Wash was the better cook. So Reb gathered firewood as Wash unpacked the supplies. Soon they were eating and watching the fire flicker in the darkness. A quietness was upon the land, but it seemed an uneasy sort of silence.
“I don't like this country,” Wash said, drawing his cloak closer about him. He bit down on a piece of roasted meat skewered on a stick, chewed thoughtfully and gazed out into the blackness. “There's something spooky about this place.”
Reb was looking at the map, planning their next day's journey. “Well, it's called ‘Darkwood.’ I guess that's spooky enough. But don't worry. We'll be out of it in the morning—according to this map.”
“I wish it was now, Reb. I got a funny feeling about this place.”
Neither boy wanted to go to sleep. There was something sinister about Darkwood. The trees overhead seemed to be whispering. And it wasn't just noise, Wash thought; it was as if they were speaking to one another. Far off, the wind howled as it cut through a mountain pass—a lonesome, mournful, and even threatening sound.
Before long, though, they both grew sleepy. Reb was pulling out his blanket when suddenly Wash jumped up. “Reb,” he cried, “there's somebody out there!”
At once Reb drew his sword and leaped to his feet. Straining his eyes, he stared into the darkness. “Who's there?” he called loudly. “Who are you?”
A figure advanced, and as Reb and Wash stood poised, ready for anything, a voice said, “I come in peace.”
Wash stared in amazement, for he had expected to see an enemy, a man of war. Instead, the one who stepped into the list of their small campfire appeared to be a rather small girl wearing a long, dark green cloak. But when she threw back the hood, her black hair cascaded around her shoulders and a full-grown woman was revealed. She was very beautiful.
Wash was still suspicious. “Who are you, and what are you doing coming at us in the middle of the night?”
“I don't blame you for being suspicious,” the young woman said. She appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, and her eyes were as dark as her hair. “My name is Mogen, and you are Sir Reb.” She curtsied. “And this is your squire, Wash.” She fastened her eyes on the smaller boy and smiled. “I have no weapon as you see, and, as I said, I come in peace.”
Feeling a little foolish, the boys sheathed their swords.
Wash said, “How come you know all about us?”
“Why everyone knows about the quest,” the young woman said. “All of Camelot has its eyes fixed upon you, Sir Reb.”
Her words seemed to please Reb. “Well, that may just be. But I guess somebody's got to do it.” He glanced into the darkness and back at the girl. “But what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I have traveled far,” Mogen said, “and am very tired. Perhaps you will share your meal with me.”
“Why shore.” Reb nodded. “Wash, let's see if we can pull together something for this lady.”
The two busied themselves, and Mogen sat down, watching them with her dark eyes. They put food before her, and she ate and drank some of the juice they had brought in leather skins. “Thank you,” she said finally “I have come a long way.”
“A long way from where?” Wash insisted. He gave Reb a sharp look. “I don't want to seem unfriendly but we don't know you.”
Mogen looked into his face and smiled slightly. “Sir Reb has a good counselor. It is well not to put too much trust in strangers until they prove themselves.” Then she fastened her eyes on Reb. “But I think you will welcome me when you find out my mission. Goel has sent me to you.”
“Goel!” Reb shot a sharp look at Wash, and his mouth fell open. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “I'm glad to hear that!”
“I thought you might be.” Mogen nodded. “On a dangerous mission such as yours, a man needs a word from Goel.”
Wash was looking at her carefully. He could hear, faintly the moan of the wind rising in the hills, and again the trees seemed to whisper overhead.
Wash was a cheerful, good-natured lad, and, being the smallest of the Sleepers, he usually let the others make the decisions. But before they left Camelot, Elendar had pulled him to one side.
“Wash, my son,” he said, “you must be more than a keeper of Sir Reb's armor. He is an impetuous young man, apt to be too trusting. Keep yourself alert. If you see anything that looks suspicious, be sure it's all right before you go on.”
Now, thinking of those words, Wash asked sharply, “Don't mean to be unfriendly, but how do we know that you're from Goel?”
“Wash,” Reb snapped irritably, “don't be so fussy. Why wouldn't she come from Goel?”
Wash stared at him. “I can think of several reasons. We've got lots of enemies, Reb, and we have to be careful.”
“Oh, don't be such a wet blanket! You can tell that this lady is all right.”
Mogen listened as they argued. Finally she said, “I think you have a wise counselor. This is a dangerous mission, and you do need to be careful of strangers.” She dropped her head for a moment, and when she looked up her eyes were fixed on Reb's.
Wash had never seen such dark eyes.
Her voice was soft and soothing. “I only want to be of help, and Goel sends me to be what aid I can.”
Ignoring Wash's suspicious looks, Reb said, “Do you have a message from him for us?”
“I have more than that,” Mogen said, and a mysterious smile came to her lips. “Goel is apprehensive of the quest and of the challenge you have to face, Sir Reb. He sent me to bring you something that would help.” She reached behind her neck and fumbled with something.
It was, Wash saw, a clasp, and she pulled a golden chain over her head and held it out to Reb. “This is what Goel sent me to bring to you.”
Reb took the necklace. On the fine chain was mounted a round medallion, also of heavy gold. He blinked at it and held it up to the firelight. “What is this on here?”
“That is the secret sign of Goel. Very few are privileged to know it, and even fewer are privileged to wear this amulet. It came from around the neck of Goel himself.”
Wash came forward and looked at the markings on the medallion. The design looked vaguely familiar, but he could not recognize it. He shot a glance at Mogen. “You say Goel himself wears this? I never saw it when I was with him.”
“It is unlikely that you would, Wash,” Mogen said calmly. “He keeps it beneath his clothes, and only a few know that it exists.”
Reb handled the amulet, letting its round form rest in his hand. And as it lay on his palm, something seemed to happen. “Why, this feels warm!” he exclaimed. “Almost as if it's been in the fire.”
Mogen nodded. “That is the power of Goel. And that is what I have come to tell you.” Her face grew earnest. “You must wear this amulet wherever you go, Sir Reb. It will give you the strength and power you need to overcome the challenge of Sir Baloc.” Suddenly she rose to her feet.
Reb and Wash got up quickly too, wondering at her action.
“I must leave you, but promise me you will wear the amulet.”
“Leave?” Reb looked around the trackless forest, then back at Mogen. “But where will you go, lady? There's no place around here.”
A smile touched her lips again. “I will find my way, but promise me that you will wear the amulet.”
Reb fingered again the warm medallion that lay in his hands. He hefted it, then nodded. “Well, if Goel sent it and wants me to wear it, that's all I need to know.”
He put it around his neck and slipped it under his clothing. And as he did so, he told Wash later, a strange thing happened. At once he began to feel more powerful. The trees seemed less threatening. He looked at her with astonishment. “Why, this makes me feel like . . . like . . .”
“I know.” Mogen smiled. “That is the power of Goel.” She grew serious then. “Dangerous things lie ahead of you, Sir Reb. Never remove that medallion! Remember, it has the power of Goel in it.” Then she gave them one final look. “Farewell for now�
��but I will not be far from you.”
Without another word she walked away, fading into the darkness.
Reb stared after her, then looked at Wash. “Well, I've been to two county fairs and three snake stompin's,” he said in amazement, “but I never saw nothing like that!”
Wash's eyes were half shut. He was thinking hard. “Neither did I,” he admitted, “and I'm not sure I like it.”
“Oh, you'd be suspicious of anybody,” Reb said irritably. “Come on now. Why would she come? We've been asking for help from Goel, and now we got it.”
Wash sat down and began to poke at the glowing fire.
Reb must have seen the stubbornness on the younger boy's face. He plopped himself down. “I declare, Wash, you'd complain if they hung you with a new rope!”
Wash was more aware than ever of the moaning of the trees and of the oppressive quality of the forest that lay around them. It seemed to close in upon them, worse now than it had ever been. “I don't like it,” he said finally. “I don't like this place, and I'm not at all sure that Mogen girl came from Goel.”
Reb gave him a disgusted look. “I'm telling you she did, and I don't want to hear any more talk about it.”
Wash stared at him, astonished, and Reb tried to explain. “If you had this medallion on your neck, you'd know what I'm talking about. Why, it's made a whole new person out of me! I feel like I could tackle anything!” He was smiling, and his light blue eyes gleamed in the firelight. He seemed to have become older and taller and stronger—though Wash knew this was an illusion.
Wash saw that it was useless to argue. He won't listen to me, and there's something about all this I don't understand. I wish Elendar were here! He finally tossed the stick he was fidgeting with into the fire, got his blankets, and rolled into them. I don't like any of this, and I wish that girl had never come!
A vague uneasiness rested on Wash, and he went to sleep only to have bad dreams all night long.
* * *
The next day the two boys continued their journey. Somehow, however, they missed their way. All morning and all afternoon they wandered through the trackless forest.
Finally Wash exclaimed in despair, “I don't think we'll ever get out of here. I've never been so lost in all my life!”
Reb gave him a rough look. “Will you shut up!” he snapped. “All you've done is complain since we left Camelot. Now, either keep your mouth shut, or I'll shut it for you!”
The two had been firm friends, and Wash stared at the face of Reb in amazement. This was not the Reb he knew!
There was a new hardness in the older boy's eyes as he stated, “I'll get us out. Don't worry”.
Reb seemed to feel as if he could do anything, Wash thought. He had never been this way before. And Wash wondered if it was indeed the power of the medallion that rested against his chest.
“Come on,” Reb said. “We'll go as far as we can before dark.”
By dark, sure enough, they had found the track again, and the trail was plainly marked.
* * *
“Baloc's place is right over there. We'll be there tomorrow,” Reb said, when they were sitting once more around a campfire. The darkness was again closing in, but here the land was more open, and there was no sound of moaning in the trees. “We'd better go to bed and get a good night's sleep,” he advised.
Wash went to sleep at once, but it was difficult for Reb. This strange, excited feeling that was in him kept him awake.
Finally though, he began to doze and was almost off into a deeper sleep when a voice said, “Reb! Sir Reb, awaken!”
Reb sat up and blinked. The fire was almost dead, but a few stars gave off a cold, frozen light, and then the moon came out from behind a cloud. Sitting across from where he lay was Mogen, her hood thrown back and her eyes glittering in the moonlight.
“Mogen!” he exclaimed. “You're back!”
“Yes, Goel has sent me back to you again. Are you wearing the medallion?”
Reb reached into his shirt and pulled it out. It glittered coldly, despite the heat that it produced. “It sure does make a fellow feel big. I reckon I could take on a dragon, if there were such things.”
Mogen smiled, her teeth shining white. “There are things worse than dragons. But as long as you wear the medallion of Goel you do not need to know any fear.” She watched as he replaced it, then said, “I have come to give you counsel, for you cannot keep on getting lost in the forest.”
“What do you want me to do, Mogen?” he said. “Tell me how to get Elaine back.”
“That is why I'm here.” She came and sat down beside him. He could smell a faint odor that was strange and exotic and made him a little dizzy. And when he looked into her dark eyes they seemed bottomless pods. “Yes,” he whispered, excited by her presence. “You just tell me, and I'll do it.”
Suddenly Mogen reached out and put her hands on Reb's temples. Something like an electric current struck him, and he gasped. “What—”
But Mogen began speaking in a language that he did not understand, and he could not seem to move. Her voice was soft and at the same time so powerful that he began to tremble. Though he did not understand the words, he knew that they were important. As he listened, the moon went behind the clouds, casting a darkness over the earth, and only the cold fire of the stars allowed him to look into her eyes.
He never knew how long that exchange went on, and he never knew when she left. But when he awoke she was gone, and he was lying back in his blankets. Still he could feel the pressure of her hands on his head, and the medallion seemed heavier than ever and burned on his chest.
Reb sat up slowly and shook his head. He was frightened and yet excited. “Boy,” he breathed. “I never saw anything like her before. But I reckon as long as she's around I can do just about anything I've got to do.”
However, when Wash woke up, the first thing he did was blink his eyes and look wildly over at Reb. “What's that smell?” he demanded.
“Smell?” Reb looked puzzled. “I don't smell anything.”
Wash's nose wrinkled. “I don't know what it is—it's kind of sharp, but it smells like death to me. The scent of death.”
Reb stared. “You just don't know about things, Wash. Come on, this is the day we rescue Elaine!”
12
The Magic Medallion
Wash and Reb stared at each other across the ashes of the campfire. They had risen early, had cooked and eaten breakfast, and during the meal Reb told Wash all that had happened the night before.
He ended by saying, “I tell you, Wash, there never was nothing like her! She's got something in her that I ain't never seen in nobody else in all my born days!” He drew a deep sigh of satisfaction and nodded with assurance. “I don't mind admitting now, I was a little bit afraid of this fellow I've got to beat to get to Princess Elaine—but it's gonna be all right now.”
Wash was holding a piece of bread in his hands. He took a small bite and chewed thoughtfully He had listened carefully to Reb, but there was doubt in his dark brown eyes. He swallowed the morsel and cleared his throat. “I don't know, Reb, it just don't seem right to me somehow.”
Reb stared at the small, black lad. “What do you mean?” he asked in surprise. “Here we're out on this quest, and I'm supposed to fight probably the worst and baddest cat in the whole kingdom of Camelot.” He grew a little angry. “I'm tellin' you, I need all the help I can get!”
“I know.” Wash nodded in agreement. “But not all help is the same, you know.”
Reb looked at his friend from under raised eyebrows. “I don't see that,” he said firmly. “Any help you get is good—especially in a situation like this.”
“But who was she, and where is she now?” Wash glanced around the dense woods. “I didn't hear a thing, and you claim you were talking to her for a long time. Why didn't I wake up?”
“I don't know. I guess you were just too tired. Anyway, it happened just like I told you. Why are you so doubtful about all this, Wash?”
>
The smaller boy slowly began to gather up the dishes. As he cleaned them, he said, “I don't know—I just got a bad feeling. In the first place, Reb, you still don't know that she came from Goel.”
“Of course she did! She told me right off that Goel sent her. And she gave me this.” Reaching down, Reb pulled the golden medallion from beneath his shirt and held it up to the light. It caught the golden rays of the early morning sun and glistened in the air. As it turned slowly, Reb said, “As long as I've got this, I'm all right. I can't lose!”
“What's that funny-looking thing on the front of that piece of metal?” Wash asked. He studied it carefully, then said, “That's not the sign of Goel, and it doesn't look like anything I saw in Camelot.”
“I don't know,” Reb said, “but I know one thing, the second I put it on I felt like a different guy” His eyes glowed, and he smiled triumphantly. “I feel like I'm twenty feet tall and anybody gets in my way better look out, even that Sir Baloc!” He shook himself, got to his feet, and said impatiently “Come on. Wash. Let's get on our way”
Wash did not argue.
They pulled their gear together, tied it on the pack-horse, and climbed into the saddles.
All morning they headed in an easterly direction.
* * *
At noon Wash said, “I'm tired, Reb. Let's stop and have something to eat and rest a bit.”
“I'm not a bit tired. I could go on all day.”
“The horses are tired,” Wash snapped. “If you won't think about yourself, think about them.”
“Oh, all right.” Reb jumped off his horse and watched with some contempt as Wash struggled painfully, almost falling off his animal. “Aren't you ever going to learn to ride a horse?” he complained. “Hurry up and get that food together.”
Wash looked at him in surprise, but he said nothing about the boy's sharpness. He put together a scanty meal, and when the two had eaten he said, “Let's just lie down and sleep and let the horses graze a while.”
“All right, you lie down. I'll keep watch,” Reb said grumpily. He watched Wash throw himself on the ground, then muttered, “I might as well have left you home for all the good you're going to do!”
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