by M J Webb
Onall nodded in agreement. He was pleasantly surprised to find himself discussing such weighty matters with the future monarch. “Ra… Yes, I suppose you are right. But I think you will find that there are some who need a little shove, from time to time?” he joked. His face turned a little red all of a sudden. “Srr… If I may, Princess? I… That is, we in the army, we have no doubt at all that you will make a great Queen when the time comes. And, be in no doubt your majesty, we will follow you anywhere!”
Princess Zephany fought to choke back a tear as a lump suddenly developed in her throat. She blushed a little also, and smiled gratefully at hearing the words that meant everything to her. The conversation continued for a short while until the weary travellers once again drifted off to sleep.
Just before dusk on the 22nd August, Zephany bolted upright from her sleeping position, as she suddenly made a snap decision. “Raas! Up! Come on, both of you, get up! We are going to go now. There are a few hours of daylight left, I know. There is a small chance of being seen. However, the trees of this forest will help to conceal us, and we need to ensure that we reach Dassilliak in good time. It is a risk worth taking I think.”
Onall and Arralf obeyed the command without question, they each packed their kit and mounted their horses as quickly as they could. Within minutes, the small group were underway again. Just under an hour later, with the last glimmers of daylight waning fast, an awful, ear-splitting, high pitch scream filled the air and the sky above.
“Qqqwwoooaarrrr!!!”
Zephany lifted her head immediately and began a frantic search of the sky behind her, looking for the source of the noise and fearing the worst, as she urged the others to ride on as fast as they could.
Suddenly, over her shoulder, she spotted the graxoth! Each of the fearsome creatures was carrying a sraine in their arms and now all three screeched loudly as they prepared to swoop down upon the fleeing rebels.
“By the Lords of Srenul! What are…? Ride!!! Ride for your lives!!!” screamed the Princess. “Do not look at them, just ride!!!”
Onall and Arralf kicked their horses as hard as they dared. Their speed increased to the absolute limit of their horse’s abilities and they made them weave violently in different directions, trying to make it as difficult as possible for the graxoth to catch them. Zephany placed her reigns in her mouth and reached for her trusty bow, she took an arrow out of her quiver and fired it at the nearest creature as they made their first pass.
The lead graxoth swerved violently in flight and the arrow just missed its target. When they were overhead, the graxoth dropped the sraine, trying to land them directly upon the three rebels, but they missed due to the speed and movement of the warrior’s horses. The Princess reached for a second arrow, only to find that she was too late to fire again before the graxoth had completed their first attack.
The three graxoth turned around for another pass, just as the sraine landed on the ground and began to run after their prey, on foot now but travelling at tremendous speed. Zephany fired her second arrow whilst the graxoth were at their most vulnerable, slowing down to turn. This time it found its mark and hit the lead creature squarely in the chest, making it falter a little, but inflicting only a slight wound. The other two graxoth continued to scream down out of the sky and they fell onto Onall and Arralf, knocking them both off their horses with their powerful arms. The two soldiers fell heavily to the ground at high speed.
Princess Zephany was absolutely incensed. She fired two more arrows into the lead graxoth in quick succession as it hovered menacingly above her. Though the effects of her arrows were limited and the graxoth was not seriously hurt, she was pleased and relieved to see the creature retire to a safe distance. She turned her horse around to check on the welfare of her companions. They were by now some distance away from her as the Princess’ horse had continued its gallop, but Zephany could still see them clearly across the open ground they’d entered, having exited the forest during the chase.
Onall had regained his feet but he was clearly badly wounded. His sword was being dragged along the floor as he walked slowly and painfully over towards the prostrate body of Arralf. The young boy lay motionless, his horse bloodied and dying just yards away from him having bore the full brunt of the graxoth’s attack. Then Arralf moved a little and he tried to stand up.
“Ddrrrraaaarrrrggghhh!!!”
Princess Zephany looked anxiously up at the graxoth, afraid that another attack from the mighty creatures would finish off her friends. They were hovering above the stricken rebels, but the awful cry she heard had not come from them. She flashed a frantic glance back towards the two rebels.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a sraine appeared and it threw itself at Onall with astonishing speed, jumping onto the hapless warrior from fully twelve feet away and catching him completely by surprise, before he even had chance to lift his sword. The sraine’s claws dug deep into Onall’s body and two sharp fangs pierced the soldier’s face, before the creature quickly detached itself and pushed away with its legs, landing on the ground a few feet away from him. Onall stood only for a few seconds more, before his legs gave way underneath him and he fell to the ground, dead. The helpless Princess Zephany looked on in horror.
Arralf had witnessed what had happened to his comrade from not too far away. The terrified youngster now looked straight over at Princess Zephany. “Go!!!” he screamed. “Get out of here!! Princess, save yourself!”
A second sraine appeared as if by magic. It landed on the young boy and finished him off in the same way as Onall. The graxoth circling high overhead let out an almighty cry.
“Qqqwwwoooaaarrrrr!!!”
Then, the creatures descended and one by one they picked up the sraine, before turning in Zephany’s direction, ready to hunt her down. All three cried out again as they realised that they had their prey exactly where they wanted her.
“Qqqqwwwoooaaarrrr!!!!!”
The young warrior Princess was now facing the fight of her life! Nothing in her remarkable existence to date could have prepared her for this! She was seriously and quite obviously outclassed. Her weapons she knew were almost useless against such enemies.
‘I might just as well be throwing stones at them!’
She was still a good distance from her destination and now she was being hunted by the most successful assassins in Estian history. No one could help her now. She had been tasked by her father to help ensure the safe passage through to Dassilliak of the rebel army, the success of her mission could help to save thousands of lives. It could also keep very much alive the hopes and aspirations of millions. Failure would be a catastrophe of unimaginable consequence. But, unless she could now produce a miracle of some sort, unless she could perform the impossible and escape from the jaws of death, it was never going to happen!
‘If I die, King Vantrax has won!’ she told herself, as every muscle in her body tightened. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Then she turned her stallion around swiftly and kicked it hard.
Chapter 10
22nd August – Nadjan - Estia
By the evening of the 22nd Jake West and ‘The Heroes of Ilin-Seatt’, as they would be known throughout Estia once the stories of their exploits had been told, were tired and weary and on the run, trying to make good their escape and evade capture. They soon approached the village of Weanlior. They had travelled a great distance on foot, running whenever they could and hiding in every ditch and hedgerow to avoid being spotted by the City Marshal’s cavalry. The warriors were combing the countryside in a desperate search for the fugitives who had launched the daring raid upon his palace and stolen the precious Bloodstone. Daylight was waning fast now; the dark of night was approaching rapidly like a long lost friend, bringing with it the relative safety of concealment. Though it was only an hour or so away, for the surviving four raiders it could not come soon enough.
“Paagghh! This is no good, Jake. We have to find some horses. We are far too slow on foot. We are sure t
o be caught if we can not outrun those soldiers!” stated a frustrated Verastus, as they hid in yet another ditch from yet another enemy patrol.
“Yes, yes, I know ‘V’,” answered Jake. “I agree with ya, big man. Right! Listen in, we’ll camp outside the village, when it’s dark enough, you and I will go in and try to find a stable or summin’. See if we can find four horses that we can ride, okay?”
Verastus nodded his head in agreement and seemed to take comfort from the plan.
“Err… Three, Jake,” hissed Ben. “I ain’t riding no horse, mate. I’d probably fall off the thing, and I know that I’d only slow ya down. Besides, the closer I am to you, the easier it is for me to watch ya back, innit?”
Jake smiled at his friend. He could not believe how happy he was to have Ben back to his old self again. “Okay, Ace. Three it is then. Now, let’s find a suitable place to camp while there’s still some light, then you and Tien can get some rest, eh?”
A short while later, just as the sun was about to disappear below the far horizon, they were making themselves comfortable in a small field that lay on the plains outside the village. Jake was trying to arrange his things, but he suddenly felt his entire body tingle for no apparent reason, as if he had been ‘zapped’ by a small current of electricity. The weird and uncomfortable sensation continued to grow in intensity, making the hairs on his arms and legs bolt upright and stand to attention. An almighty shiver then passed down his spine and he shot up straight and rigid, with a look of real shock and confusion.
‘What the hell was that?’ he asked himself, at a total loss to explain what had just happened.
“You alright?” Ben enquired, having witnessed his friend’s reaction to nothing in particular and curious as to why he had just turned a ghostly shade of white for no apparent reason. “What’s a matter?”
Tien and Verastus stopped what they were doing as Ben spoke. They joined him and the three concerned companions gathering around the young Keeper.
“Err… Yeah, I think so. I… I can’t explain it. I…”
Jake halted his attempt at an explanation in mid sentence. A voice he recognised instantly suddenly began to sound quietly in his head. He closed his eyes to concentrate on what was being said and focussed all of his attention upon it. The others remained quiet, sensing that something was happening and waiting for him to speak. The voice inside Jake’s mind returned and it said something, ever so faintly. Jake could not make it out and he cocked his head a little as he strained to hear it. There it was again! Faint, but then it grew louder as Jake concentrated even harder upon it. Until at last he could just about hear what it was saying.
“Jake! Jake!!! Hear me now, Keeper! Jake, I am in serious trouble, I need your help and I need it now! The others are dead, all dead, Jake. Help me!!!”
It was Princess Zephany! The teenager’s eyes shot open as soon as the voice disappeared. The urgency of the distress call was blatantly obvious and he relayed the information to his friends as fast as he could.
“It’s Zephany, she’s in real danger, she needs my help. I have to go to her, but what can I do? Tien, what can I do to help her? Tell me! Tell me now!” Jake cried, as he grabbed Tien’s robes and started shaking the wizard in desperation.
But the old man just shook his head in despair. “I am sorry, Jake. There is nothing you can do, nothing I can do to help you, not this time. I do not have the power to send you to her, I wish I could but I am not strong enough.”
“No. You do not. But we do!”
The strong and confident voice was unexpected and it startled them all. It was coming from behind Tien. The four companions turned around sharply in unison and there before them, were the Heynai. The four ghostly figures were floating just above the floor with the leader, Sereq, in the foreground as usual.
“Oh my...!” began a shocked and stunned Ben. “Nah, that’s it! I give up. I’ve seen it all now!”
“Sereq!” shouted an excited and relieved Jake. “Great! You don’t know how glad I am to see you. Zephany, how can I help her? She sounded desperate, I have to go now, there’s no time to waste!”
“Yes Keeper, it pains me to admit it, but you are correct in all you say. The young Princess is in mortal danger. She is in dire need of intervention. Even as we speak, she is being hunted by graxoth and sraine!”
Both Tien and Verastus gasped aloud at the mere mention of the fearsome creatures of legend. Sereq ignored the interruption and continued speaking. “...No mortal being has faced them both and lived. They are too strong for even the mightiest of warriors. And I am afraid that Zephany is now being hunted by no less than three of each!”
Ben, Verastus and Tien were horrified and they all looked over fretfully at Jake.
“Yeah? Then why on earth are you here?” cried the youngster angrily, refusing to accept that nothing could be done. “If all is lost, why come here at all, if there is no hope to save her?”
“Kah… But, there is always hope, Jake,” replied Terristor calmly, as he stepped forward to stand at Sereq’s side.
“Yes Keeper, hope is perhaps the only thing we can offer you at this time,” added Rutax and Lapo, speaking as one and also moving forward to join with their fellow spirits. “We can open a door for you, but it is you who must walk through it. You must do exactly as we say,” the Heynai said collectively. “Place the box of stones on the ground in front of you, and step back.”
Ben took the box out of his bag and laid it carefully on the ground. The four friends took a step backwards and they all looked up expectantly at the spirits. Almost immediately, they all began to chant.
“Vrraasshhh. Ginlech quaddoorr, kubrak shillarr vraash minlec ashsieq!!!”
When they had finished, a great wind suddenly erupted within the confines of the apparition. Jake and the others felt nothing, but they were all able to see clearly the effects it was having on the spirits. Their hair blew viciously and the robes they wore were almost ripped from them. Then, the four Heynai’s eyes suddenly burst into flames, causing the curious onlookers to flinch a little with surprise. Each of the fires left their bodies simultaneously to join up and form a single ray about six feet in front of them. It travelled slowly down to the box of stones. Ben, worried by the effect the naked flame may have on the old wooden box, tried instinctively to reach down and grab it, to protect it. But Verastus took hold of his shoulders to stop him, a swift reaction which received a nod of approval from Tien.
The flames hit the box and it flew open immediately. The reolite stone rose steadily until it reached its apex, just as it had done many times before the stones were damaged, though this time it remained unlit along with the others. The Heynai gave one last command.
“Delarrish valennknut tisilliutt.”
The centre stone suddenly burst into life to emit a dazzlingly bright light that shone up to the sky.
“Quickly! Go through the light, Jake. Now! It will take you to the Princess. Our powers are not as strong as those housed in your box; you will have only a very short space of time in which to help her. When our spell has run its course, and we can not say how long it will last, you will return here and we will be able to help you no more, not until we are rested. Know this also, Keeper; this light will have been seen for a great distance. You are all now in great danger! You have very little time and you have to move!” warned Sereq.
“Oh, nice one! Cheers,” said Ben, sarcastically. “Well? What you waitin’ for mate, an invitation? Go! Go and save your girlfriend. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be alright.”
Jake took a deep breath, nodded at each of his friends in turn, stepped into the light and disappeared. The illumination retracted rapidly as soon as he had gone and the box snapped shut. Tien and the rest turned to question the spirits further, wanting to know more about the dangers Jake would be facing and the plight of the young Princess. But the Heynai too had vanished.
***
Princess Zephany leant forward in her saddle and whispered into her horse�
��s ear, as it galloped at high speed across the open countryside trying desperately to outrun the pursuing graxoth and sraine. The stallion miraculously and unbelievably seemed to find another gear from out of nowhere, despite appearing to have ‘nothing left in the tank’. Its legs moved faster and faster, sweat now covered every inch of the horse’s body and the heart within its chest quickly neared explosion point. But it was no use. It couldn’t outrun them and the horrifying creatures were gaining way too fast!
Zephany looked frantically ahead of her, out across the open countryside, searching for any semblance of cover which might give her some respite from the aerial pursuit. Up ahead, not too far now and coming up fast, was a small, brown, wooden structure. It looked completely out of place in amongst the shallow grasslands she had entered and Zephany struggled to make out what it was.
‘Is it a shack? A hut of some description?’ she asked herself. ‘No. What then?’
Suddenly, it dawned on her. ‘A bridge!’
Locked in a life or death chase across the Nadjan countryside and being hunted down by creatures she could scarcely have dreamt of meeting in her worst nightmare, the young warrior Princess was now thundering towards a large ravine which housed the deep and fast-flowing river Umaass. The bridge which spanned the gorge was very high above the waters below. It was the only crossing point for miles and as such it was Zephany’s only hope of escape, but the graxoth were almost upon her now and she knew for certain that she was not going to reach the bridge in time, before they attacked.
