The Dragons of Sara Sara (45 page)

Rees sat under the same bush as Elsa had done, and waited out enough time to see the sun now well up and warming the land. Desare was left asleep until Rees roused her along with Elsa to the smell of cooking biscuits and herb leaves bubbling in a pot on the fire.

They ate in silence after tending the horses, then mounted up and were soon travelling east again at a steady mile burning pace. Every so often a spare horse was brought alongside, and Rees, Elsa or Desare would change horses while still keeping up the same fast pace. This rested the horses from the burden of their extra weight for a time. At this pace they would be in the borderlands in a few days. Hopefully they would have no difficulty in finding the Mare Altan. So many people should be noticeable.

By mid afternoon the horses had be walked for long spells The pace was gruelling, and they didn't want the horses dying on them or breaking down. All three were capable horse people, and knew their value. Indeed, their regular mounts were almost part of their family.

There had not been sign of another soul other than that first merchant wagon train. No farms, no camps, no travellers. This close to the border, the Tharsians left the countryside swept clean. The only exception was the fortified town at the end of this road. Right on the border. The local lord, who self styled himself king, thought to rule this land. In truth the Tharsians ruled it. They would have to be careful now. Riding full speed into a band of the green hide monsters would not help at all. All three kept a sharp lookout. There was no sign of the Mare Altan or the Asha Altan having passed this way. Rees wondered about this until Elsa pointed out the signs to him.

A small row of stones set out neatly. Yet almost hidden in the many stones of a small stream by the roadside.

Tufts of grass tied together in a certain way. A notch in tree bark, high in the tree. Rees relaxed. He should have known. If the warriors didn't want to be seen, they were as good as invisible. If there had been Tharsians in the area, the many warriors in the travelling band would have swept over them in a flood.

Rees hoped that eventually they could rid the land of the Tharsians. Opening trade between East and West would bring new life to the plains. The threat that was ever present would be gone. The warrior ranks could be reduced. It all hinged on the Lord of the Dragon Armies, the Malachite King returned. Rees's friend - Antonin.

Elsa rode alongside Rees, and leaning close to him said. ".. and his queen." She looked from Rees to Desare and back again. With a nod she rode ahead. Rees was so speechless he couldn't even wonder how Elsa had known his thoughts. Desare rode along oblivious to the exchange. She was watching a brightly coloured butterfly that had alighted for a moment on her hand as it rested on the saddle horn.

'Desare?' Thought Rees. Where had Elsa got that idea from? Rees smiled. Antonin was in for some interesting times.

The day was drawing to a close. Rees decided they would camp a full night. The horses needed a good rest, and so did they. Elsa followed another small stream some distance from the road and found a grassy area well sheltered by trees, with grass for the horses, yet within sight of the road. The horses were unsaddled and tethered to ropes so they could graze, and the three friends settled on their ground sheets to relax away the bone wearying stress of their hard riding. Darkness fell, the moon rising above the plains, climbing steadily above the tree tops. All three took turns standing guard during the night. Their only company the night insects and the small animals that moved about in the low undercover between the trees. The night passed without event, and by daybreak the party were back on the road. The horses were held to a fast walk. There was still a long way to go, and the mad dash of the last hours had put them well on their way. Getting closer to the borderlands, they wanted their horses fresh in case of trouble.

Rees didn't expect Mei'An would be able to catch up with them, and didn't think he would see her again until some days after they arrived at the warrior camp. They would be waiting on Mei'An's arrival before pushing into the Forest of Gloom.

Many days had now passed, and Rees was beginning to worry a little. He knew that there weren't many people this far east, but he didn't expect there to be none at all. They hadn't seen a single human. No farms, nothing. No livestock indicating distant farms. The road showed no signs of traffic.

Not a wheel mark or wagon track to be seen. Surely there was some traffic, even if only soldiers about their patrols. Elsa now kept close to Desare, and kept them in the centre of the road when travelling, and went to elaborate lengths to hide Desare in night camps. Desare made no complaint. She seemed to view Elsa now as an older sister, and followed her directions without question. Elsa now moved like a warrior expecting attack at any moment. Even the movements of the small creatures of the woodlands that grew in sparse patches over the low hills that the road wound around and over, alerted her.

Quietly, Rees hoped they would make the camps of the warriors soon. He didn't like this one little bit, yet he had no idea how far they still had to go. Another nights camp saw them out in an open valley, too far from the surrounding hills to find a safe and secluded camp. The valley floor it would have to be. In the small hours of the morning Elsa was jolted awake by a crash of thunder, as lightening flashed, and rain poured down as though a bucket was being emptied. Within seconds everyone and everything was drenched. The horses stamped and rolled their eyes at the flashing lightening and peels of thunder. Rees, Elsa and Desare hurriedly collected their gear onto a large flat rook near the horses, then moved from one horse to another calming them as best they could.

There wasn't even any low trees to stretch a blanket from so they could shelter from the rain. Rees changed his mind about trees anyway as he watched lightening blast a tree on a far hill top into flaming fragments.

Rees whirled about as a terrified scream rent the air. A flash of lightening revealed Desare held aloft by a Tharsian. Its huge left hand around her throat, she dangled in his grasp, her feet well clear of the ground. In that brief flash Rees had seen the terror on the girls face, and seen the huge blade in the Tharsians right hand. In the darkness Rees inched forward. He didn't want to risk hitting Desare by mistake. There was a guttural roar right in front of him. Desare screamed again, a high keening wail that made the hair on the back of Rees neck stand up. Another flash of lightening showed Elsa only paces away loosing arrows into the Tharsian. They were very hard to kill, but Rees now had the measure of it. He gauged the distance and time, waited for a flash of lightening, and before the thunder clap reached them yelled "Elsa, Hold!" At the same time swinging his sword in a sweeping arc that gave it a huge amount of force as the momentum whistled the broad heavy blade through the air. Rees knew in that split second that if the Tharsian had moved, the swords momentum would almost tear his arms out. With a crash the swing abruptly stopped. The Tharsian bellowed in pain and rage, and Rees heard it crash to the ground. Desare staggered free of its grasp and scrambled to Elsa's side. Rees had swung low, he did not want to hit Desare by mistake. As a result, he had cut the Tharsian off at the knees. The beast roared and thrashed on the ground, unable to stand, yet determined to do what damage it could. Elsa stepped in close and finished it off with her spear, and began retrieving her arrows. Rees was by now prowling the perimeter of the camp. If there was one Tharsian, where were the others. They never travelled alone. The roars and bellows of the one they had just killed would surely bring the others down on them. The storm still raged overhead, the rain pelting down unceasingly. The wind still whistled across the wastes driving the rain drops almost horizontal. There didn't seem to be any other Tharsians about. Perhaps this had been a lone scout out from a camp somewhere nearby. Rees put his arm around Desare's shoulder. She was crying and shaking, and rubbing her neck where the Tharsian had had her in its grasp.

"Rees, I think it best we ride on through this night." Said Elsa.

"Yes," replied Rees. "If there is a Tharsian camp nearby, they will doubtless come looking for this one."

The horses were made ready and within minutes all were mounted and back on the road. They continued eastwards in the dark. The rain still streamed down, and the storm showed no sign of easing as the trio plodded along at a steady walk three abreast, with Desare in the middle. Was it only coincidence that the Tharsian had reached for Desare? They couldn't know that Desare held as much importance as she did. They no longer served the Dark One, had not done so for a thousand years. Rees pondered the meaning of the attack.

Far behind them they heard roaring and howling erupt in the night. They had been wise to leave when they did. The main band of Tharsians had discovered their fallen scout. "Well," though Rees. "They'll never track us in this". He urged the small party into a canter. Even if the Tharsians came out onto the road, they could only guess at the direction the party had taken, or divide their group for a search in both directions. Either way, both Rees and Elsa agreed that if that was the only band of Tharsians in the area, they were out of reach for while at least.

The road started to rise sharply. They must be approaching the hills at the edge of the wide valley. The rain storm started to ease as they climbed. It was moving out across the plain, so they were actually parting company in the opposite direction.

The party reached the summit of the small range of hills at the same moment that the new dawn started to show in the east. Stretched out before them were endless rolling hills, like waves on an ocean. In the dimness of the early morning light they could not make out detail, but it looked like they had reached the borderlands. Somewhere out there were the Mare Altan and the Asha Altan septs that were to meet them.

Desare was nodding her head with tiredness. The marks on her throat showed as angry bruises in the pale morning light. Rees was concerned for her and couldn't help showing it. She was after all only a village girl, and not really old enough yet to have left her mother's side to go adventuring. It didn't enter Rees' head that he only had a couple of years on her. He was used to hardship and long hours in the saddle in any case. He was rapidly getting used to a warriors life as well.

Rees climbed down from his horse, and there in the middle of the road started to ready a camp. Everything came off the horses except their bridles. The road in fact was almost grassed over it was so long since it had seen traffic, and once a small smokeless fire was burning Desare was led stumbling to her ground sheet. Elsa smoothed some herb scented oil she carried into the bruises on Desare's throat, and by the time she was finished the girl was asleep.

"Rees," said Elsa gently. "This is not right. This young girl should not be on the road in this kind of danger. I fear the Dark Lord knows her importance. Yet if we are to get her to Antonin's side, the only way seems to be directly through the Forest of Gloom. I'm afraid that if she meets another Tharsian she may not be so fortunate."

Rees pondered her words for a moment.

"It was only a lucky stroke that allowed me to bring down the Tharsian. Yet, did you notice that it held Desare. It did not kill her outright. Even though it held a knife in its right hand. It could have easily broken her neck with its huge hands anyway. Also, the Tharsians are not the minions of the Dark Lord any more - have not been for a thousand years. You remember in the village, the Dahar also made directly for Desare. She is wanted by all, and I don't think anyone wants her dead. I am very worried Elsa. I will unpack the chest of Treasures, and see if we can find an answer there as to what we should do. How we should proceed."

Rees climbed to his feet and walked over to where he had placed the chest that contained the ancient treasures. He squatted on his heels and opened the lid. The large leather bound book rested in its place. Rees slowly turned the pages of the elaborately illustrated and lettered book. The script was ancient, and unreadable. A maze of lines and curves like a collection of sticks set down. The lines of text were written in columns, top to bottom. Suddenly it came to Rees that he was reading the pages backward. The lines of text, each an individual sentence it seemed, ran top to bottom, but also from the right to the left. He could see where a line finished, or a page finished. He lifted the book clear, and opened it again from the "back". He still could not read the script, but the layout began to make sense. and he could now see where text referred to illustrations. Suddenly, there in the page, gazing out at him was Desare. The illustration was of a Queen in her robes of state. A crown on her head, and an army behind her mounted on dragons. It was unmistakable. It was Desare.

"Elsa, look at this." He said. Elsa's eyebrows nearly climbed onto her forehead when she saw the page. "If only we were able to read it." She said aloud.

"Rees, mark the page, we will show it to Desare when she awakes."

Rees placed a blade of grass in the page and continued turning over pages. The image of Desare appeared many times. Always with the dragon army behind her. The book revealed little else. Most of the illustrations were of people and places that neither Rees nor Elsa recognised. One was of a huge castle, with a massive circular tower in its heart. The tower was a deep blue in colour, and showed a woman standing in a window high up in the tower. Was it The Blue Tower they had heard about. It seemed likely.

Rees placed the book on his blanket roll. There were the other objects. The cloudy sphere of The Moon Gate, its surface seeming to hold all the colours of the rainbow. As he picked it up, a low murmur escaped the lips of the still sleeping Desare, and the colours in the crystal sphere took on a deeper colour and swirled in an agitated state. Quickly Rees placed the orb beside the book. Its colours went back to their calm state. Rees's fingers tingled from the power of the thing. Next was the Sun Disk. This was linked to Antonin according to Mei'An. It was cold and hard and had a greenish colouration., as though ancient bronze, yet it was no metal that Rees had ever seen. Made in an age past, it could be anything.