Wilmurin: Land of Darkness

by H. J. Cronin

  King Bemnom finally spoke. 'I will send a detachment of troops to deal with this problem.'

  'But a lot of men will die,' Bry protested. 'Send me, Father, I will kill the beast.'

  Her father smiled at her, he admired the bravery of his daughter. A powerful woman she had become, but trolls were deadly and Bry didn't have the experience. 'Not this time my brave daughter, none of us has fought a troll before. I will not send my daughter to fight an unknown enemy.'

  'But Father – I am more than capable of this task, send me,' Bry insisted.

  'I know you are, but I would never forgive myself if anything ill happened to you. End of discussion,' the king said in a dismissive tone.

  'Father,' Bethegar said before Bry could protest further. 'Myself and Brehan will go. Spare the lives of our men.'

  Brehan was taken aback at the mention of his name. He stood immediately. 'I have business elsewhere, brother. Take a handful of men with you, I will skip this one,' he said.

  Bethegar’s mood now changed, he frowned, pointed at this brother and spoke harshly, 'You would risk the lives of our men for a lesser task? To think that one day you will be king.'

  'You can complete this task without me. What are a few lives of men-at-arms?' Brehan said with a smile.

  Before Bethegar could respond the king interrupted, 'I have already said I will not have my sons argue. Bethegar will lead a small detachment of troops into the Dark Wood. Trolls are creatures who can reason, try and get him to leave peacefully.'

  Bethegar shook his head – he was disgusted with his brother’s behaviour. 'I will go in alone,' he said, staring at his elder brother. 'This is not a discussion any more. I will seek out this troll and offer him our terms, and if he doesn't comply I will kill him,' he said coldly.

  King Bemnom sensed his son's tone and nodded his head in agreement. 'So be it, my son. You three are dismissed,' he said, and his three children left the small room.

  Brehan left without a word to his siblings. Once in the Great Hall, Bry called after Bethegar and spoke to him in a whisper, 'Please let me come with you, Bethegar. From what I have read, trolls are extremely dangerous.'

  Bethegar put a hand on his sister's cheek and spoke gently to her, 'I will do this one, you are safer here. You will be queen should Brehan and me die.' He paused for a moment before continuing, 'We need to watch Brehan when he returns, he has been acting strangely lately. Particularly when he is around Father.'

  'Don't you trust him? What are you getting at?' asked Bry, concerned by her brothers remark.

  'I don't know,' shrugged Bethegar. 'We will watch him, anyway,’

  Bry nodded, not quite knowing what to make of what Bethegar had said. They embraced and Bethegar left immediately for the Dark Wood.

  The Dark Wood was appropriately named, it was a cold and gloomy forest. Every day there was a battle between the sunlight and the treetops, a battle the sun never won. There were no singing birds, only the noise of fallen leaves rustling in the wind. People seldom stayed for very long in the Dark Wood – stories of monsters and evil did well to keep them out. The Dark Wood was in the north of Wilmurin and was vast. Its strategic position, surrounding Bemon, was the one good thing that the bears had to say about it. It formed an arc around the city, as if it were a great natural wall; city and wood were separated by a large green field, both ends of it kissing the snow-tipped mountains.

  It hadn't always been dark and gloomy, once upon a time it was a thriving forest full of animals and beautiful singing birds. The druids would walk amongst the trees telling their tales of old. It wasn't until the fall of Count Darkool that the wood turned dark. Now you would be lucky to see a flower.

  Bethegar walked slowly through the north-east side of the Dark Wood, near to where the sentry had reported seeing the troll. Bethegar was not normally a nervous man, but now some trepidation gripped his mind. He felt as if the trees were watching his every move; he felt unwelcome.

  The only noises that he could hear were own his heavy breathing and his feet amongst the leaves. It was daytime and the sun shone, but, in this inhospitable environment, Bethegar couldn't tell day from night, except for tiny rays of light that shone through the canopy. It had taken him two days to get to this place; judging by what the sentry said, the troll would be near.

  Bethegar was apprehensive about confronting the troll; he had never seen one before. Trolls had been just a part of stories told by his grandfather, stories about them coming to villages and stealing children, tales about conflicts between the giants and trolls when the giants had first come to Wilmurin. All Bethegar knew of trolls from the stories was that they were large and dangerous.

  Bethegar approached a small glade in the forest, dominated by a well in the clearing; beyond, the Dark Wood looked as menacing as ever. He noticed a man sitting in front of the well, leaning on the brickwork, and, as he got closer, Bethegar noticed the man was a member of one of his father's patrols, and he was dead; the man's legs had been crushed by what must have been a large blunt object. Now Bethegar stood in front of the man’s body and saw the handiwork of the troll; behind the well, just in front of the tree line, were two more men, sprawled out on the ground, their bodies barely recognisable. Bethegar was angered by the loss of life and walked on, and soon found himself back in the Dark Wood.

  Bethegar continued his search for the rest of the day. For a moment he considered returning to Bemon, thinking that the troll had possibly returned to the mountains. He would accompany a detachment of troops to seek out the troll – two dozen men would be better than one. It was then that he heard a groan, a sort of low murmur. He carried on a little further up a small hill and, when he reached the top, there in front of him was the beast.

  The troll chewed on a large bone, making strange noises as he gorged on the unknown meat. The troll was twice the size of Bethegar, maybe even Brehan, who was a foot taller than Bethegar. The troll had a hairy back and legs, its chest was bare and it had pale skin. Its face was large and wrinkly, its features dominated by a round nose. By its side on the ground was a large club the size of a tree, but much thicker and three times as menacing.

  Bethegar stood on a twig he had not seen and the sound of it breaking echoed around the immediate area. Bethegar cursed as the troll spun around and glared at him, its eyes like black pools.

  'Who are you sneaking up on Grimneck like a rat?' demanded the troll, its male voice hoarse but not unintelligent.

  For a moment Bethegar froze; he didn't know whether to attack or talk or flee. He gathered himself and spoke gently but with some authority, 'Hail Grimneck, I am Bethegar, son of King Bemnom of the Clan of the Bear. By the authority of King Bemnom I come to demand you return to your mountain under the treaty signed five centuries ago.'

  Grimneck laughed at Bethegar, almost falling over in his mirth. 'Why should I listen to the will of a druid? I am Grimneck, king of the trolls,' he said proudly.

  'These lands belong to the Clan of the Bear. Your people were humbled five hundred years ago, and because you sided with the enemy you were banished to the mountains. Leave now,' Bethegar demanded.

  'You do not give me a history lesson about events I witnessed. I was there when my father signed the treaty. Our clan was shamed and lived hard in the cold mountains. I do as I please but first I will kill you.'

  'I offer you life, Grimneck, take it,' Bethegar reasoned.

  Grimneck smiled, revealing rotten, yellow teeth. 'Your time is up, druid, for he is coming, the one who turned this woodland dark. The hooded man told me so,' the troll said with a sinister smile.

  'What hooded man?' demanded Bethegar, wondering who this ‘he’ could be.

  'A necromancer. The dark one is coming, he will spread fire and death – the world will be in ruin.'

  'Who is this dark one you speak of?' thoughts raced through Bethegar’s mind. One thought haunted him, 'Is it Count Darkool you speak of?'

  Grimneck laughed.

  Bethegar was infuriated and spoke to G
rimneck in a menacing tone, 'Answer my question, troll!'

  The troll’s expression became serious and he spoke with a snarl, 'Do not call me that – you know the true name of my people.'

  Bethegar didn't know much about trolls but he knew what they didn't like to be called; with a smirk he curled his lip and uttered one word, 'Tréshnak.'

  The troll’s expression gave away pure hatred upon the mention of that word, which was extremely offensive in the troll tongue. Bethegar did not know what it meant, he only knew that the troll wouldn't like it.

  Grimneck gave an enormous roar, and before Bethegar could react the troll had picked his club up and swung it at the unsuspecting druid. The thick wooden club connected with his stomach sending Bethegar reeling backwards through the air. The druid crashed into the tree with a crack and fell to the ground. Grimneck was instantly on him again, and a winded Bethegar only just managed to dodge the troll’s would-be fatal blows.

  The troll swung his club around and around, trying to catch the druid. He growled as he renewed his attack. One blow would be all it would take. The troll had already destroyed two trees in his attempt to strike the druid, causing bark to shoot through the air wildly.

  Now Bethegar could catch his breath he decided it was time to turn this into a fair fight. As he ran his arms grew in length, as did his legs, and soon he was twice his normal size; thick hair began to grow from his body as his face narrowed into the shape of a bear. Bethegar had taken on his large brown bear form and now raced away from the troll, picking a moment to turn around so he could go on the offensive.

  There was a good distance now between the two beasts so Bethegar turned and ran towards the troll, growling as he charged. The two clashed with a thud that shook the very ground. Bethegar dodged dangerous attacks from the troll, and even managed to get some attacks in using his razor-like claws. The troll had thick skin, almost like a natural armour, and the bear found it hard to even graze the troll, but he did manage to inflict several slash wounds.

  Grimneck attacked with a ferocity and agility Bethegar had not expected from a beast of that size. Bethegar was once again defending himself from the club swings. He ducked his head too soon resulting in the troll striking him with his club, causing the bear to be launched into the air. For the second time in this fight, Bethegar found himself flying towards a tree. This time, however, because of his sheer size his hitting the tree caused it to snap in half. Grimneck managed to avoid the falling tree as it hit the ground in a shower of bark and dust.

  The bear lay on his side; once again, Bethegar was winded. He let out a small howl of pain as the troll slowly approached him, dragging the heavy club along the ground. 'You cannot win, druid, I am Grimneck the Powerful. I have bested you and now you will face the consequence of challenging me,' said the troll in a menacing tone.

  As the troll raised the club above his head, ready to crush the bear, Bethegar saw an opportunity. The bear forced himself up and pounced on the troll; with all of his might he clawed and slashed. His powerful swings finally tore through the armour-like skin of the troll. Green blood poured from wounds as the troll squealed in agony. Grimneck managed to get a grip on the ferocious bear and threw him to one side; Bethegar was on his feet again and once more the two beasts were facing off.

  Bethegar growled at the troll who snarled in return, they circled each other for a moment, neither making a move. It was Grimneck that attacked first; he swung his club around, trying to get a lucky fatal blow, but Bethegar was faster. He attacked again, and this time managed to get a grip on the troll’s feet with his front paws and threw it, with all of his power, into a tree. The tree didn't break but the crack of the troll’s back on the wood echoed throughout the Dark Wood.

  Now Grimneck stood, visibly dazed; the tide had turned and the bear saw his opportunity. He launched himself at the troll with all of his strength. Bethegar and the troll collided and began fighting on the ground, with bites, claws, punches, kicks, and slashes.

  Grimneck managed to reach for his club and hit Bethegar in the side. The bear stopped his attack and stalemate followed. Bethegar felt exhausted, he had not anticipated his foe would be this tough, despite the stories he had heard of the trolls’ viciousness. The two beasts circled each other, daring one another to make the first move with glaring eyes. Bethegar returned to his human form to try to reason with the troll.

  'Your time is up, druid,' Grimneck said harshly; the bear had mauled parts of his skin. 'Once I am done with you I will feast on your flesh and then my clan will come down and wreak havoc on your land.'

  'Never, you abomination,' Bethegar shouted out at him, catching his breath. 'I protect my father's land. I ask you one last time, leave now and return to your home in peace.'

  The troll laughed and spat before speaking in a menacing tone, 'Do you not know your death is at hand, druid? Again I say it, your world will fall, he is coming. Your people will be slaves, your warriors decimated. Give up, bear.'

  'Anybody that wishes ill on my father's land must answer to me! Bethegar, son of King Bemnom. Grimneck, the Clan of the Bear sentences you to death.'

  This clearly angered the troll; with a loud growl, Grimneck charged at Bethegar. As he reached the seemingly defenceless druid he swung his club with all of his might. The club head came towards Bethegar at an alarming speed. The druid managed to duck in time as the club flew over his head, and the momentum caused the troll to topple over and fall to the ground. This time, Bethegar quickly took advantage, transforming into his bear form. The bear now pounced on the unsuspecting troll and again rapidly slashed him many times. Grimneck had been taken by surprise, and he couldn't defend himself. The bear seized the moment to finish it, with his mouth and razor-like teeth; he bit the neck of the troll. Horrible tasting troll blood poured into his mouth but Bethegar had to endure it to win. With all the power he could muster in his jaw, he ripped out the troll’s throat and then spat it out.

  A gurgling sound came from the troll as blood filled his mouth and poured from the open wound on his neck. There was nothing he could do; his time was up. Bethegar returned to his human form and sat down for a while, staring down at the dead troll. He pitied the beast for a moment, disappointed that he hadn't been able to persuade the beast to leave. After a brief reflection, Bethegar remembered what the troll had said about ‘him’ returning; he needed to tell his father about the necromancer and the worst news of all, the possibility that Count Darkool would return.

  'A very interesting tale, my son,' King Bemnom said after hearing his son’s account of the confrontation with the troll the previous week. He was particularly interested to hear about the necromancer. They sat in a small room by the kitchen of the Great Hall and drank mead.

  'Can he return, Father?' asked Bethegar, watching for any giveaway expressions.

  The king closed his eyes and sighed before starting, 'Do not breathe a word of this to anybody, not even your brother or sister.' Bethegar nodded, wondering what his father knew; his thoughts were interrupted by his father's insistent look.

  'Yes, Father, I promise, what is it?'

  'Not long before you left, the Eagle was here. He hunts a necromancer who quite possibly knows how to bring Count Darkool back. If that troll was told by the necromancer to leave his home, then I can only fear the Eagle was right. We cannot be certain, and we will not cause panic and alarm throughout the city on the word of a troll. We must hang back and wait for more evidence, then I can summon the council.'

  'But Father, I think we should act now. If the Dark Count returns we must strike him while he is weak,' said Bethegar.

  King Bemnom shook his head. 'I will not risk another war on the word of a beast, especially a troll. My decision is final,' he said dismissively. Bethegar started to protest but King Bemnom cut him off, 'Not another word on it, son, not until we know more.'

  Bethegar wanted to continue his argument but knew better and kept his mouth shut. Bemnom then put his arm around his son and the pair walked out i
nto the feasting hall. It was packed with men and women, nobles and warriors, waiting to celebrate Bethegar’s victory over the troll. The people were loud and cheerful, waiting for King Bemnom to declare the start of the celebrations. Bry acknowledged her brother and embraced him, thankful that he had returned safe; still she felt a little disappointed that she hadn't gone with him but she was proud of him nonetheless. Brehan had not yet returned from his trip.

  'People of Bemon,' bellowed the king. 'We are gathered here to celebrate my son’s great victory over the monstrous troll. Thanks to his victory, no longer will the trolls dare to set foot in our land.' The people cheered as the king continued, 'It is with great honour that I raise my glass to toast my son, Bethegar!' The people cheered and drank to their hero. 'Let the feast begin!' King Bemnom declared, and straight awat the people began to eat and party, a party that lasted the rest of the night.

  Two and a half weeks passed quietly and uneventfully. Bethegar had used the time to recover from his struggle with the vicious troll. His father called him urgently so he made his way from the armoury to the hall immediately. Once he arrived he saw his father sitting down with Brehan and Bry at his side.

  'Greetings, brother, congratulations on that business with the troll,' Brehan said as his brother approached.

  'Good of you to return Brehan,' Bethegar remarked sarcastically.

  Before Brehan could respond the king intervened, 'Ah, now Bethegar is here I may begin. As you three know, Johan is returning with Ardag, and they will be here tomorrow. Bethegar, like I said before, I would like you to meet and greet the Night Hunter and assure he arrives here safely. Bry, you will go with him.'

  Bethegar nodded and gave his sister a look. Bry thought for a moment, remembering that Bethegar had asked her to keep an eye on Brehan. She shook her head, 'No, Father, I will stay here, Bethegar is capable of this task. I am afraid, especially because of that troll,' she lied.