Black Stallion and Satan (21 page)

There was no turning back now, he knew. The winding dark water was like a slithering snake, but it was shallow enough to ford without swimming. There was no sign of any alligators and it would take only a few seconds to cross.

There was no need to coax the Black into the water. He went forward, wading with Alec through the shallows. He was eager to keep going, but Alec brought him to a stop on the other side and placed a gentle hand upon the stallion’s nose. Alec’s instincts told him that he must proceed with the utmost caution. There was no reason to fear the presence of another horse and rider, but until he found out what they were doing there, it was best to be careful.

The path became increasingly difficult, leading through twisting vines that only recently had been cut to clear the way. On either side was a forbidding fortress of winding tendrils, wrapped about tree trunks and locked in a continuous mesh that defied all but the sharpest machetes. Even now the vines had begun the work of reclosing the gap across the shell path.

Alec felt uneasy at the jungle net closing in on him. He told himself that he could turn back any time he wanted, that he did not have to go farther if he felt it was not worth the risk.

The upper branches of huge trees and the thick shrouds of Spanish moss hid the sun, leaving him in a world of dusk. But despite his apprehension, he was determined to go on. How long ago had he left the farm?
Only this morning? His contact with it seemed to have faded away.

It was as if he were living in another world, one as timeless as the swamp itself. He felt out of place, and yet for a reason he could not understand, much less explain, a strong motivation compelled him to complete what had become an urgent mission. It drove him onward.

Finally the shell path came to an abrupt end. But it was not the end of his journey. The vines in the area had been cut away completely and there was sufficient room between the trees for him to continue. He led the Black forward.

A few minutes later he came in sight of a large clearing. Actually it was a meadow carpeted with cropped grass, a slab of green on the edge of the endless swamp. He heard the splash of a bird in the distant water, then the scream of an osprey as it rose above the saw grass. It was a mysterious cry in the vast void of emptiness. Alec paused a moment beside the huge trunk of an oak tree.

At the far end of the meadow he saw the gleam of a silver body and heard the soft beat of hoofs. Cautiously he moved in that direction, aware that his excitement matched that of the stallion at his side.

When he reached the edge of the clearing he saw a tall black man riding a gray mare.