As planned, Arianne, Celene and Keira left Sandrine and rode towards Naiad, a town that earned its livelihood from the trade that took place when the Yantra forked into the Orean and Riselle tributaries. Once there, they could secure a boat to take them north and pay the local livery to return the horses to Sandrine.
Arianne chose to remain out of sight. Naiad was a small trading post that welcomed newcomers and the presence of the Queen certainly would not go unnoticed. If the Enemy did have designs on her baby, then he must surely be watching closely now that the announcement of the impending royal birth was made. Lylea was unable to tell if the Enemy had prescience of his own or if he was compelled to use agents who spied on her movements. However she was being watched, Arianne knew it was key that they kept the Enemy in the dark about her plans for as long as possible.
So while Celene acquired their transport up river and Keira took charge of buying supplies for the journey, Arianne found a quiet corner at an inn and waited with her hood of her cloak drawn to hide her recognisable features.
Arianne was eager to depart, even though Naiad offered the promise of a warm bed for the night. By now Dare most surely know she was gone, if not the reason for it. If the truth was kept from him, he might believe that the three of them might be taking a tour of the countryside together. If he did know why she left Sandrine, then he would surely be on his way to find her.
Inviting as it was for her to let him catch up and take charge of leading this quest, Arianne knew she could not allow that. The King’s party travelling across Carleon would draw even more attention than she would, and this was an advantage she could ill afford to exploit. If the Enemy realised that Dare was on his way and Arianne was able to keep her whereabouts a secret, he would believe she was still safely at Sandrine’s Keep and it was Dare riding out to confront him.
While Arianne did not like the idea of Dare playing decoy because of Lylea’s warning at how easily the Enemy could kill him, it would allow her the chance to get to Sanhael without being noticed until it was too late.
*******
It was late in the afternoon when they left Naiad on a single-masted boat with lateen sails and sailed up the Yantra River.
With the gentle slopes of the Iolan Hills flanking them on either side, Arianne watched the setting sun pull long shadows across the land from the bow of the small craft, lost in thought as she considered the quest ahead with some melancholy. Celene was manning the sails while Keira, after some instruction, was guiding the boat up river with the rudder. They indulged in idle chatter for a while after leaving Naiad, but as the day grew short all three had lapsed into a thoughtful silence as each reflected on their situation.
With her hands resting on her belly as if she could feel the life within slumbering, Arianne found her thoughts fixed on what would happened if she failed in this quest.
She wished she had Celene’s strength and Keira’s courage. Ironically, she was older than both of them, and yet they endured greater trials in both their short existences than she had in most of her sheltered life. The only time she was truly been tested was when she had ridden away from Barrenjuck Green, ferrying a sick and blind Keira to Eden Taryn after the Disciples were done with her. She remembered how angry Lylea had been that she went after Dare herself instead of sending one of their soldiers. Love had driven her then to overcome her fear, she prayed it would do the same now.
Glancing at Celene, who was tying down a corner of the sail, and admiring how the blue canvas billowed against the wind, Arianne wished she had Celene’s courage. Celene did not shrink from danger, indeed she rode out to face it. How many times had Arianne heard the tales of Celene’s bravery in battle, how she had fought alongside of Dare and his Circle? Refusal to believe that she was any less than a man had earned her his undying respect and there were moments where Arianne wondered if Dare wished she possess the same steel.
Keira’s courage had not been so overt as Celene’s, but Arianne and Dare owed her a debt nonetheless. The Disciples were Balfure’s most trusted servants. It was claimed that they were spawned from the Dread Mother of All during the Primordial Wars. Though they were able to transform into the guise of man or elf, their true visage was so terrible that men could go mad upon seeing it. A twisted amalgamation of three different animals, their bodies were shaped like a great cat while their tails were pointed and sharp like a wasp’s stinger. Instead of cat’s paws, their feet were the talons of a bird, and finalising this grotesque shape was the head of the last human it had assumed.
As hunters they were relentless and were known to always get their prey once they caught its scent. They stalked Dare across the Northern Province after he had taken counsel with Selkirk at Cereine, chasing him across the Baffin Range and finally into Barrenjuck Green. Like a glaring of cats they tried to run him to ground, and they would have captured him if not for the distraction that cost Dare’s friend Braedan his life. It was only until after Dare entered the Green, with the ancient wood possessing its own guardian spirits, that he was able to find refuge with Tully and Keira.
Unfortunately, after Dare had left with Tully, the Disciples had found their way to Furnsby Farm and Keira.
Keira never told them if the Disciples had ever shown her their true forms before they inflicted upon her their torture of the burrowers. In fact, the woman never spoke of any of it. Somehow she had endured the scars of their brutality and spared everyone around her the terrible details that would only make them feel guilt. Arianne knew that Tully worried constantly for her because he did not know the full extent of her ordeal, only its after effects. Arianne wondered if Keira knew how brave she was, being able to hold in the terror that drove lesser men mad.
Yet here she was, embarking on this quest. She thought she was weak, when she was actually the strongest person Arianne knew.
*******
‘You are silent,’ Keira stated as she joined the Queen at the bow. The wind was blowing northwards, allowing the sail to do most of the work and carry them up river. Celene had taken charge of the rudder, directing the boat to move against the current by weaving it from side to side along the river bank. It allowed Keira the freedom to join the Queen, who was sitting alone.
Both she and Celene had noticed the Queen’s melancholy though neither brought attention to it. It was understandable of course that Arianne should feel somewhat overwhelmed by everything that had taken place in the last day. Only yesterday she was celebrating the arrival of her child, and today she was off to face an enemy who had struck at the most intimate of places.
‘I am thinking,’ Arianne answered, looking up at Keira as the other woman sat down beside her.
‘Of what’s ahead?’ Keira ventured a guess.
‘Of what could happen if I fail,’ Arianne confessed with a sigh.
‘You mustn’t think like that,’ Keira reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. ‘I know it seems grim, but we will stop this.’
Arianne was trying not to let despair overtake her, but it was difficult when she considered the consequences for failure. ‘I do not know if I have it in me to stop this evil from taking my child. My mother thinks that I can stop Mael’s agent, but I wonder if she only thinks that because she has little faith in the ability to men to prevail. She forgets that until I met Dare, I had spent my life sheltered behind the Veil. He was the one who encouraged to explore the world outside, to see what lay beyond. That time when I came to take you to Eden Taryn, that was probably the first time I had really travelled alone.’
‘I remember,’ Keira nodded. ‘You saved my life.‘
‘You saved Dare’s,’ Arianne countered just as promptly.
Arianne knew how much pain Keira had experienced with the burrowers burning through her veins, and how much of her journey to Eden Taryn was seen through a stupor of pain and darkness. At Dare’s summons Arianne ridden to the edge of the Green and escorted Keira to Eden Taryn, while he, Aeron and Tully led the Disciples away. He had already been so grieved at the loss of Braedan, and so was not willing to sacrifice this stranger whose only sin was to give him shelter.
‘It was the right thing to do. As this is the right thing to do,’ she said firmly. ‘We can do this Arianne, and if we fail, at least we tried to stop the evil from returning to our world. Sometimes we have to suffer for the good things. Maybe that’s what makes it all worthwhile.‘
‘You don’t understand,’ Arianne whispered, caressing her belly protectively, as if will alone would shield the babe within from all harm. ‘If I fail and the Enemy is successful, I will have only two choices left to me. The first is to take my own life, because I will not give birth to a monster. I will not raise a vessel of Mael to watch him bring to ruin everyone I love. If I am not given the choice and somehow, the Enemy sees to it that I do give birth to the child, then neither Dare nor I can allow him to live long enough to reach adulthood. As a child of our flesh, I will not call him our son, he will be King. Imagine, if you will, what that means.’
Lylea’s vision coming to pass, Keira thought. A bloodthirsty king with an army of Berserkers, with the potential to be even worse than Balfure ever was.
‘Don’t you see?’ Arianne said with tears running down her cheeks. ‘If he is born, then we will have no recourse but to put him to the sword or risk the destruction of Avalyne. I know Dare would do it. For the good of his people he would make the sacrifice, and I know as surely as I breathe, it will destroy him.’
‘It is not the failure I fear Keira,’ Arianne whispered, It’s what we may to do after.’
And to that, Keira said nothing.
*******
They travelled for much of the night until they found a hidden sheltered cove at which to camp for the night. Leaving the subject of the quest for the moment, they engaged in idle chatter, as if they were taking a leisurely trip up river instead of the dark journey that could see them all dead before it was done. After Arianne’s real fear had been voiced, Keira advised Celene not to speak too frequently about the Enemy, because Arianne was painfully aware of him already.
At sunrise they resumed their journey up the river, speaking of past journeys and reminiscing about the days when life was not as complicated as it was now. Despite their best efforts, however, the shadow of the Enemy lingered at the edge of their consciousness, always there to remind them of the danger they were slowly approaching.
It would take them three days to reach the Winter Keep, where they could be resupplied so that they could resume their journey to the Falls of Iolan. Arianne wanted only a brief delay before continuing northward. According to Lylea, the Enemy would be ready to carry out his spell of restoration in two full moons, and Arianne had to reach him before that. It was a long journey to the Frozen Mountains and they had no time to waste.
*******
Upon arriving at the Winter Keep, Celene kept Arianne’s presence a secret until she could be properly revealed to Galain the Caretaker. Galain had fought alongside of Celene at the Battle of Astaroth and the former comrades possessed a healthy respect for each other. Once Galain knew the Queen was travelling alone with two friends, he understood the need for discretion and welcomed Arianne into the Keep with the strictest of secrecy.
They shared his table that evening, and Arianne had to admit the company of Galain and his lovely family was a pleasant distraction from the grim nature of their quest. His wife, a friendly, warm woman named Mika, was thrilled to receive the Queen and her friends in the Caretaker’s Wing of the Keep.
Meanwhile Galain gave Arianne an account of all the news in the region. Working in concert with the elves of Eden Halas and the newly returned dwarves of Iridia, they had been driving Balfure’s goblins back into the Wilds. Since the dwarves had reclaimed their cities beneath the Starfall Mountains, the goblins were being forced to return to their former enclaves in the Cinder Mountains.
When asked why she was travelling, Arianne explained that with the impending birth of her child, she wished to see the places of her childhood before it became too difficult to travel. Hence she was taking the opportunity to see Eden Halas, Barrenjuck Green and Eden Taryn before the swell of her baby’s growth kept her bound to Sandrine indefinitely. Mika, who had given Galain a houseful of children, was sympathetic, and Galain was more than happy provide his Queen with whatever she needed to continue her journey.
They left the Winter Keep the next morning, and although he invited them to stay longer, Galain understood Arianne’s need to depart. He provided them with a trio of fine palfreys to make the overland trip past the Iolan Falls, since it could not be crossed by river.
A boat ferried them from the Keep to the Eastern Shore. Celene was mindful of everything the instant they set foot on dry land again. Although Galain had assured them the goblins were no more a plague in this region, Celene was not anxious to see him proven wrong with Arianne in such a delicate state.
Upon reaching Eastern Shore they followed the flow of the Yantra on horseback, letting it rush past them speedily towards the Falls. Even from the land they could see the currents moving swiftly away and the turbulent cascade that spawned it. In far quicker time then they thought it possible, they soon sighted the cloud like spray that arose from its churning waters.
They saw little of the great cascade, because to see it in its entirety would take them off their course and theirs was not a mission of leisure. It was one of urgency, and sensibly they turned their horses to an easier path in the woods to take them beyond its fury.
*******
The first thing Arianne noticed when they arrived at Caras Anara was the silence.
Caras Anara was the only remaining human settlement along the river before entering the woods of Eden Halas. Before the occupation there had been many such small communities along the Yantra, until Balfure’s goblins grew to be such a menace that many of the river folk had abandoned their villages for safer territory. Caras Anara was the only one that still remained due to its proximity to Eden Halas. King Halion, father of Aeron, had little tolerance for goblins and took great relish in driving them from his territory.
It was after dark when they arrived in Caras Anara, and Arianne thought that perhaps that the hour was too late for these folk and they were all in bed. However, as they rode down dirt track into the small community their horses seemed troubled, and it took some urging for them to behave as they should. There were no lantern lights beckoning them through windows nor was there smoke rising out of chimneys. There was not even the sound of livestock in the barns or the sound of life in the surrounding woods.
There was only silence.
They rode past the local tavern, usually the most popular place in such villages, and saw that it was devoid of any folk. The sign hanging over the entrance swayed back and forth aimlessly in the wind and the door lay wide open, like a mouth agape in shock.
‘Where is everybody?’ Keira asked, quietly feeling a sense of dread come over her as she looked over the place. This community looked no different from her village in the Green. There should have been lights in every window, smoke from lit hearths and people chattering away.
‘There is something evil here,’ Arianne said immediately, feeling the malevolence emanating from the empty streets like something tangible against the skin. ‘I do not like the look of this Celene, we should leave.’
It was not a warning that Celene took lightly. Her hand was already resting against the hilt of her sword because she could feel it herself, even without the heightened senses of an elf to guide her.
‘Yes,’ Celene agreed readily. ‘We should.’
‘Maybe we should go by the river,’ Keira suggested. ‘I hate to think that we’d be sharing the same ground as whatever caused this.’
‘Keira is right,’ Celene turned to Arianne. ‘If this is the work of goblins, they will not follow us if we are on the river and they will not risk entering Halas.’
It was a good plan, but Arianne hated to linger in this dead village any longer than necessary. ‘I would like to leave this place as soon as we can. However, the river is the safest course,’ she admitted reluctantly as she searched the darkened streets once more, trying to see any sign of life in the shadows.
There was not.
‘We must find a vessel to take us then,’ Celene replied, nudging her mount down the sloping road towards the river. She could see the faint outline of a wooden docks and the tops of boathouse by the shore. She supposed a community like this would also supplement their livelihood by fishing.
The sense of foreboding was not dispelled when they reached the river bank and dismounted. The boathouses were in the same state as the houses they had passed—silent and dark. Only the lapping of water against the shore gave any indication of life. The horses were still uneasy, and it required Arianne’s elven powers to soothe the beasts’ anxiety lest they bolt and leave them stranded in this eerie village if they could not find a boat.
There was no doubt in their minds that the people of Caras Anara were dead. How that had come about was a mystery, but it was a certainty for all of them. Even if they saw no bodies that gave absolute proof of this, the stench of doom was unmistakable. Something terrible had happened here and none of them where certain the danger was.
Further along the shore they saw a forgotten collection of boats that varied in size and use. Some were large fishing boats constructed to catch an abundance of fish, and others were smaller for use as transport. There was no sign of life on any of them and it reinforced Arianne’s warning to leave as quickly as possible.
‘You two seek out a boat and make it ready for our use,’ Celene instructed as she stepped onto the wooden dock. ‘I shall unpack our things from the horses and lead them on the road away from here.’
Both women stared at Celene, not liking the idea that she was going off on her own.
‘Are you certain that is wise?’ Arianne asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
‘I will not stray far,’ Celene assured her. ‘I shall only go as far as the road and release the horses. We have no need of them once we leave and I do not like to think they might fall prey to whatever happened here. Keira, keep an eye on Arianne.’
‘I will,’ Keira said firmly, retrieving the blade Celene had given her from the halter across her back. Having it in her hands made her feel a little safer. Celene was right about that.
‘Do not be long, Celene,’ Arianne declared as she swept her gaze across the shoreline and felt the hollowness in her stomach at the sight of the darkened boathouses, derelict like the rest of Caras Amara.
‘I will not,’ Celene answered, and she went to unpack the horses while Arianne and Keira went to find them a means of leaving this place before whatever darkness that engulfed this village found them too.
*******
Celene was mindful of every sound as she walked cautiously from the shore into the main road. She had just unloaded their belongings from the saddles of all three horses. She still heard nothing except the clopping of their hooves and it chilled her to the bone that there was not even the sound of an owl hooting in the night. The woods beyond the village seemed more ominous than ever, with the trees looming over her like long fingers about to close in on her.
She took a deep breath, forcing away the churning in her stomach to some faraway place because she had no patience to deal with fear when she needed to be alert. The horses were jittery enough without her own anxiety increasing their agitation. It would not take much to send them running, and although she was reluctant to let them go, Celene knew they would find their way to Winter Keep on their own.
‘Safe journey,’ she wished them finally before slapping her mount hard against the rump, startling the mare into a sudden gallop that prompted the others to follow. The horses snorted their indignation at such an abrupt dismissal, but were soon breaking into full gallops down the dirt road leading them out of the town. In a matter of minutes she was unable to hear their thundering hooves against the hard ground.
Once they were gone she turned back to the dock, intending to join Arianne and Keira so they could complete their own departure from this place. She reminded herself that on reaching Eden Halas they should send word to Galain at Winter Keep to discover what had happened here. There was no doubt in her mind that the folk of this village had come to a terrible end, but she could not imagine any violence that could wipe all traces of them so completely.
Even goblins left bodies behind.
Celene was walking past a boat house with a ramp extending from its wide open doors to the river when she heard something move within its shadowy interior. She froze in her tracks on the path that led to the dock and waited for a few seconds to see if she heard it again. The sound was repeated almost instantly and Celene frowned, trying to place it. It was a strange, like the flapping of a bird’s wings, except that it was too fast for any bird in flight.
First she considered ignoring it, because she suspected that there were things in the darkness she did not really wish to discover. However when she heard the sound again, this time laced with something she could only call desperation, Celene found herself unable to ignore the peril and followed the ramp into the open doorway.
The interior of the boathouse was bathed in darkness, and within her first few seconds inside she heard it again. The flapping was now accompanied by a desperate but soft chirping, like that of a bird, though extremely weak. Through the window, the glow of the crescent moon illuminated the darkness slightly, though not much, and as she followed the noise to its source, Celene instinctively unsheathed her sword.
She had not taken more than a few steps when she caught sight of a lamp. Deciding that a little more light would probably aid this foolish investigation, she liberated it from its place on a tool bench and lit it. The illumination it provided gave her only a bit of light, for the wick was almost gone. If anything it made the shadows inside the place flicker across the walls like demons dancing in the dark.
She found the bird a few paces ahead of her and saw that it was trapped in mid-air. It took no more than an instant for her to register what she was seeing before she stumbled back, her mouth open in shock and a scream was trying to find its way out of her throat. Looking up at the ceiling, she realised that the helpless bird was one of many things trapped in this place. As Celene stared with eyes widening in horror, she knew at last what had befallen the people of Caras Anara.
Spiders.
She saw at least a dozen poor souls trapped on the silk of a giant spider’s web, their bodies now dried husks drained of blood. Celene was barely able to contain her revulsion as she saw corpses of men, women and children alike, suspended above her head. If not for their clothes, she would not have been able to recognise them as human at all. Reaching out, her fingers trembled as she saw a child within silken threads of the web, hoping against hope that there was still some life left for her to save.
She but only grazed the child’s body before the contact proved too much and the corpse broke free of its trappings, landing heavily at her feet. She uttered an involuntary scream when the husk came apart, dropping the lamp on the floor as the glass shattered and spread oil and flames in all directions. Her hand flew to her mouth, trying to contain the retch that wanted to come when she saw what remained of a little boy staring at her with dead eyes. That image came with an even more frightful realisation.
They had probably heard the commotion.
Her preoccupation with the corpse had almost made her miss the approach of the creature behind her. Despite its size—and it was large—it knew how to move stealthily. She saw it in the corner of her eye. With a flurry of movement that was quick and abrupt, she turned and found herself staring into the compound eyes of a giant spider of Syphi.
The Syphi spiders, named after the Dreaded Mother, originated from the Syphi Chasm in the Wilds. Balfure had brought them to Eden Halas after an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the elven city. King Halion and his elves who fought bravely had valiantly repelled the invaders. Enraged, Balfure had unleashed the spiders into woods of Halas to ensure that the elves were too busy fighting this menace when he moved on to Eden Ardhen. For years the battle to drive the creatures out had occupied much of Eden Halas’ time, but it was thought they were all destroyed before the war began. However, it appeared they had simply found a new home.
Celene wondered how many of the villages they thought abandoned because of goblins had in fact suffered this fate.
It did not matter Celene decided, because a single creature could not have overtaken Caras Anara so completely that not one person escaped to tell the tale. As the beast closed in on her, she knew this spider was not alone, and the whole of Caras Anara was infested with them. With a surge of panic she realised that Arianne and Keira were out there alone, unaware of what was lurking in the darkness. She had to warn them!
Unfortunately, Celene’s ability to act was hindered by the spider moving in for the kill. She saw its mandibles snapping in hungry anticipation of her blood and brandished her sword in readiness to attack. She knew that she could not spend too much time dealing with this beast when Arianne and Keira might be deadly danger.
Its legs skittered forward as it rushed at her, spitting poison as it leapt with powerful legs. Celene jumped out of the way, thankful there was space available to do so. Although it was larger, it moved with terrifying speed and was soon resuming its attack. This time there was no way for her to avoid it and Celene lashed out fiercely, her blade tearing through its darkened flesh and eliciting an unearthly shriek of pain. In retaliation it stabbed one of its spindly legs in her direction, and although she tried to evade it, nothing could keep the barbed limb from penetrating the flesh of her shoulder.
She uttered a sharp cry of pain and was enraged by the injury. Striking out viciously, the blade sunk into the spider’s crimson eye and she retracted it with similar vehemence. A screech of agony followed when Celene retrieved her blade, dripping with black blood. Despite being partially blinded, the spider lunged again, trying to tackle her to the ground. Celene saw its intent and jumped herself, diving beneath it as it landed in the place she was standing in seconds earlier. Rolling onto her knees, she swung around and braced herself for its next attack.
Blood was flowing freely down her shoulder and she knew its scent could bring others. Grunting in pain, she was conscious of how much time she was wasting trying to fight this creature when she realised that her lungs were burning from the smoke of the fire she had started. So preoccupied with the spider, she had not noticed the fire that had spread across the roof and down some walls. The rising heat prickled her skin and caused sweat to run down her forehead. With the flames growing taller around her, she came up with a plan.
Instead of running, she stood her ground defiantly, challenging the beast to do its worst. For an instant the spider paused, recognising the intent of its would-be meal to fight. However, pain and hunger overrode its caution and it scampered forward, preparing to devour her. Its fangs snapped in readiness for fresh blood, tired of morsels since the supply of people in Caras Anara was exhausted.
Celene saw it approaching and braced herself, ignoring the fear in her heart and reminding herself resolutely that this would only succeed if she held her ground. The creature closed the gap between them swiftly and as Celene saw herself in the reflection of its uninjured eye, her nerve almost gave out. There was an instant of terror when the spider’s jaw opened and Celene could almost smell its fetid breath upon her skin as it rushed her, too quick to stop.
She leapt out of the way at the last minute and the spider could do nothing but utter a terrified screech of desperation as it ran straight into the fire raging behind her. The flames quickly overcame it and Celene grimaced at the sight of it writhing in agony as it was burned alive. Its legs kicked wildly as it tumbled unto its back, continuing to struggle. She soon could no longer stand to look at it.
When she heard the creak of a wooden banister burning away over her head, Celene knew it was time to leave. Grabbing a piece of timber, she used it as a torch and ran out of the boathouse now blazing before it collapsed in on itself and her.
*******
After Celene left them, Arianne and Keira went in search of an appropriate vessel to take them into Eden Halas. They had decided on a long canoe that was resting near one of the ramps and would take the three of them easily. After she and Keira had carried it to the shore, they returned to the spot where Celene left their belongings and began loading the craft now awaiting patiently near the water’s edge. Neither of them spoke as they did this work, too fearful that if they made any noise, they would give themselves away to whatever menace had ruined this village.
Suddenly, they heard a scream tear through the night.
’Was that Celene?’ Keira straightened up, staring at Arianne with worry.
‘It is!’ Arianne declared, and without thinking better of it, took up her sword and ran up the beach, not waiting to see if Keira was behind her.
‘A