As he sat huddled up and looked out into the rain, surprisingly, his thoughts were no longer on his nephew or the situation he found himself in, but on James. He thought back to his jovial nature, and how he managed to make light of things and always tried to turn everything into a joke. He thought of better times and how sometimes he watched James merrily going about his daily tasks and how he used to sing dirty songs as he rode around the lawn on his mower. The more Henry thought about him, the more he missed him. It was true to say that their relationship was somewhat distant, but James was always there, like a shadow. They hardly spoke to each other over the years, but there was never a need to: James knew what he had to do, and Henry allowed him to just get on with it. It was a perfect arrangement as far as Henry was concerned.
Thinking back, it was oblivious to him now how much James was in the background, always somewhere in sight. Henry questioned himself as to why he didn’t notice that he was a guardian before, but he knew the answer immediately: he had been too busy to notice anything, too busy trying to make a success of himself and prove that he could do better than others. But who was he trying to prove it to? He had no friends to speak of, and his sisters weren’t interested in his business career, so why was he trying so hard to become a success in life?
Henry senior sighed. Again he knew the answer: he was trying to prove it to himself. He had always felt that he was a failure. His sisters were strong, well-respected guardians, whereas, he… he could never think to be even half the person they both were. In the early years he had tried to be a good guardian, but for some reason he always failed, so he felt it better to stop trying and find something that he could do, and that was when he decided to live in the world of humans. To him at least, they were easy to manipulate and he wouldn’t have to compete with his sisters. For the first time in his long life he could become his own man. However, in doing so, he denied who he really was, or more to the point what he was… A creature born of nature, a creation to help protect and heal the world, not the person in an expensive suit, not a person who owned and ran manufacturing companies that helped pollute the air and poison the world, the world that he was born to protect.
Henry pulled his hood up over his head and huddled up a little more in an attempt to fight off the chilly night air, but it gave him little comfort. It wasn’t just the weather that made him miserable, but also his mood.
Trying to think more positively, he thought of today and up to now it had been uneventful. He had detected no signs of danger, in fact no signs of life at all: no birdsong, no animals… nothing. All he could feel was this unexplainable unease about the woodland. Still huddled up in his tiny shelter, Henry senior was contemplating his situation when suddenly he sat forward. He could sense that something wasn’t right, although at first he couldn’t put his finger on it. Seconds ticked by as Henry sent his senses out into the woodland around him, sweat running down his back. Then to his horror, he knew exactly what it was: the shadow master…
Everything went deathly still and there was an unmistakable smell of death in the air. He got up and quietly made his way behind a large tree, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t be found. As seconds ticked by, he stood, pressing himself against the tree and stopped sending out his senses, too terrified to do anything. Then, without warning, the pain in his head suddenly increased. Henry fell to the ground, holding his head and screaming out in agony. “You have defied us.” A deep, booming voice reverberated in his head, each word like an electric shock through his brain. “You no longer hold the Aelfgar.” Henry screamed as the pain got worse. “You are no use to us,” the voice continued.
Henry was now rolling on the ground, covered in mud and dead leaves, screaming whilst holding his head, the pain so bad that he was on the verge of passing out completely. Then suddenly the pain stopped, leaving Henry feeling woozy and light-headed it was now a dull ache behind his eyes. He had stopped rolling around but was still lying on the muddy, leaf-soaked ground. After a few long seconds he risked opening his eyes and, to his horror, standing over him was a tall, thin figure, blacker than night itself. At first, it just stood staring at him. It was in a different form, a form that resembled a human but much taller and thinner, and the eyes were unmistakably that of the shadow master. Frozen in fear, Henry could do nothing other than lie there and wait his certain demise.
Its lava-red and black eyes started to burn into his head. He tried to look away but couldn’t, the pain increasing to such a point that it made poor Henry arch his back in pain. He twisted and thrashed around on the ground, once again holding his head as he screamed out in agony. The shadow master opened out its arms and, as it did, a large, black vortex twisted and turned around Henry, gradually opening up a large, black void in the earth beneath him. He gave one last scream as he disappeared into the darkness of the void. The vortex dispersed and the void closed behind him. Staring down to where, only seconds before Henry lay screaming, the shadow master stood with its eyes burning with excitement. It loved using it powers, especially when it inflicted pain on other less deserving souls, such as guardians.
Now satisfied that its work was done, it slowly dispersed into a mist, leaving nothing to show that it, or Henry, had ever been there, except for the tiny shelter Henry had built earlier. The shadow master knew that the host was on his way to confront him and wanted to ensure that he was there to welcome him. It had waited a long time for this moment and had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip through its fingers. However, it didn’t want a fight: it had sensed that the new host was far too strong and knew that the outcome would be uncertain if their meeting turned into conflict, so the dark one had other plans, it wanted… it needed the host to join him and there was more than one way to persuade him to do just that.
CHAPTER TEN
It was late evening by the time Henry and his two companions reached the falls. Rain had been consistent throughout the day, and he was feeling miserable and hungry; but his thoughts were not on food – far from it. He had other, more pressing matters to worry about, and his personal comfort wasn’t high on the list. To get to the falls they had to climb a large embankment, but unfortunately, the heavy rain had made the ground slippery and difficult to find a footing, and the higher they got, the thicker the mist became, which just added to his discomfort. Once they reached its summit, using his newfound senses, Henry scanned the area but could find no signs of life… Nothing.
He looked to Grog questioningly. “Where do we go from here?” But Grog didn’t answer. Instead he walked away a little and started to look around. “What are you doing?” Henry asked in an irate tone. “You can’t see your hand in front of your face.” Grog still didn’t answer, concentrating on what he was doing. Satisfied, Grog walked back to Henry. “It’s not here,” he said, sounding a little confused. “What’s not here?” Henry asked. “The dark one… master.” Henry slumped down on the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest. “So what are we doing here?” He sighed. Nog joined his brother and for a second or so said nothing, then Nog stepped a little closer to his master, before saying, “If it’s not here…” – Henry looked up with a look of surprise on his face – “…then where is it?” He shot back onto his feet. “We must find it.” Grog looked to his brother and then back to Henry. “We stay here, master,” Henry stepped forward. “And why’s that…? Surely we should be trying to find it before it…” But he didn’t have to finish the sentence: they both knew what he meant. “We stay here,” Nog confirmed. “Why!?” Henry shouted, and then immediately regretted it. “Why?” he repeated, trying to sound a little more civil. Nog was the first to answer. “We wait… it will know that you’re here… It will come… to you,” Henry then looked to Grog. “Yes, master… the dark one knows you’re here.” Nog nodded. “Will not be a danger to others if it comes here,” he continued.
Henry didn’t fully believe that the shadow master would drop whatever it was doing just for him, but the two fluff balls seem to know what they were
doing, and he should learn to listen to them. But it just didn’t feel right waiting around hoping that it would show up when there were others who could be in more immediate danger, Bree and his mother included. “We must wait,” Nog said again, as if he was reading his thoughts. “How can you be sure that it’s not down there…? Somewhere out there in the fog… just waiting for us to drop our guard?” Nog looked out into the mist. “We can see, master,” he said, almost absent-mindedly. “See what?” Henry asked, now looking in the same direction as Nog, but he could see nothing further than just a few yards. “Everything, master… we see through mist,” Grog said. “And water,” Nog continued. Henry sighed. He had no more arguing left. “Okay… do we just stay here… or go to the falls?” Grog went over and stood next to his brother. “We go to the falls, master,” he answered. With that, Henry put his hand on Nog’s shoulder. “Lead the way.”
It took a little over thirty minutes to reach the falls. They had to follow a narrow ridge that ran along the top of the embankment, which wasn’t easy for Henry, due to the poor visibility. However, Grog and Nog had no such problem and led the way with ease. The roaring sound of water let Henry knew that they were starting to get closer to the falls and, by the sound of it, they must be enormous: the closer they got, the louder the sound of rushing water.
“Just over there, master!” Nog called out over the noise. Henry stepped forward. “Where?!” he shouted, still finding it difficult to see anything. “This way!” Grog shouted, and waited for Henry to reach him. “There!” he pointed. Squinting his eyes, Henry tried to see through the mist, which cleared just enough for him to make out that looming over them was a large, rock cliff face. It was then that he realised the source of most of the mist: the falls were so large and so strong, and the sheer amount of water falling over them generated so much spray that it turned into mist that covered the entire area. Henry nodded for Grog to continue. Nog had already gone and was now out of sight.
Following close behind Grog, Henry negotiated his way through numerous large, wet boulders, most of which towered over him. The ground was slippery and uneven, causing him to slip and slide his way down the other side of the embankment, only to eventually end up on his backside. “Bugger,” he cursed. The noise from the falls was now so intense that it was almost painful for Henry’s ears, forcing him to hold his hands over them. Nog stood over him, waiting patiently for Henry to get back onto his feet. Satisfied that his master was ready, he indicated for Henry to follow him. Grog, however, was nowhere to be seen, but Henry wasn’t that worried: they both seemed to know where they were. So if he could, at least, keep one of them in sight he would be happy to follow.
Henry was desperate to ask them what he should expect, but the sound of falling water made it all but impossible to communicate, so he just pressed on. Having no idea where he was or how far he had to go and what he’d find once he got there, it was difficult for him to do so, but Henry had to put his trust in the two brothers. They both seemed so sure of where they were and he was in no position to question them.
Just a few yards further on, Henry could just make out the silhouette of Grog. Once he had reached him, he could see that Grog was standing right on the edge of a rocky outcrop. Henry gingerly looked over the edge and then immediately stood back. “Get back from there!” he shouted, but his voice was lost against the sound of the falls. However, Grog did hear and moved over to stand next to him. “What now?” Henry shouted, Nog then motioned to Henry to follow him. Just ahead of them stood the large cliff face looming over them. Nog waited for Henry in front of what at first seemed like a large shadow in the cliff face, but once Henry got close enough to see, it was in fact a large opening in the cliff face. Nog walked over to the entrance and then indicated for his master to follow him.
Once inside, the noise of the falls seemed to reduce a little. Henry took a moment to take in his surroundings and use his newfound senses to ensure that it was safe to go further. The cave was so tall that when Henry looked up, all he could see was total darkness. Other than that, it was like any other cave. His new ability to see in the dark made it easy for Henry to negotiate fallen rocks and potholes. Carefully the three ragtag individuals made their way deeper into the cave, Nog now leading the way ahead and Grog following up the rear. To Henry’s relief, the deeper they went, the quieter the sound of the falls became, until it was just a background noise. But Henry had felt that he had gone far enough. He needed to know where they were taking him, and so he stopped. “Right,” he said, “before we go any further, you will tell me what awaits us at the end of this cave.” Nog walked back and stood next to Grog, the cave pitch-black around them. A normal person wouldn’t be able to see their hands in front of their faces, but the three of them could see as clearly as they would in daylight.
“The void,” Grog answered. At first Henry didn’t respond, a little taken aback by Grog’s blunt answer. “The void,” he repeated and Nog nodded. “Are you telling me that there is nothing…? A void is at the end of this cave?” Both brothers nodded but didn’t answer. Henry paced away and then back again. “So… tell me… why would I have a need to go there…? I thought I was here to face the shadow master, not go wandering off in some godforsaken nether world.” Grog moved closer, his voice almost a whisper. “We go nowhere, master… we wait.” Nog nodded in agreement. “Yes, master, wait… wait for the dark one to appear.” Henry studied them both for a second. “Wouldn’t it be safer to wait outside?” he said, with a hint of fear in his voice. “It needs darkness, master,” Nog whispered. “Yes, master… fears the light, it does,” Grog confirmed.
Henry stepped away, his mind racing, then turned back to face them. “Is this where it lives?” he asked. This time they didn’t answer him, then something suddenly dawned on Henry. “Have we walked into a trap?” Again, neither Grog nor Nog answered. “What have you done?!” he screamed, but again neither brother answered; instead they just looked down at their feet. Then from somewhere within the darkness a deep, booming voice reverberated throughout the cave. “You have done well, my brothers.” Neither Grog nor Nog moved: it was as if they both knew that the shadow master was there. So why didn’t the Wyvern warn him or respond to its presence? “You’ve betrayed me!” Henry bellowed at the two brothers. “I trusted you… so why?” He was now so livid and felt so sick that he couldn’t finish the sentence. Still Grog and Nog stood looking at their feet.
Henry sent his senses deep into cave but he still couldn’t find anything. He turned to Grog. “Why?!” he shouted. This time, Grog did reply. “No trap, master.” He paused. “Not here yet… just a voice.” He paused again, this time to look at his brother. “But here very soon.” Henry then realised that he had heard the voice before… “Alfwald!” he called out. Still the Wyvern didn’t respond, so he called upon it himself. Feeling the heat surge up through him, giving him the only warmth he had felt for days, he turned and stared into the darkness of the cave. The first thing he saw was the glint of his sword, held out to one side, then slowly Alfwald started to materialise, a tall, dark figure, darker than the cave itself. “Brothers… you have kept your word,” the shade said.
Henry was more upset by the betrayal of Grog and Nog than he was frightened by the presence of Alfwald. He had trusted them with his life and thought of them as his friends: the hurt from their betrayal pained him more than he could ever have imagined. Why would they do this to him? He was meant to be their master, yet that meant nothing… “Why?” he said again, but the two brothers still refused to answer and looked down at their feet. Henry turned to face Alfwald. “I’ve already warned you… Father,” he said with venom in his voice. The burning inside became more intense as he called upon the Wyvern’s powers, his eyes glowing a brilliant yellow. But Alfwald’s shade was unmoved, fading in and out of existence.
“I am not here to challenge you, son of Aldin,” the shade answered. Grog stepped forward and tapped Henry on the shoulder. He spun around and pushed Grog away. “Stand back�
�� traitor… I’ll deal with you two when I’m done here.” Grog was mortified but did as he was ordered. Henry again faced up to Alfwald. “So you’ve come to make me join you… Well, think again, old man,” he said, now mocking him. He was now on the brink of losing control.
But still the shade did nothing. Seconds passed, then Alfwald advanced forward a few feet and stopped just in front of Henry. “I wish to join you,” it said, not believing the shade. “So why would you want to do that?” Henry replied sarcastically. A long silence followed before Alfwald then replied, “In life, I failed my duties… I failed my love and myself.” After another long pause: “I will not rest until I have made good those wrongs… I owe it to you… and I owe it to Hazel.” Henry was a little taken aback, not just by the statement, but because it used his mother’s name. “And why should I trust you…? Last time we met you threatened me and… and nearly killed my… my Bree.” He choked, thinking back to what the shade had done to her that night back in the woodland.
Still the shade was unmoved. “I done nothing more than warn you… and knew no other way to get you to listen.” The shade paused. “I am beyond apologies and have limited responses… In your eyes at least… it was wrong for me to hurt the nymph, but I needed you to join me… To stop the spread of the darkness,” Henry took a step forward, now completely shunning the two brothers. “I didn’t want this for you,” the shade continued. “I wished to stop the hosting… I wished you a different life to that of mine.” Henry dropped his guard a little. The burning inside him subsided and his eyes were back to normal.
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