The first part of the ride was pleasant enough, through some of the farmlands of the North Downs, but as she continued further east, both horse and rider discerned a feeling of unease beginning to envelop them. Even the vegetation looked as if it were cringing as they approached the fields of the old fortress capital of Men, Fornost. It was noon when they began crossing the fields, yet it looked more like midnight.
There was no way of avoiding crossing the stagnant fields that lay before them, unless Sybri and Monk wanted to go a very long way around. She was much to anxious to get to the Evendim to even consider another route. Fortunately, the roads through the ghastly expanse were well marked and easy to follow. What wasn't so fortunate were the large number of ghostly black dogs and vaporous apparitions.
Sybri needed to keep her heels pressed to Monk's sides to keep the wide eyed horse moving forward. The young woman had to fight both her own and her horse's natural inclination to turn back. At one point along the road, the only way to keep the horse moving eastward was for Bri to dismount and hold the quaking horse by the bridle and lead him forward.
Moving quickly as she could on foot and leading an unwilling horse, they were doing well to avoid confrontations with the local residents. Unfortunately, at one point in the road, several of the eerie canines stood in their path. They appeared suddenly, and Sybri swore they hadn't been there a moment ago, or she would have avoided them entirely. Too late!
With a split second to decide to fight or flee, Sybri decided to swing herself into the saddle. There was no way she could fight three of these unholy creatures and not have Monk disappear into the gloom. The best option for the survival of both horse and rider was to fly! Monk needed neither spur or kick to encourage him to gallop at full speed, though it took all of Bri's riding skills to keep the horse heading in the direction she chose.
Gritting their teeth and with hearts pounding, they sped eastward, with increasing numbers of the ghoulish giving chase. Atop a rise, the now terrified girl spotted a wall to the east and her pounding heart sank into her stomach. There was no way a horse could scale a wall. She pursed her lips tightly, and planned her forthcoming battle. She would not leave the horse to that fate, even if she thought she might be able to climb the wall.
As they coursed toward the wall, an opening came into view! Hope of escape? Perhaps, but Sybri could see there were more of the phantoms directly in the way of the arched opening in the wall. Without second thought, the girl dug her heels into the side of her beloved horse. The decision made, they would simply, or not so simply, race to and through the arch!
Only a few more strides and they would be clear! One of the vicious dogs, however, was getting close, nipping at Monk's rear legs. Grabbing her bow and nocking an arrow, she turned as far back as she could in the saddle then shot. It was either luck or skill, matters not, but monstrous thing came down with one arrow!
Just as they were nearing the arch, with the multitude of ghosts ahead and behind them, suddenly, one by one, the adversaries ahead of her disappeared. They dissipated like smoke from a chimney on windy day. Squinting, Sybri tried to determine if they were hiding or if in fact they were gone. There was someone with a longbow on horseback near the arch, on the far side.
Sybri cleared the arch and realised the bowman was right behind her, calling to her to stop...
