“Please,” Jaycent bid, not questioning how this stranger knew about him. “If you know where we can find these people, tell us, and we will be on our way.”
Another agonizing pause transpired as the stranger contemplated their request. “The path to where the re’shahna call home is not an easy one, even during the day.”
“There are far more perilous things at our backs,” Jaycent replied. “If you would but lead us in the right direction, we will bother you no more.”
“Very well,” the sound of flint, then a spark, brought life to a small torch. Its wielder stepped lightly across the many boulders that littered the river’s water, his grace boasting of experience treading through the wild lands. As he drew toward the pair, the flame illuminated the stranger’s face, revealing the most peculiar rahee Jaycent or Levee had ever seen.
Two tattoos decorated his bare chest: a hoof on one pec and a lightning bolt on the other. A strange shell alongside a gray feather hung on a leather cord around his neck. The stranger’s ears were horse-like and coated with a soft layer of downy fur, one of which held patches of black.
Upon his face a dark birthmark formed a “V” across his forehead and down the bridge of his nose. The gypsy marveled at how this stranger seemed more horse than rahee. His scalp was shaved around the lower portion of his head so his hair draped like a mane across the side of his face and neck. It was even black and white, like Kotu’s favored paint.
“I can take you there,” the stranger offered. “But once we set out, we cannot stop. Not for anything.”
“Let us be on our way then,” Jaycent replied, and Levee could tell by the waver in his words that the prince was caught off guard by his appearance as well. Could this be the re’shahna Skalabur spoke of?
The stranger pointed his torch toward the river’s edge where a strong current roared beneath the dark blue water. Levee and Jaycent looked at each other, wondering what he was getting at.
“You mean to say the path is beyond the river?” Jaycent guessed.
Their guide took a seat at the river’s edge and dipped his legs into the cool water. He patted the riverbank, urging the two rahee to join him. Jaycent doused the fire and put his mail and tunic back on before joining Levee by the bank. Once they were comfortable, their guide doused his torch.
“You will see soon enough what I mean. For now, we wait. When the moon shows her face, we make for my people’s home,” he explained.
“So you are a re’shahna?” Levee clarified.
“Aye,” she could sense his smile in the dim, gray night. “Not so unlike the gypsies of the north, we are. You will feel at home with us.”
Levee was amazed by his perception. “How did you know I was a gypsy?”
“The name Tensley is not unfamiliar to us,” he explained. “For centuries, your family played an important role among your people as speakers. They communicated with the herds and kept them protected.”
Jaycent nudged Levee’s side with his elbow.
“Patchi spoke of you, Levee Tensley,” their guide continued. “He says you have the gift.”
The night hid the blush across Levee’s cheeks. “That’s what everyone has been telling me. To be honest, I’m not even sure what that means.”
The re’shahna nodded. “Much has been forgotten among the ‘civilized’ horse-folk. But you will learn to remember. My people will teach you.” Jaycent huffed at their guide’s arrogance, causing him to smile. “I have heard of you too, Prince of Nevaharday. Patchi says you are a dreamer.” The stranger cleared his throat before adding, “and Shadow haunts your sleep.”
“Shadow?” Levee squinted, unfamiliar with the name.
“Patchi talks too much,” Jaycent replied in a stern tone.
“He only means to help,” offered the re’shahna. “Our leader came to us after you spoke with him, fearful Shadow had returned.”
“Wait, are you saying the wolf has a name?” the prince frowned.
“Aye, but Shadow is not a wolf. The form you saw was what he wanted you to see. He is a master of illusions.”
“Wait, so Patchi knew who this foe was all along and he didn’t think to warn us?” Jaycent’s ire mounted the more the re’shahna spoke.
“What sort of warning would you heed? From what I am told, you are swayed only by ‘facts’ written in books. Not legends or myths.”
“The book,” Levee whispered to the prince.
Jaycent considered the thin hardback book he had left with his other tunic. Neither he nor Rayhan knew where it had come from, but somehow the prince was certain Patchi had a hand in it.
“Clever little gypsy,” he muttered.
“You would do well to trust Patchi,” the stranger advised. “He understands your plight more than you think.”
“You must be close to him,” Jaycent observed, “to know so much.”
“Aye,” the stranger confirmed. “I lead the re’shahna in his stead when he is with the nomadic rahee.”
“Are you saying Patchi leads the re’shahna, too?”
Levee shook her head as realization fell upon her. “He is a re’shahna… The leader of the re’shahna has been guiding the gypsies, keeping the old ways alive even as Nevaharday forsook them.”
The re’shahna chuckled. “The fact that you figured it out so quickly tells me he is doing his job quite well.”
“What is your name?” Levee asked. She sensed this stranger’s pleasure at her amiable question the same way she could sense Melee’s own feelings.
“Tobiano,” he replied. “However, my friends call me Tobi. You may do the same.”
The breeze picked up, and the three glanced at the sky to see the clouds break loose in a steady drift toward the south. The moon peered like an eye between the broken wisps, spilling its light onto the river’s surface.
“It is time,” Tobi informed them. “You can swim, yes?”
“Well enough,” Jaycent replied. He turned to Levee. “How about you?”
“Like a fish,” she assured.
“The first part of our trek starts beneath the river,” Tobi explained. “Take a deep breath before you go under. It will be all but spent before we reach the surface. Do not fight the current. Ride it. When your lungs burn, do not gasp for air. We will surface soon enough.”
Tobi slipped into the water then, giving the pair no time for doubts. His bare torso felt the tug immediately, and he jerked forward several inches before his feet found their bearing. Digging his toes deep into the sand, he reached for Levee’s hand.
The gypsy took it, sliding as soon as she hit the current. Tobi caught her and held out his hand for the prince. The males gripped wrists as Jaycent used his feet as an anchor, planting them the same way their guide did.
“Follow the current,” the re’shahna reminded. With a deep breath, he turned and dove. Jaycent and Levee plunged after him, their arms pumping in an effort to keep up. The current was frighteningly strong, and panic gripped Levee as she felt it pull her away from the surface.
She focused her eyes on what lay ahead, mentally assuring herself that Tobi had done this before. Down between the rocks they went, into depths she never would have dared to explore. Their link to the surface and its life-giving air disappeared beneath solid chunks of stone as the current shoved them into a dark tunnel.
They swam through the darkness, Levee’s hand on Tobi’s ankle as he led them between narrow crevices. The re’shahna navigated blindly, using only his hands to guide him. They wiggled through a tight cleft lit by soft glowing algae. Crustaceans with pale yellow exoskeletons skittered like little torches across the walls of the narrow tunnel as Tobi reached into an upper vent and pulled himself inside. One at a time, the rahee followed.
The underwater terrain was marvelous, but their burning lungs reminded them keenly of their place on the surface. Tobi was moving quicker now, and his companions with him as they swallowed back the urge to gasp for air.
Another vent opened on their right, a surg
e of bubbles flowing from its mouth. Tobi kicked his way inside until he was snatched into a chute. Pressure formed by the narrow opening spouted them out of the rock’s narrow confines and back into open water. There, the rahees’ eyes widened as they saw the surface just a few feet above their heads.
Jaycent nearly passed Levee in an effort to appease his screaming lungs when he noticed the gypsy’s labored efforts. She swam heartily, but it was clear something weighed her down.
The armor!
Unlike the prince’s mithril rings, Levee wore a much heavier, metal chainmail that was the standard in Nevaharday’s gear. With forty pounds of weight on her chest, she would never be able to pull herself up to the surface in time.
Jaycent reached down to hook his fingers beneath Levee’s vest. He worked frantically to untie the leather jerkin and tugged the heavy chain links over her head. Tobi had already reached the surface and was waiting for them, his watery visage staring down from above.
Jaycent liberated her from the armor’s grip and let it sink like an anchor to the floor below, but Levee’s lungs had reached their limit. Her lips burst open in an involuntary gasp for air. The prince moved quickly, looping his arm around her waist and kicking doggedly to the surface. Seeing their predicament, Tobi’s arms dove beneath the water and pulled the pair the rest of the way up.
Jaycent and Levee broke the surface like two fish on a hook. His Highness inhaled fresh oxygen in greedy gulps as his fingers dug into the hard stone floor. Tobi pulled Levee out of the water and rolled her onto her side where she vomited the water from her lungs. Jaycent crawled and knelt over the gypsy’s curled body as she coughed relentlessly.
“We cannot linger,” Tobi warned. “Pick her up.” He reached to grab Levee’s arms, but Jaycent shoved him back.
“Give her a moment!” It was a forceful command, but Jaycent didn’t care. His main concern was making sure Levee was okay. The gypsy felt the prince’s gentle hand come to rest on her back.
“I told you from the beginning,” Tobi’s eyes shifted nervously over his shoulder as he surveyed the many routes branching from the wide cavern. “We cannot stop. Not even for this.”
“Then go. We will catch up.”
Tobi shook his head. “You would never find your way.”
“Then you will spare us a moment,” Jaycent’s voice echoed loudly against the stone.
“No, Your Highness. Tobi’s right,” Levee croaked as air slowly brought life back to her aching lungs. She used Jaycent’s leg to hoist herself onto her feet. “Besides, I’m fine. Really.”
“Are you certain?” Maybe it was the reflection of the water on Jaycent’s pale blue gaze, but Levee could’ve sworn she saw something peculiar beneath those crinkled brows; something that surpassed mere concern. She shrugged the foolish thought away.
“I’m sure,” Levee found her balance and moved to join Tobi’s side. She had eluded death’s grip twice in a single day. She had no urge to test her luck any further.
No one else uttered a word as they left the cove behind. Tobi took the lead, veering down a tunnel on their right. Here, the walls were carved to form slots for burning torches. A few dotted their route now, providing barely enough light to keep them moving at a steady pace.
This place was old, its surfaces worn by centuries of use. Hundreds of generations had etched innumerable stories into the walls around them. Symbols, drawings, names, even handprints lined every inch of the cavern walls; memories that once had meaning but were now lost to the forgetfulness of time.
“Where are we, Tobi?” Levee whispered.
“On one of the underground highways that linked Bresan T’ahnya to surrounding kingdoms. Only two remain open since the Great Tragedy. The others were collapsed centuries ago to protect our people.”
They passed a tumble of rock that filled a crumpled passageway, giving credence to Tobi’s story. Although centuries had swept away most of the markings of war, Jaycent could still spot nicks and cuts in the wall from a battle once waged in these very tunnels. He studied them and wondered whether he and Levee were the first rahee to see these walls since their people made their exodus centuries ago.
“Tobi,” Jaycent called. Tobiano eyed him curiously. “All the accounts I’ve read claimed the ancient city of Bresan T’ahnya had been reduced to rubble.”
“Aye,” the re’shahna’s tone was solemn.
“Then where are you taking us?”
A wry grin sprouted across Tobi’s face. “To the rubble.”
NO GOING BACK
Shadow paced furiously inside a cave set within one of the lower cliffs of Ridged Peak. It was an isolated place three miles east along the mountain range and another eight miles north of Nevaharday itself.
Foul was his mood. His plan to dispose of Nevaharday’s prince had toppled into ruin right before his red eyes. A primal growl resounded off the damp walls, causing a line of mimics to quiver before their ruthless master.
Five night mares stood guard behind them, their red eyes void of emotion as they anticipated Shadow’s brewing outburst. Back and forth he continued to pace, unnerving his audience while he mulled over this unfortunate scenario.
Jaycent and the speaker had somehow eluded his trap and the reach of his magic. He could no longer sense the prince’s presence or peer into his mind. The notion shook him.
He knew the unicorn king had a part in their escape. Skalabur’s arrival carried several setbacks. All of the months he had spent driving the wild herds away from Nevaharday had gone to waste as many chose to return to Dragon’s Mist alongside the unicorn king’s harem. The presence of Skalabur and his regal herd forced the mimic camps to retreat back into the mountains where they would stay until a new plan could be hatched.
The news triggered a wave of rage through the illusionist’s heart, disrupting his canine façade. The sound of his steps broke from the silent pad of furry paws to the loud clop of hooves as his grip on the favored illusion wavered.
“You imbeciles!” he roared, taking his anger out on the first unfortunate target he could find. The mimics squealed and cowered, fearing the illusionist’s wrath. “You incompetent, foolish mongrels!”
Shadow abandoned his illusion for the true form underneath it. His growls merged into seething snorts while his fur faded into the Abysmal black sheen of a dread stallion’s coat. “I gave you spells to command the wild horses at will. Had you not let that control slip from your palms, the pair would have never escaped.”
“B-b-but, Master,” one mimic raised a trembling arm, his other limb shielding his face in terror. Three horns sprouted from Shadow’s brow, and his blazing gaze dared the creature to argue its point.
“T-the girl!” the creature squealed. “You never told us about the girl!”
“Aye,” agreed a calmer voice. Shadow’s attention turned to the rahyenyan soldier leaning against the wall in the corner. Stepping toward the dark beast, Kotu folded his hands behind his back and faced the demon stallion with an expression that lacked disappointment. “The girl was a wild card, and a dangerous one at that. But I must say, with her and Jaycent missing, General Mendeley still remains in the dark...” A devious grin spread across his face. “And he will be quite distracted by their absence.”
The flames that formed Shadow’s mane flared aggressively, but only for a moment. He scraped a metallic hoof against the stone, grating the ears of his small audience as sparks rose from the friction. “True. The general is another obstacle standing between me and my plans.”
“Then let us kill him and feast on his flesh!” The mimic shouted with enthusiasm, thinking he had evaded his master’s fury.
Kotu shot the outspoken mimic an evil eye. “You will feast on my blade should you even try to eat one of my kind... Even if it is that overly pious general.”
“Silence!” Shadow reared, striking his sharp, cloven hooves against the stone with a resounding slam. “Both of you should worry less about each other and more about redeeming yourselves from yo
ur own incompetence. Do not think that because our focus has changed, I have forgotten your failures.”
The reprimand brought an uncomfortable stillness over his crude audience chamber. The torches on the walls flickered, as if the stallion’s anger sucked the very light from their flames. His burning mane held licks of blue as his eyes glowed like molten stone.
“We will deal with General Mendeley for now, but we cannot ignore the pair who eluded us,” Shadow warned. “With the prince and the speaker hidden beyond my reach, we must find a way to lure them home.” The black equine swung his tri-horned head toward the Nevahardan soldier on his left. “Kotu, I expect your work in Nevaharday has been executed as expected.”
“Aye,” the traitor assured.
“And your followers, can we trust they are true to our cause?”
“Of course,” Kotu replied. “We want to see the gypsies extinguished just as much as you do. If it means getting rid of the prince and his general, then so be it.
“Our rebels already make up half of Nevaharday’s esteemed Guard, and others populate the city in numbers great enough to overwhelm the rest of His Highness’s devoted citizens. We will begin our revolt as soon as you sound the call.”
What the rahee guessed was an approving grin spread across the equine’s face. Shadow wasn’t impressed with Kotu, though, but rather himself. The rahee and his cohorts had offered their allegiance upon the promise that Shadow would eliminate the gypsies, but they had yet to grasp how much they would give up in return.
“Follow me,” the black beast ordered. He ended his unnerving pace and the mimics practically dove out of the way to let their master pass. Shadow ignored the disgusting creatures, caring little for them despite their fearful devotion. Kotu fell in step beside him, and the beast escorted the rahee out of the cave onto one of Ridged Peak’s many ledges.
“Tell me, my friend,” the equine, or wolf, or whatever he truly was, bid. “What better way to lure the prince and his accomplice home than to take it from them?”
“You mean to say…?” the soldier’s words trailed silently into disbelief.
The Rogue Trilogy Page 25
