by Bill Albert
She heard footsteps behind her and felt a hot breath on her neck. She smiled and turned to see her best friend.
“Good to see you, Snow. We’re going for a ride today.”
The horse whipped its tail several times and she knew Snow was excited about the trip. Snow had arrived at the school not long after Gallif. Several horses had been brought in and amongst the brown and black colts was this beautiful pure white filly. It was tall, strong and sturdy and she had been immediately attracted to it. Unfortunately, being the newest student, she didn’t have first pick and one of the students on the verge of leaving had chosen it. Luckily for her the horse didn’t choose the older male in return. After several attempts to come to terms with the new filly it had been decided that she would go to Gallif. No matter how much authority or seniority anyone had, there was no denying a true connection. Gallif had ridden Snow the first day and had chosen the name even before the end of the ride. Not only was her coat as pure and white as fresh snow but she could change from the gentle trot of a single flake to the mighty gallop of a blizzard in a heartbeat.
Gallif scratched Snow’s nose and ears. She looked into the horse’s dark brown eyes and felt pride at their connection. In a few short minutes she had a blanket and saddle firmly placed on the horse and led her outside to the trough.
As the horse drank heartily Gallif looked through the break in forest canopy into the blue sky. It would be a good cool day for a ride, and she knew they would both enjoy it.
Snow nudged her out of her gaze and took a step forward. Gallif climbed into the saddle and patted the horse on the neck. She pressed her legs against the horse’s side and lightly snapped the reins to start moving, but the horse stood still.
“What?” she asked. She tried to move again but the horse coughed and refused to move. “What are you waiting for?”
The door for the classroom building opened and Luvin came out at a run. He had his backpack slung over his shoulder and she could hear the contents jiggle as he ran. She smiled and offered him a hand.
“Thanks for waiting,” he said as he climbed onto the saddle behind her and put his arms around her waist. “Adventure Day,” he announced.
“No problem,” she said as she patted Snow on the back of the head for not letting her go without him.
At a pleasant trot they left the school grounds.
***
It was still early in the morning and at a good pace they knew they could be in Atrexia in a few hours. Going directly through the forest at full speed they were halfway there when the forest had cleared considerably. They switched paths to a dirt road that had partially been grown over from lack of use when Gallif finally slowed. After a few hundred yards she climbed off and started walking. Luvin knew that Snow was young and strong and could have made the trip without rest and, worried, he jumped off and followed. They were far enough out of the thick forest that the steady songs of birds weren’t so deafening.
“What’s going on?” he asked after several minutes.
“Not sure,” she said with her eyes scanning the territory around them. “It just seems odd. Something is going to happen, but I don’t know what?”
“Something magical?”
“No, no, not that. Even Snow is sensing it,” she said as she glanced at the horse.
“Sometimes I think you are making it up,” he said, and she shot him a glance that made him regret it. “Well, everything looks okay,” he continued. He looked at the mountain and slowly followed the rock face upward. “Sometimes when the clouds pass by the sun it looks like there is something moving up there.”
“I know,” she smiled. “I think it’s just rock formations. But I’ve always wondered why there were no plants anywhere. Not a shrub or tree or bush. The lower edges and cracks should have some lichen or moss on them at least.”
“Nothing grows on Starpoint Mountain.”
After a few more yards they found a pond a short distance off the side of the road. They walked across the wild grass to the edge and Snow sniffed the water carefully before taking a healthy drink. Gallif took the canteen from the saddle and filled it as well before finally looking at Luvin.
“Finella thinks I can leave,” she said. “He says I’ve learned as much as I can here.”
Luvin looked back at her and said flatly, “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know,” she said quickly. “You’ll be okay though. You’ve been here five months now and you’ve learned the lay of the land.”
“I’m not worried about me,” he said. “I’m worried about you.”
She smiled and threw a handful of water at his face. “I’ll be okay.”
“Where would you go?”
“I was thinking north for a while. See the ice fields on the other side of the Stack Black Mountains.”
“I could leave school and go with you.”
“No,” she said and hoped she didn’t sound mean. “You need to improve study more in case you run in to anyone like Pate again. Oh, by the way,” she said and held a handout to him.
Guiltily he pulled the red velvet bag with a black string he had taken from her during the ride out of his green shirt sleeve and handed it back to her. “I was hoping you wouldn’t think I was taking a cheap feel.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she said as he put the bag back in its rightful place. “Some of the other ones at the school would, but not you,” she said brushing back her bright red hair.
Suddenly he jumped up and flung his arms around her. She was also overcome by the sudden emotion and held him for a few moments. When they parted she looked at Snow and Luvin turned away.
Luvin had been dreading this news for months. He had seen how advanced she was but had still hoped she would be around long enough for him to catch up. He didn’t know she would be the last student ever to graduate from this academy.
“I’d better get some of this dirt off my face before we get to Atrexia,” he said and got on his knees next to the pond. He splashed water on his face and took a few wipes with his shirt.
There was a snort from Snow and an abrupt silence came sweeping across the forest. The change was so sudden that Gallif pulled her short sword and swung it around to protect herself from anything sneaking up on her. Luvin caught the move and followed by pulling his hammer from his backpack and turned in the opposite direction. The hammer was larger than the traditional weapon. The handle was nearly two feet long and had been carved by Gallif specifically for his grasp and the face was nearly four inches in diameter.
“What’s going on?” he finally asked, and she shushed him.
Snow snorted again and shuffled her feet nervously.
Scanning the landscape Gallif couldn’t see anything moving other than the trees fluttering to a slight breeze. Her eyes looked at Starpoint Mountain and slowly started following it up.
Snow shuffled again before moving away from the pond a few steps and bumping into Gallif.
“There’s something in the water,” Luvin could barely whisper.
They both looked into the water as a sight ripple hit the bank in front of them. After a few seconds another ripple followed.
“There’s nothing on the other side,” Luvin said.
“It’s not starting on the other side. It’s from the middle.”
A larger ripple broke the surface in the center of the pond and washed toward them. Before it reached the bank there was a horrific tremor as the ground shook. Gallif and Luvin both held on to Snow to steady themselves as the horse shuffled nervously. It lasted a few seconds and then stopped as fast as it started. There were a few odd waves crossing the pond and some of the trees shook for a few more seconds. Birds in every direction burst into the sky in a feathered frenzy. Before long nature settled back down and returned to its natural grace.
“A quake?” Gallif speculated out loud.
“There has never been a recorded quake here,” Luvin said. “Living this close to that everyone keeps records,” he said pointing at the
mountain.
“But everything seems okay now,” Gallif said as she sensed the forest. “No tremors or aftershocks of any kind.”
Gallif climbed back into the saddle. Luvin joined her and they both scanned the area in every direction.
“From up here it looks like there isn’t as much water in the pond anymore.”
“There isn’t,” Gallif said as she looked as far into the depths as she could. A larger circle of damp soil encompassed the edge of the pond. It seemed as if something had been displaced or some of the water had been drained out.
FOUR:
FESTIVAL DAY
Outside of the Rainbow Mountains there are eight major cities in the Land of Starpoint. Each city having their own special feature given to them by their location. Keometric, the southernmost city, was noted by being along the coastline and the center of the shipping industry. Outbound, to the southeast, was the last inhabited area before the farmlands went soft and the dark swamps began. Atrexia, located near the heart of the Land of Starpoint, was closest to the mountain.
Colored streamers wrapped around the trees and banners across the roads were the first signs of a festival two miles ahead in Atrexia. They had met more than a small number of travelers and blended into the steady stream of riders, private coaches and public wagons bringing in visitors from various regions.
Just on the edge of the city a large roped off area was filled with hundreds of horses. Gallif paid one of the older dwarven handlers a considerable price to make sure that Snow was well taken care of. She knew she was paying several times what it would cost to take care of her, but after all, they were loyal dwarves and they were craftsmen in handling horses. The only thing they liked better than their underground homes were the ultimate shiny things that they vaulted away. Once she was satisfied with the conditions and food Snow would be offered, she headed to the main festival area with Luvin by her side.
“Exciting Day,” Luvin declared without knowing just how much excitement was in store for them before the day was over.
A group of dancers carried a purple cloth dragon along the main road and sang the story of Ulic, the Forgetful, who once spent a whole day flying circles chasing his own tail. As they feasted on fresh beef and corn, they watched a comedian tell a group of dwarven children about a young kobold who fell through a hole in the sky and landed on a world ruled by purple chickens, all named D’adams. Gallif laughed just as heartily as the children and tipped the comedian for the entertainment before she left.
From there they walked through a market area. Luvin bought a new backpack from a tradesman with a wooden leg and Gallif bought a beautifully crafted goblet from a man who spoke with a lisp. She bartered down the price of a hard leather and wood sheath for her short sword from a young human male. It wasn’t difficult as he had been more interested in staring at her body than keeping track of exactly how much he was cutting from the price. She walked away reminded that there were times it was advantageous to being well built.
They occasionally met bands of human children with paper swords pretending to be Acrufix, the elven killer. The children chased and cheered for each other with pretend victories over wicked elves.
By noon they had gorged themselves on every kind of chocolate and sugar combination possible. With a bag of the chocolate strawberry drops that Finella had asked for safely tucked away they headed toward the gaming field. Luvin had stopped to play pitch and toss and hadn’t come close to scoring a prize. They were walking along a shooting range when Gallif stopped to watch some of the contestants taking shots at haystacks with bows and arrows. She watched a middle-aged couple and their halfling son make a few feeble attempts to shoot; however, the arrows went wild every time.
“Excuse me,” Gallif politely tapped the woman on the shoulder.
“Yes,” the female dwarf turned to greet her.
“Hold the bow straight up and down, vertical, not at an angle, so you can steady the arrow better. If you have to tilt it, remember to keep the arrow on the inside so you can target without it sliding off.”
The woman took aim using her advice and hit the third ring of the target. Their son jumped for joy and the human husband thanked her as she politely moved on.
“Are you going to take a few shots?” Luvin asked after they were a few stalls down.
“No, it wouldn’t be fair,” she said as she watched the crowd.
“I just figured you’d want to show your talents off.”
“No,” she chuckled.
“You don’t use one very much.”
“Well, it’s not my weapon of choice. I prefer a sword instead.”
“I think it’s a waste of talent.”
“Why?” she brushed back her bright red hair and looked at him.
“I’ve seen you use your hands. Bow and arrow would be perfect for you. Or using two weapons instead of one.”
“Have you been talking to Dawb?”
“Maybe,” he said sheepishly. “I wish I had your talents,” he said looking around them and leaning in close so only she could hear.
“You’re quite good. You almost got the bag out before I realized what you were doing.”
Luvin shrugged and guiltily gave her red velvet bag with a black string back to her as they moved on.
Gallif paused at the next intersection where several people had stopped and were looking down the street. In the distance she could see a parade approaching and she realized it was the mayor of Atrexia and his party touring the festival.
The first carriage was for human guests and local heroes who had served the community well. It had the usual elite hobgoblin guards keeping the crowd a safe distance as it passed.
Gallif smiled and turned to make sure Luvin could see what was happening. She was surprised and more than a little disturbed that he was missing. She quickly scanned the crowd for him.
The second carriage featured the guest from the dwarven inhabited Under City near the Stack Black Mountains. The dwarven leader looked splendid in his green gown of office.
Gallif’s eyes widened as she caught the briefest glimpse of Luvin on the other side of the street and she realized he was taking advantage of the distraction. As she watched he stepped away from a large human woman who was wearing bright gold necklaces and faded into the crowd. She had to admit she was impressed that he had made it across the street without anyone, including her, noticing.
The third carriage was incredibly large and pulled by eight horses. Inside the carriage were two giants. One was the mayor of Atrexia and the second was his wife. While the mayor waved and smiled at the crowd his mate threw massive amounts of candy at the children.
Though Gallif thought the gold and silver handles and hinges on the carriage were a bit overdone she couldn’t help but enjoy the spectacle.
As the final carriage passed and the crowd attention followed it away, she caught a glimpse of something happening across the street. Gallif bit her lip fearing Luvin had been caught and strained hard to get a better view by balancing on a water trough nearby.
She saw two human brothers, not just brothers but twins, wrestling for control of something. They were identical in every way and it was difficult to tell which was which as they rolled and struggled in the fight. Before either one of them could win several of the human security guards moved in and pulled them apart. The guards started to hustle the twins away and they disappeared in the crowd. Gallif looked for any signs of Luvin and nearly fell into the trough when he turned up right behind her.
Proud that he had surprised her he smiled and said, “Practice Day,” as she jumped to the ground and glared at him.
“Did you steal from those brothers?” she asked firmly but kept her voice down so other couldn’t hear them.
“Legally, no,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, one of them lost a bag of money and it turned up around the other’s wrist. So, legally, I didn’t take anything.”
“Oh, well, yeah, but
what did you do it for?”
“This,” he said and held out his right hand to her. Resting in his palm was a small bracelet with a golden horse figure hanging from it. “I thought it looked like Snow,” he said and offered it to her. “I needed a distraction,” he finished.
Gallif looked at the bracelet and figure carefully. Though bright and shiny jewelry wasn’t normally her style she did have to admit the horse did look like her friend.
“Why didn’t you take it when the carriages were the distraction?” she asked finally. Her questions were not meant to be accusative in any way. She simply wanted to make sure he had learned well and had planned his moves carefully.
“Cause that was when I took these,” he said and produced a small cloth bag with his left hand. He shook it and it was obvious by the noise from inside it was holding several coins.
“Good thinking,” she smiled. “Very good.”
“For you,” Luvin said slyly and dropped the bracelet into her hand.
“Thank you,” she said and gently ran her fingers across his cheek.
“Success Day,” he said.
“Yes,” she nodded. “Success Day,” she smiled, put her arm around his shoulder, and started them walking.
They continued on until there was a commotion ahead of them and they soon heard the voice of a carnival barker on a podium.
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, humans, dwarves, halflings and others. This is certainly the finest bow and arrows set any of you have ever seen. The bow itself comes from the wood of a five-hundred-year-old tree and was carved by hand by an artisan whose fingers sang as they performed.”
There were mumblings of interest from the crowd that was gathering around the podium so Gallif and Luvin paused to hear the rest of the pitch.
