Realm of Druids

by Mark Hogenelst

  Bragus could sense a power radiating from the mancub, undoubtedly from the Talisman that he carried. They followed the Shah up the stone’s steps to the entrance of the mountain and inside the first cavern. As Saniel entered the mountain caverns, runes and glyphs became visible and pulsed upon a high rock wall that sealed the entrance to the magic warrens housing the springs of power.

  Under the cover of darkness, dark eyes, the colour of charcoal watched from the river. The assassins’ slid out of the river and slunk along the path and into the mountain. A battered and wounded Gron stared at Saniel and Barney as he walked into the Shah’s chamber. ‘These mankind animals are starting to get thick around here.’ He said to himself with a chuckle. Gron cleared his throat and addressed Bragus, who was speaking to some guards at the other end of the room. Gron had dried blood splattered on his black fur and walked with a noticeable limp, favouring his right leg which had suffered several bites from the werecats. He dropped his breastplate armour to the floor with a loud clang that caused everyone in the room to look around in surprise.

  The pale light from the glow worms in the walls and ceiling gave a dull sheen off Gron’s tired brown eyes. Bragus dismissed the guards and turned to face Gron. ‘Greetings Captain, I am glad that you are still alive. The messengers did not warn me that you were returning from the battle?’ Bragus indicated Gron to sit. Gron sat down on the soft sand with a moan of discomfort. A look of discontent swept over his face. ‘My Shah, the matter is worse than we think. We have stopped the witches’ army at the neck, but as we grow weaker, they grow stronger. Our scouts report that new forces and all manner of devilry are joining the chaos legion constantly.’ Bragus paused in thought then replied, ‘and the skies?’ Gron glanced out of the square cutting in the rock wall to the black sky beyond. ‘Buhoo’s owls are keeping the nightbirds from entering Aledran at night as do Ayah’s Falcons with the Ravens during the day, for now. Do we not have any more warriors to replenish our ranks?’ Gron looked hopefully at Bragus who put a giant paw softly on his shoulder.

  'I fear not my loyal Captain, for I sent what I can and what’s left is needed here for the final defence of the mountain. ’Princess Eylon spoke, ‘We have all the rangers that the Grelen and Elvene could spare. My elf rangers are near exhaustion though my clerics are just managing to hold Strala’s arcane assaults at bay.’ ‘I am worried’ replied Bragus. ‘The Daemons in league with the witches’ are likely to send them more aid then we can repel. I imagine they will commit to a tremendous push to break through to the Vale. They will eventually roll over us with the greater numbers.’ Saniel spoke up for the first time. ‘What happens then? '

  Bragus looked at Saniel with sympathetic eyes. ‘What happens then my little mancub is that they will stop at nothing to obtain the most powerful magic source in this realm. If they breach this mountain and break the magic seal to access the warrens below us then all is lost.’ Barney now spoke. ‘What are these magic chambers? And why are they so important?’ Bragus sighed. He forgot that these mankind animals had no knowledge of the arcane. ‘How do I explain this? You see my friend...’ replied Bragus showing his teeth in an unsuccessful attempt to smile. ‘All the source of magic that is pure in this realm is centred in Aledran. It is the abilities of this place that keeps the walls up between our realm and other realms, including the one where the Daemons inhabit, the Dread-Realm. The magic maintains harmony and balance and enables most of the species to co-exist. Many can call upon it that have abilities, like elves, for example.’ Everyone looked at Princess Eylon and Taegan who tilted their heads in acknowledgement.

  Bragus changed his voice to a grim tone. ‘And there are others like witches’ and goblins that are in league with the Daemons and would see their realm open to this one. The witches’ seek to have our power as well, which ultimately would unleash an assortment of Daemons to walk this realm and destroy everything in it.’ Barney asked, ‘Can you not use this magic here to drive them away once and for all?’ Gron snorted as Bragus grunted in amusement. ‘No, we are only the guardians, none of us, not even the elves fully possess the ability to fully conjure the arcane power in the caverns below.’ The Princess continued, ‘However there was once a group of beings that could control such power, but they no longer exist in this realm. Or so we thought.’ Bragus turned and looked at Saniel. ‘I think this mancub is our hope, I have seen this in the Soothsayer Chalice.’ Everyone in the chamber stared silently at Saniel, except Red Whiskers who was curled up in a corner fast asleep. One of his back legs kicked out in rhythm with his soft snores.

  Everybody began chattering at once and continued for some time. Barney and Saniel relayed each of their adventures to each other. Saniel held out his father’s necklace to show Barney, who seemed unimpressed as it appeared to be just a pretty piece of old jewellery that needed cleaning. He had seen similar looking items for sale in the market square back in Saltwood. Though he was then taken back with surprise after hearing what it had done whenever the boy had run into danger. An intense flash of violet light flared brightly outside, lighting the inside of the chamber and then fading away. It was followed closely by a distant explosion, and lingering rumble as Bragus and the Princess looked out and saw a purple afterglow in the forest near the neck. Bragus looked around the room, ‘well my friends it appears the witches’ continue to beseech all manner of black craft upon us, we cannot sit idle here any longer, and we must examine this Talisman in the Ring of Pines’.

  After ten minutes of following the bears through a honeycomb of dark tunnels, they came to the giant cavern housing the glowing Ring of Pines. Barney assured Saniel that it was safe to enter through the glowing trees, as he had recently experienced the same trepidation. Bragus instructed the others to stay beyond the outer circle as he and Princess Eylon took Saniel towards a small hollow in the centre where a curious stone, eight feet high, grey in colour and covered in symbols sat proudly in the middle. The Moonstone hummed and vibrated as Saniel lifted it by the silver chain from his shirt. ‘Place it on the ground in front of the Monolith’ Said Bragus indicating the big standing rock with a hairy paw. Saniel nodded and put the Talisman carefully on the rock floor at the base of the Monolith. Nothing happened as Saniel turned to Bragus and asked if he put it in the right spot. But Bragus and Princess Eylon said nothing, ignoring Saniel and stared intensely at the Talisman. The grey Monolith began to change colour. Pale green threads started to appear and ran over its surface. The blue pattern inside the Moonstone came to life and swirled sluggishly within. The Moonstone slowly began to rise off the ground with it's silver chain swaying loosely below. It drifted halfway up the side of the Monolith and then settled into a hidden niche fitting perfectly.

  Bragus and the Princess gasped in surprise. The Monolith and the Moonstone glowed in unison. Bragus spoke, suddenly breaking the silence. ‘You have the Moonstone Talisman, once carried by the Druids and thought vanished from this realm. Now it has returned to the host.’ Saniel replied, ‘I am not sure what you mean?’ The princess added, speaking in an almost trancelike state, ‘The Druids were powerful beings that were the guardians of this realm and kept it safe for the most part. At the height of their power, this realm was in harmony, but over many years the witches’ and goblins eroded the Druid's sway. The covens eventually rebelled openly against the druids, finding allies in the dread realm and seeking aid from the Daemons.’ ‘What happened to them?’ Replied Saniel. Bragus added. ‘Some perished in the great wars of old, some fell in league with the Daemons and others left the realm seeking an unknown higher being.

  That Moonstone you have is one of the few Talismans left behind.’ Saniel looked at the Moonstone, confused. ‘I still don’t actually know what it is and why my father had it?’ The princess spoke softly ‘The majority of Talismans in this realm were in the form of magic stones that channel and amplify the possessor’s magic power into enchantments and spells. That Moonstone is one, and my Ruby gem is another.’ Saniel looked at the deep red gem at the Pr
incesses neck; it was pulsing in unison with the green threads of the Monolith stone. Bragus added, ‘That you can wear it unaffected, and its power comes forth to you means you possess a strain of druid craft.’

  Saniel looked about in confusion as a deluge of speech suddenly filled his mind. Muffled at first, and then becoming clearer. ‘Where were the whispering voices coming from?’ He said to himself. The bear and the elf were seated on the ground concentrating on the Monolith, they hadn’t spoken. An aura of rainbow-like colours emitted from the Monolith, the Moonstone and the Ring of Pines. He suddenly felt drawn to the Monolith, as if he was the Moonstone merging to the Pines. Memories flooded his mind of events and images that were not his experiences. Of his father, who died when he was young and never really knew. Of the Talisman and the hands, it had passed through over a thousand years to his.

  He saw the aftermath of the millennium wars that warped time and space to rip the fabric of reality into alternate realms. The mortal realm and the Dread-Realm were the Daemons lived. The conflicts between the realm’s inhabitants and the purpose of the Druids in maintaining tranquillity. That he was the last descendant in this line of Druid blood, kept hidden for fear of reprisal or assassination. His six-fingered hand a sign of Daemon taint, known only to a few. Some of his forebears gone from this realm have their life force embedded in this Talisman, which has strengthened its bond to him.

  The lingering stench of the wars had given birth to the essence of an arcane power that the select races could master. Saniel saw himself with that magic power, the bond he had with the Moonstone set within the Talisman, and what he could be capable of. He saw his own recent memories, the destruction of the Draugen witchling by his own hand with the blue arcane flame in Saltwood and escaping the savage hound. The slaying of the goblins and witches’ on his travels and the calling of the Golem. He saw the bears in Aledran and wolves in the moorlands, his animal friends and finally his mother. Now he felt weak that he did not help her and realised he knew nothing of the magic, that he now had a desire to learn and master the Talisman. The voices stopped, and his visions went dark until he lost consciousness altogether.

  He awoke hours later after a dreamless sleep on a comfortable bed of dry grass fashioned into the soft sand of Bragus’s chamber. He instinctively reached to his chest and touched the Moonstone with his left hand. His six fingers closing and tightening around the Talisman which was warm to the touch. Now he felt a stronger connection to it as if he had worn it for a longer time. Jericho lay to one side and sat up to look at Saniel curiously when he opened his eyes. He reached down and nudged the mancub’s hand with his warm nose. Bragus and Princess Eylon walked from a dark entrance into the chamber, they both looked worried. ‘He is awake I think Princess’, said Jericho. Saniel sat up and yawned and quickly looked around for his other companion. Red Whiskers was on his other side and reached out with his front legs to stretch as he stood up. ‘They have not left your side.’ Bragus said with a stern look on his face. ‘How long have I been sleeping?’ asked Saniel. ‘Several hours’ replied the Princess. ‘It is an hour after midnight now.’ She added. Saniel told them all of his experience in the Ring of Pines, of his fears and aspirations and of the memories that were not his.

  After several moments of deep thought, Bragus spoke with a pang of jealousy in his voice. ‘All these years and the Monolith had never shared such visions with me.’ Princess Eylon touched Bragus lightly on the arm and said ‘Now, now you know what your purpose is here, as was your fathers and his father’s before him. You are the guardians and nothing more.’ Bragus sat down in the sand next to Saniel and looked down at him with a curious expression on his face. He shook his thick red mane causing Saniel to sneeze. He smiled and said, ‘It is a shock to me still. I have heard of the Druids from old stories and the Talisman you wear. If you were able to invoke the blue arcane flame without a Talisman artifact, then it is evident that you inherit Druid blood through your forefathers.’ He tilted his head slightly to stare at the deformity of Saniel’s left hand as it clutched tightly to the Talisman. ‘Your hand shows a trait common to that of a Druid’s ability.’ Princess Eylon added, ‘That would likely explain why his tribe on the cliffs to the west was left alone for all this time. There may have been a hint of memory with the witches’ and goblins where the last Druid had resided at Blackmire Castle, and they fear that place through an inherited instinct.’ She continued, ‘I too had visions in the Ring of Pines. I saw you with the Moonstone Talisman, and how you must make the decision to bond to it. Remember Saniel that the Moonstonelaid dormant for years and was your fathers and likely your destiny to possess it. We can help you learn to master the Talisman and not be a slave to it.’

  65.

  GORGON ASSASINS

  Red Whiskers let out a small yelp and looked at Jericho. ‘Something comes.’ He said in a frightened voice as the hair on the back of his neck stood up and his ears waggled back and forth alarmingly. Red Whiskers backed in between Saniel’s legs and stared through the doorway, into the shadowy tunnel beyond. His small lips curved upwards showing his small sharp white teeth. Jericho stood and looked at the chamber entrance growling as Bragus shuffled the Princess and Saniel to one side. He rose to his full ten feet in height and faced the doorway. Bragus shouted, ‘Guards!’ Several muffled roars came out of the dark tunnel, where the guards were posted at the other end. Their yells were cut short, followed by the sound of an object rolling in the sand. A silver helm belonging to one of the guards turned unevenly on its side out of the dark tunnel and into the chamber. It circled on the spot and then rolled to a stop with a metallic clang. The ornamental Pine Tree spike was broken off the helm, and it appeared to have fresh blood stains inside it.

  A deafening silence befell the chamber as Jericho leaned forward with his nose in the air, trying to discern the source of danger. An unusual rustling noise echoed through the tunnel towards them. Saniel nearly tripping over Red Whiskers jumped behind Bragus and felt the Moonstone pulse on his chest. He had begun to comprehend some basic signs of the Talisman and recognised it was now warning him of danger. The two assassins sent by Lady Strala had made their way through Aledran Mountain undetected to the tunnel of the Shah’s chamber, where they encountered their first obstruction. The Shah’s guards offered little resistance as they were oblivious to the assassin’s approach and unmercifully slaughtered at their post.

  The Gorgons entered the small chamber side by side and tested the air with long forked tongues. They stopped in front of Bragus and the others and rose up to a height of 12 feet, swaying hypnotically as if in a trance. Ebon eyes stared from broad, burly heads sitting atop of slender green-scaled bodies of huge snakes. Whip-like tails squirmed behind them with cruel-looking curved barbs dripping a thick green viscous liquid. A wheezing exhale of breath puffed from thin nostrils set within their blunt noses. One of them bore a giant scar at the back of its head, indicating a past encounter from another realm. They slithered silently across the sandy floor towards Bragus, who stood directly in front of them.

  Princess Eylon pushed Saniel back yelling, ‘Gorgons! Their venom is certain death!’ One of the Gorgons looked swiftly around as the larger of the two darted forwards, with its mouth open and aimed for Bragus’s head. Bragus sidestepped quickly for his size and dealt a powerful downward blow to the side of the Gorgons head with his sharp claws. The strike left deep gashes to its head causing it to roar in outrage, filling the chamber with its putrid breath and then it turned to face the bear. The princess had created a force field around Saniel and herself and crouched down, hoping it would delay the second Gorgon’s advance. The first Gorgon closed its jaws over Bragus’s arm and clamped down hard with rows of needle-like teeth, causing the Shah to bellow loudly in pain. It then threw several loops of its body that coiled around Bragus and slowly tightened, squeezing the air from him as he gulped for breath.

  He pounded the Gorgon’s head time and time again with his free paw until he weakened and became dizzy
. It raised its whip tail into the air and turned it facing the long-curved barb towards its captured prey and poised to strike. The yells of commotion brought other guards and awoke Gron and Taegan from the chambers next door. The guards hacked with massive clubs at the Gorgons head, but it failed to release its hold on Bragus who was now unconscious. Taegan saw the second creature looming over the Princess and Saniel while Jericho howled at it from one side to get its attention. He dropped to one knee and yelled the words to the striking curse, flicking his staff towards it. The staff glowed briefly as several pulsing flashes of white light vaulted across in quick succession to strike the Gorgon in the back of its head. It jerked back in reaction to the hard shocks and shook its head, hissing in anger. It turned to face its new adversary as Taegan began to utter the words to a crippling curse.

  A faint teal glow filtered into the room from the tunnel beyond accompanied by the sound of fast hooves in the sand. The light intensified as Karvu the muntjac emerged at a canter, his antlers emanating an aura from the burning blue and green veins within. In a split second, Karvu had taken in the scene in the chamber. Ignoring the first Gorgon he lowered his head with a snort and charged the monster threatening his princess. He hit the Gorgon in the centre of its mass, folding it in half and throwing its bulk against the wall. As it flew sideways, it struck out and bit the muntjac over his back and held firm. Karvu already wounded from the earlier battle fell to his knees, skidding across the sandy floor as his legs buckled under him. The Princess cried out as the Ruby gem at her throat, blazed an angry crimson. The force field protecting her and Saniel dissolved as she stood up and pushed Saniel roughly further behind her. Throwing caution to the wind, she stretched her arms towards the monster with the whites of her eyes showing as she uttered a growling guttural word under her breath. Something unseen occurred as an invisible rippling wave left the Ruby gem and struck the creature. The second Gorgon went stiff, releasing its hold on the muntjac to open its mouth and let out an anguished wail.