The Shadow-Fighters

by Kevin Bolger

  Captain Ghenk, at only twenty-one years of age, was the youngest captain in the guard. The shield slung over his back displayed the clenched fist of the Maram-chi clan. He held up his hand and the other riders behind him came to a slow halt. One of the four turned to his friends, shrugged his shoulders then addressed his captain. ‘So are you any wiser as to whom or even what we are looking for?’

  Captain Ghenk sighed, and then answered in a quiet voice. ‘I have told you, Tobin, it’s not that simple, one more day I promise, then we shall head back.’ The other riders muttered loudly to each other. Tobin edged his horse alongside Ghenk. ‘What is it, cousin?’ He asked. ‘You look troubled.’ He glanced back over his shoulder. ‘It’s been nearly three days the men need to know, I need to know what we are doing here.’ Captain Ghenk continued to stare deep into the trees. ‘To be honest, I’m not really sure; I just feel we need to be here, I can’t explain it.’ He then turned his horse and rode over to the rest of the party. ‘How far is the lake from here?’ One of the men pointed to the south.

  ‘About half a day’s ride. My father and I used to go there on hunting trips.’ Ghenk checked the position of the sun. ‘Are you sure it is that way?’ The man nodded, then added, ‘We passed a ravine earlier; it’s an old river bed that leads to the lake.’ Suddenly Tobin shouted. ‘Captain! Over there, moving fast but I can’t really tell…’ Ghenk quickly came up next to him. ‘Show me! What did you see?’

  The two men peered into the trees. ‘There!’ Tobin called, and pointed to where they could just make out flashes of white between the trees and the pounding of hooves. Without hesitating, Ghenk kicked his horse into a full gallop and raced after the rider. Tobin set off with the other riders to try to cut off the rider’s path.

  Ghenk was gaining on the rider, he could hear a muffled voice shouting to the horse and realized very quickly that they were heading towards the ravine.

  ‘Yah! Yah!’ He urged his horse on faster, the low branches whipped across his chest, nearly knocking him to the ground.

  ‘Pull up!’ he yelled. ‘Pull up!’ He could see the rider was only holding on by one hand, the other shielding their face from the branches. The ravine was getting closer, he had to act quickly or they would both be lost over the edge.

  A thick line of trees separated him from the other horse. Ghenk pulled his shield round and raised it to protect his face, then turned his horse directly into the trees. The branches smashed apart as he forced his way through. The rider was directly ahead of him maybe two horse lengths away; with one more surge forward, he came alongside and grabbed the horse’s reins.

  ‘Whoa there, whoa!’ He steered the horse away from the edge of the steep ravine and brought them all to a halt. The horse, still spooked, repeatedly tried to pull away.

  ‘It’s OK, Kiko; it’s OK, shush now.’ Inara stroked Kiko’s neck until she settled, then looked to the young rider. ‘Thank you, I do not know what happened, but something made her panic and I could not control her. I…’ She paused. Ghenk was staring at Inara, his mouth agape, almost whispering he said.

  ‘It’s you. I thought I was going mad, but it’s really you?’ Inara looked back blankly. ‘I’m sorry, do I know you? I don’t believe we’ve met before.’

  ‘No, well, I’m not sure, I think…’ Ghenk realized he was babbling. He composed himself, and made a proper introduction. ‘I am Captain Ghenk of the Maram-chi.’ He nodded politely noticing the large bruise on the side of her head. ‘Are you all right? Your face is badly bruised.’ Inara, who was pulling leaves and small twigs out of her hair, replied, ‘Yes, I’m fine captain, it’s nothing really.’ She looked to her left and for the first time noticed the steep ravine. ‘Thank you once again it appears you just saved my life, I am

  Inara of the Sumi-chi.’ Ghenk looked surprised.

  ‘Sumi-chi, then where are the rest of your party, they must be worried?’ Inara lowered her head, looking away from his gaze. ‘There is no one else, I’m travelling alone.’

  ‘What, all the way from Silver Lake?’ Ghenk sounded impressed. The sound of hooves signalled the arrival of Tobin and the other soldiers.

  ‘I see you have found your prize, captain!’ Laughed Tobin. ‘Are you not going to introduce us?’ Ghenk turned his horse towards the rest of the party. ‘Yes of course, Sergeant Tobin may I present Inara, of the Sumi-chi, it seems our intrepid young rider has set out alone.’ He turned back to Inara and began shaking his head before continuing his introductions. ‘One can only wonder why anyone would even attempt such a foolish task.’ Tobin watched Inara closely, before raising his cap. ‘Princess Inara, it is indeed an honour.’ The rest of the party nodded respectfully. Captain Ghenk quickly raised his cap. ‘My apologies, your highness, I never…’

  ‘Oh, stop please.’ Said Inara. She had turned bright red with embarrassment. ‘I can do without all that nonsense, it is just Inara.’ Ghenk turned back to his cousin. ‘Could you excuse us for two minutes, sergeant?’ Tobin smiled back at his cousin. ‘Of course, captain.’ Tobin and the other riders turned their horses away.

  ‘Take your time,’ he continued, ‘it’s not like we are in any hurry.’ Inara could hear the tone in his voice, but found it quite amusing.

  The pair sat in an awkward silence for a brief moment, Ghenk staring at his saddle. Inara suddenly blurted out. ‘What did he mean by 'your prize? ‘Ghenk started to look extremely uncomfortable.

  ‘And also,’ she added, ‘you acted as though you knew me, why was that?’ Captain Ghenk removed his cap. ‘Look, I know this may sound strange, I cannot believe it myself, but…’He looked directly at her. ‘I had a dream that you would be here.’ Inara’s eyes widened. ‘You had a dream, about me?’

  ‘Yes, it was almost a week ago,’ Ghenk added. ‘You were standing on the shores of the great lake and said you needed my help.’ Inara’s heart was pounding in her chest; she nodded as he spoke. ‘Yes, I remember now, but I have no idea how, all this could happen?

  Ghenk continued to explain how he had been having the same dream every night. Then had set off with no idea as to why or where he was going. Inara mentioned that she was also having some very strange experiences.

  They rode back to join Tobin and the others, Inara telling him of her parents plight and her decision to attend the gathering. As they approached Tobin and the other men, Ghenk made an announcement.

  ‘So it is decided, I will escort you as far as the low valley; from there it is only half a day’s ride to the gathering place.’ Turning to Tobin, he gave orders for them to return home and take three days leave of duty. Inara blushed again as she thanked him for his help. Tobin and Ghenk said their goodbyes, and then the two new friends set off together. Side by side on the long journey towards the Black Rock.

  CHAPTER 4: THE VALLEY OF THE BLACK ROCK

  Pandora ran to the top of the hill, the Ao-chi Clan lived closest to the valley and she was excited to see if they were first to arrive. The sight astounded her.

  ‘Oh, it’s beautiful!’ She said.

  ‘Oh! So now you’re glad you came then?’ Asked her father. In the centre of the small wooded valley was a shining black rock as big as the huts that surrounded it. It seemed to create an aura and gave a warm glow to the surroundings.

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said, still gazing at the view. ‘But you said it was just a rock! And there are streams and the most beautiful flowers…’ She paused, tilting her head to one side. ‘That cannot be, a silver tree?’ She asked. Her mother laughed. 'No, it's just the sun on its bark; it’s called a silver birch'

  ‘There is a lot more to this valley than meets the eye,’ her father said, ‘and it is our duty to keep it that way.’ He continued down the hill. ‘Let’s get the horses to the pool. They must be tired and need rest.’ Pan looked at her mother. ‘What did father mean by it’s our duty?

  ‘He is saying that we must take care of the land, that’s all.’ She patted her daughter’s hand. ‘Come. Let’s help your father.’ Pandora
started back down the hill, as she did something caught her eye. ‘Wait, did you see that?’ ‘What is it, Pan?’ ‘Over there at the edge of the wood, I’m sure there was someone there! An old man, I think.’ ‘I don’t see anything. It was probably just a deer.’

  ‘No it was too tall, I’m sure.’ ‘Shush, Pan,’ whispered her mother. ‘Keep very still.’ Pandora gripped her mother’s arm tightly. The branches rustled and slowly a pure white stallion appeared from the edge of the wood. Pan’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. It was the most beautiful animal she had ever seen. Its body seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Her mother smiled. ‘Well, you really are very lucky, in fact we both are.’ Pan could not take her eyes off the horse. ‘Why is that?’ She whispered. ‘That, my dear, is a Guardian, the rarest animal on the whole of the Prime-Lands.’ The stallion looked up as if he knew they were there, then turned and slowly disappeared back into the wood.

  ‘Why are they called Guardians?’ Pandora asked as they turned and continued back down the hill.

  ‘I’m not really sure.’ Her mother thought for a moment and then added, ‘Only a few have ever been seen but they are always at the sacred places, like here.’ Pandora asked her mother, curiously, ‘So there are more rocks, like this one?’ ‘So I am told, yes. There is a legend that, in the belly of the Great Snake,’ she pointed towards the forest in the distance, ‘there is another, only bigger and even more magical than this one.’ She turned to her daughter and, holding both her hands, spoke softly. ‘Maybe it will only be found by someone who is destined to find it?’

  Several hours passed. Pan was helping her mother to clean out the wooden huts; she could see they were very old.

  ‘Did father come here when he was a boy?’ She asked.

  ‘Oh yes, and your grandfather and his mother before him and so on for as long as anybody can remember.’ Pan heard shouting from outside. ‘Sounds like we have visitors,’ said her mother.

  ‘Why don’t we go and greet them with your father?’ The two women left the hut to see who else had arrived.

  ‘Oh! Greetings to you both, how was your journey? Safe, I hope?’ Asked Pan’s father. He held the horses steady as the guests dismounted. The King and Queen of the Chang-chi clan had arrived with their son, Egyn. The two families greeted each other warmly. Pan looked at the small, red-haired boy. He was sitting on the biggest horse she had ever seen, cross-legged, stroking a ferret and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

  Pan’s father looked at Egyn and laughed. ‘Lord Connor that is a mighty steed your son rides. When you said he had a way with the beasts, you were not wrong!’ Egyn uncrossed his legs and the horse knelt down. He slid off and placed the ferret on the ground. The horse walked to the brook that flowed through the valley and drank from the clear water, while the ferret scampered off towards the woods.

  Pandora thought she should introduce herself, then, on seeing the dust and dirt all over her dress began brushing the worst of it off. ‘Oh never mind, it will have to do.’

  She approached the small group announcing proudly. 'I am Pandora of the Ao-chi.' Egyn had already started towards her, Pandora held out her hand as Egyn walked straight past and disappeared inside a hut. ‘Well, how very rude! ‘Exclaimed Pandora. Lord Connor laughed he went to Pandora and took both her hands. ‘Well, Princes Pandora, you have grown,’ he winked at Pans father, ‘you were just a scrawny little girl last time we met.’ Pan gave a regal curtsy.

  ‘King O’Ban must be fighting off suitors from the door!’ Pandora stood up; she had turned bright pink, gave another small curtsy then quickly made her way back to the hut muttering to herself.

  ‘Scrawny little girl indeed... Fighting off suitors from the door...I have never been so...’ She paused as smile slowly forced itself from her lips.

  It was late evening when two more parties arrived. After more greetings between the old friends. King Syel of Maram-chi Clan informed King O'Ban that there had been no sign yet of Inara’s parents. Matu and Ryel watered the horses, and then headed towards Pandora who had been watching from the steps of her hut.

  ‘You must be Pandora?’ Ryel asked. Pandora nodded and was about to give another curtsy when Ryel lunged forward and gave her a big hug. ‘Oh!’ She said with surprise. I am Ryel of the Maram-chi and this is my good friend Matu from the Mao-chi. I think we are destined to be good friends!’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ laughed Matu. ‘He always talks like that but I think he is right.’ Matu and Ryel joined Pan on the wooden steps. ‘So, is everyone here?’ Matu asked. Pan sat down next to her new friends.

  ‘I am not sure, the Chang-chi from across our border arrived earlier with a very rude boy who didn’t even have the courtesy to say hello!’

  ‘Oh that would be Egyn,’ said Ryel. ‘He doesn’t talk. My father visited their clan several years ago,’ Matu added. ‘The people there say he can communicate with any animal, he’s quite amazing.’

  ‘Oh, it’s all nonsense,’ added Ryel, shaking his head.

  The sun was slowly disappearing below the tree line. Ryel said he was tired and would see them both in the morning. Pandora and Matu agreed and were about to leave when Egyn came bursting out of the hut opposite, he ran a few steps before slipping to the ground. They could see he was breathing heavily; he got up slowly, not taking his eyes off the edge of the wood. The three looked too each other, in the silence, they could just about hear their parents talking over by the campfire.

  Egyn turned and started to walk slowly towards the Black Rock.

  ‘Shall I see if he is hurt?’ Matu asked in a hushed voice. Pandora shook her head.

  ‘Let’s wait.’ In the half-light, the Rock still seemed to have a faint glow around it. Egyn stood up close and waited as if listening for something. Suddenly, he slapped his hand to the rock. As he did, birds shot out from the trees, hundreds of them scattering in all directions. The horses by the brook all started whinnying and stamping their hooves. The three friends jumped with fright. Egyn still had his hand on the rock when he seemed to ‘wake up’. He looked around to see the others watching, he walked slowly back to his hut and disappeared inside.

  ‘What was that all about, then?’ Matu asked. Pandora turned at Ryel. ‘You still think it’s all nonsense?’ They decided it best to say goodnight and leave the parents to their talking.

  CHAPTER 5: NO TURNING BACK

  The next morning, all were awake at sunrise, keen to explore the mysterious valley. Matu came running into Ryel’s hut.

  ‘You seem very eager this morning, young warrior.’ King Syel stood up and went over to Matu, who bowed. ‘Oh, come now, none of that nonsense here my lad. Still no sandals, I see. You must have feet like leather!’ He ruffled Matu’s hair and left the two boys alone. Ryel came from the back room. ‘What’s the hurry? I have not eaten yet.’ Matu grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to the door. ‘Would you like me to follow you?’ Ryel asked. ‘Yes, come quick! You have to see this!’ They left the hut and headed towards the stream, Ryel noticed a dappled mare had joined the other horses.

  Egyn was sitting next to a beautiful young girl with long golden hair braided into a ponytail. Egyn was moving his hands and fingers; the young girl did the same. Doves, small birds and even butterflies were coming and going, landing on each of them. The girl giggling loudly.

  ‘That would be Princess Inara, you can close your mouth now,’ he said to his friend. ‘And it looks like

  Egyn is quite taken with the new arrival.’ The two boys headed towards the pool, Pandora joined them on their way. When she saw another girl had arrived, she clapped her hands with delight. ‘Oh At last!’ She said, and pushed past the boys.

  Egyn and Inara stood up together as she approached. The birds scattered and flew straight into her path. Ryel and Matu laughed as they walked past. They introduced themselves, then all turned to watch

  Pandora frantically trying to shoo away the birds. Egyn went over and took her hand, the birds then disappeared back into the trees.r />
  Pandora’s mother came over and asked to speak to Inara privately. After a few minutes, she hugged Inara and sent her back to join the others. ‘What was all that about?’ Pan asked.

  ’Mother and Father were too ill to travel, so I came alone… well, some of the way.’

  ‘That was extremely brave of you,’ said Ryel.

  ‘Brave, no, it’s fantastic!’ Said Matu. Pan linked arms with Inara. ‘Come; tell us about your journey, we want to know everything! And how did you learn to… oh, you know…’ She made some signs as Egyn had done.

  ‘Oh! Hand talk. Well the woman who taught Egyn is from our village so she taught me some but not all, I am still learning.’

  The five new friends strolled slowly as Inara re-told the story of how she had travelled for nearly six days to reach the gathering, and of the handsome soldier who had not only escorted her through the forest but also saved her life.

  Not too long after, they reached a thick bracken that ran round the edge of the clearing separating it from the wood.

  ‘Let’s go this way,’ suggested Matu, and he headed off towards a small brook that emerged from the trees. ‘Yes, that is where I saw a Guardian only yesterday!’ said Pan.

  ‘A Guardian!’ Exclaimed Inara. ‘Oh, was it beautiful? I bet it was!’ The two girls walked ahead, deep in conversation. Egyn’s ferret had returned and was sitting on his shoulder. Ryel shook his head, laughing, and then turned to Matu. ‘A Guardian indeed. They are not even real. I think it was probably just a deer.’

  They had been walking for some time enjoying the sun then after crossing the shallow brook, something caught Matu’s eye. He knelt down at the edge of the wood. ‘Look!’ He said, pointing to the ground.

  ‘What is it? Enquired Ryel joining him. ‘Oh it’s just some old stones.’ Pandora came to get a closer look. ‘No, they have shaped sides! It could be a path.’ Matu started brushing aside the leaves and twigs and discovered Pan was right.

  ‘I think some time has passed since this was last used,’ said Matu.