Journey to Brodantia

Book II of The Land Behind the Veil

Sample

“This tree must be very old, to be on this map. The ink’s so faded that this map must’ve been drawn years ago.”

“I think you’re right,” Deila agreed. She traced the path Gran had outlined.

“The Petrified Forest is about a half-day's walk from here. There won't be any water in there. Gran said everything's dead. If we cross — here — where the forest is thinnest, our water’ll last. The Broken Mountains are about a day’s walk past that. We’re supposed to cross — here — Neverslip Pass.”

Jaime nodded and Falimar whickered, agreeing with her assessment.

“Look at the size of the forest on the other side of the Pass!” Jaime exclaimed, pointing to a dark swatch beyond the Broken Mountains.

"That’s the Great Forest of Verd," Deila said. “It runs north to south. We’ll need to cross it — here — to get to Willowdale.”

“Your Gran said we’d find friends in the Great Forest of Verd," Jaime added. “Looks like we’ll need them, to get across.”

Deila ran her finger along the course Gran had indicated.

"Hmmm. Gran said there were friendly wolves in Feirlow, too, but Feirlow isn't in the Great Forest. Here’s where we’re headed — Willowdale, on the far side of the Great Forest. Willowdale is a seaport, on the coast of the Sea of Yo. Brodantia’s on the other side of the Sea."

Jaime studied the map and shook his head.

“Deila, you know your Gran better than I do, so wandering around to avoid big cities probably makes sense. But should we trust strange woodland creatures and wolves to help us?”

Deila shrugged and rolled up the map.

“Well,” Jaime said, frowning in concern, “I think we’ll need human help, too. In the cities, someone would …”

“See Falimar in his unicorn form and think the same thing your Da did,” Deila interrupted. “They’d try to …“

An eerie wail silenced her and made the two teens jump. It started low and quavering, like a stormy wind howling through the trees and ended in a high screech, like a mouse in the claws of a barn cat.

"That didn't sound friendly," Deila whispered.

“It sure didn’t,” Jaime agreed.

Falimar swiveled his ears and dilated his nostrils, trying to identify the sound. Deila patted him, gulping in alarm when she felt how hard his muscles were.

“Whatever that is, it's scared you, too.”

The wail sounded again, nearer. Falimar rumbled deep in his chest and his mane hairs stiffened. Cricket sounds and birdsong had ceased.

“We better go,” Deila said.

"Where's the Bronzebird?" Jaime asked.

“I haven’t seen him since he woke us with his lovely song.”

They scoured the meadow for their avian companion.

"Maybe he's hiding in the willow," Deila suggested hopefully.

The chilling wail came again, closer. Falimar stamped a heavy hoof on the ground and clicked his teeth.

“C’mon, Deila,” Jaime said. “If that wailing makes Falimar uncomfortable, I want out of here — fast!”

“I wonder what it is?” Deila said, hurriedly repacking her knapsack.

"It’s no unicorn, not even an evil one. It doesn’t sound like a wolf, either. It sounds like something dead — or dying."

The wail sounded again, louder than the last.

"There must be more than one,” Deila said.

“Let’s go! Bronzebird, stay with us!" Jaime called, hoping the bird would hear.

They hurried across the meadow and down a sloping valley dotted with pine trees. The eerie wails echoed off the sides of the valley, making it difficult to tell how many creatures there were or where the sounds were coming from. Falimar tried not to run ahead of his human companions, but it looked to Deila as though he was struggling to hold himself back.

The bottom of the valley opened up onto a grassy plain that became drier as it stretched away from the pine valley. Dark, pointed shapes jutted from the horizon.

“That must be the Petrified Forest,” Deila murmured.

“It doesn’t look too friendly,” Jaime said.

Another eerie wail sounded behind them, just beyond the hill they’d descended.

“It doesn’t matter,” Deila said. “A Petrified Forest is safer than an open plain.”

“Right,” Jaime said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go!”

As they headed onto the plain, Falimar reared, neighing a challenge to the anonymous screechers. His bugle rang across the valley, echoing for many seconds.

As the sound faded, four yellowish forms streaked over the top of the hill and raced through the trees.

“They’re cats!” Jaime cried. “Huge cats!”

“What do we do?” Deila cried. “We’re out in the open. We can’t …”

The companions were surrounded. The four catlike circled them, snarling over large saberlike teeth. Their tawny coats were spotted for camouflage and they stood as high as a large dog, though their muscular shoulders reminded Deila of the pictures of hyenas that Mr, Hiles had shown her.

Jaime and Deila stood back to back, holding their packs in front of them to like flimsy shields.

“They’re not after us,” Jaime murmured into Deila’s ear as the trembling teens watched the cats circling their group.

“If they were, we’d be lunch already.”

“They must want Falimar,” Deila hissed. “His neigh drew them to us.”

“What can we do?” Jaime whispered back. “They won’t circle us forever and we have no weapons.”

“I have the whistle Gran gave me,” Deila said. “Jaime, keep an eye on the cats while I find it.”

While the teens were talking, Falimar challenged the cats. He snaked his head low and charged at them, driving them back with snapping teeth and flashing hooves. He knocked one of the creatures over with the tip of a forehoof, slicing a deep gash into its shoulder.

“Here it is!” Deila said.

She lifted the small silver whistle to her lips and blew.

“I don’t hear anything,” Jaime cried.

Deila blew again.

Falimar reared, flailing his front hooves at the wild cats. Jaime cried a warning as one cat leaped at his hindquarters. Falimar pivoted and sent his hind legs into the nearest cat, sending it flying. It landed upside-down in the grass and didn’t move.

“The whistle isn’t working!” Deila cried in frustration.