Chapter 28
“Someone find my wife,” the chief shouted. Tor rushed to Ria’s side. She was not moving. Her ankle was at an unnatural angle and her blouse was soaked with blood. He had seen men whipped before, but never had he seen so much damage done by a single stroke.
He took hold of her hand and brushed her hair away from her ear. “Ria,” he whispered, but there was no response. More centaurs arrived, an elderly female with long grey hair among them.
“What is going on here?” she demanded. “Why is my son tied to the post and what has happened to the human?”
“Never mind that now. She needs treatment, urgently,” the chief shouted at his wife. He seemed badly shaken by what had happened.
She did not need telling twice. “Pick her up,” she commanded Tor, “and follow me.” Tor obeyed and she led him out of the arena. The others made to follow, but she ordered them to remain behind. “You will only get in my way,” she explained gently. The chief watched her go.
“I am going to be in a lot of trouble,” he muttered to himself. He looked towards one of the new arrivals. “Untie my son at once.” He then turned to Brodin. “Please come with me to my home. It looks as though I have some explaining to do.”
Mystified, the remaining humans followed Kantharos and his father out into the street and were led to a large building close by. The chief opened the door and motioned for everyone to enter. They found themselves in a spacious room, much like a human dining room. There was a wooden table, but no chairs, and the walls were lined with cabinets, all on tall legs so they were the correct height to easily be reached by the centaurs’ arms.
“Stop gaping,” Seth whispered to his wife.
“But it looks like a human house, only larger. This is exactly how I would imagine a giant’s dining room to be.”
“No chairs,” he pointed out. “I guess sitting on one would be a little difficult for someone with a horse’s rear.”
“I think we need coffee,” the chief said to his son and Kantharos left the room via a door at the far end. Before it closed, Sam saw that a kitchen lay beyond.
“Welcome to my home,” the chief said to his guests. They assumed that they were no longer prisoners, but were taking nothing for granted. “It is not much, but I am happy with it. I painted the outside myself.” His voice was filled with pride. “Please, feel free to sit on the table; I have nothing else to offer you I am afraid.”
Brodin helped Sam get settled before springing onto the wood himself, then looked at the chief, waiting for him to begin his explanation. The centaur looked ill at ease and smiled with relief when his son appeared, carrying a tray. The coffee was strong and sweet. Sam took one sniff and pushed it away, turning a little green. “May I have some water please?”
“I completely understand,” the chief told her. “My wife was just the same when carrying him.” With his head, he motioned towards the door through which his son had just departed. Kantharos soon returned, carrying a cup of cool water.
The chief began to pace the room. “Let me first tell you that I never intended one of you to be hurt. We were testing you. We needed more than just the young lady with child to try to prevent my son being whipped. Experience has taught us not to trust the word of humans, so we wanted to see if you would put my son’s well being above your own when he was being unjustly punished. It never occurred to us that one of you would physically try to protect him.”
“Are you telling me that you would willingly whip your own son just to see if we are descent people?” Brodin asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
The chief nodded. “Kantharos had sent ahead a message so we were expecting you. It was his idea. He was confident that you would do something to stop the punishment before it was inflicted and was happy to take the risk.”
Brodin shook his head in disbelief. “If you thought that was necessary then you have met some pretty loathsome humans.”
“My people have been hunted and tortured by your kind throughout the centuries. Occasionally we have met a few travellers who have been descent, but they have been the minority by far.”
“In that case, I can only apologise to you and your people.”
“Thank you. Will you forgive me for what has happened?”
Tension filled the room. “Of course,” Brodin said, without pausing for thought. “I understand that you were only protecting your tribe and could not foresee what would happen.”
Kantharos let out an audible sigh of relief. “Father, may I suggest you listen to these humans while they explain their reasons for being in our lands. Sam, the young lady with child, told an interesting story to one of my new recruits.”
“Very well. If I like what I hear, I will agree to help you in any way I can.”
While the rest were explaining to the chief and his son the details of the quest and all of their adventures to date, Tor was with Ria in the healing house. The chief’s wife, who had introduced herself as Kentauride, had led them directly there and instructed Tor to place the patient in one of the empty beds.
They were in a long room with a dozen beds, the majority of which were occupied. The beds were larger than human beds, being the ideal size to accommodate an injured centaur, and were higher off the ground. Ria looked small and frail in it. She had not regained consciousness, for which Tor was grateful. While Kentauride cleaned the deep cut on her back, another centaur was taking care of her broken ankle. It needed to be reset and Ria screamed out, but did not wake.
“It is not as bad as it looks,” Kentauride informed him as she began to sew the wound. “It sliced open a vein, but I have managed to seal it and the bleeding will soon stop. She will be very weak when she awakens, but will make a full recovery.”
“Thank you,” said Tor in relief. “Her ankle?”
“A straight forward break. The balm that has been put on it will speed up the mending process. By the time she is well enough to get out of bed, she will be able to walk on it.” She smiled down at Tor as he sat on the bed, holding Ria’s hand. “You care for this woman a great deal.” It was not a question.
“She has been travelling with me for a long time. She is a good friend.”
“Of course,” she said with a knowing smile.
“What do you mean by that?” Tor asked, but she would say no more on the subject.
“Ria will need to remain here for a few days. Will you all be staying or do you need to continue on your journey?” Tor found that he was unable to answer the question. He had no idea if they would even be allowed to leave. Not for the first time he was glad that Brodin was with them. He had great faith that his brother would be handling the situation well. He just hoped that Patrick had not said or done anything to get them all killed.
When Kentauride had bound Ria’s back, she left instructions with the centaur who had treated her ankle to contact her immediately the human awoke. She then sent a centaur foal, who was visiting his sick father, in search of the chief. The young male returned a short while later to report that the chief was at his house, talking with the visitors.
“I will take you there,” Kentauride informed Tor. He started to protest, not wishing to leave Ria’s side, but Kentauride took him firmly by the arm and dragged him out of the building, assuring him that there was nothing he could do for his injured friend until she awoke. He was not sure he liked the way she emphasised the word ‘friend’.
Patrick was busy explaining how Ellen had rejoined the group by the time Tor and Kentauride arrived. Except for Sam, they had progressed from coffee to wine and were nibbling on sweet biscuits. Patrick stopped his narrative as soon as he spied Tor in the doorway.
“How is Ria?” Dal asked.
“Thanks to Kentauride, she is expected to make a full recovery, though not for a few days. I take it we are no longer prisoners?” Tor enquired.
“No,” Brodin confirmed. “We have explained why we are here and the chief has offered to provide any assistance we may require.”
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br /> Tor accepted this without asking any questions. If Brodin thought the centaurs could be trusted, he had no reason to doubt him. “Then we leave in the morning,” he announced. “Ria will have to remain here until she is well enough to travel. Who wishes to continue on to Orion and who wishes to stay behind? I would like at least one person to remain with Ria.”
“I will continue on,” Dal immediately told him. “Sam must reach Orion and I am sure she will appreciate some female company.”
“No need to ask you then Seth,” Tor said then looked at Patrick, who shrugged.
“I have not abandoned Ellen just to spend some time in a centaur city, no matter how attractive it is. I am continuing on too.”
“Brodin?”
“What about you brother?” Brodin asked, wishing to know what Tor planned to do before making his own decision.
Tor thought for a moment. Was there any real need for him to go to Orion? Only Sam had to go and she already had enough people accompanying her to protect and take care of her. On the other hand, he was still the leader of this quest. How would it look to the others if he did not go on? It was not an easy decision to make. In the end, he opted to let his brother decide for him.
“As I have already stated, I want someone to be here with Ria. So far, everyone else wishes to continue on. If you wish to stay, then I will leave, otherwise I remain here.”
Before Brodin could reply, Patrick made a suggestion. “Do you think it is a good idea to split up? Maybe you should both remain behind. You can learn more about the centaur race and regale the rest of us with the wondrous tales you hear as we travel back to Camal.”
“He has a point,” Brodin conceded. “Why risk something happening to one of us if we do not need to? I know that sounds bad but...”
“But you are right,” Seth finished for him. “This quest is all about you after all. Do not worry. Between the three of us, we are more than capable of keeping Sam out of trouble.”
“Speaking of Sam,” Tor said, noticing for the first time that she was not present. “Where is she?”
“She was tired so I sent her to one of the spare rooms,” the chief said. “We have plenty of space. You are more than welcome to stay here.”
“That is very kind of you,” Tor said. “It looks as if my brother and I will be taking you up on your offer. The rest will probably stay tonight and leave at first light.” He looked at Patrick, who nodded. “May I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” the chief said amiably.
“What would have happened to us if we had not defended your son?”
The chief, his wife and his son all smiled. “We are not a violent race,” he explained. “Just a cautious one. You would have been escorted to our border and advised to not trespass again.”
“And if we ignored your warning?” Seth asked.
The smiled dropped from the chief’s face. “We would have hunted you down and killed you.”
The goodbyes were short the next morning. Ria had awoken and, though stiff and sore, was looking well. They visited her in the healing house and told her of their plans. She was not happy when informed that she would have to remain behind while Seth, Dal, Patrick and Sam continued on alone, until she tried to get out of bed. The movement pulled on her stiches, causing her immense discomfort, so she reluctantly accepted the situation.
Tor handed the box containing the seal and the gem to Seth, reminding him that Sam would need it once they reached Orion. During the evening they had been discussing the quest and their destination with the centaurs. None of them had heard of Orion, but they did know the location of a walled city which for generations they had been avoiding and they promised to lead them to it. Kantharos volunteered to be their escort. It would take a few days to get there and, as their training had been cut short, he planned to take along the group of young warriors which had been with him when the humans had first been encountered so they could continue learning hunting skills.
When it was time to depart, without asking permission, the chief took hold of Sam and placed her on his son’s back. When she started to protest, she was not very politely told to be quiet.
“Pregnancies are rarer among centaurs than humans, so we take great care of expectant mothers,” Kentauride explained. “You being human makes no difference. It is a long walk and we all agree that you will be better off riding. My son feels it is an honour to carry you. Will you insult him by refusing?” Feeling she had been backed into a corner she had no way of escaping, Sam remained silent. Secretly she had not been looking forward to the journey on foot, but was too proud to admit that to any of her companions.
The weather was sunny and mild and they made good progress the first day. The young centaurs were learning their survival skills well and provided plenty of food for the entire group. Seth and Dal volunteered to help with the cooking and, as the sun began to set, Patrick found himself alone with Sam.
“When we first arrived at the centaur city, what did you say that they all found so funny?” he asked her.
Sam’s face turned a bright shade of pink. “I told Kantharos that I was expecting their houses to look more like stables.”
Patrick stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You have got to be kidding me.” Sam did not respond, but went a shade redder, making him laugh even harder.
Seth, who was stirring a large pot, looked over to them, an enquiring expression on his face. “Sorry Sam,” Patrick said, “but I have got to pass that on.” Ignoring her grumpy face, he stood up and walked over towards the cooking fire and told Seth and Dal, who both found it highly amusing. Sam spent the rest of the evening sulking.
They continued on the next morning, as soon as the sun rose. The centaurs were not following a path, choosing instead to take the most direct route to their destination. Frequently the humans had to struggle up steep inclines which the centaurs easily galloped up, leaving them so tired they had to stop to rest more frequently than the centaurs would have, had they been on their own.
Kantharos had not taken these extra delays into account when he had said the journey would take a few days and it was on the fifth day that they first caught sight of a walled city. He called out to his centaurs to halt and instructed the one closest to him to remove Sam from his back.
“We will go no further,” he announced. “The city is not as close as it looks, so you will not reach it before sunset. You must decide whether to remain here until tomorrow or continue on while there is still daylight. We will wait for you so we may escort you back to your companions.”
“That is very kind of you,” Patrick said. “We wish to get this quest over and done with as soon as possible, so we will keep going for as long as we can.” He looked at Seth, Dal and Sam, who all nodded their confirmation. He held out his hand to Kantharos, who grasped it firmly. “I am very pleased to have met you and your people. I have learnt a lot and, at my age, that is rarity.”
“Goodbye and good luck,” the centaur said, then turned his attention to the other centaurs. “You all heard me say we will be staying here for a while,” he shouted out. “Why has the camp not yet been set up?”
There was a flurry of activity as the humans departed. They made slow progress and the daylight started to fade long before they reached the outskirts of the city. As there were only four of them, they decided to only have one person on guard at a time, with Sam insisting on taking the first watch. The night was uneventful and the journey continued as soon as there was enough daylight to see by. The city walls became larger as they approached, until soon they were towering above them.
“That looks pretty impenetrable,” Patrick commented, as they stood staring at it. “I wonder how we get in.”
“Try knocking on the door,” Seth suggested, pointing to the left, where a large wooden door could clearly be seen. He moved forwards and the others tried to follow, but after a few steps they were prevented from doing so by an invisible barrier. Oblivious to his friends’ predicament, Se
th continued moving towards the city until he heard them calling his name.
“What are you staying back there for?” he asked as he walked towards them.
“We cannot go any further,” Dal informed him. “There seems to be some sort of invisible shield surrounding the city.” They spread out in both directions to see if a way past could be found, but to no avail.
“I wonder why I can get through,” Seth mused as he rejoined his companions.
“I do not know,” Patrick said, “but it leaves us with one big problem. How can Sam deliver the seal and gem to the city if she cannot even get there?”
“Maybe this will work,” Seth suggested, taking Sam’s hand and dragging her forward.
“Ow,” she called out as she felt like she was slammed into a glass door, which Seth easily passed through as though it did not exist.
“Then again, maybe not. Sorry,” he apologised.
“There has to be a logical answer,” Dal said. “It must have something to do with the quest, but Seth is not the guide, so if any sort of magical barrier has been erected, why would it allow him through instead of Sam?”
“Because he has the box,” Sam said quietly.
Seth withdrew the box from his bag and tried to hand it to Sam, but he couldn’t. The only way for him to do so was to carry it to her. She took it from his outstretched hand and moved forward. This time she was not prevented from continuing on towards the city. She returned to the others and did not look happy.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” Three heads nodded. “I have to go to Orion alone.”
Chapter 29
“You do not have to do this,” Patrick said, but Sam shook her head.
“Yes I do and we all know it. What option do I have? I either go on by myself or we never finish the quest.”
“We can go back to Camal and wait for Dean to heal enough to go in your place,” Dal suggested.
Again Sam shook her head. “He may be dead by now.” Tears formed in her eyes as she spoke and she blinked them away. This was no time to get emotional.
The Pendant Page 31