When he opened his eyes, Oracus’s vision was blurred. At first, he thought he was in his quarters at Torvanon's palace. But he soon realised the bed he was lying on wasn't as comfortable, and the room not as bright.
He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. Then he looked around at what appeared to be a tiny prison cell. He was alone, and besides the bed, there was nothing in the room except a thick metal door and a small barred window. It was grey outside, and an unpleasant chill lingered in the damp stone walls.
For a short time, Oracus wondered how he had got there. The last thing he could recall was falling asleep by the fire in Thessley. Then he remembered Bandor waking him up. And then he remembered the door of his father’s home being smashed off its hinges. Suddenly, a helplessness overcame him, and he realised there was a void in his mind where Bandor usually resided. For the first time in months, he was truly alone.
“Hello! Is somebody there?” he shouted. He got up from the bed and pushed hard against the door, but it didn’t budge. “Where am I?”
There was no response from outside and Oracus banged his fists against the metal in frustration.
“Can somebody help me?” he tried. “I shouldn’t be here!”
Still there was no answer, so he sat back down on the bed and pulled his knees under his chin like a young child.
For many hours, Oracus stayed on the bed and drifted in and out of sleep. By nightfall, his stomach was growling so loudly it was painful, and by the following morning, his head was hurting from worrying so much. He didn’t know if he would ever be free again, and he had no way of finding out if Bandor was safe either. And what if Kivali and Quent were imprisoned too, or dead? Their fate would be down to him for suggesting they visit Thessley when it was entirely unnecessary.
From outside the cell, the sound of scuffing footsteps came. Then the heavy locks on the door began to clang and Oracus got fearfully to his feet. When the door swung open, he was faced with a creature that made him step back in disgust. It was as tall as a Human child, with no meat on its bones and long hands and feet. It had a crooked nose and two short fangs that crept over its bottom lip, and beady black eyes that narrowed under a savage scowl. The creature wore just a thin rag with string tied around its middle like a belt. And tucked inside the string was a sharp blade.
Oracus retreated some more as the creature approached him. It brought with it a terrible smell, and Oracus saw its pale skin was coated in filth, and there was an unnatural amount of dirt under its yellow fingernails.
“I hope you're enjoying your new home,” the creature croaked. It placed a tray on the floor that carried a slice of mouldy bread and a bowl of lumpy grey soup. It then grabbed Oracus’s arm and took a long, deep sniff. “Mmm, I love the smell of fresh meat!”
Oracus yanked his arm out the creature’s hands and it cackled happily. It then hobbled from the room and locked the door behind it, leaving its awful scent lingering in its wake.
Oracus bent down and picked up the tray of food, but when he saw maggots crawling through the bread, he decided he’d prefer to starve than eat any. He took his place back on the bed and wondered why he had thought travelling to Tallarin would be a good idea. If only he had stayed in Afarra…
Another hour passed before the locks on the cell door were cranked open again. Oracus was expecting the same hideous creature to enter, but this time he was met by a man twice the size of any man he had seen before, with grey skin and cold yellow eyes, and a red cloak draped over his shoulders. Oracus gasped as the man stooped into the cell. He seemed to fill the room he was so broad and muscular, and there was a malevolence in his eyes that frightened Oracus.
“You are in Fervia now,” the man said in a booming voice that shook the walls. “You are expected to kneel in my presence.”
Oracus didn’t respond, and nor did he kneel. He just backed up until he felt the cold stone behind him.
“I said kneel!”
The man took one step towards Oracus and struck him in the face with a giant fist. Oracus felt like he’d been hit by a hammer, and he dropped to his knees. The man smiled sadistically, and a glint of pleasure flashed in his eye.
“I am Gravaz,” the man said. “I am an Ulatori from the Black Forest, and I rule this city under the command of the mighty King Jowra’s.”
Oracus looked up at the Ulatori from his place on the floor. “Are you going to kill me?” he asked.
“That depends how open you are with me,” Gravaz said. “Tell me why you were in the village where I found you.”
Oracus touched his face where he had been struck and felt it beginning to swell. “I don't know,” he muttered.
Gravaz raised his hand threateningly. “Do not lie to me!”
Oracus shirked away from the Ulatori. “I used to live there.”
“Why did you go back?”
“I was travelling through the forest and decided to use my old home as a shelter for the night,” Oracus answered.
“Where were you travelling from?” Gravaz pressed.
“I don’t know,” Oracus lied.
Gravaz’s huge fist struck the other side of Oracus’s face. He let out a yelp of pain and slumped to the floor.
“Where?” Gravaz demanded.
“Afarra,” Oracus conceded.
“Where were you travelling to?”
“Tallarin.”
“And who were you travelling with?”
“Nobody.”
Gravaz’s boot met with Oracus’s stomach and he rolled feebly onto his side.
“One of your friends was captured too,” Gravaz advised knowingly. “Maybe I should torture him for the information instead of you?”
A rush of relief filled Oracus’s body. If he had heard Gravaz correctly, only Quent had been captured in Thessley. Somehow, Bandor and Kivali had both escaped.
“Two others got out of that house before I could seize them.” The look of disappointment on Gravaz’s face was evident. “Who were they?”
“I have no idea,” Oracus said, finding some courage now he knew Bandor was safe.
Gravaz sneered. He turned to the door of the cell and shouted through it, “Lapsin, come in here!”
There was a scraping of claws on the floor outside, and then a Lavorian walked into the room with fur armour like Bandor’s. It was a Hyena, and it was as tall as Oracus, with a hunch in its back and froth foaming at its mouth.
“Yes, I am a Rider. And I know a Lavorian when I see one,” Gravaz explained. “I saw a Lavorian in that house where I captured you. Now tell me where it is!”
Somehow, Oracus was able to keep his composure. “I’m not telling you anything,” he refused.
“Then you will die here!” Gravaz bellowed in frustration. He swung his boot and connected fiercely with Oracus’s head. The kick was so brutal that Oracus fell backwards onto the stone and tasted blood in his mouth. He groaned as the room began to spin around him, and he tried to sit back up. But Gravaz’s foot came towards him once again, and with a strike that rattled his bones, he slumped sideways onto floor.
*
Bandor had been worried about Oracus for three full days. After the ambush on the house in Thessley, the King’s soldiers had taken Oracus and Quent through the forest to Fervia. Bandor and Kivali had closely followed, but not once did they get an opportunity to rescue them. Mainly because the Ulatori Rider named Gravaz was always in close attendance. Apparently, Gravaz was the only Ulatori to have ever left the protection of the Black Forest in the south. According to Kivali, Gravaz had abandoned his people several years ago to fight for the mighty King Jowra – an act of betrayal like no other.
Having pursued the captors all the way to the gates of Fervia, Bandor and Kivali camped on the perimeter of the Raspian Forest where they could watch the city without being detected. Until dusk, they observed the soldiers that patrolled the outer wall, and they waited in hope that Gravaz would leave the city and grant them a chance to save Oracus and Quent. But darkness came without reward, and they both prepared themselves for a long, anxious night.
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The crickets were in full voice beneath a crescent moon and a cloudless night’s sky, and the creaking of branches above the forest floor made it feel like the trees were alive and talking to each other. Hours had passed since dusk, but Bandor and Kivali were still wide awake and watchful. For the hundredth time, a guard passed by their observation point with a fiery torch held above his head.
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner that I’m a Rider,” Kivali whispered once the guard was out of sight. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t get Oracus out of there with us.”
Since Oracus and Quent had been captured, Kivali hadn’t said anything about how she had miraculously teleported herself and Bandor away from Thessley and out of Gravaz’s clutches. But Bandor had soon deduced she was a Rider – there was no other explanation for it. In truth, he should have realised before then – the signs were obvious. She had skill with a sword even Garrin couldn’t match, and she had been chosen by Princess Catania to deliver important information from Tallarin to Afarra that would have been invaluable to Jowra should he have intercepted it.
“My Lavorian’s name is Onca,” Kivali said with a smile. “She’s a Jaguar.”
“How have you coped with being away from her for so long?” Bandor asked.
Kivali’s eyes filled with tears. “I haven’t,” she said. “I really miss her.” She looked up at the moon and took a deep breath. “When I was back in Tallarin, some of Jowra's scouts had been spotted nearby and had fired arrows at the guards on the city wall. Onca and I, along with my brother and a few others, were sent to kill the scouts. We found their camp in the middle of the night, and we cut their throats while they slept. But we had overlooked their watchman during our attack, and as we left the camp, the watchman aimed an arrow at us. I can’t remember if I heard the pluck of the bowstring or the whistle of the arrow as it travelled towards me, but it was then that I teleported for the first time and it saved my life. But the arrow that had been destined to kill me pierced my brother’s heart instead.” Kivali's voice broke but she coughed and steadied herself, and kept her eyes focused on the moon. “I travelled to Afarra because I needed to get away from being a Rider. So I left Onca in Tallarin to give myself time to think. I guess I blamed her for the death of my brother – if I hadn’t bonded with her, then I would never have had my power, and it would have been me who died and not him. At first, it was a relief to not have her in my mind, but now I realise Onca is the one who means the most to me.”
It had only been three days since Oracus’s capture and Bandor was already finding it difficult to cope without him. He wondered how terrible he would feel if Oracus was gone for three months.
“When I was younger, I dreamt of living a different life and seeing what was beyond Tallarin's wall,” Kivali continued. “Becoming a Rider has made my dream come true, but what's happening in Pharia is nothing like I imagined it would be.”
“I don’t think Oracus expected it to be anything like this either,” Bandor said.
Kivali looked away from the sky and towards Bandor. She shuffled over to him and rested her head on his mane. “We’ll get him out of there,” she said. “I promise.”
Bandor blinked and then looked up at the moon himself. He trusted Kivali, and he knew she would do everything in her power to save his Rider.
*
Icy water splashed over Oracus’s face and he awoke with a gasp. Light was creeping into the damp cell through the tiny, barred window, and as Oracus wiped the water from his eyes, he was met by Gravaz's menacing frame.
“Get up,” the Ulatori demanded loudly.
Oracus was quick to obey. He didn’t much want to be beaten like the day before, and he stood up immediately.
“Follow me,” Gravaz ordered. He stooped through the door and Oracus trailed closely behind.
Outside the cell was a short corridor of the same grey stone. One end of the corridor curved out of sight, but at the other end there was an unopen door. Waiting by the door were several other Human prisoners who all looked like they had been beaten as severely as Oracus.
As Oracus joined the queue of other prisoners, he noticed Quent was one of them, with two black eyes and marks all over his face. Oracus tried to catch his eye, but Quent didn’t look up.
Gravaz led Oracus and the other prisoners through the door and down a spiralling stone staircase. At the bottom, they exited the building and walked out onto an area of dying grass. Beyond the grass, Fervia’s buildings stood short but sturdy, and past them was the city wall and the tops of the Raspian Forest’s trees. The sun was shining above, as it always did in the north, but there was still a gloominess to Fervia that made it feel unwelcoming. Maybe it was the dullness of the buildings, Oracus thought, or perhaps the layer of mist that lingered a foot above the ground.
It wasn’t cold, but there was something in Fervia’s air that made Oracus shiver. There was an uneasiness about the place. That was until he felt something wonderful fill his mind; Bandor.
“Bandor, can you hear me?” he whispered hopefully inside his mind.
“Oracus?” came the immediate response. “Yes, I can hear you! Are you okay?”
“Better now I know you’re nearby. Where are you?”
“We’re on the edge of the forest and looking into the city,” Bandor replied. "Has Gravaz locked you away?”
“I was in a cell but Gravaz has brought a group of us outside,” Oracus explained. “I don’t know why we’re out here. I think he’s going to kill us.”
“Don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of there. Is Quent with you?”
“Yeah, he’s here,” Oracus said as Gravaz brought them all to a halt on the grass. “Please be quick!”
Oracus disengaged from Bandor’s mind before Gravaz could notice he was focused on something else. The Ulatori’s yellow eyes lingered on Oracus as the prisoners shuffled into a line, but then he turned to the others and addressed them all.
“King Jowra always offers a second chance to those who have been brainwashed by his enemies,” he stated in his powerful voice. “If you pledge your allegiance to him, then your past indiscretions will be forgiven. And should you be worthy, you will join King Jowra's ranks. But if you are not worthy, or you refuse to be reformed, then you will be killed.”
*
“He disconnected,” Bandor said worriedly. “We need to help him.”
“Where is he?” Kivali asked.
“He said he was outside with Quent. But he thinks Gravaz is going to kill them.”
“Then we need to act fast,” Kivali said. “We’re going to have to teleport into the city.”
“Right now?”
“If you want Oracus to live,” Kivali answered. “But I can’t get caught in a fight with Gravaz because I won’t win. You'll have to rescue Oracus and Quent while I keep him occupied.” She swung a leg over Bandor’s back and straddled him. “Are you ready to do this?”
“Just one question…” Bandor said. “What’s Gravaz's power?”
“Fireballs,” Kivali answered simply.
The world began to spin in a mixture of colours. The yellow sun merged with the green trees of the forest, which in turn merged with the grey walls of Fervia. It was disorientating for a moment, but within a second, Bandor and Kivali were between two buildings inside the walls of the city.
Kivali dropped from Bandor’s back and quietly led the way through the maze of grey stone. When they reached the part of the city where the buildings gave way to the vast area of dying grass, Kivali paused and peered over a short wall.
“I can see them,” she said, turning back to Bandor. “But Gravaz is with them.”
“What are we going to do?” Bandor asked. He could feel his heart hammering beneath his armour.
“I’ll lead Gravaz away from Oracus and Quent,” Kivali directed. “When he's out of sight, you get to them as fast as you can and bring them back here.”
“And then what?” Bandor enquired.
“I’ll try and teleport us all out of here,” Kivali replied nervously. “But I've never teleported another Human before. I’ve only ever done it with you and Onca. I don’t know if I’ll be able to.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“Then wish me luck,” she said.
But before Bandor could, Kivali had vanished.
*
Gravaz kicked Oracus to the ground with a colossal boot. He was so powerful Oracus didn’t stand a chance of defeating him. Especially given his lack of nourishment since being captured in Thessley.
The brown grass was brittle under Oracus’s face as he lay and suffered the pain. He felt heavily bruised, and he could feel the warmth of blood on his tongue. Then the boot came several more times, each kick bringing him closer and closer to vomiting.
Midway through the beating, Oracus thought he heard a distant shout. Then the kicking stopped, and he raised his head hopefully. On the other side of the grass, a woman was sprinting from the outer wall towards the heart of the city.
A crazed bellow came from Gravaz as he was forced to postpone torturing his prisoners and chase after the woman. His huge feet thundered across the ground, and as he disappeared between the buildings, Oracus felt it was safe to push himself up onto his knees. He gasped a little and held his ribs, then Bandor’s voice crept into his head.
“Get up!” the Lavorian demanded urgently.
From the opposite direction to where Gravaz had followed the woman, Bandor bounded towards Oracus with his silver mane reflecting the sunlight.
“You came!” Oracus said delightedly.
“Of course we did,” Bandor replied. “Now get on and see if you can get Quent onto my back too.”
Oracus ignored the pain in his body and mounted Bandor. Then he somehow managed to pull Quent up with him. “How are we going to get out of here?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Bandor answered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I left that part of the plan for Kivali to figure out,” Bandor explained. “Now hold on!”
Bandor turned and ran back in the direction he had come from. Oracus managed to wrap an arm around Bandor’s neck and hold Quent tightly too. To their left, a handful of soldiers had emerged from the buildings where Gravaz had pursued Kivali, and to their front, the outer wall of the city looked as solid as ever.
“Bandor, there’s nowhere to go!” Oracus shouted in his mind.
“There’s Kivali!” was Bandor’s reply, his paws now pounding the ground beneath them.
Indeed, from the same buildings the soldiers had appeared, Kivali arrived onto the grass too, closely followed by Gravaz. Somehow, Kivali was dodging the balls of fire that Gravaz was conjuring in his hands and throwing at her. It was like she was vanishing and reappearing with every few strides that she made. In his state of terror, Oracus struggled to make sense of what he was seeing, and he wondered if Gravaz had dealt him one too many blows to the head.
When Kivali spotted them, time seemed to slow until it was almost at a halt. Several of Gravaz’s fireballs exploded fiercely on the grass behind Kivali as she veered to her right, and then more fireballs narrowly missed her head. Gravaz was quickly gaining on her, but Kivali was now so close to Oracus and Bandor that Oracus could see the sheer panic in her expression.
Bandor and Kivali were running right at each other, and Oracus suddenly realised they were going to collide. There was no way either could stop in time. “Bandor, no!” he screamed helplessly.
“Don’t let go!” Bandor roared in response.
As the Lavorian shouted, Kivali dived onto the ground and skidded underneath his stride. As she did, a huge fireball appeared from behind her and was heading straight for Oracus’s face. With no time to react, Oracus shut his eyes tightly and braced himself for the intense pain that would follow.
But the pain never came. It was only when Bandor skidded to a halt that Oracus dared to open his eyes again. But now there was no fireball. And no Gravaz either. Somehow, they were all still alive and now outside Fervia’s walls. Against all the odds, they had escaped.