Sauragia: Journey to the Red Mountain

Chapter 21

Oric let out a sigh of exhaustion as he stopped to look around, then held up a claw to signal a halt. His dinosaurs stopped on cue.

“We’ll rest here for the night,” he proclaimed. “We should reach the River Andarus early tomorrow morning and have it crossed by midday. After that it’s a straight shot to the mountains.” He paused and looked at his three captives, who were as hateful toward their tormentor as ever, despite their weary limbs. “Your new home!”

“You’ll never get there alive,” stated Arnor firmly.

“Then neither will you, brat,” retorted Oric calmly. He then turned towards his fellows to issue rapid orders. “Set a watch over the prisoners and get the tents up. I have a feeling tonight won’t be as pleasant as last. Bandor, scout ahead and see what the terrain looks like out there. Gather what information you can, then come back and rest, understand?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Excellent.”

With matters settled, the Red One retired to a hill a little apart from the rest of his band to think. Bandor took Reddi with him on his scouting run and two were chosen to guard the captives. The rest went about their camp-building tasks silently as they had since the night before. Normally they would have been very chatty after a successful raid. They would talk without end about the loot they had gotten and how they would spend it, and sometimes what they would do when they felt they had gathered enough to retire. There would be talk of fine houses, grand farmsteads, and fancy garments to be worn on any occasion. But there was none of that talk now.

They did not know why, but they still did not feel as confident as usual. The only “loot” they had attained this time was in the form of a crown and three stubborn hatchlings who Oric promised would bring them all the riches of a kingdom. But to them, promises of wealth were simply not as good as actual, tangible gold and silver. And of course, although Oric had ransomed children before, they had never been royalty, and they did not find the idea of an entire kingdom chasing them very alluring. Still, no one said any of this out loud. It was just a feeling, after all.

Sitting around together in a clearing so they could be more easily watched, the three siblings exchanged worried looks. A whole day had passed with no sign of their parents coming after them. What if Oric was right and the Saurahallers really didn’t know which way they had gone? What if there really was no one coming after them? And what if they never saw their family or friends again? Their minds were filled with a hundred what-ifs, all of them unpleasant. In an attempt to bolster his siblings’ spirits, Arnor spoke words of encouragement to them softly.

“Don’t fret,” he said. “Dad will come for us. You’ll see.”

“I know he will,” spoke Frederik. “But what happens then? How will he rescue us?”

“Well…” Arnor thought about it a minute. “With his sword, of course! He’s Defender of the Realm.”

Frederik regarded his brother with a hint of doubt. “But there must be twenty of them. How could he take them all on alone?”

“He’ll bring help, of course. Yes, he’ll probably bring Rob along, and maybe Lieutenant Harrison and the entire Saurahall Guard besides! They’ll show up just in time and chop up this lot into tiny little pieces, then take us back home.”

“That only happens in stories,” stated Rose.

“Does not!” Arnor barked back fiercely.

“Hey! No talking over there!” one of the bandits yelled at them.

The three siblings resumed silence and huddled together for warmth on what was becoming a rather chilly evening. Arnor nevertheless whispered a few final words of encouragement to his brother and sister.

“We’ll be all right,” he said. “Remember what dad always tells us. The Creator looks after those who seek Him out. All we have to do is ask for His guidance.”

“Then let’s do that now,” whispered Frederik. “Together.”

Thus, in the fading light of day, as weariness from the hours of marching overtook them, the youngsters linked foreclaws and bowed their heads in whispered prayer. Afterward they all felt much better. And just before drifting off, Arnor realized that, although his siblings were both older, he had become the big brother to them all.

Darkness fell, and it was followed by light rain. Oric ordered a tent put up over the captives to keep them from getting wet, then went off to take some rest in his own small, personal tent. Unlike the children, however, his sleep was sporadic at best, and plagued with terrible nightmares about things he had done in the past. It was all that remained of his long-ago shattered conscience. He was used to such nightmares, as he had had them before. But this night he experienced one that was entirely new.

All alone he stood in a cold, dark chamber. Shafts of moonlight penetrated the room from windows unseen, casting an eerie glow across the stone floor and walls. He walked along in this silent world, looking about from left to right as though searching for something. A way out, most likely. But as he searched the gloom, he saw there was no way out: only forward and back. He maintained his composure, but emitted a nervous laugh.

Then he heard it.

It was faint at first, but steadily grew. It was the sound of claws clicking on the stone floor. Not his own claws—he had mastered the art of walking quietly—but someone else’s. Someone with an uneven gait. He did not like in the least the idea of someone following him, and moved a little quicker. Still the sound followed him. He dared not look back as he proceeded to move ever faster, then broke into a full-scale run. Panic flowed through him like never before. He was the master of outlaws! No one could outrun or outsmart him. There had to be a way out! But he just kept running, certain that he would lose the unseen pursuer soon. Yet, the clawsteps only got nearer until his ear slits were ringing with nothing else.

Suddenly he found himself up against a dead-end wall. There were no windows or doors: just solid stonework. How could this happen? He could not be cornered. It was simply impossible! The sound came from right behind him now and he finally dared to turn around. The sound stopped, and there stood the silhouette of another dinosaur. Who it was he could not tell, but its outline seemed faintly familiar. Looking up, it spoke in a rough voice:

“Luck’s run out, Red One. Time to pay up.”

The familiar stranger hobbled closer. Oric wanted to give a retort, but the words died in his throat. He wanted to grab his knives, but his arms wouldn’t move. He was rooted in place by sheer terror. Wide-eyed, he watched the figure draw a blade and raise it to strike. He did not want to die! There was a bright flash like lightning in the night, then all went black for the Red One.

Rising from his nightmare with a terrible cry, Oric sat up. He instantly looked around to make sure nobody had heard him, then tried to catch his breath. He was sweating profusely despite the relative cold of the night, which was still drizzling. Lying back down, he placed a claw on the hilt of one of his knives. Thank goodness it was still there. He felt much better.

Still, he could not think of going back to sleep. Not after a dream like that. So, calmly and quietly he lay back, thinking of anything to forget it as he waited out the damp, chilly night.

Bard stared pensively into the fire, his reflections taking him back through many years and many places. The pursuing party had likewise stopped to rest for the night beneath an outcropping at the top of a glade, and were mostly busy delving through their ration packs and building the fire to combat the chill. As soon as his place was ready, however, Bard had taken to his current occupation of sitting and thinking. Astron took notice, and upon getting the fire going, sat down next to the old fighter.

“What’s on your mind, Bard?” he asked.

“Nothin’ much. Naught beyond the ordinary, anyway.” He sighed. “For me, life is pretty much long ago and far away.”

“Well, it seems to me you’ll have some new adventures to add to your repertoire by the time we’re done, old boy,” said Rob, who had taken charge of making a thick soup from some of their rations. “But seeing’s how it’s positively dreadful out tonight, perhaps you could entertain us all with one of your previous forays.”

“Ooh, yes, I like stories!” said Arro.

“Didn’t you say you spent some time in the Star Point Isles?” pressed Rob.

“I did,” replied Bard with a nod. “Never had a dull moment up there, let me tell you.”

“We’d be glad to hear one about that,” urged Astron gently, likewise interested now. “If you’re willing to tell, of course.”

“Oh, sure. But now let’s see. There’s the rat in the tavern cellar, the Skaarosaur tomb, the time I accidentally let a dangerous criminal loose…”

“Accidentally!” repeated Rob in horror.

“Well…Not accidentally per se, but…It’s all rather complicated. I did recapture him eventually. And anyway, those are all minor incidents compared to the quest to save the false princess.”

“False princess?” repeated Astron with wonder.

“Aye.”

“What made her false?” asked Rob.

“Well, she was a princess of sorts, but not in the way you usually think of. Not like your Alyssa, mate.” He nodded toward Astron.

“Ooh, this one sounds excitin’!” spoke Arro. “I wanna’ ‘ear that un.”

“Me too,” concurred Astron, and Rob nodded his approval of their choice as well. So, Bard began:

“Well, as you may know, the Star Point Isles ain’t exactly what one would call densely populated. They’ve got their towns, sure, but they’re not nearly as big or numerous as the ones you’ve got here. Anyway, most o’ the islands are ruled by an ancient order o’ monk types. Druids, they call themselves. They were the first settlers there, an’ the folks who came after pretty much abide by their rules.”

“What’s this got to do with a princess?” interrupted Arro.

“Be quiet, you little rapscallion, and I’m sure we’ll find out,” said Rob, cuffing him across the ear slit.

“Now,” Bard continued, “these druids are a secretive lot, despite being the rulers, so I didn’t really encounter ‘em right off. That is until I came to hear about this band of old fellows in a town called Kirkdale. What their real names were, I don’t know, but they all called themselves Bodin.”

“Odd name, that,” commented Rob quietly.

“Odd fellows, too. They all dressed the same and talked about this wonderful princess they’d sworn allegiance to, and how she was the true ruler of the islands. They said the druids had forced her family out o’ power long ago, and that she was now living as their prisoner locked in a tower in the druid capital. Anyone who wanted access to her would have to go through them first.

“Naturally I was interested, but suspicious too. Still, she was rather pretty from the portrait they had of her, and more importantly to me at the time, she was said to be rich beyond reason. Only she knew the location of the family treasure hoard, so of course she’d have to be rescued before I could get at this wealth. So nat’rally, bein’ a restless young buck with no sense o’ responsibility, I took up the quest to rescue the lovely damsel.”

“Did you go an’ slay lots o’ nasty druids, Mister Bard, sir?” asked Arro.

“Not right away. See, as I found out sev’ral times throughout my quest, the Bodins never told me everything up front. So as soon as I’d accepted the quest, they told me that there were actually four towers, an’ that each one housed the key to opening the next.”

“What in the world?” exclaimed a puzzled Astron.

“Exactly what I thought,” concurred Bard. “But it worked like this: When the druids brought down the royal family, they also separated the heirlooms of the royal house, which were the symbols of their status an’ power. When they were brought together, the wielder could rightfully claim rulership over the Star Point Islands without contest. I wasn’t exactly sure how it all worked then, and I’m still not sure now. Their customs are very different from those around here, that’s all I know.

“Anyway, the towers were each built in a manner that would keep everything in, but also keep everyone else out unless he knew the secret to getting inside. There were only two sets of plans to these towers. One complete set was kept at the central tower, and the other was scattered between the other three. Thus, along with a relic, the top of each tower held a chest with the location of the entrance to the next tower, as well as how to get in.”

“Sounds awfully complicated, old boy,” said Rob.

Bard just shrugged. “Like I said, they’re different up there. They had to make it hard for the princess’s followers to get to her, yet not impossible for them to gather these items if they needed them themselves. But somehow the Bodins had got hold of the key to the first tower in the forest on the main island. So, I ventured there, fighting all sorts of strange creatures along the way. From wolves to placerias, and of course hostile dinos. But anyway I made it there. I found the entrance on the side in the form of a trap door, and got in with the key the Bodins had filched for me.

“Now, no one had exactly told me what to expect inside, so I was hardly prepared for what came next. There were three stories to all these towers, and on entering the first, I was faced with a virtual maze of shrubbery an’ prickly bushes, as well as a number o’ strange creatures who lived in it all. Well, long story short, I made me way to the top to find a druid chief who’d chosen to live there in solitude and guard the artifact with ‘is life. He was a strange sort, wearin’ naught but rags he’d fashioned from the plants growin’ inside the tower. But he was horribly fast, let me tell you. Shot poisoned darts out of a blow straw an’ nearly got me a couple o’ times. But in the end, I bested ‘im, an’ the first artifact, a sceptre, was mine. Along with the location of the next tower’s entrance, o’ course.”

“Where was the next one?” asked Astron, completely transfixed.

“Was it dreadfully far?” pressed Rob.

“By Star Point standards, yes,” replied Bard. “It was in the mountains on the very north tip o’ the island. O’ course, the mountains there are pretty steep with few usable passes. Bein’ a newcomer there, I wasn’t aware of any of ‘em at the time. So, I went back to Kirkdale, only to find a band o’ Skaarosaurs were attackin’ the place. Well, I rushed in an’ managed to find one o’ the Bodins, but he got an arrow through the middle right as we were escapin’ that proved too much for him. So, once we were a safe distance away, I let him down near a tree trunk, where he told me the location of a pass that led under the mountain through a bunch o’ caves. Well, he expired shortly thereafter, an’ so I ventured north alone.

“The mountains were just as cold as I’d expected, an’ I’d o’ never made it through that time o’ year if I hadn’t found the caves old Bodin told me about. I came in through an old side door that had been long iced over, hackin’ through it without much concern. As it turned out, the caverns were the sight of a bunch o’ Skaarosaurus tombs from a band that had settled there long before. Yet another unpleasant surprise the Bodins hadn’t told me about. It was rather fascinatin’ and all, seein’ so many elaborate structures built to house their dead, along with a number o’ rare treasures and items. Normally I’d have helped meself to some, but I figured it might be bad luck to take Skaarosaur burial treasure, so I passed it up.”

“Wise move, that,” commented Rob. “Not right robbing the dead.”

“Yeah. Anyway, there were all sorts o’ strange things down there, fortunately none of ‘em living. Still, I nearly jumped out o’ me skin when I came face to face with the frozen carcass of a huge sea lizard. It was one o’ those things you hear about in legends, only real. Eyes as big as your head an’ a mouth full o’ teeth the size o’ knives. I’d hate to go swimmin’ in the sea with somethin’ like that on the loose, let me tell you.

“So, I went through the pass, and eventually came out pretty near the second tower. This one was built in an Evandrian style. In fact, the fellows guarding it dressed and acted very much like the Evandrians of old. Their leader, a big brute named Mutus, was a big admirer of Evandria, an’ modelled his whole army after ‘em, with funding from the druids, o’ course. Anyhow, I once again had to fight my way up, where I bested this Mutus one-on-one. He wasn’t any easier to deal with than the first guardian, but I nabbed the crown he was keeping, along with the entrance location and the key for the third tower. So, off I went again.

“This time, I actually had to pass through the druids’ own city to get where I needed to go, and by this time I was on their most wanted list. They tried to ambush me on my way down from the mountains, but luckily a friendly hermit warned me o’ their presence and told me to pass through at night when they wouldn’t see me. I owe that fellow my life, and a hundred others like him, it seems.

“The city was on an island of its own, connected to the surrounding islands by a series of bridges. I crossed one bridge and arrived there at night. I was let in by the rather gullible guards, then passed through to the other side by daybreak. From there I passed onto another small island, where I hired a boat at a Skaarosaur settlement to take me to the island of the third tower. They tried to buy the secret entrance location from me so they could storm it themselves, as they’d tried to do before without success. But I wanted the reward of saving the princess all to myself, so I greedily kept it from them. Rather foolish thing to do, as it turned out.”

“Why’s that?” asked Astron.

“Because the druids had anticipated my arrival there, too. I had to fight my way to the tower entrance, and once I was inside they sealed it so I couldn’t get out again.”

“How did you escape?” asked Rob.

“Well, after I once again worked my way to the top o’ this big, rocky fortress an’ killed the big monster the druids had placed there…”

“Monster?”

Bard nodded. “Aye. It was a huge, hideous Pterosaur. One o’ them really big ancient types. I have to tell you, to this day I wonder how they managed to get him up there, an’ besides that how they convinced him to work for ‘em. After I collected the ring from beneath a floor stone, I caught the attention of a passing band o’ Fliers, an’ luckily they were friendly. See, they hated this big monster, who guarded the waters for miles around to keep the fish there all for himself, and they were gonna’ take him out themselves. They were so grateful, one of ‘em volunteered to carry me wherever I wanted to go in exchange for ridding the skies of that menace.

“So, I headed back to the druid town, where they were nat’rally awaitin’ me. With my Flier friends, I made short work o’ the host they put at the gate to greet me, then went inside. I again had to fight my way up, floor by floor.” He shook his head. “I dunno how they did it, but those druids really maintained a massive army to protect their islands. Must o’ been mercenaries, though where they got the money to hire ‘em all I’ll never know—like so many things about the Star Point Isles.

“Well, when I got to the top, carrying all three items in my pack, I finally found her: the most gorgeous specimen of Alvarosaurus I’d ever seen at the time. She was locked up in a cage. A big, luxurious cage, but a cage nonetheless. So, I approached to hand her the relics when a voice called out to me to stop.

“I turned and found the head of the druid order, a dino by the name of Nexus, walkin’ toward me. Nat’rally I had a few choice words for him after all he’d put me through, but he simply repeated his order to stop, then proceeded to tell me that this princess was actually a r****e-rouser and a follower o’ dark cults who’d been gatherin’ followers for years in an attempt to overthrow the druid order an’ take control o’ the islands. They’d been forced to imprison her for everyone’s own protection. The royal artifacts I’d collected were actually sacred relics that were believed to hold great power.

“Mind you these druids were a superstitious lot, an’ they believed every bit in dark magic, as well as their own light magic. They also had a prophecy that if she was let loose, all the islands would be covered in shadow for a thousand years.”

“That’s quite a stretch, I must say,” said Rob.

“Aye indeed. And after I’d thought about it a while, I realized that the whole thing was too good to be true. I’d been used, in fact, by this princess and her followers in order to get hold of the three ancient artifacts so they could rule the islands.”

“What on earth did you do?” asked Astron.

“The only thing I could do,” replied Bard simply. “I couldn’t undo the harm I’d inflicted, but I could keep from performing the final rite of giving her the relics. So, I gave the relics to Nexus, an’ went to bid the princess farewell. She turned in an instant from the most beautiful creature to the most horrid hag you’ve ever seen. She started screamin’ an’ kickin’ an’ throwin’ curses of every nature at me from behind her bars. I’ve never seen the like, and I hope I never do again. I offered to kill her right there for Nexus, but he refused, sayin’ that as long as she did not have the relics, she could never legally rise to power. So, I said my goodbyes to him an ‘ prepared to leave, when all of a sudden the princess somehow broke free of her cage an’ lunged at me with a dagger. I dunno how she did it, but luckily my wits were keen, and I turned just in time.

“I drew my sword by instinct an’ pointed it at her. She ran right onto it.” He sighed. “That was one insane witch, but at least it was over. Nexus agreed it was probably for the better, an’ he walked me out personally.”

Bard looked around at his rapt listeners. “I kept a low profile after that, an’ stayed on the more remote islands until I decided to leave for good. But whatever challenges I face in life, I have only to look back on that an’ realize just how easy I’ve got it.”

Absolute silence ensued. Rob and Astron regarded each other in silent accord that the sum of their adventures combined would never equal the excitement that this one battered old Alvarosaurus had faced in his life. Arro was a little drowsy after the long narration, and looked quite ready for sleep. Finally Rob shook his head in wonder and spoke:

“Such daring! Such absolute courage! You’ll never cease to amaze me with your exploits, Bard old chap.”

“Is it all true?” asked Astron.

“Well, most of it, anyway,” said Bard with a wink. “But all good stories need a little bit of embellishin’, I think.”

Astron smiled a bit. “So do I. But just now, I think it’s high time we turned in for the evening.”

“Agreed!” spoke Rob, looking to Arro. “Come on, young un. Off to bed with you.”

And within mere minutes they were sound asleep, dreaming of the heroic deeds that lay ahead of them on their current, less fantastical quest.