Star led the way at a brisk pace with a gentle, warm breeze wafting over them, and the first rays of the morning sun were flickering above the distant horizon, filling them with an inner warmth and belief.
They continued on through the morning into the afternoon, flying over the spectacular, winding valleys and tree-lined canyons, forever changing colours as the sun drifted across the cloudless, open sky. Their progress was swift and trouble-free, as the only dangers appeared to be on the ground below them: herds of huge, lumbering beasts roamed around, sending out spine-chilling roars and growls as they fought for survival. Day after day they continued their journey without sight or sound of danger in the air, and the further they travelled, even down on the ground, the sighting of predators became fewer and fewer. And when they reached the area where they had been attacked by the five huge giants and the flock of gigantic birds on their previous visit there was still no sign of danger, Shaun was beginning to wonder what was going on. Just then, his waystone began to flash and the Great Wizard’s voice entered his thoughts. ‘Be very careful as you approach the land of the Trolls: the Dark Wizard has taken control of them, and also the Giants and birds you encountered on your previous visit. He has also rounded up so many of the weird and dangerous inhabitants of that land so you will have to be constantly on your guard once you reach the Trolls’ domain.’
Shaun informed Herne of the message before setting off once more, flying down through the deep gorge with the narrow corridor and skimming over the boggy dry riverbed and between the huge trees that ran along its embankment, finally coming to land on a rocky outcrop with the Trolls’ mountain range in view. After resting and enjoying a tasty meal from his rucksack, they continued cautiously and silently along the narrow track at the foot of the range, keeping close to the shadows of the mountainside, and into the densely wooded area where they made a camp. Shaun set up the portal, knowing the lower slopes of the Trolls’ mountain were a short journey away.
The sun had set by then, and as its dying rays slipped down over the mountain tops, their camp was cast into darkness. Shaun opened the portal and the army quietly flowed through. Once they were all assembled Shaun spoke to them in a low, hushed voice. ‘We are within marching distance of the Trolls’ castle, but we will wait till daylight to attack as the Trolls are unable to venture out in the sunlight. The Great Wizard has told me the Dark Wizard has rounded up many of the dangerous creatures that roam this area, and I’m sure once we attack he will send them all out to meet us, so we must be organised and work as a team. My plan is rather than all march together to meet them head on, we split up and work our way around both sides, as well as the frontal attack. Some of the larger creatures are armour-plated, so the Elves with the magic arrows and the Dwarfs with the magic swords will tackle those, while Herne will lead the main body of the army as they surge forward and hopefully outnumber and overrun the others. Garoob and Garoushe, you and your guards will join forces with the Dwarfs to follow Herne for the frontal assault, while the Fairies, Centaurs and Fauns will split into two groups to lead the attack from the flanks, with the Dragons flying overhead.
‘And what will you be doing?’ Herne said with a big smile. ‘Probably tucking into a hearty meal if I know you.’ He looked at the hurt expression on Shaun’s face before roaring with laughter, and the army joined in.
Shaun’s face cracked into a smile when he realised has was joking ‘Well,’ said Shaun, ‘tell you what: we can swap roles. I intended to keep the Dark Wizard and his evil companions busy during the battle. If you think you would prefer to do that, then I can lead the army into battle. What do you say?’
Herne grabbed Shaun in one of his bear hugs, laughing out loud as he spun round and round. ‘Okay, you win: we will both do what is best to achieve our victory.’ All the warriors raised their weapons as they chanted Shaun’s name.
After settling down for the night after a hearty meal, the army found a comfortable spot and were soon fast asleep. Shaun volunteered to keep watch as he couldn’t sleep anyway: he had too much going on in his head. He knew this was the final battle and hoped his plan would come together: victory for the Great Wizard and all the good inhabitants of that land depended on them.
The following morning they waited until the first sight of the sun’s rays bathed the mountain tops before moving forward quietly and cautiously towards the Trolls’ castle. When they reached the open grassed area looking onto the towering purple cliffs which housed their castle, they could see the deep, dark green lake through an opening in the sheer cliff walls, and the Trolls’ castle perched on as island in the middle of the lake, but the drawbridge was raised, blocking the entrance to the courtyard. But they could see the gigantic fortress with its spiralling towers and turrets: the sheer size and weird atmosphere it created sent shivers down their spines. Once they were all gathered and organised into their attacking groups, Shaun moved forward and, raising his ring towards the drawbridge, there was brief lull before it came crashing down, revealing the arched entrance to the courtyard. Suddenly the whole area was filled with the sound of bellowing roars and growls which reverberated through from the fortress, followed by a continuous stampede of huge creatures lumbering across the drawbridge.
The army moved forward to meet them. The magic swords and arrows were causing devastation with mayhem amongst the herds, and with the Dwarfs and guards wading in, the area was soon filled with carcasses. The Dark Wizard responded, sending out more creatures backed up by an aerial assault. Three Harpies flew out of the entrance followed by dozens of flying reptiles and Griffins; the two Dragons took off to tackle them, and with shower after shower of arrows from the archers, they were getting the upper hand when suddenly the sky was filled with a dozen or more gigantic birds which completely changed the situation. The two Dragons were struggling to retain control, and when the Dark Wizard sent out another flock of the gigantic birds, Shaun had to call a retreat. But as the army and the Dragons turned to head back to the cover of the forest, the air was filled with the sound of beating wings coming from the forest area. Shaun and the army stopped in their tracks. Shaun knew they could not cope with attacks from both back and front aerial assaults, but his despair turned to disbelief as, from over the tops of the forest, an army of Dragons appeared, and riding on the leaders’ back was the Great Wizard, his caduceus in one hand and Odin’s spear in the other. Shaun recognised the leader: he was from the land of the Dragons and he had brought all of them with him.
The Great Wizard raised his caduceus to Shaun as he passed overhead, and waved him to follow as he led the Dragons towards the birds and the fortress. Shaun turned back and the army surged forward with a newfound feeling of confidence. The Dragons spread out and attacked the birds from all sides, flooding the sky with a torrent of flames, sending some of the birds crashing to the ground, their wings on fire; the survivors turned tail and swooped up and fled in all directions, sending out ear-splitting cries as they disappeared from view.
Before Shaun and his army had time to regroup, the Dark Wizard, the witches and warlocks appeared on the castle battlement: they all looked skyward. The Dark Wizard raised his caduceus, the witches their wands, and the warlocks their hands: in unison they chanted strange, spellbinding rhymes and mystical ancient verses. Suddenly, bright, pulsating, coloured lights flowed from each of them and quickly merged into one huge, powerful beam that shot skyward. Shaun gasped in disbelief as the beam continued up, heading towards the sun, and suddenly the beam exploded into an enormous, dark cloud which spread out, completely blocking out the sun, and the whole area descended into darkness.
The Great Wizard and the Dragons swooped down to join Shaun, and they could only watch in horror as from out of the castle courtyard appeared the Trolls. The ground shook as they marched over the drawbridge, dozens and dozens of monsters in a continuous flow.
The Great Wizard tried in vain to reverse the spell using his caduceus, but it was hopeless: the combined black magic of the Dark Wizard and
his companion was too strong. ‘What now?!’ cried Shaun, looking hopefully at the Great Wizard. ‘It’s no good sending the Dragons: the Trolls will drag them down and our army would be helpless against those giants.’
The Great Wizard shook his head. ‘Yes, I agree. I think the best thing is to retreat back into the forest and hope their spell will die out.’
Shaun ushered the army back towards the forest when there was a loud explosion and the dark clouds started to move across the sky. He glanced up and shook his head as he watched a bank of large, white, fluffy clouds push the dark clouds along, revealing a bright blue sky, and the beautiful, blazing sun flooded the area, sending ferocious rays of sunlight streaming down; the air was filled with nerve-jangling cries and screams as the Trolls tried to turn back into the castle, but the sun had done its work, turning all the evil Trolls to stone.
The Great Wizard beckoned Shaun to join him on the Dragon leader’s back and they took off, heading for the castle battlement, when suddenly one of the fluffy, white clouds descended, with the Gods Thor and Odin standing on top.
Thor’s voice boomed out, reverberating all around them. ‘I told you we would follow your journey, Shaun. We have given you the help you needed. Now it is up to you two to complete the victory.’
Just then, the Dark Wizard sent out a bolt of lightning towards the Great Wizard as they flew forward. The Great Wizard raised his caduceus and deflected the bolt back, and he raised his spear, looking up towards Odin. Odin’s voice boomed down. ‘Yes, that is why I gave you the spear.’ The Great Wizard threw the spear towards the Dark Wizard. There was a loud cry and a burst of flame as the spear struck the Dark Wizard’s heart, and as he toppled off the battlement, the spear returned to the hand of the Great Wizard. Thor leaned over the edge of the cloud. ‘Now, Shaun it is your turn to finish the battle. Throw your hammer towards the fortress.’ Shaun quickly responded, throwing the hammer with all his might. He watched in awe as the hammer flew forward and smashed into the castle and the whole building, including the battlement, exploded, tumbling down into a pile of rubble and burying the evil ones underneath.
Shaun cried out with joy as the hammer flew back into his hand, and he raised it above his head. The Great Wizard raised the spear and the army surged forward, their weapons raised, all chanting the Great Wizard’s and Shaun’s names before lifting them onto their shoulders, all relieved that the battle was over, and so proud that they had conquered the evil enemy.
The Great Wizard waited until they had calmed down before ushering them through the portal into his cave. Shaun was the first to step through, followed by the army who marched through in an orderly procession. The Dragons ambled forward, with the Great Wizard leading them into his cave.
Once they were all through, the Great Wizard destroyed the portal before addressing them. ‘I just want to say how proud I am of you all: you will forever be remembered as the brave warriors who saved our land from the evil clutches of the Dark Wizard.’ He turned to Shaun. ‘I’m afraid your work is not yet complete: you must take the Skidblaonir with the legendary weapons back to the forbidden area, as you promised the Gods you would, and put it back down into the poisoned waters of the valley of fire. The six Dwarfs and four Centaurs that travelled here with you need to return to their home, as do all of the Dragons.’
Shaun turned to the army. ‘This talk of a long journey has given me an appetite.’ The cave exploded into laughter: they had witnessed his appetite on their travels. He waited until the laughter died away before continuing. ‘I will enjoy a meal before leaving you, but I promise before I return to my own world, I will visit each kingdom to say goodbye to you all. I am so proud to have fought alongside you and achieved this great victory. I have made so many friends here and it will be difficult to leave, but I must go back. I still have things to do there.’
The Great Wizard put his arm around Shaun and led him over to the Skidblaonir. He gave him a warm embrace before Shaun climbed on-board and was joined by the Dwarfs and Centaurs; the cave erupted into loud cheering as they floated through the portal with the Dragons following behind.
Once they were all through, Shaun thanked the Dragons for their invaluable help to defeat the Dark Wizard. Without them, he doubted they would have been victorious. He waved his hand as the boat took off, the Dwarfs and Centaurs standing alongside and his two faithful Dragon friends flying in front, leading the way. They flew down the valley over the heads of the Dragons before soaring skyward and over the mountain tops that surrounded the Dragons’ land.
Shaun remembered the landscape below as they flew on, huge, mountainous areas with deep gorges and ravines with thick, pungent gases sweeping across like a sea of mist, making it difficult to breathe.
After a torrid ride they reached the foot of the impregnable fortress of the forbidden area with its sheer mountainous wall rising up through the clouded haze and extending in both directions. They set off along the side of the wall, keeping close to the ground under the suffocating haze, until they reached the curtain of flames inside the huge stone archway with its rock pillars at the base of the wall. They came to a halt, watching the fierce flames throw out plumes of scorching gases. Shaun shook his head, wondering how they were going to go through. He knew this was the only entrance: he had passed through on his previous visit, but that was inside the Grey Elf’s magic shroud.
He tried to extinguish the flames using his ring, but alas the Gods had created this archway and their magic was superior to that of the Great Wizard. He racked his brain, standing on the boat in total silence, but just as he had come to the conclusion that, for the first time on his journeys through Colgilor, he was defeated, he watched open-mouthed as a blanket of cloud slowly slipped down through the haze close up against the wall and continued over the archway down to the ground. There was a brief pause before the cloud slowly evaporated, and to Shaun’s joy the flames had disappeared. He responded without delay, floating through with the dragons following behind. They came to a halt. Once inside, Shaun looked up to the heavens and cried out with relief, ‘Thank you, Thor, thank you Odin!’ before moving on.
They continued floating over the rugged, mountainous landscape shrouded in swirling, hot gases, the whole area lit up by the streams of golden red, molten lava flowing through. Further on, he recognised the beaten track that climbed up and around the mountainside with its steaming, red-hot fissures gushing skyward on both sides, giving off energy-sapping, searing heat. His blood ran cold as he passed over the crater that housed the monstrous Cyclops and his Giant tribe. They sailed on over the towering, overhanging cliffs and the maze of mounds and gullies, coming to land a short distance from the Dwarfs’ forge, and as they said a sad farewell, Shaun and even the six Dwarf warriors had to fight back their tears. They stood waving as Shaun and the two Centaurs took once more to the air.
Slowly the swirling heat haze and pungent gases faded as they sailed over the deep valleys and huge stone towers with a network of pathways twisting and turning through wooded areas and strange vegetation. The area was surrounded by towering mountains and further on, the rocky maze with rock walls and towers intersected by stone bridges and arches, finally flying over the end of the maze to find the deep valley with wooded cliff homes of the Centaurs. And as they landed on the valley floor all the Centaurs emerged from their caves and started shouting and chanting as they spotted Caroush and his three archers.
After a tearful goodbye, Shaun, now alone with his two Dragons, set off towards Death Canyon, and as they approached the cathedral-like entrance he manoeuvred the boat up and over the top, floating forward over the mountain tops. This was so much easier than his previous visit when he, Ava and Louis groped about in the gloom through the labyrinth of passageways inside the mountain. They hovered a moment or two, looking down at the thunderous waterfall cascading into the wide canyon, creating the raging river which he and his two companions had struggled to stay afloat on in their small boat as they manoeuvred around jagged rocks and boul
ders.
They continued on and finally reached the end of the canyon. Shaun steered the boat down onto a stretch of dry land and the two Dragons came down to rest alongside, looking on to the desolate landscape ahead with the flaming valley in sight. Shaun told the Dragons even they would struggle to fly over that fearsome area, but the Dragons said they were not allowed to enter. Shaun pondered for a moment before replying that he would need them to bring him back. If the Gods did not want them to enter, they would surely let them know and he was sure they would be able to protect them on the journey back.
So the two Dragons joined him on the boat and they set off. It took all Shaun’s concentration and quick reactions to guide the boat between the erupting volcanoes and the plumes of smoke and red-hot lava shooting in every direction and he gave out a huge sigh of relief as they finally approached the ridge of fire which formed the fiery curtain, the entrance to the farming valley.
He seemed to lose control of the boat as it soared up and over the flames, and floated across the serene landscape with its lush green, rolling hills, sparkling streams and magnificent waterfall cascading down through the tree-lined mountains slopes with the air filled with a beautiful aroma and the magical sound of the birds singing in harmony.
Above, the sky was so clear, a deep shade of blue with a dusting of fluffy, white clouds, and a huge, bright golden sun completed this heavenly place. The boat continued on the same course as Shaun had taken on his first visit, following the fast-flowing river which thundered through the landscape. Finally, as the river swept around a bend, it cut through a cluster of hills which formed the valley of fire with its fiery flames leaping skyward, creating a raging inferno.
They landed on the plateau overlooking the valley and Shaun stared down at the flames and could feel the intense heat: he found it hard to believe he had actually entered the flames in the Grey Elves’ shroud and swam down to the bottom of the poisoned river below.
War in Colgilor Page 16