The hours went by, midday came, and they stopped for a bite of lunch before carrying on again. A little later they came to a small patch of woodland and travelled a little way in its shade in an attempt to make the golden Sceptre a little less conspicuous. Then, just after emerging into the open grassland again, the thing they had been dreading finally happened. They heard the sound of a horn being blown some distance away and, looking around in dismay, saw half a dozen riders wearing dark cloaks over bright armour half way up the ridge to their right. They were galloping rapidly down towards them, swords and lances in hand, and one was blowing on a large curving rams horn to summon the rest of them.

     They spurred their horses to a gallop, but the Shadowriders were a little ahead of them and would reach the floor of the valley in time to cut them off. Turning back was no use as the valley was a dead end, ending with the Thunderberg itself, so there was no way to avoid a fight. Shaun and Matthew drew their swords and the three wizards readied their spells as they closed with the enemy.

     As they reached the floor of the valley, the Shadowriders spread out in a line from the lower slopes of the ridge to the busy little stream, fifteen feet wide and very fast and choppy, that ran down the middle. They rode in a slow trot away from them, knowing that the travelers would have to try to get past them before the other Shadowsoldiers arrived. They had their eyes on Diana, who carried the Sceptre, and Shaun and Matthew moved protectively to either side of her with the wizards bringing up behind.

     When they were separated by only a couple of hundred yards, the two Shadowriders with lances turned and came at them at a full gallop, their lances aimed at the woodsmen's hearts. Thomas pointed his finger at the one aiming for Matthew and waited for him to come within range. Spell casting on a galloping horse was impossible, so when his target was close enough he reigned his horse in, waited for it to come to a complete halt, and cast the spell at the Shadowrider, now less than two seconds from killing his friend.

     To his surprise, not one but two bolts of magical energy sprang from his finger, flying around Matthew to avoid him as though they were living things. They hit the Shadowrider squarely in the chest making him scream in pain and his lance miss its target. A second later Matthew's sword sliced his head off and the headless body slid out of its saddle onto the ground. Thus were the first blows of the Fourth Shadowwar dealt.

     Shaun didn't fare as well. At the last moment he turned his horse aside, but it was slow to respond and the lance caught him in the shoulder, knocking him out of the saddle. His slennhide breastplate saved him from serious injury but the impact stunned him and the sword fell from his hand. Fortunately the Shadowrider paid him no more attention and turned towards Diana and the Sceptre, but two more of Thomas's firebolts hit him, and a second later Matthew's sword claimed its second victim.

     As Thomas remounted his horse and Diana dismounted to examine Shaun, the four remaining Shadowriders spurred their horses on and converged rapidly, waving their swords with deadly intent. Lirenna dismounted and felt about in her pocket for some spell components. Matthew, now full of battle lust, spurred his horse into a gallop to intercept the rightmost rider and Thomas, now having no magic left, grimly drew his dagger. Behind him he heard Diana saying a prayer over Shaun and hoped that the big woodsman would soon be back in the fight. They needed him now as never before.

     When the Shadowriders were only fifty yards away Matthew met his chosen victim and Lirenna started her spell, pointing her clenched fist at the rider on the left and allowing sand to trickle slowly through her fingers as she chanted the magic words. She moved her arm to point at the second and third riders in the middle, leaving out the one on the right in case her spell affected Matthew. Two of the riders slumped unconscious in their saddles, but the third suffered only a moment of drowsiness before recovering and bearing murderously down on her.

     She drew her dagger and stood her ground, and Thomas and Jerry both steered their horses towards the Shadowrider, knowing that one of them was about to die with a single sweep of the sword but not caring if it saved the demi shae. The Shadowrider fixed his eyes on the human wizard, the larger of the two, and Thomas gripped his dagger tightly, hoping for the chance for a quick thrust through his armour before he died. The rider drew back his arm, waiting for his horse to pass the wizard's, but just as he was about to deliver the killing blow Jerry's dagger flew through the air and buried itself in his throat.

     The Shadowrider stared in surprise before falling backwards out of the saddle, and Jerry dismounted to retrieve his dagger. Thomas reigned in his horse next to him. "Thanks," he said. "I didn't know you could do that."

     "Amazing what you can do when you have to," replied the tiny nome with a grin. "We used to have knife throwing contests in the orphanage when I was little, but with small throwing knives. I've never thrown a knife as large as this one before. I had no idea if it would fly straight or not."

     "Well, thank the Gods it did," said Thomas gratefully as Shaun remounted his horse and went to help Matthew finish off the last Shadowrider.

     Matthew had received a nasty leg wound from iron spikes on the legs of the Shadowrider's armour, and as soon as the fighting was over Diana quickly healed him before they all saddled up again, setting off at a full gallop before the other Shadowriders arrived. Sure enough, as they passed the entrance to another valley, they saw a dozen of them emerging from it at a full gallop, but thankfully not soon enough to cut them off. They fell in behind in pursuit, but the travelers’ horses were faster and increased the distance between them, leaving their pursuers far behind.

     Looking over his shoulder at them, however, Thomas saw one of them, wearing the long, flowing robes of a wizard, stop his horse and dismount. "Oh no!" he cried, making Jerry and Lirenna, riding next to him, look around as well. They saw the wizard cast a spell and vanish, reappearing two hundred yards ahead of them, where he started casting another spell.

     "Scatter!" screamed Thomas, and they broke formation, just as a fireball exploded a few yards ahead of where they would have been. Thomas felt a wave of intense heat wash over him, and a shockwave that almost knocked him out of the saddle. He heard a scream and saw Jerry tearing off his riding cloak, smouldering and burning, and throwing it away. He didn't seem to have been injured too badly, though. None of them had. His warning had come just in time.

     Miraculously, none of the horses reared and threw their riders. Thomas could only assume that their steadiness was somehow due to the Sceptre, as any other horse would have panicked as a result of a near miss like that. They passed the wizard, who shot a cluster of firebolts at them, one each hitting Shaun, Matthew, Thomas and Diana. Thomas felt the missile hit him, felt it burning deeply into his flesh, and he screamed in pain. It was the first time he'd been hit by the same spell he himself cast so frequently, and he was surprised and shocked by how much it hurt. He'd had no idea he'd been inflicting such agony on his victims.

     Then they were past the wizard and safe from him. He ran back to where he'd left his horse as the Shadowriders thundered past, knowing he could contribute nothing more to the outcome of the encounter.

     Meanwhile, the six travelers were coming to a place where four valleys came together, forming a wide bowl half a mile across.

     "Which way?" asked Shaun, grimacing in pain and holding a hand over the wound in his side where the firebolt had hit him.

     "That way, I think," shouted back Jerry, pointing to the valley on the right. They turned and headed for it.

     "Are you sure?" asked Matthew.

     "I think so. I'm pretty sure that's the way we came in by."

     "Well, let's hope you're right," said Shaun.

     They entered the valley, their horses close to collapse from heat exhaustion, just as they saw half a dozen more Shadowriders emerge from one of the others and join up with the group following them. A few arrow and crossbow bolts were fired, but their aim from the back of a galloping horse was poor and soon they were out of range.

     The end of the valley was hidden where it turned to go behind a tall ridge, and so they followed it blindly, knowing that if they'd come the wrong way and it came to a dead end, they were finished. Not only them, but possibly all civilization as well as the Sceptre was taken to the heart of the Shadow to be hidden and lost for ever. Diana prayed aloud, speaking with the same rhythm as the horse's gallop, and the others found themselves echoing her words, praying more earnestly than they ever had before in their lives.

     Then they rounded the ridge and saw nothing ahead of them but open grassland clear to the horizon. Not only that, but their horses seemed to be energised by the power of the Sceptre and were running as if they were fresh from the stable. The questers almost collapsed in relief and gratitude. They'd made it! They were free! There was no way the Shadowriders could catch them now.

     As if sensing their rider's joy and relief, the horses put on a burst of extra speed. Diana, gloriously happy and fulfilled, took the lead, the Sceptre of Samnos gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, as they galloped out into the open grassland heading for the nearest city of the Theocracy of Samnia.

To be continued.

Coming soon, the next volumes in The Legend of the Blue Wizard

Defenders of the Faith

     War is coming, and the Beltharan Empire has only a few weeks to prepare for the greatest crisis in its history. Frenzied preparations are made, amongst which is an expedition to a lost and forgotten fortress to recover an ancient artifact, the creation of one of the mightiest wizards in history and possessing power beyond imagination. The fate of the world may depend on it, but the spies of the enemy are everywhere and the expedition may already have been betrayed…

The Sword of Retribution

     Once again the armies of darkness are sweeping across the world and this time there may be no stopping them. Only by standing together can the heroes of civilization hope to prevail, but at this hour of their greatest trial the mightiest of their number is absent, fighting a less important war in the World Below, unaware of the deadly peril facing all mankind. He must be recalled to stand beside his brothers in arms, but to reach him a small group of volunteers must cross some of the deadliest terrain on or under the world, facing dangers beyond their ability to imagine…

The Caverns of Kronos

     Lost and alone, disheartened by failure and wanting only to go home, Thomas Gown and his companions face the darkest hour of their lives when they stumble across a remnant of the once mighty Agglemonian Empire. There they make a stunning discovery that could mean the salvation of the world if only they can get word to the desperate, embattled armies of civilization, but instead they face a lifetime of crippling servitude, hopeless prisoners of the insane tyrant, Lord Basil Konnen…

The Scrolls of Skava

     The fate of the world hangs in the balance. Belthar faces imminent defeat, and if the empire falls there will be nothing left to oppose the armies of darkness. One hope remains, one last all or nothing gamble, but for it to succeed the heroes of civilization have to find a way to team up with their bitterest enemies. Creatures every bit as evil as the Bone Prince but whose existence is also threatened by the undead hordes. Side by side, they must march together into the very heart of the Shadow…