The Shadow-Fighters

by Kevin Bolger

  Lord Conner and Jai where now within sight of the village boundary, they turned quickly as the stallion came thundering past kicking up earth high into the air. Jai turned to his uncle. 'Like I said, he always turns up in time.' The two men looked at each other smiling. Connor nodded in the direction of the village, immediately Jai kicked his horse to a gallop. Connor lent to his horses ear. 'Come on old girl lets show them what you've got.' The mare, sensing the chase was on, reared up whinnying loudly before setting off after them disappearing into a trail of dust.

  The Mao-chi

  Somewhere deep in the Great Forest, Prince Matu lay beneath a clump of dead leaves. He was only fourteen years of age; nevertheless, was built like a cat and could outrun anyone in his village. He lay quietly; his right arm bent behind his back clutching an arrow, in his left was a short bow. Waiting for the right moment to strike was the most important part of the hunt; his father had repeated this to him on many occasions. Lying beneath the leaves however, Matu sensed something was not right. The forest was unusually quiet; too quiet in fact, not even birdsong, which was odd to say the least.

  Suddenly he found himself being pulled into the air. A hand gripping his ankle tightly.

  ‘You make more noise than a bear dancing to a drum!’ The voice boomed with laughter. Matu dropped his bow and began swiping at the legs of his attacker.

  ‘I can’t see how you found me father!’ Laughed Matu then dropped his arrow also as his father tickled him under the arm. His father was tall and athletic and like his son wore only a leather vest, a short, pleated leather skirt, and a colourful headband to keep the hair out of his eyes.

  ‘You still have much to learn.’ His father laughed dropping him to the ground. ‘But I did everything you taught me!' Matu argued. 'I broke no branches, covered my path, I even rolled in the earth!’

  'Ha! You think I have taught you everything I know?’ He laughed again. ‘My son, even I am still learning!’ With that, he turned and continued though the tree‘s shouting back as he ran. ‘Now let’s move. We have a long way to go before nightfall!’ Matu picked up his bow and replaced his arrow in the quiver; he put his hands on his hips and sighed. ‘One day, old man,’ he called out. ‘I will beat you, one day!’ Then raced after his father, jumping and ducking his way through the trees. The forest once again became quiet and then, they were gone.

  The Maram-chi

  The Maram-chi lived on the Quiet Plains. Flatter than the rest of the Prime-Lands, the Quiet Plains stretched to the edge of Silver Lake three days ride to the south, to the foot of the mountains in the east. They were mostly ironworkers and wore polished armour decorated with ornate designs.

  Ryel, son of the king met Prince Matu during frequent trade journeys and was keen to catch up with him. Although the same age as Matu, Ryel was the complete opposite in appearance. Ryel was dark skinned, thickset and strong as an ox. They had begun their journey to the Black Rock several days earlier due to the distance, they had to travel and Ryel was getting impatient in his saddle. He looked across what seemed like an ocean of green. ‘Father, it has been nearly three days, we should have met with Matu by now!’ His father King Syel shook his head and glanced at his wife. ‘That boy has no sense of time, I am sure of it.’ The king rode back to his son. ‘Remember what I told you, Lord and Prince Matu* are on foot, they do not ride as we do.’ Ryel opened his mouth to speak. ‘And,’ continued his father, ‘they have to travel through part of the great forest where there are many dangers.’ Again, Ryel tried to speak. ‘Furthermore,’ his father began, as he raised his finger and continued until he was pointing towards the horizon, ‘we have only been riding for two and one third of a day. You need to watch the position of the Sun.’ Ryel looked crestfallen, ‘Oh! I am sorry, father, I will try harder.’ The king laughed and slapped his son hard on the back. ‘Don’t worry my son; we have arranged to meet at the traders lodge not far from here. You will meet your friend soon enough.' He then went and rode up ahead to accompany his wife.

  *The Mao-chi always gives the son their father’s name, which could get rather confusing.

  The Sumi-chi

  Four of the adventurers had already started on their journey towards the Black Rock, unaware of what lay ahead. The fifth, Princess Inara of the Sumi-chi, had set sail across the Silver Lake several days earlier. The boat was small but there was enough space for herself, her dappled mare Kiko and two weeks supply of food. Her mother and father had become very ill, and could not make the journey. They had grown thin and their skin was turning grey. Several of the townspeople were also falling to the mysterious sickness. Inara decided it was her duty to make it to the Black Rock and the gathering. Maybe someone there could help her parents and the villagers. The people of the Sumi-chi clan lived on the shores of the great lake. The fishing and sailing boats moored up to the small jetties, bobbed in the water. There was a narrow stone and shale beach; the nets hanging over sun-bleached branches to dry looked like giant spider-webs.

  The lake itself was immense, running into the sea at its westernmost point. The larger of the fishing boats often made the long trip into the deep ocean waters where the fishing was always good. Wooden huts spread out from the shore in no particular order. A typical house was round with a low, thatched roof that extended out beyond the walls. They were simple buildings, the same design as in the other villages. The only obvious differences being that these houses where on stilts. As every full moon, the tidal waters would rise up much higher than usual and flood the village. This was a delight for the children, as they would spend all day leaping into the water from their windows and rooftops.

  At the rear of the settlement one building stood out, it was much larger and rose up higher than the other huts. Inara lived here with her parents; she was fifteen and very pretty. The other children of the village flocked to her like sheep. Often she could be seen, out on the lake sailing her small boat singing to herself. Recently however, she had become worried for her parents and had set plans in motion.

  Three weeks before the Gathering Inara had called on her closest friends to meet with her, telling them it was of the utmost importance. A small group of children crouched under the decking of Inara’s home muttering to one another.

  ‘What do you think she wants?’ Asked a skinny, fair-haired boy. Tiere, the eldest of the group sat on a crossbeam swinging her legs, she answered airily. ‘How should I know, but it must be important as she asked me first and I am her best friend.’ The other children looked at each other and started sniggering.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ She asked. Kai, a burly youth with a mass of jet-black hair, stood up, banging his head on the floorboards as he did. ‘Ow!’ ‘It’s not a competition, Tiere, she asked all of us to come.’ He quickly sat back down rubbing his head. Tiere was about to argue back when a voice whispered out of the shadows. ‘What’s not a competition?’ They all turned as Inara came stooping under her hut to join them. A girl; looking no older than five, ran over and threw her arms around her neck.

  ‘Hello, Pria,’ whispered Inara. ‘What are they arguing about now?’

  Pria giggled. Inara sat down and placed the toddler on her lap. ‘No one is supposed to know we are here and I could hear you from over by the stables.’ The group sat silently as Inara continued. ‘Remember my parents are just above.’ Kai, whose parents were also starting to show signs of the sickness, asked how they were feeling. Inara’s face fell.

  ‘They can’t get out of bed now. They are too weak, which is why I asked you all to come. I need your help.’

  ‘But how can we help?’ Tiere asked. ‘We do not know what is wrong with them... no one knows.’ Inara announced quite calmly. ‘I’m going to the gathering.’ Kai stood up as he spoke, again banging his head.

  ‘You can’t, it’s too far, and you would never make it.’ Tiere reluctantly agreed with him. ‘He is right, Inara. It is too dangerous, there are bandits in the mountains and then there is the forest and…’ Inara held up her han
d. ‘It is too late; I've made up my mind. You can either choose to help me or not.’

  ‘There’s a problem,’ It was the skinny blonde boy. They all turned waiting for him to continue.

  ‘Inara, I sail the lake as do you, we both know it would take three whole days and two nights to cross and you will need to sleep.’ Inara smiled knowingly. ‘Oh, that’s easy.’

  ‘Easy?’ Interrupted Kai rather louder than he should. ‘But if you fall asleep, the boat could drift anywhere the wind takes it ...you might end up at sea!’ Kai was getting louder again. Inara shushed at him then whispered, ‘I’ve been sailing the lake for years and one thing I have learned is…’ She gave Pria a little hug. 'The wind only blows towards the Quiet Plains, it never changes, I don’t know why but it never changes.’ Kai still looked confused. Inara sighed. ‘So, I only have to point the boat, set the sail then tie off the tiller and the boat will steer itself, it's simple!’ She looked around the bemused faces of her friends. ‘Oh, will you all trust me, please!’ ‘I have to do this,’ she pleaded. ‘I can’t wait ten more years for the next meeting who knows what harm the sickness may do?’ The other children still did not seem convinced. ‘If it helps I will leave notes to your parents saying I gave you orders to help me so you won’t get into any trouble.’

  ‘Inara, you couldn’t order a fish to swim!’ Laughed Kai. The others joined in giggling, this seemed to break the tension and then one by one they all agreed to help her prepare.

  Late one evening Inara was out riding along the beach. Troubled about the journey ahead, she looked out across the lake. ‘Oh, Kiko,’ she sighed ‘I wish there were someone who could help us.’ It was a clear and still night, the sky full of stars. Inara closed her eyes and imagined she was standing on the Quiet Plains calling out to anyone who might be listening. She patted her horse and slowly made her way back to the stables.

  CHAPTER 2: THE LAKE

  On the day of her journey, Inara silently crept out of the hut hours before dawn. Collected Kiko from the stables then guided the horse down the gangplank and onto the boat then pushed off into the blackness. It won’t be too long on the water,’ she said in a calming voice, but the horse was nervous and twice tried to jump from the boat. Nevertheless, Inara eventually managed to settle her horse down. After setting the sail, she pointed the bow towards the Quiet Plains then tied off the tiller. They both lay down on the soft hay. Inara sang a quiet song to her horse while stroking her neck.

  Several hours passed. Kiko had remained remarkably calm, whinnying only a few times whilst asleep. Inara was so tired but unable to relax. Glancing back, she could see the shoreline of her village slowly disappearing into the mist. There had been a steady breeze earlier, which had now subsided. She knew they would be well ahead of any scouts her parents may send after her.

 

  The water had become calmer now, the ripples gently lapping against the sides of the boat. Inara felt incredibly small; from here, she could see the enormity of the lake and of the task that lay ahead. This was the furthest she had ever ventured alone. The lake took on an eerie silence; a sense of panic was starting to rise from the pit of her stomach. She felt cold and her hands started shaking, something was out there she could sense it. Inara’s lip was trembling and her eyes started to well up. Suddenly the boat lurched to one side, as a swell of water passed underneath. Inara let out a small startled scream then boat settled once again in the dead calm water. Strangely, Kiko had not stirred, though Inara could see she was breathing rapidly, steam rising out of her nostrils. Inara was gripping the side of the boat.

  ‘Come on Inara, get a hold of yourself,’ she said aloud. ‘OK, first check the tiller.’ She got up from the seat and turned to the rear of the boat. Without warning, the boat once again lurched sideways. Inara lost her footing and fell backwards, catching her head on the side of the wooden bench. Then everything went black.

  She awoke to find herself sitting at the bow of the boat, a dull ache throbbing in her head. As she rubbed her temple, she could see dark shadows gliding across the surface of the lake. Kiko was still asleep, but seemed more relaxed. Sitting at the stern, a hand resting gently on the tiller was a young woman wearing a flowing white dress. Her eyes were large, the pupils jet-black. Silver hair fell down around a face of white and grey dappled skin. ‘How are you feeling?’ The mysterious figure asked.

  ‘My head hurts,’ replied Inara, again glancing at the shadows that were still darting back and forth across the lake. ‘Don’t worry about them; they are not strong enough to hurt you here.’ Inara looked at the sleeping horse, and then to the stranger. ‘Are you my horse?’ She asked. The woman smiled warmly. ‘No, not exactly, I’m just…’ she thought for a moment. ‘I’m just borrowing her, for the time being,’

  ‘I must apologize for panicking when I first came onto the boat, but I find water so very strange, don’t you?’ Inara listened while watching the figures flitting across the lake. ‘What are they?’ She asked. The dark shadows were now venturing closer and closer to the boat.

  ‘Shadow demons, small ones but still very dangerous.’

  ‘Shadow demons?’ Replied Inara curiously. ‘Oh, from the stories of course, then I must be dreaming.’ With that Inara smiled and relaxed into the bow of the boat. ‘I never asked your name, I am Inara.’ ‘Yes, I know who you are,’ the woman replied ‘I have been watching you for a long time, I am the Gatekeeper,’ then added, ‘I meant to say I was the Gatekeeper.’ Then I will call you Kiko, like my horse,’ Inara suggested. ‘If that’s OK with you?’ The Gatekeeper laughed. ‘Yes, that would be nice.’ She said the name to herself. ‘Kiko, I rather like the sound of that, thank you, Inara.’ She glanced across the lake briefly to watch the shadows then turned back to Inara.

  ‘There are some important things I must tell you, some you will only remember when the time is right.’ Inara, who was starting to enjoy her dream, smiled then leant over the side of the boat and trailed her hand in the water. Kiko began talking. ‘The Shadow-Lords have taken my body beyond this land; fortunately my light escaped and found refuge in your horse.’ Inara giggled to herself. ‘I have a talking horse.’ The Gatekeeper continued. ‘You possess a gift, Inara, as do your friends and in time you will all realize your powers, some already have.’ Inara, who was still trailing her hand in the water, replied dreamily, ’That’s very nice.’ Kiko stood up and walked past the sleeping horse towards the bow. Whispering in an ancient language, she placed her fingers on Inara’s forehead. Inara's eye's closed again as the ring on her finger started to glow, faintly at first then more and more until it shone like a tiny sun. Its light spread out across the lake and touched the shadows, which turned to dust in the air. Inara woke with a start.

  ‘Ow!’ She shouted and quickly pulled off the ring dropping it to the wooden decking. The stone was as black as always. She hesitated in picking it up but finding it to be cold placed it back on her finger. She was now sitting back at the tiller, Kiko snorted loudly at her. ‘Oh, I am so sorry. You must be hungry.’ She bent down to reach under the bench but had to steady herself, her head was still throbbing. Inara pulled out a large hessian sack stuffed with hay and grain. She filled a nosebag and tied it around the horse’s neck. She whispered into her ear. ‘Kiko, are you there?’ The horse grunted and continued to feed noisily. Inara laughed aloud. ‘Oh, you stupid girl, Inara, I think you knocked yourself silly.’

  She sat back down, absent-mindedly playing with the black stoned ring, soon realizing she too was very hungry. After eating some fruit, bread and cheese, she watered Kiko, scooped up the droppings, and threw them over the side. ‘Kiko, that smells awful, you’re lucky I love you or I would ask you to swim to the other side!’ She leant over to wash her hands in the water, looking towards where the northern shore would eventually come into view; a dark outline was emerging in the distance.

  ‘No, that can’t be right! I can’t have been asleep for that long!’ She dried her hands and climbed up onto the boom f
or a better view. There to the northeast she could see the silhouette of the mountains, their peaks lost in the clouds. Inara shook her head; something strange was going on, that was certain. However, it would take several more days before she would realize just how strange.

  Around the same time, Princes Matu and Ryel had met on the trade route. They were already good friends and very excited to see each other. They talked constantly about their hunting trips into the forest, which of them had caught the biggest fish, girls and of course the Valley of the Black Rock.

  ‘They say the valley is enchanted! Do you think it’s true?’ Asked Matu.

  ‘I don't listen to fairy-tales, it’s just a meeting ground and has been for centuries,’ replied Ryel, who was always very serious. ‘So,’ he continued, ‘have you chosen a bride yet?’ Matu stopped eating and looked up at his friend before bursting into laughter. ‘I’m only sixteen years old, why would I be choosing a wife?’ Ryel did not seem to see why it was so funny. ‘But when we return from the Black Rock, it will be expected of us. I have narrowed my choices down to three suitable girls.’ Matu fell to his knees holding his sides, tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘Three suitable girls!’ He laughed loudly. ‘Ryel, you are so funny!’ Ryel shook his head solemnly. ‘I think I was being quite serious!’ Then continued to finish his meal as Matu, continued laughing uncontrollably.

  CHAPTER 3: CAPTAIN GHENK

  Deep into the Great Forest, five young horsemen rode slowly through the trees. Each wore dark brown travelling cloaks that extended down to cover their legs, and a short peaked cap with a white feather on either side to indicate rank. The horses were laden with bed- rolls and other equipment intended for a long trek.