Return to Colgilor

by Colin Gibbins

  ‘So that’s you King Delross,’ whispered Shaun. He didn’t respond. ‘Your brother Dumall sent us to free you.’ Again there was no response, but slowly his shaking hand parted his hair, revealing vacant, dark eyes with a faraway look. Suddenly, as if someone had flicked a switch, he sat bolt upright, his eyes cleared, and a faint twinkle flashed over to Shaun.

  ‘Dumall, you know Dumall,’ he stuttered.

  ‘Yes, he has sent us: we will take you to him.’

  But again the twinkle faded. ‘It’s no use, there is no escape from this place.’

  Shaun was joined by the others. Garoob shook his head. ‘I’m afraid he’s right, there is no door to this cell. The Dark Wizard is the only one who can release him.’

  ‘No door?’ Shaun replied, scratching his head. ‘But how did he get in, then?’ he said as he felt his way around the bars. ‘There must be some sort of opening.’

  Garushe stepped alongside. ‘I’ve seen this before: the Dark Wizard just conjures up a spell and the bars appear from nowhere, forming an inaccessible cell.’

  The King threw a forlorn glance over to Shaun. ‘Please just go before the guards find you. Thank you for trying, but tell my brother I’m so sorry we fell out and that I have missed him so much.’

  ‘You can tell him yourself,’ Shaun said as he stepped back from the bars. He pointed his ring towards them and closed his eyes; there was a short lull as they all held their breath, Shaun praying the Great Wizard’s magic was stronger than the Dark Wizard’s. All of a sudden there were bright, flashing lights running up and down the bars before a blinding explosion of vapour, which shrouded the whole cavern, and when it cleared the bars had disappeared.

  The King was still in shock as Shaun and Herne took hold of him, lifting him up and half-carrying him out of the cell, but suddenly an ear-splitting klaxon filled the air. The whole dungeon area shook with the resound. Shaun covered his ears: it reminded him of the fire bell back at the orphanage, but a hundred times louder. ‘Quick,’ said Garushe, ‘we must leave immediately. The guards will be heading this way. The Dark Wizard must have set the alarm to warn him of any interference with the King’s cell.’ Garoob and Garushe, swords drawn, led them out of the dungeon area and along the corridor, but as they reached the intersecting tunnel they came face to face with two guards. Before Shaun and Herne, who were still escorting the King, reached them, Garoob and Garushe overpowered the guards and both lay dead on the floor. Garoob ushered Shaun forward. ‘Take the King to safety. We will head off the other guards that will be on their way, so you haven’t much time.’

  Shaun looked to Herne. ‘Well, at least they have proved we can trust them.’ Just at the moment you could hear the tract of pounding feet echoing along the adjoining tunnel. ‘You two go with Herne and protect the King. I’ll sort your friends out. Before Garoob could protest, Herne dragged him and Garushe forward. ‘Come, Shaun will take care of them. I’ll explain as we go.’

  Garoob shook his head. He didn’t want to upset Herne but it seemed like suicide. He reluctantly took hold of the King and they carried on along the tunnel. Garushe was behind the others: he kept glancing over his shoulder. He felt he owed Shaun for allowing him to come with them, rather than leave him all alone to fend for himself. So he stopped and watched them disappear into the gloom of the tunnel before turning back. He had only gone a short distance when he heard a thunderous, ground-shaking vibration. He ran forward as fast as he could and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Shaun emerge from a cloud of dust with a big smile on his face.

  ‘That will keep them busy for a while,’ he said as he slipped his mighty hammer into its pouch. ‘A little rock face and a blocked tunnel.’

  They turned and dashed after the others who were waiting outside, already mounted up, the King hanging onto Herne’s jacket and Garoob sitting on Star ready for the off. This was just as well, for as they climbed on-board they could hear the sound of horses galloping around the mountain. With a shake of the reins, Star lifted off, with Herne following close behind. And as they soared skyward, leaving the fortress behind, the dark storm clouds gradually began to fade, and as they entered the valley they stayed in the shadows close to the cliffsides and a couple of metres above the raging river below.

  Shaun glanced over his shoulder: he could see the King was becoming more and more anxious. He stayed in the shadows close to the cliffsides as the air thinned and the dark clouds faded. The further they travelled along the meandering floor of the canyon, although there was no sign of the sun or blue skies, the clouds were lighter and fluffy. Shaun leant forward. ‘Garoob, I think the King is worried in case the sun appears: can we land somewhere while I put his mind at ease?’

  Garoob nodded. ‘Yes, there were some caves we passed on our way here. Keep your eyes peeled. A mile or so further on he pointed over to a wide ledge protruding from the wall of the canyon and steered Star gently and slowly over to land on top. Herne followed, landing close by.

  ‘Why have we stopped here?’ Herne said, nervously looking down over the ledge.

  ‘I could see you were a little worried, Delross, but there is no need to worry. This is as bright as it gets on the dark side: the sun never shines in this dreadful place.’

  The King smiled and nodded. ‘I was concerned but I guess you know Dwarfs cannot exist in sunlight. We can move on now. I’m more worried now that we will topple off his cliff edge.’

  Herne, trying to show he was not worried, threw back his head and burst into a fit of laughter and the others joined in. But their light-hearted mood was interrupted by the sound of the movement of air like a windmill whirling violently, Garoob glanced skyward.

  ‘Quick, we need cover, it’s the deadly bloodthirsty Baroober.’ He quickly scanned the area before steering Star off the ledge and heading for a nearby cave with Herne close behind. Shaun looked up and his blood ran cold as he watched a flock of bat-like creatures wheeling and swaying as they swooped down towards them, hideous, evil-looking creatures with curved horns, protracted, fang-like teeth, long, sharp claws on their hands and feet, and large, elephant-like ears which flapped, propelling them forward, but their eyes were on fire, bright red and unblinking as they locked onto their prey.

  Garoob and Herne steered their mounts into the cave, quickly dismounting and drawing their swords.

  ‘I’ve seen these creatures before in the fortress,’ said Garushe. ‘The Dark Wizard had them in a special cage. He seemed to have cast a spell over them as he was able to enter the cage without them attacking. He has been re-creating the strangest of creatures to assist his army and plans to use them to take over the Kingdoms.’

  Just then the sound of the Baroober could be heard buzzing around the entrance, diving and soaring all in one movement, as though trying to unnerve their prey before entering the cave, forcing Shaun and his friends to retreat further inside. Herne, Garoob and Garushe stepped forward, thrusting and swiping their swords and trying to keep the Baroober at bay and protect the King and Shaun, who was considering his options with his ring and hammer. But suddenly the weird sound of heavy metal boots filled the cave behind them, a pounding thud, ever increasing in volume. Garushe glanced over his shoulder.

  ‘Oh dear, things are going to get a great deal worse: that sounds like the fearsome Red Caps, another Dark Wizard ally. They, too, live on the blood of their victims.’ Shaun shuddered as he watched a host of bright red eyes glancing out of the darkness behind him, moving slowly towards them. As they came into view an icy shiver ran down Shaun’s back as his eyes fell on these ugly, stocky beings giving off a deep groaning sound and brandishing large pikestaffs. They marched into full view, coming to a halt as they eyed their victims and mumbled to each other.

  Shaun could see they were about to attack. The worried look etched on his face suddenly cracked into a mischievous grin. ‘Be ready to fall to the ground and stay still when I say,’ he whispered to his friends. And just as the Red Caps stepped forward, Shaun pointed his ring towards them a
nd closed his eyes. ‘Now,’ he shouted and he and the others dropped to the floor and held their breath.

  The Red Caps were suddenly covered in bright red blood cascading down from their caps, washing their whole bodies and giving off a strong, overpowering stench which filled the air around them. The Baroobers’ attention was diverted to the Red Caps. Although they were under the spell of the Dark Wizard, their uncontrollable lust for blood overpowered even his hold on them, and they swarmed over the bodies lying on the ground in perfect synchronisation, descending onto the Red Caps who were totally engulfed as they turned and disappeared into the gloom, their painful cries and screams echoing from the depth of the cave.

  ‘Let’s get out of here,’ Shaun said as he leapt to his feet. The others didn’t need telling twice: they quickly strode over to the horses which were standing nervously in the shadows, mounted up and galloped out of the cave. They were soon in full flight, zooming along the canyon. Shaun again closed his eyes and held his breath as they approached the waterfall. He smiled when they reached the top; it was a lot less scary flying up than on their way down.

  They continued in silence along the raging river valley and were soon back at their portal. Shaun glanced over his shoulder, checking no one was watching before pulling back the vegetation and ushering them through.

  The Guardian was waiting for them in his cave to greet them, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He never showed any emotion but he had had serious doubts as to whether they would return. Although he had witnessed Shaun’s success in past ventures, the Dark Wizard was, he feared, a step too far, especially as they had to enter his fortress. ‘It’s good to see you safe and well, and you, King Delross, your brother will be overjoyed. He has been contacting me constantly to see if you had arrived, so we had better put him out of his misery. I’ve reset the portal: go straight through. We will meet again, I’m sure.’ One by one they raised their hands to show their respect and appreciation before stepping through. Shaun was the last to leave. He turned to Herne who promptly whisked him up, nearly squeezing the life out of him. He never spoke, partly because he didn’t want to show his emotions, but no words were needed. They had forged a special bond while on their other encounters and held the utmost respect for one another. When Herne put him down he strolled over to Star, giving him a heartfelt stroke, and rubbed his cheek against Star’s neck as it dropped its head to nuzzle him.

  ‘Take care,’ Shaun whispered, ‘till we ride again into battle.’ He turned to the Guardian, bowed his head and slipped through the portal.

  King Dumall had his arms wrapped around his brother. When Shaun appeared he glanced over and a huge smile lit up his face as he strode over to greet him, his arms outstretched and tears welling up in his eyes.

  ‘Once again you have risked your life for us: we will be forever in your debt and in our thoughts. This time you have brought back my brother who was lost to me. This is very special and personal.’

  Shaun blushed deep red and smiled awkwardly. ‘How is it I get all the praise? Believe me, without these other brave souls and of course Herne it could never have been achieved.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right as usual,’ Dumall said, glancing over to Garoob and Garushe to acknowledge them. ‘Come, we will go and take refreshments while we wait for news of my son – unless,’ he said with a twinkle in his eye, ‘you are not hungry.’ Shaun chuckled at the joke before bounding out of the door with the others struggling to keep up.

  Prince Duval and his army continued along the mountainside, keeping to the shadows. They travelled at great speed with the threat of daybreak uppermost in their minds. He knew if they had to break their journey to take shelter until the following evening, it would be too late, knowing Shaun would have freed King Delross by then and the alarm would have been raised, making it impossible to complete their mission.

  Further on he could see the evening shadows gradually disappearing from the mountain top and strands of light flickering through as the sun prepared to rise. Luckily, the mountain was shrouding the direct light and Duval gave a loud sigh of relief and his face broke into a huge smile as he spotted the entrance to the forge and brought his army to a halt.

  They remained in the dim light of the mountainside watching in silence, their eyes peeled and scanning the whole area for any sign of the Dark Wizard’s guards. Just as they were about to move towards the entrance the stillness was suddenly broken by the sound of voices, and four of the guards emerged from the entrance escorting a shadowy figure of a Dwarf and headed towards them. As they drew closer Duval smothered his impulse to cry out when he recognised the Dwarf as his cousin Dakro. They were obviously using him as a shield in case of trouble, thought Duval. He only hoped that the alarm had not been raised. Regardless of the reason Duval signalled to his guards to prepare to attack, they held their breath and waited till the guards were within striking distance before pouncing out of the shadows. Duval dragged his cousin to safety while his guards quickly and silently overpowered the unsuspecting enemy. Dakro’s hands were tied behind his back, his eyes wide open, his face creased with anxiety.

  ‘It’s okay,’ whispered Duval. ‘It’s me, your cousin Duval. We’ve come to free you and your forge from the Dark Wizard.’

  Dakro remained silent: he was in shock trying to take in the situation. His expression suddenly changed to panic. ‘My father? What about my father? You have freed me, but the Dark Wizard will kill him.’

  Duval put his arms around him, hugging him tightly. ‘Don’t worry, your father will already be safe. He will be waiting for you back at our forge, but first we must give you back your forge and rid you of the Dark Wizard’s guards.’

  Again Dakro’s expression changed. ‘What about the portal? As soon as my father is freed, the Dark Wizard will send more of his guards through.’

  ‘That’s all in hand. When your father is set free, the Great Wizard and the Grey Elf would destroy the portal and open your father’s portal, the one they used when the great war between the Kingdoms was taking place.’ Duval waited till the guards were all tied up. ‘We will leave them and collect them once we have captured their companions: how many more of them are inside?’

  ‘There’s only ten more. The Dark Wizard knew as long as he had my father we would obey their orders.’

  ‘We should have no trouble there, then. In fact, we will take these four with us. When the others see they have been captured I’m sure they will all surrender. Oh do you know where your father’s portal is kept?’

  Dakro rubbed his chin, pausing a moment to reflect. ‘I seem to remember my father telling the story of the war and showing me a large, ornate mirror: that must be it, but that was a long time ago. If it still exists it will be in his private chamber: he keeps all his valuables and treasures there.’

  ‘That’s good,’ said Duval, ‘but first we must secure the forge.’ His guards dragged the prisoners to their feet and pushed them towards the entrance.

  ‘I had better lead the way,’ whispered Dakro. ‘Otherwise my guards may think I am a prisoner and attack.’

  Duval nodded in agreement, and they slipped silently inside. They crept along the dimly lit tunnel. The strong odour of body sweat engulfed them and the muffled sound of voices and loud banging echoed all around. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Dakro peered inside: his workers were busy forging the weapons, heating them in the furnace and beating them with large hammers before quenching them in large water troughs.

  Duval joined him. ‘Where are the Dark Wizard’s guards?’

  Dakro pointed over to the far side of the cave. ‘Over there. They are gathered in the corner away from the intense heat of the furnaces.’

  Duval scanned the whole area. ‘Where are your guards?’

  ‘Most of them are imprisoned in the adjoining cave, but the others have been made to help the workers to load the finished weapons into boxes ready to be taken to the Dark Wizard’s fortress. Let’s just go straight in and see what happens.’ Duval and Da
kro pushed the bound prisoners forward and their army marched behind them, their swords drawn.

  As soon as the Dark Wizard’s guards spotted them, they each grabbed one of the workers and placed their swords to their throats. ‘Put down your weapons!’ Dakro cried out. ‘No one will be hurt. The first of you to harm one of my workers, we will kill you all.’

  The Dark Wizard’s guards seemed unsure what to do, glancing at one another for information, but as Duval and his army drew closer the sight of 30 muscular, armour-clad, heavily armed warriors was an overwhelming fearsome sight sending shivers down their spines. Although the thought of an angry Dark Wizard was utmost in their minds, they had little choice and one by one threw down their weapons. Duval’s guards quickly took them prisoner with loud cheers from the workers ringing around the forge.

  ‘Let’s get them locked away and free my guards,’ said Dakro as he marched towards the entrance to the adjoining cave with Duval and his army escorting the prisoners behind. Once their guards were released and the Dark Wizard’s guards were locked away, they returned to the forge. The workers once again burst into cheers. Dakro raised his hand and put his arm around Duval. He waited until the jubilation subsided before speaking. ‘This is my cousin: he and his army have freed us and at the same time my father is hopefully safely united with his brother. I am sure he would want to reward all you loyal workers for the torrid time you have had to endure. So we will close down the furnaces and enjoy one of our celebrations followed by a long rest over the following days, so you can build up your strength and enthusiasm when we return to work.’ He turned to his cousin. ‘Let us go and look for my father’s portal. Your guards can join in with the feast. I’m sure they will enjoy a hearty meal and a drink or two.’

  They didn’t need telling twice. They slipped their swords into their sheaths and joined the other guards and workers as they prepared for the celebration. Dakro led his cousin along a corridor away from the forge and through a large, ornate, metal door. The room was so big: one side was cluttered with chests, boxes and several cupboards; the other side of the room was a plush seating area with a highly decorated desk and velvet-clad, throne-shaped chair.