Raven Quest

by R A Oakes

  “Maybe you’re finally taking the time to listen,” Dark Shadow suggested.

  “I’m not being left behind,” Andylan said, gripping her horse’s mane tightly and getting ready for it to leap ahead.

  Glancing over at the warrior woman, Dark Shadow said, “Don’t grip his mane so hard, he won’t like that. You’ll have a better chance of not getting thrown if you just grip him tightly with your legs.”

  “Yes, sir,” Andylan said, obeying without question. But her horse quickly added, “I wouldn’t have bucked you off, but I appreciate your easing up on my mane.”

  “No problem, happy to oblige.”

  “Thank you.”

  As the sparks of light began falling from the ceiling at an increased rate, everyone including the horses began breathing in more and more of them. Dark Shadow, however, kept himself under control and shouted, “My eyes have adjusted to the dim light, how is everyone else?”

  “My eyes are fine,” Zorya said.

  “I’m good, Father,” Dynarsis added.

  “That’s great, but I was wondering mostly about my horses since they’re the ones who need to see most of all,” Dark Shadow replied. “How about you in the back? How are you doing?”

  “I’m great. Don’t worry about me,” the last horse shouted. “But what about some of these rookies who’ve never ridden a wild horse before, especially one who’s running full out?”

  “Who are you calling a rookie?” Andylan said, being that she was the rider straddling this horse.

  “Be careful about teasing the humans. It seems they can now understand whatever we say,” Dark Shadow said.

  “So much for privacy,” the horse replied.

  “When you need to speak privately, I can dismount,” Andylan said.

  “Much appreciated.”

  “But I won’t be mocked,” the warrior woman added with a firm edge to her voice.

  “Yes, understood, sorry.”

  “Okay, we’ll work on more horse and rider protocols later, but for now, let’s go!” Dark Shadow said, leaping forward and charging down the straightaway.

  After racing ahead for a few minutes, another change began taking place. A cloud of prism-light sparks began forming on the tunnel floor covering the hooves and lower legs of all the horses. Looking down, Raven was almost sure her horse’s feet were no longer touching the ground, and the wind was so intense that she leaned forward and lowered her head to cut the resistance.

  “Does anyone have an idea how fast we’re going?” Raven shouted, but her words seemed to be lost upon the wind which was now raging all around her. Gritting her teeth and hanging on, she surrendered to the moment and enjoyed the sheer exhilaration.

  ◆◆◆

  After what seemed like only a few hours, the horses splashed across a shallow stream, the second since they’d begun their journey through the tunnel. Everyone was immediately aware of its importance. This marked the halfway point.

  “Let’s hold up!” Aldwen shouted, having first uttered a short incantation so he could be heard above the roar of the wind. “We need to talk about what we’re going to do when we reach the exit.”

  As the horses all came to a stop, they turned around to get a drink of water. None were really thirsty, but they didn’t know when the next opportunity would come once they’d left the tunnel. And that possibility appeared to be sooner than anyone had expected if what they’d just experienced was an indication of how quickly they could cover the remaining distance. None of the humans were thirsty either, but they dismounted and drank their fill if only as a precaution. However, all were wondering if the multi-colored sparks had provided not only increased energy but sustenance as well, food and water seeming almost unnecessary.

  Then, after splashing some water on her face, Raven felt completely refreshed, as did everyone else, and the cloud of prism-light sparks hovered on the floor while the walls and ceiling were still painted with varying shades of purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Quickly getting down to business, Raven turned to Starlight and asked, “Once we exit the tunnel, how far will we be from the trail leading to your parents’ monastery?”

  “The exit is almost directly across from the starting point for the mountain trail. In fact, we’ll only be a few hundred yards away from it.”

  “When we do get to the exit, it should still be daylight, at least if we keep covering ground at the same pace we have been doing,” Raven said.

  “That would be helpful, but if it’s dark, we’ll just wait until morning. And if that’s the case, be sure to stay a safe distance back from the exit. Meat-eating trolls could be roaming around outside,” Starlight cautioned them.

  “Even during the day, meat-eating trolls could be in the area if they’re wearing cloaks,” Dynarsis pointed out.

  “Yes, that’s a good point,” Starlight agreed. “And please bear one thing in mind and take it to heart.”

  “What’s that?” Zorya asked.

  “Whatever happens, don’t kill a troll anywhere near the starting point of the trail. We don’t want to bring unnecessary attention to it.”

  “What if they’re chasing us?” Brianuk objected.

  “Even if they’re wearing cloaks, it will still be dangerous for them. If any part of a meat-eating troll’s body is touched by sunlight, even just a hand or a foot, the entire troll will turn to stone. The best thing we can do when we reach the tunnel’s exit is to take a good look around and race as fast as we can for the base of the trail.”

  “Once we get there, we’ll be safe?” Dark Shadow asked.

  “Almost, but not quite,” Starlight replied. “We’ll still need to make it to the first bend in the trail, which is only a few hundred yards more from the starting point.”

  “Then we’ll be safe?” Renivy asked.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Yes and no?” Aldwen asked.

  “Well, once we’re around that first bend and out of sight, we can fight any meat-eating troll dumb enough to have followed us. But if we do that, and we kill it, we’ll

  have to lug the body up the mountain until we can find place to bury it.”

  “But at least we’ll be safe?” Swift Arrow asked, knowing how dangerous trolls could be, having lost her foal to the savage creatures not long ago.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Please stop with the ‘yes and no’ and make your point. What are you trying to say?” Raven asked her friend.

  “Once we round the first bend, meat-eating trolls won’t be much of a threat, but something else might be.”

  “And that is?”

  “Vegetarian troll monks will be guarding the path from the very first bend and will continue to do so all the way to the monastery.”

  “But you’re a vegetarian troll, and you can speak to them for us and explain things, right?” Andylan asked.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Okay, out with it. What’s worrying you?” Raven insisted.

  “First of all, remember that the monks in this time period, which is 20 years in the past for Raven, Dynarsis, Andylan and me, will have had almost no contact with humans. The coming battles with meat-eating trolls haven’t happened, and so vegetarian trolls haven’t as yet formed an alliance with humans, an alliance based solely on a mutual desire to survive. My point is that when the monks see us coming up the mountain trail, it will be anything but reassuring. Plus, there’s another serious problem,” Starlight added gravely.

  “What?”

  “We might not see some of the monks until it’s too late.”

  “They’re that quick and deadly?” Raven asked.

  “They’re almost invisible, and they blend in with the trail.”

  “They wear camouflage?”

  “Let’s just say that you’ll never see them coming.”

  “I need to know why.”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “I’ll believe anything you tell me,” Raven reassured her best friend.
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  “You might not believe this,” Starlight replied. “But I need everyone to listen to me very carefully. Before we round the first bend, we all need to lie face down in the dirt.”

  “What should the horses do?” Dark Shadow asked.

  “I’d kneel down and roll onto my side if I were you.”

  “All of the horses?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll do anything you want,” Dark Shadow said. Then, looking around at the other horses, he added, “Does anyone have a problem with this strategy?”

  “Doing what she asks will make us totally vulnerable,” one horse objected.

  “If we’re vulnerable and at their mercy, they won’t kill us,” Starlight explained. “And remember, don’t get up without the monks’ permission.”

  “This all sounds a little strange,” another horse said.

  “But you’ll obey, is that correct?” Dark Shadow asked with a firm edge to his voice.

  “Yes, my lord. I simply find it odd to be taking verbal directions from a human or a vegetarian troll, that’s all,” the errant horse responded. “It may have been easier when we couldn’t understand them.”

  “I suggest that you get used to it.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Just remember, Starlight is telling us this for our own good. She’s a friend, agreed?”

  “Yes, my lord,” each of the horses said, except for Swift Arrow, his wife, who nodded.

  “I didn’t mean to sound bossy,” Starlight said. “I just wanted to be sure that everyone knows about the trail. If we’re not being followed by meat-eating trolls, we should stop well before the first bend. At that point, I’ll dismount and approach it by myself.”

  “I won’t let you face danger alone,” Raven protested.

  “In this instance, I’ll be safer by myself. Once I get close to the first bend, I’ll drop my weapons and lie face down in the dust. They won’t kill me if I’m totally defenseless.”

  “You’re sure?” Raven asked.

  “Pretty much,” Starlight said, smiling ruefully. “But it’s our best option.”

  Raven remained silent, pondering her friend’s words, but eventually said, “If that’s what you think is best.”

  “It is.”

  “Maybe we should get moving now,” Aldwen suggested.

  After everyone was mounted, Raven added, “If we travel as fast as we did before, then we won’t be able to talk to each other. So, I’ll just see you all by the exit if it’s still daylight, or we’ll stop well back from the exit if it’s dark outside.”

  Everyone nodded, including the horses.

  “Okay, let’s ride!” Raven shouted.

  And the horses and riders charged off through the tunnel, the cloud of prism-light sparks once again speeding them on their way. This time, however, the size of the cloud quickly increased until it was billowing around the horses’ chests and covering the legs of the riders. The horses no longer felt the weight of the riders, and the riders no longer felt the horses under them, as if floating a little above the animals’ backs. Yet everyone felt the wind resistance increasing and knew they were traveling faster than before, much faster.

  “When we reach the exit, what if we can’t stop?” Raven wondered aloud, even though she knew no one could hear her. “What if we just can’t stop?”

  Chapter 15

  As Raven and her friends raced through the underground tunnel, the warrior woman was surprised to find that the floor, the walls and the ceiling were once again cloaked in total darkness. The faint prism light that had been illuminating them had surged ahead, reconfiguring and compressing itself into a wide bright circle of purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red light. And the circle remained out in front of them, pushing ahead at an enormous pace, creating a powerful suction which gripped the travelers and pulled them through the crevasse even faster than before. Fortunately, the cloud of prism-light sparks flowing around the horses had also grown, engulfing the riders and surrounding them all with a protective enclosure. And the cloud kept on growing, filling the tunnel from floor to ceiling for over 200 yards in each direction.

  Soon afterwards, there was another incredible increase in velocity, one so great that the travelers, horses included, felt like their bodies were becoming elongated, as if being pulled and stretched at both ends. Yet as uncomfortable as this was, it made them more streamlined, and they shot through the tunnel so rapidly that some feared they were going to pass out, the intensity making them feel dizzy and their stomachs queasy.

  At that exact moment, Raven saw a small circle of daylight up ahead and realized they’d be reaching the exit in a matter of seconds. Pulling on her horse’s mane, she shouted, “We need to stop and assess our situation. We need to see what’s outside before we go plowing into the open.”

  Dark Shadow, Swift Arrow and all the horses leaned back as each tried to shove all four hooves into the dirt, hoping to come to an abrupt halt, but nothing happened. All they did was send up a spray of prism-light sparks since none of the horses were actually touching the ground. What they did experience, however, was a temporary blindness as they went from a dark tunnel into a wide-open field drenched with sunlight.

  Riders squinted and shielded their eyes from the glare while some of the horses closed their eyes or looked down at the ground, creating a potentially dangerous situation. If even one of the horses tripped and fell, others would stumble over it and send their riders sprawling. However, such a concern proved unnecessary as the animals’ hooves skimmed across the field without so much as touching a blade of grass.

  When the travelers virtually shot out of the crevasse, the cloud of prism-light sparks had flowed out in front of them like a pathway of twinkling lights, but not all of it. Some of the cloud dispersed and spread out along a wide swath of the field. Had any trolls been in the immediate vicinity, they would have been driven away, the sparks functioning as a protective repellant. Even though there were at least several hundred yards between the tunnel’s exit and the mountain path, the travelers covered the distance in an instant.

  However, by the time the travelers reached the mountain pathway, most of the sparks had drifted away on the wind leaving only a few wisps of cloud along the valley floor and a faint residue on the riders’ hair and the horses’ manes. Yet as the animals finally touched the ground, they were so brimming with energy that they charged up the foothills and were barely able to contain themselves when Starlight shouted, “Remember, we must stop well before the first bend in the trail. If anyone gets too close, you’ll be endangering us all.”

  Dark Shadow forced himself to obey, realizing their safety depended upon all the horses and riders being able to follow Starlight’s instructions, and he shouted, “Swift Arrow, can you get yourself to stop?”

  “Yes,” the mare replied, digging in her hooves and prancing around in an effort to expend some of the energy still surging through her. Then, after racing to join her mate, Swift Arrow and Dark Shadow stood together and blocked the mountain trail, knowing that discipline was an important part of any successful mission. When a couple of the horses tried to get around them, Dark Shadow reared up on his hind legs, with Dynarsis gripping his mane and wrapping his own legs tightly around the powerful horse’s chest. Flailing his front hooves in the air and baring his teeth, the powerful warhorse shouted, “Halt!”

  That’s all it took. The other horses quickly obeyed, nostrils flaring and prancing around much like Swift Arrow had done, but they obeyed without question and more out of respect for their leader than fear. All the wild horses knew their leader had proven his wisdom and strength many times over. And all owed him a debt of gratitude.

  Starlight was the first to dismount, being extremely aware of the danger they were in, for she knew that since the vegetarian trolls lived only a few miles from Gratuga, the monks patrolled the trail relentlessly both day and night. Raven quickly followed suit, and the other riders dismounted immediately afterwards.

 
A breeze from the field below brought a long, thin cloud of prism-light sparks, the last remnants from the tunnel, floating on the wind and drifting along the trail until finally dissipating near the first bend in the trail. Before doing so, however, the multi-colored sparks clung momentarily to almost two dozen monks who otherwise would have been nearly invisible. Yet all of the travelers saw them, and more important, Raven and her friends took careful notice of the spears the monks were carrying. However, the monks and their weapons quickly blended into the background, the rocks and dirt along the trail appearing to be much more solid and real than the vegetarian trolls themselves.

  Now the only way any of the travelers could tell the monks were even there was by watching a shimmering motion when the vegetarian trolls moved. But if the monks remained stationary, they may as well have been totally invisible. It was almost impossible to see them unless you knew they were there and looked for them.

  Hoping to avoid a confrontation, Starlight ran up the trail until she was within a few dozen yards of the monks and dropped to her knees. Putting her forehead to the ground in supplication, Starlight said, “Esteemed ancestors, I beg you not to hurt us. We come in peace and mean you no harm.”

  Immediately, Raven’s eyes widened as she noticed what appeared to be a nearly invisible spear shimmering in the air as though made of clear glass. But the spear was all too real, its sharp metal head burying itself in the ground only a few feet in front of Starlight, sending a spray of dirt and stones into the air.

  At that moment, a monk stepped out in front of the others and walked towards Starlight who’d remained kneeling, forehead pressed firmly against the mountain trail. But then something happened that neither the monk nor any of the monk’s peers had ever seen before. As the lone monk proceeded down the trail, the almost invisible vegetarian troll became easier to see. It was still as though the monk were made of a very fine and very clear glass, but there was now some color in the monk’s face and robes. And it was easy to see that the monk was a woman, a very old woman.