Children of the Cursed

by A E Stanfill

  His loyal knights did as they were commanded and entered her home unannounced, killing everyone in the household but her. When the time came he forced her into marrying him, and she became his Queen. However she wasn't evil like King Roland, and the people of Bondora loved her unconditionally. She let her radiance shower over all, and that infuriated the King. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't keep her beauty and radiance to himself. In a fit of rage, King Roland locked her away in the deepest darkest part of the woods.”

  “In this cave,” Leon interrupted.

  “Exactly.” Gawain nodded.

  “What happened next?” Ellyn asked. She was holding onto every word Gawain had said up until that point, and desperately wanted to know the ending of the story.

  Gawain smiled at the young girl's persistence, “Well Ellyn, the Queen was locked away in this very cave by the evil King Roland. No he didn't kill her, for his love for her was strong, instead, he would come to visit her, feed her, and all the other things that were necessary to keep her alive. Nevertheless, being locked away from the outside world, no longer being able to feel the love of her people made her very sorrowful.

  One day that sorrow consumed her, eventually turning her into a specter-like being that was full of rage and hatred. King Roland had no idea what had become of his Queen, until the final day that he had gone to pay her a visit. Once inside the cave, she ensnared him in darkness, and took out all of her pain and sorrow out upon him. Before he died King Roland had felt all the pain and sorrow that he himself had caused her. Legend has it, she still lives inside this cave, making all who dare enter feel her pain.”

  “That would explain why someone would place a piece of a legendary blade inside this cave,” Leon said, “I mean after hearing that story who would be dumb enough to try and take it?”

  “You ask who would be that stupid? Oh wait, that would be us,” Ulrich interrupted.

  “The tale of what happened to the Queen is so sad, and all the two of you can talk about is a piece of a sword inside the cave,” Ellyn said.

  Leon looked at her frowning, “It is sad, Ellyn. But we came here for a reason, not to feel sorry for the specter being inside.”

  “Hey old man,” Ulrich interrupted again. “Are we going to stand out here and talk or are we going to retrieve what's inside?” He was done with all the talking, Ulrich wanted to see firsthand what all the fuss was about with this cave. Plus he was also in a hurry to test his skills against something more powerful than mere men.

  “Patience, Ulrich,” Gawain responded. “First make sure that you have equipped yourselves well, then and only then, shall we head inside.”

  “I've been ready since we got here.” Ulrich bolstered.

  “Same here.” Leon grinned.

  “I don't truly believe that any of us are ready for what lies ahead,” Ellyn hesitantly said. “But if all of you are wondering if I'm ready or not, then the answer is yes.”

  Gawain smiled at the three of them, he trusted in his students’ skills, and Ellyn seemed like she could hold her own as well. However, he was still worried that Leon might lose control again, and that Ulrich might use the forbidden arts inside the cave, and this could end badly if either were to happen. “If everyone is set, then let's be on our way.” Gawain reached out and grabbed a big sized tree branch, casting a fire spell from his hand that caught the end of the branch ablaze like a torch.

  Master Gawain led the way into the cave followed by Ulrich, with Ellyn pretty much right beside him grabbing at his hand, while Leon was following close by, making sure that they were not going to get attacked from behind. The cave itself was dark and dreary, there was a foul smell in the air, it was the smell of death and rotting flesh. And the jagged edges of the rocks could cut the flesh on contact. “Watch your step, I sense something is amiss.” Gawain warned the others.

  “All I see is an empty cave, if you're sensing something it has to be the foul smell coming from yourself, old man.” Ulrich joked.

  “This is no time for jokes, Ulrich,” Gawain remonstrated. “We are coming up on a part of the cave that is well lit, which is odd indeed. Prepare yourselves for battle just in case.” He walked into the part of the cave that was well lit first, followed by the others. Instead of finding death and decay, they stumbled upon a room of absolute wonder. There was gold as far as the eye could see, and a large stone table in the center of the room with several chairs placed around it.

  “Why is there gold and jewels in this cave?” Ulrich asked, with the look of wonder and disbelief on his face.

  Gawain had the same look like that of Ulrich, “I haven't the slightest idea, the legend does not speak of such a wonder in this cave.”

  “That could only mean one thing,” Ellyn said. “We have stumbled upon the hideout of a band of thieves.”

  “Thieves.” Ulrich laughed. “Those buffoons wouldn't last a minute in a place like this.”

  “That's not true!” Ellyn shouted. “The thieves that took me were just as skilled as some of the knights that I have seen, maybe even better.”

  Ellyn's words troubled Gawain deeply, but his thoughts went elsewhere when Leon darted into the room shouting about something coming their way. “They're coming. Get ready!”

  “Who is coming?” Gawain questioned. “Leon, tell us!”

  Leon unsheathed his sword, “Them.” He pointed.

  About that time ten or more undead soldiers surrounded the four of them. “Oh. This doesn't look good.” Gawain nervously swallowed.

  “Not the time, Master Gawain.” Leon scolded. “What now?”

  “We defeat them of course.”

  The whole cave filled with laughter from the undead soldiers, “You defeat us?” One laughed. “You are but one man, along with a handful of children. How do you expect to even survive?”

  “Did someone say children?” Another asked. “I love children. They're so tender and tasty.”

  “Look at the weapons they carry!” Another shouted. “We could have some use for those.”

  “I hate the stench of the undead,” Gawain snarled. He unsheathed his sword and cut off the head from one of the undead soldiers. “Do not leave a single one standing.” That was the sign to attack and Ellyn, Leon, and Ulrich joined Gawain in battle. Sounds of steel clashing against steel could be heard throughout the cave as the battle waged on between the undead soldiers against Gawain with his students and Ellyn by his side.

  “Too slow!” Leon shouted as he dodged one of the attacks. He countered with a move of his own, taking his blade and cutting off the undead soldiers arm. “Take that.” He cheered, but to his dismay, the soldier kept coming at him.

  Ellyn used one of her quick attacks to cut the limbs off a few of the dead soldiers, but just like they had done with Leon, the soldiers kept pressing the attack. “What gives,” she hissed.

  Ulrich was having the same troubles with the soldiers as well, every time he would cut a few of them down, they would rise back up and keep attacking him. “How can we defeat them if they keep getting back up?”

  “I have an idea, Ulrich.” Leon insisted. “Let's unleash our combo attack.”

  “You mean the ring of fire?” Ulrich asked.

  “That's exactly what I mean,” Leon replied. “Think about it, these soldiers are already dead. We may not be able to defeat them with our swords, but we can sure as hell turn them into dust with fire.”

  “But you know how badly that weakens us after we use that move.” Ulrich explained.

  “Do you have a better idea?” Leon asked, dodging another attack.

  Gawain listened in on Leon and Ulrich's conversation closely, but as badly as he wanted to see the attack the two were talking about, in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't let it happen. He needed his students at full strength for what awaited them deeper into the cave, but Leon and Ulrich were right about one thing. Using fire would end this battle swiftly, “Ellyn, Leon, Ulrich. Get down!” Gawain shouted.

  He chanted w
hat sounded like a spell, “God of fire heeds my call. Lend me your strength and save us all. God of fire heeds my call. Lend me your strength.” Gawain held out his left hand, and the others watched as it turned red with fire. They realized what was about to happen and the three took cover, watching as fire exploded from Gawain's hand like a volcano, setting all the undead soldiers ablaze.

  They watched with amazement as the fire burned every soldier in the room into nothing more than ash. “That was amazing,” the three exclaimed.

  “How did you do that?” Ulrich asked, and you could tell by the tone of his voice that he had gained a little bit of respect for Gawain, just a little. “I thought you didn't use the Dark Arts.”

  “That was not the Dark Arts.” Gawain glared. “It was a spell of fire, but no matter, the path is now clear, let us be on our way.” He walked on ahead.

  “Can you teach us how to do that?” Ellyn excitedly asked as they walked deeper into the cave.

  “Sorry, you're not one of my students. It is forbidden to teach outsiders such things,” Gawain answered.

  “Can't blame a girl for trying.” She pouted.

  “Well, what about Leon, and myself?” Ulrich asked.

  “The two of you are not ready to handle such power,” Gawain responded.

  “Hmph. Shows how much you know.” The little respect Gawain had gained from Ulrich quickly faded.

  Gawain ignored Ulrich's protests and kept walking on. “We draw near to the next part of the trial now, so be prepared for anything.”

  “Ignore me all you want, but know this. Someday I will be stronger than even you, even stronger than Lord Alistair,” Ulrich proclaimed. “One more thing, if you don't tell Headmaster Caine of the riches in this cave, I will.”

  “Do as you wish, Ulrich,” Gawain replied. “Know that power and riches is not what the world is all about.” As they walked further into the depths of the cave the atmosphere started to change yet again; the darkness was getting heavier, and even with the aid of the torch it was hard to see. Even breathing became a chore as the air was thinning out.

  “Everyone stop!” Ellyn demanded.

  “What is it, Ellyn?” Gawain jumped. “Do you see something amiss?”

  Leon and Ulrich unsheathed their blades with haste, preparing themselves for a battle, “I don't see anything, do you?” Leon asked.

  “No, I don't see a thing,” Ulrich responded.

  “Would you guys please calm down?” Ellyn grumbled.

  “Why did you tell us to stop?” Gawain questioned.

  “The air in this part of the cave is thinning out, we won't last long like this.” Ellyn explained. “But I can help.”

  “How can you help?” Gawain asked out of curiosity.

  “I know a few magical spells.” Ellyn giggled. “And one helps you to breathe when there is no air to do so.”

  “Then why didn't you just say that in the first place?”

  “I just did.” Ellyn joked. “What I need the three of you to do, is stand perfectly still. Got it?” Moments later she cast a spell that placed a white aura around the lot of them.

  “What did you do?” Leon gasped.

  Ellyn giggled again, “Did you not listen?” she said. “I cast a spell of breathing on us.”

  Leon took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air, “It really worked.”

  “Of course it worked, silly. I told you that I would be of use.” Ellyn happily responded.

  “Thank you, Ellyn, I owe you my gratitude.” Gawain said with a warm smile on his face. “It would be wise to push on now that we can breathe. We don't want the cave dwellers to be upon us too quickly.”

  "What are cave dwellers?” Ulrich asked as they pressed on.

  There was no response from Gawain so Ulrich asked again, “Hey, old man. What are cave dwellers?”

  “You will find out soon enough,” Gawain grimly replied.

  “That's comforting,” Leon said sarcastically.

  Gawain stopped walking, and instantly his sword was in his hand. “Looks like you will find out sooner than later, Ulrich!” he shouted. “Get ready to defend yourselves.”

  Shadows could be seen moving all around them, it seemed as though the very walls of the cave itself were starting to come to life. “What in the hell is happening?” Leon shouted nervously

  “It’s the cave dwellers!” Gawain shouted back. “When one tries to attack, aim anywhere you see flesh, it's the only way you can kill them.” While Gawain was trying to explain things to the young ones, a cave dweller jumped out of the shadows and tried to attack him. It was the first time he had ever seen one up close and personal.

  Its eyes were of a yellowish color from being in the darkness for far too long. The cave dweller’s teeth were razor sharp, that much Gawain could tell when it tried to bite at him, they also seemed to like using their long fingernails as weapons. And their only form of defense was the stones that had somehow fused with their bodies. Gawain had heard that these dwellers were once humans, but he found that hard to believe. “Remember, you can kill them by hitting their weak spots,” Gawain explained once more, turning to face another dweller jumping out of the darkness towards his face.

  He quickly punched the thing with the hilt of his blade, sending the monster crashing to the ground. Gawain then stabbed the flesh of the dweller with his blade, killing it instantly. The blood of the monster was a bright green that glowed in the darkness; if these things were once human, then living in the depths of the cave changed them into something far more sinister than one could imagine.

  Leon watched the true skills of his Master shine. But watching wasn't the same as participating as he found himself being attacked by the dwellers. Now was the time to put his own skills to the test. Leon tried to attack one of the monsters but it dodged his attack, countering with one of its own.

  The dweller swung its razor-like claws at Leon, barely grazing his armor, and Leon knew if he didn’t become quicker with his attacks the dwellers would surely make short work of him. Leon made the decision to switch up his stance, and the next time he swung his blade his attack was ten times faster and stronger. “Take that,” he shouted, killing two more dwellers.

  Ulrich witnessed Leon's skill with the way of the blade drastically improve. “Nice moves, Leon.” However, Ulrich wasn't one to be shown up by someone he felt was less skilled than him. Ulrich proceeded to lift his sword in the air, casting another forbidden arts spell that turned his blade a blackish tint.

  When he swung the blade it unleashed a tremendous power that killed five attacking cave dwellers at once. “What did you think about that?” Ulrich bragged. “Bet you didn't think I could do something so amazing, did you?”

  “What kind of attack was that?” Leon excitedly asked, swinging his blade and taking down a couple more monsters.

  “He used one of the forbidden Dark Arts.” Gawain grumbled.

  “I want to learn how to use an attack like that.”

  “You will not learn the Dark Arts. Just like I told Ulrich to never use a spell like that again. You have no idea the evil that you can unleash.”

  “You're just scared, old man.”

  “Ulrich, do not talk to Master Gawain in such a way.”

  “And you need to stop kissing the old man’s ass, Leon,” Ulrich barked, he was getting tired of Leon stepping in to confront him every time he had words with Gawain.

  “Can we discuss this later, guys. We have more cave dwellers on the way.” Ellyn informed them after she kicked one of the dwellers in the face.

  Shrieking could be heard echoing throughout the cave, “I think there's going to be a lot more than that,” Gawain responded. He turned to face them, with only one word coming from his mouth. “Run!” Within minutes you could hear hundreds, if not thousands of cave dwellers running straight for them. Gawain leads the charge into the depths of the cave with Ellyn, Leon, and Ulrich hot on his heels. With the dwellers starting to come at them from every angle, it looked very b
leak for the brave souls.

  “They're coming from every direction!” Leon shouted.

  “Just keep running,” Gawain said. “If they try to attack then knock them back, but whatever you do, don't stop running.” the four of them ran through the cave as fast as their feet would carry them, and around every corner a dweller would jump out and try to impede them. But Gawain and his students would have none of it and did whatever it took to push the onslaught back. To the group's confusion, when they reached a certain part of the cave the dwellers stopped and refused to follow further, and some were even seen running away in fear.

  “What's gotten into them?” Ellyn asked.

  “They're scared of us, what else could it be.” Ulrich bragged.

  Gawain watched the cave dwellers tremble with fear, refusing to give chase, making his stomach churn. Fear was even starting to grip Gawain like it had the cave dwellers. ‘Why am I stricken with fear?’ Then he began to realize which part of the cave he and his students had stumbled upon, “I'm afraid that's not the case, Ulrich,” Gawain said with a shaky voice.

  “Are you actually scared?” Ulrich laughed.

  “To be honest this part of the cave is making the fear run up my spine. And once you realize where we have found ourselves, fear will take hold of you as well.”

  “Something about this part of the cave feels wrong,” Ellyn interrupted, fighting back her tears. “It makes me sad.”

  “Fight back your feelings, Ellyn,” Gawain said. “For we near the Queen Of Sorrow's lair, and it will only get worse from here.”

  “How do I fight back what I feel?”

  “I can't answer that, you will just have to try, or the feeling of sorrow will consume you.”

  “Hmm.” Ulrich reacted.

  “What is it, Ulrich?” Gawain asked.

  “I don't feel anything,” he answered. “Shouldn't I feel at least something?”

  “I'm not sure how to answer that either, all I can figure is that somehow you are immune to the spell the Queen casts upon this cave.” Gawain looked at Ulrich perplexed. “How about you Leon, do you feel any different?”