“I’m sure you are right,” I agreed cheerily.
The Captain confirmed with a nod before kicking the flanks of his horse and speeding off along the road at a gallop.
The rest of that day we rode hard, only stopping a couple of more times before the sun was forced to give up its journey in preparation for the approach of night.
Camp was made near a grove of trees not far from the road. Once again Hawshore took the reins of Storm and cared for the horses, while Lokain to my surprise proved to be a valuable asset when it came to the evening meal. Not only did he build a roaring fire that successfully kept the warmth in our bones, and the darkness at bay, but also took it upon himself to create a tasty meal for all who were present.
Even so, little was said that night, and that which was spoken between us tended to concern the local happenings of the south-east, of which I had little interest.
Setting a watch and taking it in turns, myself included, the night passed without incident. The beasts of the forests and the hills rarely travelled near the roads of man and generally stayed well clear of them, especially if a roaring fire was also in effect.
When dawn arrived, we broke camp to continue our journey. If we kept at this pace, we would reach the Capital the day after the next. On our second day's travel, we arrived at the Guardian Grove, the great central forest of southern Kantaria.
Captain Salford and his men did not hesitate to enter the forest that had a reputation for being less than savoury. Following their lead, my world suddenly dimmed, as the forest’s darkness closed in about me. With the smell of the earth strong in the air we rode deeper into the dense woodland, and while small animals scurried away at our approach, I tried to recall the story of how the forest had acquired its name.
As I remember, it originated from the tale of a local woodcutter who claimed that late one night whilst camping in the forest, he was visited by a shimmering being of intense white light. The being then took shape and form of a beautiful earthly woman who declared that she was the Guardian of the Grove and that no man should cut the trees within her forest or else shall suffer her wrath.
Myth and nonsense as far as I was concerned! But for as long as I can remember woodcutters never visited these trees. As for those that had built the road, I cannot say. The Guardian Grove extended for many miles in all directions, and it would take the rest of this days travel to pass through to its other side. Although there was a safer route to be had this way was by far the quickest, the only real problem being that sometimes those who entered, never returned.
To be honest, I would not have taken this route if I had been alone. I felt that I had enough trouble avoiding danger when I encountered it, let alone going looking for it when I had none! In my experience, the more death-defying situations you allowed yourself to be in, the more likely that death would be sooner, rather than a later occurrence. Since I was a skilled swordsman, I was not afraid of battle when the need arose. I have dealt death to many of those who would deal me the same hand. But if at all possible I always try achieving my goals without facing my conflicts. Still, it did no harm to keep a watchful eye on the trees, as they seemed to be keeping a watchful eye back!
We had travelled no more than two miles into the Grove, when rounding the next bend I noticed something large in the road ahead. The Captain gestured for us to slow, and as we neared, I saw it to be a horseless wagon that was embedded with arrows and lying on the road on its side. Clothes and other belongings were also visible. They lay torn and muddy and continued in a trail towards a grassy clearing that led off to the road on our right. Following the trail with my eyes, I soon came to realise we were no longer alone.
Three men stood in the clearing’s centre.
Two of the men were on foot and appeared to be arguing over a chest of some sort, each had a hold of one end of the chest and were pulling it in their respective directions. The third was on horseback and was currently holding a garment up to the light as if to inspect it. Apparently, the three were too preoccupied to notice our arrival.
Scanning the ground a short distance away from the trio of men, something had caught my eye there. As soon as I focused I realised that there were, in fact, two bodies half hidden by the grass there, the bodies lay unmoving.
It was then that the man on the horse lowered the garment and instantly noticed us.
At this point, two things happened simultaneously.
Captain Salford had judged the scene for himself. He had already drawn his sword and raised it high above his head. This must have been a signal for Hawshore and Lokain as they did the same, then just before the three of them left me standing by the roadside alone, they screamed a battle cry and set off at a charge towards the men.
At the same time, the two men who had been arguing over the chest had dropped it. One quickly picked up what looked to be a bow, whilst the other man caught the light of the morning’s sun by unsheathing a sword.
As for the man on horseback, he had taken something from his side and raised it to his lips. The shrill blast of a horn that followed carried loudly on the wind.
The Captain and his men were already half way across the clearing when two new riders suddenly burst from the tree line to give chase to the Captain’s flanks! Salford and his men were totally unaware of this new threat and were now in serious trouble. Being on the road, I must have been invisible to these new reinforcements.
I would have gladly let the three armoured soldiers do battle with a trio of bandits. Two of them were on foot anyway! But now since these others had decided to join the fray, it had evened up the odds a bit.
With a heavy sigh, I decided to act.
Shouting a war cry of my own, I kicked Storm into a gallop and headed for the new attackers. My challenge was met when one of the riders wheeled his horse about to face me. This left the other to continue with his pursuit of Salford and his men.
Taking Storm’s reins in my left hand, I used my right to free my crossbow that was fastened to my leg. My target was about sixty paces in front of me and was charging fast. He had drawn his sword and now held it in front of him, its blade pointed level with my chest.
Damn! I cursed remembering the buckler shield secured to Storm’s flanks. Reaching for it now would just be foolhardy.
Risking a quick glance past my oncoming foe, I saw the new rider had now joined the melee in the centre of the clearing. The clang of steel upon steel rang throughout the air. I am sure Salford was able to take care of his own. Besides I had more pressing engagements to concern myself with at present. With just twenty paces to spare I raised my crossbow at the last, aimed and fired. The bandit rider upon seeing my aim wheeled and turned his horse to avoid my mark. As always, as soon as my one shot was spent, I abandoned my crossbow to the ground in favour of my sword. With our horses now too far apart to connect with our steel, we passed by one another harmlessly. Although upon turning Storm back to face the rider I was pleased to discover my crossbow bolt protruding from his upper right shoulder. Blood now trickled from the leather tunic that he wore.
The man’s hate-filled eyes went from the bolt in his flesh and back to me.
“BASTARD!” he swore.
I thought it quite a good shot, although I had been aiming for his heart!
After changing the hand which held his sword, my opponent kicked the flanks of his horse and charged again.
Urging Storm on, I took up his challenge.
The bandit’s blade swung downwards as our horses met. Parrying it to the side with my own, he quickly decided to thrust his next attack as our horses continued to circle.
The thrust was pathetic. Not only had this man just been shot in the shoulder, but he then decides he can best me without the use of his sword arm!
Blocking the attack, I pushed hard with my sword and managed to swing his blade far to the right. He was now open for attack! Quickly taking advantage of the situation, I brought my own sword diagonally downwards in a striking motion across the man�
�s chest. The man screamed in pain as my blade bit flesh.
My strike would have been a fatal one if it had not been for our horses breaking apart at the last moment. As it happened, my blade had only cut a little way into his skin. At least it had given him something to remember me by.
The Raider slumped forward upon his horse a little way away from me, when he suddenly, and unexpectedly conceded defeat by dropping his sword, grabbing the reins of his mount, and kicking off to a gallop heading in any direction he saw fit.
I watched him sway in his saddle as he went, then sheathing my sword I turned my attention back to where the Captain had ridden. As I looked, I saw the figure of a man fall from a horse to the ground. I quickly tallied the three remaining riders to be the Captain and his men.
Retracing my steps I quickly found the place where I had dropped my crossbow. Finding it in the grass, I noticed that it had chip mark on the trigger handle that had not been there before, probably due to the impact it received when hitting the ground. I made a mental note not to keep dropping it everywhere I went, as it was starting to look a lot worse for wear.
Remounting Storm, I rode to where the Captain and his men were waiting. They sat with the bodies of their fallen foes lying scattered, and bloody on the ground before them. Many cuts were visible upon the dead men’s clothing, in a final testament to the experienced blades of the Governor’s soldiers.
“What happened to the other?” asked the Captain in short breaths.
“He’s bleeding in the forest somewhere.” I motioned with my thumb over in the direction he had fled.
“You let him get away!” The Captains voice roared as his face took on a look of surprised disbelief.
“He should not have gone far if you care to pursue.” I teased.
“Bah!” was all I got in return as the Captain turned to his men.
At this point, I noticed that Hawshore was bleeding from a large wound on one of his legs. He was leaning forward on his horse and looked to be in some pain. He held the gash with the flat of his hand, but this did nothing to stem the flow of blood that trickled steadily down his leggings. Lokain, on the other hand appeared to be unscathed, apart from exhibiting a small cut upon his chin, but it was the Captain who looked the worse of the bunch, he was covered in blood! None of it however, appeared to be his own.
Swinging down from his horse, the Captain picked up a cotton shirt from one of the many clothes that lay strewn around and began tearing it into strips.
“Here, bind his wound with this,” he ordered of Lokain before handing him the cloth.
After helping Hawshore to dismount, Lokain began bandaging the wound on his comrade’s leg as best he could.
I took this opportunity to examine the two bodies that I had seen half hidden in the grass.
One was a middle-aged man of about fifty years. He was lying face up, with his eyes wide open in the cold look of death. A large cut just under his heart marked the probable entry point of his demise. It looked as if his pockets had been rifled through, and his boots were missing.
Passing my hand over his face, I closed his eyes for the last time.
Looking over to where the other body lay, I noticed it to be that of a woman. She was lying face down in the dirt with two arrows protruding from her back. The skirt she had worn was pulled up over her exposed buttocks. It appeared that some of her other clothing had been loosened and torn.
Crouching to where she lay, I lowered her skirt to cover her dignity.
“This one’s dead as well,” shouted the Captain from nearby.
A third? Moving to stand by his side, I saw the body of a young man aged about twenty lying at his feet. He was dressed in leather armour and wore a plain breastplate of polished metal. Many cuts were about his body, but it was his blood-soaked head that was in the worst state. The helmet he had worn served him poorly, the large round hole that was punctured into its side, still trickled blood from the gaping hole in his head. A sword lay some yards away from the young broken body.
“Damn!” swore the Captain.
“This one was probably the bodyguard,” He said whilst motioning to the body.
“Some bodyguard.” I returned.
“They probably thought they would be safe with an armed escort. But why only one! What were they thinking?” He shook his head.
An unexpected guilt came over me for letting the bandit escape.
“Captain Salford,” called Lokain upon joining us. “I’ve managed to bind the wound, but he has lost a lot of blood, and I don’t think he can ride for too long.”
The Captain looked over to where Hawshore lay upon the grass.
“First help me to bury these good people,” he said to Lokain.
“Then escort Hawshore back to the Governor's mansion, for it is a shorter journey than the road ahead.”
Captain Salford looked once more to where the injured Hawshore lay.
“You may need to stay at the town we passed. If you are lucky, they may have a healer. Here, take these coins with you,” a small leather purse was given to Lokain, “you may have need of them.”
Lokain nodded in understanding. “What of them?” he asked as he motioned towards the fallen thieves.
Salford’s face went grim.
“Leave them for the beasts,” he replied in icy tones.
With Lokain’s help, the Captain buried the unfortunate people in shallow unmarked graves. I gave a hand as well, helping to carry the bodies to their final resting place. Picking up the sword that was near the dead armoured boy, I placed it upon his chest, with the hope that it would serve him better in death, than in it did in life.
“Peace be with you,” said the Captain as we stood in front of the three mounds of dirt.
The Captain then turned to Lokain.
“When you reach the Governor tell him of what has happened here. Ask for a patrol to come and clear this mess, and tell him that I continue to Ranak-Lore with Taragon Stein.”
“Yes Sir!” came the saluted reply.
After helping a pale-looking Hawshore onto his horse with some difficulty, Lokain then remounted his own steed.
“One more thing,” shouted the Captain with an accusing glance in my direction.
“Be careful, there is still one of them around!”
Lokain nodded, then with Hawshore in tow the two men began their trek back along the road that we had come in on.
“We have wasted much time,” snapped the Captain as he mounted.
“I fear we will not make it through this forest before nightfall.”
I said nothing as I mounted Storm, although I did not relish the idea of spending a night in the Guardian Grove.
Onward we rode the twisting, winding turns of the forest seemed never ending, and to make matters worse, the light was fading fast. The birds we had heard in the Grove in the light of day now remained silent as if the remained fearful of giving away their position, and the forest grew more foreboding as an increasing urgency crept into my soul.
I am sure the Captain felt it too, as we were now riding faster than ever before. More twists and turns were ahead of us, and on the next corner, the Captain’s horse slipped on loose stones underfoot. The light had almost faded now, and it became increasingly harder to see the where the next bend would be.
Not wishing to rely on my horse’s eyes, I held the reins in my left, whilst leaning back to unfasten the cords of my saddlebag with my right. I soon felt the familiar shaft of the Glowball Staff firmly within my grip. Pulling it free I held it close to my body before passing my hand over its top. Warmth circulated through my hand, and the bright blue glow of the magical light that followed was a welcome relief to be sure.
The Captain looked across to see me holding the now glowing staff high above my head, and I actually thought I saw a smile. The light shone brightly now, enough to penetrate the dark road ahead, although the appearance of the moon would not have gone amiss. Looking up through the treetops I tried to spy the heavenly bod
y, but all I saw was darkness, no stars, and no visible moon either…simply nothing but the tree tops, with apparently nothing beyond!
We turned another corner heading along a straight section of road.
“Not far now,” yelled the Captain, “One more mile maybe.”
I nodded in agreement, but it still felt one mile too far.
It was then that the sense of urgency increased in me. A cold chill crept slowly through my bones; my mind was yelling at me to leave this place, yet I knew not why?
An unusually darker than dark now lay beyond the reach of light from my Glowball staff. It seemed as if the night had condensed itself around us, even the sounds of the forest had been stolen away, and the only sound left to hear was the pounding of my own heart. I looked to the Captain, and he seemed as if he was riding in slow motion. I saw the mane from his horse’s neck rise slowly up, then slowly down again. He legs looked as if he was wading through water. I watched as he kicked at the flanks of his horse in urgency for more speed. He turned his head again to look in my direction, but this time it seemed to take an eternity.
Fear suddenly gripped at the core of my soul the likes of which I never felt before…. It was then I felt the need to glance behind…
Something was on the road behind! And it was following us, nothing more than a shadow at the edge of my light at first, but slowly the shadow began to get larger and take form, as it got nearer and nearer. I quickly turned forward to check my direction before looking back.
The following darkness had entered my circle of light…
The thing was terrifying to behold. The beast had two great bull-like horns which protruded forwards from its head. Large ears similar to those of a Wolvern were pinned backwards just below the horns. Long fur covered most of the beast’s head, but this was being kept from its face by the force of its charge. In the darkness beyond I could just make out the rest of the shadowy bulk that followed. It was huge, about the size of a hay cart! But the worst thing had to be its eyes. Blood red and full of fire, they were illuminated with a light of their own and were fixed intently on us.
Taragon Stein: The Search For The Soul Crystal Page 4