Читать книгу Return of Magic - Steve Reilly - Страница 18

Chapter 11

Victor looked about as he waited for his men to mount. The palace of Whitebridge was unchanged, its stone walls still solid and the grounds secure in the knowledge they could not be invaded. Nothing had changed but still he could not relieve himself of the feeling of impending disaster that sat upon his shoulder. His men were finally ready and he led his line of eight soldiers out of Whitebridge. It may be for the last time but he would still do his duty. He would make his family proud.

This would not be the first time he had been asked to check on the auchs and his men had all travelled to the mountains on earlier occasions. This was actually Victor’s fourth mission but never before had he felt the fear of his mother looking over his shoulder as he did now and his nervousness infected those with him. Even the horses were skittish. As a child his father had scared him with tales of auchs coming to eat him if he misbehaved and he still lived with those memories.

It should have been an easy ride in the open country but Victor could feel this trip would be different. This mission held the air of inevitability. All his life he had been able to sense trouble but today the air felt different and the world sat heavy on his heart. He had the gift his mother used to say. His mother had many strange ideas and he had been shunned as a child because of her but this one he believed. The sense had warned him on many occasions but today was unlike those other occasions. This trip would be dangerous it told him and he would most likely die before it ended. He knew it was wrong to accept the superstitions of his mother but he believed.

They rode from the palace through the deserted streets and out of the city before the sun had even kissed the fields. These days carried little warmth as winter approached. While the trees shed their leaves to bask in the cooler air Victor dragged his cape around him hoping to hold the warmth against his body. The breath of the horses hung in the air for all to see as they carried their masters north.

All went well as the morning progressed and by mid-day, when they stopped for food, Victor was beginning to relax into the mission. His feelings of misgiving had eased. They dismounted and were tethering the horses when one rose on its hind legs and released a roar that made his skin crawl. Tearing the reins from its rider it set out over the fields. Nothing could be seen of what spooked it but time was lost in its retrieval and Victor’s nervousness returned to dominate his being.

Other things added to the feeling of disquiet throughout the ride to keep the soldiers at the edge of panic. They were little things, nothing really, like the bear that crossed their path in the half dark of evening, the raven that swooped to drive the horses beyond fright or the line of oversized lizards that appeared to block their progress.

~

The mountains stretched up out of the ground like fingers reaching for the clouds that grew thick about them. On earlier trips he had been impressed by their majesty as they spanned the space between sky and ground beneath the horses’ hooves. But this time they gripped him in a way he could not describe to others. This time they were frightening. The mighty peaks he remembered were lost in heavy black cloud that rolled and turned about them, eating at their flesh. It would still be some time before the clouds reached the brightly coloured forest but the sight of the boiling darkness filled Victor with the knowledge that evil was present. His men could sense his mood and jostled in their saddles. Fighting down his own desire to turn back he ordered them to ride on but the closer they came to the mountains the more oppressive the black cloud seemed.

“It is growing,” the voice inside warned him. “It is evil and it consumes the land.”

Despite all this, they finally reached the cliff and he was able to call them to stop just outside the forest. The horses skipped beneath the soldiers. They can feel it too, he thought, or they can sense the feelings of the men. They sat in their saddles and waited for the auch guard to appear. As soon as it appeared they would be free to go and his mission would be complete. But there was no indication that anyone watched. Eventually Viktor was forced to admit that the men needed to step down. But he ordered that the horses were not to be tethered and the saddles were to remain on their backs. He did not wish to waste time if they needed to leave quickly.

The sun had gone to rest for the evening but no stars could be seen through the black cloud that continued to grow overhead. Victor’s misgivings were pushed aside as the work of organising his men kept his mind free of worries and by the time the light once again tried to show through the black sky they were ready and all men watched the cliff top. The day dragged on and the boredom gave him time to think. But thinking only brought back the fears.

Above them the black cloud wrapped the mountains in its dark embrace blocking out the sky above apart from the occasional glimpse of blue and an eerie stillness gripped the land. His men moved about making their simple meal and tending to weapons and horses but no matter what they did, their eyes were on the top of the cliff in the hope of seeing an auch. Twice he had thought of inventing a sighting so they could leave but the knowledge of what would happen on his return when no one would support his story prevented him acting on this idea.

Victor’s imagination played with his mind and as he watched the clouds seemed to grow, rolling and turning their way towards him, closing out all light above. To Victor it seemed as if they sensed his presence and came to seek him out. The day was growing old but a deeper darkness settled over them. They had watched since mid-morning and still no auchs appeared. Victor searched for any excuse to leave.

In the silence he imagined he heard a distant grumble like rock turning in the stomach of the cloud or the constant avalanche of stone spewed from the mouth of darkness. But now it was not all black, he realised. Part of the cloud glowed red in the afternoon light—a deep dark red of blood spilled in the sky. In his agitation he did not take the time to consider its cause. He had no knowledge of the masses of fires in the valley filling the sky with smoke and lighting it with their reflection. In his state of agitation he looked quickly about and saw his men were also fixed on the sky, or where the sky should be. In his mind he knew they were being watched though no one had seen any sign of movement. He told himself that no creature could stay still for so long which meant nothing was there. But his heart told him his head was wrong.

Suddenly there was noise from behind. The horses kicked and fought to break free. Victor spun. A raven had swooped down out of the trees and now flew across the line of horses. He called for men to chase off the bird and calm the animals before returning his eyes to the line of the sky above. Nothing had changed. Two horses had bolted and he would now need to stay longer to retrieve them. He tried to settle back into routine but just as his heart began to slow a wolf howled nearby. Everyone turned at the sound but again nothing came of the threat. And so the morning passed, not in the calm of patience but in the panic of anticipation.

He looked again at the clouds with the red eye that watched. For a brief moment he tried to make sense of what he saw, that it was only the colours of the setting sun, but only one answer came to his mind. The voice inside again screamed its warning. “It is the eye of the Dark Lord. He watches us. Evil is rising in the mountains and he will take you all to keep his appearance a secret.”

A wisp of breeze touched his cheek like a frozen hand and above the cloud twisted and turned towards him, coming out of the mountains to eat the land as it sought more substantial fodder. It was a day of little danger. There was no threat to their lives or signs of trouble but enough had occurred to keep tension in the air. The hidden sun faded and the shadows scurried to hide within other shadows. The world grew quiet until a low grumble shattered the peace. Victor’s skin tingled with anticipation and although he expected it he was startled when an auch stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked directly at him.

The grumble came again and he realised the sound came from the animal above. Another of the creatures appeared beside the first and together they seemed to block out the sky, so massive were their bodies. To Victor, these blue animals standing on their hind legs brought back the nightmares he had suffered as a child and when one raised an arm to point directly at him he could not help himself. He ran. At first he just followed his legs away from the cliff but changed direction to race to the horses. His mount was untied and he threw himself on its back in moments to kick it into motion. Fear had taken him in its welcoming embrace. Without thought for leadership or control he kicked at his horse seeking only to be further south but as a token consideration of his position and his deeply ingrained training he called for his men to ride to Whitebridge. “Do not stop,” he yelled as he threw his horse into a gallop. “The Dark Lord has risen and watches the world. The demons of evil prepare to attack mankind. Ride now for the king must be told of what we have seen.” And without waiting to see if they followed he raced to the south and safety. Free of its constraints his horse drove its hooves into the grass as it accepted its chance to run.

Victor hung on. He had not even taken the time to collect the saddle he had felt forced to remove but the horse would not stop now. He did not give his men another thought until he was forced to rest or have his exhausted horse collapse beneath him. The horse had run itself out and needed no further urging to rest.

After he and his horse had both finally exhausted themselves and allowed each other to stop he had worked up the courage to return. All his men were gone. He only waited long enough to collect his saddle and some food before he, too, began his journey back to the capital.

~

Viktor rode into Whitebridge alone.

A guard was waiting as he entered the palace gates with a request that he go immediately to meet with Field Captain Harold. He was concerned that they expected him and this day did not look like it would end happily. If he ran now they would follow and things would only be worse. But Harold had used his rank as a senior officer of the army rather than as ward of Arenia. It meant that some of his men had already returned and if any had said the wrong thing his report would not save him.

The ward sat at the large desk to the right of the throne. As administrator for the kingdom he felt all decisions should come from this room but the throne was for Xavier only. When the king returned, he would find his position secure. Victor approached.

“What have you to say?” Harold growled. Threat dripped from the words as the Field Captain spoke.

“We were attacked,” he reported. He had thought about his report on his return ride and this was one story that could not be disproved because in his mind it was true. The ward sat forward in his chair. He said nothing but waited for his officer to continue. Taking a deep breath, Victor tried to sound as confident as he was able. “We arrived at the cliff during the night and prepared a camp.” It was a nice touch. It made him sound as if he intended waiting until his mission was complete. “All next morning the creatures hid in the trees. We waited and watched but while we did not see them but we could clearly hear them. The animals of the woods knew they were there too. Scared birds and animals fled from them all morning. Some were so frightened they fled through the camp spooking the horses.” This his men would vouch for.

“And you ran because of a frightened bird?” sneered Harold.

“No, sir. We held our position and kept watch. Then in the last of the day two of the creatures appeared above. They began to point and direct those around us in their attack. We could hear them coming on all sides. I would have stayed and fought but we were outnumbered. There were not enough of us to hold them.”

Harold gave a knowing nod. “So you ran from battle.”

Viktor stood his ground under the wards penetrating stare. “I did not run. The sky was black with cloud and the eye of the Dark Lord looked down from it on us. I chose to return and bring you this important news. Nothing would have been gained by our deaths though I was prepared to die if the need arose. But I felt you should be warned, and the king too.”

He waited while Harold sat back in his chair with a look of deep thought and his hand covering his face. “Your story has some similarities to those of your men who have returned though the differences are great.” The ward sat in silent thought and when he spoke it was with great care. “I will consider what you have told me and also the tales of your men. When I am done I will determine where the truth lies and what I will do. You may leave me for now but remain in the barracks.”