Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  That night found Sophia sitting on her makeshift bench just outside her home going over in her mind what her sister had told her about young Henry. She suddenly sensed something and sat up and waited quietly, sending out her senses in all directions trying to find whatever it was that caught her attention… There it was again, a dark presence lurking just out of sight and, using the trees for cover, the moon was full, which helped her see her surroundings clearly. She listened intensely, trying to locate its movements. She was now sure that it wasn’t the shadow master. If it was she would have sensed him sometime ago and she was also sure that it wasn’t any of its shadow walkers or night crawlers. It was something stronger, something almost as powerful and dangerous as the shadow master itself. The more she studied it, the more familiar it became.

  Then suddenly it dawned on her who or what it was. Her hair immediately started to glow in warning of the approaching danger. She called upon the power that lay dormant inside her, and in a blink of an eye threw up a defensive shield around her home. Seconds later, there it was, standing at the edge of the clearing, a tall figure, blacker than night, with sword in hand. “Alden… sister of Aldin, I have come to speak with you,” it said in an icy-cold tone. Sophia caught her breath but still managed to reply. “You have no place here, Alfwald,” Sophia said in a quiet voice, trying to show no sign of fear or intimidation.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” she continued. “Go back to the shadows where you belong… and never darken my home again,” she threatened, “that’s if you know what’s good for you.” The shade knew that it didn’t have the strength to break through the protective shield. “At sunrise… you will go with me to stop the hosting,” it said, more an order than a request. “The only thing I’ll do for you, shade… is to return you back where you belong.” She took a step forward. “Your time in this world has come and gone… you’ve no place here,” she said in a little more dangerous tone, her hair now fully ablaze as she prepared all her power to be deployed. “You know I’m more than a match for you, Alfwald,” she was in the process of saying, then without warning the shade hammered into the shield, making it buckle, but it held strong. Alfwald tried again, then again, hoping that it could penetrate the force field between it and his target, but it had no luck in doing so.

  Sophia decided enough was enough: this was her home and she’d let no one get away with this sort of intrusion; she raised her arms and lifted herself up from the ground, her hair totally aflame and flying about wildly. Slowly she floated towards the enraged shade and stopped just a few feet away, her eyes burning with hatred towards it. She lifted her arms directed towards the shade. The air around her started to pulsate, slowly at first and then faster and stronger. Dust, debris and leaves flew everywhere and then without warning she directed an increased pulse towards Alfwald. The sudden force of her attack hit him in the head, making him jerk backwards several feet. Alfwald roared in rage. The sound silenced the whole night around it, growing to nearly twice his size. He rammed her protective shield again and again, but this time with such strength it nearly penetrated. “WOMAN, YOU ARE A FOOL!” he screamed in a terrifying voice, angered by the attack, but more so by the fact that a mere woman had the audacity to think she could attack him and get away with it.

  The force of Alfwald’s last few attacks shocked Sophia a little, making her retreat to the centre of the clearing around her home and softly settle back onto the ground. They both stood their ground for a moment or two, each measuring up the other and waiting their next move. Alfwald’s shade started to shrink back to its original size, but Sophia could still sense the rage that was building up inside it. Perhaps attacking it wasn’t the wisest of moves, but it was done now and all she could do was see what it would do next. Seconds went by. Still nothing happened until, in a colder, icier tone, the shade spoke to Sophia in warning. “I have promised the son of Aldin that he and others will suffer for defying me… The same promise I give to you now.” It paused. “I will go to the High-stones… and I will be at the hosting… I must.” Again, it paused, not finishing what it was about to say. Instead it continued but now in a much lower tone. “You may have got the better of me today, woman… but we’ll meet again… and if then you still insist on defying me… I will show no mercy to you… or those who choose to stand with you.” Then before Sophia could reply it disappeared back into the shadows.

  She took a deep breath. She had never felt fear like this before. After taking several deep breaths, she slowly managed to compose herself and cleared her head a little. She knew that she would be no use to herself or anybody else if she lost her composure now. She knew that the situation was bad, but with Alfwald’s shade siding with the dark one, then something dawned on her. Alfwald never once mentioned the darkness… So why was he so intent on stopping the hosting? “Perhaps,” she thought, “he had his own agenda.”

  Sophia retreated into her home and quickly prepared herself for the trek to the High-stones. She threw on her ankle-length, scarlet robe and collected a few multicoloured stones and put them in a pouch attached to a red cord tied around her waist. She stood by the table and looked around the room, making sure that she had everything she needed, then paused a moment to glance around as if for the last time. She had loved living here and hadn’t ventured far from it for some time. She sighed, turned and then headed out of the door, slamming it behind her.

  Although her home would be left empty, Sophia nevertheless took the time to ensure that it had a protective shield around it. She hated the fact that she had to leave it, but she was determined to make sure that it was untouched until her return. She had promised Hazel and herself that she wasn’t going to get involved with her sister or the guardians ever again. Those days, she hoped, were well behind her, but she knew now that she couldn’t just sit back and let the shade get anywhere near those that really mattered most to… her family.

  About half an hour into her journey to the High-stones, Sophia stopped and took a moment to look around. She had made good progress, but she knew only too well that she would never make it on time…

  And time wasn’t on her side. She needed to get to the High-stones and her sister before Alfwald did. She sighed. Desperate times need desperate measures: to ensure that she got there before him, she would have to turn to more drastic measures – “magic”. She had no problem using her unlimited powers for protection, but otherwise preferred not to use them at all. Using them had its consequences: the magic needed to draw its strength not just from the earth, but also from the user. The stronger the person, the stronger the magic. The use of its powers was never to be taken lightly. How much it took from the user depended on their strength, but it always took something in return – what exactly, no one really knew. At times it felt as if it had taken more than just a part of her… It felt as if it had taken part of her soul.

  Resigned to the fact that she had little choice in the matter, Sophia pulled out one of the small, multicoloured stones from a pouch attached to her waist belt and held it tightly in the palm of her hand. Closing her eyes, she muttered a few words in the old Anglo-Saxon tongue. Her hair started to come back to life, eliminating the woodland around her in a fiery orange glow. Then she started to shimmer, again dust and leaves flew all around her. She was standing there one moment… and gone the next, leaving the dust and debris to settle behind her.

  Breeze was happily perched atop one of the High-stones, forever watching and listening to everything around him. Nothing ever missed his attention – even the smallest sound, like tiny mammals feeding within the undergrowth. Walt was sitting quietly with Bert on one of the larger fallen stones and unsuccessfully trying not to look at the strange owl. He had always found the bird to be a little unnerving and tried never to have eye contact with it. It was as though the bird was trying to read his mind. Whilst Walt tried to avoid eye contact with Breeze, Bert was intent on watching Hazel. She hadn’t stopped pacing since Ben left to find her son, but she had now ceased engaging in con
versation or even acknowledging that anyone was even there. She stopped now and then to stare in the direction Ben had gone an hour or so earlier, and then went back to pacing the stones.

  Bert could sense that something was wrong with her. She had definitely done harm to herself using the Moonstone … considerably, by the looks of it… Her skin was a pale grey and her face seemed to look older. Bert also noticed how weak she had become. She stumbled and seemed to be very unsteady on her feet. He shook his head, thinking what an unnecessary risk to take and how idiotic it was of her to use the Moonstone. Her son was in safe hands with Bree and would have shown up in plenty of time for the hosting: Bree would have seen to that. Hazel knew the risks only too well, and she also knew that the host master was the only person strong enough to use it without being harmed. So why did she feel it necessary to risk permanent harm… even death to find her son? “What ave ya done to ya’ self, Hazel?” Bert said to himself quietly as he watched her pacing from one large stone to another, stopping only to look out into the woods expectantly.

  Sometime later, Ben finally appeared with Bree and Henry in tow. Bert noticed right away that Bree wasn’t her usual bubbly self and not as energetic as usual; and Henry looked tired and withdrawn. He had hoped that the two would have bonded by now, but by what he could see, they couldn’t be further apart. Neither Henry nor Bree spoke much on their journey. Their only conversation was about the hosting. However, Bree knew little about it, so couldn’t tell him much and, more importantly, what he should expect. However, no matter how hard she tried, Henry only answered her with a grunt or a nod. It wasn’t much, but to Bree it was better than not talking at all, although it hurt her to be so close to him, and yet so far apart. Despite the distance, Bree still tried her utmost to prepare Henry for what lay ahead of him. However, her problem was that there had not been a hosting for hundreds of years and certainly none in her lifetime, so all she could do was help reassure him that he would be alright, but still he just grunted in response, and purposely walked behind her with his head lowered. So eventually Bree decided he was best left to his thoughts.

  On seeing her son, Hazel’s eyes filled with tears of relief. However, as relieved as she was, she didn’t have the energy to run over and greet him. Instead she stood and waited for them to reach her. On noticing Hazel’s reluctance or, more to the point, her inability to go to her son, concerned Bert considerably. Perhaps the Moonstone had done more harm to her than he first thought. He would have bet his last penny that she would have run up to him the second he appeared. Henry, unaware that his mother was near to collapse, lazily walked over to the stones, looking around as he did so. He was about to say something to his mother but before he managed to open his mouth she collapsed to the ground. He rushed over to her and dropped down to his knees, taking her head in his arms. His first thoughts were that she merely fainted from exhaustion, but he was shocked when he noticed how pale and grey her face was and her brilliant green eyes were now replaced by two blank purple orbs. Bert was at his side quicker than anyone his size should be able to move. He looked down at Hazel and then at Henry, and he was about to say something to him when the air around them started to shimmer. Bert knew the signs and had a good idea of what was about to happen, so protectively he placed himself between Henry and whoever it was that was about to appear.

  Bree was also now beside them as they waited for someone or something to appear from the air around them. Slowly a hazy shape started to form. Walt knew at once who it was and took a few steps back, not out of fear, but he always felt safer by keeping a respectable distance from any kind of magic. Henry closed his eyes and shielded his mother from all the debris, but once it had settled, he opened them again. Now standing before him was the most incredibly beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Like his mother, her hair was ablaze. She was a tall, imposing but incredibly beautiful woman. Still holding his mother in his arms. He could do nothing other than just stare at her. It was difficult not to.

  It was becoming all too much for him: the talking dog, the magic, the talking tree, his mother collapsing… Now this incredible but menacing-looking woman materialising out of thin air. Feeling tired and light-headed, it all felt as if he was in a dream. No introductions were necessary, because he knew straightaway who she was… Sophia… his aunt.

  Sophia paused, looking from face to face but on seeing Henry she held her glare, momentarily not registering that her sister was lying in his arms.

  She had never met her nephew, but recognised him immediately. He had his mother’s eyes; other than that, he looked just like his father. She seemed mesmerised for a moment by his uncanny resemblance.

  Then on noticing her sister lying in his arms, she immediately rushed to her side, almost pushing Henry away. “What’s happened?” she gasped. Her first thoughts were that she was too late and that Alfwald had got to her. “The Moonstone, my lady,” Bert replied. “She used it to find young Henry ere.” He paused. “She knew what it would do to er… but that didn’t stop er… Ya knows how stubborn she could be.” Sophia pushed Henry completely out of the way and took her sister in her arms and held her close to her chest, hugging her tightly. “There is no way of helping her now,” she said accusingly, looking up at Bert. “Why on earth did you allow this to happen?” But she didn’t really expect anyone to answer her. She looked down at her sister’s pale face, almost breaking down herself. “We’ve lost her… I’ve lost my sister,” she said, hugging Hazel tighter to her bosom. “Isn’t there anything we can do to help…? I mean with all your magic and stuff,” Henry said to her. “She’ll have no way back now… not without…” She paused as an idea entered her mind. “Unless… the fire serpent.” She glared up at Henry with a determined look on her face. “It’s now up to you, boy… That is, if you want to save her,” she said with venom.

  Henry looked horrified and glanced from face to face for answers, but they all had the same determined expression. He looked to Bree for reassurance but all she could do was smile and nod in agreement. He then turned back to his aunt. “Don’t look at me!” he shouted in surprise. “I’ve no idea what’s happening here… or what’s happened to my mum.” Now suddenly founding that he had become the centre of attention: all but Bree were staring at him. “I have no idea of what to do,” he said, almost in tears. Bree held his arm; tears now running down her face. “My sweet Henry, it’s time,” she said softly. “It’s time for you to become the host.” She paused to wipe the tears from his face. “It’s the only way you can help her now.” Henry was mortified: he had no idea what on earth was happening around him. On their way to the High-stones, Bree had tried to explain to him a little of what was expected of the host master, but seemed to have left out… or perhaps simply didn’t know exactly what was expected of him… or how he… a mere boy… would become the host.

  The night was slowly giving way to the morning and the first signs of daylight hovered just above the horizon. Bree, still holding onto his arm, slowly led him to the centre of the stones, his face almost as white as his mothers with fear. He couldn’t help but feel like a sheep at the altar. Bert followed and stood next to him and gave him a reassuring smile. “It’ll be alright, boy.” Once they reached the centre, Bree stood in front of him and, taking hold of both his hands, then said with feeling, “Just remember, my sweet Henry… I’m here… I’ll always be here.” She stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the lips and then stepped back, let go of his hands, smiled, and then walked over to where Ben was sitting at the edge of the stones.

  As dawn approached, the rays of the rising sun hit the larger of the stones, casting long, heavy shadows around them. Bert was still standing with Henry in the centre of the stones. “Ya gonna have to be the host now, boy… if ya want to save ya mother that is… and it’s gotta be now,” Bert said softly. “Be ready now, boy… it’ll happen all at once… at dawn… just as the sun hits the stone.” He placed one large hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Brace ya self now, boy,” he continued. By now, all bu
t Walt and Sophia were standing next to Sophia and Hazel. “Come, kneel ere,” Bert said, pointing to an old stone half-buried in the ground.

  Henry glanced around from face to face, feeling isolated and vulnerable. No one moved or said anything. He sighed and nervously walked to the stone, stared down at it for a second and then reluctantly knelt down. “Ya must be looking this way, Henry… towards the rising sun,” Bert said whilst guiding him in the direction he should be facing. Henry looked back over to where his mother lay, still in her sister’s arms. “She’ll be alright… that is, if ya successful with the hosting,” Bert said, sensing Henry’s concern for his mother. “What do you mean, if I’m successful?” Henry blurted out. He had already decided to be the host… whatever that meant… The thought that he could be unsuccessful didn’t even enter his mind. “The Wyvern must be sure that you’re the right person to host it,” Bert replied flatly. “We all think you are … but in the end it’s not up to us… It’s up to the serpent itself to decide.”

  “It’s gonna test ya, boy… it will test ya strength, both mind and body… it will do this by trying to hurt ya… It will hurt real bad… or worse… If ya not strong enough to hold onto it… it could escape and hurt others… and we ain’t got the strength or the skills to stop it… So, it’s now up to you.” Bert paused to allow the importance of the statement to sink in. “I ain’t gonna lie… it’s dangerous… for ya boy and for any bystanders… and the only advice I can give ya is… ya must try and hold on to it… once it’s inside ya… hold it in there… It needs a strong host, so it will test ya to ya limits… hold onto it good and proper… Keep it inside ya and under your control.” Noting the terrified look on Henry’s face, he finally said, “Do ya understand me, boy?”

  Henry looked up at him and was about to ask what would happen next, when Bert interrupted him. “Now be quiet and take a good, tight hold of that spear of yours and close ya eyes,” he said in a matter-of-fact way. Henry lowered his head and did as he was instructed, gripping the spear so tightly that it made his fingers go white. He closed his eyes and raised his head towards the rising sun. Bert backed off and stood a respectable distance from where the lonely figure of Henry knelt.