The Soul Riders ~ The Circle of Aideen

Chapter Eleven

Sasha was riding Stormchaser past through the Grey Dew Mountains and towards Greendale. The forest had pretty and tall trees with a few hills here and there, with branches and leaves that covered up the sky overhead and casting golden dappled sunlight onto the forest floor. A couple of mushrooms and flowers sprouted from the fresh green grass. There's also a few stony walls on the trail that she and Stormchaser were both riding on together. Sasha could hear the birds singing their afternoon song from the branches of the trees and a couple of black squirrels scampered out of the way as Sasha and Stormchaser both went past them on the trail.
She felt a little guilty about not telling the other Soul Riders or the druids of what she's up to. But Sasha knew it her in her heart, that she couldn't replace her Star Sister or Sun Sister. Listen to your instincts, a voice said inside her head that sounded very much like Fripp. Sasha had stayed at Moorland Stable for a bit before she and Stormchaser had both continued their searching adventure for any sign of Lisa Peterson and Starshine.
"Did you see any other horses, Stormchaser?" Sasha asked her handsome stallion.
Stormchaser nickered softly and shook his head, looking around for a certain white and blue stallion wandering through the thick forest. Before they had left, Sasha and Stormchaser had paid Mr. Peterson of Starshine Ranch a quick visit and asked him a few questions about Lisa and Starshine. He had showed a picture of Lisa and Starshine after their Western riding competition, so Sasha knew what they both looked like. Sasha guessed that Starshine was probably a beautiful and rare Star Horse.
Sasha made Stormchaser trot onto a hill that wasn't covered by thick branches and leaves on the top part than on the bottom part of the hill, so they can be have a better and higher view of the thick undergrowth of the forest. Sasha got out her binoculars from her blue backpack and started scanning the area. Stormchaser started eyed the forest warily and his ears twitched to every sound that they both heard. His body tensed, ready to break into a quick gallop for any reason.
But Sasha suddenly felt something, a beautiful and magical song started to come into her ears and it made her feel like she's free from her worries and inner doubts. Sasha glanced down at Stormchaser, who seemed a bit more peaceful at the sound of the magical music.
"Do you feel that boy?" Sasha remembered feeling and hearing that when she and Stormchaser were both trail riding through the forest together. It was when that mysterious, wandering white horse with a blue mane and tail was around. It must be Starshine.
Stormchaser snorted, alerting Sasha. She soon saw the white stallion had turned around after he had noticed them and started walking towards her and Stormchaser, bathed in a beam of sunlight.
"Hail, Soul Rider," said the stallion in a deep whinny. "I am Starshine."
Sasha felt amazed that she had found one of the Guardians, but concerned and worried about Lisa. Where is she? Why is she not with her lovely stallion? Stormchaser nickered, snapping out of her thinking.
"I am Sasha," said Sasha.
"I recognize a true Soul Rider when I see one, and you are one most definitely," Starshine continued. "I can sense it a long way off. So your name is Sasha? A pleasure to meet you."
"You too Starshine," Sasha said.
"Do you know Alex and Linda as well?" Sasha nodded with a small smile. "That's absolutely brilliant! But I take it you haven't met Lisa?" Sasha shook her head, frowning a bit. "I thought not." Starshine let out a soft sob, making Sasha want to hug him and comfort him with the best of her efforts. "Yes, it's true that Lisa is gone. As I said, I am Starshine, and Lisa is my Soul Rider. But she's lost, and I fear the worst." Starshine bowed his head and let out another soft, heartbroken sob.
"Tell us what happened Starshine," prompted Sasha. "Me and Storm might be able to help you and Lisa."
Starshine nodded and took a breath, trying to calm himself down a bit. "After a long time away from Jorvik, when Lisa traveled around the world playing her... Um... Electrical guitar, or whatever it's called, and for payment howled loudly in front of hysterical audiences and other nonsense, the day I'd been longing for finally arrived. The day my beloved Lisa had returned to Jorvik Stables. Straight over the moors we ran. The wind was roaring and whirling through my mane, messing up Lisa's fiery red hair. Matching the howl of the winds of spring, we bellowed in pure joy, and the delight of seeing one another knew no boundaries. Lisa whispered a promise that we'd never part again. She said she would remain on Jorvik, and I thought I'd never let her leave me again. But I didn't say so at the time. We galloped and galloped over the plains. We rode long and aimlessly, just enjoying the wild run. Freedom." Starshine's spirits seemed to be lifting on the start of his tale. But the next part of his story was truly worrying. "The afternoon came, and that's when my memory starts to fail me. Something horrible happened during the ride, but I cannot remember what it was or how it happened. My only recollection is a sharp, sudden ray of light and a strange sound. Then everything went black. I think I must have passed out. When I came around, I was woozy and unable to orientate. Night had fallen. It had started to rain, and thunder was rumbling in the distance. Perhaps the rain woke me. Or maybe the cold. But the worst part was that I couldn't sense Lisa's presence any more. Dazed, freezing, and lost, I wandered aimlessly. Just before dawn I found my way to Jorvik Stables and hoped to find Lisa there. But no. She's been gone ever since." Starshine let out another heartbroken sob for his missing Soul Rider. Even though Sasha hadn't met Lisa, she knew at once they are Sisterhood through power and bond. "My despair is endless. I have spent many long weeks in search for my beloved Lisa. I've looked all over. Right now I'm searching beneath every leaf in the Greendale Forest, but soon I won't have anywhere else to look." Starshine let out another heartbroken sob. "My heart is heavy with grief."
"Don't worry," said Sasha with a gentle, but strong voice. "I had sworn by the Light of Aideen we shall try to find Lisa Peterson with the best of our efforts and rescue her at any cost. We had received information from Fripp that Lisa had suddenly became defenseless and was hidden somewhere in the Grey Dew Mountains."
"Interesting," said Starshine, sounding a bit hopeful. "Very interesting. I have a partial memory of having taken a trip to the northern part of the mountain. It might be so. I have looked there without finding anything, but maybe I haven't looked closely enough."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sasha said excitedly. "Let's find our lost Sister."
"I'm forever grateful for your assistance. As you know, I've been looking all over, and I'm starting to become rather desperate. If Lisa was here somewhere I would be able to sense her presence, and I cannot. That can mean one out of two things. Either she's not here, or she's..." Starshine blinked back tears, while Sasha and Stormchaser both lowered their heads in grief. "Or she's gone. But your new information gives me renewed hope that we can find her. At least I hope we can find a clue. One, tiny indication on what has befallen her."
"We'll search through the northern range of the Grey Mountains. I know certain locations will be a bit tricky to find, Lisa and I rode all over the place." Sasha looked around the forest.
"We'll look by the mountain area by the Forgotten Fields and you look around the trail?" suggested Sasha.
Starshine smiled and nodded. They soon split up into different locations. Sasha and Storm had both gotten off of the Drew Mountain Road and headed towards the south, they gotten off from road and headed left at the bottom of a big hill. When they went up the small hill to a cliffside, Sasha was surprised to see a huge amount of branches piled on the side of cliff.
Sasha felt her magic become alive with activity. Her magic had warmed her skin. It had lightened up her senses. She felt herself recoiled and Storm had stepped back slightly. Sasha shivered, despite the warm temperatures. Something was really wrong here.
When she looked up at the rocks, she was horrified to see a strange silhouette that has been burned into the rock. It was in the shape of a rider and a horse. Sasha also noticed muddy hoof prints on the ground, going away from the rocks.
"Something isn't quite right about this spot..." muttered Sasha quietly to herself. "No natural fire could have caused this. There seems to be a muddle of old tracks on the ground..."
Sasha looked back at Stormchaser, who looked both worried and concerned. Sasha gulped nervously before saying, "A strange silhouette. The tracks here are too old. We must speak to Starshine."
Sasha and Stormchaser looked around for Starshine, they soon found him looking down by the road.
"Starshine." The white stallion looked up to see Sasha and Stormchaser standing in front of him. "We found a silhouette on a rock and some unusual tracks."
"A spot that's been burned by unnatural fire? Old tracks?" Starshine looked at them with newfound hope. "Show me where it is!"
Sasha and Stormchaser both led Starshine to where they had both found the strange silhouette and the muddy tracks.
"By the life-giving light of Aideen!" exclaimed Starshine in amazement. "You've found an important clue! This must be the spot where we were subjected to that dazzling light which took us by surprise. There's something familiar about that silhouette, don't you think?"
Sasha had started looking around the area warily, as if she was half expecting for a hungry predator to pounce on them any second.
"Look!" Starshine's exclamation made Sasha jumped in Stormchaser's saddle. "All these foot and hoof prints indicate that we actually got ambushed! The cowardly perpetrators must have nested behind those bushes by the cliff over there, waiting to assault us in this horrendous way..."
"Maybe the Dark Riders had been here," Sasha said darkly. She had a few unwanted experience with those blasted thieving idiotic horse abusers.
"So you're saying it was the Dark Riders who conducted this cowardly assault and took Lisa?" Starshine said, equally as angry as Sasha. "After seeing this, I'm afraid your information is correct. They'll pay dearly for this. If they've harmed as much as a single red hair on her head, I'll personally see to it that those infernal Dark Riders are sent to the darkest darkness of Eternity!"
"I'll make sure me and the others would want to help you out with that," agreed Sasha.
"We'll comb the area for more clues," Starshine said. "We'll turn every grassy knoll upside down until we've found something that gives us the answers we seek."
"Agreed." They soon split up again to find any clues once more.
They turned to the left as Starshine had turned right. They both went up the hill to the top of a small cliff. Sasha looked around warily, feeling her magic inside becoming more active than earlier. They soon went into a small ditch that's surrounded by pine trees.
They soon saw a pile of branches and logs that seemed to be covering up a huge crank within the earth. A faint pink glow seemed to be coming from underneath the branches.
Sasha felt her magic become alive with activity. Her magic had warmed her skin. It had lightened up her senses again. But she also felt a tingle of warm, musical magic going through her and warming her heart to help her do the right thing. It was more clear, and it was strong and powerful enough for Sasha to sense that somebody must be trapped inside the crack. She felt herself recoiled and Storm had stepped back slightly. Sasha shivered, despite the warm temperatures. Something was becoming even more wrong here.
Sasha carefully dismounted Storm and the two cleared the branches and logs, it had revealed that the brushwork had been covering an Pandoric crack!
Sasha quickly mounted Storm and the two of them both carefully galloped towards where they had last saw Starshine. They found him on a hill, just a few feet away from the silhouette.
"Starshine!" She and Stormchaser both came to a quick stop in front of the worried stallion. "There's a hidden Pandonic crack nearby! I think Lisa's inside!"
"Take me to this hidden crack!" neighed Starshine nervously as they started galloping towards the newly found crack. They quickly stopped when they saw burnt markings on the ground. "Look! You can easily distinguish drag marks on the ground over there which seem to lead in the direction you say we're going."
Sasha and Stormchaser both showed Starshine the crack, it wasn't long till Sasha had begun to feel uneasy. By the looks of it, Stormchaser seemed to start to feel uneasy like Sasha.
"Oh, Sasha." Starshine snorted nervously and uneasily. "By the lights of Aideen. I think the evil Dark Riders have hidden our beloved Lisa inside the crack. They must have cast some sort of forbidden, black magic and succeeded in sending Lisa to Pandoria! She could be lost forever, captured in a jumble of entangled time and twisted space!" Starshine had let out a desperate neigh before he looked down at the crack. "Helloo? Lisa? Are you down there? Can you hear me, Lisa? Its me! Your Starshine! Hello? Are you there?"
"Lisa? Are you in there?" called out Sasha, feeling as if they were being watched far, far away.
"Do you feel it, Sasha?" whinnied Starshine. "It feels like Lisa's here, yet far away at the same time. Everything is spinning... I hear someone whispering. A voice trying to reach out... Hello? Lisa?"
Sasha felt a strange, comforting warmth go through her. It's as if they were being watched again. It was getting unsettling and somehow familiar. It's as if they were being watched again from somebody far away. She shuddered slightly when she heard someone moaning inside the crack.
"Hello!" called Starshine, hopefully and nervously. "Lisa?"
Very faintly, they both heard a soft, Texan voice spoke from the crack. "Hellooooo...? It's me, Lisaaaaa.... Who's there?"
"Lisa!" Starshine cried out in relief. "It is I, Starshine! How can we help you?"
"I am lost here. It's pink..." whispered Lisa. "It's Pandoria. I'm captured beyond our time and spaaaaaace."
"Lisa! Lisa! There must be a way to save you!" Starshine whinnied desperately. "Lisa?"
"Sleeping Widow... Wake!" Lisa said softly and urgently.
"A sleeping widow?" Starshine exchanged a confused glance with Sasha and Stormchaser, who both looked at him with confused expressions. "Umm... Is someone a bit gone in the head?"
"Wake her! Wake her up! Wake the Sleeping Widow! She's the only one who can save me." Lisa sounded pretty scared now and more urgent than ever, which made Sasha want to save her Star Sister even more.
"I see you Starshine. I see you... Oooooo... I'm passing into the ages. For you, time is of the essence. For me, it's everlasting."
"Yes, Lisa," Starshine immediately agreed and looked at Sasha, who looked both worried and confused. "We will wake the Sleeping Widow. Who is it? And how?"
"Wake! Wake!" cried out Lisa. "Wake up the Widow and hep me out. You stay behind, Starshine, and keep the crack open until the Widow has awoken. Stay!"
"I won't leave you here!" Starshine neighed, his voice filled with both hope and worry. "We'll wake that... Widow. I promise, Lisa. I promise."
"Hurry..." Lisa moaned in pain. "I can no longer see... It's so... So pink..."
Sasha flinched as she had begun to feel the reassuring presence of Lisa fading away from them.
"Hold on, Lisa!" Starshine whinnied desperately.
They heard Lisa moaning softly, it had brought a heartache to Sasha's heart when she heard such pain in Lisa's fading voice. She wanted to help Lisa come back to Jorvik, but she doesn't know how to get Lisa out of the Pandoric crack or this Sleeping Willow that Lisa had mentioned.
"Lisa! You are gone now, but I will stay with you! Hold out, beloved Lisa! Do not fear Pandoria. You know how to resist it!" Starshine called out to Lisa. "You can! I know you can!"
Starshine turned to look at Sasha and Stormchaser as he said, "My entire being is torn between despair and hope! We've found Lisa, but she may be beyond our rescue. Sasha! We need to get her out of there! Now! Whoever that Sleeping Widow is, she must be woken at any cost so she can aid us in rescuing Lisa!" He tilted his head at Sasha with a confused expression. "Do you know who it is?"
Sasha shook her head and said, "I'm sorry Starshine, but no. I know a lot of people on Jorvik, but nobody goes by the name of Sleeping Widow. But perhaps Linda have some knowledge about this Sleeping Widow."
"Wonderful idea!" whinnied Starshine with a slight rear. "I'm going to stay behind and see to that the crack doesn't close, while I'm trying to keep contact with Lisa. When and if the Sleeping Widow awakens, and if she actually can release Lisa from the Pandoric prison, I need to be here to help her out."
Sasha nodded. She and Stormchaser galloped out of the small ditch and towards the Forgotten Fields. They galloped over the bridge and towards the shallow part of the river. They were galloping so fast, Sasha felt as if she was flying. They splashed through the river and they made their way towards the Silverglade Vineyard.
They came to a quick stop and looked around for Linda, Sasha felt a little breathless and winded from the gallop that she had taken. Storm was taking a few breaths from their gallop here. She looked around and saw Linda coming out of the barn with Meteor. Linda smiled at Sasha and Meteor nodded to them, but Linda soon had a concerned frown when she saw Sasha's winded and worried expression.
"Sasha?" Linda walked towards her, while leading Meteor towards them. "What's wrong?"
"We found Lisa," said Sasha after she had finally caught her breath. "But she's trapped in a Pandoric crack from the Dark Riders and she says she needs the aid from the Sleeping Widow, but me and Starshine don't know who it is."
"You and Starshine found Lisa?!" exclaimed Linda with an amazed smile, but she soon frowned with worry. "I don't know who it might be. I'll go to the Manor's library and hit the books. Let's see if we could any information about this Sleeping Widow. Sasha, go and tell the Spymaster to spread the news."
Sasha nodded and got out of the library, she went into the stable and found Stormchaser in a stall. She led her horse out of the stable and mounted Storm before they galloped out of the manor and towards the hideout of the Spymaster by the mountainside of Hollow Woods.
"Spymaster?" Sasha looked around as she and Stormchaser looked around the cave with a fireplace. Inside the cave, there's some desks, candles, and cages. There were some squirrels, chipmunks, and some Mistfall woodland critters inside the cave. A black squirrel with gleaming violet eyes and goes by the name Lucien, had scurried over to her and looked up at her curiously.
"Hi Lucien, is Spymaster home?" Lucien shook his head. "Is it okay if I leave a message behind?" Lucien nodded.
Sasha dismounted Stormchaser and went towards a desk. She gotten out a piece of paper and a pencil. She quickly wrote down, "Dear Spymaster, I have important news to spread throughout the Keepers. Me, Stormchaser, and Starshine had found the our dear Star Sister. But the Dark Riders had trapped her inside of a Pandoric Crack, don't worry we'll find a way to free her. From the Light of Aideen."
Sasha rolled up the paper and placed it into a container before she gave it to Lucien. She gently strapped it onto Lucien, who looked up at her curiously.
"Do you know where the Spymaster is at?" Sasha asked Lucien softly. Lucien chattered and nodded, he looked up at Sasha excitedly. "Can you give this to the Spymaster?" Lucien nodded before he ran off into the Hollow Woods with the message.
Sasha mounted Stormchaser, Storm had gave a slight rear before they galloped off towards Moorland Stable. Sasha can't wait for what tomorrow will might bring.
To be continued...