Phoenix Gift

Chapter Sixteen

They traveled through an old forest. The air was cool, and the animals enjoyed the shade. Trees grew from a mat of forest undergrowth and debris. The thick smell of rot and moss hung the air. Cadmus often flew ahead, eager to travel in the forest again, as he once did with Akina. Twelve days after they first departed Keldon, they approached the southern border of Harrod’s kingdom. There was still no sign of the men who had followed them.

“How much farther must we travel this road?” Park said from the back of his light gray destrier.

“Not long,” Xavier answered, reining in his horse. “According to Habib, we must turn near here.”

“Turn? I haven’t seen any paths or trails.”

“Akina said it was a patrin, a game trail,” Xavier sighed, remembering the description of the journey Akina once told him many years ago. “And Habib said a carn marks the turning point.”

“And what is a carn again?”

“A trail mark of stones,” M’zuzi replied. “But a gypsy trail mark is meant to look as if it is not.”

“So, we are looking for something that is not supposed to look like what we are searching for,” Park sighed. “How do we find it?”

Cadmus, perched on the golden horse’s neck, stiffened. He barked, launching himself into the air. Gliding to the ground, the dragon scampered to a small pile of large white stones. It took them several moments to realize the stones were part of a foundation to a building long since destroyed. It was not the only one, indicating that, in earlier times, there was once a small village.

“Looks as if this place was abandoned long ago,” Park noted.

“Long enough for gypsies to use it as a marker,” Xavier nodded.

A voice whispered in his mind, the carn where souls linger from long-forgotten times. He knew it to be Akina’s, but it sounded far too real to be from his memories.

“What? Are you sure?” Park eyed the crumbling remains as he said, “It doesn’t look like a trail marker to me.”

“I believe that is the point,” Xavier shook his mind free of the lingering whispers. “There should be a trail near here. We must find it.”

Several knights dismounted. Looks betrayed their uncertainty about Xavier’s decision. Yet, they followed his orders. No one would openly question him.

Oblivious, Cadmus and Eja chased each other and pushed one another off the decrepit foundations. Tiring of the game, the green dragon hopped onto a lower stone. He sniffed the breeze. Then, as if remembering, barked and ran across the path, into the bushes. A moment later, he emerged and capered around Xavier’s destrier. He chirped then hurried back to the brush. Chirping again, he disappeared into the forest. The stallion moved to follow, but Xavier reined it in.

“What has gotten into that beast?” Park wondered aloud.

Xavier pondered, saying, “I think he remembers.”

“Remembers what?” Park asked, surprised by the answer.

“Cadmus journeyed to the valley with Akina, so did Pegasus Wind, I think they know the way. We should follow him.”

Some of the knights traded doubtful looks.

“Well, I’d sooner trust the dragon’s instincts than my own,” Park nodded, as much to deter protests as to calm his own uncertainties.

Xavier signaled his horse forward, turning into the forest as the others quickly remounted. Beyond the brush, they found a game trail. It was rough and unused. Cadmus sat in the center of it, waiting. The dragon turned and led them deeper into the forest. Natalia worried the wagon would not be able to pass between the trees. Yet, as she guided her horse after the others, the trail seemed to open and there was enough room for the wagon to continue unhindered.

The air grew oppressive and heavy. A light mist settled around them. No one thought to look behind, but if they did, they would have seen the trees shift back into place and the path disappear.

In front of them, stones appeared on the trail. Gradually, a stone road emerged from the forest floor. Cadmus returned to the stallion’s neck as the mist thickened around them. Sights, sounds and scents faded away until only the road and the travelers remained. They followed the trail until the mist lifted, and Travers appeared before them. Four stone roads converged. Each led to a different compass point. Xavier halted in the middle of the intersection. There were no signs and nothing to mark the destination of each road.

“Sing Alexis,” Xavier encouraged. Alexis was asleep, resting against his chest. Rousing her, he encouraged her to sing again.

Follow the path to Travers you come

Now see three where once was one

Adventures wait at every turn

And knowledge waits to be learned

The path of the south leads to barren mounds

And lands of never-ending drought

Where giants reign and toil

Harvesting crops in rocky soil

To the east are the lands of men

The lands you have always been

Traveling across the plain and forest

For you that life is best

If unicorn paws you wish to follow

Take the north and leave the hollow

Gone are they to the sea

To wait the dawn in safety

To the west lies a route to centaur lands

Surrounded all by shifting sands

Across the No Man’s Land lies the hidden valley

Full of wondrous sights to see

Sunlit stairs carry you high

Through a cave deep and wide

Emerge then in the valley green

Where centaurs have always been

“What are the No Man’s Lands?” a knight asked. They shivered as the air grew oppressive again.

“A gray desert where nothing lives,” Xavier answered, recalling Akina’s description.

“Sounds pleasant,” the knight muttered, but no one noticed.

They continued west as the song instructed. The mist returned, making the forest indistinct. Cadmus and Eja growled at half-visible shapes moving among the trees. Occasionally, one of the diminutive reptilians released their fire-breath and no amount of reprimanding discouraged them. Their breath scorched the plant life, but the foliage immediately grew back.

“This wood is strange,” Park remarked.

“This land was once the home to the Fay,” Tavel said. “It remembers them and some of their enchantment still holds.”

“No wonder the dragons are nervous,” Xavier nodded as Cadmus released another blast of fire.

“How so, Your Majesty?” Park asked.

“According to Akina, Dragonkind and the Fay are sworn enemies.”

The forest thinned, fading into the changing mist. Cadmus and Eja settled as the enchantment faded. Yet, the world grew darker, and the fog grew oppressive with sorrow and pain. Their mounts snorted and trembled. The knights nervously eyed their hidden surroundings, looking for danger. Only Alexis was unaffected. Her deep eyes seemed more than capable of seeing through the fog. There was a song whispering in her mind, recounting the passage of the last Fay and how the land waited for their return.

Then the trees parted. They stood on the edge of an immense, gray desert. In the distance, they could just make out the shadows of mountains hanging in the fog.

“No Man’s Land, I presume,” Park muttered.

“Lovely,” another knight agreed.

Cadmus’s tail twitched as the dragon stared across the barren dunes. Pegasus Wind huffed and stomped a foot. From the saddle, Xavier felt a tremor shudder through the stallion as it tensed. Whatever doubts he entertained about the horse’s memory were quickly buried. The stallion was ready to bolt. Xavier urged his mount on.

Hesitantly, the stallion stepped forward. For a few tenuous moments, the ground held. Then, like water, it gave way, pulling at the horse’s feet. Whinnying, Pegasus Wind reared and pawed the air as it backed from the edge. Cadmus leapt to the ground as Xavier struggled with the frightened beast. Behind them, the other horses nervously pawed the ground and were primed to bolt. Alexis clung to the silvery mane as the horse returned to all fours. The horse shook its head, gnashing at the bit while Xavier shortened the reins.