Dawn of Darkness: Part 1 (Where the Shadows Stalk)

by Adam Watson

  "Well, er ..." Dray thought about the situation. They think I'm some kind of demonspawn. "It's not what you think."

  "And what do we think Dray Amora?" That I'm Creed and spawned from demons. Was this the time? Was this the time that he should mention Tempus and the powers he seemed to have gained from the ring? He could not be sure how these religious fanatics would react. What was worse … cavorting with another god or being part of the demonic horde?

  "Listen, I'm not part of the Creed." Dray was starting to sweat. This is going to go bad any second now.

  "No-one said you were Dray, but the problem is, that what you have done is very … unnatural." They're going to burn me at the fucking stake! "When something is unnatural Dray, we start asking ourselves questions. Questions like ... how can this be? When a man has multiple wounds, each of which would kill any ordinary man and this man, gets up and walks about as though nothing has happened, we ask ourselves ... how can this be?" Footsteps walked to the other side of Dray and then a whisper in his ear. "How can this be?"

  "Look, someone put a ring on me, it gave me powers. I think they were from Tempus. I can't be sure, but I'm certain that it was the ring that saved me.”

  “He thinks he is the Torac of Tempus,” commented the deep-voiced man.

  “Blasphemy,” he heard the third voice whisper.

  "Now you claim to be the Torac of Tempus, and that would mean that the woman with you would be your Oracle." Dray closed his eyes, everything he was saying seemed to be getting him deeper and deeper into trouble.

  "I think so, didn't she tell you?" The man remained silent for a moment, and Dray could do nothing, but study the fabric on the inside of the hood.

  "Your companion had a lot to tell us, Dray. In fact, it was quite a story, but it was a very different story to the one that you are telling us." Dray had to stop and think for a moment. Very different story? He didn't know what the Oracle had told them, but he had a very bad feeling about the situation. You'd better not have betrayed me Oracle! But how could he even think such a thing? His beloved Oracle wouldn't betray him ... would she? Dray felt sick to the stomach.

  "W-What did she tell you?" his voice was hoarse, he could hardly speak, he felt weak - like all energy had been sapped from him. He closed his eyes, afraid to hear what was to come next.

  "She said you were one of them." What? How could she? "She stated that she fled the castle when the horde attacked and that's when she ran into you. She claims you took her against her will." Dray was in silent shock, he sat still, unable to say a word. Why would she say that? "We have ways of finding out the truth Dray, if that's even your real name. We know you are lying to us. Your friend lied too, she thought she could deceive us, but we got the truth out of her in the end." They tortured her! The thought sent him into a rage.

  "I'll kill all of you!" he screamed, as he thrashed in the chair. The ropes burned and dug deep into his arms, leaving red welts on his skin. "You're all dead! You hear me, you're all de ...!" The sudden outburst was silenced by a tremendous backhand. Dray's head slumped forward as he almost lost consciousness, but just as quickly an unseen hand pulled his head back and made him sit up again.

  "Tell us the truth heretic, tell us where you come from, tell us what you have done." Dray would have spat in the man’s face if he hadn’t been wearing the hood. If I get free ...

  "You bastards won't get anything out of me." Dray meant it. Even if they torture me, I'll give them nothing, but deep down he knew that even the strongest-willed would eventually break.

  Could he endure the pain? The ring gave him powers, if he could survive all those injuries, then he could survive this too. He ran his thumb along the inside of his ring finger to see if he could find any comfort in the ring, but to his surprise, there was nothing there - the ring was gone. His heart almost jumped into his throat.

  "You see, 'The Torac' is easily recognised by those who know what to look for," began the man as if reading Dray's mind. "You do not wear the Ice Bands of Tempus. Therefore you cannot be the Torac of Tempus."

  "Someone has taken my ring!" yelled Dray. No wonder they thought he was Creed, if there was no magical or divine item to give him powers, then it made sense to think that he was - it was common knowledge that members of the Creed could survive terrible wounds.

  "Such rings cannot be removed once a host has been accepted. There is only one path you can travel ..." The speaker's words trailed as the whole building began to shake violently. Dray turned his head trying to make out what was going on, dust fell from the ceiling, and the light itself seemed to get darker for a moment. The shaking continued for another half a minute before it stopped.

  "Put him back into the cells, we'll continue this later." The speaker's voice had a sound of urgency in it. Clearly, he didn't know what was going on either, but Dray had no time to contemplate this, as a blow to the back if the head rendered him unconscious.

  5. THE BROTHERS: CALL TO ARMS

  It was nearing midnight when Aiden finally made his way out of the swamp and back to the farm. It had been a long day and an even longer walk back. His legs ached, his feet throbbed, and his back felt like it was in its own world of pain - all he wanted to do was get back into his own bed and sleep. I'm going to sleep for a week. He made it halfway across the field to the house, when an uneasy feeling came over him so strongly that it made him stop dead in his tracks. He looked around. What was that?

  A storm was brewing, cloud cover had blocked out the moon’s light, plunging the fields into darkness. He could make out nothing but shadows, but it was not the shadows that worried him so. He listened carefully, trying to make out any sound. He could have sworn that he had heard something a moment ago, but now he could hear only the wind.

  There it was again, something was moving in the corn field - the idea sent a shiver down his spine. He decided to get to the house as quickly as possible, not being able to see or hear properly was making him feel exposed.

  He continued towards the house, steadily increasing his pace; he felt like he was being watched. If I can just get back to the house, I’ll have some backup. He was referring to Greegan and Kane: his brother and his father. Aiden was a hard young man to scare, but it was the unknown that scared him now.

  Aiden took a few more steps forward and then it happened. A noise so eerie and distinct, so unmistakable in its identity, that it sent chills right to the heart his very soul. Aiden’s pulse quickened, his heart beat faster and faster. Sweat beaded on his forehead as terror took him firmly its grip.

  He knew what that noise was, he knew exactly what that noise was, but it was not the noise that scared him so - it was the beast from which it came.

  Aiden braced himself for he knew it would come again. When it did, it was right in front of him. Loud and unnatural, the neigh of a horse. He trembled, this sound came from no ordinary steed - red eyes appeared from the darkness.

  The beast was huge, its coat as black as night. The noise it made was terrifying, and its presence seemed to engulf Aiden in a cloud of fear. There was only one creature that had the power to frighten him so, and that was his father's horse - the Dreadsteed: Thunder.

  Aiden had never liked the horse, in fact, he had a great dislike towards it; even more so after it had tried to kill him. As far as Aiden was concerned, the horse was out of control - only Aiden’s father had any influence over it.

  The steed was a creature of pure evil, or so Aiden thought. It looked evil, it sounded evil, and by the gods, it sometimes even acted evil. It had tried to kill him on at least three separate occasions, and it was always whilst he was alone – it never seemed to act evil in front of his father.

  Aiden wasn’t the only one who felt this way, Greegan too had encountered similar situations when caught outside alone. Thunder seemed to tolerate their mother, Deanna, and had never attacked her, but he showed no good will towards her either.

  Aiden drew his sword and looked ahead; there was about a hundred yards between him and the h
ouse. By the Seven Hells! Why don’t you keep this thing in a stable, you stupid old man! Even as he cursed his father, he already knew the answer. Because he would destroy it. They had already tried to stable Thunder, without success.

  Aiden slowly made his way towards the house, holding his sword out front for protection. Where is he? The adrenaline was surging, this was more frightening than facing all the brigands and the leader put together. The noise had come from right in front of him, but he couldn’t be sure that Thunder was still there. He’s a cunning beast, Aiden thought, as he edged ever closer towards the house.

  Aiden’s head darted, paranoid and suspicious; he jumped at every sound. Curse this wind, he thought. And curse those clouds ... and most of all curse that fucking horse! Aiden continued on, slowly making his way closer to the house. This is ridiculous. Here was Aiden, armed with a sword, and he was living in fear of a horse. If you come near me you black bastard, I'll hack you down - although with Thunder that would be easier said than done.

  Aiden took another step forward. What was that? More rustling. What the fuck are you doing? He peered into the darkness and could just make out the faint outline of corn stalks moving in the field. He's fucking circling me! Aiden watched the moving stalks, making sure his sword was pointing towards the movement at all times. Shit! I've lost him!

  Aiden quickly looked around, he couldn't see anything moving or anything that resembled a horse. Shit, shit, shit! He immediately started towards the house again. If I can just make it to the house, I'll be all right. A sound of movement behind him made him turn so fast that he almost fell over. His breathing was heavy and his eyes wide, he was almost hyperventilating. Just keep moving towards the house.

  He continued walking, slowly getting nearer and nearer to the farm house. He was looking to the left, he was looking to the right, he was looking behind - he didn't want to be caught off guard. He knew an attack could come at any time and from any direction; even with the cool wind blowing, sweat dripped down his face.

  Step by step he inched forward, alert and ever watchful. He knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down, but suddenly he stopped dead.

  He could feel the presence, he could feel the dread, his heart was in his mouth. He couldn’t move, he could hardly breathe; fear gripped him tight. There, right in front of him, glowing in the darkness, were a pair of blood red eyes - and they were charging straight for him.

  “Yaaaaahhhhhh!” Aiden screamed for his life; all he could hear was the thundering of hooves. Nothing could prepare him, nothing could move him, and he stood screaming at the top of his lungs, watching as the huge black mass came for him.

  Thunder swept over him like a gigantic tidal wave, skittling him with colossal force as the sword went flying from his hand. Gleaming in the night, it spun for twenty yards, until finally landing point first into the ground.

  The huge stallion turned around, bellowing mist from its nostrils in the cold night air. He reared up showing Aiden his power before dropping down, hitting the ground like an earthquake.

  Aiden lay on his back, the horse behind him. He couldn't move, he couldn’t think, he was on the ground paralysed - he had never known such fear.

  Thunder stamped the ground, shook his head and snorted. He reared up, his tremendous neighs so deep and loud that they almost sounded like roars; Aiden screamed again. Thunder was about to lay down his full wrath when the door to the house burst open - having been awakened by the screams, Kane and Greegan came bursting forth, sprinting towards Aiden.

  “THUNDER DOWN!” ordered Kane, but Thunder remained reared above Aiden. “I SAID GET DOWN!” Kane bellowed, but it was no use. Kane sprinted even faster. “Yarrrrrrrrgh!” Kane launched himself through the air straight into the belly of the mighty beast, wrestling him to the ground. Greegan ran past to his brother.

  “Aiden, are you all right?” he asked, with a tone of great concern. Aiden moaned in response, but that was good enough for Greegan. He bent down, lifted Aiden off of the ground, and ran back to the house carrying him all the way.

  Kane continued to wrestle Thunder and now had him around the neck in a vice-like grip. Thunder tried to get back up and almost lifted Kane into the air, but Kane was strong and unyielding, and with one almighty heave he brought the stallion back down to the ground.

  Kane grabbed the horses head in both hands; one hand on the back of the head, one hand on the snout. He pulled with all his might, twisting the horse’s neck to the brink of breaking.

  After two minutes Thunder finally decided to calm down. The angle of his neck was so extreme that the slightest movement caused immense pain – the stallion was effectively paralysed.

  “What in the Seventh Hell do you think you’re doing?!!” Kane shouted at the horse. “Just settle down!” This situation was all too familiar to Kane, it actually reminded him of when he first met Thunder.

  It was in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilisation, on the border where the bright sunny grounds of the Amalician Plains and darkness of the Shadowlands met. Kane was on campaign, he was just twenty-two at the time and had already spent nine years in the army. Having proved himself a great warrior in many battles, General Panthenar decided Kane would go on a solitary reconnaissance mission deep into the heart of enemy territory.

  The Shadowlands were a land shrouded in darkness, a place that no sunlight touched and a place where the moon was always full – a place no sane man would dare travel.

  These dank lands of darkness were ruled by the followers of Lashka: Goddess of the Night, who had been the scourge of the surrounding nations for the last two thousand years. It was her power and the power of her followers that kept the light from these lands, and it was that same power that spread the eternal darkness across all nations like an unrelenting tide. If not for the magical bonds that the High Elves of Solexa continuously placed upon the ‘darkness,' the Shadowlands would spread across all nations, devouring everything in its path; tainting the land with its evil caress.

  It was in this territory of evil that Kane found himself being confronted by the ‘Darksteed’ now known as Thunder. This was where they first met, this was where the mighty mount tried to kill Kane, and this was where Kane proved his dominance over the beast thus gaining its respect.

  From that day forth the horse followed him wherever he would go. When Kane completed his mission, he decided to take Thunder back to Amalicia. As they reached the Amalician Plains, on the edge of the Shadowlands, it took a full six weeks for Thunder to get used to the sunlight. Kane vowed he would tell no-one from where the horse had come … and to this day he never has.

  Thunder had been still for some time now, his breathing had calmed, and he lay in Kane's arms, almost asleep.

  “Have you calmed down yet?” Kane whispered to the stallion. The horse did not respond, but it lay there still, which Kane thought was a good sign. “Are you going to be good?” Kane asked in an almost condescending tone. “You’re not going to lose it again are you?” Again no response, but Kane nodded satisfied. “Well, you better not my friend … because I don’t want to have to bring you down again.” Kane emphasised the words trying to make sure Thunder knew who was in charge, and then slowly he let the head fall back into its normal position, never fully releasing his grip and ready to twist again should Thunder play up.

  Thunder seemed calm. Kane stroked the side of the steed’s head in a soothing manner. “All right, I’m going to get up now, so just relax.” Kane got off the horse and slowly stood up being careful not to make any sudden movements. He seems calm, thought Kane. But he could be faking. Thunder had been known to fake calmness in the past, but after a few moments the Darksteed kneeled up and then slowly staggered to its feet. This was a tense moment for Kane, for there was a good chance of being trampled.

  “Easy,” said Kane in the most calming voice he could muster. “Just calm down.” Thunder stared at Kane with his blood red eyes. The ‘Infernal Gaze’ as Kane often referred to it, because it reminded him of s
omething demonic; it sometimes sent shivers down his spine. I think he wants to kill me. It was difficult to tell what the Darksteed was thinking or even what kind of mood he was in because he always looked evil and ready to kill even when he was happy.

  In the end, Thunder turned around and calmly sauntered off as though nothing had ever happened. Kane closed his eyes and let out a sign of relief.

  “Thank the gods,” he whispered, under his breath. Kane took a few moments to compose himself before heading towards the house.

  It was only when Kane walked through the door to his homestead that he felt concerned for Aiden. I hope he’s all right, Kane thought solemnly. I hope he’s not hurt. The concern began to deepen, and Kane rushed into the spare room. This room had been set up long ago for healing by Deanna’s mother Gwendolyn, who had been a professional healer when she was alive.

  Inside the healer’s room, Aiden rested on the bed; his back resting on pillows. Deanna was busy tending to his wounds, and Greegan sat in a chair at the end of the bed. Although Aiden was conscious, he wasn’t talking. Instead, he looked straight ahead, with an apoplectic look on his face.

  “Aiden, are you all right?” asked Kane, but he was greeted only with silence. “Aiden?” Kane turned to Deanna who looked back at him with concern.

  “He hasn’t said anything since Greegan brought him in,” remarked Deanna, as she tended to a cut on Aiden's head.

  “That’s because he’s in shock!” shouted Greegan. “And it’s because of that damned horse!” he hissed, pointing straight at Kane. Greegan was furious, he had had his own run-ins with Thunder in the past and could understand Aiden’s reaction, but what made him fume beyond reason was the fact that he had warned everybody that something like this was going to happen.