by KJ Siirila
Grimelda spoke. “I will tell you this now gremlin your leaders had better agree to see us or I shall turn this whole fortress into nothing more than burning coals, with no survivors.”
A few moments had passed before the goblin returned. He opened the window. “Izasa and Olagh have agreed to see one of you, not all four. You decide who will enter the fortress witches.”
Grimelda walked forward. “I will enter the fortress goblin. My sisters shall wait here.”
The goblin opened the door. “Follow me.” As they walked through the fortress, Grimelda looked around her. The fortress was quite large, it must have been sixty feet high and there were gremlins and goblins running around everywhere, many of them stopped from their daily routine shocked that a witch had entered their fortress. The goblin brought her to a larger building and walked up to the doors. “Wait here witch. I’ll see if the leaders are ready for you.”
Grimelda stood for a moment or two and the goblin returned and lead her into the building, seated before her on two thrones were Izasa and Olagh. They summoned Grimelda forward.
Izasa spoke first. “Why have you come here witch?”
Grimelda walked a few steps closer to the thrones. “Dear friends of the Forest of Shadows, I have come here to discuss the impending doom that will settle upon all of soon. The Book of Elandor will be found soon. I believe that we must join forces to make sure that those that live in the Valley of Illumination don’t find it before we do. I have come here to ask you to join my sisters and our brothers the warlocks in finding the Book of Elandor.”
Olagh sat up.
“Why should we help you and the warlocks find the Book of Elandor when I believe that you will eventually use it to destroy us?”
Grimelda looked stunned. “Destroy you my friends? Why I’ve only come here because I believe we can help each other.”
Izasa laughed. “Listen witch, we would never assist you in your search for the Book of Elandor, you have come here for nothing. Your trip was made in vain, now leave our great fortress.”
Grimelda turned to leave then turned back. “You will regret this decision and you’re correct you little heathens, when I find the book, I shall destroy you and all of your kind.” She turned and left.
Izasa and Olagh sat for a moment collecting their thoughts. Olagh then turned to Izasa. “The witches are going to be a huge problem for us Izasa. They are powerful beings. If we don’t succeed in finding the book of Elandor before them they will surely destroy us.”
Izasa had a look of worry on his face. “We are in danger and should move the fortress further north my friend. They won’t be the last to come into the Forest of Shadows.”
Olagh nodded. “Agreed my friend, we shall begin moving the fortress further north immediately.”
CHAPTER TWO
The Angelic Spirits castle was quite large. Micael sat quietly in his room. Micael had spent all of his waking moments here since the planet had changed. He missed his mother and father and the rest of his family although he had no real memories of them. He had no idea what happened the day it all changed, the only thing he remembered was waking up here at the castle with the Angelic Spirits watching over him. They had always been very kind to him. He worked hard and believed they appreciated it. There was a knock at his door.
Micael stood and walked to the door. He opened it to find the Shaman. The Shaman entered his room and shut the door.
“To what do I owe this great honor great Shaman?” Micael was in awe, this was the first time anyone had ever come to his room.
“Micael I have chosen you to go to the Forest of Shadows with me to search for the Book of Elandor. We will leave shortly so you must pack what belongings you feel you will need for our journey.”
Micael was excited. This was the first time he was being allowed to go beyond the Valley of Illumination. “Thank you great Shaman. Thank you.”
“Do not thank me yet young Micael. I do not know what dangers lie ahead of us. It will be much different in the Forest of Shadows than here in the Valley of Illumination and you must be aware of this. The Princess Fimella will be traveling with us because she knows the Forest of Shadows better than any of us.
Micael started to pack his things. “I’m not afraid great Shaman. I have seen the much in my young years. I am ready for any adventure whether it good or bad.”
The Shaman opened the door and placed his hand on Micael’s shoulder before leaving. “This young Micael shall be an adventure neither of us shall ever forget. I will meet you at the main gate in one hour.” The Shaman left. Micael shut the door and began jumping up and down excitedly and laughing.
In the Forest of Shadows, Grimelda stormed through the door of the fortress and summoned her sisters to follow her. They walked for at least an hour before Grimelda finally stopped and Magella spoke to her quietly. “Gimelda what happened in the fortress?”
Grimelda said angrily. “Those disgusting little monsters will not help us sisters. We must find another way. I think we should travel back to the Midnight Mountains and begin to plot our next move, for the first time in many years we will have to ask the brothers for their help.”
The sisters gasped. Nevula spoke nervously. “Crovis and Trovis? They’ve always been useless to us Grimelda, they are nothing more than two spoiled rotten brats who continue to act like children. They hate us, they always have. They’d rather see us burned at the stake than help us.”
Grimelda looked to the forest. “It doesn’t matter my sisters, they will help us, they have no choice, and if they don’t, then I shall have no choice but to put them back where they came from when the planet changed.”
The sisters all began to laugh.
In the trolls mainland Toumani sat at his table with a large group. They ate a large meal on this day. Toumani was about to bite into a large leg of animal when he said, “My fellow trolls, word has come that the witches were in the Forest of Shadows looking for the gremlins and goblins.” They all stopped eating after hearing this news and listened intently.
“Yes it seems that the witches are trying to build their own army to find the Book of Elandor. I find this very strange that these great sorceresses need to build an army when they are almost as powerful as the Angelic Spirits or the ghouls. We must be very careful now my fellow trolls. I am going to send a group of you to the Valley of Illumination and the Midnight Mountains to keep an eye on things for me for now. You shall leave immediately but you must be very careful and not be seen. You will return here once you have learned of any news from either land. I will take a large group and begin to scour the Forest of Shadows for the Book of Elandor.” He took a large bite out of his animal and smiled. “We shall defeat them, do not worry, we shall defeat all of them.” He sneered.
In the Valley of Illumination Micael met the Shaman at the main gate of the Angelic Spirit’s castle. Princess Fimella was flying closely to the Shaman. Micael smiled at the sight of the small fairy. Princess Fimella flew up to him as he approached.
“Who are you?” Princess Fimella questioned.
“I am Micael, a myrmidon.” He smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to know you Micael. I expect our journey will be long but eventful. Try not to worry yourself. I will always be flying overhead to tell you what is to come next.” She smiled back.
Micael opened the main gate and the Shaman and Princess Fimella went through. Micael stopped for a moment and looked behind him at the great castle, then he shut the gate behind him.
As they walked down the road, Princess Fimella fluttered everywhere. The Shaman was silent. It seemed he only spoke when necessary. Micael was in awe of the whole moment. He couldn’t believe he was actually being allowed to leave the castle and begin this journey, this mystical journey. He was a little apprehensive which was understandable, the unknown always makes one a bit nervous. They walked for quite a long while before Micael looked beyond and noticed a dark gray area of wilderness ahead of them.
Micael spoke. “
Is this it great Shaman?”
“Yes Micael. This is the entrance to the Forest of Shadows. Be not afraid my friend. We will be cautious on our journey so that we will make it back to the Valley of Illumination.”
Micael was scared. The Forest of Shadows looked terrifying. It was gray and gloomy and looked dangerous to him.
Princess Fimella flew down close to the Shaman and Micael. “This is where we enter. It appears to be much more frightening than it is trust me. Once inside of the Forest of Shadows you will discover it is nothing more than trees and swamps but we must be careful of the trolls and goblins and gremlins one never knows what these creatures will do next.” She smiled and flew ahead waving her hand for the Shaman and Micael to follow.
Micael followed the Shaman and the Princess Fimella into the wilderness there was no turning back now the journey had begun.
They had walked about two hours into the forest when the Shaman decided it was time to rest. Micael sat across from the Shaman. The Princess Fimella flew down and landed in Micael’s hand. Micael smiled knowing that the Princess trusted him enough to rest there. The Shaman sat in a trance for quite a long time before speaking.
“The witches have already come to the Forest of Shadows and have already left. The gremlins and goblins turned them down. They came here to try and build an army but were defeated by their own questions.”
Micael looked at the Shaman. “Shaman, how do you know these things?”
The Shaman smiled. “You are so young and so naïve. I’m sure it is hard for a myrmidon to understand any of this. You are not used to seeing the unknown. You must look beyond what is in front of you my friend. You must look through the third eye, only then will you know the truth.”
Micael looked confused. “I’m not sure I understand any of this Shaman but I am willing to learn from the master.” He smiled and the Shaman smiled back.
“We must go now. We must keep moving. It is not safe to stay in one place too long. There are too many eyes in this great forest watching.” The Shaman stood and Micael and Princess Fimella followed.
In the Midnight Mountains the witches entered their castle. Grimelda stormed through the castle to Crovis and Trovis’ room and didn’t knock on the door before entering. The brothers looked stunned to see their sister.
Crovis looked at her. “You’re back soon from the Forest of Shadows.”
Grimelda sneered at him. “I’ve come to your room to inform you that beginning now you will join us in our fight for the Book of Elandor. I shall stop threatening you and belittling you. We must join forces in order to defeat the others.”
Trovis began to laugh. “Grimelda. You need us now? All of these years you have pushed us aside like commoners and now expect us to help you and the sisters?”
Grimelda moved forward. “You will help us Crovis and Trovis because you really have no choice in the matter. If we die, you die. It’s quite simple.”
Crovis and Trovis looked at each other. They were the mirror of each other and always knew what the other was thinking. Crovis and Trovis smirked at each other then Crovis spoke.
“Fine my sister we shall help you overcome these other creatures to gain the Book of Elandor but keep in mind we are not helping you because we want to, we are helping you to help us.”
Grimelda smiled then left the brother’s room. After she left Trovis began to laugh.
“What’s so funny my brother?” Crovis questioned.
“We will help them to help ourselves brother, once we find the Book of Elandor we shall use it to destroy our sisters and then we shall rule this planet.”
The brothers began laughing loudly.
The ghouls were beginning their journey into the Forest of Shadows when Helmog decided what they should do first.
“Slothard and Wagrim, we must find the Mystagog in the Forest of Shadows. I believe he shall be the one to give us all of the answers we’re looking for. There’s only one thing about this strange creature. He speaks in strange riddles so that he will confuse you.”
“Why should we ask the Mystagog what to do? What would this creature know that we don’t already know?” Slothard seemed bothered.
“He is a teacher of religious mysteries and I’m hoping that through his riddle we will discover the exact location of the Book of Elandor. He will either tell us the truth or not. We will have to decipher it for ourselves.”
Wagrim stood silently for a moment then uttered a few short words. “It sounds like a perfect plan to me Helmog.”
“Thank you Wagrim. So it shall be. We will find the Mystagog and then figure out his riddle to find the Book of Elandor.” Helmog began moving quicker now with the two ghouls close behind.
Deep into the wilderness on the other side of the Forest of Shadows the Shaman and Micael continued on their Forest of Shadows adventure. Princess Fimella flew high above them making sure nothing horrible would be coming their way. Micael was walking along not really paying much attention to what was happening around him when he glanced out of corner of his eye and noticed a cave.
“Look there Shaman, a cave, shall we go inside?” Micael asked.
The Shaman stopped for a moment and looked over at the cave. “I don’t see why not Micael. This is an adventure and we must see everything.”
Micael called upward. “Princess Fimella fly down, we’re going to go into the cave and take a closer look.” The Princess flew down and landed on Micael’s shoulder.
“Do you think this is a wise decision Shaman?” The Princess asked.
“What’s wise Princess? The only wise thing we can all do in this life is to discover the unknown so we will explore this cave of Micaels.”
The three walked slowly to the entrance of the cave. It was very dark inside. The Shaman walked over to a large tree and pulled a branch off, he then placed the end of the branch between his two hands and rolled it back and forth, and what Micael and the Princess Fimella saw next amazed them. The branch began to smoke and then lit on fire. The Shaman smiled slyly at them and walked into the cave. They followed him.
Once inside the cave the Micael felt something come over him. It was a calming feeling. He wasn’t quite sure what it was but he was beginning to feel a bit sleepy. He looked down and saw the Princess asleep in his hand.
“Shaman, I am feeling extremely sleepy. I’m not sure why.” Micael sat down on the ground of the cave. “I have to rest.”
The Shaman stopped. “What is it Micael?” When he turned around he found Micael and the Princess Fimella asleep on the ground. The Shaman looked a bit further into the cave and noticed a pair of eyes looking back at him. He spoke loudly. “You there! Come out of the shadows. Show yourself!”
The eyes moved slowly towards the Shaman until the creature came into the light. The creature was tall and lanky and very hairy and quite grotesque. The Shaman stepped back.
“What have you done to my friends?” The Shaman asked harshly.
“Don’t worry Shaman your friends shall be fine in a short time. They were not meant to hear what I will tell you. Follow me deeper into the cave Shaman I have much to show you and much more to tell you.”
The Shaman followed the creature. As they walked they spoke.
“What is your name creature?” The Shaman asked.
“I am Morvax. I am not much more than a simple cave dweller Shaman but I came down when the planet changed just like you. Unfortunately I was sent alone, therefore I choose to live quietly here in this cave in the Forest of Shadows. I possess many powers as do you Shaman but nothing so strong that I would ever want possession of the Book of Elandor. That is what you come in search of isn’t it Shaman?”
“Yes Morvax. We come to learn but mainly to try to find the Book of Elandor.” The Shaman continued to follow Morvax.
“Long ago Shaman, there were many more like me. We were all destroyed by the hands of the myrmidons many years ago. The great warriors came and destroyed all of my kind they did not know much better. The myrmidons are taught
differently than most and this is why I am concerned for you Shaman.”
The Shaman looked a bit perplexed. “Why would you be concerned for me Morvax? I don’t even know you, why would you care what happens to me or the the fairy or even the myrmidon for that matter?”
“I am on your side Shaman, you must know this. I cannot do much to help you on your journey to find the Book of Elandor but I can direct you to someone who may be able to help you.”
The Shaman seemed interested. “Who would this be Morvax?”
Morvax continued walking forward into a well lit room and once inside of the room he walked over to a large cauldron on the floor. “The creature is known as the Mystagog. He is a riddler but he may know where to find the Book of Elandor but my friend, he is not so easy to find. It will be a long path and you will not be the only one searching for him. Look here in the cauldron. Watch closely.”
The fog cleared from the cauldron and the Shaman looked down into it and saw the three ghouls. They were floating quietly through the forest but the most interesting part was that he could hear what they were saying to each other.
Morvax looked at the Shaman. “You see Shaman there are some things that I have control over including this. Listen closely because you may be surprised what you hear.”
The ghouls didn’t know that they were being watched and they continued with their conversation.
“What of this Mystagog Helmog? How will we find him? We don’t even know where to begin.” Slothard questioned.
“The strange thing is Slothard when you’re looking for something it happens to come upon you. What you think is so hard to find is actually right in front of you. This is the best part though, the part I forgot, after the Mystagog tells us his riddle and we discover where the Book of Elandor is we will capture him and bring him back to the castle in the Midnight Mountains. We cannot let this creature help the others.” Helmog grinned.
In the cave a fog came back over the cauldron. The Shaman wondered why the fog came over it so suddenly.