Chapter Four

Hands pulled and pushed them around and muffled voices spoke to each other. Someone tied their hands behind their backs. Soon the two children felt themselves hoisted up and put onto what felt like horse backs. They could not hold onto anything as their hands were tied up and when they started moving they had to rely on their legs to hold on.

                The children had no idea whether each other was there too as each was on separate steeds. They had even less of an idea where Hanni was and hoped she had been captured with them, and was close by.

                They went at quite a fast speed for a few hours, drifting in and out of awareness, and then they slowed down and eventually stopped.

                They heard more voices and then someone pulled them down and placed them side by side. Then their sacks where taken off.

                At first Jesse and Melissa thought they looked into the stern faces of strong-looking men, but then they saw their long animal-like ears, and gasped as they looked down and saw they had bodies like horses’. They had hardly ever thought of the old tales of centaurs told in Bidham as they were nothing but stories, but these men were quite real and foreboding.

                They saw no horses and guessed that they had ridden on the centaurs’ backs. They also noted that they were in some building, but it was very much an outdoor place with no roof and a grassy floor.

                Another centaur trotted in and they saw Hanni sitting as upright as ever on his back. Another centaur lifted her down and placed her with the children and removed her sack. She held a defiant expression.

                A dark-haired and dark-bodied centaur stepped slowly forwards. “Who are you travellers and why did you wonder into our lands?”

                Before either of the children could think of anything to say Hanni said in a clear voice, “I am Hanniahidra, messenger of Empress Sarifia, may she reign forever, and I bring two important people from Bidham with me to your domain where I seek rest and hospitality.”

                The children thought this was very daring of her, and they both noted with surprise how she’d referred to them as ‘important people’.

                But the centaur laughed.

                “Hanni, it has been a while since you were last here. Please excuse our rough greetings and I ask you shall forgive us for being wary. You know yourself how we allow no evil to enter our walls. But who are these you bring?"

                Hanni looked slightly annoyed that the attention was not all on her, but said, “That is a matter I would prefer to discuss with Breiha."

                The centaur stood immobile for a moment, and then said stiffly, “I shall take you to him.” He led her off. The children tried to follow, but other centaurs stood in their path.

                “Can’t we go with Hanni?” Melissa asked.

                “Breiha has not given you permission to stay on our land yet,” they said. “Until then you are to be put away."

                “But Hanni didn’t need permission,” Jesse cried out as they grabbed his arm.

                “Hanni is a friend of Breiha,” Another centaur said, grabbing Melissa. “Come on, no more struggling."

                So the children were led, terrified, down a staircase, under the ground and into a room and were locked inside.

                There was a silence where all to be heard in the darkness was their heavy breathing. Then, “Hello?” came a girl’s voice, and they turned to look around in the gloom but could not make out the person who had spoken.

                “Hello?” Jesse said. “Who is that? Is there some kind of light in here?"

                “Yes, there’s a table over there with a candle and matches,” the girl said.

                Jesse and Melissa held onto each other and searched in the dark. It did not take them long to bump into the table.

                “So, why are you here?” the girl asked casually, as if they had bumped into her in the market.

                Jesse and Melissa paused, unsure of what to say. “We were travelling with a companion when the centaurs caught us,” Melissa said as Jesse struck the match and lit the candle, not making much light but enough for them to see each other better in. They saw now that the girl was wearing a tattered shirt and pants and that her hair was cropped short, which was unusual for a girl in those times.

                “Really?” the girl said, smiling. “I was hunting around and doing a little fishing in the river and it got hot so I went for a swim. I didn’t know about this place until I came to the other side and the centaurs grabbed me and took me here. It looked pretty nice from what I saw when I was up there,” she pointed to the ceiling. “But then they thought it was suspicious for me to be so near them and locked me down here. That was yesterday, I think... you can’t really tell tht time from down here. My name’s Rhias by the way, what’s yours?"

                She said it fast and Jesse paused a moment, then said, “Jesse, and this is my sister Melissa. We’re not really sure where we are, but we came from Bidham –"

                “Bidham?” the girl said, wide-eyed. “Well, that’s different. We’re in Miradel, I think. One of the centaurs said something like that. But, you can only be in Doria for a month, because that’s the empress’s first law, did you know that? You can’t be here longer than a month without dying. I don’t know any of the others, but I was told that when I was young. Yeah, I don’t really come from anywhere; I live by myself and travel around whenever I please."

                “You live by yourself?” Melissa frowned, “Why? Don’t you have any family?"

                “No, I ran away from home,” she said cheerfully. “I’m not sure how long ago, maybe four years ago? Maybe it was five... goodness me, I’ve forgotten. It’s pretty fun really, I made myself a bow and some arrows and I go around hunting animals and stuff to eat. I was annoyed when the centaurs took my bow though. It was pretty much my only possession.

                Jesse and Melissa looked at her with concern. The girl didn’t really seem to mind though, and was perfectly happy to talk about it, or indeed anything.

                “What was your name again?” Melissa asked.

                “Rhias,” she said, smiling.

                “Well, it looks like lots of people’s names are different here in Doria to the ones in Bidham,” Melissa said. “It’s going to be confusing learning them all."

                “Yes, well lots of people think I’m weird, you know, with my name and all that. In Doria Rhias is a boy’s name. You see, my parents wanted me to be a boy to help around with the work and all that, and they were certain they were getting one. They were going to call him Rhias. When I was born they were so annoyed that they just kept calling me Rhias. People also think I’m strange because I act a bit like a boy, and some pity me that I was treated like one, named after one and was dressed like one, but I just got used to it and really it’s actually rather fun. I enjoy it. But my parents were horrible about it and in the end I grew so sick of them that I ran away."

                She stopped momentarily to draw breath.

                “I really don’t understand why people don’t like me so much. I mean, if I enjoy being a boy then that’s my decision, isn’t it? What do you think? See, lots think I’m weird. But I just say that they’re the weird ones, and usually they drop it in the end. Anyway, I have some skill with my bow and not many dare say rude things to me any more."

                Jesse and Melissa didn’t really know what to say or think. The girl kept smiling at them but didn’t say any more.

                Around an hour went by. Rhias soon started telling them all about one occasion when she had hunted a particularly fast deer and shot it, then went on to discuss different fruit tastes, the places she’d been, and people she’d met, asking many questions of Melissa and Jesse but hardly ever waiting for them to complete their answer.

                Then the centaur which had first spoken to them outside came down and unlocked the door.

                “Breiha has granted you permission to stay here,” he said in his low voice. The three of them got up and went to exit, but the centaur barred the way to Rhias.

                “What?” Rhias snapped.

                “He only granted them permission,” the centaur growled, pointing a thumb at Jesse and Melissa, “for they are known to his friend."

                Rhias swelled with defiance. Jesse and Melissa looked sadly back at her and left.

                They came out into the open. The place was beautiful with many trees and stone pillars around. They heard Hanni’s laughter from a distance and headed out to find her.

                They found her sitting at a table with her legs up on it, talking to a white haired and bodied centaur.

                When Hanni caught sight of the children she waved them over to her.

                “Come meet Breiha, leader of the centaurs,” she said with a grin, drinking from a wine cup.

                The children smiled politely at him. He nodded his head slightly towards them in response.

                “Are these the children you spoke of?” he asked Hanni.

                “Yes."

                Breiha, they noticed, had a circlet of gold around his head. He stared at the children in silence for a while, and then picked up a cooked chicken wing from the table to eat. The children looked hungrily at the two eating.

                “Nehum,” Breiha called.

                A brown centaur cantered around through the pillars to them and bowed to his leader. “Yes sir?"

                “Take this boy and girl to a room. They are important people.” He stressed the last sentence, as if in warning to Nehum. Nehum bowed again and led the children to a room not far off with no door, but a wide archway.

                “Dinner is at sunset,” Nehum said, and trotted off.

                The children walked in. The room was nicer than any they had ever seen, although they wished it was more private. They were happy to see sunset was not far off as they sat upon their soft beds. They were entertained for a while by just looking around the room at all the wall carvings. Although the centaurs had thick grey stone formations and their work was strong and laborious, they seemed to have made beautiful fine carvings in most of it.

Chapter Five