Forbidden Quest

by Alaina Stanford

  "Maybe I should test my club on its stubborn skull." Hopper muttered,

  approaching the large black stallion with a deep growl.

  "That's the spirit." Jack called to him as he mounted a young tan mare and stuffed his broadsword into the narrow sheath attached to the saddle. "Give him one of your famous upper cuts, Hopper. Let's see how he likes it."

  "He'll do no such thing? Sarah called out as she struggled to mount on top a small white mare. "You can do it Todd, squeeze him with your legs. That's how you can hold on."

  "Maybe Sarah could zap him just a little." Jack teased.

  "Now that's an idea." Hopper turned to smile at the tall beauty as he grabbed hold of Wind’s black mane.

  "With my luck I’d turn him into a buffalo." Sarah laughed.

  "Now that’s the best idea yet." Jack added, bracing himself as Hopper climbed on top of the stallion again. "If he can't stay on this time, I say we have buffalo steaks for supper."

  "You could make an instant enemy with a comment like that, Barbarian." Nicole

  Answered her smile vanishing.

  "Pardon me, Wind, you old blow hard!" Jack rolled his eyes. "I believe my partner’s forgotten about that black fun coat she has hidden at the rear of her closet back in St. Louis. Suddenly she's become quite the animal activist and now apparently a vegetarian to boot."

  “That's it Hopper, now use the reins to guide him.” Nicole said concentrating on Todd and ignoring Jack.

  Hopper's massive legs hung just far enough below the stallion's belly to allow him

  to latch his feet together. With this accomplished there was no dislodging him. The stallion quickly ceased its resistance and allowed the huge troll to steer him back toward the others.

  "Does he have the same effect on you in that position, Sarah?" Nicole grinned wickedly as Sarah blushed more. deeply than her crimson locks.

  "Which way wizard?" Jack quickly interceded before Hopper had a chance to

  respond.

  "The map shows the mountains running along the southern border of the village." Sarah answered, quietly. "There's a creek that dumps into the river near the base of the mountain. That's where our first goal is." Sarah urged her horse closer to Hopper, "Nicole, fix the front of your vest before anything pops out and shocks us all."

  The elf's laughter filled the small patch of woods as Nicole turned her horse

  toward the south and led the way.

  "Who’s riding shotgun?" Hopper called after the others as they fell in line behind

  Nicole.

  "Looks like you have that honor." Nicole called back to him, her sultry voice

  echoing through the trees.

  "Good idea, Hopper." Jack added. "That Inn Keeper turned to jelly at the sight of you. It's probably best that you stay hidden."

  "Okay I'll hang back a bit. But if things get hairy, I'm coming in." Hopper glanced at Sarah's disappearing form. "Keep an eye on her Jack. I don't want her to miss

  out on this adventure."

  "Don't worry, Todd nothing's going to happen." Sarah called back to them.

  A pair of dark blue eyes stared silently from the brush beside Sarah. The silent lithe figure moved swiftly back into the shadows of the forest to disappear unnoticed by the adventurers.

  Chapter Four

  The small group of cheerful explorers traveled several miles through the forest before coming to a narrow road. The beaten dirt path led them swiftly toward the mountains. Nicole began to sing a soft, haunting melody in a strangely compelling language no one understood. Shortly afterward, the animals began to appear. The others noticed the small creatures of the forest pausing a short distance from the narrow trail, watching them as they passed. As they pushed deeper into the wilderness, the animals grew bolder, approaching the trail yet staying just out of reach. Nicole began to halt their procession as a deer or small ground creature appeared to greet them. Cooing softly, she would bring them near. Dismounting, Nicole would kneel and reach out to them. Nearly all responded, coming to her side to be caressed and fussed over.

  'Nicole, I'm thrilled you're making new friends." Jack groaned, as she stopped for

  yet another animal embrace. "But I think I can speak for the others when I say 'cut it out!'

  You’re driving me crazy!''

  "l'm sorry if my conversations with these simple beasts has annoyed you,

  Barbarian, but they've guided us toward our destination." Nicole answered softly then casually leapt back onto her horse allowing the small red fox to run back into the brush.

  "They've been talking to you?" Hoppers deep voice carried through the trees.

  smiled softly at him.

  "Is there any possible way to get directions without dismounting?" Jack countered,

  frowning at Hopper.

  "That would be rude." Nicole replied and sent her horse into a gallop down the

  path.

  Sarah suppressed a grin as they followed the impish elf deeper into the forest.

  The trees grew to immense proportions and the thicket more dense, filling the forest with

  deep shadows. Hopper moved forward, wanting to be closer to Sarah under the darkness

  of the giant trees.

  "It smells like rain We should keep our eyes open for a safe place to wait out a

  the downpour.” Hopper announced, searching the dense canopy of overhead for any sign of the sky.

  "Let's keep going." Jack countered. "The sky was clear the last time I caught a

  glimpse of it. Besides you can't smell rain until after it falls, Hopper."

  "I'm telling you, I smell rain." Hopper glared at Jack's broad shouldered back.

  "It's not rain." Nicole called back to them. "We've reached the river."

  Glancing ahead Jack could see a break in the trees showing only a clear blue sky. He asked, "Are you sure?"

  "We're on a bluff.” Nicole moved her horse aside, allowing Jack a view of the

  large cliff that overlooked a wide river winding through the forest. "I'm afraid the trail’s

  washed away." She added motioning to the side of the incline. A hint of what was

  once a sloping trail dropped off into a mess of dirt and rock near the center of the descent.

  "It's steep, but I think we can make it." Jack declared as he urged his horse closer to the edge. "I'll go first, when I'm down, follow me one at a time." He called over his

  shoulder and headed down the slope toward the sandy base near the edge of the river.

  The trail pitched severely at the far edge of the bluff. Jack urged his horse over the edge and the mare began a controlled slide down to the base. The loose dirt was soft and unstable. Reaching the base he called up to Nicole. "Stay away from the inside edge. The cliffs giving way."

  Without hesitation, Nicole urged her stallion forward and down the slope. Sarah

  and Hopper followed without incident. Moving upstream along the rocky edge of the river the small group rode in silence. Four pairs of eyes searched the distance in anticipation. Nicole was the first to hear the roar of the massive waterfall where several creeks fed into the river. The adventurers moved into the trees and approached from the cover of the forest. They cleared the trees and stood in awe at the beauty of the scene.

  Three separate streams dumped into a pool at the top of the falls. The water cascaded over a wide glittering white rock bank framed by layers of dense fern-like ivy filled with large blossoms of purple and burgundy flowers. The waterfall was not part of the main channel of the river. Instead was part of the joining of yet another smaller channel that dumped into the river at a sharp angle. The massive boulders surrounding the edge and the base of the falls caused a large deep pool of foaming water that bubbled over into the mainstream. The falls were not of massive height but the wide rocky cliff was varied such that it caused a deafening roar as the swiftly moving water pounded into the surface of the many tiers of staggered boulders.

  "This is incredible!" Hopper bello
wed, barely audible over the roar of the falls. "It looks too good to be real." He smiled gleefully and jumped off his horse to examine the

  structure more closely.

  Nicole slid off her stallion and headed toward the far edge of the boulders near

  the base of the falls. "It's solid, I can't see any opening behind the falls." She yelled to no

  one in particular.

  Jack appeared next to her stuffing his sword in his belt. "It must be on the other

  side." He turned and waved Hopper and Sarah near.

  "How do we get across?" Hopper frowned, taking in the depth of the bubbling

  pool. It looks to be at least 30 feet deep here and the current is something we don’t want to deal with."

  "We could go upstream along this smaller river and see if there’s a shallow area

  to cross." Sarah offered.

  "All right, you stay here and keep looking I'll head upstream." Jack ordered,

  heading for his horse.

  "Who decided you were in charge?" Nicole challenged showing a part of her

  old personality since they arrived. "I don't think we should separate. What if we're attacked?"

  "I thought you loved to fight." Jack answered, without looking back.

  “I do and I'm good at it.” Nicole grinned, "But Strong said to stay together. "

  "Well then . . . are you coming?" Jack mounted and urged his horse toward the

  river bend.

  “Hopper?" Nicole looked at him expectantly.

  "We'll be fine."

  With that, Nicole whistled for the speckled stallion, leaped onto its back and raced after Jack.

  Jack searched the trees for signs of the Elf Warriors as they reached a wide the turn in the river. Just ahead was a wide area where the river slowed. It looked fairly manageable. Nicole caught up to Jack as he entered the river. She tapped him on the shoulder and motioned toward a small patch of writhing water. "Water Moccasins, best to stay clear of them. "

  Jack's eyes narrowed as he realized her suggestion was a bit too late. The current moved more rapidly than he expected and it was carrying the snakes directly at them. "Move!" He shouted as Nicole drove her horse into the water ahead of him. Jack urged his mare into the deep water near the center of the stream. The horses slowed, as they struggled to swim against the strong current. Glancing over his shoulder, Jack drew his sword. They weren't going to make it.

  Suddenly, Nicole reined her horse and pushed behind him.

  "Keep moving," She ordered, placing herself between Jack and the snakes. She 'began to sing a slightly different version of the same haunting melody she sang to the forest creatures.

  "I don't think elves are snake charmers." Jack said as he reached back to grab the

  reins of her horse. Ignoring him, she continued to sing. The snakes went limp in the

  water just as they reached them and floated silently past. Jack yanked on the speckled

  stallion's reins and urged the horses up the embankment without a word. Turning back to watch the serpents disappear downstream, Jack motioned for them to continue.

  Sarah and Hopper came into view as they rounded the bend. Jack galloped up to the edge of the falls and dismounted to inspect the rocks. Hanging on to the flowering vines that cascaded over the edges of the falls, he peered behind the rushing waters. "No cave here." Jack announced, turning back to find Nicole gazing into the depth of the frothy pool.

  "Nothing on this side." Hopper's deep voice shouted across the water.

  . Climbing down from the giant white rocks, Jack stared into the bubbling water. The image of the snakes came back to him. Glancing at Nicole's sober reflection in the water, he spoke as quietly as the falls roar would allow. "I guess I owe you an apology."

  "Why?" Nicole glanced up to meet his gaze.

  "That song of yours, it kept me in the game." He smiled softly, studying the deep green eyes that stared at him. "That's the third time you've come to my rescue."

  "Let’s just stick to the activities of today. Anyway, I'm sure you'll have a chance to repay the last two favors very soon. That is, if things pick up. I expected a little more excitement than a simple treasure hunt this has turned out to be."

  "Find the cave. I bet there's plenty of excitement waiting for us inside." Jack said, kneeling beside the pool.

  "It's down there." Nicole pointed to a shadow at the bottom of the water.

  "Awesome." Jack grinned glancing across at Hopper and Sarah. They were also examining the pond, and arguing. Jack and Nicole navigated the river once more. The group unsaddled their horses and spread their saddle blanket on the ground. Sarah emptied the contents of the two leather satchels she'd taken from Nicole's horse on to the blankets. Dining on cold leg of lamb, rye bread and hard cheese they discussed the churning waters of the pool.

  "It's too deep and the waters too rough to make it down and back in one breath, much less take the time to search for . . . whatever it is that's supposed to be down there. " Sarah explained passing the leather flask of sweet wine to Hopper. "It's dangerous enough searching a cave with diving equipment, let alone one deep breath of air."

  "Maybe it's not a cave, it could be a nook or crevice in the rock that just looks like

  a cave. We have no idea what that dark area is down there. We could be on the wrong path completely." Hopper added, draining the last of the red wine.

  "Maybe we've got the wrong waterfall." Sarah suggested. "We've got the right falls, there isn't another one on this side of the mountains."

  "I suppose a little birdie told you that?" Jack grinned at her, his eyes sparkled

  with laughter.

  “That’s right, big boy. You wanna make something of it?” Nicole grinned wickedly at him.

  "Okay, I'm a certified diver, why don't I swim down there and take a quick look around, then we can decide what our best option is." Jack offered, stuffing the last morsel of lamb in his mouth.

  "I'm with Jack." Nicole declared rising. "But there's something we haven't

  considered. There could be . . . complications."

  The others rose and stared silently at her, waiting for her to continue. ''I can safely vouch for the lack of piranha or were you thinking more along the line of a seven-headed monster?"

  Jack shook his head and moved toward the bubbling pool. "Let's get on with it."

  "How can you be so sure Nicole isn't right?" Sarah followed him.

  "Well for one thing, if there was some sort of beast about, the horses wouldn't be

  so relaxed." Jack called back to her. "And if there was a sea serpent, Nicole would have

  located it and sung it to sleep by now."

  "No one hears a crocodile swimming toward them under the water." The

  calmness of Nicole's voice stopped Jack in his tracks.

  "I'm not a wildebeest, I’m an accomplished swimmer." Jack turned to stare at her

  and added, "With a knife." He flashed a brilliant smile, sat on the glistening white stone at the edge of the pond and removed his dark leather vest. Dropping his sword on the side of the bank, Jack pulled off his boots and dove into the water.

  Gathering at the edge, the others watched as he disappeared into the dark waters below. Jack swam easily to the bottom in the cool water. It felt good to be back in his element. This was his main reason for all those getaways. He strongly felt a great sense of freedom under the cool water. The entrance to the cave was evident from his vantage point at the center of the pool. Unfortunately the force of the pounding current kept Jack at bay. His lungs strained for air and Jack pushed off the rock bottom and fought to the surface, releasing what little air was left in his lungs. Gasping, he broke the surface of, the water, sullenly realizing the impossibility of their task.

  "There is a cave down there." He explained, climbing out of the water and trying to catch his breath. "The current is wicked. The cave is directly below the falls. Unless I stay low, it could pull me in and roll me. I'd be out of the game befo
re I got close enough to see inside. The force of the water is just too great."

  “We have to divert the flow." Sarah frowned, glancing up at the water tumbling over the cliff.

  “That's impossible." Jack sighed, "There's too much water."

  "We need to slow it down, Just enough to allow Jack access to the cave." Sarah explained, "Something temporary."

  "Then what?" Hopper stared into the water shaking his head. "If whatever it is

  isn't right inside the entrance, whoever went in would drown searching for it."

  "He's right, Sarah. It took everything I had just to get a look at the entrance."

  Jack agreed. "Our friendly psychologist is making this too hard."

  "No, we're just not looking at it from the right perspective." Nicole corrected,

  coming forward. "What the Sorceress said earlier makes more sense. We need diving equipment."

  "That's easy, just tell me where the nearest dive shop is and I just skip right down

  there in a jiffy." Jack snapped at her.

  "I've got a better idea." It was Nicole's turn to flash the brilliant smile. "Sarah

  and Hopper you work on the falls. Jack, come with me."

  Chapter Five

  "One more boulder and we're finished," Sarah hollered from the edge of the cliff.

  “My back is killing me!" Hopper growled as he chose another massive rock and

  lifted it onto his broad, hairy shoulders then started up the steep hill.

  “I'll give you a massage before we go to bed” Sarah smiled at her large,

  disfigured boyfriend.

  "Bed, huh that'd be a neat trick." Hopper grumbled under his breath dropping the last boulder on top of the flowing water completing a partial barrier across one side of the spillway.

  "Don't think of this as camping along a river bed. Think of that nice soft cot back

  in the ballroom." Sarah waited for him to reach her then dug into his massive shoulders with her knuckles and began kneading the tension away from his muscular back.