|
"Caesius! You are in danger! Awake!"
The voice startled Cassie awake. Standing over
her with a wicked looking dagger was a black Uni that was preparing to drive
it into her unprotected chest. "Morgan!" she screamed rolling quickly to one
side. The knife grazed her shoulder and thudded into the ground next to her.
She heard the Uni grunt with frustration as he wrenched the knife from the earth.
Morgan was groggy from being shaken from such
a comfortable sleep, but he became very alert when he saw Cassie roll away from
the plunging knife. The Uni hadn't noticed him yet, nor had he noticed Lana
who looked very frightened.
Morgan had no time to think of a way to help
Cassie; instead he just launched himself at the dark shape that was closing
in on her.
Cassie saw the Uni stagger as the weight of
a spotted Zafara hit him hard in the side. The Uni wheezed as the air was knocked
out of him, but he kept fighting. Cassie gasped as she saw Morgan's struggling
form being flung aside where it thudded into the ground and lay still. Cassie
eyes burned with rage.
"You have no idea who you are dealing with Pravus,"
Cassie hissed.
"I think you will find your self mistaken, my
dear Caesius. You seem to know me almost as well as I know you. I must admit
that was a surprise," Pravus replied coolly.
"If that is so, then you should know that you
were mistaken to make me angry. You were very mistaken." Cassie had found the
frying pan that had been used to make dinner and began to advance on her adversary.
Pravus found that he was facing a very angry
Zafara who seemed to be radiating energy and who had a poor but usable weapon.
This he decided was a good time to leave. He had seen what his opponent was
like, and though he had failed to eliminate her, he knew there would be other
opportunities.
"You may out down that pan Caesius. I'll leave
you in peace for tonight, but be warned. I will be back, and I can assure you
that I will meet you again better prepared." With that, Pravus spread his wings
and took off into the darkness laughing.
Cassie shuddered recognizing the laugh. Then
with a start, she remembered Morgan's body flying through the air.
"Morgan!" she cried running over to the limp
figure on the ground. "Are you all right?"
Lana came over to kneel next to Cassie as she
carefully rolled Morgan onto his back.
"Morgan? Come on wake up," Cassie urged.
He groaned and opened his eyes. Cassie and Lana
let out a sigh of relief, and Morgan slowly sat up.
"I think I got hit by a carriage," he said wincing.
"Is every one okay? I saw a black Uni and…"
"It's okay, Morgan. Everyone's okay. You were
the only injury," Cassie said gently forcing him to lie back down. Lana went
and got a blanket from the supply packs and covered him up as he consented to
being forced back down.
"Do you think anything's broken?" Lana asked
as she looked him over.
"Nah, I'm just a little banged up," Morgan replied
wincing as he discovered a new bruise.
"I think it would be a good idea to have some
one keep watch from now on. Pravus said he'd be back and better prepared. We
should be prepared, too," Cassie said looking into the dark starry sky. "By
the way, who woke me up?"
Morgan and Lana looked at each other and then
back at Cassie.
"I didn't wake you, and I'm pretty sure that
Lana didn't either. You were the one who woke us up."
Cassie looked bewildered and seemed to fall
deep into her thoughts. Lana volunteered to keep watch, but Cassie didn't respond.
Morgan was about to say something but decided against it. Instead he said goodnight
and went to sleep.
Cassie and Lana sat up late, silently watching
for trouble. Cassie kept hearing that voice, and wondering where it had come
from. It was the voice out of her dreams, but she hadn't been dreaming at the
time she heard it. She came out of her reverie after being startled by one of
Morgan's louder snores.
"You ought to get some sleep Cassie," Lana suggested.
Cassie tried to protest but found she was too tried. "Don't worry. I can get
on with less sleep than you," Lana said in reply to Cassie's weak protests.
Cassie woke the next morning to find that she
was the last one up. Morgan was up and eating breakfast with nothing more that
a slightly blackened eye and a few bruises to show for his fall. Cassie sat
up, stretched, and went to get something to eat.
After they all had breakfasted, they set off
into the forest. It was a far cry cooler in the woods that it was out on the
plain. The mossy undergrowth felt good against their sore paws.
They continued traveling until about midday
when they came across a thick growth of trees. The trees were growing so close
together that it was impossible to get through them. Cassie stared at the trees
in awe. She had lived all her life in the city, and had never in her life seen
trees grow this tall and close together.
"They're like guardians of the forest," Cassie
whispered reverently, "or maybe even kings."
"Kings!" Morgan cried, "We've found Emrallis.
I think in the old language, a llys was another word for a palace. Emral-llys,
palace of green. This could be it. Don't you see the turrets?"
They all looked up at the canopy and saw what
he was talking about. The trees twisted together into what looked like living
turrets and towers. Vines climbed up around wooden battlements. The sheer massive
elegance of it had them all convinced they had found Emrallis.
Though they had found it, none of them had any
idea what to do next, let alone how to get inside. Cassie had a strong urge
to climb up the vines and try to see in that way, but this seemed very foolish.
Morgan and Lana were soon frustrated and sat
down to rest.
"It's no good, Cassie," Lana said as she watched
Cassie examine the solid wall in front of her. "I couldn't find any way in.
Maybe this isn't Emrallis after all."
"No, I'm sure this is it," Cassie muttered.
"Have either of you tried climbing these vines? They look pretty sturdy and
they might provide a way in."
"There is no way you're climbing up those vines,"
Morgan said. "You'd be killed by the fall if they didn't turn out to be as strong
as you had thought. Besides why would the entrance be up there?"
"That's what I intend to find out," said Cassie
determinedly as she began to climb the thick leafy vines.
"Cassie!" Morgan shouted. But he was too late
to stop her. She had already begun the ascent and was not about to be detained.
Morgan and Lana watched anxiously as Cassie
climbed higher into the leafy foliage. Cassie was enjoying the climb immensely
and laughed when she looked back down at her two worried friends.
"It's all right, you two. It an easy climb and
the plants are very strong," she reassured them. After a while, Morgan and Lana
saw Cassie reach a leafy platform. She disappeared for a few seconds and then
was back waving excitedly.
"I found a way in! There's a gate up here. Hurry
you two!" she called down excitedly. Morgan and Lana exchanged quick glances,
shrugged and began the long climb up the vines.
When they reached the top, they were met by
a very excited, yet impatient, Cassie who hurriedly dragged them over to her
find. It was a massive gate carved into the tree. The edge of the gate was engraved
with an intricate pattern of flowers, birds, and other woodland scenes. Flowering
vines clung to it and added to its majestic beauty. They all stood looking in
awe at the arching gate.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Cassie whispered,
breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Morgan breathed reverently. "I wonder
who made it."
"That's what we're about to find out," Lana
said quietly as she walked forward towards the gate. The others joined her and
they all pulled at the immense handles. The doors didn't budge.
"What now?" Morgan asked sounding discouraged.
"There's no way that we're going to be able to force those doors open."
"Maybe there's something we're missing," Lana
suggested. "Let's spread out and look around."
The three of them each took a different section
of the tree and began to look for anything that might help them gain access
to whatever it was that lay beyond the gate. After a fifteen minute search,
they came back to the gate discouraged.
I can't find anything but leaves and vines,"
said Cassie disgustedly picking twigs out of her fur.
"Same here," said Morgan and Lana simultaneously.
Both of them were very scratched and looked just as disheveled as Cassie felt.
"Wait a minute," Morgan said pensively. "Did
any one think to try knocking?" Lana and Cassie stared at him for a second and
then shook their heads.
"It couldn't be that easy could it?" said Cassie
incredulously.
"Well, we won't know until we try it" With that
Morgan turned back to the gate and knocked hard on the sturdy door. Cassie and
Lana stared in amazement as the doors slowly creaked open.
Morgan too, seemed surprised that his simple
solution had worked so well. He cautiously peered into the now open doorway
and walked slowly forward. Cassie and Lana followed closely behind.
"Who goes there?" hissed a voice to the left
of them causing them all to jump in surprise. They whirled around and came face
to face with an ancient but fierce looking Eyrie.
To be continued…
| 
