"So it's a trip, eh?" he said. "I ain't been on a decent trip since, oh, I reckon it's been since me ol' man took me up to Glareth. I hardly remember it, I was so little. Whar might we be headin'?"
"Shut up!"
"Oh, not the talkative kind of feller, eh?" Billy went on. "That's all right by me. Why, me best friend ain't much in the way of the talkative kind, neither. An' most times when he does talk, his words come out all run-together, like."
"I told you to shut up," growled the voice from just ahead. From the sound of it, Billy could tell he was less than a horse-length away and off to one side, probably pulling on the reins.
"Don't see no harm in chattin'."
"You'll be chatting your head off soon enough. Oh, yes! You might as well save it up for then. Meanwhile, if you don't close your mouth, I'll cross you back down on that saddle like before. After I beat you senseless."
Billy remained silent to that threat. Beneath his sack, hot tears of anger and fear burned his eyes, and he licked away the blood that ran down his cracked lips as he pulled on his ropes.
• • •
Robby arrived at a fork in the road, drew Anerath to a halt, and dismounted. He was fairly sure that Billy and his abductor had come this way, but it was too dark to see any tracks. He got down on his hands and knees, hoping to discern something useful. As he moved back from the left fork and onto the rightward fork, his hand touched some loose stones, dirty on one side where they had until recently been embedded in the ground.
"Aha!" he said. Anerath walked along behind him as Robby continued to work the ground with his hands, and the horse stamped impatiently.
"Well, you seem to agree," Robby said as he climbed back into the saddle and patted Anerath on the neck. "Let's go on, then."
It occurred to Robby that this was what Ashlord had warned about. Only, somehow the enemy had mistaken Billy for Robby. Or perhaps it was just a ploy to draw out their real target, to lure him away. He was too preoccupied with keeping on their trail to give much thought about what he would do if he caught up with them. He had Anerath, and his dagger, but very little else. No sword, no food, no water, no way of making a fire, and no idea where he was going, except generally in a westward direction since taking the fork, and along a rougher road rising into the hills. He felt certain that the culprit knew he was being followed, and Robby grew more cautious and worried the farther along he went. Anerath, perhaps sensing Robby's concern, slowed to a canter and then to a walk. The trees leaned over the path, and Robby had to duck under their low branches before he emerged into a small clearing where moonlight shone brightly. He walked Anerath around the clearing, trying to find the right way to proceed, but he could not figure out which was the right way to go. Of several possibilities, he could find no broken limbs or any other sign of recent movement, and he circled and circled within the clearing until he was no longer even certain of the way he had come. So he halted Anerath in the middle of the clearing and sat in the saddle, shoulders hunched, looking around and listening, not knowing what to do. Anerath stamped lightly and turned his head this way and that, waiting patiently for Robby to decide.
But Robby could come to no decision. The air was still and cool, the brush around him glistened with dew, and crickets chirped softly. Something fluttered past his ear, startling him, and he saw a dark shape darting around above him.
"Just a bat!" he said, relieved. Then the creature alighted on top of Anerath's head, facing Robby, and he recognized Certina.
"Hello! Where did you come from?"
Certina gave a soft hoot, hopped into the air, landed again in the same position, and slowly blinked her eyes at Robby. Whether it was the changing moonlight or some other cause, her eyes glowed gold, fixing Robby with a steady stare. He thought her look curious, and even more so when her eyes seemed to brighten, becoming a lighter yellow, then white, and then a bright blue. At the same time, Robby felt some pull, some will in those eyes, commanding his undivided attention. He gazed into them in a trance-like state until nothing else was in his vision, and the sound of the crickets faded into a deep silence. The little owl seemed to grow and grow before Robby, as if coming closer and closer, filling his entire view. Her eyes glowed brighter and brighter until only they were visible. Suddenly Ashlord's face appeared before him.
"Get off the road!" he said. "Follow the follower!"
Certina's eyes dimmed, the crickets sang once more in Robby's ears, and as he shook himself, she flew off. For a moment, he thought he had fallen asleep and had a strange dream, but Certina flew past his ear and into the woods to convince him otherwise.
"Follow the follower," he repeated. Anerath stamped. "Very well, then."
He dismounted and led Anerath into the nearby shadows of the wood.
"We'll wait and see what happens."
Lady Moon continued to play light and shadow with the clouds. A breeze picked up, rattling the leaves in unsteady shudders. As the soft air stirred the trees, Robby strained for any unnatural movement or sound. Standing inside the dark boughs of a fir tree, with Anerath's reins behind him, he watched and listened for only a short while before hearing what sounded like the clinking of metal against metal. He heard it again and stiffened, his heart suddenly beating hard as the sound drew closer from his right. He heard the light plod of hooves and the swish of brush as a horse and rider entered the clearing, crossed through it in front of Robby, and disappeared into the wood to the far side. The light was dim, but Robby easily recognized the form of the Conundrum Box man, with his floppy, flat-topped hat. As soon as the sound was almost too far to hear, he led Anerath by the reins along the same way, going quickly but cautiously, trying to keep the sound ahead of him as they passed through a dark wood. After a short time, he could make out that they followed a narrow path. Trying to be as quiet as possible, they kept on through the wood, sometimes stopping briefly to allow the sound to move farther ahead. After an hour of this, the trees became sparse, and the path grew rocky and sloped downward across the face of a hill. At the bottom they came to a tiny stream. Robby, still hearing the movement ahead, stopped long enough for Anerath and himself to take a few sips of the cold water. Carefully crossing through the stream, they resumed their tracking and climbed a steep, rocky hill to the top of a treeless ridge. Ahead, about fifty yards away, he could see his inadvertent guide ambling along a little faster, now, and then turning westward down off the ridge. Climbing onto Anerath, Robby followed, and when they turned westward he could see the dark, brooding peaks of the Thunder Mountains. Between here and there, the foothills floated up from the thick-gathered mists like islands. Looking behind, he realized that they had come much farther than he had imagined, and he could see nothing familiar in the landscape he had crossed, only the dim glow of twilight on the far eastern horizon.
Moving along the gently descending terrain, keeping the sound of the Conundrum Box man just within earshot, Robby and Anerath soon found themselves in a foggy moor with a damp fennish smell. The mists closed in around them as the ground seemed to level and the sounds of the rider ahead seemed very close. Anerath's hooves were too loud by far, Robby thought, and echoed weirdly. Often he stopped to listen, and once he could hear no sound at all ahead. He waited, wondering if the man had stopped or dismounted, or if he had heard his followers. The sound resumed from farther off than before, and Robby cautiously advanced. In a few moments, the path entered a pine copse, and Robby was momentarily relieved as the sound of Anerath's hooves nearly disappeared altogether on the straw-covered ground. Soon the pines gave way and the path was open and hard again and Robby's caution returned. This went on for so long that Robby barely noticed that he could see more clearly than before, even though thick banks of mist rolled all around him. Looking up, all he could see was more fog, no stars at all, and he realized that morning had come, though not quite full into this valley. His stomach growled, and he wondered how Billy was faring, hoping his friend was still alive and trusting that he would not think himself abando
ned. Robby still did not know what he would do when he caught up with Billy, but he was certain that if he had waited for Ullin or others, Billy would have been lost to some terrible fate. Anger welled up in him, and, with renewed determination, he guided Anerath along, grimly trusting in the message from Certina. He had not seen the little bird since, but she was a sign that Ashlord was somehow aware of the situation.
Robby's surroundings grew less dim, and the mists thinned until at last a blue sky glowed overhead. A few minutes later, yellow beams of sunlight illuminated the tops of the Thunder Mountains, their dark green forests draped in rising wisps of fog. Soon, the sunlight reached the valley, and a light breeze came with it to dry up and sweep away the mists. Robby drew Anerath to a sharp halt behind the thick boughs of one of the few trees in the area. He had caught a glimpse, between the branches, of the Conundrum Box man just ahead, barely fifty yards away. He had stopped and was turned in his saddle, looking toward Robby. Luckily, the pine needles were thick, and Robby had not yet fully rounded the tree, and one of the last remaining wisps of fog rolled silently around him, hiding Robby and Anerath in its thick gray cloak. The man continued to look. Robby held still, and Anerath, sensing the danger, barely even breathed. Perhaps this was just a cautious pause to take advantage of the growing light and the clearing fog. The man turned around at last and nudged his mount onward, leaving Robby and Anerath to breathe again. Robby waited until the man was nearly out of sight before continuing.
As the morning grew brighter, the breeze stiffened into a light wind, and the noise of it swept across the strange landscape in fitful waves, shaking the short scruffy trees and bracken. The land itself was relatively flat, with small rocky hillocks here and there out of which struggled gnarled trees. There were also boggy stretches where many shallow streams wandered as if they had no idea which direction to go, for some ran from left to right across the path and others from right to left. Never was the depth more than an inch or two, and the water moved slowly, pushed as much by the breeze as by its own flow. The dark brown horse and cloak of the Conundrum Box man were in contrast to the wet mossy greens of the bogs and pale tans of the surrounding weeds, making it easy to keep him in sight. Still cautious, Robby let a greater distance grow between them as the one in the lead continued on at a quickened pace. After more than an hour, Robby could see a border of trees far ahead, and, in the distance beyond them, a line of very steep hills. Behind those loomed the closest foot of a brooding mountain, its peak now less than five miles away and suddenly towering over the landscape. Beyond that mountain, and on either side of its shoulders, hovered even higher mountains. Robby did not know the names of each mountain, but knew well why the low forested range was called Thunder Mountains, and it had nothing to do with storms. It was the land of trolls, and it was said that the stomp of their feet gave the mountains their name. Word was, however, that the trolls were all gone. None had been seen for many years, and no one knew where they went, or longed for them to return. Trolls or no trolls, Robby hoped he would catch up to Billy soon, because everyone agreed the mountains were now a place of bandits, renegades, and dangerous rogues of every description. Even the Post Riders went around rather than through these hills whenever they could.
It seemed to Robby, however, that the land tended to descend gradually, rather than rise, as he neared the line of trees into which he was led. As the path became muddy, he saw a lake ahead. The Conundrum Box man splashed straight on, right into the lake, and Robby stopped to remain within the concealment of the trees. Anerath already stood in about a foot of water, and venturing further out into the open lake would certainly give them away. Robby watched the man continue on without turning, and the water reached his horse's belly at the center of the lake. Robby nudged Anerath out a few steps to see around some branches. Only then did he notice the man's apparent destination. On the far side of the lake, rising up out of the water, was an odd structure built against the sheer rock face of the hill behind it. It was like a kind of keep or tiny castle, partially sunken, its single round door yawning like a great mouth with only its upper part out of the water. Two equally dark window-openings above and to each side of the door gave the place the aspect of a giant's head peering blankly across the shallow lake while its mouth swallowed in its water.
"Not sure I like the looks of that place, old boy," Robby said to Anerath.
The Conundrum Box man rode right through the door and disappeared within. Robby saw no guards or any other sign of life about the place, but a well-hidden watch at the top of the keep could easily see all movement on the lake. Since the Conundrum Box man had not given any signal or wave, Robby's feeling was that there was no such guard. Still, if he or Billy's abductor were inside near the window openings, Robby would surely be noticed if he crossed here. He eased Anerath along northward through the trees, keeping the lake within sight while looking for some better approach. They quickly became mired in muddy water up to the stirrups so Robby turned back to go southward past his starting point. This way seemed more manageable, and Robby soon encountered a slight rise in the ground over which the water did not go. Following this, which tended to bend westward, Robby saw that the south side of the lake was dammed by a natural bank that angled into the cliff. He rode carefully atop the bank for a few hundred yards, and came to the place where the lake water spilled away in a shallow stream through an eroded break. Dismounting, he led Anerath down and through the ditch and up the other side where the lake lapped against the base of the cliff. From here, due to a slight bend in the line of the cliff, he could not see the keep, and, more importantly, could not be seen from it. But he saw no way to climb upward and no apparent path along the cliff face.
"Well," Robby sighed, "I guess there's nothing for it but to wade in and swim, if we must."
The water was not as cold as he had feared it might be and was quickly up to his chest as he felt his way along the muddy bottom step by step. Anerath did not protest, and followed along obligingly. Keeping as close to the cliff as he could, he eased along until, rounding an outcrop, Robby saw that the keep, some hundred yards ahead, did not jut out from the cliff as much as he first thought. He estimated that it was only five or six yards from the front to the back, built right into the stone cliff. Its top sloped steeply upward, and he could see there was no level place for anyone to stand watch. There was a single window facing him on this side, level with those in front, but the more Robby looked at the structure the less it seem to him to be any sort of keep or stronghold, though he could not imagine the purpose of the place.
Glancing at the sun, Robby judged it would be another hour or two before it would pass the tops of the cliffs and put him in shadow. Until then, he hoped his light-blue surcoat would blend somewhat with the sunlit water. There was no way for Anerath to hide, but Robby did not want to leave him behind. He could not guess what condition Billy might be in, but he was determined not to leave without him. Anerath was fast and strong, and could easily bear Billy and Robby together, if need be.
"You've been great so far," Robby said to him, scratching around the horse's ear. "I only ask that you bear up a little longer, just as patiently and as quietly as you've been."
Anerath tossed his head, his eyes gleaming, and Robby led him on without incident all the way to the south wall of the keep where the water was only a couple of feet deep. Hugging the wall, he peered around at the door. Except for the nervous wind rippling the water, everything was very still and quiet. Turning back to Anerath, he led him into the corner where the wall of the keep met the wall of the hill.
"I'm going on alone for a little ways," he said to the horse, making ready to tie the reins off on a root that jutted from the rocks.
"No," Robby said, putting the reins back over Anerath's head. "I'll not tie you. For one, I hope you will come if I call, and, for another, if I don't return, I'll not have you yoked to these rocks. I know the water is cold, and you'll soon be in shadow. Please wait for me as long as you can. I hope you won't w
ander out where you can be seen."
Robby's voice trailed off. In fact, he was more than a little frightened and had been so from the beginning of the chase. Now that he was leaving Anerath, he felt very small. Anerath looked steadily at him, and Robby was somehow reassured by Anerath's gaze. He could feel the horse watching him as he rounded the corner and waded to the doorway. Once there, he saw that it was the entrance to a large cave of sorts, or an underground passage. After the bright sunshine, reflected back up at him from the water, the interior of the place seemed pitch black. He slowly felt his way along the left side of the entranceway while his eyes adjusted, and then he began to make out some details. The walls were thick, and, as he came to the next corner, he could barely discern broad wide steps going up either side to the lookout windows above. The ceiling was made of great stone slabs, carefully laid over heavy lintels and beams, and there were cracks where light stabbed downward in thin rays. Directly in front of him was another opening, and, as Robby approached it, he felt the floor inclining upward. Another few steps forward, and he was no longer standing in water. It was clearly high and wide enough for a rider to pass through. The incline continued gradually until at last Robby could no longer see the lake behind him or much of anything else. Yet there seemed to be a soft yellow glow coming from ahead, and he continued cautiously toward it, dripping a trail as he went. Though he tried to tiptoe, his steps echoed loudly in the silence of the stone passageway, and he was glad he had not brought Anerath. The light continued to grow brighter, and several times he thought he heard a sound ahead and stopped to listen, but it was too faint to discern. As he rounded a bend in the passage, he saw a staircase leading up along the right-hand wall to a landing. There was a doorway up there through which yellow light flickered, and just ahead was another large opening through which the same light came. Easing to it, he got down on his hands and knees and peered around the corner into a cavernous room, nearly a hundred feet to the other side where a fire blazed in a gigantic hearth. Chairs and tables and stools were all around the room, all oversized and crudely made of stone slabs. There were even stone cups, many of them broken, and great rusty iron pots in piles scattered around the place. Thick dust covered everything, and cobwebs draped over every object. Several braziers gave off smoky light. Rough-hewn columns rose into the gloom of the high invisible roof. About halfway across the room, three horses stood tied to a post, and, farther on, in front of the fireplace, stood two figures, the Conundrum Box man and the man who had taken Billy.
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