SciFi and Fantasy Stories: Yshira Chapter 1

The Fogshorn forest was idyllic this time of year with its expanse of lush green vegetation broken only by the occasional bursts of color put forth by the many native flowers. The maples of the forest were already tinged with crimson, proudly displaying the first blush of autumn as they waved their leaves in the light breeze.

Two horses shifted nervously amongst the dappling shadows, their riders oddly stiff and silent atop their backs. Something was coming; the very air, laden with the scent of pine needles, vibrated with it.

Nikoli, his hazel green eyes squinting in concentration, turned his nose to the wind. It came to him like a thought in the dead of night just as sleep eases its claws about you. The musty scent that trickled into his nostrils spilled fear into his heart as his ears picked out the distant baying call over the wind.

Turning stricken eyes on his companion, Nikoli's hand dropped to the sword belted at his side as his mind raced. They hadn't taken anything; no one had even known they had been there. So why were there hunds prowling the forest? Whom were they searching for?

It started in the distance but it wasn't long before the rustling in the bushes was only a few feet beyond the glen. As one, Nikoli and Callum's mounts backed slowly into the surrounding cover of the forest to wait and watch. A hawthorn bush at the far end of the clearing rustled as a figure swathed from head to toe in what might once have been a white dress emerged, stumbling over a tree root. Regaining her footing, she raced off down an invisible path, checking over her shoulder in panic. It was clear to Nikoli that this woman was what the Helhunds were searching for and she knew it, too.

Then the hunds came. Their stench hit the riders first; of rotting meat left for days in the boiling sun. Their mount's eyes rolled, nostrils flaring as they bounced on their hind legs, blind with terror. Then they came into view, slinking stealthily from the foliage. Red eyes gleamed out of black canine skulls, decayed flesh swinging from where it clung to the burnt bones. The remaining body parts painted a less than appealing picture. Everywhere you looked, bones poked through the rotted flesh, backlit by the slight glow of the runes that brought a semblance of life to the decrepit flesh. Their noses were raised to the wind, snuffling wetly as they tracked.

Nikoli was almost about to let out a sigh of relief when the last hund of the lot froze, turning its hulking head in their direction, nose in overdrive. Nikoli knew that the creatures had very poor eyesight but their sense of smell was phenomenal. He watched as a feral grin lit its unholy features and it took a step towards them. Nikoli's breath froze in his chest and he watched helplessly as it advanced. Bile rose in his throat at the creeping scuttle and freeze motion that was characteristic of the creature. It reminded him of a spider and he detested spiders.

Just when he thought he would have to let Romathin have his head and make a run for it, a jarring howl from the distance broke the creature's rancid stare and it turned, returning the call as it raced after its brethren; they had caught the girl. Now the question was whether their orders were to bring her back dead or alive.

"Come on!" The man beside Nikoli said determinedly, turning his mount in the direction the hund had disappeared as he kneed it into motion. They reached the edge of the clearing before he realized that Nikoli wasn't behind him. Nikoli sat exactly where he'd been before, his face frozen in shock.

"Nikoli, we can't let them get her, no matter what purpose they want her for."

"Are you crazy?" Romathin shifted nervously underneath Nikoli, uneasy at the tension radiating down through his rider's body. "That thing almost attacked us and we were just sitting here. What do you think it'll do if we actually interfere? And don't go spewing that old obligation gospel again; she didn't ask anything of us so we have no obligation and no binding."

"If that's your choice, I can't change your mind but I can't sit here and do nothing. I took an oath to destroy Zaedir and I plan to do everything in my power to fulfill it." And kneeing his stallion, the man called Callum turned and raced off toward the baying in the distance. It only took a few moments before Nikoli, torn, sent Romathin racing after him.

The way was difficult, hindered by low branches and fallen logs. The Xetdaar's hooves resounded through the forest with dull thuds that were only matched by the frenzied cries of the hunds. As they rode into view it became apparent why they were so excited.

The woman, in an effort to escape the beasts, had climbed into a maple and stood twelve feet up, clinging to the trunk with sheer terror on her face. The hunds, oblivious to the two new humans, circled the base of the tree, leering grins on their faces. Every couple of moments one would launch itself at the trunk, claws scoring the bark as it snapped at the air.

Cold sweat broke out on Rihani's face as her fingers bit into the bark of the trunk, splinters embedding with pricks into her callused hands. The chorus of howls rang out like maddened laughter, raising goosebumps along her cold skin. It didn't matter that the forest was soaked in the suns rays for terror chilled her body.

How long could she remain conscious? The creatures that prowled below had been tracking her for the past five days and they didn't look as if they were about to depart anytime soon. Her lack of food and the flight from the waterfall had begun to take their toll and her body trembled with fatigue, and an overwhelming hunger and thirst.

Rihani knew with a cold certainty that if she survived this she would be forever haunted by these creatures' unnatural howls.

A yell rent the air and Rihani jerked her head so fast her body tipped precariously on its perch, causing her to scrabble desperately for the nearest branch, scratching her already lacerated hands. Two forms hurtled out of the surrounding bushes with a crash, swords glinting in their hands. Rihani's heart nearly stopped at the sight of this new foe as her brain raced to form a new plan for her escape.

The creatures below had stopped their prowling at the ringing cry and stood flank-to-flank facing the newcomers. Rihani watched in astonishment as, with an odd swinging movement and terrifying suddenness, the foremost of the three stepped sideways and lunged at its attackers. Nothing had ever moved so fast. Little more than a blur of decayed fur, it sprang clear of the earth and tore into the nearest man.

But it missed, the creature the man sat astride slipping through its clutches like sand through a clenched fist. The creature landed, its claws scoring deep gouges in the soft earth. Whirling with scarcely a moment's pause, it sprang at its prey a second time, this time joined by its brethren.

Its flight connected with the chest of the man's mount, causing it to scream in fury as it lashed out with its hooves to dislodge the creature's jaw from its neck. There was a sickening crack as the hoof connected with the hound's leg and it dropped off, its leg bending oddly as it struggled to support the body.

Flecks of red-black blood marred the crystalline white of the horse's coat but it seemed to take no notice of its injury as it advanced on the hound, bouncing onto its hind legs with little kicks to keep the creature away, its breath coming in huffs, nostrils flaring.

Rihani could see that there wasn't much room amongst the trees for the men to maneuver their mounts and her breath caught in her throat, choking her, as a hound caught the stockier man's arm in a lunge, nearly unseating him. The man must have had a dagger hidden up his sleeve for no sooner had the hound latched onto his arm than it went limp, the demonic red light leaving it as it collapsed to the forest floor. No blood pooled out beneath the creature and when Rihani looked at the man's face, she saw surprise and confusion there for there was no blade in either of his hands.

She watched him inspect first the carcass, and then the shadows of the trees around them. When he froze, she followed his gaze to find a hooded figure twenty feet away. She couldn't see anything of the person's face, shadowed as it was by the hood, but from the direction of the hood was pointing, it was staring at the hound the man with the wavy black hair was grappling with.

Her heart clenched as she spotted the third hound slinking its way up behind the man's horse, its features maniacal. Before she could call out any kind of warning, the man's horse kicked out, trapping the hound between its hooves and the trunk of the tree with a squelch. The hund stood there for an instant after it was released and Rihani only had time to observe the crushed thorax before the black hazy light that seemed to emanate from somewhere within its decayed chest went out with a snuff and the thing collapsed upon the ground. When she searched for the remaining hound it, too, lay lifeless upon the ground; the hooded figure seemed to have disappeared.

"You can come down now," the burly man with the short-cropped dark brown hair sticking out in all directions called up to her. "There were only the three of them."

The leaves of the tree rustled as she picked her way down the trunk. She was careful to have both hands securely wrapped around each branch before she moved either of her feet. The shaking of her limbs, which had ceased while she was engrossed in the battle had returned with a vengeance and if she wasn't careful she could easily tumble from her precarious perch.

When her feet were safely on the ground and her back to the trunk, she inspected each of the men. The stockier man sat slightly taller in the saddle and had a pleasant, albeit slightly disfigured, face. She took note of the kind brown eyes so at odds with the crooked nose and long jagged scar that suggested a fighter. The second man looked more capable of violence with his dark-ringed green eyes that stared stonily out from an angular face. He sat rigidly atop his mount as it shifted nervously.

Up close, the stunning animals looked even more magnificent, with coats of the purest white and manes and tails to match. Intelligence sparkled in the river-blue depths of their eyes. Drawn to this, Rihani stepped forward without a thought to the possible danger to herself.

The burly man's mount lowered its muzzle as she neared, its mane sweeping forward along its arched neck to frame its delicate face. Having let him inspect her hands first, she ran them up along the underside of his jaw, wondering at the silkiness of the coat. This was certainly the softest mane-hair she had ever felt; it reminded her of a puppy's first coat, more fluff than hair and soft as a cloud.

Caught staring into the horse's hypnotizing eyes, she was startled to hear its rider speak. She'd been so entranced and they so quiet that she'd forgotten they were even there.

"We'd best get moving. Once Zaedir realizes they aren't coming back, which won't take long, there will be more of them." Rihani saw him cast a nervous glance at the woods where the mysterious hooded figure had appeared.

She could hear the truth in his words and she also thought she heard a hint of humor as well. When he met her eyes, she saw them dancing merrily though his face remained stern. Without wondering why she did so without first questioning the safety, she accepted his proffered hand as he hoisted her onto the horse's back. It wasn't as if she had much choice in the matter; he could just carry her off if it was what he wanted to do.

"I'm Callum, that's Nikoli. Wrap your arms about my waist and hold tight. Try not to squeeze Nightshade too tightly with your legs. He's not such a fan of that fashion of riding."

"I'm Rihani," she said tentatively and saw the corner of his mouth turn up in a smile.

Callum, she tested the name in her mind. It suited him. He shifted his weight forward a bit on the cloth pad she supposed they used instead of a saddle and Nightshade swung around in response. Rihani marveled at the toned muscles bunching and releasing beneath her as Nightshade broke into a trot. She had lived her entire life around horses but never had she had the privilege of riding them.

"Where are we headed?" she asked, knowing that it was probably a pointless thing to ask since she wouldn't know where that place was anyway.

"The Yerik River."

Rihani got an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, as if a lead weight had been dropped rather heavily into it. "Would this river happen to have a waterfall?"

"Farther north than we are going, yes." Nightshade was now at a rocking canter and Rihani felt herself blushing as she fought to keep her hips from smacking against Callum's backside. As a result, she got rather tossed about and nearly fell off.

"Let your body rock with Nightshade's movements. If you sit like that he'll likely get annoyed and use the next low hanging branch to knock you off and me with you." Ignoring his strange choice of words, she struggled to relax her body and match the horse's movements. It was harder than it looked and her admiration for riders increased infinitely. If this was half as uncomfortable for Callum as it was for her he certainly had her admiration.

"Now, we'll need to cross the river before nightfall, so we must pick up speed. Make sure you're holding tight and you may want to close your eyes for this."

Rihani's why ended in a muted scream as Nightshade shot forward with the other horse following close at his heels as the world exploded.