Return of the Darkness

by Andrew G. Wood

  There was a reason that the elven lands now stopped some hundred miles short of the eastern sea; the territory lost to the darkness in the last great war. Towns and villages had been merely brushed aside, with all who refused to acknowledge Zerus Maldhor and Abalyon as their leader brutally killed. “How did they stop him in the end?” Leyna asked, hoping her own son would never do the same thing.

  “In the end, it was said Zerus Maldhor who took his own life, after accidently killing his own mother and brother. When he did, it ended up destroying thousands of Abalyon’s minions. So you see, in a way he turned good again, ending the war and banishing Abalyon, leaving the elves and humans to rebuild.”

  Leyna stood there, mouth slightly gaping open. Did Abalyon wish the same fate for her son? So many similarities indeed, the results of which sounded awful for all concerned. “If Abalyon is calling your son Zerus Maldhor, then I’m afraid your boy is already lost to you. There is no way a mere mortal can resist the will of a God,” the old elf said, showing no concern. “You are wrong. Finley is a good child, and although I have only recently become reacquainted with him, I know his father would have brought him up the right way!” she snapped deciding she had heard enough and duly started heading for the door.

  After storming out and slamming the door behind her, without so much as a thank you to the elderly elf, for giving her much more information than she had ever thought possible. However, now she knew just who this Zerus Maldhor had been, she was uncertain she had done the right thing in finding out. Surely her own son could and would not follow the same path as the one in the story. Moreover, all of this was supposed to have happened hundreds of years ago, and there were several other reasons written in various history books as to why the elves no longer lived up as far as the eastern shores.

  Whichever was true, the motherly instinct to help and protect her son was stronger than ever. Although many would have thought to abandon him at birth was a terrible thing, Leyna had done so to protect the boy. Growing up with people knowing you were a cross-breed, especially in elven society would have seen them driven out, probably her parents as well. Allowing the boy to live with his father in a far out-of-the-way village, had seemed the best idea at the time. Fortunately, there was very little in the way Finley looked to suggest to people that he was indeed half-elf. Aside from his blonde hair, most of his features resembled those of an ordinary human child. Only if you looked a little more closely could you start thinking otherwise? The slightly misshapen ears, to everyone else, would seem just that, but to anyone who knew the truth, would be a sign that he was indeed different.

  With a firm resolve to helping her son through whatever the future held, Leyna walked quickly along the streets of Lochgorm back towards the keep. The darkness was returning no matter what, that much she had already known. As to what part her son would play, only time would tell, but whatever that was to be, she told herself there and then she would stand by him no matter what. She had let him go once but had no intention of doing so again.

  Chapter 15.

  Finley had been with his mother and brother for over a week, sharing a small bedroom with the latter, in their little suite in Lochgorm. Since the night of his altercation with Abalyon, his sleep had been somewhat normal of late. The dark figures that had haunted his dreams for some time now had seemingly decided to leave him alone, and he was thinking that whatever magic he had mustered in his dream world had succeeded in dealing with the problem.

  His mother was beginning to cause him some annoyance as she appeared to want him close by at all times, and while sitting in on meetings, was at the start at least a little interesting, the novelty had soon worn off. Karesh, probably not knowing any different, always seemed happy to sit with him, and completely unperturbed by just how long and boring some of them were.

  Finley had requested that he be allowed out of the town and into the surrounding forest areas, but his mother had intervened there as well, saying it was not safe for them to do so. Being locked inside all day long was surely not healthy, and besides which, he always preferred the outdoors. As a result of the tedium, he had even taken up reading, something his father insisted he learned as a small child, although it was never anything he had really enjoyed. Maybe it had just been the subject matter back then, as he found the current set of books quite captivating. Although Lochgorm did not have the vast library and wealth of books and scrolls as they did in the capital Neylarin, it did have a few tomes that had peaked an interest.

  The magical arts were something very new to him, and as such something which he found very intriguing. Although he had never actually managed any such skills himself, he had managed it in his dream world. Whether that actually counted or not he was unsure, but even the possibility that he might one day be able to do some of the wondrous things explained in these books, excited him greatly. This new-found interest had been the only thing keeping him inside, although he had now all but extinguished the small collection of books they had to offer and was now considering making a little excursion beyond the walls.

  After being forced to sit through another incredibly boring meeting, listening to various elves take it in turns to complain about the state of Lochgorm’s cobbled streets, Finley made his mind up that he needed to get out, if only for an hour or two. After returning to the room he shared with Karesh and gathering his cloak, sword and knife, which he strapped to his new black leather belt, he slung his bow over his shoulder. Although not sure why, he thought it also best to take the long pole or staff, he wasn’t sure if there was a difference between one and the other, that had been given to him by his elven grandmother.

  Confident he had managed to give both Karesh and his mother the slip, using the excuse he was going to find some new books to read, Finley nonchalantly walked past the guards on the keep gate. He supposed they were more concerned about who came in rather than who was leaving, and whether his return would be quite so easy, he was unsure. Despite the day not being particularly pleasant, with a fine drizzling rain persistently trying to ruin his little foray, he felt the cool fresh air in his lungs. He breathed in deeply, inhaling and exhaling loudly, before heading off down the main street towards the outer wall and gatehouse.

  As the gate was closed, he was uncertain as to how best to approach the guards and ask them to open it. However, as if the gods themselves were willing him to venture out, the answer presented itself to him. A train of waggons with several horse guards slowly made their way past him and pulled up waiting for the gates to be opened so they could exit. Without delaying or missing the opportunity given to him, Finley sat up on the backs of one of the rear waggons. Although the driver turned to see what was going on, Finley merely put a hand up to him, “Just saving my legs,” he shouted over. Whether the driver liked the answer or not, he had no idea, but the elf driving the horses merely raised a hand back and proceeded onwards.

  “Wait for me!” Came a familiar voice, as a large orc bounded over and sat up on the back of the waggon with him.

  “Karesh! What are you doing?”

  “What am I doing? What are you doing Finley? Mother forbade us to go out.”

  “So why are you here then?”

  The orc did not give an answer as the waggon rolled over the large stone bridge that linked the island of Lochgorm to the mainland across the waters of the lake. Finley thought the waggon driver might say something now that he had two unwanted passengers sat on the back of his empty waggon, but after another glance back, he did not seem bothered.

  “These are the supply waggons, probably going back to Neylarin to reload,” Karesh said as they were held up only briefly at the bridge gatehouse. The guards on duty paid them little heed as they slowly rolled under the arch of the gatehouse and onto the track beyond. Finley let the waggon carry him just a little further, before jumping off and shouting his thanks to the driver. The elf merely waved a hand but did not even look back when doing so. Karesh was a little slow, and also not quite so adept at jumping off a m
oving waggon as Finley had been, and stumbled into a heap when he tried to emulate the action.

  “Ouch!” The young orc said rubbing his knee. Finley shook his head and slowly walked over towards him, enquiring if everything was okay. After looking up from his grounded position the orc nodded and took the hand being offered by Finley to help him up.

  “You know, Mother is not going to like what we are doing,” Karesh said looking a little nervously around.

  “Then why did you come with me?” Finley asked trying to decide which direction he should head off.

  “I don’t want you getting in trouble Finley,” Karesh replied, “I’ll be here to see you don’t.”

  Finley just shrugged and made a beeline for the nearest line of trees. It felt good to have the soft earth underfoot, and the sound of wildlife in his ears. Being outside was so much better as if his senses came alive in appreciation of everything that was going on around. Although there was nothing particularly interesting going on, Finley felt it was the small things. The sound of a bird in a nearby tree, the calling of a wild animal far off in the distance, the breeze on his face or just the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees; if one actually stopped and listened, there was in fact so much going on.

  As he slowly walked among the tall trees, Karesh, unsurprisingly, loped up beside him, “Where are we going Finley?” he asked.

  “No idea,” he replied deciding to pick up the pace a little. With his sword bouncing around by his leg, his bow sticking up over his shoulder, and the long pole he had decided to bring, clasped tightly in his hand, running was not as easy as it should have been. Nonetheless, doing so felt good, and it was not long before the lake was far behind them.

  “Finley…Can we stop?” he heard the voice calling him from several paces behind him. Karesh was clearly not much of a runner, but he thought that might just be an orcish trait. These massive creatures were visibly built for strength, not speed and agility, so perhaps it was hardly surprising Karesh was struggling to keep up. Although Finley wanted to keep running, and though a little annoyed Karesh had tagged along with him, he felt a duty to keep an eye on him.

  While he stopped and waited for Karesh to catch up, Finley looked down at the soft forest floor at his feet. There were strange markings, tracks unfamiliar to him. Although he had no idea what the tracks were, he felt alarm bells ringing telling him they were made by something dangerous. As Karesh, panting hard and struggling for breath stood beside him, Finley checked his surroundings for any further signs.

  “Shush!” he said sharply to Karesh who was again wittering on about how much trouble they would be in if their mother ever found out. The orc looked a little deflated as if he had been told off but stopped talking nonetheless. Finley moved his head slightly trying to decide what the sound was and more importantly where it was coming from. There was a growling, snarling noise as if from a dog, before a loud yelp and a kind of roar that sounded like nothing he had ever heard before.

  Knowing they might well be walking into a dangerous situation, he looked at Karesh. The orc had no weapons, and although he did not doubt his strength, he was still vulnerable should they find trouble. “You know what this is?” Finley said unstrapping his sword.

  “A small sword,” Karesh replied.

  “Well take it,” he added handing it over hilt first.

  The orc was unsure as to why he was being given a sword, and while Finley had thought the weapon a standard size, in Karesh’s hands it did look a little more like a large dagger.

  “Why do I need this?”

  “Just in case. Oh and if you do need to use it, don’t go stabbing it into anything you shouldn’t,“ Finley instructed, noticing just how awkward the orc looked holding the weapon.

  Although his bow was probably the weapon he was best equipped to use, he kept it slung over his back, for now at least. He held the staff in both hands and slowly moved in between the trees, carefully placing each foot down so not to make a sound. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the young orc following behind him, whom he was sure was trying to make as much noise as possible. Karesh appeared to be able to stand on every twig and stick lying on the forest floor, making such a noise, any hope that Finley had of sneaking about quietly had long since passed.

  Suddenly, Finley stopped and gestured for Karesh to quickly do likewise. In a small clearing just ahead, he could see a dark shape leaning over an animal on the forest floor. At first, he thought it a bear, and knowing how dangerous they could be, thought it best to slowly step back and away from it. However, Karesh, who to be fair was not used to moving so quietly through the forest, made a little too much noise and drew the creature’s attention their way.

  “What the hell is that?” Finley muttered under his breath, deciding to drop his pole and use his bow instead. Covered in thick dark fur, a strange beast stood upright to a height of about seven feet. With large, powerful arms that had massive claws at the end and a face that resembled something like a boar, Finley did think about making a dash for it. However, he knew that Karesh was no runner and that only left him one option; stand and fight.

  “You know Karesh,” he said hastily taking an arrow and placing it on his bow. “If this thing kills me, I am going to be really annoyed with you,” he added finding the comment somewhat witty, especially considering their current situation. The creature moved a little slowly at first sniffing at the air, and Finley realised the wind was going the wrong way for it to smell them, although he did think that Karesh might not be applicable in that equation.

  Finley pulled his bowstring back as hard as he could and aimed for the creature that now bounded straight towards them. The beast snarled and grunted, as it picked up speed as if charging them. Without further delay Finley released his shot and watched as the arrow thumped straight and hard into the beast’s chest, causing it to stumble sideward into the trunk of a tree. Finley could feel the adrenaline flowing through his body, and the sound of his heart beating faster, thumping loudly in his ears, as he thought how exciting that was.

  Assuming the creature dead, he slung his bow back over his shoulder and picked his staff up from the ground. Although he was certain his shot would have been a killing one, he was not so naïve as to know that sometimes a wounded animal could be even more dangerous. He solely, and very tentatively walked over to where he thought the creature had stumbled. Not only did he want a closer look as to what it was, more importantly, he needed to check it was dead. Although he always felt killing a wild animal for sport was wrong, this particular kill had been necessary.

  As he approached the spot, he held the staff in his hands expecting to see the fallen beast behind the next tree. However, when he looked, it was not there. He glanced around quickly, and down at the ground to see spots of what he could only assume was blood. Thick and black, resembling oil more than blood, he leant down and run a little between his finger and thumb. “Oh dear!” he said slowly standing up straight.

  “What do you mean ‘oh dear’?” Karesh asked looking decidedly shaken by the ordeal. For an orc, and one that was already larger than most human adults, Finley thought Karesh not particularly very brave. Yet, he supposed when added to the fact he was only twelve and had been brought up in a very different way to most orcs, it was not as surprising as he first thought.

  After looking around several times, Finley assumed the strange beast must have limped off, perhaps to die. He did consider tracking the trail of blood but thought better of it, because he had Karesh to think about, not because he was scared to do so; at least that is what he convinced himself. That decision, however, was irrelevant as a dark shape came bounding between the trees right at them.

  Having no time to fire his bow, Finley had no option but to swing the staff in his hands and hope the blow sufficient enough to cause damage. The creature leapt up, its claws lifted out ready to strike as he managed to strike the beast with the pole but was forced to take evasive manoeuvres, diving sharply to his left to avoid bei
ng killed. He looked up to see Karesh wildly swinging the sword around, as the beast targeted him, now ignoring Finley and headed towards the orc.

  Thinking it might just buy him enough time to fire off another arrow, he went to grab his bow. He felt somewhat deflated as the string was loose, and the bow cracked, broken in his fall and making it completely useless. Noticing Karesh was not going to last long, he discarded the broken bow to the forest floor and ran at full speed towards the beasts, holding the staff up high. Swinging it down as hard as he could, he thrashed the pole against the creatures back, causing it to cry out. The beast turned around and roared out, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, something Finley did not want to see any closer. “Stab it!” he yelled to Karesh, as he swung the pole around again.

  He looked over to the orc, who appeared completely petrified as to what to do, “Kill the bloody thing!” he yelled again, struggling to fend off the giant claws swinging down his direction. Finley kept stepping back swinging the pole or staff, whatever it was called, he was not sure, nor did he care. Another strange thought to have a such a critical time, as he deflected another strike. Just as he was thinking, he was actually quite good at deflecting the blows aside, he felt himself tumbling backwards, as his boot caught on a root protruding from the ground. The beast wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation and leapt up, slamming its massive body down on top of him.