by T Nisbet
Chp. 20
I was totally surprised that Biscuits could be cooked on a rock surrounded by coals, but I watched as the dough Gill expertly mixed together slowly rose and turned golden brown. The smell was overwhelming. I was ravenous by the time that Ivy and Brianna joined us for the campfire breakfast.
The bacon and biscuits hit the spot. Ivy sat beside me and leaned into me as we ate. How she could smell so wonderful was amazing to me, maybe that was her magic. Since we’d been in this mirror of our world, everyone differed to her, calling her Magi or mage. I was going to ask her about that, wasn’t I? It had been in the back of my head to ask. I looked at her and just as suddenly as the thought had come to me it crept away leaving me wondering what I had been thinking about.
After we finished our meal, we broke camp, packing our bedrolls away in the wagon. Brianna shared her brush with Carla and Ivy as we waited for Coach to return. I thought about asking for it, but ran a hand through my hair instead. My curly hair usually sprang back into place regardless of what I did to it, so I wasn’t worried. It wasn’t long before Coach stormed back into the camp.
“You all better get this straight!” he yelled, his face turning red as he glared at us all in turn. “I’m still in charge. That means we do what I say! We follow my Master’s plan, not some crazy plan cooked up by an enemy. Lord Memron’s estate is a day’s travel beyond Brighton in Mozgul, the kingdom of the Blood Elves. We will stay in Brighton for one night only, then, move on to his Estate. I won’t be accepting any compromises either, understand?”
“And you should understand,” said Gill standing up, “that we will follow your Master’s plan only so long as it suits the purpose of our quest. Nothing else matters old man. The lives of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children depend upon our trapping the demon before it unleashes an underworld horde upon Cenaria.”
I thought Coach’s head would explode.
“He’s going to stroke out,” Carla said aloud. “Oh, for my camera.”
Toby snickered.
Coach ignored her focusing on Gill, “Who gave you a say in anything guard?”
“I did,” I said, standing up. “We need to follow this plan Coach McNally, things have moved beyond just getting Brianna to Memron’s estate.”
“Don’t cross me Gunn!” he growled, clinching his fists.
This needed to be settled now. I felt my face flushing, but I breathed and looked Coach McNally right in the eye.
“This isn’t about you! You’re not my coach any longer and can’t tell me what I will or won’t do. This stupid quest comes first, and since accomplishing it requires us to go to the Kingdom of the Blood Elves, that’s where we will go. I promised Bri’s father two things: return the ruby to him when we are done, and come here for training, which I’ve received. My promise didn’t include going to this Lord Memron’s estate. That is your deal.”
“For your information Gunn, Lord Memron’s estate is on the way to Grimhome. The training Master Kline informed you about is supposed to happen at Lord Memron’s estate. You haven’t received shit yet!” he said shaking with anger.
I glared back at the man who had made my life such a hell since I joined his football team. The somber faces of all the players on the wall in his office flashed before my eyes.
“Gill, would you mind letting him borrow your sword? I think I need to show him,” I said
Gill looked at me and nodded, unsheathing his sword.
“Weapon of my choosing if you don’t mind,” Coach growled, pulling the rusty K-Bar knife from his belt.
“Jake no!” Ivy said. “You’ll prove nothing. Don’t do this!”
I ignored her with difficulty and pulled the dull black serpent knife I’d received from Lord Palfry, Captain Marchon’s brother from my boot. Coach looked at the knife and blanched, nearly dropping his K-Bar.
“Where did you get that!” he stammered, stepping back.
“Jake, don’t do this!” Ivy ordered, putting her hands on her hips.
“Come on Jake,” Carla said. “He’s an old man, what will it prove? Can’t the two of you just have a pissing contest?”
I felt the anger leaving me at my friend’s insistence. I watched as Coach put himself between Brianna and me. His actions didn’t make any sense, I wasn’t going to hurt Bri.
“Get that thing away from us Gunn, you have no idea what it is!” McNally said, his gravelly voice having lost all of its anger.
“Hmmm, and what is it?” asked Gill, sheathing his sword.
I looked down at the knife and noticed the ruby eyes were glowing. How crazy was that?
“It is a Zil-kris! Its lightest touch will slay the undead,” Coach barked.
“How handy.” Gill smiled. “Strange that you would be afraid of it old man.”
“Well technically he and I are in thrall to my father, awaiting the final kiss. So, we are kinda undead in a matter of speaking,” Brianna shrugged.
I quickly put the knife back in the built in sheath inside my boot. There was no way I was going to let the thing get close to Brianna.
So I had a knife that could slay the undead. I shook my head; this just kept getting stranger and stranger.
“Regardless, we need to trap the demon or everything else won’t matter.” I sighed wishing that this whole Immortal burden had fallen to someone else rather than me. No, it wasn’t the first time I made that wish, nor would it be the last.
In the end, Coach did compromise and agreed to wait for two days in Brighton, provided I didn’t take the knife out for any reason at all. I agreed. Ivy squeezed my arm and winked at me while Coach McNally hitched his plow horses to the wagon. My friend’s picked out horses. Gill adjusted everyone’s saddle but Carla’s. She knew how to adjust the cinch and the stirrup length for herself. He watched anyway and nodded when she did everything to his satisfaction. She was so happy with her horse, she didn’t even make a sarcastic comment about Toby dwarfing his poor mount.
We set off from the campsite in the gully and made our way back onto the road, walking our horses behind the wagon. I rode next to Ivy and Toby near the rear of our growing party. Carla and Brianna rode in front of us, deep in conversation with Gill.
“You planning on entering more tournaments anytime soon?” Toby grinned.
“No, but I hear they are going to be having a pie eating contest in Brighton. Maybe you should enter,” I joked.
“You know I don’t like pie. Now if it was cake! Well…” Toby quipped.
“I can eat more cake than you,” Ivy interjected to my surprise.
“Oh… well, we shall have to see about that!” laughed Toby.
It was good to be back with my friends. I don’t know why I felt so grounded around them despite the crazy circumstances that were pulling me along like a leaf caught in the current of a river, but I did.
We rode along for a couple of hours before coach pulled to the side of the road. We drank water out of canteens and ate some dried steak Gill pulled out of one of the packs. Coach stayed with the wagon and didn’t join us as we ate. The hills had grown steeper around the valley, which had narrowed considerably over the past hour. I could see the end of the forest not too far ahead.
“Feels like I jumped off of a four-story building onto a bicycle,” Toby grunted chewing vigorously.
“Just imagine how your poor horse feels,” Carla laughed.
He shot her a look.
I knew how he felt, but the ride so far had been much easier than my ride last night, I could hardly complain.
“So Gill, how long have you been a guard?” Brianna asked.
“For just over ten years,” he said passing Toby some more dried beef.
“You can’t be over twenty-five years old, you must have started awfully young,” she said.
Gill laughed, “I was only sixteen when I passed the tests. At the time, I was the youngest to ever pass, though I heard that a couple of cities have opened the testing to fifteen year olds because recruitment has fallen off s
o much.”
He shook his head.
“I’m afraid the guard will not be ready for the war that’s coming.”
“Have the Blood Elves attacked Cenaria in the past?” I asked.
“Many times, Jake. Cenaria lies between their Kingdom and the realm of the High Elves. To get to their hated enemy, they must come through us, actually, through this very valley. It is the reason Lockewood has the defenses it does.”
“Do the good elves help you against the bad ones?” Carla asked.
“They have in ancient times, but not since the council of mages became as powerful as they are now. There exists an uneasy truce between us, but it is far from the alliance it once was.”
“Why are they enemies at all?” asked Brianna.
“There are quite a few legends concerning that, Lady Brianna,” Gill answered. “The one that makes the most sense to me is the one my father told me when I was little.”
Gill got up and secured the packs to his saddle. “You see,” he called out over his shoulder, “back before recorded time, and the coming of man to this world, the elves were a single nation. Two brothers in-line for the throne fought a battle to see who would rule. One of the brothers followed the traditions of the elven people and used the magic of light, or good magic if you will. The other brother and his followers used dark arts involving bloody sacrifices to demons and the like. They perverted the magic of the earth for their own gain and power.
The two sides fought a great battle. The elves using the dark arts were defeated and cast from the elven woods with fairy help. They are called dark elves or Blood elves because of their evil sacrifices.”
“Were there vampires back then?” Carla asked.
Gill shrugged.
“Some legends say that the first blood elves were also the first vampires. Other say that vampires came along much later and took advantage of the split that already existed between elves that used pure magic and those that used dark arts. I tend to believe that they were opportunists, seeking to increase their power.”
Gill came back over and sat down. “However it happened, Vampires somehow infused the Blood Elves with an ability to procreate faster, and to share a closer link with the demons they worship. Contrary to popular belief in the cities, elves aren’t immortal. Their life spans are measured in millennia not years, but they do grow old and die. The Blood Elves who have embraced vampirism however, are truly immortal.”
“Only some of the Blood Elves are Vampires?” Brianna asked.
“So we believe. Keeps the power of their King and the royalty intact.”
“Get on your blasted horses!” Coach McNally yelled, his whip cracking over the plow horses. The wagon lurched forward, leaving us sitting in the grass next to the road.
We left the forest and traveled upward through the narrowing valley dotted with small stands of pine trees. The hills on either side slowly grew into pine-covered mountains, and the valley became a gorge as the day drew on towards night. We stopped a couple of times to rest throughout the day. Ivy sat near me at each stop, but I didn't get a chance to talk with her privately, so I couldn't tell her about the sword and the voice. It was bothering me that she didn't know. She was as much a part of this as I was, maybe more so. I didn't want to keep her in the dark. Even though we weren't alone at any of the stops, I enjoyed her company.
The road was well traveled, and we'd just passed a very slow wagon train when Gill motioned us to gather our horses around his.
"Up ahead is one of the most incredible Inns in Cenaria. When you start to hear the roar of the falls you'll know we're near," he grinned. "We will stay there tonight regardless of what your Coach McNally says. Thanks to Jake, it’s on me. Besides, it’s pretty obvious you folks haven't lived off the back of a horse before. It will be good to have one last night of comfort before we start into the next three days."
"Let me guess, no Inns?" Brianna groaned.
"None." Gill smirked at her. "But I can fluff your pillow if needed."
"And I'll put a mint on it," Toby joined in.
"You're the one in need of a Tic-Tac or two, handsome," snipped Carla.
We urged our horses into a trot and caught up to the wagon quickly enough. I handled the trot better than I had last night. Being more relaxed sure helped. The girls didn't seem to have much trouble, especially Carla, who was obviously enjoying herself immensely. Toby on the other hand, looked miserable. He grimaced with his horse's every step as we slowed to a walk behind the wagon. I pulled in beside him.
"Looks like you're not doing so hot buddy," I smiled, whispering so no one would hear.
Toby gave me a look that said it all, "I hate horses."
His horse snorted loudly, and it took a great deal of effort not to laugh along with his horse.
"But, you're a natural," I lied, barely holding it together.
"I will beat you down so far you'll have to carry around an umbrella so the ants won't piss on you... just laugh, once and see if I'm not telling the truth," he said, between clenched teeth.
I nodded as though I was appropriately intimidated. Then I smiled and reached out clapping him on the shoulder. "I was just horsing around Tob."
Toby growled and took a half-hearted swipe at me, which shifted his balance too much, and he immediately grabbed the saddle horn to keep from falling.
I gave him the lesson Gill had given me as we rode along behind the others. In front of us, Gill told the girls stories that made them laugh. The road narrowed further as we wound our way upward into the mountains, until it was barely wide enough for two wagons to pass each other. The gorge we were traveling through grew steeper and steeper until there was only a wall of granite to our right and a sheer drop off to our left.
The drop to our left reminded me of a trip I had taken with my parents when I was young to Bryce Canyon in Utah. We had nearly been run off of the road by a semi tractor-trailer filled with logs. If it hadn't been for the guardrail we would have sailed off of a cliff. Dad hadn't even complained about the damage to the car. He just held Mom and me at the next turn out. It had happened so quickly, but the experience had been essential in forming my hatred of heights.
I tried to stay relaxed, hoping my horse didn't have a death wish. Why couldn't the road have guardrails or a fence of some kind? I was breathing and fighting off anxiety when I heard, far in the distance, a rumbling that sounded like thunder.
"Thank God!" said Toby, hearing it too. "Can't get there soon enough."
I had to agree.
The roaring grew grown louder and louder as the miles passed, then we rounded a corner and saw it; a magnificent horseshoe shaped waterfall. Millions of gallons of water cascaded down a shear, white granite cliff face from a thousand feet or more above the road, crashing an equal distance below against boulders at the bottom of the gorge. The sound of the water’s impact was deafening.
Gill hadn't been kidding about the Inn. The late afternoon sun caught the perpetual mist that rose up from the gorge, casting a shimmering rainbow just beneath a castle-like inn that stood on a promontory between two sections of the thunderous waterfall. The 'Gilded Horn Inn's' many white stone balconies and terraces looked over the booming falls just above the sparkling mist. I looked on in amazement hardly breathing. It was so utterly fantastic a view it was hardly believable.
At first glance it looked as if there was no way to get to the magnificent inn. The road we were on disappeared behind the wall of water a thousand hundred yards ahead of us. As we got closer, I could see that the road had been cut into the granite wall behind the colossal waterfall. The sheer volume of water thundering over the road was awe-inspiring. I wondered how on earth anyone could have carved out a road behind the massive falls.
The ominous grey passageway opened in front of us daring us to enter its deadly mouth. I felt my heart rate rising considerably as we drew nearer, despite the suffocating roar that pounded against my chest. I took a deep breath and concentrated on my breathing as
we entered the otherworldly tunnel under a solid wall of foaming water that roared out over the roadway, disappearing far below. The fact that a thick stone railing protected the side of the road facing the falls didn't lighten my fear what so ever. I felt the first wave of panic rise up through my vibrating body and bit my lip to stop myself from crying out. “Breathe, just breathe,” I told myself, concentrating on the light at the end of the tunnel.
We moved our mounts closer to the cliff face, away from the wall of water, but that didn't help the horses that were understandably nervous as we made our way through the slick, deafening tunnel. Images of my horse slipping on the damp stone road and tumbling out over the railing flashed through my mind unbidden, adding to my panic. I pulled my feet out of the stirrups so I could jump off if there was a problem and prayed.
After ten heart-pounding minutes, we emerged from the surreal tunnel. Gill rode forward to where Coach McNally sat on the wagon. The two had a heated discussion I couldn't hear because of the thunderous roar of the falls, then coach turned the wagon off of the main road and out onto a thick wooden draw bridge that led to the promontory and 'The Gilded Horn'.
I didn't let myself look over the side of the bridge as we traveled across it, and kept my eyes focused on the magnificent Inn on the other side. It looked like a small castle, complete with a large granite wall and thick front gates. Two large towers rose on either side of the gate offering archers complete access to the thick wooden bridge and the road beyond.
I breathed a sigh of relief when my horse's hooves met the solid ground of the promontory. Ivy turned around in her saddle and offered me a dazzling smile. I tried to smile back as we entered the gates and grooms ran out to take our horses, but I was still pretty shaken by the trip under the falls and over the bridge. I’m pretty sure I failed miserably.
I stood in the saddle a moment to get blood back into my legs before swinging down from my horse. It didn't help much. My legs were shaky, but I didn't mind, it felt so good to be on solid ground.
Toby got off his horse and promptly collapsed onto his backside, cursing. I helped him slowly get up.
“This riding horses bit is for the birds,” he shouted, his face beet red. The groom holding his horse’s bit pretended to notice something in the other direction worthy of his attention.
I nodded, holding him up until Carla took my place.
“I got it Jake,” she laughed, Toby grumbled.
Ivy nearly skipped over to me. It just wasn't fair.
"Isn't this amazing!" she shouted over the roar of the falls.
I nodded again as she grabbed my arm, pretty sure my voice would betray the anxiety attack I’d just had. Her enthusiasm almost swept my panic induced fatigue away, almost. God she was radiant!
Under different circumstances I would have found the castle’s beauty more amazing, I’m sure. Trunks as thick as small trees secured vines that covered the front of the amazing Inn with petite, light green-and-rust colored ivy leaves. As much as I loved architecture I was only able to take in the total beauty of the structure and not study the various elements that went into making such an incredible building.
