by Sharon Gibbs
Devon looked around inside the carriage, the seats were made from fine, thick leather and the floor had been polished with beeswax until it glistened and shone. The curtains were pulled back from the windows and enabled the passengers to view the scenery as they travelled along.
‘Son, this truly is a magnificent carriage. They’ve some very talented people in this great land.’
‘Yes, father, it’s a fine carriage. One certainly fit for a king,’ Gerard said.
They settled down in comfort and watched the town disappear as they travelled north through the countryside. Out on the road they passed lush, green fields of corn and further along they watched as a farmer and his workers harvested wheat. Out in the sunshine they stacked the sheaths into mounds while others loaded bundles on to wagons, to be taken to the mill. The grain would be ground into flour and sold to the people in the village. The workers in the field looked happy and waved as the carriage passed by. As they travelled further, Devon was impressed with the multitude of animals he saw grazing in rich green pastures and thought this land was a wonderful place for his son to be.
As the day drifted on they became tired after their long passage on the Merryweather and both father and son nodded off to sleep.
Gustov hauled on the reins as they neared the inn his travellers were to stay at that night. As the horses pulled to a stop the passengers in the carriage woke. Devon and Gerard rubbed the sleep from their eyes, straightened their clothes and, as they peered out their window, they saw the small inn. Light from the windows shone to welcome them to its cosy interior.
Gustov opened the carriage door for Devon and Gerard. ‘Sir,’ Gustov said. ‘We’ll be stoppin’ here for the night. Y’all be able to get a good meal here, sir, and a warm bed.’
‘Thank you, Gustov.’
‘I’ll be puttin’ the horses away and sleepin’ out back in the barn for the night. I’ll be here waitin’ for ya, sir, after ya mornin’ sup,’ Gustov said and then he led his team away.
Gerard walked up to the front door of the inn and opened it for his father. When Devon entered, he looked around and saw it to be a warm and cosy place with a fire at the far end of the room. Over near the hearth, chairs were placed for patrons to rest and warm themselves. The rest of the space was crammed with tables and benches and a young waitress bustled around the room with trenchers of hot food and mugs of ale. As she went by she called out to them, ‘Grab yourselves a table, gentlemen, and I’ll be there in a minute.’
Devon and Gerard chose a table over by the window. To their left was a long bar where an older man served drinks and a woman darted in and out from the back room with trenchers of food and placed them on the bar. The young waitress bustled back and forth as she delivered the hot dishes to the tables where the patrons waited. As she came over to their table she said, ‘Now you look like you’ve had a long journey, lovies. What can I get you?’ She smiled at them. She was a young girl, quite plump, and she had piled her hair up on top of her head. A few unruly strands had escaped and they hung at the side of her face.
‘We’d like rooms for the night, a hot meal and something to quench our thirst. Thank you, miss…’
‘Wendy’s me name, Sir.’
‘Thank you, Wendy,’ Devon said.
Wendy then went over to the man behind the bar and nodded in their direction before she disappeared into the back room. She reappeared not long after with two trenchers and a basket precariously perched on one arm. She took care as she walked over and placed the hot food and the basket piled with slices of bread and butter on the table. ‘Thank you, Wendy,’ Gerard said as he stared at the meal before him. He hadn’t realised how hungry he’d been until he’d smelt the food as they entered the inn. The trenchers were piled high with slices of roast beef, golden crunchy potatoes, carrots, beans and dumplings and all were smothered in thick dark gravy. Devon handed the waitress some coins and she went to the bar and returned with two mugs of spiced wine.
‘There you are, sir. Ol Ned will organise some rooms for you both. Just sing out if you be needing anything else.’
‘Thank you again, Wendy,’ Devon said and he gave her a coin for her help.
‘Much obliged,’ she said as she took the coin and bustled off again.
The food tasted good and as they ate they talked about their journey. The inn was noisy, people talked and clattered their mugs on tables. It was warm inside the inn and candles lit in sconces on the walls provided an intimate setting as the fire merrily flickered away in the hearth.
When they’d finished their meal they went and sat by the fire to warm their feet and rest for a while. The noise in the inn died down as the patrons left for home and Wendy was busy as she moved around the room and collected mugs and trenchers left on the tables. She bustled around and sang out goodnights here and there as she cleared away the evening’s mess.
Ol Ned came over by the fire. ‘Evening, Sirs,’ he said as he handed Devon two keys. ‘I’m Ned. So you’re just here for the night?’
‘Yes, we’re on our way to Canistar. My son Gerard here is to study at the Keep.’
‘Argh, a Wizard in training then you’ll be,’ he said and smiled at Gerard.
‘Yes, Sir. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘Good place Canistar, good people up there.’ Ned said. ‘Take care of all they do. My brother’s boy will head up there in a few years to study. Good people up there,’ he said again. ‘Well I wish you a good journey. Through that door over there,’ Ned said as he pointed to the door on the right side of the room, ‘be your rooms, the last two on the right. Sleep well, breakfast is at seven in the morning.’ He bid them a goodnight and sauntered back to the bar to finish his chores for the evening.
‘Father, I’m tired. I think I’ll go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight,’ Gerard said and he rose from his chair and yawned.
‘I’ll be off as well,’ Devon said and they both walked over to the door which led to their rooms.
‘Sir, you’ll need a candle. There are others in the room but take this one with you,’ Wendy said as she took a candle from a table nearby and handed it to Gerard.
‘Thank you, Wendy, and goodnight.’
Devon turned the key in the lock and they entered Gerard’s room. It was sparsely furnished but clean. The bed looked comfortable and next to it stood a chest, and a small dresser had been placed in the corner by the window. A pitcher and bowl sat on the dresser for washing and on the far side of the room was a door to the privy. Devon took a candle from the bedside and lit it for Gerard. He bid his son goodnight and took the candle that Wendy had given them and went to his room. Devon found his room was similar to Gerard’s, only set out in reverse so that the privies were next door to each other. Devon placed the candle on the bedside chest and then he turned the covers down on the bed. After he’d undressed, he climbed in and pulled up the covers. Devon blew out the candle, and as he lay in the darkness he thought of all they’d seen that day before he drifted off to sleep.
A rooster crowed and woke him early, so Gerard climbed out of bed. It was a cool morning and he wriggled his toes as they touched the floor. He walked over to the dresser and poured water from the pitcher into the bowl and had a quick wash as the water was cold. Gerard pulled on his trousers and he heard his father moving about in the room next door. He dressed and left his room to knock on his father’s door.
‘Yes?’
‘Father, I want to take a walk before breakfast. I’ll see you downstairs in a while.’
‘All right, Gerard, but don’t be gone too long. We’ll leave soon.’
When Gerard entered the main room of the inn he saw Ned and an older lady preparing the tables for breakfast. He bid them a good morning and went outside. The morning air was fresh and as he breathed the cool crisp air, his nose tingled. The road outside the inn was lined with trees and sheep grazed in the paddocks behind. Gerard was disappointed and he walked around the back of the inn. He saw the barn and thought he’
d take a look inside. The door creaked on its hinges as he pulled on the latch. The horses were still in their stalls and they ate their morning fare as Gustov sorted through the harness and prepared to hitch them to the carriage.
‘Morning, Gustov,’ Gerard said as he walked inside.
‘Mornin’, Sir. What are you doin’ out here?’ Gustov said as he placed the harness down.
‘Oh I just thought I’d take a morning walk, but there’s really not much to see around here is there.’
Gustov rubbed the reins with a soft cloth to remove any grime from the previous day’s travel.
‘No not much to see here unless you like sheep, but as we travel another hour up the road you’ll see somethin’, lad.’
‘What will I see?’
Gustov chuckled. ‘You’ll see, sir, you’ll see. Besides your mornin’ sup will be cold and we’ll be off soon, so you won’t have long to wait.’
‘Alright, I’ll see you soon.’ Gerard hurried out of the barn back to the inn. His father was already seated as were the other guests, and Devon greeted him good morning.
‘I wondered when you’d turn up. I thought you might miss breakfast.’
‘There wasn’t much to see and I went into the barn and spoke with Gustov.’
‘Oh, and what did Gustov have to say?’
‘He said we’d see something about an hour up the road. But he wouldn’t say what.’
‘Well then you’ll just have to wait, son.’
Ned carried a tray over and placed it on their table. There was freshly squeezed orange juice, dandelion tea, spicy sausages, fried eggs and thick slabs of bread and butter with sticky jam and a small pot of honey. It looked delicious and they tucked into the food with relish. When they’d finished Devon settled their bill.
‘Well you’ll be off then,’ Ned said as he took Devon’s money.
‘Yes, thank you for your hospitality.’ Then Devon organised for a basket of food to take with them.
Outside the day was warm. The sun shone and clouds drifted across the sky.
‘Father, it looks to be a fine day to travel.’
‘Yes it does, Gerard, yes it does,’ Devon said as Gustov drove the team up and pulled them to a halt in front of the inn.
‘Mornin’, Sirs,’ Gustov said and tipped his cap.
‘Good morning, Gustov. How’s all with you this fine day?’
‘Just fine, Sir, just fine. We should be on our way if we’re to make good time today.’
‘We’re all ready to go,’ Devon said as they stepped off the porch. Devon and Gerard took their seats and then they were off, one step closer to Canistar and the Keep.
They travelled on for approximately an hour before Gustov pulled the carriage to a halt atop a small hill that overlooked the valley below. He climbed down from the driver’s seat and tied the reins to a small Barrobourgh tree before he opened the carriage door.
‘Sir,’ he said to Gerard. ‘This is the place.’
Gerard stepped out of the carriage and his eyes popped open wide. Never before had he seen such beauty. Down the hill and into the valley he looked from left to right where before him a forest stretched as far as the eye could see.
‘That’s amazing, Gustov!’
‘That would have to be the largest pine forest I’ve ever seen,’ Devon said.
‘Well, Sir, they say it’s older than time and it just keeps on spreadin’.’ Gustov was proud that he’d impressed these two visitors from Reist. ‘That’s not all, wait till you get a look inside. Oh the things you’ll see, it takes a whole day to cross it.’
‘Let’s be on our way then,’ Devon said and returned to the carriage.
‘Father, could I ride up top with Gustov for a while?’
‘I don’t know, son. What do you think, Gustov?’
‘Sure, sir, that’ll be fine,’ he said. So Gerard climbed up on to the seat where Gustov sat and they set forward on to the forest.
As they travelled closer the forest was a great deal taller than Devon had first thought. The tall trees stretched their branches towards the sun while the lower, heavier branches bent down and swept the forest floor. At first the trees were rather large and other plants grew amongst the thin carpet of pine needles. Small animals and birds moved amongst the foliage and the sunlight pooled through the canopy and made sunny patches on the forest floor. The road on which they travelled was clearly seen and flowers grew here and there. As they moved further into the forest, Gerard was amazed at the sounds and sights he saw. Birds squawked as they passed by and small animals collected food. On some trees and fallen branches strange fungus grew, which intrigued Gerard no end.
The further they ventured into the forest the closer the trees grew and became thinner as they battled each other for the sun’s light. The canopy overhead thickened and the light became dim. Gustov pulled the carriage to a stop and handed Gerard the reins.
‘Hold ‘em still, lad, I have to light the lanterns.’
Gustov climbed down from his seat and went around to the carriage door. ‘Sir, would you like me to light the lanterns for you? You won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face when we reach the middle of the forest.’
Devon opened the door. ‘I didn’t know it could get this dark in the woods. Yes, light the lanterns so I’m not in the dark. Thank you, Gustov,’ he said.
‘That’s cos you’re in the forest, Sir.’ Gustov climbed into the carriage and took out a tinderbox and lit the lanterns. ‘Shouldn’t be for too long, Sir, then we’ll stop in a clearin’ I know of and have somethin’ to fill our bellies.’
‘Do you want to ride in here with me, Gerard?’
‘No, father. I’m fine up here,’ Gerard said.
Gustov closed the carriage door and headed back around to the front of the carriage where he climbed up on Gerard’s side.
‘Have to light the lantern on this side,’ he said as he opened the little shutter on the lantern cover. Then he climbed down and repeated the process on the other side before he climbed back up into his seat. The light of the lanterns reflected ahead. The further they travelled the darker it became and the light from the lanterns shone brighter. It was midday and yet in the forest it was pitch black. No branches hung close to the ground and all they could see were endless trunks of trees. There weren’t many as large as the ones near the edge of the forest. Gerard listened, the forest was silent and the darkness seemed to surround them.
‘How are you going to see where the road lays?’
‘Well, Gerard, see those rocks by the edge of the road. We stick close by them and we won’t get lost.’
‘So, Gustov, where are all the animals and birds?’
‘Sir, there aren’t many things that live this deep in the forest, ‘cept maybe a few moles or mice and the owls, they come in this far but they don’t live here. Not even the wolves come here.’
‘Oh?’
The silence of the forest seemed to engulf them and there was an eerie stillness to the place. Gustov paused, for effect. ‘But it has been said that when a traveller stays too long in the forest, strange things have been known to happen.’
‘Like what?’ Gerard was curious.
Gustov scratched his chin. ‘I don’t rightly know if I should tell you, Sir, might scare you a little.’
‘Please, please tell me,’ Gerard begged.
‘Well a man I knows, he goes by the name Jake, well he’s a hunter see and he comes through this forest when he’s on his way to trade furs. Well one time when he was passin’ through here, his wagon broke a spoke and the wheel came clean off. He didn’t have a spare one so he had to make one. Well that took some time, there’s not much wood this deep in the forest so he had to walk quite a ways to find a branch thick enough.’
‘Well that doesn’t sound strange,’ Gerard said.
‘The story ain’t finished, Sir. Well he said he was walkin’, lookin’ for a good piece of wood. He carried his lantern in one hand, held it high above his head he di
d so he could see. Well he had a strange feelin’ somethin’ was watchin’ him. But every time he’d turn around, there was nothin’ there. Anyways, he found some wood and headed back to his wagon but he still had that strange feelin’ somethin’ was watchin’ him. So he hurried along he did. Finally he made it back. Well as he was cuttin’ that branch to fit into the wheel, he saw, and I swears on me life, he says that he saw a pair of glowin’ red eyes.’
‘Maybe it was a wolf!’ Gerard said in excitement.
‘No, these eyes weren’t no wolf, they were up in the trees,’ Gustov said in a mysterious voice that made Gerard wriggle back in his seat. ‘Well Jack had nearly finished fittin’ that piece of wood in the wheel when a large branch snapped and fell near him. It scared the life out of him, so he whipped that wheel on as quick as he could and skedaddled right outta there. As he raced home he heard branches crash around him but he never looked back and he didn’t stop until he was home. Well when he went to unload his wagon, there were two large gouges runnin’ down the back of the tailgate. Well maybe you say it was a branch that had fallen and jammed on the back of his wagon, he thought that too until he found a long black claw wedged into one of the gouges left in the wood.’ Gustov grinned at the childhood tale he told.
Gerard felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he stared up at the dark canopy above him.
The light in the forest began to return and they were able to put out the lanterns. As they ventured on the trees grew further apart and animals could again be heard as they rustled across the forest floor. Gustov pulled the carriage into a clearing and climbed down to stretch his legs. He tied the horses to a branch on a nearby tree and then from behind the driver’s seat Gustov removed the basket which contained their lunch.
Devon was glad to be out of the carriage and the darkness of the forest. He too had heard Gustov’s tale and while he thought the fellow was up to a bit of mischief, the story had still prickled the hairs on his neck. Devon walked around and stretched his legs. It was a beautiful area, lush meadow grass carpeted the sunny patch and wild flowers sprouted in clumps not far from the trees. Birds twittered and flew in and out of the grass as they searched for insects. Devon walked over to where Gerard and Gustov sat on a blanket in the sunshine.
