by Tim Flanagan
There was nothing any of them could have done to prevent the two riders from falling. The king knew the path was dangerous for horses to navigate, but he had a duty to take Edgar and the others to join the Council of War. It was unfortunate to have lost the two riders; one had been his wife’s brother and had long been a trusted soldier of the king’s guard. The time for sadness and regret would come later, much later.
‘Forward!' shouted the king to the remaining group, eager to move them off the pass and get them to the safety of the ground below and the Snakesback Dore to the kingdom in the mountain.
‘Wait,’ shouted Scarlet. ‘What about the other rider?’
There was one other horse at the back of the group that was now separated from the others by a wide gap in the path where it had been torn away from the mountain.
‘You are needed at the Council. We cannot wait for him. He will find another way.’
The remaining horseman tipped his head to his king and carefully turned his horse around and started to make his way back up the path.
There was a strange silence in the air followed immediately by a faint rumble that came from within the mountain, as if the giant had been woken from its sleep. Down the side of the mountain, where the horses had struck a cracking noise began to fill the early morning air. The ground disappeared from where the remaining horseman had just been standing moments before and more of the path plummeted down the side of the mountain. Yellow clouds of dust rose up from the forest below as rocks tumbled away and Snakesback Pass dropped a further foot down. They all felt the shudder of the ground moving beneath their feet, horses danced with fright as their riders struggled to pull them into the side of the mountain as much as possible.
After the thunderous movement of the ground, silence settled once again.
‘Come,’ said the king in a gentle voice, ‘we must get off the path as quick as we can.’
They moved forward, just six horsemen, their four passengers, the king and his banner boy, their way made slightly easier by the increasing morning light.
The path twisted and turned as it wound its way down the mountain side. There were times when they came across rock that had fallen across the path from the disturbance higher up but overall the path became easier and wider to navigate than it had been previously. Eventually they came across one of the fallen horsemen who lay in a broken heap half covered with fallen rocks. The king called a halt to the progress and he dismounted his warhorse. Scarlet was surprised by the size of the king, as wide as he was tall, but strong and light on his feet. He bent over the dead horseman and started picking the rocks off to expose the body more fully. He then effortlessly lifted the limp body and placed it over his warhorse. As a mark of respect the king did not mount the horse as well, but led it by the reins down the rest of the path. No words were said by the king or his horsemen, but Scarlet was touched by the tenderness and compassion that King Martin Bayard had for his fellow horsemen. This was a king that men would follow without question, love without condition and die for with honour.
By the time they reached the base of the mountain the sun had risen and the warm orange glow penetrated through the fragmented shade of the trees of the Forest of Bryn. Skirting back around where the greenery of the forest met the pink grey stone of the mountain, King Bayard led them with his sword now drawn, through the trees.
‘Your sword, Sir Edgar,’ whispered the king. ‘The forest hides many more dangers than the path we have just come by.’
Edgar drew Ethera, his white bladed sword, from his belt. The remaining horsemen pulled their crossbows from the back holsters and spread out around their king as they advanced slowly and cautiously beneath the mountain. Fresh rubble and stone littered the base of the mountain; plants had been crushed under the weight of falling rocks whilst branches had been torn ruthlessly from the trunks of trees that grew too close to the mountain.
The king stopped in front of what appeared to be a collection of stones and rubble the same as any others that they had already passed.
‘The dore is blocked,’ he said simply to his companions. ‘The stone we disturbed higher up the Pass has fallen in front of the dore. The next nearest entrance is back over the Pass and into a small crevice beside the giant’s knee. Three days journey at least. Five if we can no longer go by the Snakesback Pass.’
21. The Meeting of the Elders
By the time they left Fraegtore, no one was in the mood for sleep. There was a feeling of excitement which, although they knew would not last forever, was a good enough excuse for the victorious Rangers to celebrate. They made their way down some narrow paths beneath the castle walls and found a makeshift village nestled at the base of the valley. Rocky sides dominated from above whilst greenery stretched out along the base of the valley for as far as Max could see. There were numerous small fires welcoming their return, roasting meats of different kinds and boiling pots of broth and water. Barrels of red mead were being tapped and instantly filling cups for the soldiers to drink. Men were being welcomed back by women, grateful for their return and children hugged the legs of their fathers. Tonight it was good to be a Ranger, living free in the forest off the land and the proceeds of their thieving. The orange glow from the fires gave the forest a warm magical feel that made Max happy and content for the first time since his adventure had begun with Edgar. He felt as if he belonged to a family once again.
They followed the elderly man slowly along a path through crowds of celebrating Rangers, many happily carrying food and cups of drink. Any armour or weapons that they had previously been wearing had been discarded as they relaxed and enjoyed the success of their attack. The young unicorn followed Max nervously looking at the busy clusters of men around her and occasionally nuzzling her nose beneath Max’s hand for reassurance.
The elderly man led Max and Littleskink into a small shelter. A roof of branches covered with thick leaves woven through, projected out from around the base of a thick tree like a fan. The sides were round and made up of vertical branches, with an open section providing the entrance to the shelter. They ducked their heads as they entered but soon found that the roof allowed for them to stand as it pointed upwards towards the tree trunk. The floor inside the shelter was covered by a thick blanket of soft pine needles which released a wonderful smell under foot. In the centre a metal burner contained a small fire, its smoke piped upwards through a hole in the roof. Inside the shelter there were already other elderly men seated around the outside edge facing the central fire. The flames flickered and danced across the heavily lined faces of the elders, distorted and obscured by the smoke from long pipes they sucked on as well as the limited light.
‘Please, come and sit amongst us,’ the old man said in a soft voice. He beckoned Max and Littleskink to sit. The occupants of the tree shelter shuffled around to make space for the newcomers to sit. The unicorn sat cautiously beside Max, not daring to close her eyes to the strangers in this dark and unfamiliar place.
A basket of bread was passed around the circle closely followed by salted meat and a warm cup of red mead. They ate happily and drank until they felt the warm glow of contentment in the depths of their stomachs. After allowing them time to enjoy their food, the elderly man that had led them from the castle and into the shelter spoke once again.
‘Allow me to introduce to you the many tribal chiefs of the Rangers.’ He started with the man to his left, introducing them all by name. ‘Our family has grown quickly as more and more people have been made homeless or desperate by the hand of the queen. We have found it easier to separate into several different groups or families and live along the valley. Although we live separately, we come together to move as one force when needed, as you have seen tonight. Everyone shares in each family's successes and grieves at their losses. The chiefs you see before you are elders that represent each individual family. You are sitting amongst the wisest of our group.’
Max nodded to the men as he chewed a juicy piece of meat that tasted like it
had been smoked in pine and honey. In one hand he held a crusty piece of fresh bread that was soft and fluffy on the inside, whilst in the other hand the cup of red mead warmed his fingers. Although the food tasted good, it was beginning to make his stomach ache as he crammed too much in too quickly. It was the first good meal he had had since entering this world.
‘Chiefs of the Rangers,’ the old man addressed the others, ‘we so nearly had the honour of having in our presence the Grey Man, but he unfortunately left before we attacked Fraegtore. We have instead these two travellers who are no friends of the queen and would like to join us.’
‘State your names, friends,’ requested one of the seated men.
Littleskink was eager to speak as usual and wasted no time in introducing himself. ‘Wise elders, I am Littleskink, musician and illusionist.’ He bowed as deeply as he could whilst remaining seated, expecting some recognition from the people gathered within the shelter. When the silence continued, he decided to fill it with more information. ‘As a young goblin I worked as apprentice to the most spectacular conjuror of our time, Islama the Great, entertainer to the queens of the far land of Wildcaine Rocks. Although when I was in Bartonsmeg, I did run into a lady who seemed t' be able to perform tricks that no man could dare dream to do, so I suppose you could say she was the greatest conjuror of our time. But what of other people’s time? By all accounts Gorak the Bad was pretty handy with his tricks, well, until he swallowed a Garat Nut that he couldn’t bring back up. But that was before I was even born, so I suppose it doesn’t count …’
‘What about you?' asked a wizened old man who sat in the darkest corner of the shelter, bored of Littleskink’s mindless wanderings.
‘I’m Max, from Parsley Bottom,’ replied Max hesitantly.
Some of the men turned to face each other with confused looks on their faces.
‘Where is Parsley Bottom?' the elder from the castle asked.
‘It’s on a planet called Earth. I’m from another world.’
The elders stopped puffing on their pipes and seemed to lean forward suddenly interested to learn more from Max who felt uncomfortable being the centre of attention.
‘We entered your world through one of the ancient portals that had been used during King Arthur’s time before they were closed,’ continued Max. ‘Our world is under attack and can’t survive for long by itself. We came here to look for help and find one of our friends.’
A croaky laugh came from a wizened old man in the corner, who must have thought Max had said something funny. ‘You can see that we too need help. Our world is dying. Our forests are being burnt, our mountains demolished into piles of rubble, while the rivers that provide life to all have been tainted with bad blood. The queen will not stop until all that is good in this world has been twisted and corrupted. What help do you think we can provide you?’
‘It’s a shame the portals were closed. Both your world and ours were better off together than they are separate,’ stated one of the others in the circle, whose face was partly hidden behind hair that hung over one side.
‘How many others came through the portal with you?' asked the old man in the corner.
‘There were two others of my age as well as a knight from King Arthur’s time,’ replied Max.
‘Could this be the ancient one that our elders spoke of when we were children?' one old man muttered to his neighbour.
‘Do you really think it's possible?' replied the other elder.
‘For someone to be alive since King Arthur’s times would almost be impossible,’ interrupted Littleskink, desperate to be part of the conversation once again. ‘The number of winters he must have seen would almost be uncountable, although I remember my brother telling me a story about a goblin who was put under a spell and wouldn’t wake up from an endless sleep or become a day older until her true love kissed her. But, who wants t' kiss a goblin these days? Even the females have hairs on their lips and warts on their noses. Not all goblins are as handsome as me you know? Anyway, she never woke up and the tower that she slept in crumbled down and crushed her. It just goes to show that it is possible to put people into a state where they never age and this knight’s age would be greater than that of all you wise gentlemen added together!’
‘A man of ancient strength and wisdom will rival the faerie queen and bring peace to our land,’ announced the elder that had brought them from the castle.
‘What happened to your fellow travellers?' asked the man to Max’s right. He seemed to be plumper than the others and had a gentle way about him like an old relative happy to see his grandchildren.
‘We met a lady with a wolf who was some daughter of a king inside the forest on the other side of the water. We were attacked as we tried to cross a river. I got washed away and separated from the others. I found myself on a beach where the donestre caught me. They were taking me to the queen.’
‘Do you know where the Caniard princess was going?’
‘Sir Edgar, the knight, decided to help her. She talked about a Council of War in an underground city.
‘The Rocks of Goran?’ asked another.
‘Yes, that’s it. Apparently there are many who are gathering there ready to attack the queen.’
‘We thought something must be happening. Our spies told us of the growing number of creatures loyal to the queen joining to form an army within the walls of the Twisted Tower. She must know of the gathering and be preparing for an attack.’
‘It’s a shame they don’t have me at this council of war,’ said Littleskink. ‘Did I mention that I’ve been to the Twisted Tower before? Spent a few days entertaining at a banquet and got to know about secret passageways and such. Nobody notices the hired entertainment or stops t' think what they’re saying in front of them. Even when people whisper, Littleskink can hear; that’s one good thing about goblins: we have good hearing; it’s why we have big ears compared to our body size. Unfortunately, some goblins decide to decorate their ears by puttin' holes in them to hang metal rings from. Not my idea of fun. Makes us look like we should be pulling a plough through a field, but that’s just my opinion.’
‘Thank you,’ one of the men said turning to Littleskink. ‘Your knowledge of the tower may be very valuable to us too.’
‘If the rest of the faerie world is planning to attack the queen, we should be part of it,’ said the old man from the castle.
‘But her armies would outnumber us many times over,’ disputed one of the other men. ‘We would not stand a chance.’
The elder that Max and Littleskink had met inside Fraegtore stood up and leaned heavily on his stick. The light from the fire cast dark shadows over his face, the orange flames danced across the surface of his eyes.
‘I agree. There would be many more soldiers than we have, but are they organised? It is hard to keep so many different types of creatures in some sort of coordinated formation, especially ones that lack morals and fight for the coin rather than for what is right and free in this world. We have a purpose. We fight for love, for our children and for freedom. What will our future be if we remain hidden in this valley, only coming out when we hear people approaching like a spider that only attacks around its nest, but never seeing what the greater prize is over the hill? Soon the queen will build another route or the defences along the Shadow road will be increased and our families we will have to move to find other ways of looking after themselves. What if the queen sends her armies south? What hope have we if we are not prepared? We should strike with the others already grouping inside the Rock of Goran. Strike when she is vulnerable and her attention is on others. Although the queen gets to hear of attacks on her convoys, she does not yet know what size community we have created. I say we move on the queen by stealth when her army is drawn into battle with the forces from the Rock. The goblin has knowledge of the tower that could help us gain access so we can strike from within. If this knight of King Arthur is the ancient one we have been waiting for, we should take the opportunity that presents its
elf.’
The old man paused. Outside the shelter the party continued - shouts of happiness, singing and laughter filled the night air.
‘Fellow chiefs,’ the elderly man continued, ‘we are old and have enjoyed a long life, but our children and our grandchildren have their own life to live and one that should not be hidden amongst the trees or tucked down a rocky bank out of the way. If we are to lead our families in the right direction, what better direction could that be than towards a free future without the threat of the faerie queen ruling over us?’
22. Payment of Blood
Raelyn leapt onto some of the larger stones that blocked the Snakesback Dore to see if he could find a way through. Even now a small cloud of dust still hung in the air looking like a ghostly shadow drifting over the rubble. All that remained was the pile of rubble from the loose mountain path that had fallen to the floor of the Forest of Bryn.
‘There should be a gap in the mountain around here. Like a curtain, where a continuous piece of rock shielded the entrance,’ explained King Bayard desperately looking for the dore. ‘It looks like the landslip has filled the gap. It would take days to move this amount of rock.’
‘We have to try,’ said Edgar.
The immense frame of the king stepped up to the fallen rocks. He ignored the small ones, they could be walked or climbed over, but the larger rocks were the main obstructions. He climbed up over some of the lower seated rocks onto a larger one and began pushing with his back against it, trying to move it over the edge so that a path could be cleared, but it wouldn’t move. Edgar climbed up to join him, as did one of the horsemen, whilst the others remained, watching and alert for any signs of danger from within the forest. Standing side to side, the king, the knight and the horseman pushed together with their backs, their legs straining against another rock they used for leverage.
