Envoys Of The Vow

Chapter 12

A white bird was perched high on a Laurëa Tree.  Impatiently it hopped from foot to foot, waiting for the riders it so urgently needed to see. 

 A plume of dust heralded their approach, the bird did not wait for them to close the distance.  He swooped down like a bullet towards the wizards outstretched arm.  The birds croaked report to the wizard was meaningless to Blaise, who was nearly insane with impatience and fear.  As the bird took flight again, it wheeled to the east and swooped away from them as fast as a horse could gallop.

 The wizard turned his horse and followed the direction the bird had taken.  Yelling at Blaise to follow him, he pushed his horse as fast as it could go.

 "What has happened? tell me!"  Blaise's voice was nearly breaking.  His horse, who was far more powerful than Gararran's, held his stride to match the pace.

 "Draug and the Halfling caught her scent on the road and attacked, but the mare is well into the change, she managed to get Sara away in time."  the wizard pushed his horse faster. 

 "She has gained the river but a leap like that would be too much even for Turaithil at full stretch.  If she has not made it to the other side and the protection of the Estate we will be too late and death and despair is all we will find"

 The wizard was alone, Turaithil had answered Blaise's command and no horse either mortal or immortal could catch them now.

 * * *

 The mare reached the edge of the bank and launched.  She put every ounce of power she had into the leap.  All Sara could do was to fold forward giving the mare every chance to make the impossible distance.  The water stretched out in front of them nearly thirty feet wide.  As she took off Sara closed her eyes waiting for the impact, praying her friend would be safe. 

 When the mares feet touched down on the bank the other side Sara’s eyes flew open, she had made it?  How was that possible?  Yes, they had been seriously shifting when they took off but even so they should be upside down in the water right now. 

 The mare slowed and turned so they could see the car screaming to stop at the edge of the bank.  Sara could see furious sets of eyes through the windscreen, one pair yellow the other bright red and both filled with hate and fury.

 Misty turned again and cantered away.  Sara was too shocked and tired to check where they were going other than as just an observer.  She felt a sting over her eye and dabbed with her fingers, they came away bloody, she must have caught a branch during the jump.

 The track they were now on led into woodland that was unfamiliar to Sara.  This part of the South Park Estate was private, owned by a reclusive old man named Morton. 

 The horse headed straight into the wood without hesitation.  It was beautiful, the trees were wider spaced out than in Todds Wood allowing more light in.  The ground was full of natural drops and banks littered with fallen leaves and twigs.  They popped over a small stream that must feed into the river.  On the other side of the stream was a clearing in the wood, it then opened up out into the parkland.  At the centre of the clearing stood a massive rock about six feet high, a hole the size of a football through its centre. Sara pulled the mare to a stop in the clearing.  She was still not happy at the thought of venturing into open ground again just yet in case the car was still looking for them.

 The gravity of the attack then hit her.  Her shocked mind could not process what had just happened.  She searched in her pockets for her phone. she wanted to call Jonathan and let him know where she was.  She didn't like the idea of him running across the car as he looked for her.  Maybe she could get a bit further away first to meet him.  As she searched she realised her phone was gone.  She must have lost it in the chase.

 She jumped off Misty to take her over for a drink from the stream, as she landed on the ground she saw spatters of blood over her jeans.  Looking down at her leg the splatters were more down the back of her thigh and the back of her chaps.  She could not feel any injury to herself only the sting from the cut on her forehead, but before she could turn to check Misty the horse groaned and started to drop.  She went down on her knees then her quarters followed.  Sara’s eye’s were drawn to her quarters where a foot long knife wound had slashed deeply into the mare.  Blood had poured from the wound her hind legs were both completely covered from top to bottom in blood.  As the mare had spun from the man, the knife must have slashed into her quarters. 

 Nearly screaming in panic, Sara wrenched her jumper over her head and forced it down over the wound trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood.  Misty's head had now dropped to the floor and she lay flat out on the ground.  Her breathing was shallow and struggling.  The beautiful mare that had saved her life was losing hers and there was nothing she could do about it.  Trapped here if she took the pressure off the wound the mare would die, if she stayed the mare would still die, just slower.

 High above a bird screamed out, its white underside flashing gold in the bright afternoon sunlight.

 Sara’s panic deepened, she lent even harder onto the jumper, her arms shaking with the pressure.  She couldn't lose her friend, not like this.  Blood now dripped from the cut on her head.  It splashed onto the backs of her hands as they shook trying to hold as much pressure on the jumper as she could.

 Sara had no way to leave to get help, she was trapped here in this place, Misty dying beneath her hands.  Her frantic mind slowly took over from the panic, she felt warm and as if she was floating.  As she slipped towards unconsciousness, her eyes closed as she uttered barely audible words in a voice that sounded like wind chimes.

 "Amin evi en' i' Aran

vee' tinu en' i' Lethia en'quessir

leitha ye templa

leitha ye maranwe"

 As she descended into the blackness, she heard only the human words in her head.

 "I ask of the Kings

As daughter of the House of En'Quessir

Free my magic

Free my destiny."