Bertrice Small - Lara

Og grinned. “Here!” he repeated, and with a wave of his hand an opening appeared in the dark rock.

“How on earth did you do that?” she demanded of him.

“The prince taught me. Not only am I in charge of his stables, I am his gatekeeper as well. Each of the Shadow Princes has a gatekeeper whose duty it is to offer admittance to the valley. It is a magic skill rarely used, however. Now listen to me, Lara. You will enter a tunnel through this opening. It is well-lit, and safe. Each torch you pass will dim itself as you and Noss go by, for the only way open to you is forward. When you exit the tunnel it will close behind you. You will be in the Outlands then. Your packs contain clothing, food and water. There are no valuables to be stolen. Your sword is on your back, and you know how to use it. Verica rides in his own leather holder by your right hand. Noss, you carry your bow and quiver on your person. Your dagger is at your waist. You, too, know how to use your weapons. Be always watchful, and trust no one but yourselves. The Outlands are not the provinces.” He handed each of them a small leather bag that jingled. “Not enough to draw attention, but it will get you by. Lara, you will find a gold piece sewn into each of your vest pockets. May the Celestial Actuary keep you safe, my dear friend.”

Lara leaned forward, and standing in her stirrups stood to kiss his cheek. “Be happy, dear Og. I owe you my life, and one day I hope to repay the debt,” she said.

“Do not make me weep like a child,” he groused at her. “You owe me naught. We saved each other. I am proud to have played a part in your life, Lara. Go now.” And he slapped the rump of the golden horse who moved forward into the tunnel, the white horse behind him.

When Lara turned to look back, the cliff wall had already closed behind them. For a brief moment she felt the stirrings of panic. Then taking a deep breath, she turned her face forward. They rode for a time in silence, the only sound in their ears that of the horses’ hooves on the smooth rock pathway they traveled. Behind them each torch they passed hissed out with a snap, as Og had said they would. It was eerie, and yet they both felt safe.

Finally Noss spoke. “How much farther do you think it is?” she wondered.

“I don’t know,” Lara replied. “But at least here I know we’re safe. Who knows what will happen when we exit into the Outlands? Are you afraid, Noss?”

“A little,” the girl admitted, “but I suppose I’d be a fool if I weren’t,” she concluded with a small chuckle. “I wonder what we’ll find. And if we want to get back to the provinces, how will we ever find our way?”

Lara shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted, and they both grew silent again.

The passage went on and on for what seemed a very long time, but the horses plodded on, sure-footed and steady in their pace. Finally they saw the tiniest pinpoint of daylight up ahead. It grew larger and brighter as they moved toward it, revealing itself at last as an opening at the end of the tunnel. They stopped and stared as one, and then Lara drew a deep noisy breath and they forged forward into the daylight. Behind them the last torch dimmed, and the opening in the rock wall closed with a soft rumble. Lara didn’t dare to turn about for she was afraid that she would cry if she did, and she suspected that Noss would, too. This was no time for histrionics.

They stared ahead. Before them a green plain stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance they saw a range of hazy purple mountains lying on the horizon. But there was no sign of civilization. The land was more beautiful than anything else she had ever seen, Lara thought. Pristine. Untouched.

“Which way do we go?” Noss whispered, stunned by what her eyes beheld.

“Straight ahead,” Lara answered, and her laughter echoed in the clear air. “There has to be someone, or something to be found eventually.” She spurred the golden stallion into a gallop. They had been penned up in that tunnel forever, it seemed. She heard Noss’s white mare coming behind her, and laughed again as the wind hit her face, and the tiny tendrils of hair escaping from her bandana blew about her face. It was wonderful! She had never felt so free in all of her days. Or more at home, she was startled to realize. At last, the horses slowed to a stop. Looking back Lara saw the cliffs had vanished, and realized the magic that had been involved in bringing her into the Outlands.

Noss was openmouthed. “The cliffs, Lara. Where did they go?” she managed to stammer. “We have not ridden that far, for the mountains are still a forever ways away.”

“Prince Kaliq has performed a great magical feat for us,” Lara said. “I do not know how, but we are obviously just where we are meant to be, Noss.” She laughed again. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“It’s big,” Noss observed. “Very big. Where are the farms? A village or two? Where are the people and the herds? I can see naught but this plain all around us.”

“And a stream of water,” Lara said pointing to the animal’s feet. She loosed the reins so her beast might drink. “I must name my horse, for Og did not tell me what to call him,” said Lara.

The horse raised his head, and turning said to her, “I already have a name, mistress. I am Dasras. It means handsome, and as you will have noted I am very handsome. The mare is Sakari. She also has the ability to speak, but she is shy.”

Lara was speechless for a moment but then she said, “Thank you, Dasras. Noss, did you hear? Your mare is Sakari. We thank you both for carrying us so safely. Refresh yourselves while you may, for we shall travel onward until dark.”

The stallion turned back to his drinking, the mare joining him.

“A horse that talks? I never knew a horse that talked!” Noss exclaimed. “I rather like the idea. As long as Sakari and I are together I will have someone to chat with, Lara. Isn’t that nice?” She looked quite pleased.

Lara refrained from giggling. “Are you ready to move on?” she asked. “We may have to camp in the open tonight.”

But as they moved on, the plain that had seemed to go on forever began to roll gently, and they discovered it was not as flat as they had thought. As the day wore on, and the sun began slowly to sink, Lara searched for a place they might shelter for the night. Finally, ahead of them, she saw a pleasant grove of trees with another narrow stream flowing through it. She led them to it, and dismounting said, “I think we should be safe here.”

“We have seen neither man nor beast all day,” Noss said nervously. “What will the night bring? Should we light a fire to keep away savage beasts? Yet a fire could draw bandits to us.”

“If we had a better shelter,” Lara said, “we could avoid a fire, but Dasras and Sakari must be protected. We’ll make a small fire. Others have camped here before us, Noss. See the little ring of blackened stones, and the bits of burned fuel? Let us look for some wood, but we will not start our fire until near dark.”

“Do not unload us,” Dasras said. “The weight we carry is not heavy, and if you must depart quickly you do not want to lose your few precious supplies. And set your staff in the ground with a view of the plain that he may watch for us. We will graze at our leisure just beyond the trees.”

“You offer good advice for one so young,” Lara replied.

“My father was a great campaigner with the Shadow Princes long ago. He has taught me all that I know,” the stallion answered.

Lara pulled Verica from his place on her saddle. “Wake up!” she said to him, and his eyes flashed open. “You must keep watch for us this night, Verica.” She drove the staff into the ground on the edge of the trees.

“Are we looking for anything in particular?” Verica asked dryly.

“Savage animals. Hostile riders,” Lara replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“In other words it is up to me to save you from disaster,” Verica said.

“Exactly!” Lara agreed, now grinning. “We have to light a fire which will serve to keep the four-footed beasts away, but not necessarily the two-footed ones.”

Verica chuckled as Lara turned away to gather firewood. She and Noss set up a conical pile within the ring of stones. The sky was now aflame with the sunset, and the darkness came quickly afterward, surprising them. There had been virtually no twilight. Using the faerie magic her mother had taught her, Lara pointed to the stone enclosure and said, “Fire, light!” Immediately a flame sprang up within the cone. “Low,” Lara commanded it, and the fire burned low.

“Well don’t that beat flint, stone and dried grass,” Noss said admiringly.

“I’ll call the horses,” Lara said. “We had best see what we have in those packs to feed us.” She whistled for Dasras and Sakari, who trotted back into their encampment. Rifling through the saddlebags she drew forth a carefully wrapped packet. Opening it, she exclaimed, “Faerie bread!”

“What’s faerie bread?” Noss asked, taking the piece handed her and looking at it suspiciously. She sniffed at it.

“It will satisfy your hunger,” Lara said. Ilona had introduced her to faerie bread. “Take a bite of it,” Lara told her.

Noss bit into the chunk, and suddenly a beatific smile lit her face. “It’s good!” she said.

“Have just a little bit of it. We have no way of knowing how long our stores must last.”

When they had finished eating, Lara said, “I will keep watch for part of the night, and you will keep watch the rest of it.” She walked over to Dasras, and pulled a heavy cloak from behind her saddle. “There’s one for you with Sakari,” she told Noss. “The early watch, or the late watch?” she asked her companion.

“The early,” Noss said. “When shall I awaken you?”

Lara looked up into the sky above them to see the Triad, risen perhaps an hour now. She pointed it out to Noss. “When it reaches the midheavens wake me, unless of course you need me before then.”

“I will,” Noss replied, and watched as Lara lay down near their little fire and rolled herself in her cloak. Lara was soon asleep, and Noss sitting by the fire thought how peaceful the night was. Too peaceful. Not the sound of an insect, or a night bird. Getting up, she walked to where Verica stood guard. “It is so quiet,” she said to him.

“Yes,” he said, “nothing stirs, neither man nor beast. Do not fear, Noss, for my eyes can see through the darkness, and for now there is nothing dangerous to be seen.”

Noss walked back to the fire. The horses were grazing peacefully within her sight. She sighed. Traveling with Rolf Fairplay had been very different than this. Then on the horizon a new moon rose, the pale blue of the Midlands. Shortly thereafter a second moon in its first quarter stage arose, and it was the light green Forest moon. It was followed by the full copper moon of the Desert, and lastly a butter-yellow waning moon. Noss was astounded. She considered waking Lara, but then she realized that Lara would see it when she awoke her shortly. With the light of all four moons most of the stars had disappeared, but the Triad still shone brightly, to Noss’s relief. She could have never imagined the adventures she was going to have, and they had only just begun.

Noss roused Lara at the appointed time, now sleepy, but remembering to point out the four moons of Hetar. Lara was refreshed from the several hours of sleep she had had. She went into the shelter of the trees to relieve herself. Then she sought out Dasras, and took a water bag from her saddle. She drank, replaced the bag, gave the stallion a pat and went to sit by the fire. Master Bashkar had told her that in the Outlands the four moons of Hetar could all be seen. Three of them she knew, of course, but the butter-yellow quarter moon was new to her. This then would be the moon that shone over the Coastal Province. Once all four moons were risen completely, their colors faded gradually away, and they turned silvery white. The third moon was setting on its horizon as the skies brightened in shades of pink both deep and light, pale lavender, orange and gold. Above the vibrant colors the sky grew bright blue. The birds began to twitter, and then the blazing red sun burst over the horizon. Lara stood, stretched and then went to wake Noss.

They ate their faerie bread and drank from the clear stream, refilling the little they had taken from the water bags the day before. Lara drew Verica from the earth, thanking him for his night watch. She brushed the dirt from the bottom of the staff, replacing it in its holder on her saddle. Lara ordered the fire out, and they departed the grove that had served as their shelter.

The vast rolling plain stretched on ahead of them. They rode at a leisurely pace, not wanting to tire the horses when they had no idea where they were going. At midmorning they heard, first faintly, and then more distinctly, the sound of many horses behind them. Lara turned. She could see a group of riders in the distance behind them.