by Chuck Black
“Seize him!” the prefect shouted to his aids.
Leinad knew he had but one chance. “This morning my father was murdered by the Dark Knight!”
The approaching men and the crowd fell silent and still. It gave Leinad the opportunity he needed. However, the message he delivered was hard to speak, and the emotions began to swell within him as he thought of his father.
“The Dark Knight is a myth!” a man shouted from the crowd.
“No!” Leinad said. “I have seen him with my own eyes! He is very real and every bit as vicious as the stories portray. Though he is evil and powerful, even he was preparing to leave this land because of the devastation that is about to occur. Your lives and your children’s lives are at stake! You must flee to the hills if you want to live. The Vactor Deluge is coming and will devour every living thing in its path, including you. It may be approaching the city even as we speak. You must believe me!”
The silence that followed Leinad’s urgent warning slowly became a low rumble of indistinguishable voices.
The prefect stepped forward. “People, people! Have I ever allowed this community to be harmed in the past? No, of course not.” He quickly answered his own question. “How many of you have ever heard of such a thing as these Vactor creatures?” He paused and scanned the crowd. “That’s what I thought. Well, neither have I. This morning we awoke and began celebrating a wedding. Tonight we will continue that celebration on into tomorrow. This boy is trying to frighten you into leaving Mankin and all of your belongings behind. How do we know he is not part of a band of thieves that will rob you once you’ve left? Do not worry. Life will continue as it always has.”
Leinad felt the people slipping into apathetic disbelief. “If you do not leave the town now, you will die! This warning is from the King Himself.” Leinad felt as if he were trying to warn a sleeping drunk of an approaching flash flood.
“How do we know it’s from the King?” shouted another man from the crowd.
“Yes!” exclaimed another. “Give us proof, and we will believe you.”
Leinad hung his head, closed his eyes, and clenched his jaw in frustration. How could he possibly prove that he was a messenger of the King?
The crowd began to murmur again. He heard sporadic ridiculing laughter, and he felt like a fool. He began to question himself.
Maybe this is all a big hoax after all, he thought. I haven’t seen the King either. Leinad opened his eyes and saw the gallant sword within its scabbard at his side.
“I will give you a sign that what I am telling you is indeed from the King,” he said boldly.
He withdrew the magnificent sword and held it high above his head, showing all the people the insignia of the king in the pommel. The crowd hushed again to silence and stared in awe at the beautiful sword.
“This proves nothing!” the prefect shouted. “We all have seen swords as splendid as this one even among the thieves that raid us. Be gone from us, boy, and take your pretty little sword with you!”
Some of the crowd began to jeer at Leinad. Soon the entire mass of people had turned their backs on Leinad and the warning he carried. The sword slowly descended and came to rest limply at Leinad’s side.
“Get out of my town, boy!” The prefect glared at Leinad, then turned and proceeded back to his manor house with his consorts close behind. “Let the celebration continue!” he yelled, and music filled the air once again.
Leinad felt as though he had disgraced himself and the King by failing to convince the people of the impending danger. Anger, frustration, and humiliation incapacitated him. He sheathed the sword and sat down on the edge of the platform with his head buried in his hands. There was no energy or desire within him to carry on. He had lost his father. He had failed the King. It was a day that was bigger than he was, and he accepted defeat in his heart. The moments passed, and the sun settled on the horizon as a flood of disaster approached—and he didn’t care.
“Why did I even try to warn these foolish people,” he said out loud to himself. “Not even one of them believed me.”
“I believe you, Leinad.” The small tender voice of Tess was accompanied by a gentle hand on his shoulder.
It startled Leinad, for he thought he was alone. He turned and looked up into the face of his young friend … his only friend. Like a slap across the face, he was reminded of the responsibility that had become buried in his own self-pity.
“Tess! What am I doing?” he exclaimed. “I’ve got to get you out of here! Where’s Deliverance?”
“I tied ’im up over yonder by the tower,” she said and pointed to the bell tower.
He quickly gained his feet and faced her. “Good thinking, Tess. Come on.”
He grabbed her hand and ran to the waiting horse. The door of escape was closing quickly. He mounted the horse and then reached down to lift her onto the saddle behind him.
“Hang on, Tess. We’ve got no time to waste.”
Tess wrapped her arms around Leinad’s waist and placed her face against his back. Leinad kicked the haunches of the horse and rode toward the rugged terrain of the Tara Hills Mountain Range that lay southeast of Mankin. Leinad was thankful they lay in the opposite direction of the sea.
On any other day, the mountains appeared to be close to the town, but today they seemed a far too distant destination. The plain that spanned the gap between the town and the mountains was flat and lush with tall grass and an occasional grouping of trees. Leinad paced his horse just shy of a full gallop, for though they had covered half the journey, he knew the climb up the mountains would be exhausting for Deliverance.
“Leinad,” Tess said fearfully, “look!” She pointed back toward Mankin.
The front wave of a dark and ominous mass was moving toward the city. An eerie orange mist trailing the Vactor Deluge caught the rays of the setting sun to paint an alien landscape never before seen in the kingdom.
Leinad heard the fear in Tess’s voice and felt it through the embrace around his waist. He fought back the apprehension that was rising within him. There was no rescue and no escape for the people now.
Leinad was amazed at the speed of the Vactor creatures. As the edge of the mass hit Mankin, the distant screams of the people beckoned to Leinad and Tess, but they did not last long. Within moments the Vactor Deluge encircled and overran what was once a celebratory town. Two or three men on horses tried to escape, but it was a feeble attempt. Leinad pressed Deliverance into a full gallop and focused on the ground before him.
“Hurry, Leinad … hurry! It’s gainin’ on us!” Tess’s voice was trembling, which did not help Leinad fight back the panic that threatened to swallow him.
The horse beneath them seemed to feel the urgency as well and reached further with each stride. The beast was sweating profusely, and Leinad wondered if there would be anything left in him once they reached the mountains.
The Vactor Deluge had already covered over half the distance between Leinad and Tess and what was once the town. Although the sun was nearly set, the remnant ambient light was bright enough for Leinad to chart their course. It also revealed the approaching darkness beneath the rising orange cloud of the Vactor Deluge.
As they approached the rugged terrain of the Tara Hills, Leinad did not pause to route their ascent. He let Deliverance choose the path of least resistance. “Attaboy, Deliverance. We’re almost there.” He patted the steed’s wet hide.
“Are we gonna make it, Leinad?” Tess asked.
“We’re going to make it, Tess. Just you wait and see.”
“But it’s movin’ so fast!” she exclaimed and pointed to the ferocious mass that was now three-fourths of the way across the plain.
“We’ll make it,” Leinad said to assure both of them.
He urged Deliverance farther into the foothills and up the mountains, away from destruction. He wondered how high they must climb to escape the encroaching horror. The ascent seemed agonizingly slow compared to the pace they were used to crossing the plain.
/>
The Vactor Deluge reached the foothills, and the base trees disappeared beneath the black mass. Leinad focused on one large group of trees, which slowly collapsed until there was nothing.
Deliverance hesitated at a steep rise in their path. The beast was nearly spent and began to stumble occasionally, but Leinad had no choice but to push him onward. Leinad figured the Vactor Deluge would be upon them soon. There was little time left.
A bizarre sound accompanied the eerie orange mist that seemed to rise from the consuming mass. It sounded to Leinad like a million twigs were being stepped on at the same time. It was a sound that grew louder and louder. Leinad’s mind begged for it to stop—but it would not be stopped.
How high …? How high must we climb? Leinad asked himself.
As the Vactor Deluge approached, its speed was even more evident. The rise in terrain did not slow it like it did their horse. Deliverance stumbled and nearly fell. His panting was deep and rapid.
“Here it comes, Leinad! What are we going to do?”
Leinad kicked Deliverance to climb the rise in front of them, and the powerful muscles moved them forward one more time. Up … up … up. The noise was incessant, and the rising orange mist had a sharp odor that penetrated their nostrils.
The Vactor Deluge was upon them.
An outcrop of rocks formed a ledge and was just a few paces before them. Leinad directed Deliverance to it. Tess could not take her eyes off the enveloping dark mass as it quickly overtook them. Deliverance could go no more.
“Stand up and jump to the rocks, Tess!” Leinad shouted.
She steadied herself by holding on to Leinad’s shoulders and jumped to the rock ledge above them. The Vactor creatures reached the hooves of the horse and enveloped his legs.
“Keep climbing, Tess! Keep climbing!”
“Jump, Leinad!” Tess screamed.
Deliverance neighed wildly and bit at the vicious mass moving up his body. Leinad stood and nearly fell for the shaking of the steed under its pain. The horse became a moving black mass, and Leinad jumped as Deliverance fell to the ground in agony. Having lost some of his momentum from the horse’s fall, Leinad landed short of his target and hung on the rock ledge with his feet dangling below. Some of the Vactor creatures had reached his feet before he jumped, and Leinad felt the leather of his shoes fall away. Instantly, he felt as though his feet were on fire. The pain nearly caused him to lose his grip, but Tess reached for him.
“C’mon, Leinad! Climb!” She pulled on his arms, and he swung his body up and over the rock ledge.
He rolled into a sitting position, and his only thought was to stop the fire on his feet. They were bare and covered in the blackness of the Vactors. He fervently brushed his ankles and feet.
“Go, Tess! Before it reaches this ledge!” he shouted above the noise of the Vactor Deluge.
“Look at your feet. It ain’t movin’ up your legs like it did to Deliverance!” she exclaimed above the noise.
Leinad noticed that the black mass that was once on his feet lay on the ground in a near motionless, powdery heap. Though his feet were red and tender, they were still there.
Leinad stood, and Tess grabbed his arm. She was shaking, and Leinad placed his arm around her to steady her. They looked out over the ledge to find that the dark mass of the Vactor Deluge rose no higher than just a few feet below them.
Leinad gazed over the once beautiful, lush countryside now blanketed with a black mass and a rising orange mist. There was nothing familiar about it now. It was a desert of unrecognizable blackness. The noise of the Vactor Deluge seemed to subside slightly with each passing moment.
“Poor Deliverance.” Tess was staring down at the small mound of moving blackness beneath them.
“He was a noble steed. He delivered us, Tess. He gave his all and delivered us.”
As Leinad scanned the horizon in the final moments of day, he thought of the future—their future and the kingdom’s future. Who will be noble enough to deliver us from the clutches of the Dark Knight? he wondered.
“Come on, Tess. I want to put a little more distance between us and the Vactors before nightfall.”
NO PLACE A HOME
The Plains of Kerr was a no-man’s-land as far as the eye could see. In the early morning light, Leinad could make out the distinct elevation line of the Vactor Deluge’s destruction in the jagged profile of the Tara Hills Mountain Range. The night had been cool, and both he and Tess were looking forward to the shadows of the mountains disappearing and bringing some warmth to the air.
The sound of the Vactor Deluge was gone. It had slowly diminished through the night until silence once more filled the air. Leinad deduced that the Vactor Deluge had run its course and that it was probably safe to descend, but there was no point. There was nothing to descend to. The only life in the region, maybe in the entire kingdom for all Leinad knew, was above the Vactor Deluge’s consumption line. He contemplated what to do next.
Tess was shivering. Leinad put his arm around her to warm her a bit and was thankful that her shaking was from the cool air and not from the previous night’s terror. Leinad was proud of her for not losing her head in the whole ordeal. She was a tough little girl. He knew that the coming days of survival might be a lot worse if she was not as emotionally strong as she was. Leinad wasn’t much more than a boy himself, but he knew he had to become a man … quickly. The responsibility of providing for and protecting Tess pushed him out of the selfishness and self-pity he was tempted to fall into.
Leinad’s next move was dictated by the hunger pangs they were feeling. “Well, Tess,” Leinad said, “I have a feeling that our breakfast is going to be pretty slim this morning.”
“What do we do now, Leinad?” Tess asked. “We ain’t got no food, no horse, an’ no place to go.”
“For now, Tess, there is only one thing we can do—survive!” Leinad managed a weak smile to encourage her.
“I know how ta survive on the streets in a town, but there ain’t no town no more.”
“The way I see it, we can’t stay here forever. We know that the Plains of Kerr are not an option, so our only choice is to get to the other side of these mountains and see if some parts of the kingdom were unaffected by the Vactor Deluge.”
“But you don’t even have shoes, an’ what are we gonna eat? You ain’t gonna catch much with that sword.”
Leinad raised an eyebrow. “That’s for sure. It’s going to take a few days to get prepared before we can even think about traveling. The first thing we need to do is find a water supply and hopefully a few berries to eat. Then we need to build a shelter and set up camp. Once we get that done, I’ll focus on hunting up some meat for us.”
Tess seemed to feel better having heard Leinad’s plan.
WITHIN TWO DAYS, LEINAD and Tess had found a mountain stream that carried cold, fresh water to the desolate plains below them. They built a makeshift shelter nearby using logs, leaves, and grass. Although it was rather crude, it gave them some protection from the elements and afforded a feeling of security. Unfortunately, Leinad’s plan to find game for food was more of a challenge than he’d expected. By the fifth day, Tess was so weak that she could not rise from her grassy bed. Leinad was weak himself, but the thought of failing Tess drove him to his feet. He made sure Tess had water and was warm.
“You rest, Tess,” he said tenderly. “Today I will bring back some food.”
Tess managed a weak smile but did not move or speak.
Without the means or time to make a decent bow, Leinad’s hunting gear was comprised of three sharpened sticks to use as spears. He thought some animals must have been frightened to higher ground by the Vactor Deluge. The notion of climbing higher into the mountains in his weakened state was not pleasant, but he knew that Tess might not make it if he wasn’t successful today. He climbed, listened, watched, and climbed some more. The flutter of a small bird was his only reward.
By midday, the sun was hot, and the physical and emotional strain was
taking its toll on Leinad. He climbed a small rise that was much more difficult than it should have been and knelt down in a small clearing to catch his breath.
The frustration of an unfruitful hunt and the thought of returning to Tess empty-handed to watch her wither further was becoming unbearable. Leinad’s thoughts turned to the past, where his father and their farm still remained on the fertile Plains of Kerr. His deep breaths became moans of despair, and he could not stop the tears that fell for the loss of joy that had embraced him just a few short days ago. Leinad had never had a chance to fully mourn for his father, and now the tremendous burden of being responsible for the life of another was overwhelming. He dropped his spears, fell to both knees, and covered his face with his hands. In the solitude of the mountain clearing, he wept.
“I have failed Tess, my father, my people, and my King. I can’t do this,” he whispered. “I can’t do this!” he screamed and fell to the ground in the fetal position. He lay still and wept until a fitful sleep overcame his exhaustion and despair.
LEINAD WAS VAGUELY AWARE of the shadow that crossed his face and wondered if he had slept so long that the evening sun was already casting its long shadows from the trees.
“Leinad,” came a strong but gentle voice from above him.
Leinad blinked groggily thinking he didn’t remember voices sounding so real in his other dreams.
“Leinad. Wake up,” said the voice again.
Leinad raised himself on one arm and looked up at the figure that was casting the shadow across him. A man with broad shoulders and a noble face stood before him. Across his shoulders was a young antlered deer. He dropped the game to the ground and knelt down to Leinad.
Leinad wiped his eyes and wondered if his weakened condition was causing his mind to hallucinate. “Who are you?” he managed to ask.
“Here … drink some water,” the stranger said as he put a flask of water to Leinad’s lips.
He drank heavily.
“You must eat, but eat slowly and not too much,” he said, offering some sweet bread and a bit of dried meat.