Archibald and the Black Knight's Ring by SherMay Loh

Author:SherMay Loh
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789810731878
Publisher: Epigram Books
Published: 2017-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

9

A FRIEND IN NEED

They rode east without stopping, with the warm rays of the sun on the backs of their necks and the crisp wind whipping against their faces. Damien led the way, his horse easily tracking ahead with its long, elegant strides. Archie was riding a chestnut-coloured Haflinger, a smaller horse breed known for its energy and quiet nature. Predictably, Alexander had chosen a Belgian and Maximilian had picked a black Percheron; Toby was on a brown Quarter.

As they rode, Archie looked around and savoured the breathtaking landscape that flew past: rugged mountains solidly reared up towards the cloud-dappled sky and gurgling streams coiled like silver ribbons across the undulating grassland. They crossed rivers at their narrow headwaters, which were shallow enough to reach only up to their horses’ knees.

They briefly stopped a few times to rest, drinking from clear streams and eating the sandwiches that Damien had brought. Since they had to share the food among five instead of three, the sandwiches vanished long before the end of the afternoon.

As evening approached, Archie looked ahead and saw heavy, slate-grey clouds gathering ominously in the distance, and the air was sharp with the scent of rain. They stopped again to rest by a fast-flowing stream, its pristine waters glistening and sparkling over the dark bedrock.

“Is it much further?” Maximilian sat on the grass and mopped his forehead, looking exhausted. “I’m starving.”

“Funny, so am I,” Alexander retorted, resting against a fallen log. “I wonder why? Oh, right, because we had two extra mouths chomping on the food that three of us were supposed to share.”

“Here, have some berries,” Toby said, sitting down next to Archie and holding out a palm full of dark-coloured berries. “They taste good, don’t worry,” he added, and then he popped a couple of berries into his mouth.

Archie, Alexander and Maximilian stared at him, aghast.

“Toby!” Maximilian exclaimed. “Spit that out! They could be poisonous! You can’t just eat berries that you find on strange bushes!”

“Relax, the kid’s right,” Damien leaned forward, snagged a few berries from Toby and ate them. “These are black elderberries. They’re nutritious and safe to eat.” He looked at Toby. “I’m surprised you knew that.”

“My father was an avid botanist and herbologist,” Toby explained a little shyly. “When I was a child, he taught me the names of different plants, flowers and berries. I was only five when he died, but I’ve been learning more about them on my own—I suppose that’s what he would’ve wanted, if he’d been around to teach me.”

Toby glanced away as if he suddenly felt awkward that he had revealed something about himself which none of the others knew. He hurried off to get more berries and soon returned with two handfuls. Maximilian, Archie and Alexander took the berries and ate them, licking juice off their lips.

There was a loud growl of thunder—Damien gazed up at the darkening streaks across the sky.

“We need to keep moving.” Damien rose to his feet. “Stoke St Michael is still about an hour’s ride from here, and I want us to arrive before it starts pouring.

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