Dougray placed his arm around his shoulders and gave him a playful hug. ‘That’s all right, little brother. But there is something on your mind. You’ve hardly spoken since we left Wyrm Wood. You can tell me. And while you’re at it, share what the sylph said, too.’
His arm slipped away. Robbie sighed. The Sylph Queen’s prophecy burned inside him, etched across his heart. He was amazed he could remember it so well.
Lots of other thoughts crowded his mind, too, vying for his attention. He longed to talk about Filligreen, about how painful leaving had been for both of them. But he couldn’t bring himself to open up about that—not yet. Why was it so painful to talk about girls? Another thought flashed into his mind instead, something he’d forgotten.
‘So much has happened I forgot to tell you; Filligreen and I saw Elder Robairt in the wood the day I went back.’
Dougray’s eyes were popping again. ‘Elder Robairt! Are you certain?’
‘He was standing as close as you are to me now. Filligreen was showing me the way to the Groaning Rocks when we were captured by him. He was going to kill Filligreen when Brefale rescued us.’ He grinned. ‘Amazing really. Me rescued by a spider!’
‘A Spider Elf.’ Dougray corrected him. ‘Why didn’t you tell me this before?’
Robbie shrugged. ‘It slipped my mind. You were off every day with Belle and I didn’t see you much.’ It was the truth.
‘Sorry. I should’ve told you what we were doing.’
Just then, Belle halted and glanced back at them. ‘Look! The Silver Mountains!’
A chain of jagged peaks ran across the horizon like broken fangs. Soft plumes of snow on their summits gleamed red like flame in the lowering sun. Nestled somewhere at their feet was the town of Twendlemark.
Dougray growled. ‘We are still hours away.’
Robbie gnawed his bottom lip. And daylight is fading—fast!
‘So, little brother, you have time to tell me what the Sylph Queen told you.’
Robbie nodded. ‘It was this:
Three crystals are now in your hand
Yet darkness still covers the land.
Hardships must wait
Yet do not hesitate.
A crown of shadows lies ahead
To an abandoned hall you shall be led.
The dusts of time have hidden the old
A kingly helm of purest gold.
Beware the dark one’s evil spell
None but love her magic quell.’
Dougray stared at him. ‘Love! How can love quell magic?’
Robbie shrugged. ‘I don’t know, but that’s what she said. I’m too tired to figure it out.’
‘That’s all right, Robbie. It’ll unravel, like all the others.’
It was then they heard a high-pitched howl rise out of the silent grasslands. They all halted and looked at each other with wide eyes. No one moved for a full minute. Body taut, Robbie twisted about, eyes searching. He held his breath, ears straining. The howl died away.
Belle shot a fearful glance at him and Dougray. ‘Demon creatures from the Abyss! If they catch our scent, we will be in trouble out here.’
‘We can’t go any faster!’ snapped Dougray.
‘If only we had horses—’ Robbie began.
His brother cut in with a brusque voice. ‘Well, we don’t!’
Chapter 12
Jaycob
Dougray took off after Belle who jogged up ahead. They’d already walked for days without proper rest and his legs trembled under the strain of trying to keep up. Long, empty minutes slipped away when a second round of howls echoed behind them, much nearer than before. Belle halted and whirled around, wild eyes scanning the countryside for movement. Robbie halted beside her, looking anxiously about. Dougray unsheathed his sword. At once, it heated in his hand, as if reminding him of its magic.
Belle motioned with her arm and they broke into a run. Dougray’s bag bumped against his back, the heavy weight a burden. Untangling his arms of the straps, he let it fall. He didn’t want to carry it when their lives were at stake. Feeling lighter, he surged on, hurtling through the grass after the others.
The forbidding mountains reared in the distance. Snow eddied off their peaks like wisps of smoke, but they were still a long way off. They’d never make it. He was beginning to think whatever pursued them might reach them first. He could sense them, swift and deadly, loosed from the Abyss for a single purpose—to destroy them!
Just then, a frenzied chorus of barks rose a short distance behind them. A great din of growls and crazed, high-pitched yelps followed, as if they were tearing into each other. No, not each other—they’d found his bag! That meant they were only moments away!
Belle halted, gasping for breath. ‘We cannot outrun them! Form a circle! Hurry!’
She and Robbie tossed their bags aside and formed a tight huddle facing the grasslands. At any moment, the demons would leap from them and they needed their strength for the assault. Light stones shone at their throats for added light.
Then the grass began moving all around them. Howls rose to fever pitch, full of malice. The heat in the sword hilt increased and the blade spat blue flames. Dougray glanced at it and then lifted his gaze. Huge, black shapes were gathering about them.
His blood chilled. So many!
Demons with grotesque bodies and powerful limbs strayed from a nightmare into view. Huge, bent creatures, dark and shaggy-haired, circled in the tall grass. Their burning, ravenous eyes blazed like fire from faces blasted and torn, where ragged strips of mangy skin hung like matted fur. Long drools of saliva dribbled down between curved fangs.
Then one of them—their leader—broke into frenzied barking. Before Dougray could raise his sword, they charged, lunging forward on powerful, hind legs. Their ravaging jaws snapped in mindless fury.
Heat swept through Dougray with blinding speed and the demons were met with an explosion of arcing fire and smoke. A streaking rope of blue flame encircled the company like a shield. Demons that threw themselves at it were burned to a crisp in moments, shrieking in death. The rest skulked back into the long grass. But the blue fire spread over the grass too, and burned every demon in its path. The sickening smell of charred flesh wafted in a choking wind.
Pain flowed through every vein in Dougray’s body and he screamed. The sword tumbled from his hand and he became a raging pillar of blue fire shooting heavenward. An eerie blueness bathed the clouds above.
In slow waves, the pain began to subside from his body and he collapsed onto his knees, weak and spent from the ordeal. From out of the gloom lumbered one of the demons, its black hide burning. It slammed into Belle as she leaped to meet it. Her sword whirred in her hand as she stumbled away from its swiping claws.
She sliced through its body with a bone-jarring thud. The screaming demon fell on its shattered face in the grass, black liquid oozing from countless burns. Robbie rushed to Belle’s side as she tottered.
She pushed him away. ‘I am fine. Look to Dougray.’
Hearing his name, Dougray opened his eyes, aware he was hurting all over. In a strange way, he could still feel the heat coursing through his body. Robbie’s anxious face peered down at him.
‘Dougray, are you all right?’
‘Water.’
His brother reached into his bag for the water skin and then helped him into a sitting position. Robbie handed him the water skin and he drank, trying to quench the smouldering fire inside him. Still clutching her sword, Belle glanced about the tall grass. After a while, she offered Dougray her hand.
‘If you are not hurt, we should hurry to Twendlemark.’
Night was drawing near and the shimmering lights of Twendlemark appeared in the distance. They picked up bags and hurried in its direction. Soon they came upon a dirt road and the sound of a rattling wagon made them halt and crouch in the long grass. As they watched, it trundled around a corner and headed towards them. The wagon was drawn by a large, old horse with a splotch of white on its br
oad neck as if a bucket of paint had been thrown against it. A lantern on a long pole dangled above the horse’s head so it could see where it was going. Perched on a wooden seat holding the reins was a lone driver wearing a wide brimmed hat. He was talking to someone in a loud voice, but Dougray couldn’t see anyone sitting beside him. Must be the horse.
‘I’ve never seen so many soldiers patrolling the roads, Molly. Glad I’m just an old man with no treasures to my name. Mind, I’ve a lot of room in the back here for a rest if I were a traveller abroad these lands. Not safe, I tell you, especially if you’re not wanting to be seen. Might stop here for a bit. Whoa Molly.’ He pulled on the reins and the horse came to a halt in the middle of the road.
‘This is as good a place as any to stretch my legs.’
Dougray watched him push the brake lever forward and secure it with a chain. Then he looped the reins around a pommel in front of him. Climbing down from his seat, he continued to babble to his horse.
‘Guess if anyone did want to hide, a good place to do it would be in plain sight. The soldiers wouldn’t think of that, girl, would they?’
He stroked the horse’s muzzle and gazed straight at the long grass where they were hiding. ‘Well, how long do they expect an old man to wait?’
Dougray stifled a gasp. Was he speaking to them? Could he see them hiding in the grass?
His brother didn’t wait for another invitation and stepped forward onto the road. Growling at his impulsive act, Dougray stumbled after him. Sometimes he could wallop him for being so trusting.
Robbie stopped a few paces away from the man. ‘Sir, could we please ride with you? We’re on our way to Twendlemark but lost our way.’
The man lifted his hat and scratched his head as he stared at him and Dougray, then at Belle as she emerged last from the long grass. The man’s dark eyes gleamed in the lantern-light as he faced his horse.
‘Isn’t it amazing, Molly, what you find out here when you’re not looking.’
A broad smile made his face look gentle. ‘Guess that’ll be all right. Molly and I can do with some company, can’t we girl? Come aboard.’
They hurried forward, climbed up and shuffled along the cushion on the wooden bench. There was just enough room for all of them to sit together. The man climbed up last. He unwound the reins, and gave them the slightest flick with his wrists.
‘Gee-up Molly. Come on girl. Gee-up.’
Soon they were trundling along the pitted road, lurching from side to side as the heavy wheels rolled forward. The man peered at them from beneath his wide hat.
‘My name’s Jaycob.’
Robbie answered for them. ‘My name’s Robbie; this is my brother Dougray and our friend, Belle.’
‘What do you trade at Twendlemark, Jaycob?’ This time the question came from Dougray. Jaycob eyed him from across the bench.
‘The odd vegetables, mead and honey. Whatever people want, I try to locate for them. But I’ve never come so late to Twendlemark as I have tonight. You are indeed fortunate that I came along. Lots of bandits are abroad these days...and, of course, strange beasts not seen before. No one’s really safe, especially at night.’
Belle looked at him. ‘You spoke before as if you knew we were there, in the grass I mean.’
‘When you trust in the Morning Star, he directs your paths. They become smooth and straight and your feet don’t wander quite so much.’
Dougray looked at the amazement on his brother’s face. He was thinking the same thing; Navarre had said something similar just before their departure.
‘Where are you headed?’
‘We need to find a man called Kreon Meadows.’ Dougray glared at his brother. He was being too friendly, telling too much to this stranger. ‘Do you know him?’
‘He’s actually a very good friend of mine. I’m staying at his inn tonight. You are indeed fortunate.’ He paused. ‘I want you to know there are many people in Twendlemark who have sworn allegiance to King Morgran.’
Dougray’s mouth went dry as he noticed Belle’s hand move to the hilt of her knife. He had to say something to disarm the sudden tension Morgran’s name evoked.
‘That’s how it is everywhere! Why are you telling us this?’
‘Hold onto to your britches, young ‘un. I’m telling you this because I’m on your side.’
Dougray was growing uncomfortable. ‘We don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re not on anyone’s side. We’re just looking for The Weary Horse so we can stay there the night.’
Jaycob took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and passed it to him. ‘Here, take a look. I recognised you straight away. The soldiers at Twendlemark are looking for you. They will search my wagon when we get closer. You haven’t a hope of getting to Kreon without my help.’
‘Why would you want to help us?’ Dougray eyed him as he unfolded the sheet of paper. He glanced down at a drawing of him, Robbie and Belle. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. It was a wanted poster and the likeness, though not good, was unmistakable. Two blond-haired youths and a dark-haired Elf girl. A large sum of silver coins was being offered for their arrest. The man was talking again and Dougray glared at him.
‘Kreon and I give asylum to refugees such as yourselves and help them into the next kingdom. If you attempt to enter Twendlemark, you’ll be captured. There are patrols everywhere, all around the perimeter of the town. There’s no way in...or out.’
Belle’s knife lay in her lap and her eyes didn’t leave the man. ‘Then our journey must end here.’
‘Not so. Soon we’ll arrive at the checkpoint and the soldiers will search my wagon. But there is a secret compartment—’
‘No!’ Dougray shook his head emphatically. ‘We’re not getting into your secret compartment! I can just see what’s going to happen. As soon as we arrive at that checkpoint, you’ll hand us over.’ He gave a short, bitter laugh and smacked the paper in his hands. ‘This reward on our heads blinds people to justice. Pull over!’ He screwed the poster up in disgust and shoved it into his pocket.
Belle’s knife caressed Jaycob’s throat. At once, he pulled up on the reins and Molly halted. They clambered off the wagon and turned to go when Jaycob called out.
‘Wait!’
Dougray growled. ‘Why? For all we know, you could be a Magic Man.’
‘If I were a Magic Man, I would have cast a spell on you by now.’
Dougray swung around; sword held before him. ‘Why did you come along at exactly the moment we arrived at this road then? How did you know we’d be here? That’s something a Magic Man would do.’
Jaycob swallowed. ‘I listen to the leading of the Morning Star. He told me when to come along.’
Dougray turned and strode off in disgust. As if he’d believe that fairy tale! Jaycob called again.
‘By the way, does Jay Navarre still have that cat of his—what was her name again Molly? Oh yes, Tassie! Does he still have her wandering with him through Wyrm Wood?
‘Wait!’ Robbie swung around at the mention of Navarre’s name. ‘How do you know him?’
Dougray grabbed his brother’s arm. ‘Knowing Navarre means nothing, Robbie. He could have a price on his head, too. Perhaps he’s seen his wanted poster.’
Belle looked at Robbie. ‘Remember, he said not to trust anyone.’
‘And I suppose he still wears that ring I gave him. Nice ring, that.’
Robbie started and gazed at the man. ‘What ring?’
Navarre had worn a ring on the little finger of his left hand. They’d all seen it, but unless you were close to him, you couldn’t tell what the ring looked like, or what colour the stone was.
Jaycob placed his hands in his pockets. ‘The ring I gave him for treating my wife when she became ill. It could only fit on his little finger.’
‘You mean the one with the blue stone?’ Dougray gave Robbie a wry grin. Good, you’re testing him.
He turned back to Molly. ‘No, it was a little red stone set as the eye in
a wolf’s head.’
Dougray threw a glance at the others.
‘He’s telling the truth!’
Chapter 13
The Checkpoint
That confirmed what Robbie was already thinking. No one could know all that about the Healer, unless they had spent time with him. Unless they were friends. Jaycob was who he said he was after all: a simple trader who believed in the Morning Star’s guidance.
They walked back towards him. Jaycob scratched his head and smiled. ‘Navarre has been a friend of mine for more years than you’ve been alive. I owe him much. And look at this!’
He reached down and pulled his boot off. He fished out something small from inside his stocking and passed it to Robbie. Using his light stone, he stared at it for moment. It was a button with a carving of a wolf’s head on it. Robbie handed Jaycob’s button back and took his own out of his pocket. He passed it to him.
‘You know such tokens are forbidden. Anyone discovered carrying one and the soldiers at Twendlemark cut off his hands. Why would I endanger myself by carrying this?’ He didn’t wait for a response. ‘You should place yours in your boot lad, out of sight, in case you’re searched.’ He glanced about at them. ‘You will not survive out here for long if you don’t let me help you.’
After what they’d been through, Robbie had to agree. Besides, he was weary from running and desperate to sleep in a bed—somewhere safe indoors. With a heavy sigh, his brother nodded.
‘All right. Where’s this secret compartment?’
Jaycob waved to them. ‘Come!’
He walked to the left side of his seat and leaned over. Robbie heard the sound of a latch being released and then Jaycob jiggled the seat, removing it altogether. Smiling, he swung around and faced them.
‘Well, don’t just stand there! Get in!’
First to climb into the compartment, Robbie lay flat on his stomach in the low, claustrophobic space. A mixture of smells assailed his nostrils: wood, spices, fruit and an unpleasant mustiness. Grumbling about having to lie in the tight space, Belle clambered in next to him, her bow poking him in the shoulder. He pushed it aside. Then Dougray shuffled in beside her and Belle grumbled even more. Jaycob replaced the seat and soon the wagon lurched forward along the road again.
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