The Sword of Light

by Andrew G. Wood

  “Look up in the trees,” he said placing one arm around Akeev while indicating with the other upwards into the branches. To Karesh it was just a few nesting crows, but to the troll beside him, it was something entirely new to experience.

  “Oh boy, are you going to get excited when you see Neylarin,” he muttered, before realising that even if the words were understood, Akeev wouldn’t even know what that was.

  They had not travelled far into the forest when Sessi returned to Karesh’s side after scouting ahead. The young Orc was at first puzzled as to why the wolf was doing so, but the answer was soon revealed a little further on. “Ah at last!” he announced as they followed the narrow track out into a large clearing.

  Built upon a mound of earth was a small outpost, surrounded by a tall wooden fence all the way around. Karesh spotted two taller watch towers, but could not see anybody in either of them, something that gave him some cause for concern. He looked down towards Sessi, “You think it is safe boy?” he asked slowing just a little and placing a hand out to stop Akeev from wandering too far forward.

  Sessi sniffed up at the air a few times before crouching low and prowling slowly forward as if he were stalking prey. Karesh took a few steps back using the trees as cover remaining out of sight, placing a firm hand on Akeev’s arm and pulling him back a little suggesting he should do the same. “Something is not right,” he whispered over to the troll, keeping an eye on what Sessi was doing.

  The wolf moved slowly around the outer perimeter, pausing every now and then to sniff the air before advancing further. Not wanting to let Sessi go out of sight, Karesh was forced to move along the treeline meaning Akeev was dragged along with him. Whether the troll knew what was going on or not he was unsure, but thankfully he remained quiet and moved without question.

  As they moved around to the far side of the outpost, Karesh noticed something else that did not bode well. One of the gates leading in, appeared open, meaning that those residing there liked to take big risks, or more likely, things were not as they should be. Sessi slipped in through the open gate, and now out of sight, Karesh waited anxiously for him to return. Fortunately, he did not have to wait long as the wolf quickly came back into view and headed over his direction.

  “Elves?” Akeev finally added, speaking for the first time since their arrival at the outpost.

  “I have a horrible feeling that there won’t be any,” Karesh replied clutching his sword before slowly edging forward. Noticing his concern, Akeev duly held his half-staff in one hand while drawing his sword with the other. Karesh turned to see what he was doing and after giving him an approving nod, gestured he follow.

  Sessi suddenly sprang to life and made a deep growling noise. Karesh didn’t need to work out what the wolf was trying to warn him about as he could hear several sounds coming from the forest where they had just emerged. “Run!” he shouted back to Akeev. “We’ll take our chances in there,” he added pointing towards the outpost. Although carrying a backpack and holding a big two-handed sword inevitably made running somewhat awkward, Karesh made it up the slope and in through the gate. As soon as Akeev and Sessi were both inside the entrance, he pushed it shut, before lifting the heavy bar that usually held them firmly closed.

  Karesh turned quickly and noticed the first sign that there had indeed been a struggle inside the outpost, although as to why the gates had not been closed he did not know. Two bodies lay just a few yards further in as if they had been trying to run away from the entrance and he immediately noticed both had succumbed to terrible injuries. These he had seen before and was quite certain they were the result of balgraf, meaning the beasts of the Darkness had indeed been here. As to whether it was the same pack he and Akeev had taken cover from the previous night he could not be sure.

  He felt Akeev tap him on the shoulder and turned to see the troll pointing to a dark shape on the ground just between two of the outpost’s buildings. “A balgraf,” he muttered, glad to see it was not just elves that had died. That theory was also dismissed however when he spotted a dead human soldier a little further on. Karesh was well aware the human King often sent extra troops to help the elves, and he assumed this was one such person.

  Karesh felt somewhat fearful as he heard something slam into the gates they had just barred. He knew that would likely be a balgraf thumping into them trying to gain entry. While he did not doubt the integrity of the solid timber gates, he was unsure as to whether the balgraf would merely scale them, as he had seen them do with the much larger walls at Barilyn. Clutching his sword tightly with one hand he lifted the other up to his mouth indicating for Akeev to remain silent.

  Another thump came, then another, but the entrance gates held firm. Karesh looked around the walls just to check if any of the balgraf had decided to clamber over instead, and was thankful he could not see any sign of that being the case. Although trying to remain quiet, he was sure with his heart beating so loudly it would be heard. Moving his head slowly one way then the other, Karesh tried to listen for any other sounds that the creatures outside of the perimeter fencing were still there.

  Both he and Akeev stood waiting for several minutes before deciding that the danger had moved on. As a precaution, Karesh, relieving himself of his cumbersome backpack climbed one of the many sets of timber ladders that allowed access to the narrow walkways around the perimeter fence. Keeping as quiet as he could and with his head kept low, he very slowly peered over the top before scanning the tree line for any sign the creatures of the Darkness were still lurking about.

  Happy the balgraf had seemingly moved on, he clambered down and replaced his sword into the straps across his back. Seeing that he was happy and all was safe for now at least, Akeev decided to do likewise. Karesh scratched at his thick wiry hair, deep in thought, thinking something was still not right. If the forces of darkness had indeed overrun the outpost, then surely there would be many more dead bodies lying around, yet at first glance, he could only see maybe half a dozen and one of them was a balgraf.

  Walking over to what he thought was the barracks, he peered inside, but alas the long narrow room was empty. Back outside he checked in two other buildings, the supply store, which was still relatively full meaning he could at least restock, and the armoury which was as he would have expected. If any fighting had gone on here, it must have been over very quickly, as there were very few signs suggesting any significant battles.

  Sessi walked leisurely at his side as they neared what he thought was the stables, and very surprised to see movement from within. Had the balgraf not shown any interest in the horses? All the better for him if that was the case, but of course he also knew that he needed to check that movement was what he hoped it to be. Just to err on the side of caution, Karesh slowly pulled his sword free again and approached the stable doors very cautiously.

  Slowly opening the doors, he felt relieved when he could see several horses shuffling around within, although it was evident they were spooked. As to whether that was down to him being there or the fact the smell of death probably hung in the air he was unsure. Happy he was in no danger he replaced his sword and patted the nearest horse on the neck in a bid to calm it down a little.

  Karesh turned quickly as he heard something moving in one of the other stalls, startling him in the process. Knowing it was unlikely to be a balgraf he stepped over to where he thought the noise had come from and spotted something quite unexpected. “Please don’t hurt us,” came the whimpering voice of a young boy, “Have they gone?” he added.

  Karesh tried to look as unthreatening as he could, although whether an orc could appear that way to two young human children, he guessed he would soon find out.

  “Don’t worry I won't hurt you. My name is Karesh, what are your names?” he asked crouching down slightly to their level.

  “My name is Dylan…and this is my little sister Rosie,” the boy answered for both of them. Unsure as to why anybody would bring two small children to an outpost he decided to ask as to the r
eason for them being there.

  “Our father is the blacksmith. We always travel with him when he works,” the boy spoke, wiping his tearful eyes on his sleeve.

  “What about your mother?” Karesh asked without thinking, only to see the boy’s face sadden, and he realised he probably should have been a bit more thoughtful in his choice of questions. From the child’s face, he could only assume there was no longer any mother, which of course would also account for why the children had to follow their father around when he found work.

  Although Karesh did not want to upset either child any further, he needed to know where everybody was. The boy took a deep breath and after snivelling, a few times explained that both he and his sister had just finished breakfast when the guards opened the gate to allow a returning patrol back in. However, from out of nowhere, the balgraf had barged in, catching everybody by surprise. “They killed my father,” the boy sniffled again as more tears rolled down his young face.

  Karesh dreaded asking any more questions, but he needed to know where all the bodies were. Thankfully the little girl piped up and answered before he needed to ask, “They carried away lots of people,” she said in a quiet voice keeping her arm around her older brother to comfort him. Karesh nodded his head, and although he had an idea as to why the balgraf were carrying people off, he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind.

  “You’re an orc,” the little girl said reaching out and touching his face.

  “I am indeed,” he replied with a smile. “Come on, don’t be afraid I’ll help protect you now,” he said gesturing for the pair to leave the stables.

  Karesh managed to get the pair as far as the doorway before Dylan and Rosie stopped again, both pointing fearfully towards something behind him. Worried for a moment that a stray balgraf had managed to sneak up behind, he turned to see it was only Akeev and Sessi. “Don’t worry this is Sessi,” he said ruffling the fur of the wolf to show it was friendly.

  “And the big lanky looking thing is Akeev,” he added trying to lighten the mood a little at the troll’s expense.

  The little girl known as Rosie seemed to show more courage than her older brother, as she stepped forward and was first to touch Sessi just ever so slightly, before withdrawing her hand away quickly.

  “That is a troll,” Dylan suddenly spoke up pointing towards Akeev.

  “Again well done,” Karesh replied trying to force a smile. Although he was probably only two or three years older than Dylan, it showed just how much quicker Orc children matured compared to the human kind. Karesh was already bigger than most fully grown human men and he liked to think he was also quite mature for his age, despite his mother sometimes telling him to the contrary.

  Happy that the children were comfortable out of the stable, Karesh tried to ask Akeev to keep an eye on them. In all honesty, the troll appeared just as mystified at seeing humans as they were of him, although his focus of attention was soon diverted again. As Karesh led the first horse out of the stable, Akeev stepped back nervously, fumbling for his half-staff. “Relax,” Karesh said calmly holding up a hand to say it was all okay, “It’s just a horse.”

  “Horse?” Akeev replied imitating the words, causing Rosie to giggle, “Have you never seen a horse before,” she said clasping her small hand around the troll’s wrist and trying to pull him a little closer.

  Karesh rolled his eyes back. Dealing with a troll that was seeing everything in this part of the world for the first time was one thing, now he had two human children to babysit as well. “Meldra never mentioned anything about this,” he grumbled looking down to Sessi as he went back to the stable to get a second horse. However, while he was saddling up the first, another thought occurred to him. If Akeev had never seen a horse before, how was he going to manage when it came to riding one. The answer came to him quickly, “Dylan, if your father was a blacksmith, I assume you know how to ride a horse?” he asked more in hope than any real expectation. The little boy nodded in the affirmative, which he hoped might make things a little easier.

  After saddling three horses, Karesh lifted his backpack up onto one of them, before heading off to the supply stores to restock. Everybody else followed him, like lambs following their mother, not wanting to wander far from her side. Akeev suddenly got very excited and decided he also needed to take as much food as he could fit into his small bag, at least that was until he spotted a far bigger one hung up on a hook on the far wall. Karesh tried explaining to the troll that he did not need enough food to feed an entire army for a week, but alas his pleas fell on deaf ears. With the two children almost glued to his side, Karesh thought this was going to be a very long day.

  Although not usually one for crossbows, Karesh helped himself to two of them from the armoury, and again was left to watch Akeev as he appeared to want to take everything. “”No!” Karesh eventually snapped, “You do not need all this,” he said finally losing his patience. While this did have the effect of stopping the troll carrying half a dozen swords, it also started the little girl crying, which in turn started her brother off as well.

  After a far longer delay than he had wanted, Karesh finally managed to get everything he needed, loaded onto the spare horse. After mounting up and showing Akeev what the horses were for, he then helped the troll up onto his own horse, before lifting Dylan up to sit in front of him. “Here you better have these,” Karesh said handing the little boy the reins. “You sit still!” he said jabbing his finger at the troll.

  Rosie, although wanting her own horse, finally agreed to sit in front of Karesh as he remounted before they finally managed to trot across the outpost towards the gates, making sure he placed his hand over the little girl’s eyes as they passed the dead bodies on the ground. Sessi moved just ahead of them as Karesh removed the bar that held the gates shut, and with all three horses tied in a line, they slowly moved out along the forest track.

  After reiterating the warning for them to be alert and quiet, Karesh dipped his hand into his pocket and took out the strange little device given to him by the dwarf Seer. After Rosie tried to take it off him, forcing him to shout at her again, which again only started her crying, he eventually thought of Neylarin, Captial city of the Elves. If they could keep up a good pace and with a little luck and a lot of patience on his behalf they might all manage to survive and reach the safety it offered. Until that time, however, he needed to be vigilant and rely on the wolf that ambled up ahead of him.

  Chapter 3.

  Now reunited with Galdrac, Finley along with the dwarf called Mazen, his hound Madra and the Dragon Arach, made their way back towards the building where Leyna was being held captive. While the Mage had explained that he did not think she would be harmed or moved anytime soon, Finley was keen to get there nonetheless. While Arach was now large enough to carry him, he had rather reluctantly decided to take Galdrac’s advice and stick together, as opposed to flying off and being where he needed to be in a fraction of the time.

  At least having the dragon flying overhead afforded them some protection against any would-be attackers. Moreover, the strange flying balgraf that had once been untouchable as they soared out of range of anything anyone on the ground could do, now suddenly had something to think about. Although such a meeting had not yet taken place, Galdrac for one knew it was only a matter of time before the paths of the dragon and the flying balgraf met.

  Mazen had the previous day sent a messenger bird back to the Commander in the capital Durn Raldun to explain his progress. The reply had come back much quicker than any of them had anticipated, as the hawk he used landed gently down on his arm. Attached to its leg was a small cylinder, in which Mazen knew would be a slip of paper giving the latest developments.

  “Well! What does it say? Or are you keeping the news to yourself?” Galdrac asked in his usual brash manner. While the old Mage was inevitably rude and spoke his mind, Finley thought it was never actually meant in a nasty way, and since getting to know him a little better, he for one thought it quite funny
in strange kind of way. Mazen, the dwarf, seemed to take anything Galdrac threw at him and appeared totally unperturbed by any remark aimed his direction.

  “Looks like he is keeping us in the dark!” Galdrac grumbled to Finley who was walking between the two of them. Mazen chuckled, “I only do it to annoy him,” Finley heard the Dwarf whisper as he leant over slightly towards him.

  “I heard that!” Galdrac grumbled, before mumbling several expletives under his breath. After deciding, that he had annoyed the Mage long enough, Mazen explained what the note had said. Apparently, the main bulk of the army of balgraf had dispersed from outside the capital, although some did remain and had taken up positions outside the main gate. As of yet, the Commander had not sent any kind of force out to deal with it, as he was not sure whether it was a trap or not to lure his troops out into the open.

  “What else?” Galdrac asked

  “Nothing. That is it,” Mazen explained, reminding him that it was only a tiny piece of paper.

  Once more Galdrac mumbled something under his breath, before picking up the pace just a little as if annoyed by their presence. Finley even afforded a smile as he watched the old Mage, glad the first part of his group was now back together. Soon, he thought they could add his mother, then they would need to find Karesh, who he hoped was soon to be heading back to the Elven capital, or at least that is where he was trying to get Sessi to lead him.