Chapter 4: Rowdy Rushings and Escapings
There was a sudden disturbance, with a rowdy clamoring of horse hooves combined with shouts and yells of the riders blazing into the scene that had been so quiet until then. “Here he is~!” cried the nearest horse rider. Enoch grabbed Annette around the waist and jumped up into the tree-sized flowers towering high over their heads with surprising agility, disappearing from the hunters amidst the giant petals. They jumped several times, from flower to flower to gain some distance, until he finally set her down. She felt herself wake up as if out of a trance to see the ground rush away from her feet, and the next thing she knew Enoch was kneeling slightly in front of her crouching, adjusting his robe so no more light appeared from it.
“Get down!” He whispered loudly. They were sitting amidst tons of flower pollen on top of one of the incredibly overgrown dandelions. She recognized some of the voices to be those of the boys from the party at the Donner’s, shouting:
“He went there— here he is!” and the ground beneath them started to shake. “Release the girl at once!”
Enoch seemed to suddenly go into another world, closing his eyes and kneeling down to the ground. Annette was about to shake him awake when he opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. The sound of more horse hooves could be heard.
“What’s going on!” Annette demanded.
“I’ll explain later, first we’re going to play a little game with your friends!” He said, full of excitement.
He grabbed her arm and she felt a tingling sensation run through her entire body, like pure electricity. She felt tremendous energy!
“Feel that? Get ready, we’re going to do some more jumping!”
Hand in hand the leaped to another flower, just as theirs started to topple over from the efforts of those down below. They jumped about 10 or so more flowers and had cleared some distance from the noise of shouts when Enoch gently but firmly put Annette on his back, and then jumped down. He then put her atop a white horse that had been waiting there, wearing ‘robes’ like those you’d expect to see in a medieval sparring match. It matched Enoch’s mantle, and had obviously done a good job of concealing it there from anyone’s sight. The horse’s size was immense, and there was almost room for several more people on his back. Just as the group of young men saw them and began to race towards their hiding place, the horse took off. Their surroundings became a blur of colors as they shot through the thick flower groves and into a larger forest with thicker and taller trees. Of course, these were simply real trees, and not flowers! Despite all the action, the smell of cedar and pine filled the air and filled Annette's soul with cheer. This was the sort of action she had secretly been longing for. She held on to Enoch for dear life, afraid to look back and now more concerned of falling off this giant beast than of the company who were doubtlessly pursuing them. Was it because of her they were relentlessly pursuing after them? She yelled to the crazy rider:
“What did you do? Why don’t they like you? I demand an explanation!” She yelled.
But at that moment the horse made an incredible leap over a rushing river, sending Annette’s hind end flying into the air. Enoch caught her with one arm, keeping her from falling.
“HOLD ON! We’re almost there!”
Even in this precarious position flying like a rag doll with Enoch clutching her arm by the wrist, she managed to twist her head back enough to see the blaze of lights behind them. Her friends had stopped at the river, but they were preparing to ford it.
"Looks like you may have bought us some more time, Sir Enoch, but it won't be much. Do you have any idea where we are going?"
"Take a look for yourself!" Enoch replied.
Finally the horse slowed down enough that Annette was able to regain her position. She realized she had never been this far from the Eleneth township before. They were stopped at a cliff’s edge, and Annette gasped at the sight: before them it seemed as if the world ended, and another one began. She understood based on what Enoch had just made known to her that this was the border of the Starlion, and the beginning of what was obviously an entirely different alien landscape. The Malacandrian mountains that stretched waaay too high really did have bright blue trees on them, and they were even stranger in shape than Annette had conjectured before, when looking at them from Eleneth.
“Well let me radio in my ship and we’ll be on our way. Sorry for the haste, my lady! It looks like we stirred up the nest a bit! I had clearance to come get you from On High, but was unable to reach an agreement with the local authorities for your graduation from here soon enough. Your dear helpers were going to keep you a lot longer, and I’m afraid we just didn’t have time! When Sapphire arrives she’ll clear up the mess we are momentarily causing, so don’t worry about your folks!”
As Enoch spoke, he also rubbed his left wrist with his right arm, under the mantle he was wearing.
“Are you hurt?” Annette pulled back the cloth covering Enoch’s arm and saw that he was pressing and tapping on some kind of light blue pad fit over his wrist. He looked out at the stars with somewhat of a perturbed expression, tapping and patting on to the blue pad. She noticed his eyes were lit up too, with two light blue bubbles shining over them. It looked like some kind of screen was built into contact lenses he was wearing, if such technology were possible.
“Ahhh, well– praise the Lord!” Enoch said, with an obvious note of concern.
"What's the matter?"
“We have a problem, Houston! I thought I had the access codes to get through the barrier of Eleneth's sky dome, but it looks like it’s been changed thanks to the little surprise disturbance. I’m guessing they noticed the flash of light from before. . . yeah, that was probably it. Pride cometh before fall, and I just couldn't help but show you how cool my armor looks without the mantle covering it.” He looked at Annette.
“Please, do take me out of here! I want to know more! I want to see whatever it was they didn’t show me yet! I know we just met, but I’m ready to leave this place and I trust you!” Annette begged.
“Permission granted! But we’ll have to use our minds now. Do you know anything about this area? Anything that might take us underground? This is your training, young cadet! Welcome to the world of battle! And your first mission takes place on your own home turf. Heaven is well armed, and this is one of the higher ranked battle cruisers. We’re going to have to bypass their security to make it outside to my ship. Otherwise you’ll be in their hands for a bit longer till we can work out the politics these people will undoubtedly put us through before they let me take you outta here! You pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down?”
Enoch said these words with electric energy, like he was going to take her to a much different kind of reality than she had experienced thus far. This was exactly what she knew in her heart that she desired more than anything else in the whole world.
Annette looked out at the beautiful wild landscape that stretched out before them once more. It was an untamed and perhaps more dangerous land. She was determined to see what it was like, though— tonight! Finally a chance of embarkation was here!!
The yells and shouts of their pursuers was definitely getting closer. They were most likely already crossing the river by now. ‘Ha– those nobles, so “valiant” yet they have to stop and change out of their fancy clothes before jumping in the muddy water even to rescue a girl!’ she thought. She knew them all too well. Sometimes being too rich and fancy just slows you down, and this was a perfect example.
“OK! Yes, Enoch, I know where we can go! Or at least, I’ve heard of a place… how well can your horse smell?” She patted the dear horse on his head. “Do you have a name?” she cooed.
“My name is Prancer!” said the steed.
Annette took a few steps back in surprise, both at the silliness of a majestic stallion with such a name and at the fact that she'd just heard a horse talk.
“He’s
a special one, Mr. Prancer. And yes, he does have a good sense of smell. What is it we’ll be looking for?” Enoch asked.
“I'll tell you when we get there. Let me drive Prancer!” I saw a map once, but I’ll have to take the reins. I know where an entrance is, somewhere around here.” Annette said.
“I’m trusting you! This is YOUR adventure, so it’s best you realize that from the start. I can fend off our dear attackers if you think you can handle this trusty steed!” Enoch replied.
They set off, Annette following a vague idea based on a quick glance of a map of this area that allegedly had “the old dungeon” entrance somewhere nearby. The dungeon’s existence was thanks to a well intended but unrealized idea some of the townspeople once had of keeping prisoners of war. However this was long ago, and it had apparently never been used. She whispered in Prancer’s ear to follow his nose for the minty herbs which grew around the entrance, as the map had pointed out. How she remembered this she couldn't say, but now indeed felt it was by fate or even thanks to God.
The company of hunters was hot on their trail, and so Annette led them in a large circle around her desired location, taking them several miles north to the plains near the base of some small mountains and the waterfalls which were used to disguise the prisons (since nobody wants to see prisons in a lovely place like this). These falls came from the river separating Eleneth and thus, based on what she had heard, were very pure springs from Heaven Herself. That would explain a number of wonders she had noticed from the river- but she would have time to think about this more deeply later on. For a brief moment, though, Annette felt the wondrous realization that a new worldview was seeping into her subconscious mind, already surfacing in some areas like new islands of ideas. . . the old things she had known were making more sense. Her intellectual mind was already figuring out things rapidly, sorting through her life and putting events into their proper places in light of the new information and change she had undergone. She realized with a thrill as she pushed Prancer to run yet faster through the forest that she felt a new freedom dawning over her, and with it a new lightness.
After making considerable distance between them and their pursuers, thanks to Prancer’s speed, they made it to the waterfalls. Annette slowed down the horse enough to allow him to use his sense of smell, hoping they might find the secret entrance sooner rather than later. His hooves clopped and splashed through the streams and rocks as he sniffed around, but no scent of the herbs, yet. The water continuously roared and the spray caused multiple little rainbows to appear everywhere, even in the dim light.
Soon they once again heard the sound of shouting from the hills down below. Amidst the deafening roar of the beautiful waterfalls, as they stood there, Enoch also was beginning to have second thoughts.
“Perhaps this was too soon? I can take you back and explain to them–” he started to say, but Annette cut him off.
“No!! There is no other way for me now. I have already made my decision to go with you, though I have no idea what will happen. We’re GONNA find the entrance, OKAY?” she said vehemently.
Just as Enoch was about to answer, they were interrupted by a soft voice coming from nearby, almost a hissed whisper:
“Hey! Annette!”
Richy Donner stepped out from his concealed location, between two ferns, holding the reins of his horse. He’d obviously been there for a while, waiting for them.
“It's over here. . ." he said.
"Excuse me?" Annette replied, confused.
"The entrance is here. I knew you came to check out the dungeon, right? To see where it leads? Well I don’t know why you are leaving so suddenly, but I won’t say a word about any of this. I apologize for not taking you here myself, as I should have. Most of us just haven't had the guts to go exploring like you. I think I speak for us all when I say I admire you very much. Someday I may follow you! Go, now! I only ask one favor: don’t forget me.” he said, rather shyly and like a small frightened child who was trying to be brave.
“Of course I won’t forget you! And thank you!” Annette said, “Ah, thank the Lord!” She added– realizing what a miracle this was, too. She leaped off the horse and ran up to Richy, embracing him for a moment, hopefully long enough to make it meaningful to him.
“I’ll come back for you!” she said, running towards the entrance, or so she thought. She ran into the thicket of bushes Richy had been hiding in smack dab into the rock face behind it.
“Uh, it’s that way!” Richy said, smiling. "Only my family knew about this secret entrance. The mint herbs growing here is just a rumor to keep searchers guessing at its location."
Indeed it was. There was a small cave leading to the back end of one of the waterfalls. You could clearly see a small path somewhat overgrown by weeds, but it was definitely a path.
Enoch patted Richy on the back, then gave him something.
“Thank you for your help! You are a man among the boys here," he said.
Enoch then whistled to Prancer, who followed behind them. The three entered into the mouth of the cave, which also fortunately turned out to be big enough for Prancer to fit through, too. The deafening roar of the waterfall was replaced by the echoes of chambers that reached high above their heads. This however was just an outer chamber that led to the main passage, which was a totally artificial steel doorway, above which was a small sign in orange and black “CAUTION” stripes, in contrast with the beauty around them. It read: “RESTRICTED AREA! AUTHORIZED PERSONELL ONLY!” Enoch pried open the old door, which was surprisingly left unlocked but still very heavy. and stepped inside.
"Prancer, you stay here! Your job is to send us an alarm through remote if they find the entrance. I will send for you after all of this has been settled, in the meantime you can dwell with the other horses around Eleneth after we have escaped." Enoch petted the great horse's mane as he spoke, and Annette could see that they were good friends with a history of going through many adventures together.
"Go! Quickly! I will watch your backs!" Prancer replied, followed by a hearty neigh.