Читать книгу The Trophy of Champions - Cameron Stelzer - Страница 9

A Dark Descent

The small, hooded creature moved swiftly through the shadowy undergrowth of the forest. Rust-coloured strips of bark, dry and flaking, lay strewn across his path. To his left and right, the slender trunks of grey gums rose majestically into the air, their uppermost branches swaying rhythmically in the overhead wind. Each falling leaf sparkled like gold in the flickering rays of the dying summer sun.

With urgency and purpose, he leapt over crumbling logs and bounded through patches of sprawling lantana, his tiny feet barely touching the ground. His cloak caught on prickly burrs and his fur snagged on sharp twigs, but he tore himself free, never slowing his frantic pace.

Reaching the edge of a small gully, he suddenly halted and threw back his hood. The heavy aroma of eucalyptus oil filled his nostrils. It masked any scents of lurking predators, but the awkward twitch in his tail told him he wasn’t alone.

Cautiously, he began creeping past blackened stumps and withered shrubs, towards a dry riverbed at the foot of the gully. He knew if he could reach the riverbed unseen, he still had a chance.

Rivers lead to the sea, he told himself. And the sea is where I’ll find them …

The sun vanished from sight as he moved deeper into the gully. Fine webs of silk hung motionless between dead branches. Oily red sap oozed from the sides of pale trunks. The entire place sent a shiver down his tail.

Something’s here, he trembled. I know it …

In trepidation, he moved forward, barely daring to breathe. He was quiet – but not silent.

The first blast echoed over his left shoulder, shattering the stillness. He threw himself headfirst into a pile of leaves as a huge shape crashed into a tree above him.

Rolling clear of the avalanche of falling debris, he heard a second ear-splitting BOOM! The riverbank in front of him exploded, sending pebbles and bark ricocheting in all directions. He ducked to his right to evade a flying stone, somersaulted over a gnarled tree root and took off through the undergrowth.

With the roar of cannons in his ears, he clawed his way through the dense vegetation lining the riverbank. Dark shapes hurtled overhead, crashing into the furrowed trunks of ironbark trees, sending jagged splinters raining down around him.

There was no thought of stopping.

The river turned south-west and the rough slopes of the gully transformed into sandstone cliffs. Avoiding the easy route through the open riverbed, he began scaling a rocky cliff to higher ground. He moved stealthily over the rocks, his agile tail aiding his ascent, his dusty, grey cloak camouflaging his body.

Reaching the top of the cliff, with no sign of his pursuers, he began his descent past young saplings and spindly paperbarks. Behind him, a dusty amber glow lingered in the western sky. The first evening stars twinkled high overhead. Peering through the gaps in the foliage, he saw the riverbed snaking east to the shoreline.

I can be there before darkness sets in, he thought. If I hurry.

With blue eyes fixed on the river mouth, he took a step forward – and stopped. Cocking his head to one side, he squinted into the distance to where a shadowy black shape moved across the waves.

There was a mighty gust of wind and the swaying branches blocked his vision. When the leaves had stopped quivering, the black shape was gone.

Puzzled, he pushed his way through the trees to a rocky outcrop, hoping for a clearer view. From the edge of the plateau, he could see the entire eastern ocean spreading out in front of him, empty and still. As he reached down for a small spyglass tucked in his drawstring bag, he felt something brush past his whiskers.

He had just enough time to glimpse a long, straight shaft whizzing through the air before it disappeared into the undergrowth.

‘Arrows!’ he hissed, throwing himself to the ground. They’ve found me … and they’re close.

Flattening his body against the rock, he scanned the ridge for an escape route. The quickest way down was directly in front of him: a steep, gravelly slope, descending almost all the way to the ocean. With a cliff on one side and sparse vegetation to the other, the slope was even more exposed than the riverbed.

One clean shot and I’m done, he told himself.

He glanced to his right, searching for another option. Nearby, the trunk of an enormous grey gum rose from the plateau. Where its bark had fallen away, huge orange sections covered its trunk. Thick strips of reddish-tinged bark lay in a pile at its base. As the bark had dried, it had curved inwards to form long canoe-like shapes.

A canoe needs water, he thought hopelessly … or does it?

With the sound of approaching footsteps, he knew he must act fast. Slithering across the ground like a snake, he moved towards the foot of the tree, searching for the perfect piece of bark: medium length, flat bottom, curved sides, raised front …

He found it just in time.

There was a loud STOMP directly behind him. Grabbing the edges of the bark with both paws, he raised it like a shield and ran towards the slope.

He felt a sudden jolt as an arrow grazed the side of the bark, throwing him off balance. He half-leapt, half-fell over the edge, throwing the makeshift sled beneath him. The bark hit the slope at speed and his chest slammed down on top of it. Head lowered and body rigid, he held on for dear life.

He’d only travelled a few metres when he heard the faint twang of a bow string and knew a second arrow was already on its way.

Taking evasive action, he threw his entire body to the left, catapulting the right edge of the sled into the air. The arrow bounced harmlessly off the high bark wall, but the craft veered dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.

Panic-stricken, he hurled his body to the opposite side of the sled to counteract the momentum. For a moment he was skidding precariously along the very edge of the cliff. Then, with the pull of his weight, the sled began to right its course.

With a breath of relief, he lifted his head and scanned the sky for further arrows. The air was clear, but the slope ahead revealed something far worse: an entire line of egg-shaped rocks.

He let out a horrified gasp. There was no way around.

Without brakes, he acted daringly and decisively. Leaping to the very back of the sled, he grabbed the upper edges of the bark with both paws and slowly stood up. As the lichen-covered rocks came into range, he leant back as far as he could and raised the front half of the sled off the ground.

There was a sickening SCREEECH as the bottom of the bark collided with the rocks, almost throwing him free. The next moment, the sled was airborne, soaring high over the stones and gravel like a strange, wingless bird – surrounded by stars, held up by the wind. Then it was falling, plummeting down towards the barren slope.

The back of the sled hit first, gouging into the ground. Its passenger lost his grip and sprawled face-down in the centre of the sled. He dug his claws into the bark to steady himself, as his tail and legs bounced uncontrollably behind him.

When he finally managed to regain his balance and clamber to his knees, the sled was already speeding down the final section of the hill.

The gravelly slope levelled out into a grassy meadow extending to the sandy dunes of the coastline. The battered sled skidded to a halt at the foot of a small banksia shrub and its shaken passenger scrambled out.

There’s still time, he told himself, fixing his sights on a dune near the river mouth. But only just …

With the last hint of colour fading from the sky, he set off across the gently swaying field of redgrass. Parched by a long, hot summer, the grass was thin and dry. Withered stalks crunched under his feet. Straw-like stems rustled beside him.

As he crossed the darkening field, he noticed other sounds: the soft swish of the wind; the gentle rumble of breaking waves … and something else.

Standing on the tips of his toes, he peered above the surrounding seed heads. To his right, not far from the riverbed, he saw movement in the tallest stalks of grass.

At first he mistook it for the wind, but as he looked closer, he realised the grass was parting to form a path – a path headed in his direction.

His heart beating fast, he turned on his heel and ran. Tall stalks of grass battered his face and eyes. The sharp edges of leaves sliced past him like knives, cutting his feet and paws.

Ignoring the pain, he kept on running, tearing through the field like a flame in straw.

He heard scampering footsteps on either side of him and knew his pursuers were close. The next moment, an arrow raced past him, clipping the sleeve of his coat.

Head down, he ducked and wove through the thinning grass, not daring to stop. There was no thought of hiding – movement was his only defence.

He rolled, dived and twisted like an eel, changing direction with every step. The steady stream of arrows missed their mark and the sound of footsteps slowly faded to other parts of the field.

When he finally ventured to raise his head, the dune was right in front of him. Smooth, white and pure, it beckoned him closer.

With aching limbs he began his ascent. The fine grains of sand felt warm beneath his paws and the salty air of the sea tingled on the back of his throat. He took a deep, calming breath.

At last, he thought. I’m here.

Exhausted, he reached the crest of the dune. Behind him the field of grass lay silent and still. In front of him, in silhouette against the deep blue of the twilight sky, stood three rats.

They took one look at him, drew their weapons and charged.