Judd and Verne crawled forwards, keeping their bodies as low to the ground as they could manage. All pride and grace was gone as they crept towards the lip of the rise to peer over into the gully along with a half dozen of the nomads. They had been summoned to come to the front of the riders, to dismount and view what had been seen by the scout.

  Judd’s brown eyes took in the sight of the gully. There were a dozen horses or more gathered in the shallow ravine that was all but hidden from view. It was only because they had been following the tracks that the scout had discovered the gully at all.

  “Those are the nomad’s horses…” Judd breathed.

  “Not just theirs,” Verne nudged him, “look…there’s Quell…and Zeke.”

  “They’re alright.” Judd closed his eyes, relieved. “I’d hate to think I’d rescued them from Fort Bastil only to be impaled by a unicorn…where are the unicorns?”

  One of the nomads made a finger signal and pointed. Judd leaned forward as far as he dared. The unicorns were guarding the entrance to the gully just around a slight bend.

  “They’ve herded them into this gully…why?” Verne frowned. “And where is the monster on his horse that I owe?”

  “I can’t see anything other than unicorns and horses.” Judd shook his head. “I’m curious…the unicorns are guarding where the horses were herded…so what’s that way?” He pointed in the opposite direction.

  “Shall we go look?”

  They shuffled back and crept away from the scouts who were returning to report to Chief Bear who waited with Mavrish and the other, not so nimble anymore, nomads. They were hidden beyond a rocky outcrop, of which there were plenty so far east. In fact, Judd could taste the salt in the air and knew that the sea was close. However, from the way the land, which was the northern end of the eastern mountain range, was rising, he suspected that in order to reach the ocean, one would have to leap from cliffs to the thrashing surf below.

  Judd and Verne followed the gully as closely as they dared, keeping out of sight of the unicorns at the other end. The gully wound through the steppelands, heading into a crevice between two hills.

  “I think there’s a cave…” Verne murmured.

  They both hunkered down and crawled forward again, right to the lip of the gully and peered over. It was a cave that looked as though it led deep into the hillside, still heading east.

  “Ugh…what’s that smell?” Judd felt his throat burn and stomach heave.

  “Sulphur,” Verne guessed, “and from the sheen of that trinkle coming out of the cave. I think it’s coming from tainted water.”

  Judd could see the luminous little stream flowing slowly out of the cave. Nothing grew at the edges of the stream. The only strands of grass that dared to grow were at the very edges of the gully.

  He opened his mouth to speak but ended up with a mouthful of dirt when Verne pushed him down. He signalled furiously at Judd to stay low. Judd held his breath then heard the sound of hooves on the loose slate that was everywhere. It cracked and crunched beneath the weight of the horse…then they heard someone speak, guttural and strange.

  Judd looked at Verne then they both craned their necks to look over the edge.

  A man’s naked torso came into view, topped with a head of wild silvery grey hair tied in knots away from his angular face. He had growth on his chin and cheeks, a rugged and handsome demeanour with eyes as silver as his hair.

  Verne’s mouth turned down and Judd saw him reach for his dagger, his bow and quiver left back with the nomads. Judd grasped his hand and shook his head at him to stop. Verne was only just restrained but Judd needed to know more about what was going on.

  A powerful whinny echoed from the cave and a horse, no a unicorn, emerged from the darkness, tossing its dappled head, a gleaming white horn adorning its forehead. It snapped instinctively at the man who slapped its muzzle. The unicorn retreated slightly and lowered its head.

  “Establishing dominance.” Verne whispered.

  The unicorn was ordered down the gully but the man spoke again and two unicorns appeared, herding a single horse up the gully towards the cave. It was resisting but the unicorns were merciless, nipping at its rump with their teeth and jabbing it with their horns. In the end, the horse had no where to go but into the cave. The unicorns escorted it inside then appeared a minute later but without the horse. The man grunted something unintelligible then turned and Judd’s spine trembled and Verne gasped. The man’s silver eyes darted to the edge of the gully, Judd and Verne driving themselves into the hard ground.

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  For a long time there was only tense silence…

  …until Judd couldn’t stand it any longer and signalled to Verne that they had to retreat. When they were as far away as they dared to be, they stood and sprinted back to the nomads.

  “Did you see it?” Verne called softly between pants.

  “I saw it!” Judd blurted. “We’ve got to warn the nomads!”

  Thankfully Chief Bear was still deciding a plan of attack when Judd and Verne arrived, sweaty, breathless and frightened.

  “Don’t…don’t…” Judd leaned into the stitch in his side. “Centaur! Do you understand? Centaur?” Chief Bear eyed them humourlessly. Judd groaned. “Wish I’d brought Caste!”

  “Look,” Verne grabbed an arrow and drew a horse without a head on the ground, “horse body, man’s torso.”

  Chief Bear studied the drawing.

  “That’s what’s leading the unicorns.” Judd pointed at the drawing then towards the gully. “Centaur.”

  “Kentaurus.” Mavrish said from behind Chief Bear. Judd looked at him and his expression was grim.

  “Kentaurus?”

  “Nay,” Chief Bear shook his head, “nay…”

  “Gese.” Judd responded with probably his only word of ancient Terra that he knew. “Kentaurus but there’s more. Verne…can you draw the gully?” Verne sketched it out on the ground, the nomads gathering around. Verne drew the cave at the end. “Horse goes in,” Judd pronounced slowly, “unicorn comes out. Here,” he jabbed at the cave, “Maul makes unicorns.” Chief Bear frowned…but that did seem to be his resting face. “If we don’t stop this,” Judd put a cross through the cave, “more unicorns. More death.”

  The nomads spoke gruffly to each other. Chief Bear said nothing, remaining stern and quiet. Judd looked at Verne who shrugged helplessly. The language barrier was more than a little frustrating.

  “I think they’re more concerned about taking back their mounts.” Verne admitted. “They’re not here to stop Maul.”

  Judd swallowed and nodded. “That’s true…that’s kind of what I’m meant to do.”

  “Judd?”

  “Chief Bear,” Judd cleared his throat and the heavy set chief eyed him with his dark gaze, “you kill the unicorns and rescue the horses. Verne and I will go to the cave.”

  “And kill that centaur.” Verne’s tone was dark.

  Judd nodded. “Kentaurus and cave.” He pointed at himself then at Chief Bear and the nomads. “Horses and unicorns. Gese?”

  For a brief, possibly even imagined, moment, Judd thought he saw a small smile on the Chief’s face before he covered up his approval with a nod.

  “Alright.” Judd turned to Verne. “Grab your gear.”

  “We’re just going to march in there?” Verne demanded as they hastened to where the stallion, Xenon, was tethered. It had stopped looking at them with a unicorn’s disgust after four days of travel winding their way across the steppelands. Mavrish had been instrumental in getting the feisty mount to be respectful but more importantly, he had quite literally whipped Judd into shape, Mavrish smacking him with a willow switch, adjusting his posture and the way he gave commands. Verne had graciously allowed Judd to experience the full force of Mavrish’s merciless tutorage but even with bare minimal exposure, after four days, he and Judd were far better riders than they had been.

  Xenon watched as they strapped their equipment and weapons on their bodies. Judd saw its flank tremble and wondered if the magnificent stallion could sense the anticipation of battle in the air.

  “Not shy of a skirmish, are you?” He chuckled, rubbing its neck. “Sorry fella, but I don’t want you anywhere near that cave.” The stallion blinked and Judd shook his head. “No, it’s not going to happen because I’m not risking you turning into a unicorn. You’ll come after me.”

  “Actually,” Verne looked up, sliding his bow over his head, “riding Xenon to the gully makes sense. At the very least, we won’t arrive out of breath and exhausted.”

  Judd grimaced. “Fine…to the gully but no further.”

  Dusk had fallen and the shadows were long. Judd and Verne mounted Xenon as the nomads settled in to wait until the dark of night. Judd didn’t want to risk getting lost in the half light so they took a roundabout route to the gully, keeping as far away from its mouth as possible, coming up towards the cave from almost the opposite direction. There was a half moon which might have provided adequate light except for the clouds. Judd and Verne dismounted Xenon and crawled towards the gully again on their stomachs.

  “I know we’re close.” Judd gagged. “Oh that smell…”

  They reached the lip and looked down. There was no sign of the unicorns or the centaur however, there was a curve in the gully leading up to the cave which presented a corner they could not see around.

  “Are we going to slide down?” Verne asked quietly. “That’s not going to be silent…”

  “I think we’ll have to risk it.” Judd whispered. “Ready?” Verne nodded.

  They both twisted so that their feet faced the gulley and wiggled to the edge, feeling their legs drop as they shifted out further. Judd grasped the tenacious wild grass at the edge of the gully and willed it to continue to hold as he tried desperately to feel for a foothold. Unfortunately it was then that the grass gave way and Judd slipped and crashed onto the gully floor. He was up in an instant, holding his breath.

  Verne looked over his shoulder, still clutching the edge as they waited.

  Nothing.

  Judd closed his eyes and breathed.

  Verne was a bit more nimble in his descent, landing deftly and silently.

  “Show off.” Judd grinned. “Now we just need to…what’s he doing here?”

  Verne looked up and they saw Xenon, lightly outlined in moonlight at the edge of the gully, looking down at them.

  “I thought you tied him up.”

  “I thought you did.” Judd sighed. “Shoo! Go away!”

  Xenon huffed as if Judd’s pantomime was insulting…and as if to prove to Judd that Xenon could do whatever the Maul he liked, he put his front legs over the lip of the gully, found the decline and managed to come skidding down in a massive shower of slate and grass.

  Judd slapped his forehead while Verne shook his head. “Subtle.”

  “Come on,” Judd grasped Xenon’s halter, “before that centaur comes to see what the noise is about.”