The Writers' Circle

CHAPTER THREE

Elgrin returned and indicated they follow him outside where Gibron was waiting with four horses.
"I know you both are able to ride," said Elgrin (a further indication of just how much he knew about them) "so from here on the journey should be much easier for you. Gibron will be travelling with us for the rest of the way, but don't worry he's not as frightening as he looks." 
Gibron grinned at Elgrins remark, and now that Gemma and Lewis were able to see him clearly they realised what an imposing figure he was. He had been sitting down with his back to them when they had first seen him, but now as he stood holding the horses it became clear that he was a very tall, and immensely powerful looking man.
His dark hair which he wore in a braided ponytail was contrasted by a pair of light grey eyes, and he had a thick beard which reached his considerable chest where it was gathered and tied with decorative beads. He was dressed in a leather tunic and a pair of suede trousers. Across his back he carried a crossbow and a quiver of arrows and at his side he wore a large sword. Gibron brought forward the horses and Gemma and Lewis could see that two were ponies and obviously meant for them, while the other two were large impressive looking animals.
"As Gemma is the youngest she may have first pick," said Elgrin, "which one will you choose Gemma?" 
Gemma made up her mind immediately, and taking the bridle of the nearest pony to her which was a dapple, she said. "I'll take this one he's very handsome."     
"A good choice," said Elgrin. "You have a good eye for a horse." 
Gemma beamed at the compliment. "He's just like Pepper the pony I learned to ride on, and he had a wonderful temperament."
Lewis took hold of his own charge which was a dark bay with a white star on its forehead and white socks on its hind legs.
"He looks just like Tally; I hope he's as good to ride."
"I'm sure you'll find he is," said Elgrin. "Now if you would all like to mount up we need to be on our way." 

Once they had left the village their route took them alongside the lake. Out in the middle next to an island of reeds a group of fishermen who were casting their nets waved as they passed by. The sun was warm on their backs and a cool breeze blew off the water and once again Gemma found herself captivated by her surroundings.
Turning to Gibron she said, "You must be very happy living in such a beautiful place. We've just moved into a house in the countryside ourselves and its lovely, but it's nothing like this."
Gibron smiled, "Yes you're right I've spent many happy years in this valley."
Gemma was surprised by his voice. Because of his appearance she had somehow expected his manner of speech to be powerful and robust, but instead, though deep his voice was soft, perhaps even gentle. 
Gibron continued, "I hope it will always be so but there may be changes soon to take place."
"Changes," enquired Gemma, "In what way?"
"There are those who would like to see an end to our peace. Beyond these mountains that surround us, there is a powerful ruler who......"
"Who we need not discuss at the moment," interrupted Elgrin. "These are things of which you and Lewis will learn when the time is right."
Gibron obviously chastened changed the subject, and Lewis and Gemma both realized Elgrin must be a person who held a position of authority. As they continued their journey they moved away from the lake and back into the mountains, although the road they were now travelling was nothing like the narrow track that had first brought them into the valley. It was wide enough for them to ride four abreast and Gibron told them this was the way traders transported their goods over the mountain. An hour or so further on they entered a pine forest, and its cool fragrant atmosphere offered a welcome relief to the heat of the afternoon sun. Lewis and Gemma rode either side of Gibron with Elgrin a little ahead of them, and Lewis was fascinated by Gibrons sword.   
"I've never seen a real sword before, at least I've never seen anybody wearing one."
"Do men not carry swords where you come from?" asked Gibron, and his surprise was clear.
"No, they used to in the olden days but not anymore." 
Gibron looked perplexed but Lewis didn't notice, he was far too interested in the weapons Gibron carried. Gemma however did notice, and it occurred to her that although he had been expecting their arrival and new the reason for it, Gibron knew very little else about them or where they came from. Elgrin on the other hand seemed to know everything about them, and this was another clear indication that though he and Gibron may be friends, in status there was a clear gulf between them.
Soon the trees began to thin out and they found themselves in the sunshine once more. Below them the forest stretched out like a sea of green, reaching down to the valley and beyond. Above them now that the trees had reached the limits of their range, the landscape was dominated by coarse grass and huge clusters of mountain flowers attended by hundreds of brightly coloured butterflies. 
Elgrin brought them to a halt. "We can stop here for a rest and something to eat before the last part or the journey."
They all dismounted, and for their part Gemma and Lewis were glad of the opportunity to stretch their legs.
"How are you feeling Gem?" Lewis asked once they were alone together.
"I'm fine Lewis; to be honest I'm beginning to enjoy myself. I know Elgrin said we wouldn't feel any different, but I do. I don't know what it is but I'm beginning to feel almost at home here, and I'm more than a little curious to meet this Lord Miikon to find out what he has to tell us."
"Good for you Gem that's the way I feel too, but if you remember Elgrin only said we wouldn't feel physically any different, but obviously how we feel in our minds is a another matter." 
"You and Gibron seemed to hit it off, he's nothing like as scary as he looks is he?"
"No he's really friendly, he says he has a sword to fit me that I can wear, and he's going to give me some lessons on how to use it."
"What on earth do you need a sword for?"
"Gibron said all the men here wear swords."
Gemma decided not to point out to Lewis that it would be a few years yet before he was a man, she just said, Elgrin doesn't."
"Elgrins different" said Lewis, "I think he must be a priest or something the way he's dressed."
"There's more to it than that Lewis, haven't you noticed that Gibron knows almost nothing about us while Elgrin seems to know everything, right down to the size of our clothes. Even the horses, don't you think it strange that they are so much like Pepper and Tally? I bet Elgrin arranged for us to have them."
"You're right Gem, now I think about it that is quite a coincidence."
Elgrin watched them talking, as he had watched them since first he met them on the sacred mountain, and he knew that changes were already taking place within them. He was also aware of their different attributes. Gemma even at her age was blessed with the gift of insight, and that allied with a keen intelligence meant that she had great potential. His only concern was that she may be too young for her gifts to develop fully. Lewis on the other hand was of an ideal age, he was courageous with an enquiring mind though a little inclined to be impulsive, but this was something that could be controlled. All in all Elgrin was satisfied with his two young charges potential to become powerful seers. He knew however that even with their help the outcome of the events that were about to unfold were still very much in the balance. 
A little later their lunch break finished the foursome began the final leg of their journey. The climb was steeper now, and although the sun was still high in the sky the greater altitude kept the temperature to a pleasant level, and made their trek a more comfortable one. After about half an hour they reached a fork in the road. To the right the road remained wide and began to level out whereas that to the left became narrower and continued to climb. This was the route they took.
"We will need to travel in single file from here on" said Elgrin, "but it will cut our journey time by half." 
For the next hour they continued mainly in silence and below them they were now able to see why the other route was so much longer. As it followed the contour of the mountainside it formed a great arc around a huge outcrop of rock before finally disappearing around the other side of the mountain. Soon the road they were travelling had levelled out and was beginning to descend steadily.
Gibron who was bringing up the rear called encouragingly, "just a few more miles and we will be within sight of Panidonia."
"Panidonia, enquired Lewis."
"Journeys end young sir, journeys end.
The track was quite steep now and Lewis and Gemma were grateful for the surefootedness of their ponies which travelled with consummate ease along the tricky surface. Quite suddenly the road levelled out and they found themselves on a huge open area which was covered in massive slabs of rock that looked as though they had been torn from the mountainside by some unseen giant hand. As they continued Lewis began to feel strangely unsettled without knowing why. He could see by the landscape that whatever the course of the carnage may have been it was in the distant past, but the feeling persisted. Then as they passed another massive piece of rock Lewis suddenly understood his feelings. Swinging around in his saddle he called out a warning. 
"Gibron look out behind you."
   Gibron reacted with lightening reflexes, but despite his speed it was not enough to avoid the arrow that came hurtling toward him, burying itself into his shoulder. It was enough however, to save his life. The arrow had been fired at such close range that had it hit him in the back, Gibron would almost certainly have been fatally wounded. His assailant now came running at him with raised sword, and he was not alone, behind him was an accomplice. Gibron had now drawn his own sword, but his movement was restricted by his injury. Elgrin jumped from his horse and was about to come to Gibrons assistance when he himself was confronted by two men who had appeared from the other side of the rock.                          
Gemma and Lewis looked on in horror, Gibron and Elgrin were outnumbered two to one, Elgrin didn't carry a weapon and Gibron was injured. The situation looked desperate. It was now they found out why Elgrin carried a staff. In one easy movement he spun around and taking the first man by surprise he brought him a crashing blow to the wrist sending his sword flying from his hand. Before the man could regain his balance the other end of Elgrins staff landed firmly in his midriff sending the air from his lungs. With bulging eyes he dropped to the ground and rolled off the road and down a bed of shale no longer a threat. Despite Gibrons injury he was more than holding his own, and now having lost the element of surprise and one of their number, at a signal from their leader their attackers were gone as suddenly as they had appeared.    
Once they were sure that there was no further danger Elgrin began to examine Gibrons wound and he could see that though nasty the injury was not life threatening. The arrow had passed through the fleshy part of the upper arm and was protruding from the other side, but Gibrons ability to use his sword to such effect indicated that there was no bone damage.
"You've been lucky Gibron, but this arrow needs to be removed so that I can treat the wound." Elgrin returned to his horse and removed some items from his saddlebag and laid them out by Gibron. "Thankfully the arrow is through the other side so the job is half done; I'll do what I can to help with the pain." He took the stopper from a stone jar and poured a pungent smelling liquid onto a cloth and then applied it to Gibrons arm. "Are you ready?" Gibron nodded his assent. Elgrin took hold of the shaft of the arrow and pushed until the arrowhead was clear of the arm.
Lewis and Gemma, looking on morbid fascination saw beads of sweat appear on Gibrons forehead as he clenched his teeth against the pain.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Gemma seeing Gibrons ashen face.
Elgrin looked closely at Gemma before answering. "I'm going to pull the arrow out from the other side, are you sure you'll be alright?" Gemma nodded. "Then if you will take the cloth and hold it to the wound as I remove the arrow, it will help stop the bleeding."
What Gemma really wanted to do was somehow relieve Gibrons pain, but in reality the sooner the arrow was removed the better for Gibron. She held the cloth firmly against the wound as Elgrin worked to remove the arrow all the time willing Gibron not to feel the pain, and then it was over and Gemma sighed with relief. Blood started to seep through the cloth and Gemma exerted more pressure while looking anxiously at Gibron hoping she wasn't hurting him further, but now that the missile had been removed Gibron was clearly much more comfortable. Elgrin continued his work. First he tightly tied a thin piece of rope above the wound in order to stop the bleeding, and then he told Gemma to remove the cloth she held to Gibrons arm. He washed the wound with some of their drinking water and then opened another jar which contained an ointment. He applied a generous amount into both wounds and then bound the arm with strips of cloth. Finally he loosened the rope enough to allow some blood to circulate through the arm.
"Well done Gemma that was a big help."
Gibron opened his eyes, "and well done Lewis he saved the day. If he hadn't spotted that archer things would have turned out very differently."
Elgrin looked thoughtfully at Lewis. "Unless I'm mistaken I don't think you did see him did you?"
Lewis shook his head. "No I didn't, well at least not with my eyes I just seemed to see him in my mind. Is this to be one of my powers?"
Elgrin nodded, "It's the beginning and we're grateful for it, had their ambush succeeded those robbers wouldn't have hesitated to kill us. I must apologise for exposing you to such danger, this is not a route normally troubled by outlaws. I think it would be wise for us to be on our way, Gibron are you able to continue?"
"It will take more than something like this to stop me," he replied making light of his injury, but Gemma could sense his pain and she knew that the rest of the journey would test his strength.
They all remounted and continued on their way and before very long the track they were following rejoined the road they had left a few hours earlier. Lewis and Gemma were now able to ride together and talk again.
"How scary was that?" said Gemma. "I really thought we were in big trouble there."
"Me too but did you see the way Elgrin used that staff, I've never seen anyone move so fast. You were right Gem there's a lot more to Elgrin than meets the eye."
"How did you know to warn Gibron?"
"I don't really know but as we started to get near the place we were attacked I began to feel strange, uneasy I suppose, and then I sort of got a picture in my head and I knew what was going to happen."
"What do you suppose they were after Lewis?"
"How do you mean?"
"Well to be lying in wait like that."
"You heard what Elgrin said, they were thieves."
"But we weren't carrying anything of value."
"They didn't know that, and nor for that matter do you."
"Well how did they know we were coming, they wouldn't have just been waiting there on the off chance that someone might come along."
"They were probably some place where they could see us coming. What are you getting at Gem?"
"I don't really know, it just seems odd that's all."
They continue on their way Elgrin still in front with Gibron bringing up the rear, until on rounding a bend there in front of them was the city of Panidonia. Gemma and Lewis were both fascinated. It was built at the base of a huge perpendicular rock face, and the houses as with the village in the valley were built of local stone, but unlike those houses their roofs were of slate and tiles. The streets ran like the spokes of a wheel from a large central square, and it was there that they could see most of the activity, for at its heart was a market place that thronged with people. What really caught their attention however was that the rock face itself was honeycombed with homes, making it look like a giant apartment block. Stone walkways serviced these cliff face houses and they in turn were linked by a series of stairs, while at intervals along the rock face were wooden frameworks that reached to the topmost dwellings. Gemma finally found her voice. "What an amazing place, I've never seen anything like it before, what are those wooden structures for?"  
"They're lifting platforms," replied Elgrin. Grain is kept in storehouses built within the mountainside where it's cool and that is how it is taken there, that and anything else that is too heavy to be carried." Lewis wanted to know how they were operated.
"Very soon you will see for yourself for we shall be using one of them when we arrive."Elgrin dropped behind them now and walked his horse alongside Gibron. "How are feeling old friend?"
"Better than I should you, did a fine job Elgrin," he hesitated before he continued. "Our attackers were not outlaws were they?"
"No they were almost certainly Mordrus' men."
"Then it was the children they were after."
Elgrin nodded, "Had they succeeded the consequences would have been disastrous. Should Mordru have convinced them that he had rescued rather than abducted them then he would have had their power at his disposal to use with that of his own seer. There could only have been one outcome." 
"How did they know of our whereabouts?"
"Mordrus' network of spies grows ever stronger; we must become even more vigilant?"
"Then we owe more than just our lives to Lewis."
"A great deal more, his powers are growing faster than I had dared hope. Should Gemma also achieve her potential then there is real cause to feel optimistic about the future."
"It may well be that you are entitled to that optimism."
Elgrin looked enquiringly, "Meaning?"
"When you were removing that arrow, from the moment Gemma held the cloth to my arm the pain was greatly reduced."
"You think she may be a healer?"
"That's not for me to say, but there was a definite flow of energy from her to me."
Elgrin became lost in thought, healers were rare and if that was one of Gemma's gifts then she had the potential to become very powerful indeed. These and other thoughts were running through Elgrins mind as they rode toward Panidonia