by Leah Ward
SEARCHING
FOR
DARKNESS
Leah Ward
Illustrated by
Alexis GRIMM Musgrove
Copyright © 2014 by Leah Ward.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 1496167236
ISBN-13: 978-1496167231
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014906935
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,
North Charleston, SC.
Printed in the United States of America.
Dedication
I’d like to thank my family,
as well as Taylor and her family,
for always supporting me in my writing.
My inspiration is kindled by your encouragement.
- Leah
“It is during our darkest moments
that we must focus to see the light.”
-Aristotle
Searching
FOR
DARKNESS
Leah Ward
Illustrated by
Alexis GRIMM Musgrove
CHAPTER 1
Edwin was standing on the cliff that separated the wild unknown and what little civilization remained. As he overlooked the forest beneath him, he heard cries coming from deep within it. Creatures were savagely fighting and destroying each other. The howls were so loud that the average person ten years ago would have fallen to their knees screaming and begging for it to quit ringing in their ears. Edwin’s ears were used to the sound by now; it had become the norm of his life. A complete bloodbath was playing out below him, and a fight for ultimate survival, yet he was hardly fazed.
Luckily, the beasts below were kept out of the reach of civilization through a barrier spell that was cast long ago by a great sorcerer who died in the dark magic massacre. Legends say that he cast the spell with his dying breath, to protect the land surrounding him from the coming evil. He was killed by Nefarious before the spell’s magic could reach farther than a few cities that bordered him. Along with everyone outside the protected land, Edwin’s parents had fallen victim to the curse. He had been left with his grandmother while his parents had gone on a journey to find an ancient cave of some sort. He had never even been able to figure out the whereabouts of his parents when they died, but a part of him always had hoped that somehow they had managed to escape the curse and survive. Often he would ask his grandmother about spells and magic. He even told her he had seen his parents and the cave they were in, in a dream of sorts. She would quickly quiet him, tell him it was too dangerous to discuss, and change the subject.
The sounds of a pack of wolves howling at the soon to be moon, brought Edwin out of his memories and thoughts. It was all that he could remember of her anyway. She died when he was six, and since he only lived with her for a year of his life, there wasn’t much that he was able to remember of her. He took one last look at the surrounding view from the cliff; even if the world was struggling to survive it could still paint a stunning picture. The sun was setting and the clouds were darkening. The sky was a combination of blues, reds, and oranges. The thick green trees of the forest were as far as he could see. Beyond that, he couldn’t really imagine what else there could be.
Darkness was falling quickly and he knew Agmund would be waiting for him. Agmund was the man who adopted him after his grandmother had passed. He was the only parental figure he had ever really known and could remember clearly.
Just as he was about to turn around to leave, a flock of birds suddenly swarmed out of the trees below, scattering into the sky. The sky became a shade of black, as a mass of birds clumped together and darted directly towards him. The closer they got, the larger he realized they were. They looked similar to vultures, huge vultures. Weaving in and out of the clouds, they suddenly dive bombed at a concerning angle. A few hundred feet away they were, then fifty, twenty-five…
Edwin back stepped slowly at first, considering if he should run or not. After a few seconds hesitation, he took off. Sprinting down the path to the town, there was no place to take cover or hide. The few trees gave him no protection; the birds swerved and weaved easily past them. As he ran, he turned only his head to look back, and saw the black mass was possibly made up of hundreds of birds. Were they really chasing him? He turned off the path and into a field to see if they were actually after him, or if he just happened to be in the way of something else they wanted. The flock made a sharp left and went through the branches of the trees following Edwin, making their intentions obvious. Terror rushed over him, they were chasing him.
He had no gun, no knife, nothing that could protect him. He wasn’t even sure of what kind of birds they were or what they were capable of. After the dark magic curse, the animals that survived outside of the barrier were mutant, deformed, or had nearly doubled in size - sometimes all three. They were extremely vicious and malignant; no human was to step outside the boundary, unless they had gone completely mad.
Less than twenty feet away, the sound of their wings and squawking were so loud, it was even affecting Edwin’s accustomed ears. His last resort was to sprint and dive behind a few of the large boulders at the end of the field near the cliff’s edge. At this point, there was no other option. Sweat filling his brow, he raced towards the boulders. Only a few feet left and a dangerous gallop over the top and he would be hidden safely behind it. Then what?
Coming close to the boulder, he planted one foot and pushed hard with the other to send him flying over the top of the rock. Catching the top with his left hand he pulled himself close to the rock once he had landed on the other side, inches away from the cliff’s edge. Blood trickled down his arm and colored the side of the rock red. He realized his hand had been sliced open from gripping the protruding rugged edge of the boulder.
Thud! Thud! THUD!
The sound filled the air and echoed throughout the cliff’s valley. It lasted what seemed like forever but in reality was only a few seconds. Then, complete silence.
Edwin stood up slowly, and perched his head above the top of the rock. There he saw the corpse of hundreds of birds, lying motionless on the ground. Confused, he eased into a crouching position. He climbed over the rock, and rubbed his eyes as if to rub away what he was seeing. It was as if every single bird did not see the boulder, hit it head on, and inevitable sent to its unfortunate and strange death. How could they have maneuvered so swiftly amongst the trees yet not see an enormous boulder directly in front of them?
Edwin did not waste time studying what just happened, for it had become far too dark to be out now without permission from Agmund. He hurried out of the field and towards the path back to town. It was still a mile worth of walking to reach the small house he called home. He decided that after the incident that just occurred, he would run the mile home.
It took no longer than ten minutes to reach the town’s edge. It was populated with nearly a thousand people, one of the largest towns since the dark curse. His house was on the outskirts of the town, with only a few surrounding in the far distance.
Walking in he was prepared for Agmund’s greeting to be anything short of a welcoming, and he was right.
Agmund turned around from the pantry and his brown eyes met Edwin’s. He was of average size, medium build, in his 50’s, and had a head of brown hair with more grey poppin
g up each day. Everything about Agmund was brown; brown hair, eyes, clothes, and shoes.
“Edwin, where have you been? It is dark outside; you know the dangers that lurk in the darkness.” Agmund said.
“I know, but it wasn’t my fault, I was coming home and the strangest thing happened.” Edwin responded, the event replaying in his mind.
“What happened boy?” Agmund asked with a touch of worry to his voice.
“As I was leaving the cliff to come home, a huge flock of birds lifted out of the trees and chased me. At first I thought I was just in their way but I cut into the field and they followed me…“ He started but didn’t finish.
“…Wait, what kind of birds? Why were they following you? Why were there so many?” Agmund asked, desperately awaiting the answer.
“I don’t know, but they were black birds and very large. They chased me until I could barely hear my own footsteps because they were so close.” Edwin told him.
“Well what did you do? Did they hurt you?” Agmund said quickly.
“No they didn’t touch me, I jumped behind the boulders on the edge of the cliff and they flew directly into it. I don’t know how; they maneuvered so well within the trees. How could they have not seen the huge boulders directly in front of them? Not one of them avoided it. Isn’t that strange?” Edwin said.
Agmund scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head, completely confused. He looked into Edwin’s beautiful green eyes, and considered what he was saying. “Edwin, there are no boulders near the cliff’s edge. Are you sure that’s what happened?”
“Yes there are, that’s how I escaped. I jumped behind one and they flew into it… Right before the field meets the cliff there are several large boulders, some six feet tall! We have walked by them several times; you must know where I am talking about Agmund?” He said frustrated.
He watched Edwin express his frustration, flailing his small arms everywhere to reenact. “Edwin my boy, there are no boulders there, of this I am sure. In the morning we will walk to the cliff’s edge, and I will show you…” Agmund said. With that, he walked back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Edwin continued to stand in the doorway, his mouth hung open in disbelief. He knew what had happened, he knew there were boulders there – they had practically saved his life.
Was it possible that Agmund had never seen them either, just as the birds hadn’t?
CHAPTER 2
Edwin barely slept a wink during the night. He could not get the strange events of the day before out of his mind. When the sun rose, he did as well. He was ready to venture to the cliff’s edge and show Agmund the birds. Perhaps, hundreds of birds lying on the ground would be enough evidence to prove to Agmund that Edwin had really seen what he did.
He went to the kitchen, where Agmund was already cooking their breakfast. “Are you ready to go Agmund? It will only take a few minutes.” Edwin anxiously asked.
“After you eat your breakfast we shall go.” He responded.
Edwin scarfed down the fruit, bread and eggs then headed straight for the door. Agmund shook his head and a small smile came about his face.
“Alright boy, let’s go,” he said with a chuckle. The two of them left the house and walked down the path past the edge of the town and headed towards the field near the cliff.
Walking through the field, what Edwin saw relieved him. He picked his pace up to a slow jog, headed towards the boulders. “Look!” he said to Agmund. “Look at what?” Agmund replied slowly while lifting his eyebrow.
Edwin reached the birds and stopped. “Look, here are the birds. See I told you, it really happened!” Agmund stood a few feet behind him, utterly baffled. “Edwin, I do not see any birds, or the boulders you mentioned.”
“Agmund, you must be joking. They are right here at our feet, look,” as he picked up one of the lifeless birds and held it towards Agmund. “Clearly you can see the bird in my hand?” He asked frantically. He felt like he was trapped in a dream, one of those that seemed no one would listen, no matter how much it made sense.
Agmund didn’t answer, instead he sighed and said, “Come with me…” They walked from the field and stood at the cliff’s edge, the same place Edwin stood the night before watching the sunset. There, Agmund asked him a question that would forever change the way he sees the world, literally…
“Edwin, what do you see when you look out at the valley below us?” Agmund asked the boy. “I see a vibrant forest, full of huge trees and wild creatures. Over there, there are beautiful mountains covered in trees just the same.” He replied. Agmund turned his head from looking at the valley and stared down at Edwin. His mouth came open as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out. His lips quivered, and finally after seconds of hesitation he said to Edwin, “My boy… the trees are thin and far between, barely any animals can be heard or seen, and the mountain… well, the mountain you speak of is nothing more than a small hill.”
Edwin rubbed his eyes, and shook his head; he knew what he saw. How could it be possible? Was he actually dreaming?
“Edwin, I think it is time you should know a very important aspect of your life. Through the years I have noticed the way you describe the land, and the animals you inquire. Until last night, I had told myself that it was too dangerous to tell you of your gift and your fate. Being fifteen now, I believe the truth is owed to you. You have the great gift of what legends call, a Seer. You are able to see the world in its entirety, not just what the normal human eye can see. It is one of the wonderful gifts of this world. The birds, the boulders, the many trees of the valley - they are a part of the magical world within our own. Do you understand?” Agmund said, as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders.
“Yes Agmund, I have heard of Seers before in the legends, but I have never seen one in person. How many others are there?” Edwin asked.
“There are but a few left in the world today. They live in the small villages and towns just as you and I.” Agmund then stated, “They are quite powerful and do not always use their gift for good.”
“What can they do with such a power? How could one be evil with a silly power such as seeing boulders?” Edwin asked sarcastically.
“It isn’t just seeing boulders boy, you can see glorious and dangerous creatures, along with ancient hidden places that only exist through magic, while I cannot. Those places contain enormous amounts of magic as well… One place in particular…” Agmund said but trailed off before deciding to finish his sentence.
He sighed and then finished his thought, “Your parents passed away trying to find an ancient cave.”
“What cave?” Edwin asked.
“An ancient cave that contains a very…special book.” Agmund said. Edwin’s eyes lit up, he had never been told anything about his parent’s death, and he was anxious to finally learn the details.
“Wait…how do you know how they died?” Edwin asked curiously.
“Your parents were Seers as well; they were part of the ancient legend.” Agmund explained.
“Wow. No one ever told me about my parents, my grandmother refused to tell me…” Edwin admitted. “Perhaps because she didn’t want you to know at such a young age, it is a lot to take in, you know,” said Agmund.
“Why were they looking for a book in that cave in the first place? What is so special about either of them?” Edwin asked, dying to know more.
“It is a very ancient cave that contains the most powerful dark magic spell book in existence called, Darkness.” Agmund said. Edwin didn’t respond because his flooded brain couldn’t decide what to ask next. He wanted to know every last detail concerning his parents. Agmund could tell that his mind was processing so he poured out more information without Edwin having to ask.
“Darkness, contains the spells in which the darkest magic can be absorbed to whoever reads the spell. It is quite dangerous, yet is in the center of an ancient cave, in a distant part of the forest that only Seers can see.” Agmund finished. “Was that the spell th
at placed the evil curse on Earth?” Edwin asked.
“No Edwin, that curse was nothing compared to what this spell is capable of. Legends say this curse can wipe out universes, it can let the reader control the entire galaxy with just a few words.” Agmund said.
“Why were my parents looking for it then? Why would they want to use the spell in the book? Were they bad?” Edwin asked, afraid of the answer he might receive.
“No, your parents were on a quest to find the book, and destroy it. You see, anyone gifted to be a Seer could explore, and venture to find the cave and the book inside. In the wrong hands, that book could mean the end of the world, and every world that exists. Your parent’s fates in the legends were to find the book, destroy it, and make sure that it would never have the chance to even have the wrong hands find it.” Agmund said to Edwin.
Edwin’s mind raced, after years of questioning, he was finally learning what he had dreamed of knowing. The lives of his parents were far more interesting than he could have imagined. His parents, part of the legends! How extraordinary! “Did the legends say that they would die? Could they still be alive?” Edwin asked hopefully.
“The legends were changed that day, along with the rest of the world. This was never intended for our planet’s destiny. Nefarious intercepted fate, and made it his own. Your parents paid the ultimate price trying to stop this fate from ever happening…” Agmund said, his words trailing off.
“Well has it been found yet? I mean…is anyone looking for it?” Edwin asked, curiosity flowing within him. “No it has not been found to this day, yet rumors spread throughout the towns and villages quickly of Seers in search of the ancient cave.” Agmund told. Edwin thought of how his parents had sacrificed so much to ensure peace for their world. He could barely stand knowing that they had failed, and gave their lives trying.