The Dark Rider

CHAPTER Eight



The leaf fell, turning slowly in the sunlight. Alex stared transfixed, her open hand still outstretched, broken flecks of brown leaf caught on her skin. She looked up to see a woman in white standing on the edge of a wooded clearing. The woman was gripping something in her hand, a long sword decorated with golden dragons that gleamed like flames against the whiteness. Then Alex was flying forward in an autumn sky at dusk, the land below cloaked in a fiery red glow from the setting sun. Valleys were shrouded in burning mist, the hilltops caught as if ablaze with golden fire.

She flew west into the dying sun, meadows turning to wetlands until the land rose into mountains with densely wooded valleys. All the time she saw no light in the land, no cities or roads, and then the land began to disappear and Alex found herself seeing by firelight, a fierce pyre before her. On the other side, through the flames, she saw a man, his face half hidden in shadow.

She saw that the man wore armor. Black armor that gleamed in the firelight and behind him, sticking from the ground, she saw the same sword that the woman had held, the dragons coiling round the long handle. Nearby was a shield, firelight dancing across its front. The man looked at her, his burning blue eyes meeting hers. With a shock Alex realized that it was Paul, yet he was different somehow, for he was taller and more muscular, with an intense fierceness that frightened her.

Suddenly Alex wanted to run, to turn and run away, but she could not move. Her brother turned, wrenching the sword from the ground and sliding it into a scabbard. He picked up the shield, strapping both across a huge warhorse that towered above the ground. He mounted, turning the wild horse towards her, the great beast stamping its iron hooves on the soft ground and throwing up chunks of mud as it moved around the fire.

Alex cowered down in fear as they approached to stand over her, the horse whinnying and bucking its head. Paul looked down at her, mockery in his eyes, and then the horse reared suddenly, great hooves flashing in the firelight and filling the sky above her with a blurring mass of iron coming closer and closer.

She screamed, and then all was darkness.

Alex’s eyes snapped open as she found herself sitting upright in bed, her breath coming in quick, heavy gasps. Shaking, she swung her legs unsteadily round until she felt soft carpet under her feet. She had wanted to forget, to push it from her mind so she could pretend it had not happened, but now she could not shake the image of the falling leaf from her vision. Gwen had given her the leaf to prove to her that everything was real, and all she had done was to ignore it. Her brother was in trouble, and she had just run away as she ran from everything else. Sudden guilt racked her. Then something else came, the certainty that she would have to do Gwen’s bidding and go and look for him.

Grumbling to herself, Alex looked over at the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock, rubbing her eyes until they came into focus. It was 2:22 in the morning. Grimacing, she pushed herself up from the bed and padded to the bathroom. Turning on the light, she stared at herself in the mirror. Tired brown eyes stared back at her. The intense light made her blink and squint, her skin looking washed out and white. Thin arms reached down to the sink to splash cold water on her face.

She looked down at her frame and then back again at her face, hating the way she looked, the way she felt. She could see the lines under her eyes, the long days at work and the strain of Gwen’s illness taking their toll, and now this. A spark of anger flashed then. She would have to jeopardize her job, the only thing that was truly hers, to run off and find him. God help him if there was nothing wrong.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror she turned off the light, plunging the bathroom into darkness. Slowly the faint light from the streetlamps outside registered in her vision. Unsteadily, she made her way back to her bedroom falling back on the bed with an exasperated sigh. She closed her eyes, willing sleep.


*****


“Why is it raining? It’s not fair,” said Neil, his face pressed up against the window pane. They were sitting in the ancient conservatory that clung to the side of the cottage, the rain drumming heavily on the corrugated plastic roof. “I want to go to the beach again.”

“You’ve been every day this week so far,” said his mum. “And you’ve been very lucky with the weather so don’t complain.”

“But what are we going to do?” he asked.

“You can come with us into town,” said his mum.

“That’s even more boring than being stuck in here.”

“You can start some homework then,” said his dad.

“No chance of that,” said Vicky who had her face buried in a book on antiques she had found in one of the cupboards.

“Start stripping the walls in the front bedroom,” said his dad. “Then paint them and install a new bathroom.” He looked up from his newspaper. “That should keep you busy.”

“Yeah, thanks Dad, I’ll just knock up a third floor while I’m at it.”

“John, I think it’s time to get going or we’ll miss our appointment,” said their mother.

Their Dad sighed and began folding up his newspaper.

“Okay. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

He got up and went through the doorway into the lounge where their coats were hung up on a rack by the door. Their mum followed, going off into the kitchen to get her handbag, while their dad went upstairs. The children were alone for a moment.

“So, what do you want to do?” said Neil.

“I’m reading, thank you,” said Vicky.

“Since when did you get interested in antiques?” he asked.

She pulled a face at him before whispering, “I’m trying to find out about the key.”

“Haven’t you handed it in yet?” he asked.

“No.”

“So where is it then?” he said.

She patted her chest.

“You’re wearing it?” he exclaimed.

“Shhh,” she said furiously as their dad’s footsteps sounded on the creaky stairs.

“Why don’t you want mum and dad to know?” Neil asked loudly.

“Know what?” said their dad poking his head round the corner as he put on his jacket.

“Nothing,” said Vicky quickly.

“Just that Vicky has a new found interest in antiques,” said Neil. “She’s going to value that old furniture in the garage for you.”

“Great,” said their dad. “If you find something valuable, remember your cash-strapped parents, won’t you?”

Their mum appeared in the doorway armed with her handbag and umbrella.

“Ready John?” she asked.

“Ok, let’s go,” he replied.

They stepped past and then opened the front door.

“See you later kids.”

“Be good.”

“As always,” said Neil.

The children watched as the rain-distorted shapes of their parents moved past the conservatory windows and out to the car. A minute later the sound of the engine starting was followed by the crunching of tires on gravel as the car pulled out of the drive. Then they were gone and the children were on their own.

All was silent for a minute. Neil stared out of the window frustrated that the rain was keeping them indoors. He stole a quick glance at his sister who resolutely refused to look up from her book.

“So,” said Neil breaking the silence. “Back to my original question. What do you want to do?”

“Ooh, there’s nothing in here,” said Vicky snapping the book shut in annoyance.

“Why don’t you want mum and dad to see it?” asked Neil.

“Because it’s mine now and they will make me give it back,” said Vicky.

“Have you tried Googling it?” he asked.

“No,” replied his sister. “Dad’s always on the computer.”

“Duh, well they’re not here now,” said Neil. “Let’s give it a try.”

He jumped up, relieved to have something to do. Vicky followed him into the living room. On a table in the corner sat a laptop half buried among a pile of documents, plans, and invoices.

“Okay,” said Neil as he sat down and powered it up. Vicky sat next to him.

“Right. Images. Gold key,” he said as he typed it in. Several thousand search results came up.

“We have to be more specific,” said Vicky. Neil tried another search term and they began trolling through the returns. After half an hour of fruitless searching they were no better off.

“I’m bored now,” said Neil getting up abruptly. Vicky remained sitting, staring intently at the screen and scrolling through pages believing that the next page would bring up what she was looking for. She just knew there had to be something out there that would identify the key. Neil went over to the window and looked out.

“Hey, it’s stopped raining,” he called, looking back at his sister. “Let’s go out and explore.”

It took Vicky a few seconds to lift her face from the screen and look at her brother before finally admitting defeat.

“Oh, okay,” she said disappointedly turning off the laptop and then standing up and stretching. “I can’t find anything anyway.”

She followed her brother out into the conservatory. He squatted down to put on his sneakers. Vicky picked up a hoodie that she had left on the chair overnight and put it on before putting her sneakers on too. Neil pulled the keys out of the front door and then opened it and they stepped outside. The air was damp and clammy. Seagulls called in the distance.

“Which way?” Vicky asked.

“I think we have to patrol the castle boundary,” Neil replied. “Make sure there are no dragons lurking around.”

“Is it wise for the key holder to be on patrol?” asked Vicky. “What if we find one and I get captured or something?”

Neil stepped back, running through a series of blocks and jabs that he had learned at his Jujitsu club.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her as he finished his display, “I am the Kingdom’s greatest warrior, it is impossible for you to be captured. Besides, it is the last thing they would expect.”

“Okay big brother. Lead the way,” said Vicky.

She followed Neil around the side of the cottage. The boundary was marked by a thick hedge which enclosed a scruffy lawn and outbuildings. They went right round to where the hedge touched the back of the cottage, crouching low and entering what was a small passageway. A few steps in Neil stopped, peering intently to his left.

“Look, there’s a gap here. This could be how they’re getting in.” He looked back at her. “I think we’d better follow the trail and see where it leads.”

“I’m right behind you,” said Vicky.

Neil disappeared into the tangle of shrubs and thick tree stumps. Vicky followed, scratching her left leg on a tangle of twigs and brambles.

“Ouch,” she said as she emerged from the undergrowth licking her finger and rubbing at a trickle of blood on her calf.

“Get down,” whispered Neil urgently.

Vicky looked at him.

“I’m pretty much kneeling Neil, I can’t get any lower.”

He remained motionless, crouched down and staring out across the field that lay behind the cottage. A short distance away was a hedgerow of thorny bushes and stunted trees with branches twisted into bizarre shapes by the wind. Beyond that the ground rose slightly, and on the horizon, almost lost among the expanse of moorland, huddled a small coppice of trees.

“Is that the dragon’s hideout?” Vicky asked.

Neil turned to her. “It must be. We have to go there.”

“There’s no cover,” said Vicky. “How will we get there without being seen?”

“Good question,” said Neil. “No idea.”

“I know,” said Vicky producing a packet of mints from her pocket and holding them up in front of her. “The wizard gave us these magic invisibility pills. If we take one each we’ll be okay.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Neil taking one and popping it in his mouth. They both chewed on the mints while above them a solitary crow crabbed across the sky calling loudly.

“Could be a scout,” said Neil through munching teeth. “We took these just in time.”

They moved out of the cover of the hedge and ran across the field to the hedgerow on the opposite side. About halfway along was a gate, and they went through it heading off towards the cluster of trees on the horizon. As they got nearer they could see the coppice was bigger than it had looked at first. The outside appeared to be an impenetrable wall of thick scrub and bushes which rose to a thick center of tall trees. They reached the edge of it and stopped.

“Can’t see a way in,” said Neil.

“Not here, let’s go around,” said Vicky.

They walked slowly around the trees. Eventually they found an opening in the scrub and climbed up a small bank of earth to enter. After a few steps the daylight began to filter out and the world became gloomy and silent. The children stopped after a while and looked around.

“Can’t see much,” said Neil.

“It’s a bit creepy,” said Vicky. “I can’t even make out the path back.”

“It’s there,” said Neil pointing, but then he realized that he couldn’t see it either. He looked at his sister and then shrugged. “If we keep in a straight line we’ll get back out.”

“Ow,” she exclaimed suddenly.

“Ssh,” said Neil. “We’re supposed to be the denizens of stealth and surprise.”

“It’s the key,” said Vicky quickly pulling it out. “It’s very hot.”

Neil felt it, but it was cold to his touch.

“I don’t feel anything,” he replied giving it back.

“It was hot, I’m telling you,” she said placing it back against her skin where it burned dully.

“Maybe it’s a warning,” said Neil.

“I don’t like it here,” replied Vicky suddenly, as she felt a shiver run up and down her spine.

“That’s dark magic trying to put us off.”

Vicky looked up at him feeling scared.

“Do you think so?”

“Of course not. Come on, let’s explore the dragon’s lair,” said Neil, and he stepped forward threading his way further into the gloom. Vicky hesitated a moment before following him. As she walked further into the trees, her feet crunching on long dried and dead leaves, a sudden noise like a loud whisper filled the air lasting for only a few seconds. She stopped in surprise and turned around. There was nothing behind her. She turned back to follow her brother but he was gone.

“Neil?” she called out, the sound of her voice muted by the thick woodland. There was no reply.

“Neil?” she called a little louder, a hint of fear in her voice. She began to step forward again, and as she did so the noise came back suddenly louder.

Vicky jumped and her head shot round to look behind her but again there was nothing to see but the gnarled bark of trees. She turned around slowly, the only sound now audible being the panting of her breath and the hammering of her heart in her chest. She looked to where her brother had been and stepped forward again.

“It can’t be,” said the whispered voice. Vicky jumped in fright, turning quickly.

“What?” she spoke out fearfully. “What do you want?”

The noise rose again surrounding her, a multitude of voices whispering in the air. She spun around, looking frantically.

“She has the Key.”

“She has the Key of Arachar.”

“It is not possible.”

“Give it to us.”

“You must give it to us.”

Crying out in panic Vicky ran blindly forward crashing through the undergrowth.

“Neil? Neil?”

Neil turned to see his sister come running straight at him, her face contorted in fright. He caught her.

“Whoa, what happened?”

“People. Voices. I heard them coming,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fright. “Behind me. People coming.”

He grabbed her shoulders, shocked to see her like this, making her focus on him. Behind her there was only empty woodland.

“Hey, hey,” he said soothingly. “There’s no one behind you. There’s nothing there.”

She began to register him.

“Nothing?” she asked in a quiet voice, her breathing beginning to slow.

“Nothing.”

“But I heard voices. They said I had to give them the key.”

Neil looked at her sharply.

“I think you have to get rid of that thing. It’s making you turn gaga.”

“Maybe I’m imagining things,” she said quietly knowing now that he was not going to believe her. She looked straight into his eyes. “Can we go back now?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said turning to go back the way they had come. Vicky grabbed his arm.

“Not that way,” she said.

“Okay,” Neil looked round doubtfully. “This way I guess.”

They set off, following a faint trail between the trees. Vicky noticed a fox off to their left that was staring at them. As she met its gaze the animal turned and melted away into the undergrowth.

“This place certainly didn’t look so big from the outside,” said Neil after a few minutes.

“There’s something else,” said Vicky.

“More voices?” mocked Neil.

Vicky scowled at him.

“Look at the trees.”

Neil did as he was told noticing for the first time that everything was brown, yellow, and gold.

“Why is it autumn?” he asked nervously.

“I told you, there’s something weird going on here,” Vicky said. She was feeling scared now.

“Well, I guess we better find the way out,” said Neil.

They carried on walking again, but after a few minutes Neil stopped.

“Ok, we’re definitely lost now,” said Neil.

“We can’t be,” said Vicky looking all around her.

“Well, we are,” said Neil. “None of the leaves are green. We didn’t come this way.”

“Wait,” said Vicky. The fox had reappeared some twenty meters to her left and was sitting and staring at her again. As soon as she met its gaze it turned away and walked a few paces before turning back and looking at her. For some reason she knew it wanted her to follow.

“It’s that way,” she said.

“How do you know?” asked Neil.

She looked back at him, her eyes focusing on him.

“It feels right,” she said.

Neil shrugged.

“Well, I haven’t got any better ideas. Lead the way.”

He followed her, the trees ahead of them beginning to thin out. Beyond them they could see bright daylight and, as they approached, they found themselves on the edge of a clearing in the middle of the wood surrounded by a ring of older trees. A gnarled and ancient oak tree stood in the center. The trunk was thick and wide at the base, the bark full of cracks and fissures filled with mosses and thick silk from spiders’ webs. Bulbous swellings marked where branches had once been, while a few meters up the great trunk had split in two.

“That’s a very old tree,” said Vicky walking up to it and placing her hands on the rough trunk.

“I bet that’s the dragon’s hideout,” said Neil coming up next to her. “There is a secret doorway in the trunk somewhere. We just have to find it.”

They walked around the misshapen base of the oak letting their hands brush against the bark. Halfway around a natural opening had appeared forming a hole large enough for them to crawl through.

“Wow,” said Neil. “We’ve found it. Let’s go in.”

He crouched down and began to crawl into the entrance. Vicky followed him in, but before she did so she looked around the clearing for the fox, but it was gone, and she felt suddenly afraid.

“I hope there are no spiders in here,” she said as ducked down and found herself in a roughly circular space with just enough room to squat down next to her brother. Without her noticing, he picked up a small thin twig with one hand and began to brush it lightly against his sister’s ear. She twitched and then suddenly screamed, swatting the side of her head and flapping her arms around. “There’s something on me. Get it off. Get it off!”

Neil collapsed into a fit of giggles as he dropped the twig and pointed at her.

“If you could have seen your face,” he managed through his laughter.

Vicky looked at him in disbelief before punching him on the arm.

“I hate you.”

Neil blinked hard, trying to clear the tears of laughter from his eyes. Looking outside, as his vision came back into focus, he froze.

On the other side of the clearing, almost directly opposite them, stood a man. He was dressed in a long, shabby-looking coat, thick greasy hair brushed back to fall onto his shoulders. At his side stood a large black dog that was panting heavily and looking around. It was then that Neil noticed the boy standing a meter or so behind holding a sack and a shovel. The boy was in his early teens, thin and with a malnourished and grubby air about him. He was staring at the ground, a sullen expression on his face.

Tapping Vicky on the shoulder Neil pointed outside. Vicky’s eyes widened as she followed the direction of his gaze. The man was looking down at a notebook held in his hands. He raised his head, dark-colored eyes resting on the oak tree as if looking right at them. The children held their breath. The man looked away then and began to pace slowly around the circle of trees until he was out of sight. Coming back into view he stopped and motioned for the boy to come forward. There was a brief exchange of words, which they could not hear, and then the boy dropped the sack and started digging while the man crouched next to him staring at the earth.

It was then that Vicky noticed movement in her peripheral vision just above her. Letting itself drop down in sudden jerky outlets of silk was a large, fat garden spider, its outstretched furry legs and grotesquely swollen abdomen rotating slowly in the airless interior of the tree trunk. With an abruptness that made her scream, the big arachnid plopped itself down not more than a centimeter from the end of her nose.

Outside three heads snapped up and around to look in their direction. A low rumbling growl reached them as the dog, a one-meter high black Rottweiler, barred its teeth, its nose testing the air trying to pick up a scent. The man rose slowly, turning as he did so until he was facing them. Neil felt his gaze bore straight into him.

The dog began to stalk forward, nose low to the ground, teeth glistening with drool. The growling intensified.

“Come out and I call him off,” called the man, his voice ringing across the clearing.

Neil tried to swallow, his mouth suddenly like sandpaper.

“I think we’re in trouble,” he gasped.

Vicky nodded, hand clamped over her mouth to stop herself screaming, still petrified by the spider in front of her and now the man-eating dog about to tear them limb from limb.

“Who’s there? How did you get in here?” called the man stepping forward slowly, eyes still fixed on them. The dog was now only a few meters away, snorting and snarling in anticipation as it approached.

“Come out or he will drag you out.”

Vicky began to backpedal trying to merge with the back of the tree. She put both her hands out behind her, her right hand meeting solid wood, while her left hand met nothing but thin air. It took a second for her brain to register, and then she twisted round and felt with both her hands while her eyes adjusted to the faint light coming from what looked like a bigger hole in the back of the tree.

“I think there’s another way out,” she said urgently. Neil tore his eyes away from the oncoming beast and looked at his sister.

“Where does it go?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but do you have a better idea?”

“Let’s do it.”

She began to crawl into the hole. As she went further in she could see that the gap twisted round to the right. She followed the curve of the passage, and as she moved forward it became lighter and then she could see daylight and trees, and in a second she was out in the open and scrambling upright. She turned to see Neil’s upturned face looking at her as he began to climb out.

“Run,” he urged her. “Now!”

Vicky took off, with Neil a couple of seconds behind her. As they ran, a volley of barks and viscous snarls came from the other side of the oak. Then they were in the trees and running blind, Vicky still in the lead, and as she ran she saw something orange-red flashing in the undergrowth off to her left. With a shock she realized the fox was back. Without hesitation she changed direction to follow it. Neil was too intent on the barking behind him to worry about where his sister was going, and he followed her as they crashed through undergrowth and suddenly they found themselves back out in the open moorland. On the horizon they could just see the chimney’s of the cottage poking through the surrounding trees.

“There’s the house,” cried Vicky.

“Just keep running,” urged Neil.

They scrambled away from the trees and ran across the heather, the noise of the dog rising in their ears. Neil slipped and fell. Panic rising, he twisted around, half expecting to see the dog leaping onto him, but it did not come.

At the edge of the trees stood the man and he was gripping the back of the dog’s neck, its jaws showing off frighteningly large teeth with every bark, while every fiber of its being strained at the hold, wanting to be set free. Neil could not see the man’s eyes clearly from that distance but he felt them boring into him and the message was clear. He scrambled up and ran on, following his sister’s fleeing figure across the heather.