Final Kingdom (8 page)

Reb stared about and said, “I feel like we're in the covered-wagon days and the Comanches are surrounding us. Boy, I never seen anything like this!”

“You ought to like it, Reb,” Dave murmured. “You always loved horses. This is what you should have been—one of these fellas.”

Glori was holding up both hands in a sign of peace. “Hold your hands up, everyone!” she directed the Sleepers. “We come in peace,” she cried to the centaurs. “These are the Sleepers, sent by Goél to speak with Aramore, your chief.”

The centaur leader released his bowstring and replaced the arrow in his quiver. He trotted forward and examined them with clear gray eyes. There was a kind of nobility about him as he said, “My name is
Moonwise. I am captain of the Armies of the Centaurs. We have heard of the Sleepers. You are the Seven?”

“The dwarf and I are merely guides,” Glori answered. “These are five of the Sleepers.”

“Where are the other two?” Moonwise demanded.

Glori answered slowly, “They have been lost on the way. Victims of the Dark Lord.”

Moonwise considered her words, then looked into the faces of the newcomers. He moved about slowly, so that he could stare at each one, and each felt the impact of his powerful scrutiny.

He paused last by Sarah, and his gaze seemed to reach down into her very depths. He said nothing, but Sarah knew that somehow he was aware of her grief.

Moonwise nodded slowly. “I welcome you to our land. I will take you to Aramore, our chief.”

“Most of us are tired,” Glori said. “Some have been wounded.”

“You shall not walk,” Moonwise said. He turned to Sarah. “Come, get on my back, and I will bear your burden.”

Sarah swallowed hard, but determination came to her. She moved to the huge horse-man and looked up at him. He replaced the bow over his shoulder, then bent over to pick her up as if she had no weight at all. He swung her around and onto his wide, strong back, saying gently, “Hold onto me so that you will not fall off. We will not go fast, however.”

“Yes, Moonwise,” Sarah whispered. She put her arms around the powerful body and held on tightly.

The others were selected by the remaining centauri. When one of the black-bodied horse-men came to Beorn, the dwarf shook his head. “Dwarfs do not ride.”

“You will ride this time,” the centaur said. And he reached down and picked up Beorn. The dwarf seemed
shocked at the ease with which the centaur placed him in the center of his back.

“Hang on,” the centaur said. “Dwarfs take orders from the centauri in this land.” His blue eyes gleamed. “When I come underground to your home below the earth, then
you
may give the orders. What is your name?”

“Beorn.”

“My name is Skyfill. Welcome to our country.”

All were mounted by now, and Reb, who rode a centaur named Clemore, was delighted. “I rode lots of horses,” he said, “but I never had anything like this happen.”

“Do you like horses?” his centaur asked.

“Yes, I do. I like 'em better than most people do.”

The centaur twisted around to look into Reb's eyes. A smile came to his lips. “I trust that you will always respect centaurs.”

At a word from Moonwise, the troop broke into a gallop.

Even Abbey, never an expert horsewoman, apparently found it easy to stay on the back of her centaur. His gallop was smooth, and she had her arms around his powerful waist. He had brown curly hair that flew back into her face. She held on tightly, watching the land fly by.

The centaurs' powerful hooves churned up chunks of dirt as they sped across the fields without ceasing. For an hour they did not diminish their speed, yet showed no signs of tiring.

And then Moonwise cried out, “There is our city!”

It was a strange city that the Sleepers saw, for there were no tall buildings. Evidently the centaurs' dwellings consisted of open space and large sheds. It was possible to get out of the weather, but there were no walls to enclose them.

“There is our leader,” Moonwise called. Then he raised his voice. “Hail, Aramore. We bear a party from Goél.”

Aramore's body was pure white. His hair was white to match. He had sky-blue eyes, and there were enormous dignity and power in his face. His voice was deep as he said, “Welcome to the Land of the Centaurs.” Then his eyes searched the new arrivals. “I see you are tired from your journey. We must care for our visitors.” He called out, and several female centaurs came forward.

“These will see to your comfort. Afterward we will have a council.”

What followed was rather amazing. The Sleepers, Glori, and Beorn all slid to the ground, and the mare centaurs took them to one of the sheds. There a table was set, and one of their hostesses, a delicate-looking mare with the beautifully formed upper body of a woman, said, “We have plenty. You will eat, and then you must rest.”

The banquet that followed was different—very different! The food was placed on tables almost as high as their heads. Evidently centaurs ate standing up. That may have been handy for them, but it was hard for the Sleepers and especially for Beorn. His head barely reached the top of the table.

Finally he grunted, “This is no way for a dwarf to eat.” With a sudden motion he swung himself up onto the tabletop and sat cross-legged. “Now,” he said grimly, “we can have our meal.”

This brought a laugh from the others. It was the first time that any of them had laughed since losing Wash.

The food turned out to be delicious, consisting of vegetables and fruits. There was no meat on the table,
and Dave said, “I guess centaurs are vegetarians.” He looked at some centaurs trotting by and added, “They must have to eat a lot. Enough for a horse
and
a man.”

They were later to find out that this was indeed true. The normal centaur banquet took several hours, for they ate slowly, chewing thoroughly, and as much as half of their day was spent just eating.

After the meal, Aramore himself came by. “I have come to look at your wounds, and then you will rest.”

“I did the best I could, Chief Aramore,” Abbey said, “but some of the injuries are old and haven't healed properly.”

Aramore first looked at Sarah's swollen leg. He barked a command, and soon one of the female centaurs brought some leaves that had been steeped in boiling water. Aramore bound the leaves over the raw cut and said, “Now, my daughter, smell the fragrance of these.”

Sarah put her nose over the steaming pot and breathed deeply. The smell was delightful, something like peppermint, and it seemed to go farther than her lungs. It spread throughout her body, filling her with a delightful sensation of rest and ease.

“I want you to rest, and this will make you sleepy. You all have pushed yourselves hard.”

Aramore went around and treated every wound. But when he got to the dwarf, Beorn shook his head, saying, “There's nothing wrong with me.”

“You are a stubborn dwarf—but then all dwarfs are stubborn. Open your coat.”

Beorn tried to stare the centaur down, but that was difficult since Aramore towered high over him. Muttering, he pulled his shirt open and submitted to the ministrations of the centaur, who treated his wounds with a cooling salve. “This stitching was well done.”

“Aye, it was that. The girl knows her business,” Beorn said.

“All of you sleep now. When you have rested, we will talk.”

“That was the best sleep I ever had,” Sarah said, stretching luxuriously. She had been awakened by a female centaur, and she and Abbey had risen to see that they had almost slept the clock around. She stretched again and yawned. “I feel so refreshed.”

“So do I,” Abbey said. “There must have been something in that stuff we smelled that made us sleep.” She ran her hand through her hair and said, “But I wish we could take a bath.”

“Indeed you shall,” a lady centaur said with a smile. She had a beautiful face with mild brown eyes. “Come, we will see to your needs.”

She led them to a beautiful clear stream, and an hour later both girls were bathed and dressed and their hair had been arranged by another of the mare centaurs. Sarah felt like a new person as they approached the banquet shed.

“She's as good as any hairdresser I ever went to,” Abbey said, patting the plaits that formed her corona of blonde hair. “I wish she could do my nails.”

“I think they've done enough. But, look!” Sarah said suddenly. “The boys are already there—and our guides. It looks like another feast.”

“Welcome to my table,” Aramore said as the girls entered. “We will eat, and then we will talk.”

It was another long meal, and the humans were filled long before the centaurs. However, it was only polite to wait, and during this time they learned a great deal about centaur habits.

Then Aramore asked, “Who is your leader?”

The Sleepers sat in silence.

It was finally Dave who said slowly, “Our leader, Joshua, has been captured—so until Goél appoints one of us, you can speak to me. I am the oldest but not necessarily the wisest.”

“A good answer, David,” Aramore said. “Tell us then why you have come.”

Dave gave the essence of Goél's message. He concluded by saying, “Goél has asked that you and your people join with him in the final battle against the Dark Lord. All the free peoples of the world, all the House of Goél, will meet at the Plains of Dothan.”

Aramore listened carefully and for a while appeared to be thinking deeply on the matter. He called a short recess during which he met with Moonwise and several other centaurs, evidently the leaders. Finally he came back and said clearly, “We will go to the Plains of Dothan at the command of Goél.”

“That's wonderful, Aramore,” Sarah said. “It makes the journey worthwhile—” But then she thought of Josh and Wash, and sorrow swept over her again. She lowered her eyes and said no more.

For some time the council made plans. When they concluded, Aramore said, “I will speak with you alone —the five Sleepers who remain.”

Somewhat surprised, the Sleepers left the banquet hall and walked out into the open air. It was almost dark now, and the stars already twinkled brightly.

Aramore said, “We have heard of the prophecy of the Seven Sleepers. Now there are only five—and perhaps there will be even fewer.”

Sarah held her chin high. “Josh and Wash both knew—we all knew—that serving Goél could bring death. We are not afraid.”

Aramore considered her for a long moment, then
said, “I am convinced that the end of Nuworld as we know it is near. I have studied the prophecies. I have watched men and times. The world cannot go on as it is. Either Goél will rule with the free peoples, or we will all become slaves of the Dark Lord. It will be a hard battle, but my people and I are committed to Goél and to his House.”

“Do you think we will win, Aramore?” Jake asked earnestly.

“Time will reveal what will come, but in the meanwhile I am disturbed.”

“Disturbed? About what?” Dave asked with surprise.

“Something about your company is not right.”

“Of course, it's not right,” Reb said with some irritation. “We've lost two of our number.”

“It is more than that. There is something in the spirit of your party that troubles me.” Aramore's eyes grew half hooded. “Be very careful as you leave this place. You are going to the Land of the Magicians.”

“That was the command of Goél.” Dave nodded.

“A very unusual place—and a very unusual people.”

“What's unusual about them?” Abbey asked quickly.

“They are powerful people. Not physically but in other ways. They have delved into the human mind, and they know how to sway the minds of others.”

“But they're on Goél's side, aren't they?”

“Some are. Some are not. I have heard rumors that the Dark Lord has made inroads into Celethorn. I warn you again, be very cautious. It is a far distance, but I will send seven of my most trusted centaurs with you. They will bear you to the borders of Celethorn, then
they must return to join the battle at the Plains of Dothan.”

Early the next morning the five Sleepers and their two guides prepared to set out again. Glori listened closely as Aramore warned her of some dangerous country that lay ahead.

“My men will take you through, but there's always danger from the Dark Lord's servants. Be wary as you go to this place.”

“Thank you, Aramore.” Glori saluted him by bowing deeply. “We will long remember the centaurs.”

“Goél be with you,” Aramore said, and then he nodded toward the seven stalwarts that were led by none other than Moonwise. “Bear them safely. I feel somehow that the future of Nuworld itself is tied up with their well-being.”

“Trust me, sire,” Moonwise said. He galloped up to Sarah and smiled, “Are you ready, my lady?”

“Yes, Moonwise.” Sarah raised her arms and was lifted to the centaur's back.

When all were in position, Moonwise held up an arm and made a gesture forward. “To Celethorn, the Land of the Magicians!”

T
his is sure a better way to travel than anything we've had lately!”

Reb was riding easily astride a centaur, enjoying its smooth gait as they passed over a small rise. The centaur, who said his name was Bendi, said courteously, “I'm glad you're enjoying our journey. What is the life of horses like back in your world?”

“Why, back where I come from, horses are real important. I learned to ride almost before I learned to walk. I was pretty much of a rodeo star too. High school rodeo, of course.”

“Rodeo?” Bendi asked. “What is rodeo?”

“A rodeo? Don't you know what that is?”

“No, I think we do not have such things.”

“It's where you let loose wild horses and fellas like me try to stay on for ten seconds before they get bucked off.”