Chapter 13
‘Can’t I just tell myself that I’m out of here?’ Will looked around nervously, heartily wishing he was a million miles away.
‘You can try, but we tend to find walking a more effective form of transport if you want to get anywhere…’ Anaya stopped as Ceun came into view with two horses and a very depressed looking donkey. ‘You have got to be joking!’ She said.
‘If I were joking, I’d have brought the goat, which was the only other thing he had. Would you like me to go back for it?’ Ceun said.
Anaya hopped effortlessly onto the back of a horse. ‘No, thank you.’ She said with a fake smile.
‘Err, I don’t ride…’ Will said.
‘What was that large thing with a leg at each corner that you were charging up and down on earlier then?’ Ceun asked.
‘That’s different. It was a simulation of a horse.’
‘I don’t think anyone told the horse because it seemed pretty convinced.’ Ceun said with a shrug.
‘And I fell off it.’ Will said petulantly.
‘Take the donkey, she’s called Nelly. She’s very gentle. If it helps, imagine she’s a virtual donkey.’ Ceun said, ignoring him.
‘And she’s little, so when she bucks you off, you won’t hit the ground quite so hard.’ Anaya added.
‘Not helpful Ana.’ Ceun shot in her direction as he climbed into his saddle.
Reluctantly, Will approached Nelly. She eyeballed him evilly. ‘She looks like she doesn’t want to be ridden.’
‘It’s a donkey,’ Ceun said amiably, ‘they generally don’t, but we can’t always have our way, now can we? If you would mount up, while we are still young?’ Will grabbed the reins and the front of the saddle. He began to wish that the joust scenario had included mounting and dismounting. His foot slipped easily into the stirrup. Just as he was about to mount, Nelly took four steps sideways causing Will to hop backwards desperately. Ceun reached down for Nelly’s reigns and held her still, while Will clamoured on to the beast’s back, but she was not an animal prepared to submit to being transport without a fight. As soon as Ceun released her, she charged headlong out of the gates with Will clinging on for his life. Will, who had closed his eyes, opened them as Ceun shouted, a trough was coming towards them, fast. Nelly’s legs which had previously been moving like a locomotive suddenly performed an emergency stop, her head dropped, and Will plopped neatly into the stagnant water. He emerged spluttering and, after wiping his face, found himself eye to eye with Nelly. He could swear she sniggered.
~~
To Will, it had seemed an age since, soaking wet, he had climbed back onto the donkey. His back ached, his legs ached, even his hair ached, His clothes had dried into a sitting position, and he suspected he might walk bow-legged for the rest of his life. The bounty hunter and polymorph had bundled him, protesting, back onto the animals back and she had since been content to move no faster than a gentle amble. Just in case, Will’s knuckles, white with fear, refused to release their grip on the animal’s mane.
Civilisation, such as it was, had been left far behind, now all there was in front of them was a wide expanse of damp heath. It seemed to go on and on and on. Will could swear they had passed the same forlorn bush at least twice. He tried to get more comfortable, but this only served to remind the donkey he was there. She eyeballed him over her shoulder. Her look said if he wanted to avoid another swim, he had better sit still. The moor began to break up into a little scrub here and there until eventually, they descended into woodland. The side of the track began to fall away, leaving the path balanced with difficulty on the edge of a deep ravine. Will was afraid to even breath.
‘We’ll camp here for the night.’ Ceun said as they finally, and thankfully reached safer ground.
‘Out here?’ Anaya said incredulously.
‘I’m sorry I can’t provide the four-poster bed and wall to wall running servants that her majesty is accustomed to, but, until we work out why mi-lado can’t go back, I suggest we stay away from people.’
‘It’s lovely,’ Will said wearily. ‘Anything that doesn’t constantly jolt up and down would be wonderful.’
Ceun threw them each a bedroll. ‘Make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll get some wood to build a fire.’
‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ Anaya stood looking at the bedroll at her feet.
‘Yes, fresh air, the countryside, all very exhilarating,’ Ceun said as he wandered off whistling cheerfully.
‘What about you? Is this bringing out your inner boy scout?’ She said to Will was as he was busy trying to lower his aching body to the ground without screaming.
‘What?’ He asked.
‘Never mind. I’ll go and get some water.’
Will shifted in the bedding. He wasn’t the most comfortable he had ever been, but he was so exhausted he felt like he could have slept on Nelly. As he drifted off to sleep, he briefly wondered how it was possible to dream about sleeping and would he dream within a dream. Familiar voices were talking. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he certainly recognised them. He was sure that was Cassandra and a man. Adam? No, the accent was wrong, it was American, Leibowitz! Will tried to speak, but it felt as if his mouth was glued shut. He tossed and turned in his Morphean sleep, completely failing to notice the small shape that skittered across the grass. The little creature sniffed at the restless figure. As Will turned, the creature hopped sideways chittering in protest, a small indignant puff of smoke escaping its nostrils. It eyed Will carefully. Content that the movement had stopped, it shrank to the approximate size of a newt and quickly wriggled down between the folds of cloth.
The next morning seemed to start even before the previous evening had ended. Will was rudely awoken while it was still dark. ‘It is possible to get someone’s attention without kicking them,’ he muttered.
‘Is it?’ Anaya said innocently. Her stance, the way she moved, everything screamed Cassandra to Will. It seemed unreal that she was an imposter.
‘Did you go to look at the house?’ he said with exaggerated innocence. He could feel her watching him in the gloom.
‘Don’t do that,’ she said, turning away. ‘Do what?’
‘Try and trick me or drag me into whatever fantasy you happen to be having about what’s her name.’
‘I wasn’t. I just thought…’
‘You just thought what?’ Ceun asked as he approached. ‘Breakfast?’ He indicated two hands filled with eggs.
‘Do I even want to know what creature they are from?’ Anaya asked.
‘Probably not if you want to eat them.’ He smiled.
In the growing light, Will spotted a movement in the trees above them. ‘What was that?’ he asked, trying not to panic. ‘I saw someone up there.’
‘Don’t look at them,’ Ceun snapped.
Will squinted to see them clearer. ‘They look like holy men, or monks, perhaps they can help us?’ Will began to feel a bit more hopeful. ‘They could offer us sanctuary?’
‘Ignore them. They are a bloody embuggerance.’
‘Look,’ Will persisted, ‘I appreciate that you are probably not a religious man but still, that’s no way to talk.’
Ceun turned sharply from cooking the eggs. ‘It is nothing to do with my beliefs, and they have a very odd idea of what constitutes helpful. Just don’t look at them and they will hopefully go away.’
‘I’ve always found them extremely helpful.’ Anaya said happily.
Ceun harrumphed. They began to eat.
‘One of them is waving.’ Will said quietly.
‘Which part of ‘ignore them’ isn’t clear. Just don’t look.’
‘I can’t help it. They seem to be tap dancing.’
‘Let them.’
‘Now one is balancing on the other one’s shoulders!’ Will laughed incredulously.
‘If you are not looking, how do you know?’ Ceun said through a mouthful.
‘It’s difficult not to.’ Will said, still staring.
‘Try harder. In fact, sit over here where you can’t see them.’ Ceun indicated a space.
‘He seems to have something against the Brothers of Chance.’ Anaya said gleefully.
Will poked at the eggy mess in front of him. ‘Brothers of Chance? Is that a religious order?’
Anaya was about to answer, but the bounty hunter was already whipping their plates away.
‘Time to get moving, I think.’ Ceun said firmly.
‘I don’t see why we can’t just talk to them?’ Will murmured.
‘He’s just testy because they tend to make things happen. If something happens by ‘chance’, then the chance is probably down to the brothers.’ Anaya supplied.
‘So why don’t we just ask them to ‘chance’ a way for me to get home?’ Will asked.
‘Because they are more trouble than they are worth, and that is all you need to know.’ Ceun snapped. ‘Come on, let’s get moving.’
As the riders disappeared behind the trees, the two cowls looked at each other and shrugged.
The sad excuse for a track took them far too close to the edge of the river for Will’s comfort. The water pounded past, oblivious to the smooth boulders in its path. Each time Nelly’s hooves slipped, Will could imagine himself plunging into the icy depths. Despite his fears, and in the spirit of self-preservation, at least three of Nelly’s feet remained consistently true. It was just not necessarily the same three at the same time. As a watery sun struggled into the sky, a narrow bridge came into view.
‘Why are we stopping?’ Will asked.
‘Just checking for a welcoming party.’ Ceun replied. ‘We wouldn’t want any nasty surprises, would we?’ Ceun looked pointedly at Anaya.
‘What?’ she said. He nodded towards the bridge. ‘Me?’ Both eyebrows threatened to leave her head in amazement. ‘You do it.’
‘You don’t keep a horse and wear your own saddle.’ Ceun said sweetly. ‘Now get on with it, unless of course, you are too scared?’
‘Does that kind of reverse psychology rubbish ever actually work? Think what you like, but I’m not doing it, send him.’
‘We are trying to keep him safe.’
‘And I fully intend to keep me safe!’ Anaya folded her arms across her chest. ‘Not going to happen.’
Ceun raised his hands in resignation. Dismounting, he pointedly handed the reigns to Will before carefully approaching the bridge.
‘It’s not very chivalrous trying to send a girl.’ Will said.
‘Do you think I’m weak?’ Anaya snapped, glaring at him.
‘Um no?’ Will replied.
‘Are you sure?’ The glare sharpened.
‘Positive.’ He said.
‘Good. Then shut up.’ She said, turning back to face the bridge. Will let out a breath.
Ceun took a few tentative steps, pressing gently on each board and listening intently.
‘Does he think the bridge isn’t safe?’ Will whispered.
‘Not exactly...’ Anaya was focussed on the intricate dance taking place on the bridge.
Eventually satisfied, Ceun began to walk towards the shore. He was almost back when the river started to gurgle before exploding into a six-foot swirling vortex of water, which now engulfed the whole area where the bridge and the bounty hunter had been moments before. The water boiled and gushed then subsided as quickly as it arrived leaving the scene untouched and uninhabited.
Anaya stood in her saddle, straining to see. ‘Ceun!’ She called out. ‘Ceun! Where are you? Can you see him?’
‘It’s as if he was never there!’ Will said.
A splutter from above revealed a very wet bounty hunter clinging to a branch. ‘This wouldn’t have happened if you’d gone.’ He coughed.
The flash of relief on the morph’s face was quickly replaced with contempt as she remembered herself. ‘No, it would have been me hanging from the tree.’
‘What the… was that?’ Will’s eyes were bulging.
‘Gorgonian.’ Ceun replied as he hung from the branch, before dropping neatly to the ground.
‘This area is infested with them. They like to take over bridges and convert them into nice little traps for tasty morsels to drop in.’
‘Like the Billy Goat Gruff?’ Will said.
‘What are you talking about?’ Anaya asked. ‘What is he talking about?’
‘It’s a children’s story, about a troll that lives under a bridge and the Billy goat travels across it…’ Will began.
‘A Gorgonian was probably where whoever wrote it got the idea from.’ Ceun interrupted. ‘We’re going to have to kill it, aren’t we?’ Will asked.
Anaya snorted. ‘How exactly are you planning on killing something you can’t see, can’t touch, and only come into contact with as it eats you? Anyone going anywhere near it will be sucked into oblivion.’
‘It is theoretically possible to attack it if you could find immunity to drowning, your body being dashed against the rocks and your brains leaking out of your ears.’ Ceun added.
‘Ok, I get it. It can’t be defeated by conventional means. But it must have a weakness? Come on. These things always do, plucky hero saves the day?’
‘No-one has ever seen one. Correction, no-one has ever seen the outside of one.’ Ceun said.
‘In the depths of the ocean, there are sometimes creatures that live in the dark constantly. Sometimes they wash up in nets, or they send cameras down and… Will noticed the blank expressions. You don’t care, do you?’
Two heads shook simultaneously. ‘We’ll not get past here.’ Ceun said. ‘Not in one piece anyway, they’re sneaky, if it has a web here there’s a good chance there are others.’
‘Can’t you do your freaky ‘look at me, I’m what you want’ mojo then change into something vicious?’ Will asked Anaya.
‘I won’t even justify that…’ She said in disgust.
‘We’ll cross the river further up where it’s shallower.’ Ceun interjected.
Further along, the river seemed just as hazardous to Will, as Anaya turned her mare into the strong current. ‘This is shallower?’ He exclaimed.
Ceun urged his animal into the torrent. Despite their differences, Will could not believe he was asking Nelly to do this. The horses struggled against the current. Will could feel Nelly’s feet struggling to gain purchase on the stony riverbed. She fought on, finding less to stand on she was having more difficulty in keeping her head above water. But as they were swept along with the current, she seemed to be winning the battle. The other shore seemed finally within reach. Exhausted, the donkey hauled herself out of the water, but the bank was treacherous, and her feet began to slip, to lighten the load and save herself, she reared. Will scrabbled for a hold on the saddle. His searching hands managed to grip the bedding roll, which ripped free from the saddle. From nowhere, a column of water appeared. As it grew Will was dragged backwards into the icy vortex, the bedding roll still in his clenched fists.
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