Finley felt that third presence in his mind as if someone was looking at him, but he could not see them. “What do you want?” he shouted out into the dark expanse of his mind. Dheela was a little shocked, something she reported back to Leyna making notes in the room with her. She had not experienced a mind such as this before and thought to try a few things.
“Finley, it is Dheela. I am with your mother,” she echoed out into his mind. Finley felt a little confused, but a bit more relaxed now he knew who it was peering into his dreams. The elf, however, was in for a shock and got more than she had ever bargained for, as Finley repeated his earlier actions. Having once pulled his brother Karesh into his dream world, so he did with Dheela.
The elderly elf was stunned as she found herself stood in front of the very boy she was supposed to be helping. She knew this was not her own physical state and only a figment of her own mind, but quite how Finley had pulled her in, she did not know. At least Finley could now see who it was that had been spying on his thoughts, and although a little annoyed, glad it was nobody meaning him any harm.
In the room, Leyna was confused as to why the explanations had ceased. That was until she noticed Dheela in some kind of trance-like state. Despite calling her name several times, there was no response, and at first, she thought something serious had happened. Unsure whether to wake both her son and Dheela, Leyna sat a little apprehensively waiting to see what happened next.
Inside the mind of Finley, Dheela was able to see much more than she had ever dreamed of. To her subject, they were merely stood floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. To a trained seer like Dheela, she could see memories, thoughts, ideas and fears. Not wanting to pry too deeply into her subject’s subconscious mind for risk of reopening a suppressed memory, Dheela looked around, looking at the memories, and feeling the pain from some of them. She realised something quite significant, but before she was able to look further, she felt herself being pushed back into the dark expanse and out of Finley’s dream altogether.
Taking a short, sharp breath, the seer opened her eyes and after a few moments realised she was once more in the room with Leyna. Her subject was still sleeping on the cushioned chair before her, yet her link with his mind had been broken. “Are you okay?” she heard Leyna ask.
“Extraordinary. I have never seen a mind such as this,” she replied, sounding shaken by the ordeal.
“What happened?”
Dheela turned to Leyna and after taking a few deep breaths to help regain her composure explained in full.
Never before had her own consciousness been dragged into the dreams of another. The seer was usually the person in control, but after the initial part, she had found herself out of her comfort zone. Being expelled from a person’s mind was also a first for Dheela, something she explained to Leyna. However, the strangest part she left until the end, as she explained seeing so many thoughts and memories, not all of which could have belonged to Finley.
Leyna looked puzzled, “How do you mean?” The seer grimaced a little at first and decided to stand and pace the room. “I saw images of the war. Fighting both the creatures of darkness and then fighting for them,” she said stopping briefly, before moving again, as if rattled by what she had just seen. “I felt his pain, his loss, his fears,” she added, “But before I could see more he pushed me out.”
“You must go back in,” Leyna replied.
Dheela lifted her hands up defensively, “No my dear. I am not going back in there,” she said.
Leyna did not argue, as she could see the seer was behaving out of character. If she were not mistaken, she thought Dheela appeared almost scared. Had the images been so horrific that even she did not wish to see them again? Or perhaps there was something else. Maybe Dheela had been shocked and confused as to how Finley had managed to take control when it should have been the other way around. Whatever the reason, Leyna could tell the seer was not going to be changing her mind anytime soon, and so decided instead to wait for her son to wake.
She sat anxiously looking on as Dheela waved some kind of smelling salt under Finley’s nose, but it took several minutes before her son finally awoke. The idea of having a seer delve into his mind while answering some questions, had already created many more. Finley was clearly annoyed Dheela had intruded his thoughts, but that was nothing compared to the look on Dheela’s face as he stood and glared her way. No words were exchanged between the two, but the message was quite clear.
Leyna linked her arm with her son, as she thanked the seer for her help. Although it was quite evident the seer had been a little traumatised by the incident, she did manage a bit of a smile and a wave before closing the door. “Why did you let her do that mother?” Finley asked still feeling a little shaky on his legs.
“Sorry, my dear. I thought she might help with your bad dreams.”
Finley made a scoffing sound, before explaining that his dreams had been fine of late and that this Abalyon had not shown himself. “Now thanks to whatever her name was in there, I have two of them annoying me.”
“You remember everything in your dream?”
“Yes, and her spying on me,” he said a little harshly pointing his free hand back up the corridor to Dheela’s room.
They walked a little way further without talking before Leyna needed a question answering. The memory of Dheela’s fearful face was still fresh on her mind, and she needed to know what it was she had seen. The seer had already explained that there were images in Finley’s mind that could not possibly be his own, as to how or why that was, she needed to find out. “Do you know what Dheela saw?”
Finley stopped and looked down at his mother, “No sorry I don’t,” he replied still feeling a little annoyed.
Leyna let that question drop and decided to try another. “How did you manage to drag others into your own dreams? You did it with Karesh and again then with Dheela.”
Once more Finley looked rather blankly, “Sorry I just don’t know, it kind of just happens,” he replied realising how unhelpful he probably sounded.
They walked down the stairs toward the main doors, and although Finley still felt a little groggy, the fresh air outside soon helped. The pair made their way across the yard to see how Karesh was getting along with his orc teacher. They duly found him around the side of the main keep building, holding aloft a sword which Finley thought far too big to be of use to anybody. Surely wielding such a weapon would prove too cumbersome even for an arc, but he was soon shown otherwise.
Karesh was so focused on his lesson that he did not notice his brother and mother watching a short distance away. Using both of his hands to tightly grip the hilt, he mirrored the movements his tutor had shown him just a few minutes earlier. Using the strength and power in his upper arms and shoulders, he swung the blade around his body, and up in the air before bringing it crashing down into the wooden target he was using as an enemy. Even though the blade he was using was relatively blunt, mainly to avoid any unnecessary injury, it still dug deep into the target.
“Did Dheela tell you everything in my dream?” Finley asked as he watched on, impressed by his brother’s efforts.
“I don’t know. I made some notes, but whether she told me everything…” she replied looking down at the notebook still clutched in her hand.
“This Heralin?” Finley asked checking the name was right before continuing. “She said I needed to seek out the old mage…Is she talking about Galdrac?”
Finley looked down, watching his mother’s face for any indication he was right. “I suppose that could be right, how many other mages do you know?”
“None,” Finley answered immediately, before explaining that this Heralin had told him that the old mage apparently had something of great power for him, which would help in the fight against the darkness. “Who is this Heralin anyway?” he asked.
His mother smiled up at him, “She is the goddess of the elves. Yet as to why she was in your dream I am unsure unless she foresees the future. You said she t
old you about fighting the darkness?”
“Yes, and why does she also call me Zerus Maldhor. If she were a goddess, you would think she could at least get my name right.”
Leyna chuckled at her son’s remark, yet deep down thinking on the words he had spoken. Apparently the goddess had also considered Finley to be this Zerus Maldhor, which was worrying in itself, especially considering how his life had ended. Finley had already shown magical abilities far beyond anyone’s expectations, made even more curious as no one had ever shown him how to do them. Was her son blessed, or cursed with the memories of a long-dead half-breed? The similarities between the two seemed more numerous with each passing day, but did that mean the same fate awaited him?
Chapter 24.
Galdrac and his druid companion had travelled much further than they had hoped. The horses though were tired and needed resting, and hence he had found a small rocky area where they could camp down for a few hours. Carrying water was somewhat problematic, and he knew the large proportion of that needed to be given to the horses. Keeping only a small canteen for himself, he carried two water skins attached to his saddle. One was already depleted, and the second already over a third gone. However, he hoped with a little luck, that they could make it back to the elven lands without either horse dropping dead on them.
The druid with him had been a constant source of irritation, telling him that the horses were not happy and wanted to stop. Had the elven druid had his way, they would not have gotten half as far as they had managed, and probably still been as low on water as they found themselves now. Having split his group up, he hoped the others had managed to navigate their way to safety and had avoided any contact with the creatures of the darkness. These newer variations of balgraf were certainly like any they had encountered before, and for the first time in his life, Galdrac actually considered the possibility of defeat.
Amongst the rocky outcrop, Galdrac sat and ate a little of the food he carried. He looked over and noticed a little moss growing upon one of the boulders, and although it was very sickly looking, it at least survived in these tainted lands. The surrounding area was not quite as bad as The Wastes, that had once been home to the trolls, but even here in areas once occupied by the elves, very little of anything grew.
They had passed a stream a little earlier, but Galdrac thought it best not to risk letting his horse drink from it. Although the source of the water could well have been some distance away, in areas that still supported life, it was a chance not worth taking. For now, both he and his travelling companion would have to make do with what little they carried, and although that was all but used up, they did not have a great deal further to go.
While a few of the others had a little further to travel, Galdrac had needed to be the one heading back to Barilyn. Not only did he hope to find someone who might be able to decipher his troll writings, but it was also an ideal place to start issuing warnings of what was coming. With the sun already passed its zenith, he wanted to be within sight of the town before nightfall. Despite still taking a little longer than he had hoped, travelling without the burden of any waggons had certainly made the return trip considerably quicker than the outgoing one.
Despite the druid complaining the horses wanted more rest, Galdrac told him they were moving out regardless. The terrain was thankfully quite flat this close to the elven lands, and he could already see the tall trees far in the distance. As if becoming a habit, he lifted his hand down to his coin purse, and squeezed it between his finger and thumb, checking the ring he had found was still within. The druid gave him a peculiar look as if thinking it strange he kept checking, but Galdrac rose above it and ignored it.
With the horses tiring, and the druid repeating ‘I told you so’ several times, Galdrac was glad when they crossed over the invisible border. Nobody quite knew why something could grow and flourish in one place, and yet just a paces away, barely anything grew. Galdrac though was glad he was back in familiar territory, and breathed in deeply, thinking even the air felt cleaner here, somehow less stale and fresher.
He and the druid had barely travelled ten minutes in through the forested area of the elven lands when he heard a strange sound to his left. Although feeling sleepy and exhausted, his body and senses jumped into life. The noise sounded again, a call of some kind, perhaps from an animal, yet none he was familiar with. He looked over to the druid riding alongside him. Being from that particular calling meant being at one with nature, and if anybody knew the kind of creature making that sound, it should be him. However, that was quickly not to be the case, and Galdrac knew that likely meant only one other alternative.
With the daylight fading and their horses all but exhausted, making a break for it was not going to be a viable option. The old mage knew that having to fight might prove difficult, yet it was their best bet hoping that it was one of the older types of creature that had found them. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he slowly slipped down from his horse and held his staff ready and poised in his hand. The druid with him did likewise but immediately raised his up above his hand, mumbling something under his breath.
Galdrac turned sharply as he heard a second sound, similar to his right, that was quickly answered by the one to his left. “They are closing in on us,” he said as much to himself as to the druid. This was certainly another demonstration that these creatures from the darkness were far more intelligent and coherent than they had ever seen before. Something had changed, and as far as the races of the world were concerned, it was not for the better. “There’s two of them,” the druid said in a loud whisper.
“Really?” Galdrac replied sardonically, “I thought it was an echo,” he added shaking his head slightly.
The two beasts sounded again, although this time a little louder, meaning only one thing; they were getting closer. Had Galdrac not been there to witness it, he would have probably doubted anybody else telling him. The balgraf were seen as wild animals, not capable of communicating or rational thought, and yet here they were, going against everything they thought they knew about the creatures of darkness. Two such beasts calling to one another, moving in closer to their prey, working together for a single cause.
In the fast fading light, Galdrac caught a glance of the first beast. With the druid at his back and looking the other way, he hoped the elf was being just as vigilant. With a wave of his staff, Galdrac tried to judge the direction of the beast. After the incident at Beseklin, whereby one of the creatures had merely dived to avoid his attack, he hoped to be a little more careful this time. Rather than send one larger ball of flame forward, he would send down three or four smaller blasts, hoping at least one would hit, and at least cause some damage.
The beast moved swiftly between the trees, appearing to be taking cover as if it expected to be fired upon. Rather than shoot and miss, Galdrac waited for the best moment to strike, although that meant allowing the creature to get much closer than he would have liked. He spotted it again, peering out from behind the trunk of a tree, looking at him through those large black, disc-like eyes. Standing over seven feet in height, Galdrac knew he would be no match in a physical confrontation, especially when the creature snarled its wolf-like jaws to reveal the large yellowing teeth within.
As the beast made a move, Galdrac sent forth a short volley of fireballs, channelling the magical power through his staff. The first missed as it was in front of the creature as it moved, but the second and third both struck the beast on its side. With a deafening roar that echoed around the trees, it stopped and turned to face him. With the thick black fur still smouldering, the creature snarled and growled flailing its huge powerful arms wildly, before bounding straight at him at speed.
Galdrac remained calm, although he could hear the druid behind cursing as the second beast was obviously attacking as well. With a slow, deliberate movement of his staff, Galdrac concentrated his full power. With the beast enraged and not thinking rationally, it headed straight for him, no longer seeking the cover of the t
rees it made a much easier target. After a single thrust of his staff, a stream of fire leapt out, hitting the beast head on. Galdrac kept channelling his magic, as the creature roared and cried out, now almost entirely engulfed in flame. With a defiant but futile leap forward, the beast eventually thumped down to the forest floor just a few paces short of his position.
Not having time to check the beast was indeed dead, he turned quickly to see the druid behind him, sending forth a stream of light from his staff. With little sun in the sky and the moon not yet prominent, there was little of either for the druid to draw power from. However, it was clear the beast had been hit and was wounded, which only seemed to make it angry and far less rational, just as the one Galdrac had been fighting. The druid fired again, though the shot was weak, and although Galdrac managed to muster a quick ball of fire, his shot was rushed, and it barely skimmed the beast running headlong towards them.
Galdrac stood his ground, holding his staff out ready to fire again, as another dark shape came crashing through the ferns that grew around the base of some of the trees. The figure was much smaller than one of the creatures of the darkness, but it certainly had ample enough power to take it down. It took the old mage several moments to realise it was a bear, probably linked with the druid who must have called it when they had first entered the forest.
Although the bear had forced the beast to the ground, it was not long before it recovered, forcing its new opponent to back away. The beast snarled and spat as the druid managed another shot, hitting it firmly in the chest area, as the bear stood as tall as it could to make itself look more intimidating. The two animals circled around as if performing some strange dance, each trying to look aggressive to force the other down. Galdrac knew this was likely to be his best chance, and carefully, and calmly as he could, summoned what strength he had left, before channelling the power of fire through his staff once more.
Return of the Darkness Page 18