The Endless Knot by Stephen R. Lawhead

Author:Stephen R. Lawhead
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780380716487
Publisher: Avon Books
Published: 1933-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

21

The Sluagh

Darkness overtook us as we hastened from the broken pillar stone. I do not think that even with our horses we could have reached the camp before nightfall. The way back was farther than I remembered it, and the weird twilight came on with unnatural speed. Horses could not have outrun it. Also, with the swiftly-deepening night, the eerie wail increased, as if the source of the uncanny sound were drawing relentlessly nearer.

Tegid kept one eye on the sky as we hurried along. As soon as he saw we could not reach camp before night overtook us, he announced, “We must make for the nearest slope. There we can find fuel for a fire at least.”

“That is well,” Cynan agreed. “But where is it? I can see nothing in this murk.”

Tegid’s plan was a good one; the banks of the mound were thickly forested, and firewood abounded. But how could we be certain which way to go when we could not see two steps in front of us?

“We should be near the edge of the plain,” Tegid said. The pillar stone marked the center and we have been moving away from it—”

“Aye,” allowed Cynan, “if we have not been making circles around it instead.”

Tegid ignored the remark, and we rushed on. We had not advanced more than a hundred paces, however, when Scatha halted.

“Listen!”

I stopped, but heard only the weird wailing sound which, apart from growing slightly louder, had not altered in any significant way. “What is it?”

“Dogs,” she said. “I thought I heard dogs.”

“I hear nothing,” said Cynan. “Are you cert—” The bark of a dog — short, quick, unmistakable — cut him off.

“This way! Hurry!” shouted Tegid, darting ahead.

No doubt the bard thought we were right behind him, following in his footsteps. But I turned, and he had already melted into the darkness. “Tegid, wait! Where are you? Cynan?”

A muffled answer reached us. “This way... follow me...”

“Tegid?” I called, searching the darkness. “Tegid!”

“Where have they gone?” Scatha wondered. “Did you see?”

“No,” I confessed. “They just vanished.”

The dog barked again — if dog it was.

“It is closer,” Scatha said, and the bark was immediately followed by another, a little further off and to the left.

“Yes, and there are more than one.” I glanced this way and that, but could see nothing in any direction to guide us. Darkness had penetrated all, obliterated all. ‘We’d better keep moving.”

“Which way should we go?” Scatha wondered aloud.

“Any way will be better than standing here,” I replied. I put out my hand and grabbed hold of Scatha’s cloak; she took the end of mine. “We will stay together,” I told her. “Hold tight, and keep your spear ready.”

Clutching one another’s cloaks, we proceeded into the formless dark. I did not for a moment entertain any false hopes of eluding the beasts behind us. But I thought, we might at least find a place to make a stand if we reached the slope of the mound before the creature on our trail reached us.

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