The Legacy of Mount Drood

Chapter 11

Gar was furious. The horses would not set foot on the Great Plain no matter what the soldiers tried. Their eyes went wide and wild and they reared up in fright, pulling at the taught reins. There were stories about the dangers of the plain and the Loamites who dwelt beneath its surface and the men felt relieved that the horses provided the reason for not crossing. Gar marched up and down at the edge of the plain, his curses roaring across the tall grass like a fierce storm.

He glared at his men with menace, bemoaning the fact that they would have to backtrack and go the long way around hoping they could find the boy's trail on the far side. When he saw the relief on their faces, he flew into another rage and grasped the nearest man around the throat, hurling him toward the plain. An unsettling image of Prize, cackling, passed across his mind.

"You will follow his path on foot, by the gods, and meet us on the other side... and you had best be there or by thunder I will hunt you down and carve out your heart!"

The terrified soldier, stumbled off into the tall grass, looking back to see his companions riding away around the Great Plain. He quickly cast about for clues to Jep's passage, uncertain as to which threat should worry him most—Gar or the plain ahead.

*****

William covered Mary with his arm, keeping her quiet until he was certain the horses had passed. They stood cautiously, huddling close to a large tree, watching the dust from the riders fade and settle in the distance.

"They were soldiers from Graf," William said. "I recognized Captain Gar by his eye patch."

"But how did we get ahead of them?"

William scratched his chin, giving her a bleak look. "I uh- I don't know, it might be because we- uhm- we got lost. He checked the position of the early sun and frowned.

"Lost!" Mary spun around, scanning the countryside. "How can we be lost?"

"I didn't say we were, I just said maybe. I don't really know." He tried to think, wishing now that Mary hadn't insisted on coming along. The only way they could have gotten ahead of Gar was if he had to backtrack for some reason and was now on the right trail again. "We need to find someone who knows this area, who knows what places are around here."

Mary stomped back out onto the roadway, sniffing angrily. You said the Wye Valley was our destination and now you don't know where we are."

"Mary!" William followed her, exasperated. "I know the Wye Valley is to the south, and we are still heading south. I am not lost—"

"But you said—"

"Mary! I realized after I said that that we were still heading in the right direction according to the sun. So forget about being lost—please." He was about to continue when he noticed movement on the hillside off to their right and he quickly signaled her to duck back into the trees.

Derrick Kriss guided Dolly slowly down the grass-covered hill toward the road; his attention was on the two figures he'd seen darting into the cover of the trees. He was sure that one was a woman, and that they were probably more afraid of him than he was of them.

When he reached the road, he paused to fiddle with Dolly's harness, giving them a chance to show themselves. William and Mary watched from the shadow of the trees, debating in harsh whispers whether to step out and speak. Finally, in disgust, William walked out onto the road and hailed Derrick.

"Hello, sir," he called. "A moment of your time?"

Derrick stepped away from Dolly and nodded agreeably, his hand clutching the knife inside his jacket, waiting for William to approach.