A World Beyond the Dark

by Andrei Navala

  “A massacre still wouldn’t be enough to pay for what they did to you, but if I do so you won’t ever get the throne.” He thought with a terrible look in his eyes. With heavy and determined steps he went out of the cell and down the corridor. He had other plans in mind to denounce the king at the event but her condition was so bad he couldn’t ignore it. Further ahead lied the guard leaning against a wall and upon noticing Rylan he pulled out his sword and ran up to him, shouting.

  “What do you think you’re doing traitor?” The slightly curved blade was shining in the dim light of the few torches scattered through the dungeon. Rylan had neither his gear nor his sword and both his hands were carrying a precious burden. He pulled her head closer to his bare chest and covered her ears carefully.

  “Will you strike me down?” He shouted in defiance, keeping his head tall. “Will you stab a defenseless woman of your very kind? Have you no mercy, nor pity? Even if you only wish to obey orders, what’s the difference between you and a demon at this point?” The guard stopped just as he lunged at him with his sword.

  “I value my life and I won’t be decapitated along with traitors like you.” The guard bit his lip as he was unable to slash him down. Rylan simply passed by him and the guard yelled nervously. “If you put her down now, I will overlook what happened. Don’t make me do this…” The elf clearly hesitated as he was only a young lad.

  “I have the resolve to protect her body with my life. Do you have the resolve to do what’s right?” Responded Rylan as he reached the bottom of the stairs, followed closely behind by the guard.

  “Do you not understand you’re in the wrong? She is a traitor-”

  “You are an idiot,” roared Rylan from the bottom of his lungs as he turned around to face him. “you and everyone else who was deceived by the greedy words of your fake ruler. The only reason she was sent into exile was because you narrow-minded dimwits are too proud. I will put her on the throne myself if I have to and if you still have the audacity to stand in my way I will only crush you and anyone else beneath my feet. I have been through enough and I am tired of playing games for the high and mighty which are corrupt and deceitful.”

  “Even if I let you go now, there will be more guards who won’t allow you to get out and I’ll still be decapitated.” the guard sighed hopelessly as he finally put away his sword. “I understand this is abnormal cruelty and I’d help her if I could myself but there is no way. I’m sorry to say this but give up…” The elf reached for his shoulder but pulled back his hand remembering the hatred with which he was addressed.

  “Call for my knights here and before that tell me if there are some underground passages in this dungeon that we might be able to access.”

  After listening closely, the elf pointed to their right.

  “If you go that way you will find storage for gear and weapons and it leads directly to the entrance of the castle so your stuff should also be there. As for your party, wouldn’t it be suspicious if I were the one to call them? I could hold her until you-”

  “No!” bluntly responded Rylan cutting him off. “Get going already.” Hurried by his impatience, the guard walked up the stairs leaving him alone with her in that dungeon. “They can easily surround us from all sides here if he changes sides again. Even though I think I could ram through some people down that corridor.” He thought as he peered through the dark of the long hall. He felt movement coming from her and looked down. She was staring at him in disbelief.

  “Anvalth?” she muttered in a low voice. “I’m sorry to have you find me like this.”

  “You should be happy I found you like this because if I would’ve arrived any later it would be too late.” As she gradually regained her senses, her face turned completely red. She realized that aside from his coat she was naked underneath and he could feel his warm hands right against her skin. She fretted in place a bit to change her position in his arms and he only watched in silence.

  “I failed my task. I abandoned Silhelm and went here against his will. I have seen many things, but this… it was terrifying. I’m so glad you came for me.” She whispered, pressing her head against his chest and trying to hug him as best she could from that posture.

  “Don’t move so much or I might drop you.” He said with a faint, sad smile on his face. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her tight for a few moments until she calmed down. “I’ll get you out of here and after that I will acquire the throne from the cold, dead hands of the king.” He was speaking with passion and his eyes were burning with anger just thinking of that disgusting being.

  “I don’t even want to imagine how furious Silhelm would be if he saw me like this, in your arms nonetheless.” She chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere but Rylan’s face turned dark. He debated whether or not to impart the tragic knowledge with her but before he could say anything she almost felt his heart and continued. “Something happened back at the mansion, didn’t it?”

  “Silhelm… fell in battle. But I avenged him recently, though I don’t even know if that means anything anymore. I was so eager to obliterate the one who set the mansion on fire and killed Silhelm right before my eyes. I was so sure he killed you as well and that made me angrier but now that I know you safe, his punishment didn’t mean that much to me. We hunted him as if he was a wild beast running for its life and he did force me to commit yet another act I now regret.”

  “At least you rid the world of his evil.” She said in return as she continued to fret in his arms.

  “And we found an elven child there who I thought was your son, so together with a party of people we wanted to put him on the throne in your stead but I doubt he was yours now.”

  “It is as you say. What do you intent to do with the kid?” Her mood suddenly changed and she looked at him with keen eyes.

  “I’ll foster him. Not much else I can do…” There was a sudden spark of hope in her eyes and she looked really nervous all of a sudden. “Are you okay?” But her energy vanished that same moment and she lied back down, averting her gaze.

  “It’s nothing.” Her heart was beating wild but she knew he had a family already. “How did your trip home go? You didn’t tell me yet so I’m afraid to know the answer.”

  Rylan hesitated for a moment before answering.

  “I reached it eventually but I no longer belonged there. I still long for Liliana sometimes, and apparently I had a daughter as well… Miria…” He sighed loudly and leaned against a wall. “I know a woman from my last days of army and she’s been really kind and nice to me so I wanted to return the favor. I was thinking of retreating to the fairy world with her and our adopted son and get to live a peaceful life.”

  Ainnea raised her eyebrows in surprise at his words.

  “The fairy world? Like the world where the Wild Hunt lives most of the time unless it has affairs with our world or others?”

  “Exactly! I happen to be their mage king, though I’m neither a skilled mage nor a valiant king. I even sacrificed the most important things I held for this title and the salvation of some people including myself.”

  “A-And you said you were going to live there…” Her voice was so faint Rylan barely picked up what she was trying to say. He was starting to understand her heart, as a maiden who lived in seclusion for so long, surrounded only by books and nature but he couldn’t bring himself to see her as anything more than his mentor and close friend.

  “If it helps, you’re welcome to come along.” But his words only hurt her heart more. Silence fell and he could hear many hurried steps coming down the stairs. Their hearts were racing and he didn’t know whether to expect his knights or the guards. To be safe, he took as much of a distance as he could from the bottom of the stairway before the people were in view. He sighed with relief seeing the fairies accompanied by the elf guard he sent after them.

  “We barely managed to arrive without raising too much suspicion. We need to hurry because we might have been trailed nonetheless.” said the commander who loo
ked between Rylan and the woman in his arms. “The elf told us everything we need to know on the way.”

  “Wild Hunt, move out!” Said Rylan taking the initiative and running along with everyone on the narrow corridor filled with cells. It was a tough sight to bear, seeing all those imprisoned and tortured but they had more important matters to tend to. Not far ahead, the light was growing in intensity and they could see an open doorframe. With haste they bust inside the room and were met by three guards. “Knock them out!” yelled Rylan as he rushed past them while they were still confused. His compact unit divided into groups which immediately incapacitated their opponents, before they even had the time to pull out weapons. Past this chamber was a large deposit and the elf showed them a concealed path through the shadows. The place was packed with shining plates mostly for guards and numerous swords and bows of different making and with various designs.

  “My lord, how do you intend to dispatch of the king? The way we are now we stand no chance to get past all the courts filled with armored elves.” asked the commander in a low voice as he worriedly looked around noticing a pair of guards far away.

  “Our first priority is getting Ainnea to safety. Afterwards, we could maybe go into the fairy world and out a portal right in the throne room.”

  “That’ll be impossible.” said the elf as he shook his head in disappointment. “There is a powerful ward around the keep which does not allow for spells.” The party’s dismay was visible on their tired visages but Rylan’s eyes were burning with flaming passion and rage.

  “Then we shall storm the keep!” He yelled out, alarming the entire storage area.

  “Who goes there?” a nearby guard turned to them before getting knocked out with one blow by one of the knights.

  “What was that for?” cried out a knight, landing a hit on another guard with his bare fist and leaving him unconscious. Rylan had already set sights on their gear lying at the other end of the hall and the party rushed, wiping out all the guards before they had time to give any alarm.

  “Commander, I entrust to you Ainnea’s safety. You shall take all the knights and escape the keep to safety. Meanwhile, me and this elf shall raze the keep and obliterate the anti-magic ward. Upon doing so, you will return to the throne room where the decisive battle shall be fought.” As the group was about to split, Ainnea plead for one thing.

  “If you could avoid slaughtering the people of this city, I would be ever grateful.” Her saddened gaze was more than enough to soften Rylan’s cold heart and he nodded curtly. “Until we see again, Anvalth.” she waved at him and was then taken by the fairy knights up the stairs from the deposit, leading right at the gate of the keep.

  Rylan and the elf dashed back through the massive hall and through the damp corridor of the dungeon. Leaping three stairs at a time, they rushed back into the courtyard and were met by many armored soldiers with bows ready to fire. The ruckus in the underground must have been noticed by someone and the entire keep was alerted of their intentions.

  “Ainnea…” He whispered, trying to imagine how they were met at the gates. But he had no time to worry about others for the matters at hand were most concerning. At his first movement, all the arrows were fired at them but with a movement faster than even elven eyes could see, Rylan smacked the ground with a colossal blow which sent shockwaves all the way to the guards, disrupting their aim in the very moment of firing. Arrows flew all over the place, some even hitting other guards and shattering windows or breaking into walls. He leapt from his place and with a large swing he smacked a group of five with the blunt of the blade, sending them flying across the yard. Before the others could draw their swords and daggers, he smashed the helmet of another and sent another flying into a pond. Only three of the initial ten remained and the elf was already by his side. Rylan man handled another guard, picking him up on his back and hurling him into a tree while his companion charged at the seemingly open human. Leaping over Rylan was the elf which swung down with the pommel of his sword, collapsing over the guard and leaving him lying on the ground. The last guard seeing how all his companions were defeated in a matter of seconds ran away, yelling for reinforcements.

  With three inhuman steps Rylan came down upon him with his sword like a crashing wave, smashing him against the ground. He was panting but his muscles were all tensed up and there was the same flame in his violet eyes burning intensely. The elf was starting to appreciate his decision of not fighting such a monster for it would’ve meant certain death.

  “Do you know who maintains the ward upon this keep or where we can find them?” Shouted Rylan as he continued rushing through the yard and into a long hall, closely followed by the elf.

  “There is only one-” The elf was already exhausted and could barely keep up with his insane pace. He noticed a faint glow around the man’s legs and was able to discern some sort of magic was keeping him going. “Slow down, I can barely breathe.” The elf was sweating and as he yelled that they turned a corner and were met by two guards who immediately moved out of their way in order to not be knocked to the ground. They ran by them while they were stared at with confused looks.

  “Where is he and how can we disable the ward?”

  “It’s a she, in fact the grand seer of Edhellen. And as far as I know, the only way to dispel such a monstrously powered ward is by killing the one who put it up.” By the time he finished his sentences, the two guards started trailing them, although unable to keep up. As they continued to run, Rylan’s face turned into a disheartened grimace. Ainnea’s last plea was not to kill anyone if possible but this wasn’t a matter on which he could hesitate. Dealing with such a powerful mage could even spell his own doom if he would not be cautious. He thought of taking her by surprise and nullifying her in one single strike but to ambush a mage is beyond even the most skilled assassin.

  “Where is she then?” asked Rylan again on a nervous tone. He was getting worried they might not make it out alive from the fight with the grand seer. There was a time when he was willing to die if the opponent was worthy of bringing him down but now he couldn’t afford to perish in battle. He steeled his heart and his grip on the sword and looked back to see why the elf wasn’t responding. He was so far behind that he was caught by the two guards and had to fight for his life, being driven into a corner by them. With steps that shattered the very floor he charged back and swung his sword like a hurricane, smashing the walls and the pillars around him. That alone was enough to instill fear in the hearts of the guards who ran screaming for their lives. Even the elf was astonished and scared by his act but he knew better and Rylan immediately stopped. The two continued through the halls as arrows flew towards them from the side. Rylan pulled the elf just as an arrow scratched his shoulder and with the elf in his right arm, he put up the sword like a shield with his left arm. Arrows were still grazing his feet and his torso but he could feel no pain as he dashed through the hall.

  “She’s on the top floor of her tower-” The elf swallowed his words as a circle of arcane appeared beneath their feet, sending bolts of harmless lightning which impaired their movement. Before their eyes stood a tall, slender woman with pale and smooth skin and her visage as fair as that of Tela. An intense aura of energy was emanating from her being and even Rylan shuddered in fear at the sight of such a powerful mage. Her presence reminded him of Rhea back in that cosmic dimension and with that sole thought, he felt as if his body was no longer his own. Energy was coursing through his veins and the arcane field holding them in place shattered with a pathetic hiss. A loud, familiar voice was shouting in his head.

  “Bring pain to those who have harmed my dear student. Let them know the wrath of Rhea!” It was in fact her voice that shouted and an image of her flashed before his eyes. His right arm was glowing brighter and he let go of the elf which now stood behind him.

  “I see you have the aid of a mage as powerful as I am. No wonder you have not bowed before me yet.” said the elven woman with a defying tone as she looked at him
from above with a cold, superior voice. A gust of wind lifted her off the ground and lightning bolts crackled loudly around her, shattering holes in the floor and walls. Her hands sparked with a flash of purple as bolts of arcane went flying towards Rylan. He put up his right arm which was glowing with the intensity of a thousand suns. Each bolt upon contact released a blast-like nova which drove him back but he stood his ground. The look of frustration on her face was horrifying and she put her hands together as a ball of swirling energy formed around them. With two massive steps he closed the distance between them but an eruption of raw energy obliterated the hall and was melting his armor. It was late when he could put up his sword as a shield because most of his gear was eroded by then.

  Out of thin air popped up dark holes from which shot out arcane chains that tried to bound him in place but he shook his body vigorously, flailing his hands around and broke them the very next moment. With a single incantation word, a glowing circle appeared beneath his feet and the ground shattered, pulling him down on his knees. The force was so strong that not even he could withstand its pull as his very body groveled before her. She laughed out at his posture but his being was trembling with energy. The crater was growing larger and his body kept being pressed by an invisible force. His stomach could not handle such gravitational force and he threw up blood as his vision was darkening.