Disclaimer: see previous chapters
Author's Note: Yes I am going to be very mean to some of my companions in this chapter, yes, they are all going to hate me for it, no I don't really care, it was fun to write! A special thanks to Adrienne D., who has proofread and generally helped me out (especially when it comes to horseback riding). I would have been thoroughly lost if you hadn't! Hope you all are enjoyin' the story! Keep reading and reviewing! Thanx a bunch to all who have! CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM WELCOME! (That's an order).
The Journey Begins
With a last sharp tug, Adrienne cinched the girth strap tightly, and mounted her horse, Andar, in one swift movement. She watched from her high perch as the others prepared their own mounts. Elissa was the last to mount up on her gray mare, Rain. It seemed she was forgetting the lessons Adrienne had given her. When Elissa tried to lift herself onto the mare's back, the loosely adjusted saddle slid down its side, her foot still tangled in the stirrup. She crashed to the ground, getting dragged a few feet by the frightened horse. Adrienne dismounted and was at her side in a moment, steadying the mare and helping Elissa to regain her own balance. Once everyone was calmed down, Adrienne showed Elissa again how to adjust the girth strap so that it was tight enough. The mare, sensing the air of excitement before a journey and apparently not liking the idea, had held her breath while Elissa was tightening the strap, then let it out after the girl was finished, so that it was too loose. However, with Adrienne's help Elissa was soon securely in the saddle on top of the mare, and they set out.
A week had passed since Erin first awakened. The country through which they now traveled was not strikingly beautiful, consisting of browned undergrowth and leafless trees whose upper branches crisscrossed the drab, grey sky like cobwebs in need of a dusting. That dusting was being performed by a chilly breeze that whistled among the lifeless trunks, blowing Adrienne's long, wavy auburn hair into her face.
As she swatted it out of her eyes for the millionth time that morning, her gaze fell upon the leader of their small company. Allanon rode like a huge black pillar upon his similarly dark horse, Midnight, lending an aura of strength and confidence to the others. His cowl was drawn up, and his cloak was wrapped tightly about his large frame, so that he appeared like some mysterious rogue. Even for Adrienne, there was still one question that could never be answered about the Druid: Who was he? Only Erin had any real idea. The books Adrienne had read of the Four Lands said very little of Allanon, and more of his adopted father Bremen. Such unanswered questions had swiftly led to feelings of distrust for many of the party, notions that were hard to dispel once they were formed.
Behind him rode Elissa, who seemed even tinier than usual compared to the giant ahead of her. The breeze played with her shoulder-length blond hair as it swayed back and forth across her slender back. Slim, pale hands reached up to brush the golden locks away from her face. She wore, as did all the girls except for Erin, a tan-colored tunic and leggings given to her by the Stoors, and a short sword which hung at her left side. Next in line came her twin, Amanda, riding directly before Adrienne. The Kana twins were identical in appearance except for the single fact that Amanda was slightly taller. With their small build, neither twin was particularly strong, though they had good endurance, being long-distance runners for the track team at school. However, both twins had a tendency to be high-strung, pessimistic, and quick to blame themselves for everything, and this had been revealed rather suddenly to the hapless Druid. Adrienne smiled as she remembered the outbursts they had subjected poor Allanon to during their week in Storlock.
Then again, Adrienne thought, he has a lot of experience with angry, distrustful people, if this was the same way things happened back in his world.
With a small sigh, Adrienne risked a glance backwards to make certain the rest of the line was keeping up. Sarah met her gaze first, her large brown eyes the same color as the plain, straight hair that hung halfway down her back. She was not as skinny as the twins, but by no means unfit. Being a member of the color guard at school had gotten her in shape very quickly. Compared to the twins Sarah was much harder to provoke, but she could be just as antagonistic as them when she chose to, as Allanon had also discovered. Poor Allanon is discovering a lot of reasons why it wasn't necessarily a good idea to bring five teenagers along on this expedition, thought Adrienne with a small smile. Sarah returned the grin briefly, then concentrated once more on controlling her rather spirited horse.
Next in line rode Erin on a tan-colored horse named Elba. Erin was, perhaps, one of Adrienne's closest friends, and yet Adrienne felt now that she barely knew the girl who rode as rearguard of their little company. Once more in her Leah form, Erin carried the Sword of Leah strapped to her back, along with a quiver of black-fletched arrows and a long ash bow. A knife hung from a belt at her left side. She wore clothing suited to a person of the wilderness, brown tunic and leggings and sturdy moccasin-type boots that would be soundless if stealth was required. Her wavy brown hair hung just below her shoulders, and her blue eyes scanned the underbrush about them for small game to supplement their food supplies. The image of Erin as she now traveled was disconcerting when compared to what she had always been. The friend Adrienne had always known seemed to be gone, fled into some dark corner of Erin's mind, her endearing naiveté replaced by a wisdom and maturity well beyond her fourteen years. She still joked and laughed with the others, just not with the same wild, carefree abandon that she once displayed. But somehow Adrienne knew, deep within her heart, that none of them would walk away from this experience unchanged.
Not even Allanon.
* * *
An hour before nightfall, Allanon called a halt. The Druid stalked into the trees without a word, though only Erin seemed to really pay any attention. The others were all too busy sliding down from their saddles, groaning in pain as feeling was restored to their legs in the form of pins and needles. After a few minutes of rest, everyone had determined they were able to stand and walk without collapsing in pain, so Erin took charge.
"All right! Let's get this camp set up! I'll work on dinner. Sarah, you get a fire going. Elissa and Amanda, you can take care of the horses, and Adrienne can refill the waterskins." With that, everyone burst into movement.
Erin went to her horse, gathering the rabbits she had managed to kill during the course of the day, and sat down near a large, flat stone to do her work. She skinned and cleaned the animals with precise, sure flicks of her knife, then chopped the meat into small pieces and tossed them into a pot she had collected from another pack. While she went about her work, Erin watched her companions as they labored to complete their own tasks. She found herself barely able to stifle a laugh.
Elissa and Amanda had eventually succeeded, with great difficulty, in relieving the horses of their heavy packs and saddles, which had been piled in a great heap next to a conveniently placed log. Once the horses could be coaxed from the snacks they were currently enjoying, the twins led them to the log and tied them up, making certain they would not stray. Then the girls found the horses' nosebags and allowed them their dinner, which the horses seemed grateful to accept.
Adrienne had retrieved the six waterskins from the packs and trudged off towards the nearest stream, which they had crossed roughly ten minutes before they halted for the evening. She actually managed to get them all filled with no trouble, suffering only stiff, icy hands from exposing them to the water and then to the frigid February air. However, she soon discovered that getting back to camp with all six waterskins intact was going to be a formidable challenge. It nearly became an accepted fact that it was impossible for her to carry them all in her frozen, unresponsive hands. And to add insult to injury, the fading light was making it extremely difficult for her limited—wait, no, nonexistent—tracking skills to find the trail leading back to the others. When Adrienne finally stumbled into camp, she was stopping nearly every step to pick up a dropped waterskin, She deposited them with a loud, sloshing thud on top of the mound of packs Elissa and Amanda had already established.
Sarah had started off quite well, gathering a very large pile of firewood of which she was extremely proud. As she went to the packs to gather flint and stone, she stopped near Erin, who was still busily working with her knife. "Since when did you know how to do that?" she asked Erin.
Erin responded without looking up. "I'm not sure I understand it myself, but I think it's something like this: when Allanon gave me this form, he also gave me the knowledge that any Prince of Leah would have had. That includes taking care of myself in the wild and how to handle my weapons. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance against the Skull Bearers, sword or not."
Sarah nodded in reply, and turned back towards the packs. She found the flint and a wonderful little flat rock to strike it against. Now came the hard part: lighting it. Sarah had tried, time after time, to guide the infrequent sparks towards the towering mound of firewood, but the stubborn little things just refused to obey. She had even tried begging them, but even her impassioned pleas had not succeeded. After Adrienne had sat around for quite some time watching her friend wrestle with the impudent sparks, she joined Sarah near the impressive stack of firewood. On the second try she managed to send a spark hurtling into it, and the wood immediately caught. Soon there was a cheery fire burning for all to warm themselves by, a chance which the company quickly took advantage of.
Erin finished with preparing the meat for her stew, then retrieved some vegetables and added them to the pot. She poured in a little water from one of the waterskins, and set up a device to hang it over the fire. Once it finished cooking, Erin served it out in some wooden bowls she had managed to find, to the great enjoyment of all.
Five bowls of stew later, the party sat about the warm fire, the cold night closing in about them like invisible walls of ice. There was no wind, and the silence of the surrounding forest made them whisper as they talked amongst themselves. The conversation wandered from topic to topic, insignificant gossip merely shared to pass the time and keep them from thinking about their journey. Adrienne's mind drifted, her gaze centered on the dancing flames before her, eyes glazed over as she wandered in past times and distant places. Eventually, her thoughts turned to the evening before.
The door shut with a soft thud behind Adrienne as Erin led her friend into the room. Adrienne sank into the nearest chair, still wondering what was so urgent that Erin would compromise sleep for conversation. Her confusion was only compounded by Erin's words as she spoke, breaking the contemplative silence between them.
"Adrienne," she sighed, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "What have you told the twins about the Sword?"
"About the sword?!..." Adrienne repeated, her voice adopting a tone of bewildered startlement. "Well…no more than Allanon has told them. I have a feeling he'd be rather displeased if I did." Erin snorted at the understatement. "Besides, I don't know much more than they do."
Erin whirled, suddenly angry. "Are you out of your mind? You know the power of the Sword! You know how it can destroy the Warlock Lord! That's quite a bit more than the twins know!" she snapped, turning away again. She ran a hand through her hair in irritation, her breathing slowing down as her anger drained out of her. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer. "I'm sorry, Adrienne. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just so frustrated, so tired of being cooped up in this room, in Storlock, doing absolutely nothing! No matter what everyone else seems to think, I am ready to get out of here!" Her voice had risen again, and she sighed, her gaze wistfully drifting towards the window and the cloudless, sidereal night sky.
Adrienne finally got control of her own thoughts, which had been scattered by Erin's unexpected outburst. "We're leaving tomorrow, so you don't need to worry. I think we're all a little on edge." She smiled ruefully at Erin, who had turned to look at her once more. "We'll have to learn to be a little more civil to each other if we're going on an adventure together."
Erin returned the smile, though it did not reach her eyes. "Yes, it wouldn't do to kill each other before we even get there. Or at the very least, drive poor Allanon mad with our bickering. He hasn't the faintest idea what he's gotten himself into, traveling for months with five inexperienced teenagers." They both shared a good laugh at that, but then Erin sobered and went back to their original conversation. "I must ask you not to tell anyone, not even Sarah, of what you know. Let Allanon do the telling. We can't risk letting the twins become another Jerle Shannara. Do you promise?"
"Yes, I promise I won't tell. We definitely don't want to fail this time," Adrienne replied, seeing the sense in what Erin was asking of her. At her affirmative answer, Erin sighed with relief, and her shoulders slumped slightly as some of the tension left her. She bestowed a grateful smile upon Adrienne, which unintentionally turned into a yawn as Erin's weariness overcame her. "Erin, go to sleep now," Adrienne ordered sternly.
"I'm going, I'm going." Erin said in a tired voice. "You go to bed too. We have a long, exciting day before us tomorrow, and we need to be well-rested. Make sure everyone else follows you."
"I will." Adrienne replied, then turned to the door, opening it quickly and shutting it firmly behind her, leaving Erin alone with her thoughts. Erin collapsed onto the bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.
A nudge from Sarah beside her promptly returned Adrienne to the present. The flames blurred as she blinked several times, her eyes burning from lack of moisture. She shook her hair back, pushing it behind her ears, and clearing her head in the process. "What?" she whispered to Sarah.
"We're about to decide watches." Sarah answered just as softly. Adrienne nodded to show she had heard, and focused her attention on the others, mainly Erin, who seemed to have taken charge in Allanon's absence. A perfectly logical arrangement, since Erin was the most experienced member of their little company, after Allanon.
"I suggest that we take watches in pairs," she was saying. "It'll be safer that way, in case one of you gets caught off-guard or falls asleep. I'll take last watch alone, since I can best handle that responsibility, and that is the most probable time for the Skull Bearers to appear. Now, who wants the first watch?"
"Erin, are you sure you are up to doing a watch by yourself?" asked Sarah incredulously. "You are still healing, after all."
Erin smiled kindly at her friend. "I'll be alright. I bet Allanon will be back right about then, anyways. And I'm not feeling too bad, even if I'm 'still healing'. Don't worry about me."
Sarah gave her a doubtful look, then relented and joined the others to work out pairs. It was decided that Elissa and Amanda would watch together, while Sarah and Adrienne would be the other pair. When no one else volunteered for first watch, Amanda piped up. "Elissa and I will take first watch." She turned to Sarah and Adrienne, adding, "Unless you guys want it, of course." They both declared that they did not mind taking second watch.
"Good." Erin remarked, smiling at them all. "I'll take the last watch. Now, everyone get their blankets spread out. Elissa and Amanda, wake Sarah and Adrienne at about midnight. You do have a wristwatch between the two of you, don't you?" Elissa raised her wrist to show that she did. Erin nodded her approval and turned to Sarah and Adrienne. "What about you two?" she asked.
Sarah spoke up. "I've got one. Adrienne never has a watch!" Adrienne sent a venomous glare at Sarah, who merely directed her a purely innocent look, before collapsing into helpless laughter. Adrienne managed to hold her angry stare for a second more, then succumbed to her friend's infectious mirth. Erin turned away again, chuckling, and her gaze fell on the fire. "One more thing," she called to the twins. "don't worry about keeping the fire going. Just let it die. It'll be a clear beacon to anyone nearby, and since campfires are nonexistent in this area, it's something they'll want to check out. We don't want to bring unnecessary trouble." Elissa and Amanda nodded their assent, then all five girls scattered to their packs and dragged out their blankets, moving back towards the fire to lay them out.
The twins sat down on the log near the packs, having already spread their blankets near the fire. Sarah and Adrienne claimed the opposite side, and Erin between the two pairs. Elissa and Amanda watched as the others lay motionless, their energy apparently sapped by the long day. Silence fell over the forest, whose shadows seemed to encroach ever closer as the fire devoured its fuel and began to diminish. The same darkness seemed to invade their minds, stifling thought and alertness, enticing them with appealing promises of sleep. Amanda realized what was happening, and shook her head vehemently to clear it. She turned to Elissa, who was practically dozing. Her eyes were half-closed, and her breathing shallow. Amanda shook her sister hard, and Elissa jolted awake with a gasp. "Something wrong?" she asked hurriedly.
"You were falling asleep on your watch. We both were, but I actually managed to realize it." Amanda replied with a sympathetic smile. Elissa tried to return it, but it turned into a yawn. They both laughed, but their mirth had an undercurrent of weariness that they couldn't shake off. They were all bone-tired from the long, uneventful ride, muscles sore from constantly trying to adjust to the horses' rocking movement as they trotted along.
Elissa stared up at the star-studded night sky, searching it intently. "Penny for your thoughts," Amanda remarked conversationally, following her sister's gaze up to the heavens.
"I'm looking for a shooting star to wish on," answered Elissa with a small smile.
"What are you wishing for?" asked Amanda impulsively, thinking that perhaps with talk they could banish their exhaustion.
"If I tell you, it won't come true!" Elissa laughed half-heartedly. Then she sighed. "It probably won't come true anyways, so I might as well tell you. I wish I could be at home right now, with Mom and Dad, eating a big, home-cooked meal, looking forward to a long night's rest in my nice, soft bed, and an outing with my friends the next day."
Amanda groaned. "You're making me sad, hungry, and tired all at the same time!"
Elissa chuckled, this time sincerely. "It's your fault. You asked for it! Besides, weren't you already those things?"
Amanda joined her twin's mirth. "I guess I was." The amusement left her in a rush, leaving her depressed and lonely, even though her sister was right beside her. "I wonder how long it will be until your wish comes true."
Elissa stopped laughing as well. "I don't know. Could be weeks, but more likely months. I guess nobody but Allanon really knows for certain."
Amanda's voice turned bitter with resentment. "Only Allanon knows much of anything about this. Sure, we know the history of his world and what happens there, but did you notice he never once gave us any hints as to how the Sword works, how it is supposed to defeat the Warlock Lord? We know the general direction we're going, but we don't know where he's taking us, or how long it will be before it's all over. We don't know what we'll see when we get there. We're like five blind mice walking into a trap we don't even know is there."
"Now, don't be so hard on Allanon." Erin spoke from her place at the fire. She sat up and looked at them, then just wrapped her blanket about her and came to sit with them. "He's got more than enough on his plate right now. And it isn't like you don't know anything. Besides, I can clear some of those questions up for you, though I don't presume to know everything Allanon does."
"Erin, you need your sleep!" Amanda exclaimed softly.
"Can't sleep with you two jabbering over there!" Erin laughed, waving away their apologies and promises of silence, saying, "It's alright, really. The jabber in my own head would have kept me awake even if you guys didn't. Now, questions?"
"All right, where are we going?" Amanda relented. Elissa was quiet; she was the more soft-spoken and timid of the twins, the type of person who thought twice before saying anything.
"To the Hadeshorn, or a place very similar to it, so that Allanon can speak with the dead and get some hints about what lies ahead of us. Even he doesn't know everything about our journey." Erin replied promptly, receiving two wide-eyed stares from the twins. Speak with the dead?! After a few moments of stunned silence, Elissa managed to collect her wits. "And how long will it take us to get there?"
"Probably about three weeks." Erin answered. "We don't know what problems we might run into on the way, so it's impossible to say for sure, but I think that's a good estimation."
"And after that?" Amanda joined in, also having recovered from her surprise.
"I cannot say for certain. It depends on what Allanon finds out from the dead. We may just continue straight on to the Skull Kingdom and the Warlock Lord, or we may have to detour and secure the Sword. If we go straight north to the Skull Kingdom, it will probably take about five, five and a half months to get up there and back home." At their gasps of surprise, Erin raised her eyebrows. "Did you really think we could get up to Canada and back to Houston in a few weeks? Even on horseback…be realistic! It's at least a couple thousand miles away! We can only move so fast!"
"We should have driven…" mumbled Amanda, sufficiently chastened.
"None of us are of legal driving age, and do you really think Allanon can drive? Or for that matter, even knows what a car is?" Erin asked incredulously. All three laughed at the mental image of Allanon learning to drive, then sobered as the twins considered their next question.
"What's going to happen when we get to the Skull Kingdom?" Elissa asked in a fearful whisper.
Erin looked hard at her friend, and her expression changed from thoughtful to sympathetic. "We'll meet the Warlock Lord, any Skull Bearers Allanon hasn't destroyed yet, and a large army of Trolls and Gnomes." She said, moving closer to Elissa and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you want to hear more, but that's just not possible. Not even Allanon knows exactly what is going to happen when we finally reach the Skull Kingdom." She smiled reassuringly at Elissa, who looked slightly disappointed and still very much afraid. "I know all of this is frightening. It even scares me a little sometimes. Just remember, we may not know what's ahead, but whatever it is we won't be alone. You don't have to do this by yourself. You've got able friends who are more than willing to protect you, and Allanon, who is more than capable of ensuring we all reach the Skull Kingdom intact. And I know all this talk of magic and dark lords is a bit of a shock, but it's the same for everybody, even me." Erin smiled ruefully at the twins, who were a little taken aback by the statement. They had all thought she accepted everything, and knew exactly what was going on, so it was a mild shock to find out she was a bit overwhelmed, too. "I didn't think Allanon was more than just a storybook figure until a week ago." She chuckled. "Now I know better. I suppose it's been a little easier on me than on you two because I don't have to come to terms with the fact that I've got to destroy a demon lord with a magical sword I know nothing about. And I'm probably a little more ready to accept all this, because I've always wanted something like this to happen. It's like living a dream." She smiled sadly at the incredulous looks she was getting from the twins. "Oh I know, I know, I nearly got killed by an evil monster that fried me and tore me to shreds, and I'm still sitting here saying that. But it's the truth. I've never been happier than those few minutes in school, fighting the Skull Bearers, experiencing the excitement, the danger, the adrenaline." Erin's eyes lit up as she remembered, a fierce grin spreading across her face. Then it faded as she came back to the present, nodding at the twins. "I think we've discussed all we need to for tonight. Leave something for another night's conversation! Besides, I've still got to get up for my watch, I don't need to sit here and stand yours with you! You two are perfectly capable of keeping your eyes open and alerting us if anything happens. Good night!"
The twins wished her good night as well, then retreated into their own thoughts, mulling over their conversation with Erin. An owl hooted above them, and they both jumped, laughing at their reactions when they realized it was merely that. A few times they heard rustling in the brush behind them, but they never saw anything more than the tiny movements of nocturnal rodents going about their nighttime business. When their watch was over, they woke Sarah and Adrienne, and sank into the welcoming arms of slumber within their warm nest of blankets.
* * *
Allanon turned from the twins and crept farther back into the forest, though he was still more than close enough to hear an alarm if trouble arose. Like a wisp of black cloud drifting on the moonlit mist, he moved silently from shadow to shadow, his caution a habit he had never broken. He found a good tree, with a little nest of earth between the welcoming arms of its roots, and settled down for the night. However, he soon found that, like Erin, his mind was too active to permit sleep.
His first issue to confront was Erin. She confused him to no end. When he had gone on the journey with the Ohmsfords back in the Four Lands, both young men had been wary and distrustful of Druids in general and Allanon in particular. Such feelings were understandable, having been dragged from their safe Vale into a world of danger and demons they hadn't even suspected existed. And for this group of teenagers, it should have been worse. They did not even believe in magic, or know a thing about the Four Lands and the danger they faced. Indeed, for three members of the party, that held true, but Adrienne seemed to understand the Druids more than her fellow comrades. And Erin seemed almost to empathize with him, as if she understood what he had resigned himself to so long ago, a life of isolation with few he could call friend and none he considered close to him.
Take this evening as an example. He had overheard the twins discussing their distrust of him, an emotion he had grown quite familiar with over the years. He had quite expected it, as a matter of fact, and his expectations had not been unmet. He had not missed the watchful gazes on him throughout the day's ride. But tonight Erin had defended him, something no one had ever done before. It had been strange, listening to her taking his place as informant. Never before had anyone done that, and it had suddenly made Allanon realize just how much stress he felt, being the sole possessor of crucial knowledge. It took a burden off his shoulders, knowing that if something happened, as long as they had the Sword, she could take command in his absence, and the party would have just as high a chance of success as it did now.
Well, perhaps not quite as high a chance. After all, she had no magic, except for the gifts he had bestowed upon her. He sighed wearily. Eventually, he supposed, he would have to do the same for the others. But what could he do for them? He had no idea what would give them the best chance of success. Someone, he knew, must be found to wield the Elfstones, and he had an inkling that that person would be whichever twin was not the Heir of Shannara. Then for the other two…perhaps a dwarf? Or a man of Callahorn? Or should he make one of them into an Elven hunter? But no, that would be whoever was given the power of the Elfstones.
Ah well, he mused, I will try to discover that at the Hadeshorn. There is very little I can do until then, except perhaps suggest that Erin give the others lessons in swordfighting. It would be wise for them to know how to use those short swords the Stoors gave them. Yes, that is what I will do, he decided. His mind, contented with that decision, finally calmed itself enough to permit slumber, and he fell into a light sleep to the peaceful sounds of the night.