Then he heard a voice calling his name. “Paladin!” it croaked.
The rabbit almost screamed!
But it was only Frenjoo, peering over the rock wall high above him. “I’m over now,” Frenjoo said. “Come on!”
Without hesitation Paladin bounded up the rock wall, paying no heed to Eucon’s insistence that each of them take it slow. Wishing desperately to leave the loneliness of the dark gully behind, and perhaps find a whole new land on the opposite side. In a moment he was down to where the others were, panting.
“Perhaps we should try and take cover for a while,” he said, and looked at them wide-eyed.
“Why should we do that?” Rolo sensed something strange about the rabbit.
The others only looked at Paladin.
“I . . . I don’t really know,” Paladin answered. “I just have the feeling that- that—” he paused, not sure if he should continue.
“You have the feeling that what?” Eucon asked.
“That we’re being followed,” Paladin finished. “Watched,” he said. Then Paladin looked around at each of them, searching for the right word that would emphasize exactly what it was he was feeling. “Studied,” he whispered slowly.
A noise came from behind them.
They all heard it, and turned.
Paladin’s ears went up and he rose on his hind legs. Everyone was silent, waiting, almost daring not to breathe. After a few long moments, Eucon whispered, “We’d better move on.”
“Shhh!” Paladin shot back and stamped his feet. He heard the noise again—closer—but this time there were other noises with it, noises the others couldn’t hear.
Whispers!
Whispers that were distinctly and ominously separate to the sound of the chilled night wind blowing about the roof of the gully above them. Crouched on all fours, ears raised high, Paladin slowly took a step away from the others and back toward the rock wall they had climbed over, still listening.
All at once a shadow seemed to flutter and perch on top of it, staring down at them. A thin voice croaked out of the darkness:
“Hello, Rabbit.”
CHAPTER 21
“Ambushed!”
Paladin’s gaze turned up to meet the figure. Without turning to the others—and forgetting petty issues like volume—Paladin shouted, “RUN!”
The rabbit’s advice was swallowed in a drowning flurry of beating wings, and everything happened at once.
The company was surrounded by shapes in the dark, as if the very shadows had been wakened and summoned forth to halt their progress. Huge, feathery shapes beat at their faces with wings and pecked their coats with unkind beaks.
The four travelers hunched close to the ground, confused and frightened as the conspiracy of ravens descended upon them.
They were hemmed in by the terrain itself. They couldn’t go back the way they came; the rock wall prevented retreat. To either side, the steep walls of the gully invited no flight.
That was when Paladin’s earlier fears solidified in his heart. “It’s a trap!” he bellowed. Beside him, Frenjoo clutched at Rolo and whimpered.
Suddenly, Eucon stood on his hind feet and boxed one of the ravens onto the ground. In one swift motion, the racoon bit fiercely at the bird’s neck. The raven croaked miserably and hopped a few feet away where it fell over, motionless. Turning to the others, Eucon cried, “Follow me!” He knew that if the party scrambled into individual directions they were done for. Even if they weren’t killed they would soon be separated and frightened, and not very likely to reunite. Eucon had to act quickly. In a flash the raccoon bounded down the gully, splashing through the water as he went.
In the next instant the others followed after him, keeping up with his mad pace all while pursued by the attacking ravens. The company ran blindly down the shifting slope, falling and rolling on several occasions. Scuffling sounds beat at their ears from the dark.
Suddenly, the night was pierced by a high-pitched squealing sound. They stopped and turned. To their horror, one of the ravens lifted into the night with Rolo kicking and squirming in its talons.
Rolo was screaming!
“Rolo!” Frenjoo shouted. Without really thinking the squirrel raced back up the ravine, ricocheted off a nearby rock, and sprung into the air like a grey rocket at the raven. Another raven swooped in and blocked this attack. Frenjoo fell to the ground with a violent thump and two ravens descended upon him, tearing at him with talons and beaks. From behind the birds came an angry scream. “Arrrrgghhh!” The two ravens looked up to see the blurred shape of a rabbit coming at them.
Paladin leapt at the birds and turned sideways in mid-air so that with his powerful hind legs he delivered a strong blow to the face of one of the ravens. With his smaller front legs (but powerful teeth!), he fell onto the breast of the opposite bird. Without even thinking, Paladin bit at the bird as hard as he could. He got little more than a mouthful of feathers as both he and the birds rolled down the sloped wall of the gully. In the next instant, Paladin found himself surrounded by an angry cloud of ravens. At the same time, more of them descended upon Frenjoo. They billowed around the squirrel like living, black smoke!
Thinking quickly, Paladin rolled over onto his back and began kicking into the air with his hind legs. Blow after blow, he sent the ravens sprawling and squawking into the sky. And all the time, Rolo’s squealing went on and on like some kind of siren sounding in the night when the owner doesn’t know. Somewhere in the back of his mind Paladin kept hoping against hope that, as had happened when they crossed the marshes, Featherwing would swoop out of the blackness and bear them away to safety. But this hope went unfulfilled. If deliverance came, it was going to come from somewhere else.
On the slope below them, Eucon frantically scanned the floor of the gully. Finally, he found what he was looking for and picked up a small rock. Without a moment to spare the raccoon rose on his hind legs, took aim, and hurled the stone at the raven carrying Rolo. It was a direct hit! The rock struck the bird square in the face! Stunned, it fell to the ground, releasing its grip upon Rolo, and the two of them rolled down the slope into the wash of the gully. Blood trickling from Rolo’s back quickly turned the water red, and he lay upon the ground, motionless.
The situation was desperate!
Frenjoo got to his feet, still dazed from one attack, when Eucon watched a new raven land upon the squirrel.
Paladin did his best to fend off four or five of the ravens at once.
Nearby, Rolo lay in a heap, most likely dead.
And from all around them, the night was filled with the horrible sound of beating feathers and squawking.
A horrible realization dawned upon Eucon: There were a great many others of these birds—only a few were actually attacking them! The rest must have been watching, as if for sport.
Frantically, Eucon looked around for something—anything! Suddenly, his eyes landed upon something not far down the gully. He had an idea. In a flash, Eucon grabbed a handful of smaller stones and stood up on his hind legs. He bounded daringly back up the gully, firing the stones rapidly as he went. The stones struck the birds randomly, as Eucon was not necessarily aiming at them so much as just trying to hit as many of them as he could as often as possible. It worked! Of course, as he did this the gully became filled with more and more of the birds that had seen his attack. With a loud cry, the raccoon rushed into the group that attacked Paladin.
The rabbit held his own, but his feet were now shredded to ribbons as the birds pecked mercilessly as he kicked.
Eucon sensed that if he could free Paladin, then Paladin could help him. Somehow, Eucon managed to fend off the pelting ravens just long enough to help Paladin to his tender feet. Eucon pointed and barked, “Rolo!”
Without requiring an explanation, Paladin hopped to where Rolo lay and lifted the battered guinea pig. A few paces away, Eucon laid hold of Frenjoo. Seeing that the squirrel could manage on his own, Eucon cried to his companions, “Follow me!” Once more, they b
ounded away down the gully.
Paladin followed as quickly as he could. Their pursuers didn’t leave them the luxury of considering the comfort of poor Rolo. If they were to live, they had to flee!
Eucon charged down the gully; the others followed after him blindly.
Paladin was struck again with only a moment’s amazement of how they had come to trust this raccoon so quickly!
The ravens were relentless. Even as they raced down the gully, the birds pecked and picked from all sides—even the front! The birds would swoop and dive directly into their paths like skilled squadrons of World War II bombers. One talon tore a gash across Paladin’s cheek, just missing his eye. Another ripped his back, digging deep into the flesh. Paladin screamed, and fought on.
Indeed, all their faces and backs were bloodied. Paladin was just wondering where on earth they were going when, all of a sudden, Eucon disappeared to the left. In the next instant, Paladin saw he had ducked inside a hollow log. With one last look up the gully Paladin threw Rolo inside, and then followed quickly himself.
They lay in a heap inside the log, panting and bleeding. Some of them whimpered with pain and fright. Paladin’s eyes were wide as he looked at Eucon desperately. The raccoon stared back at the opening of the log, a hole that was now alive and crowded with the faces of several angry ravens. Their loud squawking filled the enclosure of their brief but effective sanctuary; a sound that threatened to drive them all mad. The trapped prey watched as, when the bloodthirsty birds found they couldn’t get inside the log to reach their prize, they turned their beaks on each other, ripping and tearing and pecking.
“Eucon?” Paladin panted. He looked to the raccoon for answers. His voice was absurdly quiet against the chaotic cries of the birds.
“It’s okay, Paladin,” Eucon answered soundly. “We’ll be safe in here.” But in his own mind, the racoon heard himself add, “I hope.”
CHAPTER 22
“The Mouth of Death”
A dark shape with yellow eyes landed atop a large rock outcropping overlooking the gully. Below, the ravens frenzied around a hollow log. According to Glyde’s report, the ones they searched for were trapped inside.
Including the rabbit.
The rabbit who was so important to Cragpow—so important to him.
The ravens couldn’t get in at them. However, they went on trying in their ignorant, thirsty lust for blood.
An idea suddenly occurred to Fane. He let out a single great caw, and the entire conspiracy looked up at him. There was a moment’s hesitation before he spoke:
“Loose it,” Fane said simply, and smiled. His eyes blazed brighter than ever.
For a moment, the conspiracy seemed to not comprehend. Then, dawning understanding spread among them and they divided. Some repositioned themselves on the uphill side of the log, others along the downhill side. A panic of scratching and pecking and kicking and pushing with growing excitement followed until, at last, the log budged ever so slightly.
“Push!” Fane screamed from above them.
The ravens on the downhill side of the log scraped and worked furiously with their talons and beaks to remove any twigs or stones blocking it. Some of them went around to help the others push from the topside.
“PUSH!” Fane cried again.
§
“Something’s happening,” Eucon said suddenly, looking around at the sounds coming from all around them. “I don’t like the sound of this.” Eucon left the whimpering Frenjoo and moved slowly toward one open end of the log.
“What is it?” Paladin looked up from licking Rolo’s wounds. The small guinea pig had started to stir again weakly in response. The rabbit’s only answer came in the sound of a loud, insane scream from somewhere out in the night around them: “PUUUSSSHHHH!!!”
All at once, the log began to roll.
The ravens hopped and squawked with mad delight. Most of the ones on the downhill side of the log moved out of the way. A few were crushed as the log rolled effortlessly over them. This was little price to pay to see the log now bounding and careening and splintering down the gully. Their squawks became laughs and screams of hysterics. Then they were airborne, following their prey.
Inside the log Eucon, Paladin, Rolo, and Frenjoo tried their best to stabilize themselves and each other, but it was incredibly disorienting! They were thrown this way and that, end over end, cuts reopening. Even their bruises got bruises! It was like being trapped in a nightmare, a whirling dervish of confusion.
Then, there came a moment when everything became quiet and still.
Paladin looked around. He vaguely remembered experiencing a sensation like this once before.
Then the log splashed down into the bitter cold of a stream, slamming them against the inner wall of the log. They all screamed. Water rushed in from both ends of the log. In a way this was good, because Rolo and Frenjoo were both suddenly wide awake.
The whole scenario seemed a little too familiar to Paladin. He recalled the truck accident that had first thrown him in with the chendrith of the Utergei, and fought against a rising panic.
Eucon, still not losing his head, worked his way over and peered out one end of the log. He saw above them where they had rolled off the edge of a cliff and plummeted into this stream.
Paladin joined him.
They watched as a few of their pursuers flew over the edge and dived for the log. One by one the birds were landing on the bobbing log, jumping up and down upon it and squawking hungrily. The entirety of their pursuing host had still not yet descended upon them. The log had apparently sped ahead of them as it rolled down the slope, and the murderous horde had scattered, searching for their quarry.
“What’ll we do now?” Frenjoo cried. “Once they find us, they’ll drown us!”
“Nonsense!” Paladin shot back, steadying the squirrel. “If we were going to sink any further, we’d have done it by now! We’re resting on the bed of the stream, Frenjoo. This is as deep as we’re going.”
“Oh.” Frenjoo calmed somewhat.
Eucon, however, did not answer. He only squinted into the dim light of early morning outside.
“Eucon?” Paladin asked quietly. “What now?”
For another few moments, the raccoon was silent. Paladin was sure he hadn’t heard him and was just going to speak again when:
“There!” Eucon pointed. He turned and looked at the others. “There it is!” He smiled, and turned to look outside again. “Seems we’ve had a bit of good luck after all in all of this, gents!”
Paladin followed the raccoon’s paw, searching for what the raccoon must be talking about. Then, like a picture slowly coming into focus before him, Paladin saw a large round pipe sticking out of the side of the slope just a few short feet away—absurdly close, as a matter of fact! It was well-camouflaged, hidden amidst a thick, hanging curtain of dead ivy vines. The entire wall of the slope was covered in the dead grayish brown of the withered ivy, looking like the disheveled, unkempt fur of some ancient wooly mammoth. Had the raccoon not pointed the pipe out to them Paladin doubted they would have ever seen it, no matter how closely they had passed by it. Despite their desperate circumstances Paladin turned and smiled at the raccoon, almost laughing. “That’s it!” he shouted. “That’s the secret entrance Spirit was talking about! I know it is!”
“Moul cuilmh,” Eucon nodded solemnly.
“The mouth of death,” Paladin replied, and looked back at it.
The entrance to the pipe was not only veiled by the twisting vines themselves, but also by a grating that covered it. The grate had an altogether unwholesome and unfriendly look to it, giving the pipe the appearance of a huge maw of smiling teeth.
It did look like a mouth—waiting to indiscriminately swallow up any that ventured too close, be they fair or foul.
Paladin looked at it and swallowed hard. It was difficult to imagine that the escape from their current situation would actually be into something that looked as uninviting and foreboding as this.
Without a word Paladin grabbed Rolo, who let out a pained groan.
“Sorry, Rolo,” Paladin said.
Paladin and Eucon looked at one another and nodded simply. In the next instant, they had left the log—Frenjoo on Eucon’s back, and Rolo on Paladin’s. They were into the ice-cold water, splashing their way towards the hidden pipe entrance.
The few ravens who had found their prey noticed the fleeing shapes and began to caw loudly, sounding the alert for their searching cronies.
Moments later Paladin and Eucon fought their way through the twisted ivy vines to the mouth of the pipe, where it jutted out from the wall of the embankment. From deep within seemed to come whispers of fear and death. Paladin would have fled under any other circumstances. With as much care as he could manage Paladin set Rolo down and began working at the grating, trying to lift it. But he could not.
“How do we get in?” Paladin cried, and looked at Eucon. His hindquarters went numb from the freezing cold water.
Eucon looked around and set Frenjoo down as well. “There!” he yelled, pointing. Paladin looked up and noticed a small pin that was holding the grate in place. Using his adept hands, Eucon began tugging and pulling at the pin. But it did not budge.
Paladin and Frenjoo shivered against one another and looked up in time to see the pastel-blue of early morning sky suddenly obscured by a multitude of oncoming ravens.
“Eucon,” Frenjoo said nervously, “I think you’d better hurry!”
“I’m trying!” the raccoon grunted, still working at the pin.
“He’s right,” Paladin added. “We don’t have much time!”
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