Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  The shadowy figure didn’t respond, it just hovered, fading in and out of existence. Then, after a moment’s silence it said in a low, warning tone, “We will meet again, son of Aldin… soon… and when we do… you will join me… either at your own will… or at mine… I will take you and I will use you.” It paused, moving closer to where he still knelt on the ground, holding the barely conscious Bree in his arms. “The darkness grows stronger… and soon even Aldin and her sister will not be strong enough to stop it… I’ll make you one promise… and that is… if you or the two sisters try to stand between me and my destiny… the darkness will destroy you… and all you care for.” It paused again, now moving away. “I will do what needs to be done… and you will join me,” and with that it turned and melted into the shadows. Henry watched as it went and stared after it for some time, still holding Bree in his arms.

  She slowly opened her tear-filled eyes and looked up at him, her face white but she still managed to give him a weak smile.

  Hazel was standing by the small table in the middle of Sophia’s living room, holding the Moonstone in her cupped hands, its purple-coloured glow reflecting in her eyes. “It’s not possible,” Hazel said, almost to herself. “How long have you had it?” she enquired, softly looking up to meet her sister’s eyes. “And how did you get it?” Sophia cupped her hands around her sister’s. “So many questions,” she replied, smiling, “all of which are not important… But what is important… my dear sister, is that you give the stone to your son… You know yourself how much it will help him in what lies ahead.”

  Hazel looked down at the glowing stone in her hands and then looked back up into her sister’s eyes. She had always known when her sister was being genuine or not and now she seems genuinely concerned for her and her son, and it moved her more than she expected. Hazel leant forward and placed her head on her sister’s shoulders. Still with both their hands cupping the Moonstone, Sophia allowed the embrace for a short time and then stepped back. “It’s now time for you to leave,” she said as she turned towards the door. “I have said and done all I intended… it’s time for you and your son to face up to the challenges that lie ahead… Oh, a note of warning, my dear sister… Alfwald is not as you may remember him… He’s a dangerous and powerful spectre… a creature that will do everything in his power to recruit your son… his son.” She paused to give her sister time to respond, but Hazel was still staring down at the stone.

  Sophia walked back over to her and took both her hands again. “If your son… if Henry stands against him… Alfwald wouldn’t think twice about killing him… He knows that Henry is the only real threat that stands between him and his goals… You know how determined and single-minded Alfwald could be in life, well… in death.” She paused. “Now go and be safe, my sister.” Hazel kissed Sophia on the cheek, then without a word turned and walked out of the door into the damp night air. Without looking back, she walked directly over to where Bert was sitting.

  “My lady,” Bert said, standing up, but on seeing the expression on her face he glanced over to Ben, who looked totally unconcerned, sniffing at something on the ground. He looked back to Hazel and was about to say something but before he could, Hazel said without slowing, “We must go to meet my son right now… My sister has just informed me that Alfwald has returned from the underworld and is looking for him… If they meet before we reach him…” Hazel’s voice started to break but Bert interrupted politely. “My lady Bree will ensure that Henry reaches the High-stones safely… I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they’re not there already waiting for us.” Hazel stopped to face Bert. “My lady… Hazel… don’t underestimate your son… He’s a strong and determined young man and should be carrying the spear by now… which in itself is a formidable weapon and would protect him against the most powerful of attacks.” He paused. “We should stick to our original plan and meet them at the High-stones.”

  Hazel wasn’t convinced but could see the reasoning in Bert’s argument. “Then we leave now,” she said, turning towards the woods and heading off into the darkness of the trees, Breeze flying closely behind her, a silent, ghostly shadow set against the night sky. Ben looked at Bert and then towards Walt. “Well, so much for hospitality,” Ben said in his usual sarcastic manner, disappointed that, for the second time this evening, he had missed out on having something to eat. “Are we going or what?” he continued. “I’m coming, too,” Walt blurted out with an air of determination in his voice. “You’ll never know… I may be of help somewhere along the way.” Bert glanced at Ben, then looked over to Walt and shrugged his shoulders. “You will have to keep up… we ave a long walk ahead of us… and ave no time for babysitting,” he said as he started out in the direction Hazel had gone, followed closely by Ben. “Don’t worry about me,” Walt replied. “I’m more than able to take care of myself!” he shouted after them, taking a moment to mop his head and face with his dirty hanky. “Ya better keep up… we don’t want ya getting lost now, do we!?” Bert shouted back at him. “God forbid that should happen,” Ben growled sarcastically. Walt put his hanky back into his shirt pocket, pulled up his trousers and then set out to follow after them, muttering under his breath things he would like to do to those two… especially Bert.

  It took a while for Bree to recover enough to sit up. She was badly shaken by her experience and found some difficulty in speaking. “Stay just where you are,” Henry said. “I’ll go a fetch a drink.” He dashed back into the shelter and quickly grabbed the little container that held the sweet, refreshing drink they both had earlier, and was back by her side in minutes. “Here, take a sip,” he said whilst resting her head in his arms and then offering the container to her lips. She took a small sip and coughed, then took another. “Thanks,” she managed to say in a barely audible voice, but still gave Henry one of her smiles. “We’ll stay here until morning,” Henry said, still holding Bree gently in his arms. Bree rested her head against his chest. “No… we can’t wait… we must leave… we have to get to your mother before sunrise tomorrow morning,” Bree said in a hoarse voice and then choked a little. “But you’re not up to it,” Henry was about to say, but was interrupted by Bree placing her soft, tiny hand over his lips. “No… my sweet, we leave before dawn… Alfwald knows where you are now… so it’s imperative that we reach the safety of the High-stoness before tomorrow night… It’s a good day’s walk from here… With your help, I’m sure that I’ll manage just fine,” she said and smiled once more.

  Reluctantly, Henry agreed and helped Bree to sit up and rest her against a tree whilst he went back into the hollowed-out shelter to retrieve their belongings, which wasn’t much – Bree’s belt with a number of little leather pouches attached to it, the light orb, and the old black spear shaft. Once outside, he helped Bree to her feet and offered her the spear to use as an aid to steady her walking.

  “No!” Bree managed to shout whilst pushing Henry away. “You must never offer the Aelfgar to anybody … especially not me.” She started to choke again. “You know it has the power to change body and mind.” She paused to hold her throat. “I’m partly elf… so its powers would start to work on me the moment I touch it… I must never be allowed near it… nor anyone else… it’s yours to bear… and yours only… nobody else’s.” Henry was surprised by her reaction and also a little hurt, a reaction that must have shown on his face. “I’m sorry, my sweet, I’ve no intention of hurting you,” she said, placing her hand on his cheek, “but you must understand this is for real… it’s not a game… The spear is a powerful weapon and a tool that should help only you… You must understand, my dear sweet Henry,” she said softly, her voice now coming back.

  “That’s just it,” Henry replied, abruptly pulling away from her. “I still have no idea what’s happening.” Realising immediately that he had upset Bree by pulling away from her, and felt bad for doing so. “I’m sorry to keep shouting… but could you at least be upfront with me… please?!” Henry pleaded. After a brief moment of silence, Bree no
dded. “Very well… I’ll make this plain and to the point… you may soon have to fight many dark creatures… including your father… and as you put it earlier… send him… and others back to where they had come from.”

  “It will be necessary for you to have to face the shadow master… the darkness… and with the help of the Wyvern try and defeat it and its followers… and restore the balance of nature… As I said before… you, my sweet Henry… not your mother… not any of the other guardians… just you.” They both let the statement hang in the air for a moment. “And how on this earth am I supposed to do that…? I’m just… well, I’m just me.”

  Bree took his hands and looked him in the eye with a sad expression on her face. “That, my dear Henry, should be enough… You are strong… stronger than you know yourself… And I fear you are going to need every ounce of that strength to become the bearer of the winged fire serpent.” She paused. “If we are to survive, my sweet… you must be prepared for the transition… To be the host for the Wyvern… that’s the reason we’re going to the High-stones… Your mother and the other guardians will meet us there to help.” Henry didn’t respond at first. He didn’t know how to. He felt angry because in his eyes everyone has taken him for granted… but he was also frightened… scared by the unknown, and now he was starting to question the trustworthiness of those around him. “Has anybody asked me how I feel about all this?” he blurted out. “Perhaps I don’t want to fight Alfwald… and face the so-called shadow master… and I sure as hell don’t want to host the Wyvern… whatever that means.” Bree was a little lost for words: she had already told him everything she knew but wished she hadn’t. Being a soul-joiner, she could feel all of Henry’s emotions and knew that in his mind he was starting to question even her loyalty.

  Bree knew that saying more would only make matters worse, so she decided to say nothing. She picked up her belt and fastened it around her waist and then stood to one side, wanting to see what Henry would do next. He stood motionless for a while just staring at her. Already they could feel the distance growing between them and nothing could be said to make it better. Henry looked at the Aelfgar which he’d leant against the tree next to him, a black, uninteresting, burnt stick. “What’s all the fuss about?” he thought. “It’s only a bloody stick.” He picked it up and studied it for a moment, then looked back over to Bree. She tried a smile but Henry didn’t respond. The look he gave her made her heart sink: it was obvious to her that he was measuring her up, considering whether or not she could be trusted. It hurt her more than she could say but still she said nothing. Once she was satisfied that he was ready to follow her, she turned and without a word headed off in the direction of the High-stones.

  The moon was nearly full, and on this cold, cloudless night it illuminated the large, ancient stone circle, the moonlight reflecting the green crystals within the large, ancient stone, making them flicker like thousands of tiny green stars. This was a truly magical place, a place where the enlightened had come for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Countless numbers of tiny, colourful wood nymphs lit up the sky as they danced in and around the stone, enjoying the magical energy they emitted and breathing in the sweetness of the night.

  Hazel approached the stones, hoping to see Bree and her son waiting for them, but there was no one in sight. She had hoped that they were hiding and would come out of concealment when they saw her. However, the presence of the nymphs indicated to her that no one had been there. “What do you think could have held them up?” she said, almost to herself. Bert and Ben walked up to stand beside her. “I expect they are alright,” Bert said. “Bet ya anything he’s asleep somewhere nice and cosy,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Bree will see no harm will come of him,” he continued. Hazel didn’t seem to hear. If she did, she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead she walked to the end of the stones and looked out into the darkness of the woodland and studied it for a while before pulling out the small leather pouch that was tucked in her belt and tipping the contents in her hand.

  The Moonstone glowed intensely in response to the moonlight. She studied it as it sat almost restlessly in her hands, the purple reflected glow mesmerising her as it pleaded to her to be let loose.

  Hazel was only too aware of how powerful and dangerous the Moonstone was to use. The stone was created around the same time that the Wyvern made its first appearance, but no one had ever known why or how it was created, or who was the first to use it. It had been missing for hundreds of years and up to now had been presumed lost forever. Alfwald searched for it for many years but with no success; however, it now turned out that it was in the safe hands of her sister all that time. Hazel was a little annoyed with her sister at first for not telling her, but on reflection, it was probably the right thing to do, considering her relationship with Alfwald.

  Still staring down at the stone, her eyes reflected the vivid purple glow as it reacted to the moonlight, begging her to use it. Hazel had no idea how to use it, except that its magic worked on the strength or weakness of the user as well, and followed their innermost desires. So even to think of using its powers would be dangerous, not to mention plain outright stupidity. The stone is believed to take more from the user than it gives back. It was a powerful, unpredictable magic, one that should only be used by someone who could control it, someone with magic much stronger than the stone… The host master.

  Hazel found herself lost in the wonder of the stone. It called to her, somewhere deep within her mind, it urged her… pleaded with her to release it into the night. Hazel tried to fight it, but it was far too strong. She had a desire… a weakness… She needed to find her son, and the stone worked on that weakness, continuously urging her to use it. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the stone. She needed to find her son. “Release me,” the stone said over and over in her mind. “I will find him for you… I will bring him to you,” it said. “Release me.”

  Then, without warning, the purple glow started to radiate, shooting rays of purple light in all directions from her hands. She had lost control of it completely and had no choice other than to follow its will. She opened her hands to reveal an apple-sized, purple orb which started to gently float and hover just above her open palms. It then moved forward a little and then to one side and then back again, as if it was trying to decide which way it should go. Then at the speed of light it shot off in the direction they had just come from and disappeared into woodland, leaving a purple trail of dust behind it.

  Hazel had unwittingly sent the Moonstone in search of Henry and Bree. It wasn’t entirely her decision, but she knew for sure that it would find them. The Moonstone had been released and she had to face up to the consequences, but for now she had to concentrate on the stone and finding Henry. Standing perfectly still, she mentally followed its every move as it twisted and turned through every lane and valley as it searched. Seconds turned into minutes, and then after an hour or so the purple orb suddenly reappeared, speeding out from the trees and back into Hazel’s hands and then back into the stone. She finally opened her eyes and gave out a sudden sigh of relief and immediately fell to her knees. Bert was there in a flash, catching her just before she hit the ground. He took the Moonstone from her hands and placed it back into the leather pouch.

  “Did ya find him?” Bert asked. “Yes, he’s some miles from us near the old earth boundary in Nappers Wood.” She paused. “He’s safe… and so is Bree,” she continued in a breathless voice. “Ya know ya shouldn’t ave used that damned thing… don’t ya…? It could have killed ya if you’re not strong enough… Ya do know that, don’t ya…? Where did ya get the bloody thing from anyways?” Bert said sternly,. “But I needed to know that my boy was safe,” Hazel just managed to say whilst gasping for breath. “Ya gotta stop mollycoddling that boy, my lady… He’s gotta lot to face up to and a lot of growing up to do… The sooner ya let him stand on his own two feet, the better it would be for him… and for all of us” Bert said. Hazel was about to say something when their attention
was diverted to something lumbering out of the trees. It was Walt, out of breath, panting like an old train and soaking wet with sweat. He was quite a sight, covered top to tail in dirt. “Better late than never… been smelling the flowers on the way,” Ben growled sarcastically. “Can’t you say anything civil?” Walt managed to pant. “I’m not sure… I’ve never tried,” Ben replied still with a great deal of sarcasm.

  Walt managed to stumble his way up the small slope to the large stones and slumped onto one that was lying on its side, got out his dirty, damp hanky, and started to mop his head. “Where are they…? Aren’t they here yet?” he asked, looking around, but nobody could be bothered to answer him. Under the circumstances, Bert felt that it would be a good idea for one of them to meet up with Henry and Bree to make sure that they reached the Highstones safely. However, after using the Moonstone, Hazel looked to be in no fit state to do anything and she couldn’t be left alone, so he suggested to Ben that he went, being the fastest of them, “having four legs and all,” he joked. To everybody’s surprise and without an argument, Ben agreed and without delay ran off in the direction of Nappers Wood.