The trees and branches crashed and fell to the floor as the two metal steeds broke through the undergrowth and stormed a thick path across the forest floor. Thorns and brambles clawed at the metal as the Ponies drove divets into the soil and tore at the heart of the jungle. Reverend Aston James gripped the handles of his steed as it forged its pathway against the vines and led the second Pony through the dense wood. “How far is it?” he called over the noise of the engines as they strained against the encroaching creepers. The sound of his voice struggled against the combined noise of the motors and the breaking of the forest around them.
“It is beyond the trees!” called the small voice behind him. He could feel the arms of Thoryn grip tightly around his waist as a mixture of fear and wonderment mixed with the thrill of this new experience. The Priest smiled as the wind battered his face and he cast a quick glance to the other vehicle following in his wake. He could see the Pony, driven expertly by Cadet Darby and the two children gripping onto each other as they drove along the newly created path. He could see fear on the children’s face as they clung onto the pilot and his thoughts wandered to the expression that his passenger might be wearing. To go from a simple life of hunting and foraging to this...a world of strangers and metal creatures, on the brink of death.
“Are you alright?” he called over the noise of the engines.
“I am fine old man” came the swift reply.
“It is alright to feel scared Thoryn” shouted Aston, “you can tell me, the others need not know”
“I fear nothing” snapped Thoryn.
“Then you are a very remarkable young man” remarked Aston, “either that or a liar!”
“I fear nothing” repeated Thoryn defiantly
“Then, you and I are different”
“How?” asked Thoryn.
“I am scared” shouted Aston as the Pony crashed through another bush.
“You are scared?” asked Thoryn as his hands squeezed the priest’s body tighter as they continued through the thick bush. Thoryn scanned the forest as they spoke and although he couldn’t be certain he was sure the vines were moving, getting thicker as though grasping for the metal creatures.
“Of course I am!” called the priest, “all men are!”
“I am not”
“The mark of courage is not standing up and facing others, its about being scared, but doing what needs to be done despite your feelings” he gripped the handles of the Pony and thrust the controls to force the device through the closing gap before them, “the bravest of acts often come from those with the greatest fear”
“I do not understand” remarked Thoryn as he gripped the priest, “are you saying it is alright to feel afraid”
“Of course it is!” laughed Aston, “fear is the greatest force which drives us. The first course is to admit you are scared, only then you can overcome your fear and reach your true potential”
“Then” said Thoryn uncertainly, “can I tell you something”
“Of course you can son” shouted Aston.
“I am scared” said Thoryn softly, his voice barely audible over the hum of the engines and the cracking of the wood, “I have been scared ever since the elders were killed” he buried his face into the back of Aston James and through his material the priest could feel a deep sob penetrate his robes.
“I know son, I know” he smiled as he looked forward through the trees. The small sliver the sunlight from the canopy above their heads was dwindling rays were blocked by the overgrowing leaves.
“Its getting dark!” called Darby as the second Pony pulled level with Aston. His thoughts were pulled out of the revere by the suddenness of her voice and the sudden silence which seemed to descend around them. He hadn’t realised he had slowed his own vehicle down until she pulled along side him. The two Ponies ploughed onward side by side and Aston cast his gaze briefly upward...was she right, was it getting darker. He frowned, it couldn’t be natural he surmised as they scanned the canopy as the shadows swamped over the small party.
“It is the planet” shouted Aston, “we have only been travelling for a few hours”
“My readout says it should be midday...” called Darby as she stabbed a finger at the neck of her mount.
“We need to get out of the forest now!” called Aston, “or we may be overwhelmed”
“Agreed” Darby nodded her head, “the Ponies have the power” her fingers worked at the panel as she spoke over the crunching noise of the movement around her.
“Thoryn” shouted Aston, “how far?” no answer came from the boy who still hid his face deep in the heavy robes, “Thoryn!”
“What” came the muffled response.
“How far?” the noise of the encroaching vines was becoming overwhelming as trees reached for the mechanical devices and their human passengers.
“I-I don’t know” cried the boy.
“My sensors are down!” called Darby
“Thoryn!” called Aston, “I need your help, how far” still no answer from the boy, only a tightening on his robes. “Thoryn!”
“You fight well” sneered Theye as she wiped the spit from her chin with the back of her hand.
“As do you madame” replied Crane, returning the compliment. They circled each other, staring each other down, “I would have said you fight like a girl...but” he smirked at the comment and held his hands out before her. His fists were tinged with peaks of red, cast forward from his own grazed knuckles. His body ached from the small cuts and abrasions caused by her hand and the long blade which she still tossed from one hand to another. Her eyes whipped his body and her tongue ranged her lips as blood smeared across his uniform. “I say we bring this to an end” sighed Crane reluctantly, “to the death”
Lady Theye smiled through blood stained teeth, “did you ever think it would be any other way?” she laughed, drawing the blade close to her face and running the blade along her tongue. Small droplets of blood mixed with her saliva, “This has been fun” she grinned as she spoke, “but it has been but sport, nothing more” she dismissed him causally as she took a step closer to his tired frame.
“If you want more of a challenge madame” replied Crane curtly, “then arm me”
Lady Theye stopped in her tracks and straightened, resting her hands on her hips, “Excellent!” she laughed, throwing her head back, “Guard!” she barked toward the closed door at the edge of the building. Crane watched carefully, guarding against deceit as the door slowly opened. A spindly man stepped through and stood to attention under his queen’s gaze. “Your weapon” she snapped and held her hand out toward the warrior. He wavered cautiously before moving forward, his hand resting on his blade which hung from his belt around his waist. “Quickly!” she commanded, “I yearn to taste death”. The young warrior knelt before Lady Theye and cast his eyes toward the floor of the balcony as he held aloft his weapon. She took the long silver blade from his hands and ran her fingers over the edge and smiled, “the blade is sharp” she whispered before plunging the point of the knife into the nape of the warrior’s neck and slowly and methodically pushed it through the thick sinew of his throat. She closed her eyes as she listened to the bubbles forming in his mouth, “never give up your weapon” she sighed as she turned the blade, “even to your queen”
“That was unnecessary” snapped Crane as he watched the death of the young man.
“I agree” she laughed looking straight at the space captain, “he would have made a good suitor...or at least an excellent meal” she threw the blade at the feet of Crane and brandished her own blade before her, “take arms Captain and prepare to meet thy demise”
“With pleasure” said Crane softly as he bent, his fingers curling around the shaft of the handle.
“Thoryn!” shouted Aston again, “focus boy!” Reverend James glanced over his shoulder at the boy currently gripping the thick robes of the priest. “We need to know which way do we go!” his voice was swamped by the overwhelming noise of the forest as it pressed against the two metal framework of the ponies.
“Father!” screamed Darby over the noise, “the voices...I hear them again...I hunger...”
“Thoryn!” yelled Aston, “quickly think, we need you! Your friends need you, we need to get away from here before Joanne is overcome by the planet again”
“I’m scared” whispered Thoryn, barely audible over the noise.
Reverend James placed a hand over boy’s and squeezed it gently, “draw courage from your soul” he breathed.
“I have no courage!” shouted the boy, casting worried glances from both Meeka and Jai-Sen on the other steed.
“You do have courage!” shouted Aston desperately, “Having courage is not about being brave, it’s about being scared, but having the courage to do the right thing anyway!” he gripped the handles of the Pony and fought against the movement of the forest, “Have faith!”
He could feel the movement of the boy nodding against his back, “that way” he said softly pointing through the ever growing darkness surrounding them.
Aston squinted against the gloom, “are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes” confirmed Thoryn confidently, “the place of fire and ice is that way”
“Very well” said Reverend James through gritted teeth. The engine of the pony roared as the priest forced the controls and thrust the device through the dense matter of vegetation which clawed and grasped at their bodies as the metal of the vehicle forged a path across the hostile terrain.
“Hungry!” screamed Darby from the pony behind.
“Cadet Darby, fight it!” shouted Aston as the pony pushed further through the thicken, “don’t let the planet take you!”
“I can hear the blood in my ears!”
“It knows it can’t stop us!” screamed Aston over the noise of breaking branches, “so it’s trying to stop us through you!”
“I can’t...”
“Of course you can!” yelled Aston defiantly, “you are Cadet Joanne Darby of Earth, you are a strong woman, you are amazing!”
“I hunger...” her voice trailed off as the sound of the breaking forest surrounded the pony, “I hung...I am human!” she screamed, “get out of my head”
All at once the lead pony was flying through the air, unhindered by the design of the forest, then followed by the second pony. “We’re through” sighed Aston as the air battered his face and his eyes wandered over the expanse of the mountain edge. “Which way do we go?” he called over his shoulder as his eyes scanned the rocky terrain, searching the ravines and peaks of the range as they rose and fell from the ground.
“Toward the stream” called Thoryn pointing toward a small meandering trickle of water which ran absently through the hulking behemoth of mountain on either side of it. “We follow the water to the land of fire and ice”. A scream broke his concentration and he glanced back at the second pony in concern. He watched in dismay as the vehicle spun uncontrollably toward the ground, contacting with the mountain with a sickening thud. “Joanne!” he called as he turned his own pony toward the dwindling shape of the falling vehicle. The engines protested against the sudden change in direction as the priest forced his own pony down the ravine toward Cadet Darby and the children.
“Meeka!” called Thoryn as they descended toward the ground, searching the twisted remains of the vehicle, “Jai-Sen!”
“Here” called the meek voice of the young girl.
“Are you alright!” called Thoryn as the pony settled close to the broken metal, “has she...” his eyes flicked toward Cadet Darby who lay by the damaged pony, her hand holding her leg as a crimson stain spread slowly across her thigh.
The working pony drifted close to the rocky floor and carefully Reverend James cut the power to the motors. A small swathe of dust rose from the uneven ground as the pony settled beside the party. “Joanne” breathed Aston quietly as he stepped from the vehicle as knelt by the body of his adult companion. His hands pressed gently against her leg as the tide of blood ran like a river through the material of her clothing.
“My leg” she cried as she writhed with pain, “it hurts so much” her hands touched his as tears forced their way from her eyes.
“Don’t move” ordered Aston as he pressed his hands firmly on her body.
“I can’t...it hurts...why does it hurt...”
“The voices...” murmured Aston, looking into her tear stained eyes, “can you hear the voices...the hunger?”
“Please” Darby wailed, “make it stop”
“The planet” said Aston, his voice trailing away as he drifted into deep contemplation, “It must have lost its grip on her” he looked at the deep gash poking through the torn material partially covering her leg and cast his mind back to the first meeting with Father Brown. He frowned desperately, 'what had he done' he thought to himself as his hands swam in her blood. “I don’t know what to do” he said softly as her gripped her thigh.
“Have faith” whispered the small voice of Thoryn from the pony.
“Faith” he whispered, a smile crossing his face, “of course”, his fingers tugged at the thick cord around his waist and pulled at the heavy twined material. His hands moved swiftly as he tried to stem the tide of blood from her wound, “got to stop the bleed” he said to himself as he worked. The cord wrapped tightly around her leg and bore the stain of blood as he pulled it close to her flesh. He snatched at the crucifix which hung from her neck by the thin silver chain and drew the cross close to his lips, “please father, watch over her” he used the chain to tie the material and close the gaping wound from the air. He glanced at her face and felt a heaviness weigh in his heart as her eyes sagged close as unconsciousness overwhelmed her. “Thoryn” he glanced toward the boy and nodded, “I need to go on alone” he said eventually.
“But” protested the boy
“Please, I need you to stay to care for her” he indicated down at the unconscious body of Cadet Darby, “and for the children” he looked at Meeka and Jai-Sen who stood holding hands by the rocks, quiet in their revere. “Can you do that for me?” Thoryn nodded, “thank you”.
Father Brown stood on the edge of the old colony and glanced back over his shoulder at the crumbling remains. The air was filled with the stench of death and his mind trouble with the lives that had died within, and with them perhaps his last hope to save this world and its people. Reluctantly, he ploughed into the forest and away from the building.
The ground was uneven and more than once Reverend James had lost his footing as he clambered across the mountainside. He looked at the steep slope which Thoryn had indicated and mumbled a silent prayer of thanks as he stared at the high peaks and gratitude washed over him as the thought of climbing those peaks may be strained his faith to breaking point. His mind briefly drifted to the pony and wondered whether the decision to leave the craft with the children a good idea. If Cadet Darby’s condition got worse they could take her to safety, on the other hand the vehicle would have made this journey easier. His gripped his robes with one hand, while the other fell to the bible poking from the gash of his pocket at his side. He stumbled and his hand fell on the rock to steady his body from falling. He shook his head as the nature of the area defied all laws of nature. The air chilled his body to the bone through his robes, while the touch of the rock felt warm against his skin. He could see through the rocks at his feet, small ravines breaking through the skin of the mountain and deep below his feet small trickles of lava forging tracks through the land. He pushed his body further through the gorge, his feet screaming as they stepped one before the other over the landscape. He tang of burning leather tinged his nose while the bitter wind whipped at his body, piercing his robes.
He stood on the crest of the ridge and gazed over the expanse of the sprawling landscape that stretched as far as his eyes could touch. In the distance he could see the two rising monoliths of the two volcanoes which dominated the horizon. Each of the spectacular landmarks spewing a thick plume of venomous smoke from the open maw at the peak. He could see clouds swirling in a vortex, climbing and clawing at the sky and circling the entire area. Patches of blue and red ran through the clouds as the embers from the volcanoes mixed causing flashes of bright lightning to light the sky and illuminate the increasing darkness. He could see sparks of lava spew from the top of one of the volcanoes and tracks scarred the sides of the monolith, while from the second he could make out fronds of liquid ice dribbling down the edges of the volcano and mix in a geyser of steam at the base of the two mountains.
Aston stared over the fields of ice which ran from the edge of the mountain range to the foot of the two volcanoes. Cracks ran along the ice as the mixture of hot and cold clashed and his ears became accustomed to the sound of the groaning of the ice field. The earth rocked as an eruption from the ice volcano stormed over the sky, ranging down flecks of hail, spreading out in the freezing grip. He marvelled at the close proximity of the two contrasting volcanoes and placed his arms around his body as the cold air bit into his bones, while the heat from the floor burnt through his footwear and warmed his feet.
“Fire and Ice...” he words were lost on the wind as an icy gust stole his voice and cast it adrift on the currents that drifted across the ice fields.
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