by Kevin Bolger
‘Why not see where it goes?’ Inara suggested. Pan looked at her with surprise.
‘It could be dangerous.’ She said.
Egyn clapped his hands to get their attention, and then walked to the front of the group. He placed his ferret on the ground. It looked up at Egyn briefly, and then shot under the brush. Egyn turned to Inara and made some signs.
‘Now I guess we wait,’ she announced. ‘Wait for what? Ryel asked curiously but no one replied.
The five children sat on the grass starring at the spot where the ferret had disappeared. Pandora spoke quietly to Inara about the events of last night. Inara then turned to Egyn. The two had a brief conversation in hand talk, the others watching in silence.
‘It appears,’ Inara said, turning back to face the rest of the group, ‘that normally he can shut out the sounds of animals chattering whenever he chooses, but last night…’ Ryel started muttering to himself rather too loudly. ‘I cannot believe they are all listening to this!’ He turned to see that all four were staring at him. Inara continued undeterred.
‘However, arriving at the Black Rock for some reason his head was bursting with the voices of hundreds of creatures.’ She looked at Pandora. ‘That is why he didn’t stop to greet you. He’s not really sure what happened next, but remembers waking up standing next to the rock and the voices had gone.’ Ryel looked at his friends, and then started shaking his head. ‘What? Oh, come on now, you don’t really believe all this.’ He laughed adding, ‘And I bet that is the last you will ever see of that long rat. He is more than likely playing with a mouse.’ He then lay back on the grass shaking his head and laughing loudly.
The sun had moved higher in the sky and they were all getting worried that maybe Ryel could be right.
‘Look! He’s back!’ Shouted Pan, as a small head appeared from under the hedge. Egyn went over and picked the ferret up, then signed to Inara who nodded her head in reply.
‘OK, don’t ask me how he knows, but he said the path leads to a clearing and it’s safe, right, Egyn?’
All four looked at Egyn, who just smiled and scratched his ferret on the head.
Matu placed an arrow onto his bow then turned to Ryel. ‘OK, you know what to do!’
Ryel looked at Egyn suspiciously, and then went over to the bracken. In places, the branches were as thick as a man’s arm. Ryel put his hands together, raising them above his head, and then started smashing his way through the hedge. It fell like dry twigs under his blows. Pandora and Inara stood watching, open- mouthed. It took Ryel only moments to break through.
‘That was amazing!’ Exclaimed Inara.
‘If you don’t mind,’ said Matu, ‘I will scout ahead and call you on.’
Inara was first through after Matu, with Pan close behind. Egyn looked slightly more anxious after he had gotten onto the path.
‘I will guard the rear,’ called Ryel, as the others made their way into the trees. Pan turned to him. ‘Yes, but from what?’ She said with a teasing grin. Ryel looked puzzled, not understanding the joke. ‘Well, when I see something I will let you know!’
Matu had quickly disappeared into the trees. Eventually two whistles came from up ahead. ‘Weep, wheep!’ Inara called out to the rest of the group, ‘It’s safe, let’s catch up.’
The five strolled along the path; it was free from brambles and quite pleasant, the sun rising on the horizon sending beams of light through the wood. They were deep into the trees, the brook crossed their paths again but it was shallow so they cooled their feet before continuing.
Matu had put away his bow and was ambling along when, ‘there!’ Matu pointed to a clearing just ahead of them. Egyn picked up his little pet that had been scampering around at his feet and placed him on his shoulder. ‘That is one clever ferret you have there,’ said Pan.
They walked through the line of trees and into the clearing. It was at least the length of thirty men across. The stone floor was clear of leaves and they could see intricate rune like markings and patterns running across it.
‘I wonder who built this.’ Asked Inara. Pan was the first to notice what some of the markings were.
‘Look, over here,’ she called out. ‘That’s the Sword of Ao-chi from our flag!’
Matu who stood at the opposite end of the clearing shouted back. ‘Ours is here also!’ It appeared all the clans emblems were there. They had laid the carved markings in the shape of a pentagon and in the middle was an ancient map of the Prime-Lands. Also shown was the Silver Lake stretching from the forest’s edge across to Inara’s village.
‘Why is there a map of our land here?’ Ryel asked.
A stone archway stood directly opposite the carved map. It was made of roughly cut stone, jet-black with the same faint aura as the Black Rock. Beneath the arch was a plinth of polished marble, with five small shapes no bigger than a fingernail carved into the top. The five gathered around the stone.
‘It’s beautiful,’ said Inara as she ran her fingers across its smooth surface.
‘Yes, but look,’ Matu said pointedly. ‘No leaves, no dirt. It’s clean, just like the floor.’ ‘I think someone has been here recently, maybe we should…’ Ryel’s voice trailed off as he looked around, a cold chill running up his spine. ‘We should leave, now, and inform our parents!’ The others ignored him too intrigued by what they saw. Egyn stepped forward, took off his leather necklace and showed it to the others. The black jewel on the end was glowing. He placed the black stone neatly into one of the shapes. ‘It fits perfectly!’ Said Matu. They all looked at each other, and their own glowing stones. Inara slowly took off her ring; she touched her temple finding the bruise was still very tender. A flashback from some distant memory, a white light flashing behind her eyes. She placed the stone into the matching shape. The stone on Pandora’s ring was next. Ryel removed his necklace and, after some mutterings about the trouble they would all be in, he too placed his stone onto the plinth.
Matu wore neither ring nor necklace. He sighed loudly then removed the quiver from his shoulder, took out the arrows and put his hand into the bag. The others watched him curiously.
‘I can’t run and hunt with this thing around my neck; it catches on branches or bounces up and hits me in the face!’ Just as Matu was about to place his stone onto the plinth, a huge thunderclap echoed across the valley. The stone sprang from his hand, snapping into place. The ground shook with a rumble, and then just as quickly as it came, subsided. A voice came from inside the archway. ‘So, the moment we have all been waiting for has arrived.’
CHAPTER 6: THE GATEKEEPER
The stone archway had become the entrance to a passageway, brightly lit by flaming torches placed along the wall. The five friends all turned to see who had spoken.
‘This is not possible,’ Ryel mumbled quietly.
‘Oh, believe me, this is all very real, young prince.’ A short figure emerged out of the dark at the end of the passage. Matu raised his bow. ‘Stop there!’ He shouted. Everyone could see the bow shaking in his hands. Pandora stepped forward. ‘Tell us, where is this place? Who are you?’
‘I assure you I mean you no harm,’ said the stranger. ‘You will have plenty of cause to use a bow but not here.’ The figure stepped closer. Inara put her hand on Matu’s arm and he lowered the bow.
‘I am the Gatekeeper.’ He gave a slight bow and, as he came closer, the shadows fell from his face to reveal a young man, not much older than Pandora. He wore a long, red hooded robe, with a white sash tied around his waist.
‘You sound a lot older than you look?’ Remarked Inara.
‘Oh, I am sorry,’ He said, sounding rather puzzled.
‘Is this more suited to my appearance?’ This time it was the voice of a much younger man.
‘Why yes, that’s much better?’ Inara said completely bemused. Ryel came forward, a suspicious look on his face. ‘You said the Gatekeeper, but the Gatekeeper to what? We saw no passage before.’
‘The gates have always been here but hidden for centuries; that is until now, only the Shadow-Fighters can use them.’ They began asking more and more questions, all except Egyn. Pandora noticed he was walking along the arched passage looking at the walls; she went over to see what was there.
‘Oh, look here!’ She called to the others. The arched stonewall had been decorated with what must have been hundreds of images. Battles between people and strange creatures of all sizes. Including flying monsters and strange ghostlike figures that seemed to be looming over the scenes. Pandora pointed out a girl wielding a sword, and a look of amazement came over her face.
‘Ryel,’ she called. ‘That young girl looks like your mother!’ Ryel came closer to examine the painting. ‘Ah, now that,' announced the gatekeeper, with a certain amount of pride in his voice, 'was Princess Aloris.' It must be over four hundred years ago now!’ He laughed aloud. ‘She was a rebel, that one, but one of the cleverest Shadow-Fighters I have known.’ He spoke directly to Pandora. ‘That was your great, great, great, and a few more besides I imagine, grandmother. You have a lot to live up to!’
Pandora looked very surprised. ‘My grandmother? But Aloris is just a story...and why does she look like Ryel’s…’The Gatekeeper interrupted her. ‘Oh, no, not a story. Although, Rithian does tend to get carried away with the details sometimes. You are all related from centuries past; I assumed you all knew that’? He studied their confused expressions. ‘It appears not, oh well you learn something new every day.’
The five friends walked along the passage, looking in awe at the pictures. Unlike the map, not all of the clans, featured in the scenes. Pandora turned to the Gatekeeper. ‘When you said only the Shadow-Fighters could use the gates, surely you didn’t mean us?’
‘Of course, those stones you wear have been passed down from first-born to first-born for generations.’ ‘But why were we not told?’ Asked Ryel. The Gatekeeper turned and beckoned them to the end of the passage.
‘If things had remained the same, then maybe they would still be only myths and legends.’ He turned back to the five friends and pointed to the pictures. ‘Those were the last great battles before the gates were sealed. ‘But alas there has been a breach and one of the Gatekeepers has been taken into the Shadow-Lands.’
‘You’re saying there are more gates, like this one?’ Matu asked.
‘There are five gates into this land, but in the Shadow-Lands there are many more and even I dread to think where they lead.’ Ryel stepped forward. ‘So what can you expect us to do? We are not trained for war, we have to get back, and our parents will be searching for us!’
‘No, they know why you are here.’
‘So how can we help?’ Inara asked.
‘I am glad that you have asked that question Inara. It was the Gatekeeper of your clan who was taken, your gateway remains unguarded and shadows are crossing over.’ He placed his hand on her shoulder.
‘That is why your parents have fallen ill and soon the sickness will spread through the whole of your village.’ He paused and a look of sadness crossed over his face. ‘And then the whole of the Prime-Lands.’
‘But we have no weapons, no maps, and no supplies!’ Shouted Ryel, who was becoming more and more frustrated. ‘I have my bow!’ Matu said.
‘That will be of no use in the Shadow-Lands, but first you have to accept the quest willingly, as did Aloris.’ He turned to Ryel. ‘Your ancestor O’Ryel understood only too well gravity of the task; he gave his life to save the Primelands. I cannot force you to go,’
‘Of course we will help!’ Pandora spoke first. She was surprised at her sudden response.
She turned to the others. ‘You will help… right?’ The rest of the group seemed uneasy. Then Matu walked over to stand next to her. ‘Yes, of course we will,’ he smiled. ‘Come on, what an adventure we will have, and we don’t want our people to become sick!’ Inara agreed. ‘Yes, you are right, we have to go.’ Ryel muttered under his breath, not looking at all happy. Inara went to him. ‘Ryel, you are the strongest of us all, we will need your help. It won’t be the same if you are not with us.’
‘Oh very well.’ Ryel looked at Matu seriously. ‘But if I get killed, I will not be very happy!’
They all looked at Egyn, who nodded his head and then signed to Inara. She translated. ‘He asks what we will do for food.’
‘Oh, there is plenty of food in the Shadow-Lands. There are Inns and taverns just like in your world, and wild animals you can hunt, but you must be careful, the land is controlled by the Shadow-Lords and the people are weary of strangers.’ The Gatekeeper started back to the rear of the passageway. ‘Come! It’s time to prepare!’
At the end of the passage, they reached a small antechamber. On the far wall, a weapons rack. The Gatekeeper went to it and called for Pandora. ‘I assume, being from the royal households, you have all received some training?’ They all nodded. He placed a large scabbard over Pan’s shoulder and buckled it at the front, then pulled a long sword from the rack. The handle was made of wood and the blade pitted and rusted brown. It was half her height, and looked very heavy.
‘I can’t carry that!’ She said. ‘It’s far too big.’
‘Just try it,’ he said calmly, handing the sword to her. It was as light as a feather and perfectly balanced. He turned to the rest of the group. ‘Good, now Inara, if you please.’ He removed a belt containing two long daggers from the rack and tied it around her waist. Ryel was next, but instead of a sword or knife, the Gatekeeper strapped on two armlets. Again, the metal was brown and rusted and looked so old that Ryel was convinced they would fall to pieces. Matu received a small bow and a quiver holding just one arrow, the tip of which was long and like the others, rusted. Egyn received a long slim rope with tiny threads of brown metal running through it. Instinctively, he tied one end into a lasso and put the rope over his shoulder.
‘These weapons and your wits are the only protection you will have in the Shadow-Lands. Remember, the people are not your enemy, just the Shadow-Lords and the beasts they control.’
‘But I have only one arrow!’ said Matu. The Gatekeeper smiled. ‘Have some faith, young warrior. Now you must leave. It is a long journey back to the Silver Lake.’ He gave them each a bag of coins and hooded cloaks. Pandora asked how they would locate the missing Gatekeeper. ‘Hopefully, I will have found where they have taken him by the time you arrive. Now go.’
‘It’s her ’ Inara whispered. ‘Sorry, did you say something?’ The Gatekeeper asked. Inara shook her head. ‘No, nothing, I…’ She rubbed at her temple. ‘I just have this feeling the Gatekeeper is a woman.’ He studied her face briefly. ‘Is that so?’ He replied before hurrying them along the passageway.
‘Time is getting on, so be careful who you trust, and good luck, do try not to bring too much attention to yourselves; if you are approached by any of the shadow demons, you must not let them warn the others.’ He walked them back to the archway and they removed their stones from the plinth.
Inara tied Matu’s stone into a short choker. They turned to say goodbye, but both the Gatekeeper and the passageway were gone.
CHAPTER 7. A NEW MOON
‘So, how do we find this other land?’ Ryel asked. Egyn tugged at his arm and pointed towards the afternoon sky. The sight they saw made everyone gasp. Ryel stumbled back. ‘That’s impossible!’ ‘You keep saying that, my friend,’ laughed Matu, ‘but your eyes are as good as mine.’ The moon now slowly rising above the distant hills was at least twice as big as the one back home. There were also colours to it, shades of blue and green with what looked like a mist covering half of one side.
‘Look, over there’, called Pan. They all gazed at the sun, low in the afternoon sky. It also was a lot bigger than the one back home. ‘That’s odd.’ Inara said. ‘It doesn’t hurt my eyes to look at it.’
‘Well, we had better get moving,’ added Matu. ‘The wood looks similar to the one we just came from. If this land is a mirror
of ours, then we should reach the clearing shortly.’
They set off at a good pace. It was not as overgrown as in the Prime-Lands, and the temperature was cooler. Soon, they could make out the edge of the wood. The bracken was gone and they could see the shallow valley ahead. They were about to exit when Egyn put out his hand and signalled them to stop. ‘What is it?’ Matu asked. Egyn pointed to a small clump of bushes.
‘I can’t see anything,’ said Ryel. Just as he spoke, a small deer darted out from behind the bush and sprinted across their path.
‘It’s only a deer,’ said Pan. Then, from behind the trees on their right came the sound of hooves, becoming heavier and louder. Before they could hide, something raced past them, kicking up dirt and dust then skidding to the left following the deer. ‘What was that?’ Matu asked.
‘I don’t think we want to be around to find out!’ Called Pandora. ‘Let’s move before it returns. It was big, fast and probably has teeth!’
They quickly headed towards the clearing, but whatever had been hunting the deer had decided they were a far easier meal. Its dark outline moved into their path. ‘OK, now what?’ Whispered Pandora. Matu stepped forward. ‘I can take this beast; I have hunted many times’ Ryel came up next to him. ‘I think,’ he said, pointing to the large creature that was now slowly edging its way closer, 'that he has too.' It was about the size of a small bull. Its horns pointed forward, and instead of hooves, this beast had claws. Egyn edged himself to the front, made some hand signals and started moving to the left away from the others.
‘Where is he going?’ asked Pan. ‘He just said, 'be ready',’ answered Inara.
Instinctively, they all drew their weapons and the animal started running towards them. Egyn darted to the left to draw the beast away from the others, but it did not work.
‘Run!’ Shouted Ryel. They all scattered into the trees. The animal stopped and turned slowly, snorting loudly deciding whom of the five who would be the easiest prey, which was its first and last mistake. Matu peered from behind a large tree with his bow raised. It was a clean shot the animal howled briefly and then fell with a thud. The others came out from their hiding places to find Matu searching in the grass.