ezstasia was silent for a moment as she tried to digest the knight’s response. She felt her face redden once she realized what she had done.
“I… I’m sorry,” she said. “It was just a question.”
“A question is never just a question to a royal, especially in the presence of others. Not unless they seek your counsel.” The knight spoke more in an advisory tone than a harsh one, but it didn’t make it any less embarrassing.
The prince looked at Ezstasia with bright blue eyes that she couldn’t help but stare into, though she wasn’t sure if they conveyed disappointment or empathy. He was a master at keeping his emotions in check.