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- Chapter 28 -

The valley of monsters

Sapphire

The valley loomed overhead like the gates of death.
Sapphire watches the first rays of the sun creep from above the prices of the Masakh valley as Archie struggled to handle the hyasa they rode on. This children had ridden whole night, not catching a glimpse of sleep. But the animal's restlessness managed to keep them on edge. The hyasa simply refused to enter the path that layed in between the two mountain ranges.

'They feel danger,' said Naajim.

'But that ain't going to stop us now is it,' muttered Prince Tyler as he struggled with his hyasa. 'What is this damn thing so afraid of!'

'If Droop is scared, I guess it's wise if we were too,' said Sapphire.

'Droop?' said Archie.

'His eyes are always dropped down. Haven't you noticed? Look at them now. It's like as if he had seen a ghost!'

'I don't care what it's called,' yelled the prince, just get it moving!'

Archie sighed and gave up pulling the poor creature's mane. Its ears were folded back and eyes so wide the white was very prominent. Slowly, Archie patted Snort's neck hushing as he did. The ears slowly rose while it calmed down. Once it seemed calm, Archie nudged its front leg with the edge of his toes and the animal moved forward.

The ones around him could only gape.

'H-how did he do that!' the prince muttered. Seeing his companion walking forward, even Droop calmed down and followed.

'Incredible,' said Prince Tyler.

'How by the ancients did you even survive as a general?' Sapphire asked, 'You act like a child in a temper tantrum all the time!'

'Hay,' said the prince. 'If you were in Artaria you would be beheaded for your ballant disrespect!'

'I doubt it.'

'You know, you are the only people I have ever met who doesn't respect me while still knowing exactly who I am!'

'Don't care,' said Sapphire.

'Not my kingdom,' said Archie.

Naajim simply stared at the prince. Prince Tyler frowned at the boy behind him, 'Stop staring... Anyways, why do you work for my brother then?'

'No place to go,' explained Sapphire.

'Ah... I see.'

The moment they stepped into the valley, no one dared to speak a word. A giant shadow fell over then, blocking the sun. Besides them, tall mountains rose while a path stretched between the foot of where both ranges meet.

'It feels so exposed,' said Sapphire. A soft breeze blew past them, deepening the silence. Prince Tyler pulled out the map and studies it again.

'Are you sure you know which path we are taking?' said Archie.

The prince absentmindedly nodded.

'It... seems to be a river that dried up long ago. This is a tributary. We got to go to the main river, and then take another tributary to get to the other side. We'd better go faster.'

He tugged of Droop's mane and the hyasa galloped ahead of them. Archie followed. Sapphire had to admit, even though a but noisey, hyasas were very swift and fast runners.

The hyasas kept on running, as if they knew the dangers that laid ahead. As the sun crept to its zenith, the valley grew wider and steeper until it mimicked walls at both sides.

All of a sudden Archie halted Snort. The hyasa's ears perked up while Archie turned his face sideways, listening.

'What is it?' whispered Sapphire. Even Prince Tyler stopped to listen.

'There is... Something inside the mountains...' said Archie. Finally he looked up. His face consorted into a look of terror. Sapphire quickly whipped her eyes up, into the see dozens, or maybe hundreds of holes dug into the side of the mountain.

'By the ancients,' muttered Prince Tyler. 'Let's get out of here before whatever is inside comes out.'

Even Sapphire had to agree to that. They slowly made the hyasas trot, so that there won't be too much noise. Once the number of caves receded, they forced the hyasas into a full force gallop.

'Dammit!' snapped Archie. He looked over his shoulder. 'Just ride,' he said to the two who rode before them. 'Don't look back!'

Sapphire, being who she is, looked back.

Veerai.

Dozens of veerai with third sharp claws, strong hid legs and rows of tiny teeth chased after them in a stampede. They ran so swiftly that you almost could not hear them. Some even ran while climbing down the mountains like climber-birds.

Sapphire drew her sword out of habit, facing backwards while clutching onto Archie's waist. The hyasa rode for its and their life until both hyasas rode side to side.

'Hay!' yelled Prince Tyler. 'Archer! Can you shoot them off?'

Achie looked at his grip on the name and back at Sapphire who had her body twisted backwards while pointing her sword.

He then shook his head at the prince.

'Can you shoot?'

Naajim shook his head. The prince muttered a few curses under his breath. Eventually, he sort of stood up on the hyasa. It was a miracle he didn't topple down. Sapphire watched as the prince put one leg behind Naajim and leaped behind him while shoving Naajim forward. The poor boy automatically cling to the hyasas neck before gripping its mane.

'Throw me the bow and quiver.'

Sapphire nodded before slinging the quiver and bow over Archie's back and tossing it to the prince. The prince caught it. He quickly notched a arroq and shot the nearest veerai.

'Aren't these things supposed to be domesticated?' Sapphire muttered to herself.

' Apparently they are not,' answered Archie.

'Just ride!'

The prince shoot the veerai, sometimes missing, until the quiver emptied. Yet, there were about a two dozen veerai after them. The prince then drew out his sword out of frustration. The hyasa slowed down to pass a sharp bend when the veerai leaped at them.

Sapphire slapshed the air, striking a veerai to the left. Blood poured out of the open wound on its neck. One veerai, which was much smaller than the rest, clung onto the hyasa's back. Snort rose onto it's hind legs. Sapphrie simply stomped on the veerai's eyes and it let go. Snort galloped in a frenzy.

To Sapphire's right, the prince was equally struggling. But his sword was longer so he had a wide range. Sapphire wished they could have bought a spear from somewhere. It could have been easier then.

Then a veerai caught up to her left, almost snapping off her arm. Sapphire slashed with her sword. The veerai dodged the strike and clawed at her, catching her trousers. Sapphire watched in terror as the veerai tried to bite off her leg. Out of terror, the stabbed the veerai. Blue streeks flew off her hand and flowed down the sword towards the veerai. The animal let go, and stopped chasing them.

'What happened?' asked Archie.

Sapphire stared down at her narrow sword. It was made fully out of metal. Even the pommel. Prince Earic specifically gave it to her out of the palace armory. It was then did she understand why.

'He's a genuis!'

'Huh?'

'The sword! It can direct my lightning without making to do everywhere!'

'O-okay!'

'We can't loose them!' a voice shouted next to them.
Sapphire turned to see how they were doing. To her surprise, Naajim was out of sight. But something was gripping onto Droop's mane. It took a while for the prince to notice that his fellow companion was gone.

'Yaaaaaaaaa! Where... Where is the desert boy?'
Then the prince yelped again,'Yaaaaaaaaa.'

Naajim flickered back into existence, with a guilty look.

He must have done it unconsciously, Sapphire thought.

After that, the prince simply stared at the boy, fabberglasted. Sapphire felt like throwing her sword at his so that he could snap out of it and concentrate on the problem at land. But, when she looked back, the veerai had stopped. They paced anxiously here and there, but there seemed to be an invisible wall between them.

The hyasa stopped galloping and slowed down.

'Why did they stop?' asked Archie.

'I don't know,' Sapphire said.

'If it's the breeding season, they won't dare to leave their nests unattended for long,' said the prince who had finally regained his senses, 'Or maybe it's the end of their territory. Or the start of another they don't dare to pass. Considering our luck, it's probably that.'

'Probably,' said Archie. He tugged onto the hyasa, 'Let's not stay to find out.'

'Simply lovely,' muttered Sapphire and the children galloped away.

And it seems, the prince was right about his premonition. They didn't even have time to ride until noon before something slimy and long crept out of one of the caves. It was slow and moved like a work while it didn't have eyes or a head. Simply a tunnel filled with teeth. Fortunately, it ducked back into the came when it's creamy yellow skin touched the sunlight.

'Is that?'

Naajim nodded. 'Baby. Not grown.'

'Okay,' said Sapphire. 'If a baby was as long and wide as a human, how much big is an adult?'

The hyasa seemed to have seen enough of the monstrosity that they galloped away in fear. They saw an occasional thoobak baby crawling out of the caves, but no adult, much to everyone's relief. In no time, they reaches the main river.

'Heh. It's not dried up,' said Sapphire.

The river was definitely alive and flowing, but they didn't stay long to see its wonders. The hyasas got a drink and ate the green fleshy thorny plants that grew alongside the river bed. The children had their fill of smoked meat and hard bread. Then then rode away, once again, following the river.

They met an occasional herbivore along the way, grazing along the river bank. There was a large horned armoured beast, that seemed rather docile. The hyasa took an initiative to avoid the creature. The children happily obliged, knowing that prey knew their predators best.

Oddly, they didn't meet any danger along the river. It flowed slowly, flashing in silver here and there were a fish or two may jump up. It was hard for the hyasas to gallop along the rocky ground, so they had to slow down into a trot. When the shadow of the mountains fell over, they reached the second tributary and turned into a narrow canyon like gorge with a path that mimicked a dries up river bed.

'The path is dangerously narrow,' said Archie. He turned to the prince, 'Are you sure this is the way?'

The prince nodded.

'But if something attacked us, there would be not much places for us to retreat.'

'I can see that as well, Archer. But this is the right path.'

'His name is Archie, by the way,' said Sapphire out of spite.

'It is? Earic said it was Archer. What kind of a name is Archie?'

'Short for Archestrian.'

'That's even weirder.'

The path narrowed down from on top of them so much, they had to get down from the hyasa. The fact that they found a few bones on the way didn't make them feel reassured. Eventually, the path widened and they could ride again.

By the time they met another pile of messes up bones, Sapphire was in a panic.

'Something is not right… Those are human bones!'

'How can you even tell, Saph?' asked Archie.

'I have seen enough to know one!' the girl yelled.

'What if it were human? There is nothing here,' said Prince Tyler.

'We haven't met anything yet, but considering those bones, something is supposed to be here.'

Naajim nodded in agreement.

'Do you have any idea what it might be?'

Naajim shook his head with a shrug.

'Let's just go,' said Archie. He nudged the hyasa and they galloped away. But Sapphire could have sworn she saw something long, furry and grey watching them from the shadows before scurrying away.

Sapphire could only feel herself breath once the height of the walls besides them lessed and the path widened. They left the dried river bed long ago and seemed to have stumbled upon a path that was once used by humans. They saw broken pot pieces, broken weapons and even an abandoned carriage along the way. By the time they caught sight of the sand dunes, it was already dusk.

'Finally!' said Prince Tyler. 'We can have a good night's sleep tonight.'

But Naajim pulled on has sleeve, 'Thoobaks hunt at night.'

Everyone else could only sigh. Since thoobaks were told to be gigantic, and hid under the dunes, they decided to camp along the side of the mountains with a very rocky ground. Archie fortunately, noticed a space well hidden by a large rock facing the dunes and with the walls of the mountains curving around from behind.

They set up camp and lighted a fire from twigs snapped off from dead plants around them. No one set up the tents since it seemed unnecessary.

'Why did we bye these again?' asked the prince.

Naajim could only lower his head in guilt.

'We might never know when we might need them,' said Sapphire as she tore a piece of smoked meat with her teeth. Archie stared at his empty quiver and walked away with a sigh.

'Where is he going?' asked Prince Tyler.

'Probably gather wood to make more arrows.'

'Uh huh? What about feathers?'

Naajim watched Archie disappear into the dark. He too got up and followed.

'What about him?'

Sapphire shrugged. She felt that Naajim felt worried for Archie. He did say the monsters hunted at night. An hour later, the boys returned with a bundle of nearly straight wood. And it seems Archie had brought his own collection of feathers with him. Arrows needed the feathered ends for the shaft to run straight forward. Archie or course, did not sleep until he had made at leadt ten of them. Once he was done, he laid off the rug and fell asleep. Sapphire watched him while facing up at the start filled sky. The stars had never been so bright elsewhere.

The next morning, the children headed straight out into the dunes. The sun scorched high above them, drenching everyone in sweat. Snort and Droop didn't seem to mind the heat much. But when they noticed something large stear under the sand Naajim yelled.

'Stop!'

The hyasas neighed and stood on their hind legs before stopping. In front of them a sink hole sucked sand inside like a wirlpool. But what terrified the children was the creature that leaped up from the sinkhole, showering them in sand.

'By the ancients…' stammered the Artarian prince.

Sapphire would have said the same, if only she hadn't felt her body paralyze in fear.

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