The Awakening

by Gary Alan Wassner

  Just as Cairn finished his sentence, Robyn nodded his head. A brilliant shower of greenish force flooded the room and rolled out from the two standing figures like a wave to the shoreline. It hugged the floor and swaddled each and every creature that stood upon it. As each one was touched by the light, it withdrew its beak from the wood and looked toward the Chosen. Scant seconds later, a faint cracking sound could be heard by everyone present, and the loathsome fiends, these abominable creations of Colton’s, disintegrated before everyone’s eyes, with nothing left behind more perilous than a dark greyish powder.

  Within moments the light dispersed, leaving Robyn and Davmiran standing in the corner, with their arms still entwined. Filaree and Cairn rushed to their side to make certain that they were stable enough to remain erect, and each grasped an elbow in order to provide support in the event that this exercise had drained them of their strength.

  Davmiran’s face was flushed and his eyes were glossy, but his legs remained firm. Robyn seemed no different than he was before, though his eyes were not fully open.

  “Can we do anything to help?” Cairn asked.

  “No, thank you,” Robyn replied softly. “We will both be fine within minutes,” he said, his mind clearly elsewhere. “The boy is remarkably strong. And he is a very quick learner. I merely guided him in an elementary way and he understood almost intuitively. He was able to generate a massive amount of power under the circumstances. It will be easier than I ever expected to teach him.”

  “We should speculate upon these issues at some other time, Robyn,” Cairn reminded him. “I fear that the rest of Seramour has not fared as well as we have here in disposing of these invaders.”

  Horns blew loudly now throughout the city, indicating that help was needed, and Treestar listened to them all. The King was becoming more and more agitated and disturbed as the frequency of the signals increased with each passing moment.

  “Now that you have the opportunity, you must leave the city,” he said to the others. “Adain. Lead them out. The sooner you depart here, the better.”

  “What will you do then to prevent these things from destroying everything?” Cairn asked.

  “If you remain here and the heir is captured or harmed, what will the difference be if Seramour survives the day?” Elsinestra asked. “Without your freedom, all will be lost.”

  “My wife is right. We will do whatever we can. But, there is no question that you four must go as quickly as possible. You have neither the time nor the ability to save us now,” he insisted, looking out over his beloved city. “These things are everywhere,”

  “It will take time for me to gain back my full strength,” Robyn said, as if thinking out loud. “But, the boy’s ability is profound, perhaps he will recover more quickly.”

  Dav stood in silence next to Robyn with his eyes still half closed.

  “You know that we cannot abandon you?” Robyn said to Treestar and Elsinestra.

  “But you must, Robyn,” Elsinestra insisted.

  Filaree rose up straight and proud. “You do not know us then,” she said.

  “This should not be the first lesson the boy learns,” Cairn added. “We understand how vital his survival is. But, when choices such as these confront us, larger lessons are learned; life lessons. To run from this terror, and to desert those who have provided shelter and succor with no thought of the perils to them and theirs, would be the wrong thing to do. If my duty is to teach this boy right from wrong, I cannot begin my charge by choosing to run away,”

  Davmiran staggered and Robyn reached out his arm to steady him. Elsinestra gasped and rushed to his side as well. When he regained his balance, he opened his eyes wide and they were clear and lucid once again.

  “They come,” the boy announced.

  Just as he finished his words, something streaked across the darkened sky, descending from the thick cloud cover above them.

  “Take shelter,” Robyn yelled. “Drop to the floor,”

  Everyone in the room dropped down upon the cold stone as instructed except for Davmiran who stood tall and exposed, and continued to stare at the thing coming directly toward him. Filaree jumped up and dove for the boy. She tackled him around the knees and the two of them went crashing to the hard surface only seconds before a barbed missile careened into the truncated wall directly behind where he had previously been standing. It embedded itself into the stone and burst into flame, sizzling and steaming as it grew in intensity.

  Cairn rushed over to it and stamped the smoldering fire out, though it had already scarred the hard rock of the escarpment. With his hands wrapped in his cloak, he lifted the remains of the projectile and heaved it over the side of the wall.

  Filaree lay upon the floor, partially covering Davmiran with her body. Cairn walked over to them and helped her to her feet. Dav rose to his feet and they all gathered in the center of the room.

  “We have our hands full, it seems,” Robyn said, grimacing. “Now is not the time for us to retreat, your Highness. Unfortunately, you will have to tolerate our presence for a while longer.”

  “I still wish you would reconsider,” he said. “I cannot remain in this room any longer regardless of what you decide to do. I would feel better if I could depart knowing that the heir was safe and on his way to another location. But, I am not the one to make these decisions for you. I have much else to contend with at the moment.”

  Elsinestra joined her husband at the door and they hugged tightly. She kissed him on the cheek and spoke some words quietly into his ear. Treestar bowed his head for a second and then lifted her hand to his lips.

  “Be careful, husband,” she said mouthed. “I will meet you later.”

  “Yes, my darling. We will reunite in the castle when this is all over,” he replied, forcing a smile. “Farewell my friends,” he then said to the group. “May the First guide you and keep you whatever you decide to do.” Turning to Adain, he nodded goodbye and winked at his nephew. “Take them to the air shafts as soon as it is possible,” he whispered. “They must not stay here until the end.”

  Adain bowed low to the King, comprehending his ominous meaning. Finally, Treestar looked at Davmiran standing there so youthful and innocent, seemingly unflustered by the events going on all around him. He drew in his breath.

  “So much rests upon your young shoulders, my boy. The world awaits you. Firstspeed, and may the Gem of Eternity guide you home.”

  With those final words, he glanced once more at Elsinestra and then turned and left the Chamber of the Stars.

  Chapter Fifty-one

  They swarmed over the hills and valleys, trampling whatever remained alive on the parched surface of the earth. There was no order or formation to their advance. They simply moved forward toward the woods of Lormarion. Some carried massive axes made of a black metal, honed upon the stone foundations of Sedahar. Hundreds of orcs marched with giant saw-toothed tools carried between them. War hammers and spears, swords and sabers, axes, crossbows and countless weapons of unrecognizable intent were pulled and drawn, towed and transported, pushed and lugged all the way from Sedahar. Those of Colton’s flock who were not up to the task of moving the heavy machines of war were dispatched forthwith, and others immediately took their places. Every creature knew that there was no turning back once the Dark Lord signaled the onset of the attack.

  Leading the assault upon Seramour were fifty ogres, covered from head to toe in black leather, studded with metal spikes. Upon their enormous heads they wore metal caps, sharply pointed at the top. Their stocky bodies appeared neckless, and they used their heads like battering rams when they fought, skewering their enemies and then casually flinging the dead and dying bodies violently away.

  Beneath and between these plodding beasts, it appeared as if the ground itself was dying as they advanced. A black shroud spread out over everything upon which they walked. At first, it was difficult to discern. The green of the countryside seemed to whither as they neared it. Bushes and grass, small trees a
nd underbrush, anything that grew upon the plains of Lormarion disappeared beneath their feet, and all that was left behind was a barren and parched field, void of all organic matter.

  Looking closely, one could see long scythe-like tools in the ogre’’s hands that they continually scraped across the ground as they walked. Left to right, they raked the surface, like herders keeping a flock moving. And upon closer examination, one could see that the darkness that rolled over the landscape, like a black carpet being spread out before the advancing army, was itself alive. Larger than the monstrosities that attacked the city from the skies, droves of voracious insects consumed everything in their paths upon the surface. As they neared the woods, the ogres directed them toward their ultimate goal; the massive trees of Lormarion upon which the city of Seramour was perched.

  Colton knew that the lifts which transported all the people, goods and services into the city would be sealed from above. But as his legions attacked from the sky, he wanted to be certain that no one could escape through the woods. Behind the ogres and the ravenous bugs marched the remainder of the army of Sedahar. It poured into Lormarion and spread itself throughout the woods. Every group of thirty orcs accompanied by a giant troll, after reaching its appointed destination, dumped a cauldron of burning coals, each carried by six of the dark skinned beasts, onto the forest floor. They then threw whatever twigs and branches they could gather on top of the embers and watched gleefully as they burst immediately into flame.

  While the insects began their efforts to gnaw at the giant Noban trees, trying to embed their hard, pointed beaks into the surfaces, the orcs danced around their bonfires, keeping themselves entertained by stripping each and every sapling and smaller tree they could find of their branches and leaves, and carelessly tossing the pieces into the conflagration. Within a short period of time, hundreds of fires had sprung up everywhere, and they cast a nightmarish glow upon the once calm and peaceful environs.

  After the city was reduced to a burning ember and the heir was either dead or captured, Colton would allow his creatures to devour what remained of the structural underpinnings of the city. He was certain this time that they had no means to stop the spawn of his evil. Unlike at the debacle before the gates of Pardatha, Calista could no longer come to their assistance. Those few whose power was great enough to challenge him had not surfaced for tiels. Soon, he knew, they would be compelled to defy him, but by then it would be too late for Seramour. He basked in the idea of watching the great city crash down on the floor of the decimated woods of Lormarion.

  The final demise of Seramour, the beloved and legendary city of the elves, a city always believed to be impervious to any assault, would mark the beginning of the end; the first historic step toward dissolution. When all hope was gone, when the blistering fires of Sedahar burned upon the skies of Seramour, in their hour of darkness and their deepest despair, the Dark Lord would arrive. As he had done before in Gwendolen, he would decimate the royal house of Lormarion, and then he would destroy the legend itself. The world would recoil in shock and desperation, and the tide would continue to turn in his favor.

  Adrianna kept pace with the other Forsaken, all dressed in the red clothes of battle that characterized them so well. They each had a designated area to which they would proceed once they reached the shelter of the woods. Their job was to make sure that no one at all escaped from the city above. Ruffin, the renegade elf, had given them so much useful information. He informed them of the location of all the air shafts, tunnels and hidden lifts. They knew as much about the secrets of Seramour as anyone inside the city, and they intended to put this invaluable information to good use.

  I would love to see the expressions on the faces of the people when they see an elf leading the attack, she thought to herself. They think they are so noble, when in fact they are no different than any of the other beasts that walk this earth. They succumb to greed and envy as easily as the meanest of ogres. I wonder though, why Colton favors him so. Is it because he has betrayed his people so completely, or is it because he is an elf and he too believes that the race is high and mighty? she speculated.

  She walked to the spot to which she had been assigned, and now she was thankful that she was not placed by the main lifts in the center of the battleground. From her vantage point on the northern outskirts of the woods of Lormarion, she could relax a little for the first time. It would not be until the very end that she would encounter any fighting, and since her stomach was feeling a bit queasy she was grateful for that. At first she interpreted this choice as an insult, and she moped and sulked inwardly during the first hours of the march. Then she convinced herself that he must have chosen to keep her further away from danger and that he was being generous and protective.

  She placed her hand on her abdomen and tried to feel the stirring inside her womb. It comforted her to know that this life grew therein.

  He will surely love me when he finds out that I bear his child, she thought, her chest puffed out with pride.

  Soon, the forest was overwhelmed with the slaves of Sedahar, the warriors of the Dark Lord. Having no respect for the wonders of nature, the beauty and glory of Lormarion, they turned the lush paradise into a pit of debauchery and destruction. Fires burned everywhere, singeing the leaves and branches of any trees that grew nearby. Some burst into flame entirely, and with each flare up, those nearby cheered and watched as the foliage turned to ash. Mighty trunks were hewn and great trees were toppled throughout the woods. The air glowed eerily from the light of the fires and hung heavily with the dark smoke from the countless blazes. It was a macabre scene that played out upon the once serene stage of Lormarion that day.

  Almost all of the wildlife had long since vanished with the first approach of the invaders. What few sad and helpless creatures who were too young or too weak to escape soon enough, were slaughtered and roasted, regardless of their breed. Hugh cauldrons were set up upon pyres, and a dark liquid boiled and bubbled inside each. Debris and waste was strewn carelessly in all quarters, turning the forest into an almost unrecognizable pit of abomination. And the enemy kept coming. By the thousands, they marched into the sacred woods of Lormarion.

  The rapacious bugs had begun their destructive task. Having already decimated the ground cover on their approach, they set about attacking the mighty Nobans that grew far and near, directed to the more important ones by the ogres who drove them on. The wood was hard and dense, and at first it seemed as if the hideous insects were not up to the task; that Colton had not bred them to be strong enough to infiltrate the wood. They scurried all over and jostled with one another for space so that they could attempt to ram their pointed snouts into the hard wood of the trees.

  Even the dense Nobans, whose trunks were as firm as most stone, had fissures in their surface in places, and these persistent insects sought them out inexorably. Those that found a weak spot wasted no time whatsoever in inserting themselves into it and undertaking to devour the softer pulp that lay just under the bark. Once the surface was breached, hundreds of other bugs flocked to the orifice, and they pushed their way in behind the first one, spreading quickly in all directions. In some cases it took hours, while in others the weaknesses were discovered quickly. But in almost every instance, the great and mighty Nobans were being devoured, albeit slowly, by these horrible pests.

  Above these hellish surroundings, in the skies over Seramour, another ghastly situation was rapidly developing. Treestar had left the Chamber of the Stars as quickly as he could in order to join his troops below. Elsinestra leaned over the wall, and from the great height of the tower, she watched her beloved scurry across the woven wood of the surface. She saw him as he was greeted by his loyal generals and she looked on expectantly as he mounted the sturdy pony he preferred to ride. She was so anxious to keep him within her sight for as long as possible, that she did not even notice the enemy as it swooped down out of the pitch black sky directly toward her.

  A giant, bee-like beast darted through the clouds a
nd dove like a missile, point blank for the Queen. Its beak, like a honed sword, extended from its snout at least five feet in length. As it careened downward, it made a shrill sound that finally drew Elsinestra’s attention away from her husband’s departure. She turned to look upward in order to see where the noise was coming from, and she thus exposed her face and chest to the onrushing monster.

  Atop its back, sitting on a small leather saddle with loops like stirrups hanging from its side, was a rider with its arm extended in the air and with its hand grasping a mace with a studded iron ball dangling from its end. Together, they came rushing down upon the unsuspecting woman at an unbelievable speed. The rest of the group in the chamber heard the sound as well, but they too were preoccupied with other thoughts and considerations. Robyn was still standing with Davmiran, while Filaree and Cairn were staring out over the opposite wall and attempting to determine just how bad the situation in the city was. Only Adain was near enough to her to assist in any way, but he too was looking elsewhere and was not aware of what was transpiring.

  Robyn turned toward the disturbance. Once he realized the danger he conjured a barrier of air to protect the elfin Queen, but he too was too late to prevent the collision. The beast swooped in at an incredible velocity with its saber-like beak heading directly for Elsinestra. She turned to face it and realized in horror that an elf rode upon its back. Aghast, she raised her arms to protect herself.

  Ruffin shrieked a familiar elfin battle cry and swung his weapon over his head. He wanted so to be the one to deal the death blow to the Queen of Seramour. Adain caught sight of the descending invader as it approached the Queen, when he turned his eyes toward the sky after being startled by Robyn’s sudden movement. He shouted a word of warning, knowing only too well that Elsinestra could not react quickly enough now to avoid the attack. As the enemy drew nearer, Adain saw the ghoulish expression upon the aggressor’s face, and he knew that he would have only one opportunity to prevent him from killing the Queen. He could see immediately that this dark warrior was clearly possessed and that it was too late to deter his course.