Shaun’s face cracked into a huge smile. ‘On the first of our journeys to find the legendary weapons, we travelled to the land of the Dragons, then through the prohibited area with all its monsters and treacherous terrain onward through the Death Canyon with its raging torrent of rapids and finally into the flaming valley.’ He paused a moment. ‘And this will take some believing, but in there I spoke to Thor and Odin.’ The room was filled with gasps of wonder and disbelief. Shaun nodded. ‘I know it takes some believing, but they appeared in the sky, standing on a huge cloud. They said they had been following our journey and were amazed at the fact that I had reached their Kingdom. I had already descended into the flaming waters of the valley. Inside the Grey Elf shroud I had managed to find the boat, the Skidblaonir, and the weapons inside, but I was unable to release it from its anchor at the bottom of the fiery, poisonous river. I returned to the surface and was trying to work out how I could dislodge it from its ties and bring it up to the surface when the gods appeared. Thor told me to throw his hammer into the flames. He roared with laughter when I said I couldn’t do that, as I had to bring the hammer back to you and joked he didn’t want to fight me for it. So I did what he asked, and after a moment or two of anxious waiting, the flames died away and the boat rose up to the surface, and the hammer returned to my hands. They gave us permission to bring the boat and the swords back here, but once we have conquered the Evil Wizard and his army I must return them to their Kingdom and back down to their safe resting place in the flaming valley.’
The two kings and their sons looked absolutely flabbergasted. ‘That story will go down in Colgilor folklore. Not even the stories of the legendary Fairy warriors on their majestic steeds can come close to this, and you, a stranger to our land, have won the honour and respect of the Gods themselves. Truly amazing,’ said Dumall.
‘Yes,’ exclaimed Shaun, bubbling over with joy, ‘but that is not the best bit as far as you are concerned, for Odin, King of the Gods, granted me a wish. I had said to the Dwarfs that live there that I wished you could, like them, go out into the sunshine without turning to stone, and Odin has given me the power to do this and it will be passed on down to all your future generations.’
Again there were loud gasps of disbelief. ‘How is that possible?’ said Dumall, shaking his head. ‘We have longed for that pleasure but never thought it could happen.’
Shaun stood up and held out his arm with the amulet on. ‘This was given to me by Thor. It is to protect me and has unbelievable powers which I used on one of the warriors to heal his wounds. Oh yes, and I used it to save the Dragon that carried me on my second journey to free the warriors.’
‘That would really help the battle if we can fight in the daylight,’ said Duval.
‘Yes, of course,’ said Shaun. ‘I get carried away sometimes: just place your hand on the amulet.’ Duval glanced over to his father.
‘I would prefer if one of our warriors were to try this first. It’s not that I doubt you, Shaun,’ said Dumall, ‘but remember Duval will one day be King and any risk would be foolish on my part.’
‘Sorry’, Shaun replied. ‘I understand. Send one of them in and I will show you how it works.’ But before Dumall could send for one of the warriors, Duval grabbed the amulet. ‘Sorry, Father, but Shaun has saved my life twice before: I trust him completely and I must show an example to my warriors. If I’m afraid to do this, what will they think?’ Shaun closed his eyes and the Prince sank back in his chair. The others sat and watched with a combination of fear for the Prince and excitement at the thought of what this could mean for them and their families.
Suddenly the amulet lit up and a golden spray floated out, circling around and around the amulet. Duval gave out a huge sigh as the deep, warm sensation passed through his body. His eyes misted up and the magical feeling he had inside could not be explained. He remained seated for several minutes, his eyes tight shut; a huge, contented smile spread across his face as he enjoyed the feeling of ecstasy gushing through his veins, and suddenly he sprang to his feet. ‘Come, it is daytime. I must go outside and enjoy my first taste of the warmth of the sun. You can all watch from the shelter of the cave.’
His father raised his hand. ‘Please just ask for one volunteer. I’m sure there will be many, if not all, of them willing to test this miracle for you.’
Duval shook his head. ‘No, I must go first. Come, Shaun, you can escort me out. Once they have seen for themselves, I’m sure my father and all our warriors will only be too eager to join me.’ Duval led the way with Shaun, the two Kings and Dakro following behind as they marched along the tunnel and into the main cavern, coming to stop in front of his army of warriors. You could hear a pin drop as the chattering and laughter came to an abrupt silence as the two Kings and their sons appeared. Duval beckoned Shaun forward and placed his arm around his neck. ‘Shaun, our hero of past deeds has brought us a magical gift back from his latest journey to the other side of Colgilor. A gift from the Gods to enable us to walk for the first time into the sunlight.’ The silence was quickly broken with sighs, gasps and whispers, a combination of disbelief and wonderment. Without another word, the Prince turned and headed for the exit tunnel with Shaun alongside, and Dumall leading the others close behind.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, the strong rays of the midday sun had flooded the land outside and Duval came to a halt, took a deep breath and squeezed Shaun’s hand. He turned his head towards his father and smiled before stepping out.
There was a huge sound of relief followed by wild cheering from those near to the entrance who could see Duval walk forward and become engulfed in the warm rays. He raised his hands to the heavens and screamed, ‘Thank you, O thank you!’ before turning to his father. ‘Please join me on this momentous occasion.’ Shaun returned to the entrance and raised his amulet towards Dumall. He hesitated for a brief moment before clasping tightly and closing his eyes; he remained silent but his face softened into total relaxation as he felt the warm surge inside. As soon as the feeling subsided he stepped forward into the light to loud gasps and screams of joy from the warriors. He marched over to join his son and embraced both, fighting back the tears. Duval waved the others forward and Shaun remained inside the entrance as Delross and his son repeated the procedure before all the warriors and their families followed in an orderly queue.
After a long and exhausting operation, the last of the families joined the others. Shaun, although absolutely drained, watched with pride and joy as the whole area erupted into celebration, with the ecstatic crowd jumping around hugging each other, some laughing uncontrollably, others wiping away tears of joy, streaming down their faces, all of them unashamed of their antics, as this was indeed an experience they could have only dreamt of.
Meanwhile the Dark Wizard had returned to his fortress, licking his wounds from the humiliating encounter with Shaun, and his long-suffering guards took the brunt of his frustration. He stormed along the main corridor, his guards floundering behind, terrified at the thought of what was to come; they knew him well. He would have to vent all his pent-up anger on them. His two personal guards followed him into his private quarters and stood trembling with fear as the Dark Wizard slumped down into his chair, his black, soulless eyes staring straight through them. His face radiated evil as he snorted and snarled through his black stub snout and sickly yellow teeth, with that black, fleshy tongue dangling out over them.
All of a sudden he raised his head and banged his caduceus on the floor. The guards froze, mesmerised by the evil-looking staff with its black skull and flashing green eyes, and blood seeping from its jaws which seemed to draw them into a trance and they were unable to take their eyes away. They remained motionless while the Dark Wizard slumped back in his chair, rubbing his chin deep in thought; after several minutes he sat up and once again banged his caduceus down. The two guards snapped out of their trance and bowed their heads, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with the Dark Wizard or his evil caduceus.
‘The two Witches!’ he screamed. ‘Go and bring me the two Witches, Baba Yelka and her sister Baba Madea. Do not return without them!’ The two guards didn’t wait to prolong their agony: they quickly turned and scuttled out of the room.
It was the following day when the two guards returned with Baba Yelka; their legs felt like jelly as they slowly escorted her along the passageway towards the Dark Wizard’s quarters, both struggling to find an excuse for not finding Baba Madea.
They came to a halt outside his door and stood for several minutes, glancing at each other, both hoping the other one would do the explaining; but finally one of them took a deep breath before knocking on the door. There was an agonising lull before his thunderous voice bellowed out for them to enter. One of them opened the door and the other pushed Baba Yelka inside before both stepped sheepishly in behind her.
She shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, her nerves jangling. She dropped her head as his evil eyes glared towards her. He then turned to his two terror-stricken guards. ‘Why have you not brought the other one?!’ he screamed. But before they could answer he pointed his caduceus towards them and they cried out in agony as they were engulfed in flames, before shrivelling up. When the flames died down, all that was left was two small piles of ashes. He turned to Baba Yelka. ‘Why hasn’t your sister come with you? Be very careful how you answer if you don’t want to suffer the same fate as my two unfaithful guards.’
She couldn’t take her eyes off the ashes. She was trembling violently. ‘Well!’ he screamed. ‘You’re running out of time!’
‘She is no longer in contact with me,’ she stuttered. ‘When you sent your guards for her, she flew for her life to the far end of the Darkside, and is living in the isolated mountains over there. She saved the life of one of the Harpies, and since then they look after each other in that hostile area with so many fearsome creatures living there. ‘You have one day to find and bring her here. If you don’t, you will burst into flames after I put a spell on you before you leave here.’
‘But what do I tell her? How can I possibly persuade her to come back? She knows you must still want to kill her.’
‘Ah,’ he sighed as he sank back in his chair. ‘Things have changed. I need her to resurrect all the corpses in the Darkside and turn them into an army of fighting Zombies. I know she has the capabilities to achieve that. I also need you by my side: we are going to wage war on the Great Wizard, the Grey Elf and a new formidable foe: a young boy, a stranger to our land who wields the mighty hammer of the God Thor. He must be captured. I have plans for a long, painful death for him: he will pay for humiliating me in front of my guards.’
Baba Yelka suddenly clapped her hands with glee as she screamed out loud, ‘Thank you! I am your servant. I, too, would enjoy seeing the boy tortured. I, too, was humiliated by him, but I have tried to capture him and take away the hammer, but alas, he is so resourceful, but with your powerful magic together with me and my sisters’ evil magic I’m sure we can do this.’
The Dark Wizard looked straight through her, clutching his caduceus. ‘Very well. I will trust you to bring her here. I will not cast the spell on you, but be sure: if you fail me I will hunt you down and make you both suffer before you die. Now go!’
She bowed her head and quickly slipped out of the room and scuttled along the passageway as fast as her scrawny legs would carry her.
Back at the Great Wizard’s cavern, Shaun was standing with the Fairy warriors waiting for the Wizard to join them. Their families had already passed through the portal to join the families of Ferreira. As the Fairies will be launching their attack on the Dark Wizard’s fortress once the battle begins from the Magic Kingdom, the Wizard thought it best to spend some time there. The Guardian of the Kingdom was reluctant to allow that, as it was created as a special secret area in honour of the legendary Fairy Warriors who rode into battle on their majestic steeds. Shaun, Louis and Ava were the first and only visitors; they had travelled there while on a previous quest with the last of the great Warriors, Favoria, the head of Ferreira’s troop of Fairies.
After an agonising wait, the Wizard appeared on the bridge carrying a portal, and behind him was one of the Dwarfs carrying one of the golden caskets. Inside was one of the most famous and deadly of swords, the Durendal, the sharpest sword ever created. One touch of its mighty blade was enough to kill. There was no time wasted: once the portal was in position and Shaun had said his goodbyes, he ushered the excited warriors through and followed the last one into the cave where the Guardian Ferreira and his army of warriors were waiting to greet them. The Guardian waited till they had all assembled and settled down before addressing them. ‘Welcome to the Magic Kingdom. This special area was created for your ancestors, 50 of the greatest Fairy warriors ever to grace Colgilor. As this is a troubled time, with everything good in our land at risk from the evil doings of the Dark Wizard, you have been allowed to enter this land.’ He turned to Ferreira. ‘You have heard all the incredible tales as you lived with Favoria, last of those warriors, and he was your mentor, your leader and your friend. And for that reason you all will be allowed to travel over to the valley where a magical shrine for the warriors is sited and where the descendants of their mighty steeds still roam. You will be able to pay homage to them and experience the magical aura of the shrine. But first of all I have a surprise for you outside the cave, so please, Shaun, you lead them out and I will join you out there.’
The cave suddenly erupted with excited chatter and laughter as the two armies mingled together for the first time as they streamed out behind Shaun. But as they stepped out into the glorious sunshine the noise faded into silence. You could hear a pin drop as they looked on in bewilderment at the panoramic view that greeted them: lush green hills, valleys and meadows rolled out in front of them, and in the distance a rugged, multi-coloured range of mountains soared up from the grassy floor, sweeping around the land and creating an impenetrable fortress.
And to add to the magic of the place, sparkling streams meandered down through the mountainsides, forming shimmering lakes and cascading rainbow waterfalls which fed several raging rivers with fierce rapids; on their banks dense, wooded areas added the final touches to the magical setting which took the warriors’ breath away. All of a sudden the mood changed as the silence was broken with the sound of thunderous hooves filling the air around them and the ground beneath them, trembled. There were loud gasps from the warriors as from out of the wooded areas on both sides of the valley appeared dozens and dozens of wild horses, galloping at full speed towards them and coming to a halt several metres away. And just as the warriors were recovering from this spectacle, from out of a nearby hillside Star, their winged leader, appeared, gliding ever towards them and circling around overhead before swooping down, coming to land in front of his herd. The army of warriors jumped back, not only shaking their heads in disbelief at the fact it could fly, but also the size of it was incredible: it seemed to emit power and authority with a magical presence. The warriors could only look on in admiration when Shaun stepped forward and Star galloped over to greet him, pawing the ground and dropping its head to nuzzle into him.
The Guardian appeared from the cave. ‘The Great Wizard and myself have decided, as you are the descendants of the Great warriors, it seems fitting that you should ride these mighty steeds into battle against the Dark Wizard and his army. They will now carry you over to visit the Great warrior’s shrine so you can pay homage. As this is only part of the herd, you will have to ride two on each horse. Enjoy this special journey, cherish it: you will be able to tell your families and future descendants how you visited the resting place of those great warriors who gave their lives so they could live in peace.’
He raised his hand and waved them forward, and he shed a tear as he watched them mount up and gallop off with Shaun riding Star flying in front. It brought long-lost memories of the great warriors riding into battle flooding back, and he waited until they were out of sight before turning back towards h
is cave.
The warriors struggled to take in all the wondrous sights as they galloped on through the magical landscape, but of course Shaun had seen it all before on his previous journey with Louis and Ava on their Quest, but even he gasped and sighed at the variety of beauty and stunning vista after vista as they raced on.
They had had a long and tiring journey filled with wonderful, unforgettable scenery with the sky above them adding to the beauty as fluffy, white clouds drifted across the midday sun, casting shadows and light over the changing landscape of gentle and rugged terrain washing over them, forever changing the colour and texture. Finally they rode up a steep hillside and came to rest on a grassy green ridge along the top overlooking the secret valley, home to Star and the wild herd and of course the resting place of the great warriors. There was total silence as they looked down across the lush green valley floor and along each side was an abundance of beautiful bushes, shrubs and brightly coloured clusters of flowers, and the air was filled with a perfumed aroma and the magical sound of blending birdsongs, truly a spellbinding atmosphere.
And to cap it all, the sky above had changed from blue to a swirling, mesmerising mixture of rainbow colours sweeping across the valley. In the centre a beautiful tarn sparkled under the multi-coloured sky, and spaced around the edges stood steep, slender pinnacles, each shrouded in a ring of rainbow mist rising from their base, spinning around and around up to their tips.
Shaun led them down to the valley floor. They dismounted and walked over towards the tarn; it may have been imagination but as the warriors strolled over and breathed in the warm atmosphere, a strange sensation surged through their veins. And when they followed Shaun around the tarn, stopping at each pinnacle which had a golden cross at their base engraved with the name of one of the great warriors, they could almost feel their presence. At the end of the tour they knelt down in silent prayer to honour their legendary ancestors.
War in Colgilor Page 9