Sons of Evil: Book 1 Book of Dread

by Adams, David

  When it was finished, Barlow found he was trembling all over. He wasn’t sure if it was physical or mental fatigue, or something else, and he didn’t think he really wanted to know. He gave himself a moment to calm down, and once he thought he could at least maintain a façade of composure, he went in search of his companions.

  It took a while, but eventually the group found one another. Adrianna and Barlow were willing to share some of the details of what they experienced. Darius only said, “Sasha,” and Silas “a friend,” by way of summary, leaving the details to the imagination of the others. One thing they were all sure of was that something had set its will against them, and other than pressing on, they didn’t know how to fight back.

  While an observer might have concluded that each of them had passed some test, there was no joy or relief in the group, no sense of having accomplished anything. Instead it was the weight of their anxieties and fears pushing all else aside, and even though night was fast approaching, they forced themselves to muster the energy to move forward. Even when they did so, it was with downcast faces and leaden feet.

  As night fell they continued to march, moving like zombies, with lifeless eyes and unspeaking lips. The darkness of the wood tried to swallow what little hope was left them, and even Adrianna’s magic light seemed dwarfed by the surrounding blackness.

  Barlow was first to stop. He plopped down on the ground, saying, “I can’t go on. Need to rest a bit.”

  No one argued with him.

  Silas sat next to him, heaved a great sigh and said, “I don’t think we should sleep here.”

  “Seems we can’t sleep anywhere,” Darius said. “How much longer can we keep this up?”

  “Not much,” Barlow said. “I’d rather risk sleep than trying to stay awake until I pass out.”

  “We’ll go in shifts of two,” Adrianna said. “I think I’m okay for the first watch.”

  “You think?” Darius asked.

  “I can’t promise more than that.”

  “I’ll join you,” said Silas. “But only after we’ve all sat a bit, and maybe had a bite to eat.”

  They made it through to morning, although the wood was no more pleasant in the daylight, as they already knew. Darius tried to peer through the trees and saw no end in sight. He refused the food offered him and closed his eyes, taking inventory of his aches and pains. His body felt like it was made of stone. The prospect of resting against this tree forever seemed as good an option as any to him, so beset with tiredness was his mind. If anything, the broken sleep he had managed only made his mental fugue worse. He had lost all sense of time, and would have been stunned to find that two hours had passed when Silas finally said, “We need to get moving.”

  The initial response was simply groans of protest, but once Silas managed to find his feet, the others followed in kind.

  Despite their lackluster pace, they were clear of the dying wood by mid-afternoon. What should have been cause for celebration, or at least acknowledged as a sign of progress, was hardly noticed. They spent another cheerless evening, this one on open ground, and were even later starting off the next morning.

  Just past midday they crested a small rise. They proceeded on the down-slope several paces before anyone bothered to glance ahead. It was Silas who saw it first and made the announcement. “We’ve made it. There lies Auerl Forest.”

  The others looked up, and together they stood for a time, regarding the great wood. The trees were tall and close-packed, the trunks thick with age. It stretched from horizon-to-horizon, and to their great relief and joy it was green with life. The vibrant color of the leaves was made even starker due to the drab nature of the grass that nestled against the very edge of the forest.

  “That’s a beautiful sight,” Adrianna said.

  They found a bit more spring in their step, the promise of the wood fending off, at least for the moment, the dreary malaise that had been upon them for days. The closer they drew, the more the forest pulled them, and as they entered the forest proper, they did so at a run, and with smiles on their faces.

  Darius felt the crossing into the wood in both heart and mind. A certain peace settled over him, and his fears and anxieties, so prevalent of late, ebbed back to a more normal level. He heard the others laughing, and started to laugh himself, but the laughter soon turned to tears, the grief over Luke’s death suddenly crashing down upon him. He dropped to his knees, sobbing. He let himself go, unashamed. He felt a delicate hand on his shoulder, and when he had collected himself he looked up at Adrianna and smiled. “I needed that,” he told her. “That actually felt good, like I was letting out something that was slowly poisoning me.”

  She returned his smile with a confirming nod.

  He got to his feet, wiped the last few tears from his face, and took a deep breath. “Much better. So where to now?”

  Barlow turned to Silas with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve been here before. Any ideas?”

  “I was escorted last time,” Silas replied. “We should just keep going north. Hopefully we’ll soon find the elves, or they’ll find us.”

  “Fair enough.” Barlow took a long, cleansing breath. “The air even smells better here. I bet we’ll sleep well tonight.”

  Darius’ smile was a tired one, but it was from the heart. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  *

  Praad had been enjoying the slow deepening of their misery. Everything was proceeding as he had planned, his ploys drawing them to keep moving when they sorely needed rest, their mental barriers crumbling. The air seemed to be ripe with their despair.

  He had been following them, wanting to wallow in the wake of their anguish. If he sensed any recovery he would move ahead once more, and set another challenge in motion, but he doubted he would need to do so. Another day, two perhaps, and they would fall.

  When he saw the Auerl Forest for the first time they were already running for it. Rather than give chase he pulled up short. The line of decay his presence cast out was even more clearly drawn for him, the Forest a shimmering jewel to his eyes, painful to look at.

  He approached slowly, the fact his prey had entered its borders barely registering in his mind. He had been on many worlds, had lived for what seemed an eternity, but this was a new thing to him. The magic of the wood was old, perhaps as old as he, and he wasn’t sure he could break it. It was almost enough to frighten him.

  As he neared he felt it in his inner being, the forest like a solid wall through which neither his mind nor body could easily pass. He tentatively reached out a bony finger toward one of the trees. Just before he touched it he pulled his hand back. He sensed pain would be his only reward for going further.

  Sometimes Praad wondered if he and his brothers had grown complacent over the centuries, the game always similar and the victory always theirs in the end. One’s skills tend to erode when things are too easy. He backed away from the edge of the wood and sat upon the ground. There was deeper, more powerful magic that he had not delved for what seemed ages. He let his mind work, looking for an answer. The further he pulled into his own thoughts, the more comfortable he became, as an initial sense of frustration gave way to excitement over a rare thing: a stern challenge to be met and overcome.

  Chapter 19: Lon Antar

  They had not gone far into the Auerl Forest, perhaps three miles, when they decided to make camp for the night. The food they had was no different than what they'd grown accustomed to, the ground no softer, but there was a certain cheerfulness to their banter that had been missing for weeks.

  “Any idea how long a journey we still have before us?” Adrianna asked.

  “Could be two week or more,” Silas replied. “Lon Antar is fairly far north. Sorry I don’t have better news.”

  Adrianna shrugged. “Yesterday that would have made me want to cry. Today…I think I can live with it.”

  Barlow gave her a long look. “Do you feel it? As if a dark cloud has been blown away?”

  Adrianna nodded, and the ot
hers chimed in that they felt the same way.

  “I’m sure none of us are foolish enough to say we are home free, but there is something to this wood…”

  “Why, Barlow,” Adrianna said, “is that an admission that there might be some sort of magic at work here?”

  Barlow met Adrianna’s gaze and saw no challenge there. “I guess it is,” he admitted. “Be it of the wood itself, or some spell of the elves, it appears to be blocking whatever force weighed upon our minds so. The question is, did it stop whatever or whoever has been tracking us?”

  Darius rubbed a hand over his face. “Sure would be nice to know the answer to that. We all could use a full night’s sleep.”

  “Another wish that might be granted at Lon Antar,” Silas said with a sigh. “For now, we’ll need to stick with shifts on watch.”

  “No doubt,” Darius agreed. “Just nice to dream.”

  “Maybe tonight it will be,” Adrianna said, referring to the nightmares they had all been plagued by of late.

  The reminder brought with it a short, serious silence. If their dreams were still of foul things, even here in this peaceful wood, what would it mean, and what hope would remain that their rest might ever return to normal?

  Darius let out a long breath and stood up. “I’ll take first watch. And if your sleep is troubled…well, don’t tell me until morning.”

  Barlow joined him, while Adrianna and Silas, suddenly with mixed feelings, prepared for some much needed rest.

  *

  They passed the night without being disturbed, whether awake or asleep. The rest was the best they had had in weeks, and when they set off that morning it was with renewed energy and hope. Before the sun reached its zenith, they had covered many miles and were starting to think of pausing for lunch, when they were called to a halt by a gentle but firm voice.

  “Declare yourselves as friends or foes, strangers. You walk in a wood claimed by the Ice Elves of the North.”

  “Friends,” Silas answered, and then named himself and his companions in turn. “We come seeking an audience with Queen Aerlos on a matter of great importance.”

  “So it must be if you wish an audience with the queen.” The elf suddenly appeared, ten yards away, whether through some magic or having slipped quickly from behind a tree none could say with any certainty. He was taller than any of them, thin and fit. A shock of long, white hair framed his sky-blue face. He held a bow at his shoulder, but made no move to ready it. “I am Calta, a scout charged with watching the borders of our lands. I see you are armed.”

  “We have found weapons necessary on this journey.”

  Darius added, “And even so, one of our party fell at the hands of a stone giant near the Long Shadow Mountains.”

  “I am sorry to hear that. The giants are good for little but trouble. Tell me, do you come as representatives of one of the three southern kingdoms?”

  “No,” Silas replied. “We all lived in Longvale, but if anything we are outcasts now.”

  “That is just as well. The Queen will not make alliance with any of the kingdoms of men against any other.”

  “We do not come to seek an alliance. Rather we wish to see if Queen Aerlos can help us understand an artifact that has fallen into our hands. We believe it may have much to do with the troubles that plague our people.”

  “You refer to the object the one you named Darius carries?”

  Silas couldn’t hide his surprise. “How did you—?”

  “We have been aware of it for several days.”

  “ ‘We?’ ” Adrianna repeated.

  Calta smiled. “I am not alone. And you have not been since soon after you entered the wood.”

  Barlow’s expression went cold. “We thought we were being tracked. Does it trail us still?”

  Calta shook his head. “I’m sorry. You misunderstand me. I only meant that we elves have known of your presence for days, and that you carried an object imbued with some dark power. If you were being pursued…none other has entered the wood.”

  Barlow let out an audible sigh. “That’s a relief.”

  “Then that is well. As to this thing you bring into our realm, the queen would wish to inspect it, and to meet those who carry it, so you will get your audience.” He gave a signal, and four other elves showed themselves, forming a rough square around the companions. “I sense no lie in your words or in your eye. You will travel with us as guests and friends. You may keep your weapons, unless you give us reason to deny you such a privilege. But be warned: any treachery will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. There are always eyes upon visitors to our wood.” With these words Calta held up a medium-sized leaf that he had taken from one of the trees. An arrow, fired by some unseen archer, pierced it and tore it from his hand. The arrow lodged in the trunk of a nearby tree, the leaf still affixed to the shaft.

  “You give a most convincing demonstration,” Silas said. “We will give you no cause for concern. And I am glad to know we will be so well protected.”

  “Well said,” Calta replied, adding a smile. “Come, let us continue on our way. Lon Antar is a long journey from here, but you will find shelter and rest in these woods, and the days and nights should be pleasant ones.”

  Calta quickly proved to be an excellent guide, not just in his ability to find the best paths through the wood, but in his willingness to engage the newcomers in conversation. He asked about the southern lands and their homes, listening intently to every detail. “I had always hoped someday to see the south, but I fear it shall never be. We haven’t wandered past the Long Shadow Mountains for decades.”

  “The giants?” Adrianna asked.

  “In part,” he answered, although his expression said that the large creatures were no real obstacle. “My people have grown less willing to deal with other races, and the wars in the south have made us desire isolation even more.”

  “I fear there would be little to see in our lands these days,” Barlow said. “Even if the kingdoms made peace, many of our cities lie in ruin, and there is great suffering from want.”

  “War will do that.”

  “Your realm seems immune to some of the blight we’ve seen,” Darius commented.

  Calta cocked an eyebrow at that. “I was not aware of such issues here in the north.”

  “We’ve seen signs of it. Even to the edge of the Forest.”

  “Interesting,” Calta said. “I would not presume to say we are immune to such things, or to war. The magic of this wood protects us, but as you have seen, we do not rely solely on magic for protection.”

  “How many guard your borders?” Silas asked.

  Calta smiled and shook his head. “I mean no insult, but that information I’ll have to keep private.”

  “My apologies,” Silas said with a bow. “I did not mean to pry.”

  After several hours they had covered many miles, but Darius noted something else. “We seem to be going west.”

  “Your sense of direction is to be commended, as it is easy to get turned around in the Auerl Forest,” Calta said. “We will get to Lon Antar more swiftly on the Hidden Road than working our way though these trees.”

  “ ‘The Hidden Road?’ ”

  Calta nodded. “You will see,” he said with a laugh.

  *

  Kaelesh leaned back comfortably in his chair, looking at the image of his brother, Praad, as it took shape before him. He steepled his fingers and smiled, expecting good news, but before he could speak Praad asked for a moment. Kaelesh watched him go through the motions of conjuring, and knew he was linking Orgoth into the conversation. What might cause his brother to do this gave him pause and erased his expectant smile. He stilled his mind, knowing the answers to all his questions would soon be revealed, and waited patiently for Praad to proceed.

  Orgoth had no such patience. His image gave Kaelesh one quick glance then returned its attention to Praad. “What news of the book?”

  “It is in the Auerl Forest, still in the possession of those who too
k it.”

  Orgoth grunted and started what was likely a rebuke, but Kaelesh cut in. “And how are your particular skills affecting them, my brother.”

  “They were near to breaking when they entered the wood.”

  Kaelesh waited a beat before asking, “And now?”

  Praad shrugged. “I cannot sense them, nor can I follow.”

  “I do not understand,” Orgoth said.

  “The wood is protected by powerful magic.”

  “Elves, correct?” asked Kaelesh.

  “Yes.”

  “Break it then. We care nothing for elf-kind. Their souls cannot be harvested.”

  “I cannot.”

  Kaelesh smiled, a paternal look on his face. “There are older spells, my brother. Not totally forgotten. I hope, even—”

  “I have used them. I cannot break through. I cannot enter.”

  “You have tried?”

  Now it was Praad that paused. “I did not actually attempt to breach the barrier. But I probed closely.”

  “Bah,” Orgoth snorted. “I will break it.”

  “Patience, Orgoth,” Kaelesh said. “I trust Praad’s instincts with such spells.”

  “But they have escaped with the book!”

  “Have they?”

  The question seemed foolish to Orgoth, so he said nothing.

  “Even if we cannot enter, the forest is no more than a large prison for them. If they are beyond our reach there, so be it, but to remain so, they will have to stay there forever. The elves, despite their strength in magic, could not open or use the book. It is perfectly safe there.”