When we left off talking about The Mornith War earlier this month, we shared part of an excerpt from the first chapter of the book. The second volume, in the Winnitok Tales series, The Mornith War picks up three years and many adventures after the first, The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin. In this book, Elwood has grown into himself as a warrior, and he has come to know the land and creatures of Winnitok as though it were always his home. Two weeks ago, we shared an excerpt from the first chapter of this much-anticipated book. Below, we pick up where the previous excerpt left off.
Chapter 1: The Green Fire (continued)
Elwood swiftly moved off into the darkness ahead of the cart, followed closely by Slukee. Booj flapped his wings and disappeared into the boughs overhead. The cart trundled and bumped along the rough trail, the creak of its tall wheels and the thud of the horses’ great hooves the loudest noises in the nighttime woods. Rays of blue-green moonlight filtered down through gaps in the boughs overhead. Drallah walked ahead of the horses with long strides, her bow in hand and an arrow ready.
They had not gone far when a roar erupted suddenly in the branches above them, and the air vibrated as if they were standing inside a long peal of thunder. The horses locked their legs and tossed their noses in the air. In the back of the cart, the girls threw their arms around each other, cowering. Landsor thrust his arms in the air like he was warding off an avalanche. Lifting her bow, Drallah scanned the dark boughs, then quickly straightened again as the roar faded and was gone.
“It was only a flock of pigeons,” she said quietly. “Hundreds of them, or thousands. But it wasn’t us that disturbed them. Wait here; I’ll be right back.” With that the young woman crept stealthily up the trail until she came upon Elwood and Slukee crouched behind a tree. She kneeled down beside them, and Elwood gestured at the way ahead.
At first there was nothing to see but the moonlight falling here and there among the trees, and the trail disappearing into the darkness. But then they glimpsed a possum hurrying across their path, heading east. A moment later, a doe and fawn bounded into view. The deer also crossed the trail and vanished into the trees to the east.
“All the creatures are running away,” whispered Elwood, testing the string of his bow. “Whatever Booj saw, it must be close. I’m going to take a look.”
“Our first responsibility is to see the girls safely to the farm,” Drallah whispered back.
Beneath the sound of their hushed voices they did not immediately hear the sound of quick feet, and a figure was almost upon them before they were aware. Both drew back their arrows as it approached. As the figure was about to pass, they saw it was a cougar truan and lowered their bows. She looked much like a big tawny cat, but one that stood on her hind legs and wore a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Seeing Elwood and Drallah, the cougar truan halted and peered at them through eyes weakening with age.
“You should leave this place, humans,” she said. “Something hateful is near.”
“Thank you, Old Mother,” said Drallah. “Do you know what it is?”
The cougar truan looked back the way she had come. “It is a dreadful spirit, or the spawn of a spirit,” she answered, and then hurried on her way.
With Elwood and Slukee following, Drallah headed back to the cart at a run. Beginning to unhitch one of the horses, she said to Tess and Holleth, “We’re leaving the cart. Landsor will take one of you on horseback, Elwood the other. We’ve got to hurry.”
The second horse stamped nervously as Elwood set about unhitching him. “What about you and Slukee?” he asked.
“We’re faster than you and Landsor,” answered Drallah. “We won’t be far behind.”
Reappearing in the diffuse moonlight, Booj landed on the cart. “It’s coming this way,” he said. “I saw no green fire, but I can feel it. Everything with wings has fled—those pigeons were so thick they nearly carried me off.”
Landsor rose from the bench of the cart and said, “You’ll have to leave your things, girls.”
“We’d better leave ours too—everything but the weapons,” said Drallah to Elwood.
Quickly the young woman and the boy unstrapped their packs and tossed them in a stand of ferns just off the trail. Elwood laid a hand on Slukee’s head and said, “Stay with Drallah.” Then he hauled himself up onto the cart.
“Give the horses their heads,” said Drallah as she led one of the towering creatures to stand alongside the cart. “They know the way to their stable, even in the dark.”
“These boys aren’t fast, but they can gallop if need be,” said Landsor. “You’ll have to pull up your skirts and hold on tight, girls,” he added, lowering himself onto the horse’s back.
Pulling her long dress up by the hem with one hand and steadying herself on Elwood’s shoulder with the other, Tess took her seat in front of Landsor. With her face pressed into the horse’s mane, she reached her arms as far as she could around his great muscled neck. Then Landsor, reaching around Tess, grasped hold of the horse’s harness with one hand.
“Now hold on, and we’ll be at the farm in no time,” he said as he slapped the horse’s rump, and at a high-stepping trot the huge creature set out up the trail.
Drallah led the second horse to stand beside the cart, and Holleth and Elwood mounted. As they too set out, Elwood, sitting in the rear, softly called back to Drallah, Slukee, and Booj. “Be careful!”
They bounced on the horse’s bare back, Elwood pulling Holleth to him with an arm around her waist and gripping his bow with his other hand. Holleth seemed to have had some experience with horses; she did not cling to the horse’s neck like Tess. She was taller than Elwood, so that he had to crane his neck to see over her shoulder. Now and then they glimpsed Landsor and Tess riding a short distance ahead of them, but Drallah and Slukee were soon left behind. After they had ridden a little way, Holleth laid a hand on the arm Elwood had wrapped around her. Elwood tightened his hold on her waist.
There was no sound but the steady thud of hooves, and little to be seen of their surroundings in the blue- and green-tinted darkness. Without the burden of the cart the horses trotted faster, but long minutes passed, and still the woods were silent with dread.
A noise like a gale wind rose up on their left. Turning toward it, Elwood and Holleth saw a glowing green shape rushing through the trees. The horse gave a long neigh of terror and reared up, beating the air with his front hooves. Holleth threw her arms around the horse’s neck, and Elwood shifted his grasp from her waist to the harness. As the gale-like noise turned to a scream, Elwood’s knees lost their grip and he slid backward. Shooting a hand behind her, Holleth caught hold of his tunic just as he was about to fall from the horse’s back.
The horse’s front hooves returned to earth with a boom. With a snort he began to stamp and sidle away from the rushing green shape. Elwood regained his seat, striking the horse’s sides with his heels. The creature plunged into a gallop. Even as they began to move again, the green shape broke through the trees and onto the trail. They saw it more clearly then: a thing of spiked black leaves whirling around a glowing green column. The awful scream tore through the air once again as they galloped away, and the thing raced after. Many phosphorescent arms or tentacles emerged from its core, reaching out for the horse and riders.
Elwood knocked an arrow. Twisting at the waist he drew the bowstring back, the motion of the horse jogging his arm up and down. He took aim and let the arrow fly. The shot was true, vanishing into the green column of light—but still it pursued them.
Running mad, the horse quickly caught up with that ridden by Landsor and Tess. They too had begun to gallop. Still the green shape gained on them, its scream reaching an unbearable pitch. Finally the scream turned to a wail, and ceased.
The riders looked back; nothing moved on the trail behind them. Then the rough way became a smooth lane, and the horses burst from the thick woods and thundered on into an open expanse.
The Winnitok Tales
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