“Quiet Samson,” Oak commanded, looking at the frightened soldier and trying not to laugh. “My apologies, he is usually very friendly.”
“My fault,” the young man nervously stammered. “I think I stepped on his tail.” He picked up his chair and sat down once more, making sure his feet stayed well away from Samson, who was demonstrating how sharp his teeth looked.
“What can we do for you?” Brin asked in a stern, but not unfriendly manner.
“I am heading south shortly as I have been given a few days leave and I was wondering if you came from that direction. I have heard rumours of bandits on the road and was hoping you could quash them for me.”
“Sorry, but we cannot help.” Something about the young soldier’s tone made Oak a little nervous. It sounded almost as if he was quoting a rehearsed speech. “We came from the east, not the south.”
“In that case, I thank you for your time.” He stood up and exited the inn.
“What do you make of that?” Oak asked the others.
“A little too polite for a new recruit and a little too nervous for a trained soldier. I suggest we pack our belongings and get Modo out of here now rather than waiting till tonight. Maybe we should move him to the other inn,” Grimmel suggested.
“Good idea.” Oak glanced down at Samson, who had his ears pricked. “Stay here and keep guard,” he instructed. Samson nodded.
“I am sure that wolf understands everything that is said to him,” Brin commented as they mounted the stairs and entered one of the rooms.
“There may be trouble,” Oak said to Cirren and Modo. “Get everything packed. Now.”
The reply was interrupted by howling from the common room downstairs; a warning from Samson. Modo barely had time to dive under the bed before the door was thrown open and half a dozen soldiers entered, all armed with cross bows.
All five of them were promptly arrested and marched out of the inn under heavy guard. The young soldier who had sat at the table with Brin, Grimmel and Oak stopped suddenly and looked under the table at Samson.
“You can either come with us or you can be shot. It is up to you.” Samson made the wise choice and followed him out of the room, tail between his legs.
As each group of people arrived at the rendezvous point, they too were arrested and thrown into the cell with their friends. All of their belongings were removed from both inns and impounded. The ladies were the last to be picked up. “This is the first time I have been in jail,” Sam commented as she heard the bolt on the other side of the door slam into place.
“It will not be the last,” Patrick said dejectedly. “Not if you are planning on sticking with us once we are out of here that is.”
Sam looked around. The room was light, airy and appeared to be rat-free. As far as cells went, it could have been a lot worse. “Where’s Bellak?” she asked, noticing that he was the only one missing.
Everyone looked at each other; none of them had realised he was not with them. “I think he said he was going to see a fellow wizard he knows who lives in this town,” Dal ventured. “But I may be wrong.”
“Good. Maybe he can get us out of here.”
“Yeah. Right,” Ria said with distain.
“I can get us out of here,” Oak announced, taking them all by surprise.
“Really.” Cirren’s voice was filled with doubt.
“Yes really. River is a water sprite so she can manipulate water. I am a tree sprite so I can manipulate wood.”
“How does that help us?” The scepticism had not left Cirren’s voice.
“They made the mistake of locking us in a cell with a wooden door.” Oak grinned broadly. “I plan to walk right through it.”
“And how are you planning on getting the rest of us out?” Ban asked.
“I read this book once where one of the characters had the ability to move through stone. He was able to carry other people through with him. Are you planning on taking us through one at a time?”
Oak looked at Sam, his face unreadable. “I could do that. Alternatively I could just unbolt the door once I am on the other side.” Sam, feeling extremely foolish, began to glow red with embarrassment.
“You may wish to look away,” Oak suggested as he approached the door. He placed an ear to it, but could hear nothing. “Samson,” he called out. “Can you hear anyone on the other side of this door?”
The wolf obediently strolled to the door and listened, shaking his head after a moment. “Here goes.” Oak placed his hand against the solid wood of the door and pushed. The wood appeared to move out of the way, allowing his hand to pass through it, then moulded itself back around the flesh, as though it was liquid. As his arm slowly slid through, Dal ran to the corner of the cell and vomited. “I did warn you,” Oak chuckled.
“Does it hurt?” Sam asked while Oak’s head was still fully visible.
“A little,” he replied. “It is kind of like being squeezed very tightly. See you in a minute.” With that, his head was immersed into the wood. Soon only one hand and the heel of a foot could be seen. When they had disappeared, Sam ran her hand over the door, checking it was still solid. “He makes it look so easy,” she murmured to herself in wonder.
True to his word, the sound of the bolt sliding back soon reached their ears, a key was heard in the lock and the door swung open, revealing a smug looking Oak. “Can I say I told you so?”
“That was amazing,” Cirren said in admiration. “What else can you walk through?” He sounded like an excited child.
“Can we please talk about something else?” Dal asked in a quiet voice. He still looked a little green.
“Be quiet,” Tor whispered harshly to them. “We may be out of the cell, but we still need to leave this building and get out of town without being recaptured.” As luck would have it, most of the soldiers who were supposed to be watching the prisoners had returned to one of the inns to grab a bite to eat, leaving only one to man the fort. Ban crept up behind him, hit him over the head with his fist, then dragged his inert body into the cell from which they had just escaped.
“Is he dead?” Dal asked as the door was closed and re-bolted.
Ban shook his head. “He may have a bad headache when he awakens, but other than that he should be fine.”
Tor opened the door and glanced out. Seeing that there were no soldiers in sight, he walked out, signalling for the others to follow him. As he walked casually down the street in the opposite direction to the inn where they had been arrested, he felt, rather than heard, someone sidle up to him from one of the side streets. “I know where to find your belongings,” the stranger whispered.
Tor stopped walking and looked down at the man who had just spoken. He was a short man, wrapped in a warm cloak with the hood pulled over his head to hide his face. “Bellak,” Tor breathed with a sigh of relief. “How did you avoid getting captured?”
Bellak pulled back his hood and grinned. “I was approaching the inn when I saw the ladies being escorted to the jail. Using an illusion spell I know, I changed my appearance enough to not be recognised as I followed the guards and found out where they stored all of our gear. I have reappropriated it and it is waiting in the woods just outside the town, along with the still-laden cart and all of the horses.”
“I owe you an apology,” Ria said, overhearing all Bellak had said. “I underestimated you.”
“You can apologise later. Right now, I think we should get out of here.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Samson, who was acting as a rear guard, gave a warning bark. Some of the soldiers were crossing the road towards the jailhouse. “Keep walking at a steady pace,” Tor advised. “Do nothing to bring attention to yourselves.”
They made their way unmolested to the edge of the town. Bellak pointed to the left. “There is a clearing behind those trees. The cart and horses are there.”
He was about to step forward when he heard a loud cry coming from somewhere in the town. The soldiers had evidently found that thei
r colleague was locked in the cell instead of the prisoners. It would not be long before they would mount a pursuit.
“Run,” Tor yelled and everyone ran for the trees as fast as their legs would carry them. Seth jumped onto the seat of the cart and instructed the horse who was pulling it to start moving, heading out of town in the direction which looked the easiest for moving swiftly. As people jumped onto the backs of their mounts, Patrick picked River up and unceremoniously threw her onto his horse, placing her in front of him, while Ban did the same to Grimmel.
“Never do that again,” the dwarf growled, embarrassed at being treated like a sack of potatoes.
“You are welcome,” Ban replied as though Grimmel had given him the thanks he was due instead of showing ingratitude.
Seth and the cart pulled up beside Bellak, who was unable to keep up with his rapidly departing companions. As fast as he could, the old wizard scrambled onto the seat as Samson, who had remained behind to offer protection, leaped into the back, landing on the carrots, turnips and cabbages.
Soon the entire party was galloping towards the river they had previously been following. Once they neared it, they found a dirt track and changed direction, heading north. Keeping up a frantic pace, they soon put some distance between themselves and the town. Seeing no signs of pursuit, Tor called to Modo, who was in the lead, to slow down, allowing the cart to catch up. As Seth and his cargo passed by, Tor looked behind him. In the distance he could make out signs of horses travelling in their direction at great speed. “Frack,” he swore and turned his horse around.
“We are being followed,” he said. “The cart is slowing us down. If we stick to this path we will not be able to lose them and they will eventually catch up with us. If we ditch it, we may be able to outrun them, but we will lose all of our supplies. Any suggestions?”
Everyone looked around them. They could head into the trees, but that would mean abandoning the cart, which nobody wished to do. There was no hiding place and no defensive position if they wished to make a fight of it.
“Ellen, Bellak, can either of you cast a spell to hide us?” Ria suggested. Both shook their heads.
“I think both of us know a spell or two to do this, but our pursuers will be upon us before we have time to complete any of them,” Ellen explained.
River was staring across the river. “There is a building over there,” she called out. “It looks large enough to hide us all in.”
“There is just one problem,” Patrick pointed out. “We are over here and the building is over there. If you had not noticed, there appears to be a river between us.”
“Then we cross it,” River snapped, not liking Patrick’s sarcastic tone.
“And exactly how do you suggest we get the cart across?”
River tutted. “Age is obviously affecting your memory.” Patrick looked at her, open mouthed, as she slid from his horse and walked down the river bank and into the water. As she had done when they had needed to cross the Midas river when escaping with the ‘kidnapped’ Prince Tallon, she began to sing. Those who had not been present on the previous occasion when River had demonstrated her talent stared at the river and the invisible barrier that seemed to be appearing, reducing the flow then completely holding back the water. As soon as it was less then knee high for a horse, Tor gave the order for them to cross. He had his horse gallop through, followed by all those for whom this was not a new experience. Sam was not the only one who was nervous and found herself gently talking to Thresnine as much to reassure herself as to make the horse settle down.
Once the water had completely stopped flowing, Seth gently guided the cart down the river bank and across to the other side. It took a couple of attempts for the horse to get up the opposite bank, but eventually horse, cart, passengers and all of the supplies were safely out and onto solid ground. River then ran across and climbed the bank, ceasing her singing once she was high enough, allowing the river to resume its flow. She politely thanked the river before running to join her friends, who were heading towards the building.
It turned out to be a large storage shed, built from stone with a thatched roof. The doors were not locked so they quickly went inside. It was empty, though there was evidence that it had recently been used for storing potatoes. Once everyone was safely inside, Brin slipped out again and looked for signs of the soldiers who were hunting for them. As he lay down in the tall grass surrounding the shed, he was more or less invisible from the other side of the river. He watched as galloping horses approached and breathed a sigh of relief when they did not slow. Once they were out of sight, he returned to the shed and announced that the coast was clear.
“Right,” Tor said, blocking the door to prevent anyone leaving. “Before we go any further, apart from Patrick, Bellak and Modo, does anyone else have a price on their head or a warrant out for their arrest?”
Chapter 18
Nobody in the barn spoke. Modo hung his head and stared at the floor as Tor looked at them each in turn; the only one not prepared to meet his gaze. “Nobody annoyed a King, Queen, Prince or other member of royalty enough for them to wish to detain us? We have had to break out of two jails already on this quest, I do not want there to be a third.”
There was no response so Tor opened the door and allowed them to leave. “I feel like I am dealing with a group of school children,” he complained to Ellen, who was the last to pass him.
“But you do it well, professor.”
Tor smiled. “I am beginning to think that having such a large group was not a good idea. Maybe Cirren and I should strike out on our own.”
Ellen shook her head. “You would miss us. Besides, every single person with you has proven their worth. We have all earned the right to continue on with you.”
Tor sighed. “I know. I guess I am just tired of continually hitting o unexpected problems.”
“Have you given any more thought as to how we are going to get into Queen Tibia’s garden?” Seth asked as they caught up to the cart.
Tor shook his head. “Not yet. It will give us all something to think about while travelling.”
So each evening, as they sat by the campfire after their meal was completed, the question was posed and every night various suggestions were discussed then rejected for being illegal, immoral or just plain impossible. As the days wore on, it was beginning to look as though somehow getting an audience with Tibia and pleading their case was the only action they could take.
They had not been riding for long one morning when Tor called an unexpected halt at the crest of a hill.
“Any idea what the problem is?” Sam whispered to Brin who was, as always, riding beside her. It was Thresnine that answered her as Brin shrugged his shoulders.
“We have reached the Sha-Na plains.”
Before them stood a beautiful sight; grasslands stretching further than their eyes could see were interrupted solely by the occasional copse of trees. Sam could just make out some deer peacefully grazing and Brin told her he saw a fox running into its den.
The group turned around and descended the hill, returning the way they had come. There was a large outcrop of rocks at its base which would provide shelter if the wind picked up, making it a good place to set up camp. During the journey it had been decided that, once they arrived at the plains, they would move the horses out of sight while Sam and Brin approached the border of the plains alone. Sam had wanted to go by herself, but was outvoted. She did not wish to place anyone else in danger, but when Brin had pointed out that if he was not permitted to go with her, there was nothing she could do to stop him following, she reluctantly gave in.
A short time later, two lone figures walked hand in hand up the hill, nervously watched by their friends. When they reached the top and started their descent, the watchers began organizing the camp and looking for a water supply. River, being a water sprite, could sense the presence of water, even over great distances, so she was sent off with Grimmel and Ban. They had recrossed the river they were follow
ing late the previous day, in order to head for the Sha-Na plains, and River was sure there was a closer supply of fresh water. Once it had been located, Ban would return to the camp with some of their water skins filled and lead the horses back to the new water source.
Brin and Sam did not hurry down the hill; subconsciously delaying the moment when they would come face to face with the animals that may look majestic but could, and probably would, savagely attack them. Nothing marked where the plains began, causing a slight problem with their plan. How were they supposed to not enter the unicorns’ territory if there was nothing to indicate a border? Once at the bottom of the hill, they walked forward a little more before stopping and nervously looking around. One of the deer looked over towards them momentarily before returning to nibbling some grass, but that was the only noticeable sign of movement. When nothing else happened for several moments, Sam decided to call out.
“We seek permission from the unicorns to cross their lands. Will they do us the honour of meeting with us to discuss our request?” She knew they probably would not understand a word that she had just said, but maybe just hearing human voices would be enough to get their attention. The only visible effect of her calling out was the group of deer, which ran off in fright, and a bird in a nearby tree not very politely asked her to keep the noise down.
Neither of them had been expecting instant results, but as time passed they began to debate going closer. It was a great risk as they did not know if they were already across the boundary and heading further into the plains meant heading further away from safety, but they could not see an alternative. They tentatively took ten paces forward and Sam called once more, deciding to repeat this every few minutes, unaware that they were being spied upon.
Following Tor’s instructions, Modo and Oak had silently climbed the hill as soon as Brin and Sam disappeared from sight. Hidden behind bushes, they watched closely, taking it in turn to report their progress back to the camp.
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