Shadow Helm of Glory

by Elizabeth Klein

  Kreon came over and gave the nearest horse a light slap on its rump. ‘Here are your horses. This one is called Jasper. She’s easy-going and won’t give you much trouble. But that one over there, you’ll have to watch—’ he pointed to a grey mare with a long white mane, an arched neck and long legs that promised speed. She had a prominent black stripe across her muzzle like a bolt of lightning. ‘She’s not called Storm for nothing. Perhaps someone who can ride well—’

  Belle stepped towards the horse. ‘I have ridden horses since I was a small child, so I shall ride her.’

  With a nod, Kreon moved to a roan gelding with friendly brown eyes. ‘This one is called Nutmeg. He’s a strong, sturdy animal...but he’s got personality.’

  Dougray limped towards the horse. ‘I’ll ride him.’

  ‘And this one...she’s called Dawn.’

  His brother edged towards the horse, a fine black with a spray of white running across its muzzle, like spilled paint.

  ‘She’s mine.’ Robbie stepped towards the horse and stroked its neck.

  Kreon nodded. ‘Then Mouse will have Jasper.’ He paused and looked around, his gaze stopping on the inventor. ‘Right then. Mouse, where’s this concoction of yours and what do you want us to do?’

  With a proud grin, Mouse held up his smoke stick. Fox covered her nose with her sleeve, disgust written all over her face. Kreon grimaced as he stared at the repulsive object.

  ‘Are you certain it won’t burn down my stable?’

  ‘You have my word.’

  Mingled doubt and concern filled the publican’s face. Jaycob placed his large hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Just believe in the Morning Star—’

  ‘Jaycob!’

  The old trader held up his hands with a playful gleam in his eyes. Dougray grinned, despite how he felt.

  With a dark scowl, Kreon glanced around at them. ‘Fox will saddle her horse outside the stable in front of the soldiers. That’ll be her alibi if someone comes snooping around. They’ll see her going after the horses to retrieve them. Secretly, she’ll be guiding you through the mountain pass. Let’s hope all our plans go smoothly. Otherwise—’

  He let the sentence trail incomplete, allowing them to draw their own conclusions. For a moment no one spoke, but then Mouse coughed, bringing them back to the present.

  ‘Let’s begin then, gentlemen,’ he glanced at Fox and Belle, ‘and ladies. I’ll light my smoke stick beside that wall over there, while you all go to the back of the stables. There’s a secret panel in the wall there, through which we’ll pass.’

  Dougray turned and looked at the back wall. ‘So many secret panels.’

  It was made of timber planks, and heavy oak beams crossed overhead to form the stable’s peaked roof. Above them ran the loft and a room for their stable-hand, whom Kreon had given the night off from his chores. Dougray frowned. There could be no secret panel concealed in that wall!

  Fox tied her gelding to the rail. ‘Let me show you where it is. Bring your horses.’ Bold as a she-wolf, she looked straight into Dougray’s eyes, as though countering his doubts. She strode towards the back of the stable to the wall, where she crouched.

  The sound of a latch released as her fingers ran along a hidden ledge close to the floor where it couldn’t be seen. Then Fox lifted and removed a whole section of the wall by herself. At once, the cold air rushing inside made Dougray shiver. He reeled; everything was happening so fast he hadn’t had time to stop and think of the consequences if they were caught.

  Fox peered outside at the darkness and Dougray was aware of tall trees leaning over the building and bushes rustling in the wind. It was a night for ghosts to haunt the living. He rubbed his arms with his hands and folded them. His imagination was running away with him. He glanced up at the grey sky in the east. Dawn was nearing. They would have to leave soon to reach the mountain pass, before anyone spotted them.

  Fox spoke in a low voice. ‘It is only wide enough for one horse to go through at a time, so you must be ready. I’ll meet you out here in a little while and we’ll head off at once. Be ready when Kreon lets the other horses out of the stable! They’ll stampede and cause the diversion we’ll need. When you hear him yelling fire, go through and Jaycob will reposition the wall behind you.’

  Upon hearing his name, the old trader nodded and hastened over as if remembering his cue. Without another word, Fox hurried back to her gelding and untied it.

  Belle grunted. ‘Is she always this grumpy?’

  Jaycob grinned. ‘Now, now. She’s just concerned about what’s going to happen.’

  ‘Then she does not have faith in the Morning Star, who takes care of these details.’

  He gave Belle a warm smile. ‘It’s not difficult to pick those without faith.’

  Mouse, crouching beside his odorous invention, gave them a wink from behind his little helpers and then struck a saw-edged blade against a flint stone. At once, several sparks caught on the smoke stick and it burst into a pale, orange flame. Swirling white fingers of smoke began to curl upward towards the ceiling. Horses in their stalls began to whinny and toss their heads at the sight.

  Dougray looked back in time to see Fox running from stall to stall, unlatching the doors and letting the horses out. Then the smoke grew thicker and there was the sound of smashing glass as Kreon smashed one of the lanterns on the floor to feign an accident. Nutmeg stamped his hoof on the stone floor and pulled his head back, trying to break away from Dougray’s grip.

  ‘Whoa boy! We’ll soon be out of here!’

  Belle, wrestling with her own horse, called to him and Robbie. ‘Hold onto the reins or they will break loose!’

  The stable was filling fast with smoke when a frantic yell came from Kreon outside! The word fire burst from his lungs as if there really was one in the stable! All pandemonium broke loose inside the building and Dougray couldn’t see a thing. Coughing into his sleeve, his lungs burning from the foul smoke, he stumbled through the hole in the wall leading Nutmeg, urged on by Jaycob. The old trader was gasping for breath, too. Was this how it was meant to be?

  Next moment he was outside in the fresh air, clinging to his horse’s reins with all his strength, too afraid to loosen his grip in case it bolted. The section of wall was replaced and the smoky air behind the stable began to clear.

  Then Belle mounted Storm and swung the horse about. ‘Mount your horses! She is coming!’

  Chapter 18

  Rumours

  It seemed to Robbie that no time at all had passed before Fox appeared, riding under the sweep of low branches behind the stables to rendezvous with them. Then they were galloping through the early morning mist as the sun rose over the crop of hills behind them. A confusion of shouts rang through the still morning air.

  Robbie threw a hasty glance over his shoulder as Twendlemark woke from its slumber to the sounds of mayhem and men shouting fire. Huge plumes of white smoke billowed skyward from Kreon’s stable. It looked believable.

  He faced forward again and clung to Dawn’s neck. He felt the mare’s powerful muscles beneath him as she raced across the open fields. The cold wind blowing his hair back felt exhilarating after the long hours cooped up in the stuffy room beneath the stable. It helped to clear his tired mind.

  All of a sudden, an image opened before his eyes, of riding with Dougray in a paddock somewhere far away. He blinked, his eyes watering from the cold air as the image faded almost at once. Somehow, being on horseback had resurrected some distant memory that years of illusion had buried. He recalled straddling a horse’s back as a child and feeling the wind in his face as he did now. He’d ridden before! The finest horsemen in the land had taught him!

  How in Wyfren did he know all this?

  He had no recollection of riding any horses on the farm. For one thing, Faolan had been too poor to own a horse other than the old nag that pulled the wagon to town for stores. So where did that memory come from? Not only could he remember riding, but he had a sudden, sharp impre
ssion of owning a white horse called Snow. It was as if another life was tangled up in the existing one, like different-coloured thread wound onto a ball of twine by mistake. Except—that other life was not a mistake; it also was real.

  Fox led them through open fields towards a tumble of huge boulders perched on a rise. Once they reached the rocks, Fox wheeled her horse about. Robbie brought Dawn to a halt beside Belle’s and threw a backward glance towards Twendlemark.

  Smoke was still billowing into the sky, lessening now, as if it was being contained. Looking across at Mouse, he noticed an impish smile creeping over the man’s thin lips as he gazed back at his handiwork.

  The inventor caught Robbie’s eye and gave him a wink. ‘Worked like a treat.’

  Overhearing, Fox gave him a fierce look. ‘The stable had better be standing when I return, Mouse!’

  The inventor bowed his head and smiled at her. As she looked away, Robbie noticed the playful twinkle in his eye return. ‘It will be. Just smoke, Fox. That’s all it is.’

  Without a reply, she turned her gelding about and continued riding through the rocks at a gentler pace. Belle rode behind her. Robbie sensed her strong dislike for the tavern girl. The antagonism had been there from the moment they’d met. Not that he blamed Belle. Fox had been frosty and hostile from the start.

  ‘Hey!’ Dougray called out. Fox threw him a cold glance. ‘How far is the mountain pass anyway?’

  ‘See those peaks?’

  Robbie peered to where she was pointing. Far to the north in between breaks of beech and elm forests ran a chain of black mountains. It would take the better part of two days to reach them. Would Fox accompany them all that way?

  A sharp cry came from Mouse. ‘We’ve got company! Look behind you!’

  Riding through the smoke was a small party of six soldiers. They were heading straight towards them at break-neck speed. How foolish they’d been for believing they wouldn’t be seen when Elder Robairt was one of Morgran’s chief Magic Men. He knew everything that went on.

  A loud expletive burst from Fox. ‘They’ll be here in minutes!’ Her gelding circled on the spot as she held it in check. ‘We must reach the forest! Ride hard!’

  She dug her heels into her horse’s sides and it tore away from the rocks at a mad dash. Robbie’s mare sprang after the gelding with the others close behind him. His knuckles grew white as he grasped the reins. Leaning forward against Dawn’s neck, he clung to the great horse as its powerful legs galloped with ease over the field.

  The land sloped downhill and the forest spread out before them. Had the land risen, the soldiers would have easily spotted them. Even so, the churned up soft earth left by their horses would not go unnoticed by sharp tracker eyes.

  Dawn surged on at a relentless pace. The forest drew nearer, a dark jungle woven together with vines and lingering shadows from the night. At last, they found themselves beneath the dense cover of trees, but it was some time before Fox reined in her horse and stopped. Panting, she slumped forward, the palm of one hand on her horse’s neck.

  Robbie brought Dawn to a halt and glanced back for signs of pursuit. Belle reached out and stroked the overhanging branches with her hand. She began speaking in her lilting, Elvish tongue, and then wheeled her horse about and looked at them.

  ‘We can slow down now. The soldiers did not enter the forest.’

  Fox glared at her. ‘How do you know that?’

  Ignoring her, Belle looked at Dougray. ‘The trees told me they turned back.’

  Dougray frowned at Fox. ‘Belle is Elf-kind and can speak to the trees.’ The girl grunted. He turned to Belle. ‘Why didn’t they come after us?’

  ‘The trees did not tell me. Maybe they have orders not to come here.’ She glanced about. ‘Not that I blame them. It is dark and damp in this forest and the trees are all dying from the rot.’

  Mouse cleared his throat. ‘Maybe those soldiers know something about this forest that we don’t.’

  His words seemed to unsettle Fox. ‘Then we’d better hurry through while it’s day.’

  They walked the tired horses through the trees, some with long branches sweeping the ground. The familiar beeches and elms had ceased and other nameless trees gathered about. Except for creaking saddles and jangling harness, the forest oozed with silence, thick and eerie. On more than one occasion, they exchanged a questioning glance until Belle voiced her concerns.

  ‘I do not know these trees. They are very still and reluctant to speak.’

  Fox gave her a peculiar look as if she had lost her mind. Oblivious to anything except the trees around her, Belle continued in her serious tone. ‘Something happened in this forest to make them so quiet and secretive.’

  Fox’s left brow rose and her face smoothed a little. ‘People from Twendlemark have never liked this forest; they say it’s haunted. Superstitious trot, that’s all.’

  Dougray glanced at her. ‘Why would they say it then?’

  ‘About thirty years ago, a battle was fought here and many men died. Rumour says their spirits still haunt the forest. It happened when Morgran invaded the land—before I was born. Kreon told me about it when I was a little girl.’

  ‘That must have been when the curse came.’

  Robbie’s words made her nod. ‘Yes, the curse of the missing king...so the old tales say. After the battle, the king was gone—he’d vanished without a trace. Many searched for him, but no one found him.’

  Robbie’s interest piqued. ‘What do you think happened?’

  She shrugged. ‘The king came from Dwellinfrey, a kingdom in the east. I’ve never seen the city and men are afraid to go there. They say on a clear day in Twendlemark you can see its ghostly white towers gleaming on the horizon. But we have few clear days and I’ve never seen them. I don’t know of anyone who’s travelled to Dwellinfrey and returned. I’m not even certain it exists.’

  ‘Old tales are often based on truth,’ Mouse offered.

  She sniffed. ‘I believe only in what I can see. Everything else is hearsay.’

  Mouse went on. ‘I’ve also heard things about the White City, as it is also called. Apparently, it’s ruled by women.’

  Dougray edged his horse nearer. ‘Then what makes the people so afraid to go there?’

  Fox grunted. ‘The queen.’ She spat the word as if it was poison.

  Robbie frowned. Why did she say it like that if she knows so little about the place? Unless—

  Fox gave Dougray a disarming smile. ‘We need to keep moving. I’ve said more than I should. The greater the distance we place between Twendlemark and ourselves, the better.’

  Her horse trotted on through the dappled shadows. Robbie swung Dawn after her, concentrating on avoiding low branches as they swept past his head. Black trunks, oily and rotten, brought a murkiness to the forest. The sound of birdsong was absent. Silence became so tangible Robbie could have sliced through it with a knife.

  No one had the heart for conversation as their weary mounts trudged through the trees. They became more skittish the deeper they went. Sometime later, they came upon a small clearing where stirrings of iridescent-winged dragonflies buzzed in a shaft of bright sunlight. Their emerald wings flashed like tiny mirrors. The unexpected sight made Robbie bring Dawn to a halt. Here was colour and beauty in the midst of the untaming.

  He stared at them until Fox moved into the clearing and the dragonflies dispersed. On the other side, a sluggish stream meandered off into the gloom like a thin, black cord. The water was inky, not just with fallen shadow, but the water itself was black—and it smelled like oil. Black moss covered its banks and beyond the stream stood an impassable jungle of dead trees, gnarled and twisted by years of magic.

  Fox halted, her face showing signs of strain. ‘We’ll have to go around. The rot is worse than I thought. The water here is poisoned.’

  Mouse lifted himself in his saddle, trying to ease stiff muscles. ‘We should rest the horses.’

  ‘Soon!’

  Fox turned h
er gelding about and led them back to the clearing. She glanced at the sky. The blue was dwindling fast, replaced by heavy storm clouds blowing across from the north. At midday, the rain overtook them. The horses plodded through mud and puddles. With unseen hollows in the ground to twist their legs, they did not force them to go any faster than a slow-paced walk. The rain grew heavier and the ground became worse. In the end, they were forced to walk alongside their mounts.

  Deeper into the forest they ventured. Around them, many tall trees leaned at precarious angles; some had toppled over, caught by the gnarled limbs of fellow pines and oaks. Everywhere, forests of colourful toadstools gathered, feasting on the decaying wood. Beetles, too, were so plentiful the company dared not stop or rest where the trees were dying lest they be overrun by them. The dank air was full of the busy hum of insects that bit them and sucked their blood.

  Fox led the company beneath a thick canopy of healthier trees, where they did rest for a few hours. Robbie had just fallen into a fitful sleep when it was time to wake and move again. He was so weary that he curled up to continue his sleep. Dougray shook him again, this time hard.

  ‘All right! All right!’ he growled as he struggled to his feet, brushing beetles from his hair and clothes.

  The rain had stopped, but there was no warmth in the sun to dry their clothes. They caught brief glimpses of a leaden sky through the branches as they continued their journey. In places, they tramped through ankle-deep water.

  In the end, his brother gave a loud groan through clenched teeth. ‘Will this never end?’

  He received no answer, only blank looks from the others. With downcast head and sagging shoulders, he limped on. Before long, they reached a bluff overlooking a valley with mountains beyond it. They stopped on its precipice. Far away to the east, a light glowed against the night sky, as if a great city existed there on the other side of the mountains. Odd pockets of light, too, seemed to flicker down among the trees.