Richard Tuttle - Star of Sakova

Antello had two horses ready and stood on the reins while he joined Syman’s attack with arrows of his own. The combined attack scattered the enemy archers long enough for Lyra to dash into the trees.

“Thanks,” Lyra panted. “I’m afraid the fire idea will not work.”

“I gathered as much,” Syman said. “Go with Antello quickly. Move fast because another group of invaders is looking for a way across the canyon.”

Lyra looked at Antello and the reins for the two horses he now held. Slowly, realization of what Syman was doing registered. “No,” she declared. “I am not leaving you to die in my place. We shall all leave together.”

“There is no time for this,” growled Syman. “I can hold these men here while you two get a head start, but I can do nothing about the other group. Any more delay and you will be throwing away not only your own life, but Antello’s as well. When I have held them here for a while to give you a head start, I will run and catch up to you. It is not me they are after and given a choice, they will go after you.”

Lyra knew they would go after everyone. They surely had enough men to spare. But as she started to argue, Antello grabbed her and shoved the reins of her horse into her hand.

“There are times when we must trust each other,” Antello stated. “This is one of them. Get on your horse and let’s ride. The sooner we leave the sooner Syman can leave and if he doesn’t join us by nightfall, I will beat the sense out of him when he does catch up to us.”

Lyra laid her hand softly on Syman’s shoulder, but he ignored her as he reached for another arrow. Lyra turned with tears in her eyes and mounted her horse. Antello was already mounted and together they turned and galloped into the forest.

There was a narrow trail leading away from the log bridge and Antello led the way along it as they galloped deeper into the dark forest. The shouts of the invaders and the song of Syman’s bowstring faded quickly into the distance and were replaced by the sound of the relentless pounding of their horses’ hooves as they charged away from the ravine. Tears poured down Lyra’s cheeks and her eyes swelled closed. She wiped them constantly and was still barely able to follow Antello.

Lyra’s mind began to drift as she wished that she would wake up from this horrendous nightmare. Her mother. Her father. Master Caulder. All of her friends and fellow students. Now Syman. Why? When would it all stop? Why was this happening to her?

Her thoughts reeled and mental pictures of the Academy, both before the attack and after, flooded through her mind. She saw her father lecturing and smiled at him. She saw Rhodella standing with her hands on her hips, scolding Lyra about playing with swords, and smiled. She saw Syman lying on the grass behind the Academy with his hands up begging for mercy from her, and smiled.

“Lyra!” screamed Antello. “Get yourself together. We have to keep riding.”

Lyra opened her swollen eyes and looked about. Her horse was standing peacefully, well off the trail, and Antello was next to her. She must have let the horse go where it wanted to. Antello was frantic and Lyra silently scolded herself.

“I’m sorry,” Lyra apologized, straightening her posture and regaining control of her horse. “I will pay attention. Lead on.”

Antello looked at her sadly and nodded. Without another word, he turned and headed towards the trail. Lyra followed and wiped her last tears from her eyes. She did have to maintain control of herself if she was to survive and regain her father’s freedom. Rhodella had not promised her an easy time of it, but she had instructed Lyra about what to do, and Lyra realized that she must shove aside her grief if she was to succeed.

Antello picked up the pace again as soon as he was sure that Lyra was going to follow him and soon they were charging through the forest once again. Antello kept a fast pace, slowing periodically in an attempt to let the horses regain their strength. The forest grew darker and Lyra wondered if the sun was going down or they were just getting deeper into the darkness known as the Sakova. So far they had not seen any of the wild animals or savage humans that the tales spoke of, but the Sakova was huge and she was sure that they would see both before their trip was done.

Suddenly, Antello halted and held up his hand for silence. Lyra was practically beside him when she stopped and she looked at him curiously. Antello seemed to be peering at one particular spot and Lyra followed the direction of his gaze. The woods were fairly dense here with a scattering of both the ancient fargi and the more common sevemor. The land rose gently in the direction Antello was looking and the side of the hill was covered with a low brush, which Lyra could not identify. The leaves were large and bright green and the bushes appeared to be connected by vines as if they lived in communities or groupings.

“I thought I saw someone or something move,” Antello whispered. “Maybe we have just been riding too hard.”

Lyra cocked her head and suddenly she realized that she was experiencing complete silence. There was not a sound in the forest. No crickets, no birds, no lizards scurrying under the brush, nothing.

“I think the sun is setting,” Antello added. “Maybe it is time to find a hiding spot for the night. The horses have had enough for the day anyway.”

Lyra said nothing as they started moving again, slowly this time. The trail had ended a long time ago and Antello just picked his way through the trees and bushes. She wondered if Antello even knew what direction they were traveling. The trees were so tall that you could only see the sun at the height of the day and she figured the stars would not be much better. The forest looked the same in every direction. Sometimes there would be small hills or little depressions in the level of the ground, but that information meant little to someone who had never traveled here before. She could only wish that they were not hopelessly lost.

Antello suddenly made a right turn and she followed him, not asking what he was up to. He rode for a short distance and over a small hill and then dismounted.

“We will sleep here for the night,” he announced. “It will be hard enough for them to track in this dark forest in the daytime. It will be impossible for them during the night. Just in case, I turned off the track we were heading and I will go back on foot to make sure that there is no sign of us turning off in this direction. Even if they continue tracking through the night, they will miss us.”

Lyra just nodded as she dismounted and took the packs off the horses. Antello disappeared over the hill as she fed the horses the last of the grain they had brought with them. She looked around for a source of water and the forest looked the same in every direction. Shaking her head, she waited until the horses had finished the grain and then gave their drinking water to the horses. Their own food supplies were also diminished and she wondered if they would end up starving to death after all they had been through.

Lyra spread two blankets out for them to sleep on and laid out some bread and dried meat for dinner. It was the last of the bread, although they had some dried meat and cheese left. They were supposed to get supplies as they traveled through cities, but that plan had expired at Gatong when they found out the Imperial Guard was searching for her.

Antello returned and sat on his blanket, eating the food Lyra had left there for him. “He will get away,” assured Antello. “You wait and see. I am doomed to have him at my side for the rest of my life. It is preordained, you see. He will get away.”

Lyra did not even nod. She lay down and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.