The Stolen Herd

by K Madill

  Mandamus took several deep breaths, but try as he might, he could not detect any scent from that canyon other than that sweet, syrupy smell.

  Luco had pulled out his compass and was sitting there, staring down at it while shaking his head. “Nothing,” he whispered. “It’s not saying anything, and the needle’s acting crazy, look.” Mandamus eyed it closely. The needle whirled so fast it was a blur. Luco snapped the instrument shut and clenched it in his fist, squinting back down into the canyon. “Check out that water,” he said, looking uneasy. “Have you ever seen black water like that? I haven’t.”

  “No,” Mandamus said, weaving slightly. His leg still felt numb and it was exhausting to hobble on three legs. He knelt down and lay heavily on his side. He didn’t care about some mysterious black lake. He just wanted to sleep.

  “Right, we should set up camp, so you can rest,” Luco said, standing up and grabbing his back pack. “You know what else is strange?” he added, glancing around. “I don’t hear any birds or frogs or anything, do you?”

  The dragolotl whimpered and snuggled up to Luco. Luco wrapped his arms around his neck.

  “No,” Mandamus said, ears pointing in every direction possible. Luco was right. The woods were dead silent. “That lake doesn’t smell like a normal lake either,” he said, taking another thoughtful whiff. “Lakes usually smell like damp grass.”

  “Well, that I can’t agree to or disagree with,” replied Luco, scratching the dragolotl behind the ear. “Lakes never have any smell to me. Let’s not worry about it anyway - we’re only here for the night and it’s too late to try and find somewhere else to go.”

  Luco built a small fire then led the dragolotl to a deep creek they found running alongside their camp. The creature flopped into the water and within minutes, he had fallen asleep. Luco gave him a couple of pats then came back over to Mandamus to spread his sleeping bag out on the ground under a low hanging branch of the papery barked trees. He crawled inside with a weary-sounding ‘goodnight’. Mandamus nodded off beside him.

  It seemed like no time had passed at all when Mandamus woke with a start. His foot throbbed.

  “At least I can feel it again,” he thought. He nickered at Luco who snored lightly by a small fire, but Luco only rolled over with a soft mumble.

  The almost full moon flooded the forest turning the trees and grass silver. Mandamus’ instinct whispered that they were not alone. He raised his muzzle and was about to take a deep whiff of air when a set of leathery black wings flashed before him then landed in Luco’s fire with a splat.

  It was a bat with large eyes and a fox-like face.

  Instead of getting burned alive, the bat snatched up a burning piece of wood. Stretching open its mouth which, Mandamus noticed uncomfortably, was lined with tiny, sharp-looking fangs, he stuffed the ember inside and crunched down on it. Tiny crumbs of burning wood spilled down his chest. With a gulp, he rooted around for more, paying no attention to Mandamus who had the strangest feeling of familiarity. He could not remember where, but he had seen this bat before.

  After it had devoured a good part of the remaining embers, the bat gave a satisfied burp then flapped up to the branch that hung over Luco’s still, sleeping figure. He hung upside down and stared at Mandamus, blowing curls of smoke from his nose.

  “Luco,” Mandamus whispered. He had never seen a fire-eating bat before and this one seemed very bold. The creature was now picking his teeth with a hooked claw, never taking his eyes off Mandamus.

  “Luco, wake up,” Mandamus said. “There’s something here.”

  Luco mumbled and rolled over in his sleep. No help there. Mandamus’ foot gave a dull throb of pain as he put his weight on it. Balancing carefully, he leaned forward to nudge Luco awake but before he could, the bat beat its wings and lunged at him with a deafening shriek.

  “What the—?” Mandamus cried, ducking out of the bat’s path. The bat narrowly missed Mandamus’ head and, with a furious squall, it spun around and charged at him again, this time zooming straight for his face, baring those tiny, pointed teeth.

  Luco shot up out of his bedroll, smacking his head on the low branch. “What? What’s going on?”

  “There’s some crazy bat here,” Mandamus cried, scrabbling for cover. His injured leg dragged uselessly on the ground as he tried to squeeze under the tree. The bat nipped his ears, squealing angrily.

  The bat spied Luco and dove at him. Luco batted the air, screaming as it yanked out a claw-full of his hair then tossed it into Mandamus’ eyes. As he tried to blink out the strands, Mandamus felt a sharp bite on his flank. He whirled around but before he could even make sense of where the creature was, it bit him on the muzzle. With a howl of pain, Mandamus shook the bat off and snapped his teeth blindly, hoping to catch the creature but it smoothly dodged him and hurled itself at Luco, kicking his head with its small, clawed feet.

  “Arkas, enough,” a voice shouted.

  The bat froze and lit back to his branch. He hung upside down never taking his eyes off them.

  Luco, poked his head out from under his sleeping bag and Mandamus peeked out from under the tree.

  A tiny woman in a dusty cloak stepped into the dwindling glow of their half-eaten fire and stood over Luco, staring down at him. She had dusky skin, black eyes and her auburn hair was tied in a knot at the nape of her neck. She carried a glowing lantern that was filled with buzzing fireflies.

  Arkas flit from his tree branch and crashed into her, hanging off her cloak. He pointed at Mandamus and Luco, squeaking informingly before twisting around to give them a dirty glare.

  “A man and a horse,” she said admiringly stroking the bat’s pointed ears. “You’ve been busy tonight. Gideon would be proud.”

  With a triumphant chirp, Arkas hopped from her cloak landing back down amongst the smoking remains of the campfire. The woman abruptly strode over to the creek to where the dragolotl still lay fast asleep. She gazed down thoughtfully.

  “Why are you camped up here?” she called over to them, not taking her eyes off the dragolotl. “This is not a place to just hang around, you’re supposed to be down in the canyon. That is where you cross over, not here.” She pointed to the cliff that they had almost stumbled over.

  Mandamus looked at Luco, puzzled. What did she mean ‘cross over’? Cross the river? Luco was bone white.

  Mandamus opened his mouth to tell this minute, bossy woman that unless this area was the property of the Silver City, then they could camp where they pleased, but as soon as he went to tell her off, it was as if someone else had control of his voice.

  “I stepped on an alliworm and it got too dark to go any further,” he blurted out. “Luco wrapped my foot up with some terrible smelling stuff which really worried me at first because I don’t entirely trust him yet.”

  He glanced over and saw the hurt look on Luco’s face, but try as he might, he was powerless to stop talking. “I just met him. I was sent away from my herd, you see,” he added, his deepest secret tumbling out of his mouth, “because I was caught talking to some mares that I wasn’t supposed to be talking to and got into really big trouble.”

  Luco nodded. “We’re on our way to find him a Bachelor Herd,” he chimed in, “I am headed home because yet again I failed tryouts at the Silver City orchestra, because I’m obviously not as great as a guitarist as I think I am, and now, we’re lost.” Luco’s face grew more and more embarrassed with each sentence. “I was trying to hide it from my friend, Mandamus here, because he doesn’t trust my compass and I must say, I’m beginning to not trust it either. It’s old and has been pointing at some very strange things and do you know what else? I have no idea what I’m going to do with this horse if we reach my hometown before he finds the other horses. And the horse isn’t even my biggest problem - I picked up a dragolotl too.” He spread his hands out helplessly. “What am going to do with that?” Luco clapped his hand over hi
s mouth.

  Arkas rocked with laughter and Mandamus found that his speech belonged to him once again.

  “Who are you?” he asked the woman.

  “My name is Samhain,” she said with a frown. “And this is Arkas,” she added pointing at the bat who glowered. “I think the important question here is, who are both of you and why are you camping at the River of Lethe because, clearly, neither of you are dead?”

  “You’re Samhain? We’re at the River of Lethe?” Luco asked in a strangled voice, scrambling to his feet. He reached down for his sleeping bag and hastily rolled it up. “We don’t mean to be here.”

  Mandamus was puzzled. Was the River of Lethe also the property of the Silver City, like the Sajan Plains? Were they breaking some sort of strict human law? He nickered worriedly. He didn’t want to break any more laws.

  “I often hear that,” Samhain said watching Luco as he fumbled the buckle on his bag with shaking fingers. “Lots of people and creatures that arrive here do not know they have passed or do not want to believe it. Fear not the other side; there is peace there. All you need to do is go down and drink from the river and all your cares will be gone. You will see.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it’s perfect for people who have died,” Luco agreed shrilly, jamming his feet into his shoes. “Only we’re still alive, thank you very much.”

  “What do you mean died?” asked Mandamus, alarmed.

  “This is the gateway to the Afterlife, Mandamus,” Luco squeaked. He had shouldered his pack and was backing warily away from the woman. “This is the River of Lethe, and in that river lives a cursed naiad who taints the water. And this woman here,” he stared at Samhain with wide, frightened eyes, “this woman isn’t a woman at all. She’s a spirit. The spirit of the harvest and the spirit of dead things isn’t that right?”

  Samhain nodded.

  “And that lake the bottom of the canyon,” Luco pointed at it with a shaking finger, “is the entrance to the Afterworld. This is where you come when you have died.”

  Mandamus started with surprise. Had they died? He didn’t remember dying.

  “You’re not dead,” Samhain murmured, walking around the dragolotl to stand in front of Luco. It was not a question. She held her buzzing lantern up to his face and poked his shoulder.

  Mandamus blinked his eyes hard. He could have sworn that when Samhain had first come down the path towards them, she’d been half the size of Luco, yet now they stood eye to eye.

  Samhain placed her hand on Luco’s chest and closed her eyes and to Mandamus’ surprise, Luco’s gaze misted and his body slackened. He shoulders slumped forward and his head hung loosely. He swayed as if hung by invisible strings. They stood like that for a moment.

  Samhain’s face twisted, and her eyes flew open. “It’s you,” she whispered. Mouth agape, she stared from Luco to Mandamus with amazement.

  Mandamus shoved Luco with his muzzle but Luco’s eyes remained foggy and his face, serene. Whatever strange spell Samhain had put on him, it was going to take more than a nudge to bring him out of it but before Mandamus could give Luco a stronger push, Samhain put her hands on his neck.

  The queerest sensation came over Mandamus. It was as though he was being pulled out of his body, like he was shucking off some heavy weight that held him down. He felt himself floating upwards, then he was caught, anchored as he stared down at his own black shaggy forelock and pointed ears. The whirring sound of the fireflies in her lantern filled his ears.

  Samhain hung in mid-air opposite him, hands on his neck, mirroring their physical selves. Strangely, he didn’t feel frightened and his instinct remained silent. He could feel Samhain, probing at his mind, searching through his memories, each one rising to the surface of his psyche, as she sifted through them. The forest around him blurred and was replaced with scenes from his memory. Cold drinks at the watering creek, being scolded by Daleth, sniffing rabbits in the woods and cozy nights in the cave while rain pounded the beach all flashed before him.

  There was a burst of black flame and a man in a silver mask came striding towards him. Mandamus whinnied and kicked out, wanting to get away from the man but before he could, Samhain dropped her hands from his neck and Mandamus plummeted back down into his body.

  Mandamus snapped to his senses. He nickered worriedly, for he was alone. He was about to let loose a whinny when he felt Luco beside him.

  “It’s ok,” Luco said, patting Mandamus. He rested his hand on Mandamus’ shoulder and it calmed him.

  “I don’t see Samhain anywhere,” Luco whispered but Mandamus could see her standing in the creek in a trance-like state over the dragolotl, her hands placed on his scaly back.

  “Over there.” Mandamus said, using his muzzle to sign at them. He and Luco hurried over to watch.

  Samhain winced, and Mandamus was shocked to see tears streaming down her face. “I see,” she murmured, gently petting the dragolotl. He gave a low rumble.

  “He said his named is Fallow,” Samhain told them, eyes clenched tightly. “It’s the strangest thing, he’s only half dragolotl, which is a kind of water dragon,” she said thickly, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve. “His mother was a fire-breather. He’s a hybrid.”

  “Hybrid?” Luco asked, sounding puzzled “That’s a bit, odd, isn’t it?”

  Samhain nodded. “I feel like the castle has something to do with it.”

  Mandamus thought back to his and his aunt Daleth’s last conversation. She had mentioned something about the kingdom conducting experiments. Was this little dragon one of them? He felt rush of sadness for Fallow.

  “He was terrified when his mother died,” Samhain whispered. “She hid him, so he didn’t see much, here, in his memories, I see soldiers and weapons and oh - ” her voice broke. She placed her hand back on Fallow’s shoulders and a fresh torrent of tears dripped off her chin. “So lonely and so afraid.” Mandamus heart clenched, and he reached down to brush his muzzle across the top of Fallow’s head. Fallow purred.

  Samhain watched them pensively, and, after a few moments stood up and wiped her hands on the front of her cloak. “He wants you to know that he is very grateful to you both for bringing him with you,” she told them. Fallow yipped then flopped back down with a sigh and closed his eyes. Soon, his purring turned to snores.

  “I don’t know how you all ended up here,” Samhain said, twisting the front of her cloak, “None of the living are supposed to be able to find these shores but there must be a reason. Right now, it’s late and I’m too tired to figure it out. You can stay for now.” She gestured at Mandamus’ hoof. “That foot will need some time to heal, anyway. Arkas, you watch over them for tonight. Don’t let them go down to the canyon.”

  Arkas, who’d eaten the rest of their fire, swooped back up to his tree branch and dangled over them authoritatively. Samhain turned to the path, then paused, holding up her lantern.

  “One more thing,” she said, the glow casting an eerie light on her face. “I’d avoid taking the train home if I were you, you don’t want to be seen around with an Alsvid, not since they have been declared the property of the army. If you’re seen by a soldier, he’ll take Mandamus from you, you can be sure of that. I can arrange for you to be let out closer to your town, Luco.”

  “Let out?” he asked. “What do you mean, ‘let out’?”

  She grinned and in the shadows her mouth and eyes looked black. “Let out of here. You can’t just leave the realm of the Gates to the Underworld. I have to let you out and I can let you out anywhere in the kingdom I want. Oh, and about Fallow – you can leave him with me. I have a friend who can help him.”

  She dropped her arm and strode up the path, the buzzing from her lamp fading as she went.

  “Oh, great, just great,” whispered Luco, kicking the ground. He stared warily up at Arkas. “Stay here, yeah, no big deal. Just stay out here by the entrance to the afterlife. Is she
crazy? I don’t want to stay here! And I certainly don’t want to stay here with that thing,” he pointed up at Arkas who blew a stream of smoke at him. Luco choked then broke into a fit of coughs. “That bat will murder us in our sleep,” he croaked, eyes watering.

  “Didn’t Samhain say it wasn’t safe up here earlier?” asked Mandamus nervously. “Let’s just go. I’m fine.” He put his weight on his aching hoof and his leg buckled underneath him. He landed on his knee with a painful yelp.

  “Careful, now. We can’t leave,” Luco replied, crouching down for another look at Mandamus’ hoof. “Not tonight anyway, not with your foot like that. If we stay away from that lake, we should be okay.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe this. How the heck did we end up here.”

  “I don’t know,” Mandamus answered. “But If I’m better by tomorrow morning, we’ll go,” He lay down. That felt better.

  “We’ll wake up early and leave before Samhain even gets up,” he said, stretching out his legs.

  “I don’t know, Mandamus,” Luco frowned. “I don’t think your foot is going to be feeling better by tomorrow morning.”

  Mandamus’ eyes blinked sleepily. “You mentioned a cursed naiad. What’s a naiad and how does she taint the water?” he asked through a yawn.

  “Well, the story goes,” Luco started, spreading his sleeping bag back out on the ground. “that in this lake, there is naiad, named Lethe, that’s why they call it the river of Lethe, who was cursed by a powerful river hag called Nadee.”

  “Nadee,” Mandamus whispered with a shiver. He had heard of hags from Daleth, who loved telling him scary stories of how they kidnapped colts and made wigs out of their manes. “Why did this river hag take Lethe’s memory from her?”

  “From what I remember, Lethe went to the hag for help about some naiad guy who said he loved her but then turned out to be married to someone else. Lethe couldn’t bear the heartache and asked Nadee to take all traces of him out of her memory, but Nadee was jealous of Lethe’s beauty and the fact that she had a boyfriend and so she erased her mind completely.”