Ebony and Ivory Chapter 2

The smoke began to thin around her. The light intensified; getting stronger and stronger. Realizing what was happening; she released the clasp on her cloak and with one swift movement flung it over Archie to enshroud him.

"Archie lie still. We've emerged somewhere in the Light Side."

From beneath her heavy travel cloak came the sound of many grumbles, paired with the swinging of arms and kicking of legs.

"It's for your own safety," she pleaded, as she threw herself on top of him, trying to hold him still.

Archie managed to uncover his head. By this time the smoke had dissipated fully and the bright sun of Light Side was bathing them in its rays. He looked around with interest and showed no ill effects from the light. Ebony fell off him and stared with amazement as the small boy struggled to extricate himself from the cloak.

"Are you a Light Sider or is this magic?" She gasped.

Ebony knew that no Night Sider could survive under the full light of the Sun. Archie looked embarrassed; his face matching the color of his hair.

"No. Not magic." He hesitated."I'm a Twilighter."

Twilighter's were rare. The union of a Night Sider and Light Sider usually gave birth to a child who favored either the Dark or the Light, but not both. She thought Ivory and herself were the only ones in the Grayling.

"This is why Malcolm sent you. Wherever the trail takes us, you will be able to follow with me. You may be of more use than I thought."

Clasping his staff, he rose. He offered his hand to Ebony and pulled her to her feet. The strength she felt in his small frame surprised her. They turned and viewed their surroundings. They were in a grassed area. Surrounding them was a ring of tall standing stones; each at least 15 feet tall, 3 feet wide and spaced at 5 foot intervals. Encircling this was a thick forest. A hum of energy could be felt, not heard, around them. Ebony unsheathed her sword and looked at Archie. Without a word they moved towards one of the exits between the great stones.

"Don’t go any further, Princess." Archie’s warning brought her to a stop.

"Can you feel a tingling sensation in the air?”

Ebony did. She looked down and could see the hairs on her arm standing upright the closer she got to the stones. Archie took a step forward; reached down and picked a pebble up. He motioned Ebony back and flicked it between the stones. The explosive force threw Archie backward and off his feet. Surprised but unhurt he lay there. This time it was Ebony's turn to haul him to his feet.

"I think we may have a problem," he grinned.


The next 10 minutes, they took turns throwing pebbles between the exits. None managed to survive the journey. They returned to the center of their cage and sat.

Ebony was the first to speak. Calmly she asked, "Is there a magic you could use to get us out?"

Archie pondered this.

"I've seen Malcolm work with these sorts of barriers before, but I'm not far enough advanced in my studies to be able to cancel the forces involved."

She looked downcast.

"What do we know?” mused Archie, scratching his chin.

“We know, we can touch the stones, but we can't go between them. The barrier is no higher than the tallest stone. The simplest solution is that we must go over it." Archie scratched his head pensively.

"But how? The rocks are too smooth to climb. Even if you stood on my shoulders, we could not reach the top."

Archie's face lit with a smile. Reaching into his large heavy leather bag, he fumbled around before extracting a long length of rope.

"I don't suppose you have got a grappling hook in there as well?"

"No, something even better.” He addressed the air. “Moki, come out. I need you."


A swift rolling movement could be seen under his robe. Starting at the small of his back, it spiraled upward towards his shoulder. Moki, the were-cat poked his head out of Archie's collar and jumped to the ground. Ebony had forgotten Moki. The wizards apprentice sat cross-legged and conversed with the little creature.
Ebony watched the strange, one-sided conversation, as Archie outlined his plan to his friend. The little were-cat was motionless, as the boy spoke. With a nod, a purr and a pat, they got up and moved over to stand before one of the stones. Ebony followed. Bending, Archie picked up Moki and heaved him high into the air. The were–cat somersaulted and landed atop the stone. Archie coiled the rope and taking aim he flung one end high, missing Moki’s head by inches. Moki gave Archie a cross look before disappearing. Archie felt a small tug on the rope and began to pay it out. Ebony could see Moki clutching the rope and being lowered to the ground safely outside the circle.

"What now" queried Ebony?

"We trust Moki."

The rope took on a life of its own. It danced through Archie's fingers before abruptly coming to a halt. They waited. Archie could feel small vibrations through the rope. Moki's head appeared at the top of the stone and looked down. Even Ebony could read the expression on the were-cats face.

"What are you waiting for?" it seemed to say.

Archie put his full weight on the rope. It held tight.

Turning to Ebony, he gave a bow. “Ladies first."

Ebony didn't have to be asked twice. She scampered up the rope and joined Moki on the top of the stone. Reaching down, she picked the were-cat up and kissed the top of his head. He purred and snuggled deeply into the side of her neck. Standing tall, she looked around from her new vantage point. A cloud of dust could be seen through the trees heading their way.

"Archie, someone is coming. You've got to hurry," she called down urgently.


Archie braced the rope as Ebony descended the far side. He strapped his staff to his back and then secured the end of the rope around the large leather bag. With much puffing and panting he scaled the stone. Moki gave him a big lick as he reached the top and disappeared once more into his robe. Suspending himself over the edge, he grasped the rope and let himself fall. The weight of the bag as it rose on the other side helped to slow his descent. Even so, he landed with a bone shaking crash. Ebony stepped in to prevent the bag from crashing down on his head. Rising painfully, Archie moved to untie the knot that Moki had secured to a tree and re-stored the rope to his bag. They managed to get to the forest in time, as the sound of horses emerging echoed around the clearing.