The Lonesome Rider
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They had ridden for many days, but they were still in the desert. The sand was burning hot and their mounts’ hooves became stuck with it as they trotted along, leaving ruts behind them that turned into dunes of red rock.
For a time, after they crossed the foothills and started down the mountainside, the horses seemed to find more footing, but then the rocks grew loose and slick underfoot, and soon enough every step required a great deal of effort and concentration.
“Why do we have to go this way?” asked Dariel. “I thought there would be water here.”
“There is,” said Rasha. “But it isn’t safe.”
When they reached the water, she took a small pouch from her pack and filled it with water. It was thin stuff, not nearly as good as what they’d drunk at the spring near the camp where they’d left Varda’s children, but it would serve their purpose until they found another source. They drank some themselves and then filled the empty pouches back up again. Then Rasha led them on.
As they rode, Dariel noticed something strange about the land around him—the rocks seemed different. Instead of being round and smooth, most of them were sharp edges and jagged points. Some had been broken off, others shattered like glass.
As he looked closer, he saw that even some of those weren’t whole: many of them had cracks running through them, while others had split cleanly in half. He wondered if they might have fallen over or been pushed over by some force, but when he looked closely, he couldn’t see any evidence of either.
“What are you looking at?” asked Rasha.
He pointed out several rocks which reminded him of broken glass, and she shook her head. “No, those aren’t broken. Those are just very old.”
Dariel nodded. “But why don’t they break?”
Rasha shrugged. “Some things will never change. That is the way of the world. You can try to make something new, but sometimes what you create will always be imperfect. Sometimes what is meant to live forever dies because it doesn’t know how to die yet.
Or maybe the universe is just against us. Maybe these stones will last forever, no matter how hard we hit them.” She sighed. “I wish I knew. We could use a little luck right now.”
She guided them through the pass and led them along the path that led into the hills. They climbed higher and higher until finally, they came upon an area of flat ground with several large boulders scattered across it.
There was no other sign of life, and Dariel felt a little uneasy, especially when Rasha dismounted and approached one of the boulders. She knelt down next to it and placed her hand on it.
“Did you feel that?” asked Dariel.
“Yes,” she replied. “Do you think…?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”
“Be careful,” she said. “This is probably not a good place to rest.”
It wasn’t long before they spotted a stream running through a small valley beyond the hill they were standing on. The water was clear and clean, so Dariel drank his fill.
“Are you sure this is safe to drink?” asked Rasha.
Dariel nodded. “As far as I can tell, yes.” He took a sip himself and handed the waterskin to her. “Go ahead.”
She did, and then she gave him the skin back. She tied it onto her saddle and mounted up again.
“Good idea,” he said, and then followed suit.
They made their way down the slope and found the stream flowing through the valley. When they reached its banks, Rasha dismounted and led the horses across. Dariel helped her lead them through a thicket of bushes and trees. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, and the shadows grew longer. They decided to set up camp for the night.
Rasha took the first watch. Dariel sat beside her as they watched the stars come out. There was a full moon tonight, and the landscape below was bathed in light. The fire burned bright, sending blue-white sparks into the air. From time to time, a cloud passed across the moon, casting a shadow over everything.
Rasha yawned and stretched. “You should sleep,” she said.
“Me too,” he replied. “Just let me get my bedroll out of the bag.” He unrolled it and laid it out on the ground. Rasha did the same, and then she lay down and pulled a blanket over herself. Dariel went to take a seat by her side, but then he stopped and stared at the sky.
The dark clouds had moved in, and there was thunder in the distance.
***
DARIEL woke with a start. He opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn’t. The sky above was black, but instead of stars, there were glowing red lines crisscrossing each other. He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but after a few minutes, he realized that he wasn’t going to be able to do that.
He sat up, grabbed his waterskin, and emptied it in one gulp. He didn’t really need any more water, but he figured it would help calm his nerves. Then he went back to his bedroll and dug his bow out of his pack. It was still fully loaded, and he checked to make sure the arrow was in place.
He reached inside the quiver and drew an arrow. He was ready to draw another if need be, but he didn’t want to waste any arrows unless they had to fight.
In all honesty, Dariel was terrified. He’d seen the lightning strike before, but that was from a great distance away, and it had been mostly a white flash. This was different. What he was seeing was a whole lot closer, and it looked much worse than it had the last time.
Thunder boomed overhead, and the earth vibrated beneath his feet.
Rasha stirred and sat up. “What is it? Is it a storm?”
“No,” he replied. “I’m pretty sure it’s a lightning storm.”
“That doesn’t sound very good,” she said.
“There’s something else,” he added. “A big red line is moving across the sky. I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s coming our way.”
“I see it,” she replied. “Looks like we’re in for some bad weather.”
She stood up and walked around to the other side of the fire. She sat down and started rolling up her bedroll. “We might have to move,” she said.
“Where are the horses?” asked Dariel.
“They’re still out there somewhere,” she replied. “I sent them off on their own. They seem to be doing fine.”
“Good,” he said. “At least that means we’ll be able to get out of here in case things turn ugly.”
Dariel put his bow in his pack and then retrieved his sword. He held it in front of him, ready to use it. Rasha was facing the woods, and she seemed to be looking through them, watching for any movement.
Lightning flashed outside the trees, and Dariel flinched. The next bolt was even closer, and he braced himself.
This isn’t a normal storm, he thought. I can feel it in my bones. Something evil is coming.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter as the lightning struck again. This time, the darkness deepened for a moment, and Dariel saw something pass through it. It was hard to describe, but he knew it was a demon. It looked like a huge snake, only it had two heads.
One head was human, but the other was serpentine and had no face. Its body was covered with spikes, and its tail was long and whip-like.
The demon came rushing toward them, and Dariel raised his sword.
Rasha jumped to her feet and brandished her sword as well.
The demon lunged forward, and both Dariel and Rasha attacked it simultaneously. He slashed at the serpentine head while she stabbed at the humanoid one.
The monster roared and tried to bite them, but they dodged out of the way. It reared back and released a blast of electricity. The shock knocked them both back into the trees.
The ground shook, and Dariel heard the sound of splintering wood.
Rasha hit the ground first, and she crawled over to where Dariel was lying. She helped him stand up and keep fighting.
The demon charged at them, and Dariel stepped aside just in time. He swung his sword at the serpentine head, and a gash appeared in its flesh. Blood poured out of the wound. The creature swung its tail at him, and he ducked under it and cut it twice more.
Rasha leaped onto the demon’s back and began slashing at it. Her blade sank deeper and deeper into the monster until it finally severed the head from its body. She kicked the torso away, and it landed near Dariel.
They turned and ran toward the horses. The demon’s scream echoed through the night, and the forest erupted in flames.
Dariel glanced back and saw that the demon was still alive. It had lost its head, but it continued to chase them, blood streaming from the stump. He reached down and grabbed its body by the neck and pulled. The demon writhed in pain, and then it stopped moving.
“Do you think it’s dead?” Rasha asked.
“It might not be,” he replied. “But it should be enough to slow it down.”
“Let’s go!” she shouted.
Together, they mounted their horses and started riding eastward.
***
By midmorning, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. They were still following the river, which was still running fast and full.
“There’s a big waterfall ahead,” said Dariel. “Maybe we can make our camp there.”
“Is it safe?” asked Rasha.
“As long as we stay far enough upstream, I think so,” he replied. “We could always swim to the other side if things look too dangerous.”
“All right,” she agreed.
Dariel guided his horse up to the edge of the water, and they dismounted. He tied the reins to a tree branch, and Rasha did the same. They picked up their packs and made their way along the bank, keeping an eye out for any sign of danger.
Finally, they reached the waterfall. It was at least six stories high, and it crashed into the river below with a loud roar. A small stream fed into it, and it flowed over a series of rocks. There was a steep dropoff directly behind the falls, and it was a good place to hide.
Dariel led the way. He walked to the top of the falls, and then he dropped to his knees and peered over the edge. He watched for a few moments, but he couldn’t see anything moving on the other side.
He turned to tell Rasha that it was safe, but before he could speak, she slapped him across the face.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “You nearly scared me to death!”
“I’m sorry. But what if it wasn’t safe? What if the demon was waiting for us?”
She scowled and stared at him.
“Didn’t you hear it?” she asked. “That thing screamed when it died. I’ve never heard anything so terrifying! I would have been terrified if you hadn’t warned me.”
“Okay,” he admitted. “Sorry about that. So we’re going to camp here, right?”
“Yes,” she said. “Let’s get some firewood.”
Dariel followed her downstream, and they found a thick growth of vines hanging over the river. As they cut them down, they noticed something moving toward the falls.
“Look!” cried Rasha.
A large black wolf emerged from the jungle and trotted closer to the falls. It sniffed the air, and its ears perked up as it caught sight of its prey. Its eyes glowed red, and Dariel knew it was a demon.
“This is bad,” he whispered. “Run!”
“No!” she shouted. “We need to fight it!”
“Why? We don’t even know if it wants to hurt us.”
“Because you didn’t kill it!” she retorted. “And it’s hungry. We’re its next meal.”
Dariel looked around. They were surrounded by the jungle on all sides.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “Just run!”
“We both go at once, or we both stay?” she asked, pointing her sword at him.
“Both,” he replied. “We’ll come back for you if we get into trouble.”
“Very well,” she said. “Come on!”
They charged into the jungle, drawing the wolf’s attention. It howled and took off after them, leaping through the trees and bounding over the ground. Dariel was faster than Rasha, but he kept looking back to make sure she hadn’t fallen behind. She struggled to keep up, and her legs grew tired quickly.
They ran for several minutes, and the wolf chased them steadily, growling loudly. When they finally reached the point where the river met the jungle, Dariel slowed.
“Where are we going?” she gasped.
“The edge of the jungle,” he said. “There’s a cliff just above this river.”
“Over the waterfall?” she asked.
“If we jump, yes.”
“Are you crazy? You want to climb up that?”
“I’ll carry you,” he replied. “But hurry up.”
Rasha smiled and raced forward. Her sword sliced through the vines, and they broke free of the undergrowth. The wolf had already caught up with them, and it leaped onto the vines and began climbing.
Dariel glanced over the edge of the cliff. It was fifty feet straight down to the river far below.
“Do you think you can jump that?” he asked.
“Of course!”
She drew her sword, and the wolf attacked. It swiped its claws at her, but she ducked beneath the attack and slashed the creature across the chest. It yelped in pain and stumbled backward.
“It hurts!” she shrieked. “Kill it!”
“Wait,” he said. “We’ll be fine. Just keep running.”
The wolf recovered and lunged forward again, but she darted aside, avoiding its jaws. She spun around, sliced at its hindquarters, and knocked it off balance. Then she swung her sword at its throat.
“Stop!” she cried. “It’s not dead yet!”
She slashed at it again, and the wolf howled in agony and fell backward.
“Go!” she shouted.
“I can’t leave you,” he called.
“Then live!” she yelled. “Now go!”
Dariel hesitated, watching the wolf’s motionless body fall toward the river. Then he turned and ran.
He sprinted across the open area, leaped over the waterfall, and tumbled into the water. He bobbed up to the surface, sputtering and coughing, and saw the wolf splashing after him. It was closing in fast, and he dove underwater again.
When he resurfaced, his lungs felt like they were being crushed, and he choked for breath. He tried to swim back to the shore, but he couldn’t see anything past the wolf’s head.
“How could you do that?” cried Rasha. “I thought you loved me!”
“Shut up!” he snapped. “Get out of my way!”
He swam furiously away from her, but the wolf was faster. It shot beneath the water and bit Dariel on the leg. His foot slipped, and he sank deeper. He kicked and thrashed, trying to escape, but the wolf dragged him down.
“Help!” he screamed.
Suddenly, the demon’s mouth opened wide, and it sucked him inside. Dariel felt himself falling deep underground, unable to breathe. The wolf’s jaws closed tight around his neck, and it squeezed him so tightly he couldn’t move.
The beast let him go, and Dariel floated above the ground. He coughed violently, spitting up water, and found himself alone in the middle of the forest.
The End