RHIDAUNA, The Shadow of the Revenaunt, Book 1

CHAPTER 6 - DEADLY NIGHT (Part Two)

Niella was right; twenty-four hours later Ghyll felt well enough to resume their journey.

'You don't mind Bo's coming with us?' Olle said again, as he helped Ghyll with his breastplate.

His foster brother recognized the uncertainty in his voice. Until now, Olle had always been a follower, leaving the decisions to Ghyll. 'Of course not! It's perfect. He is just the fellow we needed.'

Olle sighed. 'He is a bit arrogant, our firemage.' Then he shrugged. 'Put your thumb on this.' He pressed an elbow piece in place and tied the laces. 'Thanks. He's vain, too.'

'Ah,' Ghyll said, a full two years older than Bo. 'He'll grow out of it.'

'Jump,' Olle commanded when he had fastened the last buckle.

Ghyll hopped a few times up and down. 'There's no chafing. Your turn, brother.'

When they came out an hour later, Bo was waiting for them. He still wore the same robe, and his horse carried an impressive number of saddlebags. Olle threw Ghyll a meaningful glance. 'Are those all clothes?'

'Not all of them,' Bo said with a straight face. 'That little black pouch has my spell books.'

Olle grinned. Then he turned quickly as Kaati came outside and walked up to him. For a moment they stood there, without speaking. Then the girl smiled shyly. Olle nodded and mounted without looking at Ghyll.

'Let's go,' he said.

Ghyll looked at his stiff back. Then he clucked his tongue at his horse and Ulanth began to move. For a moment, he forgot everything. The weather looked good. The sun glistened in the calm waters of the Yanthe and high in the air a lark caroled. A sudden feeling of peace came over Ghyll. What had happened lay behind them and now he could concentrate on the future.

That afternoon, they came to a ruined castle, overgrown with ivy, with a round tower of which only the lower part was still intact.

Ghyll decided they'd gone far enough for today. He liked the location of the old ruin, at the forest's edge, with a beautiful view over the river. The field on the long side of the ruin was large enough for both themselves and the horses. Ghyll thought to see a glimmer of sunlight on water, so they could drink. An ideal place for a break, but Ulanth didn't agree.

'What is it, boy?' The warhorse laid his ears flat against his neck. At first, he refused to put a foot on the grass and when he did, he was tenser than Ghyll had ever seen him. Surprised, Ghyll looked around him, but he saw nothing wrong. Even the other horses showed no signs of distress. He shrugged and slid from the saddle. 'You're seeing ghosts, boy,' he told Ulanth. 'There's nothing amiss.' The warhorse threw back his head and snorted.

'Quiet!' Ghyll said with a laugh. 'Behave yourself.' Then he joined the others in the shade of an old hawthorn.

Just as he sat down, Ulanth screamed.

Annoyed, Ghyll turned to his horse. The curse on his lips evaporated at the sight of six black figures running at them from the castle tower. He sprang to his feet, caught his toes on a gnarled hawthorn root and tumbled sideways into the grass. At that same moment, a bolt of lightning shot past him and exploded on the spot where he had just been sitting.

Brandishing his sword, Ghyll wanted to run to the tower, but Bo's hasty 'Wait!' froze him in mid-step. The young mage adopted a dramatic pose, with his arms outstretched to the sky. Between his spread fingers sparks flashed. Then a large ball of fire shot away from Bo's hands, bounced once and rolled like a comet toward the ruins, leaving a black tail of scorched grass.