by Lloyd Baron
“Why are we in such a rush?” he asks breathlessly, the hurried exit and ride had taken it out of him. He was not used to using this much energy in one day. “I could tell it was urgent and you did not wish for my aunt to hear, but I would like to know why we ride so late and so suddenly.” Derry’n and Danlynn exchange glances, Tye stares straight at him and Tarfleam sinks lower into his saddle.
“They have come,” Derry’n says in his slow deep voice.
“What he means,” Danlynn butts in, “is that more of those things have shown up. They attacked us by the old farm. Tye and Tarfleam in their own homes. No-one was hurt.” He shudders. “They came for us. And us alone.”
“They did not care for anyone else,” Tye adds. “They came right past my mom and went for me. When I ran away they gave chase.”
“Luckily they are slow,” Derry’n comments. “I had time to get some supplies and the horses together. We have a stove and food that will last a few days.” His comment flashes the image of him cooking in Darwin’t’s mind.
“But we have no idea where to go,” Tarfleam’s small voice pipes up. He glances at the others and then back down at the pommel of his saddle.
“We have to go to Atlant,” Darwin’t says matter-of-factly. Not another word was spoken then; they pulled rein and spurred the horses forwards.
That was little over an hour before the thunder had crashed across the sky and the sky was lit up by the flashes of lightning. He reaches the others who have stopped by the crossroads. Turning left would take them to the river Soi; straight over leads to Baoloun but covers the open hill country and could take them twice the time. Right will take them to Bray and then onto Doeia Harbor; the quickest route and the one which will take them to the most populated parts of the south. The question did not need asking and they turn their horses to the right and head down the dark path and onto the road to Bray.
They have only been traveling for a further hour or so when they stop again. In the road ahead stands a figure dressed in black. His face hidden in the cowl of his long cloak. He raises a hand and calls out a terrifying word. “Die.” From the palm of his raised hand a blue spear of light flashes out. The horses buck and in the confusion a shrill cry shatters the panic and everyone stops still, staring at Tarfleam. His skinny mean face is now contorted into a twisted mask of horror and the sound coming from his throat is full of anguish and fear. Darwin’t follows his sight line and he gasps his shock, eyes widening. He can feel the sweat pouring from his brow. In front of him, still sitting upon his horse, Tye is impaled through the chest by a long shard of what looks like ice. Blood has exploded across his face and pours rapidly down his chest. He attempts to speak but no words come to his fish like lips. He turns his head slowly towards Darwin’t, fear and sorrow in his eyes. Then all life slips from his gaze and he plummets to the earth. For a few seconds there is no sound, everyone stares at the dead boy crumpled in front of them. The dark figure steps forwards, hands flashing, getting ready to kill another.
Flames pour from the small house, forcing the girls away with protective raised hands. Canace stares about her helplessly, not knowing what she can do to help. The man she is in love with could be within the burning walls and she can do absolutely nothing to help. Riochald has rushed off around the back but returns moments later to report the fire is everywhere. Hopelessness overtakes her and she drops to her knees, defeated and sobbing. Riochald’s hand upon her shoulder squeezes once before the stout woman rushes off towards the door to the house, vanishing within the plumes of smoke.
“Riochald,” Canace screams in panic and helplessness. Tears cascade down her cheeks in huge body shaking sobs. Everyone is gone. Darwin’t would never bond her. Danlynn would never play any more stupid pranks. Derry’n, sadly she had not known him well yet she knew of his caring nature and the hard work he put in around the village. A sad thought passes over her as she realizes that he will never find his true home or his people. Now Riochald has recklessly given up her life to try and save them all and all she can do is sit upon the earth and cry like a baby.
An explosion to her right sends her sprawling into the mud. Lightning flares up and the first of the heavy rains begins to fall. She does not move from her place in the dirt. Her tears mix with the rain water which begins to puddle around her.
“What the Gelast are you doing?” Riochald calls from the back of Darwin’t’s old wooden wagon. “Get up and get up here!” She reaches out a hand and hauls the crying girl off her feet and drops her heavily into the back of the cart. She sees the huddled form of Aunt Maida and crawls towards her. Maida smiles dully and looks back at the burning house. Riochald whips the horses and they gallop away onto the dark road from Gressgs.
“Where,” Canace says, looking over at Riochald’s back. However it is Maida who answers.
“To get the boys.”
Tye pulls the reins hard but the horse does not respond, its eyes rolling white in its fear. There had been no time to react and he could only stare as the spear came at him. Ripping pain erupts through his body, as skin, muscle and bone are forced aside and are torn to shreds. The pain had lasted only a moment. The spear was made from ice and had cooled his body swiftly and taking the surging pain with it. He is aware of Tarfleam’s screams but he has to tell Darwin’t something and looks to where the frightened boy sits. He tries to speak but his throat only croaks and no words come. He can feel his life slipping away as his blood escapes his body. He tries to speak once again but his body fills with a blizzard and one shake ends his struggle. The world around him darkens and he slips from his horse. He knows he lies upon the earth but the world does not exist for him. Somewhere the sound of horses and the calls to flee echo but he does not pay them any notice.
He swims within the dark place for what seems forever, not knowing what he is or where he is meant to go. He is at peace and never wants to leave this place to return to the harsh world above him. A figure screams past him. A wraith, all white and shimmering, like smoke over running water. The face is hideous and angry, empty sockets study him as long clawed fingers reach out to get him. More and more of the spirits circle him, tearing at his soul, dragging him down into the pits of Gelast. To his horror, there is pain, lots of pain. Not the same as mortal flesh. It feels like sadness, bitterness and grief all rolled into one dragging wound. He tries to move but does not know how in this new strange world. He would have cried out but cannot even do that. Fear is the last thing he remembers as his soul is plunged into the flames of Gelast.
The storm rages around them as they try to get the wagon off of the track which had turned to mud rapidly after the rains had started. They had left the crossroads behind them an hour before, opting to travel towards Bray and then the harbor. It was the way the boys would have gone, according to Aunt Maida. Riochald had not agreed, wanting to travel on to Baoloun across the hills. In her opinion they would be stupid to go over the main road into the close towns as that is the route that would be watched and guarded. Maida only had to point out who they were following and Riochald quickly agreed. The boys were that stupid.
Canace jumps down from the wagon on Riochald’s instructions to push the wagon to the side and try and drive it from the mud. She objected but one of Riochald’s scolding glares got her moving. A satisfied smile slips across her face but it soon falls when she sees the worried look on Maida’s face. She reaches across and pats the old woman’s knee. “They will be fine. We will find them and bring them home.” She looks up into the dark sky, glad for the waterproof sheet pulled above their heads. Maida had taken the reins from her soon after leaving and sits now still holding them where her hands are clasp together in her lap. She has not spoken much but the look in her eyes tells them that she knows more then she has let on. She wants to tell the woman about the dream and the warning the girl had given her but feels it would make the grief she is feeling all the worse. The silence stretches on as the horses try to pull the wagon free and Canace pushes from the side. She is abo
ut to say something when Maida turns to her and says.
“Has this got to do with the nightmares?” Her face is set, jaw firm.
“Nightmares,” she begins.
“By the light of the Goddess, do not give me any of that, young lady. Your tone playing at being dumb does not become you.” She snaps angrily. “Now tell me the truth. Has this got to do with his nightmares?”
“I do not know about his nightmares, but I would guess at a yes. I had one today.” She turns away from the woman and stares into the rain. “It told me to leave the village and go after the last Princess.”
“The last Princess!” Maida repeats shocked. “Then it has begun, and I was too wrapped up in his bonding to pay any attention to his dreams!” She grabs Riochald’s shoulders and pulls her close, whispering harshly into her ear. “Listen hard, girl. My boy is very important and he must not come to any harm. Do not ask how I know this because it does not make any sense to even myself. But I know he is important and he needs to be protected. Now listen to me closely. You are also involved if you too have had a dream. He gives them to people you see, Darwin’t. I have had his dreams for many suns. But some of them have been different and hinted at things I could only guess at.
“Now it seems you have been chosen. He needs you, and I do not think he knows it yet. You know the story of the last Princess?” Riochald nods. “Well, I think it has begun. You know what that means?”
“It cannot be so. The last Princess is a story told to children. You do not think I believe that it is all real?” She shakes her head and pulls away from the old woman. “Now you listen to me. These things, whatever they are have come from some Dark Clan mishap. Those evildoers should have been wiped away many suns ago. Their dark magic has been a blight on our world for too long.”
“You silly little brat!” Maida screams. “You think you know, yet you know nothing. I have lived with the Dark Clan. I have seen their magic. It comes from a dark place but can harm no-one unless they are full of darkness. They can do no more to you then the Angels can. Their evil is lost in the past. It is your view that is doing the most harm.”
Riochald turns to confront the old woman, but her words are stolen away by a high-pitched scream. Both of them jump from the wagon into the rain and follow the screams, but Canace is nowhere to be found. Another scream drifts to them from the wood, followed by a shout for help.
Riochald pushes through a bramble and discovers Canace kneeling in the mud, cradling something in her lap. Her breath escapes her and she puts a shaking hand to her mouth. She had never thought they would really be in any danger. She thought they would find them and then after she had boxed their ears for a week would take them home and take Darwin’t to be bonded. Never this. Not finding their dead bodies in a wood away from home and friends. She takes another step closer and sees the man’s face for the first time. Relief floods through her followed instantly by guilt. Canace looks up at her, tears in her eyes, lips trembling from the cold and wet.
Riochald is spurned into action by the pale face of the boy in her friend’s lap. She issues orders for Canace to return to the wagon and fetch her bag of herbs. She switches places with the girl and watches her push through the brambles, exchanging words with Maida before both rush off out of earshot.
Riochald touches the hole in Tye’s chest and pulls it back, shocked to find it ice cold. An idea sweeps across her mind and she lets the boy fall back into the cold water and mud. His body is badly wounded and he has lost so much blood, but the cold has slowed his body down. From what she understands, which is quite something when it comes to healing, that when the body gets cold the heart slows down and the flow of blood slows with it. He is alive, she can tell, but not for much longer. It is the cold that has slowed his death and it is up to her now to save it. She reaches out and touches his cheek. “Hold on, young Tye. Hold on.”
The Sadness tears him asunder. Evil floods into the wounds made by the wraiths and seeps into his thoughts. The gentleness of this world gone and only the darkness of it remains. He has found his voice, for all the good it has done him. The ghost-like demons had laughed at his cries and tears, feeding off it, making them stronger. Fire burns all around him, small embers landing upon his body, surging pain all across his skin. A tiny rodent scurries onto his chest, squeaking and bearing fangs. Hundreds more of the rats flood over his body, biting and scratching lumps out of his flesh. He throws his head back and roars a final time before giving up on his life and letting it drift away into the dark.
“Hold on, young Tye,” the voice echoes from within him. He opens his eyes and stares at the horror which surrounds him. A huge black shadow swoops down from the sky, talons flashing, tentacles whipping and fangs snapping. He waits for it to destroy him, yet to his shock and surprise it turns upon the wraiths and devours them. The horde of rats scatters leaving his battered body to float into the waiting hands of the black beast. He smiles to himself. Letting the embrace of death surround him, but death feels familiar and he laughs in the wonder that death has reminded him of Riochald.
Tye’s eyes snap open and he chokes on the falling rain. Maida stares in wonder at the boy brought back from death. She and Canace carry him to the wagon, leaving Riochald to pack her things away. She cannot be sure what had happened but it seemed like the stocky girl had done more then use herbs to heal the lad. As they place him into the dry he opens his mouth and speaks. “The man from my dream. One of them will betray the others. They will need the healer.” She closes his eyes and lets him drift off to sleep.
“I guess we will take him back into the village.” Canace says sadly.
“No! I’ll take him back. You and the healer must go and find the others.” She does not answer the question which crosses Canace’s face. It would seem Riochald is more a part of this then she would like to admit. She can only hope the girl is ready when the time comes.
10
BRAY
The roar of the wind and the pelting of the rain is now a distant memory for Danlynn as he awakens in a soft bed with feather pillow. It had taken him almost a week to reach the town of Bray, after the nightmare of what happened to poor Tye, fear driving him to stay hidden within the trees and skirting the edges of fields when he came close to farms. It had been the worst week of his life. The rains had not stopped during the first three days and then once they ceased a terrible wind came in their wake. But after five days the weather had changed, and the sun had come out to dry his clothes and brighten his mood. He had almost forgotten Tye’s death and the stranger with the spears of ice, and so he started to walk the main roads. He had not intended to walk as far as Bray but when the sun came up on sixth day he saw the roof of a chapel rising above the hill and the thought of a town with people spurned him on. And the thought of a cold ale. Or cider.
A farmer with a large wagon had offered him a lift to the far side of the hills which would take him an hour away from Bray. The closer he got to the town, the greater his need to have people around him to give him comfort. Even more than this, the thought of having a night in an inn with ale and a soft bed made him walk faster. On arrival he headed straight for the first pub he saw and downed an entire pint of the cheapest ale they had. Followed by a mug of wine and then a mug of cider. By midday he was roaring drunk and staggered out into the street. He needed some food and the pub he was in had only broth and cheese to offer. He turned his nose up at that and rudely left the pub after the landlord’s heavies were called.
In the market square he had seen a stand of apples. A well-placed boot from a street boy into his drunken hide had sent him sprawling into the cart, scattering the apples across the ground. The owner of the stall had cried out and grabbed him by the collar, letting the street boy escape. An hour later he was in a cell being watched over by the town guard. That is where he had fallen asleep and from where he now looks upon the rising sun. Another day has passed and he is another day away from leaving the town. He does not even know if the others have made it. They
are meant to meet at Doeia Harbor, but no time had been arranged before they split. For the first time in days he thinks about Tye and he weeps softly into the pillow.
The morning is bright and welcoming, which makes a change after the days of rain and wind. Baron Lokkie places a fine porcelain teacup onto his desk and shifts a stack of papers to one side. His work never seems to come to an end. He lifts the cup and sips the sweet Sea Drifters tea, letting it warm his mouth and throat, relaxing his tired old body. As he lowers it back to the desk he studies his slightly shaking hand. The skin loose and covered in age spots, his veins crisscrossing the back and the palms a mass of wrinkles. He clenches his hand into a fist and thumps the desk. Still powerful.
The Feast of Lights is approaching and the town of Baoloun is abuzz with activity. Large floats were being built to celebrate the longest day of the sun. Huge monsters, representing the dark days of history when it was said the Sun didn’t burn and the Goddess Star had yet to appear, would be pulled at the head of the parade followed by the heroes of legend.
Lokkie glances from his desk to a costume hanging from a peg on the far wall. Dark blue silk jacket and breaches with gold ivy embroidery down the arms and legs was said to be the garments worn by the greatest hero know from legend and the hero he plays each sun for the feast. The Godking Darlonious Diln Damicas was said to have saved the world from a rift into the void. His heroic act had been seen by the Goddess, and she had blessed him with great power and eternal life. He lived for over one thousand suns and built a prosperous and rich world. A world that was destroyed by the war of the Six and the remaking of the Elementals. Lokkie shudders despite the warm jacket he is wearing. It was also claimed that Godking Darlonious wrote the first book of Prophecies which predicts the return of the Six and the Elementals. A new rebirth or destruction awaits when it begins, but either way this world will end. Unless the heroes of that age can be found to fight against them.