Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  Acca went silent for a moment, giving Henry the opportunity to ask a few questions. “You say I was conceived but not born… how was that possible?” Acca didn’t reply right away, choosing his words carefully. “Your mother is a powerful sorceress in human form, but she is not human and as such does not have to live within their constraints… By using her powers she was able to carry your seed in her womb for as long as she wished…When she finally gave birth to you the time was right – for you, for her and for the world.”

  Henry stood quietly, still trying to take it all in. He felt Bree’s invisible but reassuring hands and the warmth of her body press firmer onto his back. He then took a deep breath. “You say that my mother was successful in her quest… How exactly?” Acca didn’t pause this time, and instead he simply replied, “Alfwald refused to realise the Wyvern and spear… Your mother was unsuccessful in calling him back from the hold of the darkness… So, she had to take them back the only way she had left to her… by taking Alfwald’s life.” He paused, allowing Henry time for the bombshell to sink in. “By taking his life we had hoped it would save his soul… but recent events have fared otherwise.”

  Once inside Sophia’s home, Hazel took the opportunity to have a quick look around. She wasn’t surprised to feel how warm and cosy it felt, having lived in similar dwellings in the past. There was an open fire which blazed and cracked whilst giving off a warm and comforting glow. The smoke from the fire had a sweet and welcoming scent that filled the room. The fireplace itself was framed by two large, twisted oak uprights topped off by a larger, heavier oak mantel. Above it and mounted on the wall were two black iron candleholders with the remains of the dried wax that had dripped onto the mantel. The alcoves each side of the fireplace were stacked full of higgledy-piggledy shelves, stuffed with all manner of books, oddments and containers. Standing in the middle of the room was a small, round, rustic table, again covered with all manner of things like coloured glass jars, pottery and containers of all shapes and sizes. Situated by the fireplace was a large, cosy, inviting armchair draped with a hand-knitted, multicoloured blanket, and at the back of the room dominating one of the darkened corners stood a large, oak-framed mirror.

  “Sit, sister,” Sophia demanded. “I’d say a nice cup of tea is in order… wouldn’t you?” With that, she walked over to the open fire and placed an old, blackened kettle over it. “Tell me, Hazel,” she said without turning to face her sister, “how is my nephew…? I hear he’s a grown man now… Is he anything like his father?” she continued with sarcasm. “My son Henry is fine… and thank you for asking… However, I know you’re not interested in my son’s well-being… you never have been… So why don’t you just say what you really want to say?” Hazel replied, showing a hint of anger in her voice. “Now, sister, be civil… Remember whose home you’re in and we don’t wish to step off on the wrong foot now, do we…? Especially after so long a time,” Sophia said in a rather condescending tone.

  Hazel was becoming a little frustrated with her sister’s manner. Sophia had always managed to know which buttons to press when it came to finding ways of getting to her; however, when it came to her son it was a different matter. “We have several things to discuss… but not my son… I will discuss matters concerning Henry when I’m good and ready,” Hazel said in a tone that let her sister know that there was no debate. However, Sophia wasn’t going to let things be… She knew that her nephew somehow would be in the middle of everything that was happening and she was determined to learn more about him, not because she was interested in him as a person (which she wasn’t), but because she knew that he was the main reason why Acca had summoned Bert. “I’m sorry if it upsets you, my dear,” she said softly, “but I cannot leave my nephew out of our conversation… Your son is the main reason Bert was summoned to the old oak, that I know,” Sophia said calmly. “What I don’t know is why.” She paused a second and continued by saying, “I am aware that the darkness has become stronger whilst the land and its guardians have become weak and frail… And after man’s conflict with the elves over the Aelfgar we are now a little short of allies… something that can’t be said for the shadow master… He has many powerful allies… However, he has yet to use them… One of which I know of… a most powerful shade.” Sophia paused again. “Alfwald,” she announced, waiting for Hazel to respond.

  “Alfwald is dead!” Hazel screamed back at her sister. “I know because…” Hazel choked on her own words. “I know because I was the one that had to… had to kill him,” she continued, now almost in tears. “Sister, dear… you are far too easily upset… you really must learn to control your emotions,” Sophia replied in a calm but still condescending tone. “Here, drink this… it may help relax you a little.” She handed her a mug of sweet-smelling tea. Hazel took the mug without saying anything and cupped it with both hands. “I will explain something to you, Alden,” Sophia said in a tone that she hoped wouldn’t upset her sister further. “I know of the conflict between you and Alfwald… I also know it was a difficult choice for you to make… You were strong, sister… strong enough to do what had to be done… much stronger than I under the circumstances.” She paused, when she noticed that her sister’s eyes were welling up.

  Sophia knelt down in front of her and placed her hand on Hazel’s. “Sadly, sister… I fear that by taking his life you lost something yourself… It changed you… You are not the sister I knew, and you are certainly not the guardian you once were… hiding among humans and pretending not to care.” Sophia paused again, knowing how difficult this conversation was for her sister. “You cannot change who… or what you are… I know… I, too, have tried.” Sophia then waited to see what reaction she would get from her sister, but Hazel just sat looking down at her steaming mug of tea. “Drink something,” Sophia said, getting up to pour one for herself. She looked to see if Hazel had taken a sip of her tea before continuing.

  “Alfwald’s life was indeed extinguished when you left him that day… but not for long… You must have known that he had made an accord with the shadow master… Well, part of that agreement was that Alfwald would serve the darkness for as long as it wished… While it seemed that the darkness was not yet finished with him and reanimated him in a form that suited and fitted its role best.” Sophia didn’t pause to see her sister’s reaction. Instead she continued. “Alfwald returned as something else… something dark… darker than any moonless night… and as dangerous as the Reaper himself.” Hazel still didn’t respond, but instead looked up from the mug and stared into the fire. She then got up from the armchair, placed her mug of half-drunk tea on the table, and walked over to her sister, now standing face to face, her hair starting to flicker and come to life, a warning Sophia knew only too well. “You are telling me that Alfwald’s soul was taken by the darkness… and that it now walks these lands in service to its cause?” she said with venom. “Yes, sister… I am… but Alfwald’s life was over long before you took it… He gave himself to the darkness long ago… The man you killed that day was not the man you once knew and loved… A warning, sister… Alfwald is not just a shade… the shade that walks among us… it’s something else… Something much more powerful and so much more dangerous… He wasn’t much of a threat to us or the guardians in life… but now in death.”

  Sophia didn’t have to finish her sentence. “I don’t think for one minute that he or the shadow master is interested in you or I,” she continued. “Alfwald wants his son… he wants your precious Henry to join him.” Hazel’s hair was almost ablaze whilst the anger inside burnt to her very soul. “Now sister,” Sophia said calmly, “you really must learn how to control your temper. Sit… and finish your tea.” Hazel was almost beside herself, but knew that out of the two she was the one to get angry the easiest. She turned from her sister and sat back down, her hair now almost back to normal. Sophia gave her back the mug of half-drunk tea.

  “Now I’ve told you all I know… perhaps you could tell me what Acca had to say?” Hazel took a sip of tea,
enjoying its sweet, refreshing taste. “You are already well enough informed,” she replied, now with a little more composure. “But I will tell you all I know and hope that you see… as we all do… that we have need of you.” Sophia pulled up an old, wooden chair from the other side of the room and sat it down in front of the fire next to her sister. “As I said earlier… I give no promises.”

  Meanwhile, Bert found himself sitting on a rock, half-expecting to wait for Hazel to re-emerge from the old yew tree any time now. Ben had decided to wander off somewhere in the woodlands behind him. “I know you’re there, Walt,” Bert shouted out. “So best you come out and show ya self… I ain’t gonna urt ya.” A few moments later, Walt shuffled his way into the clearing, but made sure that he kept a good distance between him and Bert. “Best we wait this one out together,” Bert said. Walt nodded and then shuffled a little closer to where Bert was sitting and looked towards the yew tree. “What do you think is going on in there… between those two…? I mean, they haven’t spoken for years and there’s Lady Hazel’s son… That alone is not going to be easy,” he said sheepishly. “Dunno… but knowing those two… it’s gonna be interesting.” Walt shuffled a little closer to Bert, still making sure he was well out of reach.

  After Hazel had relayed all she knew of the conversation between Acca and Bert, Sophia sat silently for a short while, then got up and placed her hand softly on her sister’s shoulder and said with feeling, “The fight ahead is going to be a tough one, especially for your boy… He has much to learn and I fear no time to do so… I feel assured that all those that can fight will… but is that going to be enough?”

  Hazel sat quietly for a moment, trying to find the right words to ask her sister for help, but there was no other way she could think of putting it, so she had to be direct. She looked up to meet her sister’s eyes, tears streaming down her face. “That’s why I had hoped you would help…We’ll all fight to the full… and to the last… But as you say… is that going to be enough?” Sophia then surprised Hazel by doing something totally unexpected, something she hadn’t done in a long while: she leant forward and kissed her sister on the forehead. She then walked across the room to an old truck which was covered by a chequered, worn rug, knelt down and started to rummage through the items within. She then got up, cupping something in her hands, walked over to her sister, and knelt down in front of her again.

  “I made it clear when you came that I would promise nothing… Whilst I have no love for humans and blame them for the harm and damage they have done to our world… I do have a deep and everlasting love for you, my sister… and for the natural wonders around us… I will not personally get involved in matters in hand… not unless they threaten you or me directly, but I will ask that you give my nephew this gift from me.” Hazel was taken aback by the compassion her sister was showing and again struggled to find the right words to say, but before she managed to say anything Sophia interrupted her. “Not just any gift,” she said, opening her hands to reveal a flat, purple, pebblesized stone set within a gold frame in the design of a serpent dragon wrapping its reptilian tail all the way around the stone until it met its two front legs. “The Moonstone,” Sophia announced.

  Henry was still trying to take in everything Acca was telling him and all that he had seen, his head was buzzing from the whole experience and his mind racing with unanswered questions. He had just been told that his mother had carried him for hundreds of years which in itself made him nearly as old as her, and on top of that, his own mother had to take the life of her lover… his father… long before he was born. Too much for anybody to take in, but there was more! Acca changed the view again. This time he was standing inside a huge, hollowed-out tree with little light to see anything. However, this time it seemed different, this was not a vision… this was real. He could smell the musty wood and the warm, damp walls that surrounded him. Panic welled up inside him, with sweat pouring down his face as he realised that he was indeed inside something and there looked to be no way out.

  “Steady, boy,” Acca said calmly, “you are no prisoner… I bring you here… deep within my own being to give you something… something special… the shaft of the elf spear … You will need to recover the spearhead… and when you do… it will be yours for the use… Keep it safe, son of Alfwald… It will act as your protection against darklings and could be used as a weapon against the darkness should the need arise… But be aware that it was born out of fear and mistrust and, as such, can generate fear and mistrust into all that use it… It can and it will destroy… Be careful… son of Alfwald, that it doesn’t consume you in its use… For every time you touch it or use it, it will try and take a little of you and replace it with something darker… dark thoughts and fear… So use it wisely and learn to use it well.” Acca paused. “You will not be alone on your arduous journey… Bree will be with you every step of the way.”

  The mere thought of her made his heart jump. Henry didn’t respond, still unsure what was being asked of him. “It is now time for us to part,” Acca said, interrupting Henry’s thoughts, “but before we do I have one more thing for you to know… and that is you are to be the new bearer of the Wyvern… the new host… as your father before you… Now go… there’s much danger ahead… and many battles for you to fight… But remember… you are not alone… you have allies… powerful allies… but you need to build bridges… The elves will help you if they feel they can trust you… son of Alfwald, Acca paused “Be aware that the darkness has many followers, most in spirit form – others, well you will find out for yourself.” Acca let the statement sink in. “Now go boy, and go with the blessing and support of all that nature offers.”

  Before Henry could say anything in reply, he found himself back in the clearing leaning against the tree, his hands still partly embedded in the bark. Bree was just behind him, but no longer holding his hands. “Are you alright?” the sweet-sounding voice sounded from behind him. Henry didn’t answer, still stunned by his experience. He went to pull his hands out from the tree but found that his left hand gave resistance.

  Confused, he pulled harder to release his hand, but still he was not free of the tree. Then he felt something placed against the palm of his left hand; he gripped it almost instinctively and then managed pull his hands free easily. Once his hand was clear of the tree, he found himself holding a blackened spear shaft… the Aelfgar.

  It was late afternoon by the time Bree and Henry left the clearing. They were heading towards the northern edge of the woodland. Bree had told Henry earlier that his mother had asked her to take him to her once he was finished with Acca. The journey took them deep into the woodland. Henry had never been so far in the woodland before and had no idea where he was or where he was going. If it wasn’t for Bree’s reassuring presence, he would have felt totally lost among the large, towering trees, but Bree seemed to know exactly where they were at all times, using her little wings to help leap over logs and boulders and dodging between trees and undergrowth with ease.

  Usually Henry would have hated a trip like this but, to his surprise, he found that he was actually enjoying it, not to mention Bree’s company. He was enjoying it so much that he hardly noticed the time and miles go by, mesmerised by the little figure in front of him. “It’s getting late… we’ll rest here tonight,” Bree announced, standing on the roots of a large, dead tree. At its base was a hole just large enough for him to crawl through. “In here,” Henry enquired whilst bending down to look inside. “It smells damp,” he complained. “Just leave it to me,” Bree said as she disappeared into hole. A few moments later, the hole emitted a warm, yellow glow. “Well, are you going to stay out there all night!?” Bree shouted. Henry sighed and got down onto all fours and head first managed to just squeeze himself through the hole. Once inside, he was surprised to see how roomy it was, not high enough to stand but more than enough room to sit without hitting his head. Bree was already sitting cross-legged on a small pile of dry grass; the glow came from a small orb sitting in
a silver-coloured bowl placed by Bree in the centre of their cosy little den.

  Bree had already removed a small pouch from her belt and pulled out a handful of small, round biscuits. “Hungry?” she asked as she offered one to Henry. They both had had nothing to eat all day. In fact, Henry hadn’t eaten since he had left his home the previous night. “Thanks… I suppose you haven’t anything to drink in that bag of yours,” he said whilst examining the odd-looking biscuits. “You suppose wrong, my sweet Henry.” She pulled out a tiny brown leather vassal and handed it over to him. “Try this.” Henry pulled out the cork stopper and took a sip of the sweet but refreshing liquid.