Bound to Survive (The Magic Within Book 1) (4 page)

‘What will I see?’

Gustov chuckled. ‘You’ll see, sir, you’ll see. Besides your mornin’ sup will be cold and we’ll be off soon, so you won’t have long to wait.’

‘Alright, I’ll see you soon.’ Gerard hurried out of the barn back to the inn. His father was already seated as were the other guests, and Devon greeted him good morning.

‘I wondered when you’d turn up. I thought you might miss breakfast.’

‘There wasn’t much to see and I went into the barn and spoke with Gustov.’

‘Oh, and what did Gustov have to say?’

‘He said we’d see something about an hour up the road. But he wouldn’t say what.’

‘Well then you’ll just have to wait, son.’

Ned carried a tray over and placed it on their table. There was freshly squeezed orange juice, dandelion tea, spicy sausages, fried eggs and thick slabs of bread and butter with sticky jam and a small pot of honey. It looked delicious and they tucked into the food with relish. When they’d finished Devon settled their bill.

‘Well you’ll be off then,’ Ned said as he took Devon’s money.

‘Yes, thank you for your hospitality.’ Then Devon organised for a basket of food to take with them.

Outside the day was warm. The sun shone and clouds drifted across the sky.

‘Father, it looks to be a fine day to travel.’

‘Yes it does, Gerard, yes it does,’ Devon said as Gustov drove the team up and pulled them to a halt in front of the inn.

‘Mornin’, Sirs,’ Gustov said and tipped his cap.

‘Good morning, Gustov. How’s all with you this fine day?’

‘Just fine, Sir, just fine. We should be on our way if we’re to make good time today.’

‘We’re all ready to go,’ Devon said as they stepped off the porch. Devon and Gerard took their seats and then they were off, one step closer to Canistar and the Keep.

They travelled on for approximately an hour before Gustov pulled the carriage to a halt atop a small hill that overlooked the valley below. He climbed down from the driver’s seat and tied the reins to a small Barrobourgh tree before he opened the carriage door.

‘Sir,’ he said to Gerard. ‘This is the place.’

Gerard stepped out of the carriage and his eyes popped open wide. Never before had he seen such beauty. Down the hill and into the valley he looked from left to right where before him a forest stretched as far as the eye could see.

‘That’s amazing, Gustov!’

‘That would have to be the largest pine forest I’ve ever seen,’ Devon said.

‘Well, Sir, they say it’s older than time and it just keeps on spreadin’.’ Gustov was proud that he’d impressed these two visitors from Reist. ‘That’s not all, wait till you get a look inside. Oh the things you’ll see, it takes a whole day to cross it.’

‘Let’s be on our way then,’ Devon said and returned to the carriage.

‘Father, could I ride up top with Gustov for a while?’

‘I don’t know, son. What do you think, Gustov?’

‘Sure, sir, that’ll be fine,’ he said. So Gerard climbed up on to the seat where Gustov sat and they set forward on to the forest.

As they travelled closer the forest was a great deal taller than Devon had first thought. The tall trees stretched their branches towards the sun while the lower, heavier branches bent down and swept the forest floor. At first the trees were rather large and other plants grew amongst the thin carpet of pine needles. Small animals and birds moved amongst the foliage and the sunlight pooled through the canopy and made sunny patches on the forest floor. The road on which they travelled was clearly seen and flowers grew here and there. As they moved further into the forest, Gerard was amazed at the sounds and sights he saw. Birds squawked as they passed by and small animals collected food. On some trees and fallen branches strange fungus grew, which intrigued Gerard no end.

The further they ventured into the forest the closer the trees grew and became thinner as they battled each other for the sun’s light. The canopy overhead thickened and the light became dim. Gustov pulled the carriage to a stop and handed Gerard the reins.

‘Hold ‘em still, lad, I have to light the lanterns.’

Gustov climbed down from his seat and went around to the carriage door. ‘Sir, would you like me to light the lanterns for you? You won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face when we reach the middle of the forest.’

Devon opened the door. ‘I didn’t know it could get this dark in the woods. Yes, light the lanterns so I’m not in the dark. Thank you, Gustov,’ he said.

‘That’s cos you’re in the forest, Sir.’ Gustov climbed into the carriage and took out a tinderbox and lit the lanterns. ‘Shouldn’t be for too long, Sir, then we’ll stop in a clearin’ I know of and have somethin’ to fill our bellies.’

‘Do you want to ride in here with me, Gerard?’

‘No, father. I’m fine up here,’ Gerard said.

Gustov closed the carriage door and headed back around to the front of the carriage where he climbed up on Gerard’s side.

‘Have to light the lantern on this side,’ he said as he opened the little shutter on the lantern cover. Then he climbed down and repeated the process on the other side before he climbed back up into his seat. The light of the lanterns reflected ahead. The further they travelled the darker it became and the light from the lanterns shone brighter. It was midday and yet in the forest it was pitch black. No branches hung close to the ground and all they could see were endless trunks of trees. There weren’t many as large as the ones near the edge of the forest. Gerard listened, the forest was silent and the darkness seemed to surround them.

‘How are you going to see where the road lays?’

‘Well, Gerard, see those rocks by the edge of the road. We stick close by them and we won’t get lost.’

‘So, Gustov, where are all the animals and birds?’

‘Sir, there aren’t many things that live this deep in the forest, ‘cept maybe a few moles or mice and the owls, they come in this far but they don’t live here. Not even the wolves come here.’

‘Oh?’

The silence of the forest seemed to engulf them and there was an eerie stillness to the place. Gustov paused, for effect. ‘But it has been said that when a traveller stays too long in the forest, strange things have been known to happen.’

‘Like what?’ Gerard was curious.

Gustov scratched his chin. ‘I don’t rightly know if I should tell you, Sir, might scare you a little.’

‘Please, please tell me,’ Gerard begged.

‘Well a man I knows, he goes by the name Jake, well he’s a hunter see and he comes through this forest when he’s on his way to trade furs. Well one time when he was passin’ through here, his wagon broke a spoke and the wheel came clean off. He didn’t have a spare one so he had to make one. Well that took some time, there’s not much wood this deep in the forest so he had to walk quite a ways to find a branch thick enough.’

‘Well that doesn’t sound strange,’ Gerard said.

‘The story ain’t finished, Sir. Well he said he was walkin’, lookin’ for a good piece of wood. He carried his lantern in one hand, held it high above his head he did so he could see. Well he had a strange feelin’ somethin’ was watchin’ him. But every time he’d turn around, there was nothin’ there. Anyways, he found some wood and headed back to his wagon but he still had that strange feelin’ somethin’ was watchin’ him. So he hurried along he did. Finally he made it back. Well as he was cuttin’ that branch to fit into the wheel, he saw, and I swears on me life, he says that he saw a pair of glowin’ red eyes.’

‘Maybe it was a wolf!’ Gerard said in excitement.

‘No, these eyes weren’t no wolf, they were up in the trees,’ Gustov said in a mysterious voice that made Gerard wriggle back in his seat. ‘Well Jack had nearly finished fittin’ that piece of wood in the wheel when a large branch snapped and fell near him. It scared the life out of him, so he whipped that wheel on as quick as he could and skedaddled right outta there. As he raced home he heard branches crash around him but he never looked back and he didn’t stop until he was home. Well when he went to unload his wagon, there were two large gouges runnin’ down the back of the tailgate. Well maybe you say it was a branch that had fallen and jammed on the back of his wagon, he thought that too until he found a long black claw wedged into one of the gouges left in the wood.’ Gustov grinned at the childhood tale he told.

Gerard felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he stared up at the dark canopy above him.

The light in the forest began to return and they were able to put out the lanterns. As they ventured on the trees grew further apart and animals could again be heard as they rustled across the forest floor. Gustov pulled the carriage into a clearing and climbed down to stretch his legs. He tied the horses to a branch on a nearby tree and then from behind the driver’s seat Gustov removed the basket which contained their lunch.

Devon was glad to be out of the carriage and the darkness of the forest. He too had heard Gustov’s tale and while he thought the fellow was up to a bit of mischief, the story had still prickled the hairs on his neck. Devon walked around and stretched his legs. It was a beautiful area, lush meadow grass carpeted the sunny patch and wild flowers sprouted in clumps not far from the trees. Birds twittered and flew in and out of the grass as they searched for insects. Devon walked over to where Gerard and Gustov sat on a blanket in the sunshine.

‘Here, Sir, have a drink to quench your thirst and there’s plenty of bread and cheese,’ Gustov said.

‘Thank you,’ Devon said and he sat down on a corner of the blanket and took the drink that Gustov offered him. After they’d eaten and rested, they took a walk around to stretch their legs before they headed back to the carriage.

‘Won’t be too long now, Sir, before we’re in Little Scarn. We’ll stop there for the night,’ Gustov said and closed the door on the carriage.

Later that evening they arrived in the small village. It was much like the inn they’d stayed in the previous night, friendly service, good food and a comfortable bed. There was breakfast in the morning and then they set off again for another day’s travel. The landscape ranged from fields of crops to pastures filled with livestock and they passed through wooded thickets and prairies where the grass rippled in the breeze. Some areas were rocky and some overgrown and there were small streams, which they crossed along the way.

When the evening drew in on the fourth day, they made a camp not far from the road. Gustov and Gerard gathered wood while Devon collected rocks and placed them in a ring to contain the fire. Others he stacked near its edge and Gustov placed the heavy iron pot on top. Gerard and Devon had never slept outside before or eaten food from a campfire and Gerard was excited, it was an adventure for him. Gustov cooked them a hearty stew made from vegetables, greens and some salted meat. They ate the stew and thought it was delicious. Later Gustov told stories from his childhood and also about the history of the area. He even told them a little about the Keep where Gerard was to stay.

There were tales of how the Wizards studied for hours on end and how they bonded with the moon and the seasons of time. Some of them studied the philosophies of old and others mixed magical medicines. Gustov told them how rare it was to find one with the gift of prophecy but all of them had one thing in common—they were teachers and mentors to the young students. He talked late into the night about the Wizards’ circles that he’d visited and the Solstices he’d attended. From winter to summer and all in between with their love for life and all forms of nature be it beast or plant, fire or water, the Wizards celebrated it all.

As the fire burnt low they prepared for bed. Gustov climbed into the carriage and lifted the leather seats. The base had been made into storage and he pulled out thick warm furs and two rolls of canvas, one large and one small. Most of the furs he arranged on the seats inside for Gerard and Devon and he only kept a couple for himself along with the small roll of canvas.

‘I think it’ll rain tonight,’ Gustov said. ‘But you’ll stay warm inside.’

‘What about you, Gustov?’

‘I’ll be fine, Gerard. I’ll sleep under the carriage. This here canvas will protect me from the rain and the furs will keep me toasty warm,’ he said.

Devon and Gerard bid him goodnight and climbed in. It wouldn’t be as comfortable as a bed but it would do for a night.

Gustov laid his canvas on the ground underneath the carriage and arranged his furs on top. Then he stacked some wood under there as well to stay dry in case it did rain. He climbed up and placed the larger canvas over their luggage and strapped it down to keep out any rain. Gustov crawled into his bed and snuggled himself in the furs and then he flicked the tarp over to cover himself and protect him from the cold. It wasn’t long before he was toasty warm and he drifted off to sleep. The others settled down for the night and arranged their furs to keep them warm. They were surprised how comfortable and soft they were.

It wasn’t long before Gerard heard his father snoring and as Gerard lay in the soft furs he thought about the stories Gustov had told earlier. He looked forward to his arrival at the Keep and was eager to see all the wonders Gustov had told him about.

They awoke early in the morning to hear the patter of the rain on the roof. They noticed a chill in the air and they could smell the sweetness of the soaked earth outside. Gustov was up and about already. He’d fashioned his canvas into a weatherproof cloak and around the middle he’d fastened it with a piece of rope. He was busy as he cooked breakfast over the small fire. The rain wasn’t heavy but it did look like it would hang around a while.