by Karen Frost
Chapter Seven
Race to Tarah
Jack, Maude, and the magical beasts had traveled without cease for hours. If not for the ever present fear that Mirrin might return at any time, their travel might have felt monotonous. Endless forests alternated with small meadows and clearings. Jack could no longer feel his seat or legs after having ridden nonstop for hours on end. He was so tired, in fact, that Mary Jane and Baker's Row no longer even seemed real to him. His life until that day seemed like a dream. Even the immortal beasts, who had carried the children mile after mile upon their backs barely had enough strength to keep moving forward. Luckily, they had found on their way a tree whose fruit Alcide said was safe for the children to eat and so the children no longer felt hunger gnawing at their bellies. They had gorged themselves upon it, letting the red juice run down their chins and drip onto their pajamas.
Jack looked at Maude and saw that her eyes were red from fatigue and her face was pale. He knew he probably looked no better, and his efforts to rub the dirt and sweat off of his face only ground it in more deeply. After asking the magical beasts everything she could think of in the first two hours, Maude had not asked anything since. Now her eyes were half closed, focused only on the ground passing beneath her. Jack wished he'd stopped Maude from coming with him. He wished, too, that she'd never found the mirror in the attic, or that they had destroyed it after they said they would. Suddenly Aldair stopped and tensed beneath him. Jack immediately tensed as well.
“What is it?” Jack whispered.
“Danger,” Aldair rumbled back softly.
From the corner of his eye, Jack could see Alcide crouch lower to the ground, her tail twitching in nervous anticipation. Maude's eyes were fully open now. She looked around from left to right, trying to see whatever the beasts were reacting to. From the distance came a lone, terrible howl, answered by a chorus of similar cries.
“Wolves!” Jack yelled.
“Worse,” Alcide said grimly. “Wargs.”
"What are wargs?" Jack asked.
“You'll see soon enough. Run!” Alcide roared.
Both stag and leopard surged powerfully forward, running with what desperate strength they could muster. However, they were slowed, as before, by the fact that neither animal could move quickly if the children were expected to be able to remain astride.
“Can you outrun them?” Maude yelled.
“We must,” Alcide replied, her voice a tight growl. "In a pack they will be able to overpower us."
As they reached the top of a hill, Jack looked back to see creatures that looked somewhat like shaggy, giant black dogs with burning red eyes chasing them. Each of the animals stood at least four feet tall at the shoulder, most of their height coming from their long legs. As they panted, Jack could see terrible, sharp fangs five inches long protruding from their mouths. Ten or so of the creatures flashed like black lightening through the forest only a few hundred yards behind them, but a few were much closer, their impossibly strong hind legs churning and propelling their heavy bodies forward with terrifying speed. Their lips curled up over their shining white teeth and they howled and bayed with anticipation, sensing that they were gaining on the magical beasts. Maude looked back and screamed in terror.
“The river!” Aldair cried. “When we reach the water, jump in and let the current carry you. We will lead the wargs away from you. They will be afraid to jump into the water, and the water will mask your scent so that they will not be able to track you from land. Stay in the water for as long as you can and when you can withstand the cold no longer, climb out and head east on foot. Go to Tarah and we will meet you there later. Have courage.”
Using the last of their energy, the beasts outpaced the wargs. Jack could no longer see them, but he could still hear their shrill cries echoing through the woods all around them. The echoes made it sound as though they were surrounded by a pack of hundreds, rather than the dozen that chased them now. A moment later, Jack heard the rushing of water and the narrow river Aldair had indicated appeared before them. It was a small river, little more than a stream. It was only fifty feet wide at most, but its current was swift and the bottom deep. The beasts slid to a halt and Jack and Maude more or less toppled from their backs. They hesitated for a minute on the bank, petrified of losing their protectors, but the beasts were frantic, pushing them into the water with their noses.
“Go in safety! We will meet again at Tarah!” Alcide cried.
"But…" Maude said.
Before Maude could finish her sentence, Alcide and Aldair spun and ran west along the riverbank. They were faster, more agile without the children aboard. Within seconds, they were gone, and from the fading sound of the wargs, the wargs had followed. Jack looked at Maude, then gently took her hand. Maude's eyes were large and frightened. Together, they waded into the river until their feet could no longer touch the bottom. Then, allowing themselves to float, they surrendered to the insistent tug of the current and were swiftly carried away. Then there was only silence.
