The Breton Boys

Chapter Five: Fireweed Hollow

When Reid awoke the next morning the sun was fully up, making his surroundings glow with mottled bright light where it fell through the treetops. It took a moment to recall where he was. As soon as he remembered he inhaled deeply, taking in the Hollenmerish air, feeling well rested and ready to continue the journey, with no recollection of his strange dream from the night before.

They hiked well into the afternoon, stopping once to rest on the bank of the Glasswing River, which had shiny purple, blue, green, and brown fish leaping out of it like sparks at steady intervals.

"Mossbonkers," Oliver told Reid. "They look pretty, but they'll bite your hand off."

It had been sunny when they set out, but as the day wore on the sky became more and more overcast until there were thick clouds hovering overhead. Even these, Reid thought, were much more beautiful than any clouds he had ever seen at St. Wigbert's. They swirled pearly gray above them, silvery whirls and wisps constantly rolling overhead. It drizzled on and off as they went, but the clouds only continued to swell, never breaking into full storm.

Even though the cloudy weather had been blocking the sunlight, as dusk settled, darkness fell in earnest and Duncan lit the lantern. Thunder had just begun to rumble in the distance and the wind whistled fiercely around them when Duncan threw his arm out, halting the twins.

"Be quiet for a moment," he said in hushed tones. "I'm sure I heard hooves."

They all stood in silence until the quiet was broken by another roll of thunder, but this time Reid was certain he heard the clacking of hooves as well, somewhere off in the forest beside them.

"Reid, this is very important," Duncan began. "If we should -"

Duncan stopped speaking and hung his head, eyes fixed on his boots. Oliver did the same. Confused, Reid stared up the trail and for a moment he couldn't see anything. But then he saw it. A great creature with the head and torso of a man but the deep brown hindquarters of a horse was stepping gracefully, menacingly, out of the shadowy forest, wielding a bow as tall as Reid with an arrow aimed at his face.

"Eyes down, human, or I'll take them from you."

Reid snapped his eyes to the ground as the centaur continued his slow approach. Reid had never been this close to a regular horse and he was taken aback by its size. He was also sure normal horses' hair would not be gleaming quite so brilliantly in the cloudy night. But he was jolted from this contemplation when the centaur addressed the group in a deep, authoritative voice.

"What business do you have here, men?"

Reid chanced a glance at Duncan as he answered, only moving his eyes to see, not daring to turn his neck.

"We were merely passing through," Duncan said calmly, his eyes locked on the dirt below the centaurs hooves. "Following the river path home to Waterleaf Hollow."

"You realize that you are trespassing on land that has never belonged to your kind?"