Catalina by Danny Fahey
1
Arboroth crossing over to Terras Firdel
It
was early dusk in Arboroth and Ruth struggled to keep her feet in the
encroaching darkness. She slipped and slid across a barren field. Large,
hard drops of rain fell, adding to her journey’s difficulty. Everything
was wet: the ground, the trees and Ruth. She was dressed in a woollen
brown robe. A cowl covered her head and shielded her face. Both her
hands were needed to cope with the basket’s weight. She could not
prevent the basket from banging painfully against her right thigh with
every step.
Ruth
saw the beginnings of the forest ahead and knew she was not far from
the cottage. Her foot slipped in the mud and she fell. The movement
jolted the small baby cradled in the basket. The baby howled. Ruth felt
her heart pounding in her chest and expected someone, drawn by the
noise, to leap out of the darkness.
‘Hush now, Catalina,’ said Ruth in a scared voice. The baby settled lower in the basket. Her cries diminished. Ah, she is such a clever child already. Do not worry little one, you’ll soon be safe from harm. To no one in particular, she uttered sharply, ‘Damn wizards and their faraway abodes!’
Ruth
climbed back to her feet and searched for a sign of pursuit. When she
was certain she was alone, she set forth again, heading toward a little
cottage that lay nestled in the fringe of a dark, silent forest.
She
pushed herself across the treacherous ground, her bare feet sinking in
the clinging mud. She had been running for three days straight and knew
she had little strength remaining.
‘We
will be able to rest when we reach the cottage,’ she said to the baby.
She could hand her over and sleep. Sleep for a week at least. ‘The
wizard will take you to your new home, where you’ll be safe.’
Ruth
blundered towards the forest. She was close enough to the huge trees to
hear their leaves whispering. Strange sounds startled her. An owl
hooted and an animal scrambled under a bush. Sometimes she paused and
listened carefully for the footsteps she was certain were behind her.
She could see the light glowing in the window of the cottage ahead. At
least someone was home.
The
rain began to fall harder so that she could hardly see anything of the
world in front of her. Finally, just as Ruth felt she might collapse,
exhausted, she found herself standing before the cottage door. She
placed the basket gently beside her feet and reached out to rap lightly
on the door.
The
door flung open and a maddened figure, his face as red as his long
flowing robe and his eyes ablaze with fear, screamed, ‘Flee! The witch
is upon us; flee now and save the babe or the world is doomed!’
‘What? How? Where?’ gasped Ruth.
‘There
is a crossover point not more than fifty feet over there!’ screamed the
wizard, spittle flying from his mouth. His long, bony finger pointed to
a spot left of the doorway. ‘Hurry now; the witch must not find you
here. I will fight her while you make your escape, but you must be quick
for the witch will soon vanquish me. The babe must be safe in Terras
Firdel before that happens. The witch will not be able to catch you once
you pass through. Now hurry!’
With
the last of her remaining strength, Ruth ran south in search of the
promised crossover point. After several frantic moments she found what
she was looking for.
Ruth
saw what looked like a large picture hanging in midair. She knew little
about the crossovers. Only that they were supported by an ancient magic
that no one really understood and that they could be difficult to find
if the view of the destination blended with the crossover’s surrounds.
Luckily for Ruth, this crossover point showed a quiet countryside—a land
very different from Arboroth. It was the realm they would be
transported to.
Before
his defeat, Hubert had told Ruth that the baby would be safe once they
crossed over. He had also told Ruth that the Realm was called Terras
Firdel.
‘Be
aware,’ Hubert had said to Ruth before he had left to face the witch,
‘that in Terras Firdel, no one really believes in magic anymore.’
‘But the baby…’
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Genre – Fantasy
Rating – PG
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