Just when I thought it could get no worse, it suddenly did.
The jaws of the beast opened, and the fire inside it mouth illuminated row upon row of sharp pointy teeth. It looked as if it was born from the black pit itself.
I watched in horror, unable to turn my head as two huge fur-covered legs joined the rest of its body in my halo of light and pounded the ground before it. The beast made no sound whatsoever, and yet it was gaining on us.
“BY THE GODS!!!” I yelled.
Almost dropping my Glowball staff in the process, I kicked Storm hard in the flanks, leant forwards in my saddle, and rode low for all the speed I could muster.
As I neared the Captain, he looked across at me. A frowning, puzzled expression was etched upon his face. I motioned behind me with my head upon overtaking him.
Brief moments had passed before I heard the shout from behind.
“HOLY PALADIN!!!”
I concentrated every hope in quickly leaving this dark place. But blackness had enveloped my sight, nothing was visible further save that then the illuminating sphere of my staff.
Trees flew past in a dizzying blur. The road was the only constant thing that filled my vision… straight and narrow and yet never ending.
The Captain’s horse soon caught up with mine, he came alongside, then overtook me. His horse looked tired but was the faster of the two.
I was now behind. Whipping the reins and kicking his flanks, I tried to get everything I could out of Storm. What he lacked in speed he made up for with stamina, he was a powerful animal and kept at a constant pace.
With my heart pounding in my ears, I dared to turn behind me once again.
The monstrous beast had disappeared from my circle of light, and for a brief moment, I thought it had gone. But in the darkness of the world beyond, two large fiery eyes suddenly lit up the night to glare angrily forwards.
We had advanced from it, but not by far.
On and on we galloped, how much time had passed I could not say.
Just as I started to wonder how much longer this pursuit would continue, we broke out into an open plain.
The bright light of the night sky filled my world. It was as if I had opened my eyes for the first time. Stars in their hundreds glistened in the heavens. I did not even need the use of my Glowball staff anymore, as all around the light of a brilliant full moon shone like a guiding beacon in the sky above.
We had escaped from the Guardian Grove!
A howl like a thousand wounded animals pierced the night air from behind us, and for the most fleeting of moments, I thought I heard the sound of a woman’s laughter carry softly on the wind.
I had just enough courage left to risk one last look backwards to the place from where we had fled. My eyes sought out the gap in the trees where the road should have been. Two glowing red torches of light glared from within the darkness that was there…. and then they were gone.
Galloping across the flat of the land, it was another half a mile before we dared to slow.
The feeling of fear had now passed from my mind like a cloud in the wind.
“What was that thing?” I asked in exasperated breaths.
Captain Salford shook his head. “I do not know… there are many undiscovered mysteries to this world.” He glanced back along the road.
“Well as far as I’m concerned,” I quipped back in remark, “that one can stay undiscovered.”
“We better make camp and rest the horses,” suggested the Captain.
Nodding in agreement, we continued on for another mile before finding a suitable place to camp.
Using the light from the Glowball staff, I explored the area and soon found some water which had collected in a basin at the bottom of a small hill. Returning for the horses, I stowed our packs and led them to the pool for a well-earned and much-needed drink. After the horses had been secured, I returned to the Captain and to the fire he had been busily preparing.
Using some of our food provisions supplied by the Governor, Salford soon had a broth of rabbit meat and potatoes steadily cooking above the open flames.
“Here try some of this…” The Captain threw a flask towards me.
Catching the canteen, I unstopped the cork and sniffed the contents.
“Ale!” I said smiling.
Gulping down three large mouthfuls of the strong tasting brew, I wiped my arm across my mouth before handing it back.
The ale settled me somewhat from the experience of the Grove, and I soon found myself starting to relax.
Captain Salford drank deeply from the flask before placing it to one side. He then returned his attention back to the broth, while I rested my back against a large rock.
I thought about commenting on the thing that had chased us but then thought the better of it. Something within me did not want to remember the discomfort that I had felt whilst fleeing from the beast, and by the looks of it, the Captain seemed to want the same thing too. He remained silent whilst concentrating on his cooking.
“That should just about do it,” commented the Captain as a spoon was placed to his lips. A bowl full of the steaming stew was then passed to me, and I thanked him before I began to eat.
“Not bad,” I commented, as I tasted the full flavoured broth.
The Captain nodded his agreement and swallowed his previous mouthful. “You may thank Belinda for that, as the food she prepares is always well seasoned.”
Salford looked at his broth, stirred it a little with his spoon, and then looked up to me once again. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he enquired.
“Ask away,” I replied, whilst trying not to notice the mess he had made of his moustache.
“On the road, when we encountered the bandits….” His words were slow and full of questioning. I knew full well what was about to follow. “Why did you not join at the battles start? And why did you let that bandit escape?”
He query amused me somewhat, and I smiled wryly as I questioned him back.
“You thought I would naturally join in your attack? Interesting…” I mused.
The Captain looked a little puzzled over this.
“Let me put it to you this way.” I reached for the ale and took another sip before passing back to Salford, to do the same.
“If you are travelling down a road and you happen to come across a farmer who is filling his cart with harvest to take to market, would you stop to lend him a hand?”
“Well ….no, I …”
“Or, say a woodcutter has started to fell a tree,” I interrupted, “would you climb from your horse and take up his axe on his behalf?”
The Captain shook his head. “No, I would not.”
“Exactly,” I told him “It would not be your place too, just as chasing after bandits is not mine.”
The Captain thought on this for a moment before adding accusingly
“You still let one of them escape!”
He was right about that, I did. But ever since seeing the butchered victims lying upon the ground, I had regretted it.
“Well, he didn’t actually get away free from harm,” I said consoling myself, “and besides, I have told you, it is not my job to hunt bandits.”
“But you would if someone paid you to recover, … say a lost item from them?”
“Ah, but that would be different,” I added
The Captain nodded and smiled as if he knew what sort of person I was.
This riled me somewhat.
“If someone were to hire my services to find something from bandits, which they have done in the past,” I continued.
“Then I would have probably done everything I could to take the item from them without them ever realising that I had taken it… such is my way.”
Looking at the Captain, I saw that he was carefully analysing the soundness of my words with a frown.
“Look, if I went charging into every place where I went like you, then I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you this night.” I found my
voice was slightly raised as if to get the emphasis of my words through to the Captain.
But the Captain must have taken my anger to heart as he redirected his frown towards me.
“I am not saying that your bravery in battle was foolish, all I say is that there is a time for caution, as well as bravado.”
This seemed to have pacified him somewhat as he asked his next question.
“And what if you were to come across those Bandits by yourself?”
I looked to where the road led back to the forest.
“After seeing the thing that chased us, I don’t think I’ll ever see bandits in that forest again!” I added with a grin.
The Captain beamed at me from under his moustache, slapping me on my shoulder the flask of ale was passed between us once more.
Several hours later Salford woke me for my turn for the watch. Bleary-eyed I threw more logs onto the fire and sat on a flat rock near the edge of our camp, whilst the Captain settled down to his bed.
I scanned the darkness before me. It was unlikely that anything in the night would come near the road, let alone our blazing campfire, but it was always better to be prepared just in case. The times when I had to sleep in the wild by myself, I usually found it good judgement to stay hidden from sight. My routine used to be to make a campfire, then eat and warm myself before it was time to sleep. I would then take refuge under rocks for my bed, or climb a tree and sleep safely nestled in its branches. This last technique probably saved my life on one occasion when I was in the forest of Saldoor. I had climbed a tree ready to rest for the night when I was awoken in the early hours to find a group of Razorbears had killed a deer, not fifteen paces from where I slept. After they had finished ripping the carcass to shreds, they moved on. I thanked the Gods that I chose the tree and not the bush that I had been considering that night.
But now that I had Storm, I found it just as convenient to ride to the next town for the safety it provided, and rarely had to spend much time under the stars.
My eyelids were as lead, forcing my will, I kept them open as my ears listened to the sounds of the night……nothing could be seen or heard.
I found my head drooping down to the ground just as a large shadow blocked out the light of the moon from above. I quickly glanced up. The shadow that was caught by the moon’s silhouette was instantly recognisable to me. It was a Liskard, a sort of large flying lizard that was very rare, but very large and aggressive!
I dashed to the fire and kicked mud and dirt to dowse the flames that may have attracted it. There had been rumours before of Liskards attacking camped men out in the wilderness, and I for one did not fancy pushing my luck any further this night.
The Captain immediately awoke, with one hand on his sword.
“Are we in danger?” he asked quickly as he sat bolt upright in his bed
I pointed above me to the shadow that continued on through the night sky.
“Liskard!” I warned. “ I do not think it spotted us, but we should see the rest of this night without the fire.”
The Captain nodded as he lay back down to rest, his eyes searching the night sky as he did.
The rest of the night passed without incident, and before I knew it, the new day’s sun had crept slowly over the far off eastern hills. Striking camp early, we were once again on the road. This will be the day that I meet with the King. All manner of thoughts assaulted my head, as to why and what it would be that the King might ask me to find?
I became more intrigued and increasingly eager as we drew ever nearer to central Kantaria.
As we rode, we passed many people heading in the same direction as us. Most were farmers from the surrounding villages on their way to the capital of Ranak-Lore to sell hard earned crops. Then there were those who walked with little more than a sack slung over their shoulders, probably seeking a new life or new fame and fortune within the City’s walls. There was even a group of travelling monks. Five in all, each wore a long hooded brown cloak, with the symbol of a blazing yellow sun imprinted on the back of each cloak. The four at the rear walked side by side with their heads bowed to the ground. Their leader, who was currently sounding a small silver gong at the forefront of the party, turned and acknowledged us as we approached.
“Blessed be the light of day that smiles on you good sirs,” he said and struck the gong again.
“Are you headed for Ranak-Lore?” Salford enquired.
“Indeed we are,” the tall leader replied. “For we have heard that there is much darkness in the depths of the city that require our illuminating light to touch the lost souls there.”
“Mmm…. Well I hope you have plenty of time to spare then,” responded Salford.
“For I am sure there are plenty of people that need saving!”
“Such is the journey of the Order of Light.” the man returned with a bow.
“Good day to you then,” nodded the Captain, and with that, we kicked at our mounts to continue our journey.
“They are harmless enough,” said the Captain as we rode side by side. “But their numbers are growing every day in every City. They even have a temple of the Sun in Nashmere, and it won’t be long before one appears in Ranak-Lore if the King agrees to it.”
“Each to his own,” I replied with a shrug.
I looked across to the sullen looking Captain and felt a jest coming on.
“Maybe you could do with a little sunshine in your life perhaps?” I asked with a grin.
The Captain turned quickly to read my face.
“Bah!” was all I got in reply as we entered the central Kantaria region.
We were making good speed and soon arrived at the Great Valley that led into the Capital. The first King of Kantaria had specifically chosen the area where the Capital was to be built for its strategic ramifications. Ranak-Lore had been constructed in the centre of an extensive plain between three surrounding valleys. The high, nearly impassable summits of the valleys peaks meant that there were only three possible entrances that led into the Capital.
You could enter from the south road, the one on which we now travelled. It was the most used and ran through the Great Valley straight to the main gates of the Capital. Or you could journey in from the east or west passes which sat nestled between the Valley of the Kings.
The Great Valley we travelled through, that would eventually lead us to the Valley of the King’s was a breathtaking work of nature. Cut from the earth, it had two stunning treebanked slopes on either side, with a stream that glistened with a sparkling brilliance running parallel to the road. The valley was now bathed in the morning sunlight, and it seemed the Gods were smiling on us.
“Tis a popular road for bandits,” commented Salford, “They sometimes rob the small merchant caravans that are too cheap to pay for armed protection. They steal the goods, kill the merchants, and then disappear into the trees.”
“What of the King’s men?” I asked
“The King’s soldiers are kept busy these days. Not only do we patrol the roads, but those stationed in the Capital have to maintain order in the streets as well. The soldiers of Ranak-Lore have brought many a bandit to the King’s justice, but there always seems to be more fools willing to try their hand.”
The King's justice typically meant a public beheading; this was intended to be a discouragement to those who might be tempted to try their hand in the ancient trade of thievery.
“Then let us be thankful that we’ve had intelligence enough to choose the paths we walk,” I answered back.
The Captain looked across to me.
“Well, if you call walking into a Fangore’s lair intelligent,” the Captain remarked.
With his last comment, I turned to see a smile forming on his lips. Pleased with his comment he could hardly contain his mirth. I found myself grinning back then joining in with his merriment, as we continued along the road with the sound of our joint laughter echoing throughout the valley.
Chapter Three:
Halfway along the v
alley road, we came to the rear of a large merchant caravan heading for the Capital. Two men on horseback dressed in armour left their positions in the rear guard and rode towards us.
“Make way for the King’s business,” the Captain boomed
Recognising him to be one of the King’s men and a Captain of the Guard to boot, the two men slowed and stopped in front of us.
“The convoy is long; you will have to go around.” The rough looking bearded man motioned with his head to one side of the caravan.
The second man was even more thuggish looking than the first and was eyeing me distastefully.
I smiled in return whilst resting my hand on upon the hilt of my short sword.
The Captain sat up in his saddle to better his view beyond the long line of wagons, then returned his gaze to the bearded mercenary.
“Then go around we shall,” replied the Captain, and with that, we kicked our horses to a start, and left the two men following behind us.
Skirting to the right of the merchant caravan we passed four more rear guards, all armoured, all mercenaries. Dressed in an assortment of different outfits they watched us steely-eyed as we passed.
I did not envy them in their position; I had to become a mercenary myself a couple of times when work was at a low. There was always an abundance of frightened people who were willing to pay the price to get their goods safely from one place to another. The last time I had tried, it involved escorting a small weaselled looking merchant by the name of Leakin, to the town of Harath. He paid me a measly amount of coin for the job, and I had to endure his constant complaining almost every step of the way. When we finally arrived in Harath, I decided taking orders from such people was not to my liking, and I had left him to search for my kind of work elsewhere.
I shook my head as my thoughts returned to the present.
The caravan was long indeed; line after line of heavily laden goods wagons rolled along like a small parade all heading for Ranak-Lore. Colourful merchants in brightly coloured outfits of silk and lace rode at the helm of most of the wagons we passed. Some shouted a greeting, whilst others just concentrated on their own concerns.
Taragon Stein: The Search For The Soul Crystal Page 5