The Magical Realm of Shadows Part 1 Chapter 10

Rhiannon

Diana awoke first from the enchanted nap, startled to realise it had not all been just a dream. Morrigana and Dagda were sitting with their backs to her, gazing into the crystal ball.

“Dagda!” Morrigana sounded alarmed. “Maybe we should try to help her.”

“Just wait, Dear, let’s give her a chance first. They have to learn to look after themselves, you know, that’s why they’re here.”

Diana got up, slowly and quietly, and looked over their shoulders at the image in the ball.

Brigit and Gerri were walking inside a huge dragon’s skeleton, a ghostly blanket of fog obscuring their legs. Brigit kept calling out Lily’s name, repeatedly, unaware that something had followed them into the ribcage. Stalking them were some kind of prehistoric lizards - the scavenger dragons.

Gerri sensed the danger first and turned to confront the monsters. The hound’s snarls alerted Brigit who turned round to look at the dragons in horror.

The lizards lumbered forward, their forked tongues flickering in and out tasting the air, foam bubbling in the corners of their mouths.
Gerri hunched before the dragons, hackles bristling, jaws snapping as she tried to halt their advance, but what could a creature of fur do against such monsters? The point would soon be reached where there'd be no further room for retreat.

Brigit took the flute from around her neck and extended it. She looked like she was thinking hard about what to play. Gerri’s rump had backed up against her legs as the dragons closed in for the kill. Brigit put the flute to her lips and began to play.

A haunting melody filled the air and the dragons immediately froze in their tracks. They began to sway their great heads from side to side as though dancing to the tune. Then they sank onto their bellies, resting their chins on the ground. The dragons’ eyelids fluttered a few times then closed.

Brigit and Gerri cautiously skirted around the monsters’ slumbering forms and ran out of the ribcage.

“What beautiful music, Dagda,” said Morrigana.

“Yes, Dear, I’ve never heard anything like it.”

“It’s “Syrinx”,” Diana found her voice and surprised them. “By Debussy; it’s one of Brigit’s favourites.”

“Oh, dear,” Morrigana gasped. “Did you see all that, child?”

“See what?” Billy had woken up and was rubbing his eyes.

Dagda’s bullhorn voice greeted him. “Top of the morning to you, Son.”

“Bab, Maca,” Morrigana addressed the pair of perched hoodies. “Go find Rhiannon and ask her to come here, please.”

The crows hopped onto a window sill and flew off on their errand.

Diana and Billy ate bacon and brown sauce sandwiches from the cauldron, while Morrigana prepared some provisions and put them in a goat skin satchel. Dagda added a horn of non-alcoholic mead.

“They stand out too much in those clothes,” said Morrigana. “How about disguising them, Dagda?”

Dagda pulled a couple of brown woollen caps out of his tunic and put them on their heads, they were tight fitting with pointed tops. Next thing they were clothed in matching hooded smocks and baggy trousers.

“What about the little dog?” she continued.
Dagda scratched his head for a while. “I suppose it could be turned into a weasel.”

“No!” cried Billy. “Don’t change Candy, please.”

“All right then, boy, but you’ll have to keep her in a bag if you come across any of the queen’s men.”

“Excuse me, please,” said Diana. “I’m not sure I really want to know, but where are we going?”

“You’re going to Torba’al, it’s in The Land of the Ever Living” Morrigana answered in an excited fashion, as though they were going on holiday to Blackpool. “It’s the most magical place in the whole of Astyxia. You’ll love it, children.”

“Is it really scary?” she couldn’t help asking.

“Sweet Mother Don, no!” Dagda assured them. “It’s the safest place for you – once you get there, of course.”

“And who lives there?”

“Keranos,” said Morrigana, “Lord of the Wild Hunt.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Billy tiptoed to whisper in Diana’s ear.

Diana whispered back, “Well, what else can we do? It’s not like we can just get a taxi back to Aunty’s, is it?”

“She’s here!” exclaimed Dagda, in reaction to the sound of a horse’s hooves drumming on the ground outside. The crows came back through the window and took their perch.

They made their way back down the steps to find a stunning red roan mare tossing her head and pawing the ground. Dagda put a double-seated saddle on her, then lifted them both on board, Billy behind with Candy strapped over one shoulder in a small leather sack. Dagda hooked the satchel over the saddle horn. The mare trotted down the hill, the children waving back to their new-found friends, Gel barking in excitement.

“Come back and see us when you’ve saved Astyxia,” Morrigana called after them.

Utterly bewildered, Diana turned to Billy. “How on earth are we supposed to save Astyxia if great magicians like them can’t?”

“Don’t look at me; I didn’t wanna come to Aunty’s, anyway.”

Rhiannon soon left the grassy hills behind and headed into a desolate prehistoric landscape. The road they followed was made of loose shingle and on either side, stretching in all directions, stood volcanic rocks, steaming sulphurous pools, and geysers sending up towering columns of silvery water in short bursts. Swarms of flies fed on the algae around the edge of the pools.

Gel gave out a warning bark, causing the horse to whinny and turn around. A squadron of dark riders were following them, their black steeds breathing out short bursts of blue flame from their nostrils. The lead rider was the only one with a crested helmet.

“It must be that Hagfang,” said Diana.

“Oh, no he was really scary.”

Rhiannon turned and started to trot, before working up to a canter, then breaking into a full gallop. Diana had ridden horses a lot with her school friends but for Billy it was the first time. He either braced his legs in the stirrups – which was tiring – or bounced up and down in the saddle like a Jack-in-a-box. Gel sped along effortlessly beside them, barking encouragement to Rhiannon.

The chase went on furlong after furlong and it soon became obvious that their pursuers couldn’t close the gap with Rhiannon, but neither could she lose them.

Before long, the volcanic landscape faded into a sandy plain and the mare turned off the road, her hooves seeming to float across the soft ground.
Diana let out a gasp at what she saw looming ahead of them.

“What is it, Di?” Billy was anxious to know.

“Nothing, Billy, just close your eyes and hold on tight.”

A ravine as wide as a netball court blocked their path, yet Rhiannon was speeding up. Then they were sailing through the air with what looked like a bottomless chasm beneath, Gel still beside them.

They reached the point where Diana expected them to start falling, but somehow the momentum was maintained and they landed safely on the other side, with hardly a hands breadth to spare.

Rhiannon pulled up, breathing heavily, and turned about to look back across the ravine. They could now see the knight’s eyes glowing red through their visors, matching those of the unearthly-looking stallions they rode. The horses were blowing an almost permanent outpour of fire from their muzzles.

As the ghostly squadron pulled up just short of the ravine, Hagfang gave an order to one of his knights, who promptly backed up his horse then charged at the barrier. Diana and Billy watched with bated breath.

The black knight and steed soared through the air towards them and landed right on the edge of the chasm, but the horse was unable to maintain forward motion and sank back on its haunches under the weight of its armoured rider. The knight clung on desperately to the saddle horn but gravity was pulling him towards the abyss. With great effort, the horse pushed up on its back legs, but unbalanced by its rider, was forced into rearing. The knight lost his grip on the saddle horn and dropped into the void, with an eerie scream. Free of its burden the stallion went galloping across the plain.

Hagfang led his men along the edge of the ravine, searching for another way around.

Billy found his breath and couldn’t help gloating. “Ah ha, you big silly Muppet’s,” he shouted, before sticking out his tongue.

“Billy!” shouted Diana. “Don’t make them angry.”

“Why, what’s it matter? We’re safe now.”

Rhiannon gave a triumphant whinny and they set off again.

“Hey, Di, this is a fun place, innit?” Billy enthused

“Yeah, I wonder if they’ll let me take Rhiannon home, when we go.”

Billy could feel something disturbing the air behind him and turned to see a giant vulture swooping down. “Di…” was all he could get out before the bird’s talons seized his shoulders and pulled him out of the saddle.

Gel jumped up at the great bird trying to grab hold of a wing, but was too late. All Diana could do was call out Billy’s name, over and over, and watch helplessly as the vulture flew further away – until it was just a speck on the horizon.

She slid from the saddle and dropped to her knees crying, Gel licking one side of her face, Rhiannon nuzzling the other. Then she felt hands on her shoulders. Diana turned to see a young woman with a long mane of auburn hair, wearing a suede dress and riding boots.

“Where’s Rhiannon?”

“I am Rhiannon.”