Dark Times

by Brian Murray

  Gan-Goran drove the other wagon, singing happily at the top of his voice with the children. Towards dusk they found a suitable campsite, and the three warriors went hunting for food.

  The women collected firewood while Gan-Goran entertained the children, performing some magic. He produced flames from his fingers and made lights and bubbles pop and dance in the air.

  When the fire was lit, Dax, Tanas, and Thade returned to the camp with fresh deer meat for their meal. They had decided they would only use the dried meat if game got scarce, as they needed to conserve their supplies.

  As Dax walked through the camp, Thade roared with laughter. Dax turned to see a group of boys trying to copy his swagger. Dax pulled a face, lifted his arms, and roared. He stomped around the camp chasing the giggling boys, who soon dived behind their mother’s skirts for protection. Laughing, Dax gave his catch to Gan-Goran, who was busy by the fire, assisted by some of the women. Dax turned around and stepped high over the head of Geena, who had followed him around the camp.

  Jill approached and picked up the child.

  “You have toddlers?” Dax asked her, pulling a face at Geena, who giggled.

  “No, I cannot have children.”

  Dax did not know what to say in reply and suddenly felt uncomfortable in the woman’s presence. “I have a gift for Geena,” he said finally, walking over to a wagon and pulling out the dress.

  “That’s lovely,” commented Jill, looking at Geena

  “What do you think, Geena?” Jill asked.

  The child beamed a smile and reached out for the dress with her small grubby hands.

  “We will have to clean you up first, my dear.” Geena pushed out her lower lip and shook her head. “Yes, madam. You push in that lip, it’s about time you saw some water.” Jill took Geena to the stream to wash her.

  “That was a fine gift,” said Thade, standing next to Dax.

  The older warrior glared at Thade to see if the younger man was teasing him. But he was not and Dax relaxed. “The child has suffered enough, she deserves something special.”

  “Yes she does. Well, she could not have picked a better friend.”

  Dax smiled at Thade, playfully shoving him away.

  ***

  While Dax ate with Tanas and Thade, a beautiful little fair-haired child walked up to them, dressed in a brown dress with yellow flowers. Dax smiled, putting down his plate. “Now, is that young Geena?”

  The girl giggled at him and she swayed her shoulders, holding the bottom of her dress.

  “Come here, child.” She ran straight to Dax and flew into his open arms, causing him to exhale sharply with a whoosh. He ruffled the girl’s hair. “Now, who looks like a princess? I have seen a few princesses in my time, but I have not seen any prettier. What do you think, Thade?”

  “I must agree with you, my friend, I have not seen a more beautiful princess anywhere.”

  Geena buried her head in Dax’s shoulder and the two men laughed, while Tanas forced a grimace, missing the ability to see the beauty of the innocent little girl. Jill walked towards them smiling. “She cleans up well,” said Dax admirably.

  “Aye, but it was a bit of a chore to get her clean. I don’t think she likes me bathing her. Anyway, madam, it is time for bed.”

  Geena shook her head and held onto Dax.

  Dax pulled the girl free and lifted her head to look at him. “If you go to sleep now with Jill, you can ride with me on my horse tomorrow. Would you like that?”

  Geena’s eyes beamed with delight and she nodded excitedly.

  “Good, now go with Jill.”

  Geena hugged Dax hard then took Jill’s hand. Before leaving, she waved goodbye to both Thade and Tanas, who said goodnight to the child.

  Dax took a long, deep, breath and lifted his plate to finish his meal. There was little said that evening as two men bedded down, leaving one on guard. Dax decided to take the first watch. Several hours later, Thade relieved Dax and the older warrior lay out by the fire and was soon snoring peacefully.

  ***

  Takor was a slaver who had been a member of the Horde. Since the defeat at Teldor and General Carash’s disappearance, the force had been disbanded. Many of the Horde mercenaries had joined the Rhaurien army. Some had returned to their previous professions; Takor was one of them. As leader of the small band of mercenaries, Takor had been given the rank of captain in the Horde, a role he enjoyed and excelled at. He had the opportunity of joining the regular army, but the pay was not to his liking.

  Now he travelled around the great forest with ten men and two wagons. He needed a sizable catch to restart his business and luckily for him, he spotted one. About sixty women and children travelled south of the forest. One of his scouts had heard the singing and followed the group. Takor had seen the three warriors riding with the woman and children. Something told the slaver these men were veterans, and he should wait until the party camped.

  Now in the dead of the night, Takor and nine of his men approached the sleeping camp, spotting the warrior on watch. He decided they would sneak into the camp and silently kill the warriors, then take the women and children. He licked his lips at the thought of the riches he would receive and decided he would pleasure himself on one of the women, just one. In private, he preferred young boys, but in front of his men, he raped women. He took several calming breaths and ordered his men to spread out. He gazed into the camp and saw a small, blond child awaken. Takor’s heart started to quicken its beat.

  ***

  Geena’s dreams woke her with a start, but the child did not cry out. She silently rose and shuffled through the camp with her thumb in her mouth. She found the big warrior and tapped his shoulder. Dax grunted and turned over. Geena did not give up. She clambered over Dax and tapped his cheek. Sleepily, Dax opened his eyes and smiled when he saw the blond child.

  He sat up, rubbing his chin, scraping his hand over his coarse stubble. “What’s wrong, Geena? Can you not sleep?”

  The young girl shook her head and pointed to the tree line beyond Thade. Dax misunderstood. “That’s Thade,” he said softly.

  Geena shook her head.

  “Talk to me. I don’t understand.”

  Geena rocked her shoulder and leant close to Dax. “Bad men are coming,” she whispered, pointing beyond Thade.

  ***

  Takor watched the small girl point in his direction and whisper to the warrior. He watched the man rise smoothly to his feet.

  Dax did not know why, but he believed Geena. He rose to his feet and Geena hid behind his leg. “Show yourselves!” he commanded, his voice deep and gravelly.

  Thade rose up instantly with his swords drawn. Tanas woke from his slumber and stood, alert. Around the camp women were also waking.

  “Show yourselves,” repeated Dax coldly.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Thade. His question went unanswered.

  A tall, burly man stepped from the undergrowth and faced Dax. At the same time, several other men emerged around the camp. One of the women screamed, shattering the tranquillity. Calmly, Dax walked towards the first man, assuming correctly that he was the leader. He stopped a few paces from him.

  For the second time in his life, Takor felt true fear. The first time had been when he saw the blood red eyes of the warrior named Malice, back in the Grey Castle. Now, something about the man before him chilled his blood.

  “You’re not welcome at our camp,” said Dax.

  “That’s not very friendly,” Takor heard himself say.

  Dax took another step closer. “I’m not a friendly man. In fact, if it were not for the children, you would already be dead. But I will not shed blood in front of them.”

  “You’re unarmed and there are only three of you. I have armed men ready, waiting for my command.”

  Dax took another casual stride forward, his face less than an arm’s length from Takor. “I do not need a weapon to kill you.”

  Takor heard the man’s words, instinctively knowing they were
true. His hand gripped his sword hilt but shook uncontrollably and refused to obey his commands.

  “Be gone!” hissed Dax.

  Takor glanced around the camp, and at his men. He licked his lips. He knew that if he drew his sword he would be dead. But his men could not see his opponent’s eyes. Takor’s eyes darted around the camp again, at the women and children who were huddled together. He thought again of the riches, but his eyes were locked on the steady gaze of the warrior. Those violet eyes shone of death. Takor nodded and stepped back into the shadows. His men followed suit.

  “What the hell . . . ” started Thade, but Dax had already donned his axe-harness.

  “Thade, Tanas, they will not leave this bounty. Let’s take the fight to them, away from the children. Gan, stay here. Everyone remain calm.”

  The three men silently merged into the undergrowth.

  ***

  Several shrilling screams pierced the darkness shrouding the woodlands as trees shook, branches snapped, and leaves rustled. Half an hour later, Dax emerged from the gloom, and faced Gan-Goran’s levelled quarterstaff. Dax lifted his hands defensively, grimacing at the old master-magiker.

  “You should call before entering a camp,” snapped the old man, relief lightening his tone.

  “They’re gone and will not be back,” announced Dax. He walked up to Geena, who sat on Jill’s lap. He knelt down, smiling and ruffled her hair. “You did well,” he beamed.

  Geena smiled back at the warrior.

  “It is our secret,” he added softly with a wink.

  Her smile broadened.

  Soon, Thade and Tanas returned to the camp and nodded to Dax. “All is safe,” said Thade to everyone.

  Later, Gan-Goran sat next to Dax, who was now on watch. “How did you know they were coming?”

  “The little blond girl, Geena, told me,” said Dax proudly.

  Gan-Goran turned and looked at the small child. Using his power, he was able to observe her aura. To his surprise, the girl opened her eyes and smiled at him, then turned over. “She has an innate talent. I would like to teach her how to read and write, then how to use magic when this is all over.”

  “Speak to Jill. I’m sure she would like her to learn.”

  The old master-magiker nodded and shuffled back to his blanket, smiling contently.

  ***

  Marley and his two scouts reached the farmhouse where they would change their horses. Marley ordered one of the scouts to wait for the rest of the team. When they arrived, Marley had given the man specific details of the route he would take back to Teldor. That was a day ago, and Marley and his sole companion continued to make their way towards Teldor.

  They were now three days from the city and deep within the rolling green hills of the Kingdom. Marley swivelled in his saddle and peered behind him. He could see nothing in the gloomy light of dusk. Turning back, he marvelled at the blood red sky, and the end of another day. For the past several hours, he had had the feeling they were being followed but had not seen anyone behind him. Even this close to the city, the Royal Lancer scout stayed away from the main routes, following less trodden paths and trails.

  The two men left a trail and moved through some woodland. They could see the sky through the tree canopy so they were able to navigate using the stars. They continued moving as the darkness of night settled around them. Marley halted his horse and listened to the night sounds. Something did not feel quite right, but he could not make out the sound clearly enough. He spurred his horse forward, his mind full of questions. The main questions were—what were those creatures he had seen at Single Tooth Gorge? And where had they come from?

  He could partly answer the second question—they were not creatures from these lands. That much the captain knew. But where were they from? Marley pinched the bridge of his nose, realising he felt more tired than he had thought. He could not rest yet; he would wait until he reached Teldor. Marley’s thoughts switched to the rest of his company. Where in Hell’s name were they?

  He pictured the faces of the missing men, and smiled. They were the best of men and could survive when other men would fail. But he had a feeling of dread when he pictured his companions. Marley cleared his mind and mentally calculated where they were, estimating that they would be in Teldor within two days. Again, he swivelled in his saddle and looked back. His companion waved, and Marley smiled. Facing forward, he heard his scout curse. Marley turned in his horse and rode back to his man.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The damned beast stepped on a hidden root. I think it’s lame.”

  “Damn,” cursed Marley, dismounting. He walked to his man’s mount and felt down the animal’s left front leg. As he reached the bottom of the leg, the stallion pulled back and neighed. Marley swore softly as his companion got off his horse.

  “Is it lame?”

  “Yes,” replied Marley, cursing his luck. They were still half a day from their last change of horses.

  “You go ahead, Captain, and I’ll catch you up when I’ve changed my mount.”

  Marley stood up, stared into the darkness behind them, and then turned to face where they were going. He could walk with his scout, or ride on ahead. But his orders were clear—hurry back to Teldor and report to General Brooks immediately.

  He turned to his scout. “I’ll push on ahead. As soon as you’ve changed your horse, push hard and catch up. There will be enough strength in the horse to last to the city.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Marley remounted and looked at his scout, who also held a Royal Lancer scout badge. The man saluted to his captain and Marley smiled, returning the gesture. He headed off, pushing the tiring mare on.

  Throughout the night, Marley worried about his men. Three of them had gone missing since they parted at Single Tooth Gorge. One was at a farm where they had last changed their horses. And now one was walking a lame horse through woodlands. He swore aloud, cursing his bad luck. He patted his horse’s neck and leant forward to whisper soothing words in the mare’s ears. Just after midnight, the captain arrived at the inn where his last change of horses was stabled. Again, Marley approached the inn by the back door. He knocked softly and heard a shuffling noise from inside. The door slowly opened and a man dressed in a nightdress and carrying a lantern peered out, sleep still in his eyes.

  “My name is Captain Marley. Have you the horses I acquired from your stable?”

  “Well, if you know where they are, why did you bother me?”

  “Have any of my men passed through here ahead of me?”

  “No. Feel free to change your horse, then be on your way.” With that, the man slammed the door closed.

  Marley heard the man’s fading curses as he shuffled further into the building. The captain stood in shock for a moment and made a mental note to report the innkeeper to General Brooks. He then made his way through the darkness to the stables, where he found the fresh mounts.

  Methodically, the captain removed the saddle and bridle from his tired horse, and swiftly wiped her down with straw. He fixed a nosebag over the mare’s ears and led her into an empty stall to rest. Then he led a large chestnut stallion out of its stall and fixed the saddle in place. Within several minutes of arriving, the captain mounted his fresh horse and walked it quietly out of the stable yard. He peered into the night, at the woodland where he had come from. Then he distinctly heard a noise. Howling. But it did not sound like the howling of wolves. Marley paused for a while, listening to the eerie sound. A distant gurgling scream pierced the night . . .

  Marley stiffened in his saddle. He realised the scream came from the direction he had exited the woodland. Marley thought of his scout and the picture of the creatures from the gorge loomed in his mind. The howling started again, this time slightly louder, and therefore slightly closer. He turned his horse towards Teldor and galloped out of the small village, now not concerned with noise. He was just over a day and a half away from Teldor, with the certain knowledge that beasts were closing in on him.r />
  Marley raced through the night towards the safety of his capital and its high walls.

  ***

  The Dread had filed through Single Tooth Gorge and crossed the small stone bridge. Malice had sent Shadows and Talon Hunters to scout ahead while the bulk of the army followed. Malice received reports that the scouting Shadows and Talon Hunters had killed three men camped in the hills southeast of the gorge. That was just the start.

  Everything and everyone in their path died as the Dread cut a murderous swathe across the Kingdom. When they reached a small village, all of the inhabitants were murdered, and the army feasted on fresh bodies. A storeowner attempted escape, and rode towards the local baron’s home. He just reached the building when two howling Talon Hunters attacked, shredding him apart. The beasts then butchered the woman in the house without mercy. The horses and livestock were also killed, their blood staining the ground red. More and more villages and farms suffered the same fate as the Dread marched relentlessly to Rhamagabora and vengeance.

  ***

  Dax, Tanas, Thade, Gan-Goran, and the women and children from Ubert slowly made their way around Dashnar Forest, towards Single Tooth Gorge. Thade urged his horse forward to ride next to Dax.

  “Dax, these beasts seem to be heading for Single Tooth Gorge,” announced the younger man.

  “Yes, it appears that way.”

  “If they cross the bridge on the west side of the gorge, our home is only a few days’ ride away.”

  Dax turned to face Thade. He could see the worry in the younger warrior’s eyes. “Cara,” he said softly.

  Thade just nodded.

  Dax peered over his shoulder at the others following them. He called a halt and rode over to Jill.

  “Jill, Gan-Goran knows the way to our home. Thade, Tanas, and I need to push ahead to ensure the route ahead we take is safe.”

  “You mean to leave us?” asked the woman, her voice trembling from fear.

  “We will travel to our home and if all is safe, we will ride back and escort you there. We need to make sure everything is clear ahead first. We do not know which way the army heads once they have cleared the gorge. If we run into any trouble, we can send a message back for you and the others to remain this side of the gorge.”