Another thing which happened as they matured into adults, was that the two boys developed feelings for Rosalia and soon both fell deeply in love with her. They never discussed their feelings to each other, or the girl for that matter, probably for fear of wrecking the bond of friendship that they had all formed together. As much as the feelings of love grew within Stedd, another feeling burned even brighter. One of revenge. He had sworn to himself a long time ago that he would avenge his father’s death by the traitorous king, and he planned to do just that before he could allow himself to do anything regarding his feelings towards Rosalia.’
Chapter 23
Eric awoke with a start, blinking his eyes several times, trying to get his bearings. But it was very dark wherever he was and the floor he lay upon was freezing cold. As he sat up off the cold floor he realised exactly where he was again, back in his cell in the dungeons.
‘Ah, you’re awake again lad, how’s the head?’
Eric recognised the voice coming out of the darkness from somewhere nearby, it was his cell mate Bron. ‘Erm….okay…..I think,’ replied Eric, trying to remember what had happened over the last few hours. His memory seemed to be a little hazy.
‘I’m guessing by the state you were brought back in, you’ve met Luwa?’ asked Bron.
The mention of her name suddenly jolted Eric’s memory and his encounter with the old witch came flooding back. Not surprisingly the most vivid memory that came rushing back was when Luwa had placed the black thing on his face and it had burrowed into his eye. His mind was blank after that, until just a few seconds ago when he had awoken on the cold floor.
The horrifying memory was enough to start his heart racing and instinctively he reached up to his face with his left hand and tentatively starting feeling around his eye where the black thing had entered.
Even in the darkness Bron could sense Eric’s rising panic. ‘Don’t worry about the brain worm,’
‘Brain worm?’ Eric shot back, his voice rising a few levels.
‘Yeah, that horrible little black thing she puts in your eye. Brain worms, that’s what we call them anyway. That is what happened I take it?’ asked Bron.
‘Yes, she did that then that’s the last thing I remember until I just woke up. How did you….?’ began Eric, a bit puzzled.
Bron cut him off with a loud laugh then continued, ‘You think you’re the first one to have that done to them?’ Bron laughed again. ‘No I’m afraid we’ve all been there at some point or another lad and as horrifying as it is, you’ll be pleased to know that there isn’t any lasting damage to worry about. Well, not that we know of,’ he added before bellowing out another burst of laughter.
Although a ‘brain worm’ hardly sounded like something harmless, at least hearing Bron laughing about it calmed the rising panic inside Eric a little.
‘As nasty as it looks, it’s basically a truth serum. Once it gets inside your head it takes control so to speak, and allows Luwa to find out whatever she wishes from you without any chance of you lying to her. Useful little trick for her and our oaf of a King when they’re looking to get information from someone, don’t you think?’ said Bron.
‘Yeah I guess so,’ replied Eric. Thinking to himself he wondered, ‘But what on earth did she want from me, I don’t know anything of any importance.’
Chapter 24
‘So Luwa, what did you learn from the boy?’
The witch shuffled slowly across the floor until she stood right before King Drer. ‘Well,’ she began, ‘the boy was telling you the truth it seems, for until he travelled through the portal yesterday, he knew nothing of our world or who he really is. More importantly he knows nothing about the Straize gems.’
‘Nothing?’ snorted the King, his face contorting with a look of disbelief. ‘Are you sure?’
‘You know I always get the truth from them,’ replied the witch, smirking.
‘Yes that’s true, I’ll give you that Luwa. It just seems rather unbelievable though,’ said Drer.
‘Indeed, my sentiments to begin with too,’ said Luwa, pondering the thought for a moment, then continuing, ‘the young fool has been carrying one of the gems around for years, yet the whole time he has been ignorant of its power and potential……….such a waste.’
‘More to the point,’ said the King, lowering his voice until it sounded almost like a growl. ‘Where are the damn stones?’
‘I was just coming to that if you’ll let me finish,’ snapped the witch in reply. There were not many people who could talk back to King Drer in such a tone without repercussions, but luckily Luwa was one of the few, for although she spent most of her time working for Drer, she was not under his rule and it was very much a working partnership for mutual benefit. Luwa was also a very powerful witch and would make an extremely unwanted enemy for anyone, kings included.
Therefore, although King Drer was unaccustomed to being spoken to in such manner and found the lack of respect much to his annoyance, he said nothing and allowed her to continue.
‘The stones were each entwined into a chain and one given to each brother as a supposed gift from their long, gone parents. So although they were ignorant to the true nature of what they were wearing around their necks, the gems were definitely important and very precious to the boys as they represented a connection to their parents that they never had the chance to know.’
‘That’s all very touching,’ mocked the King, interrupting Luwa once again, ‘but there certainly wasn’t anything hanging around his neck when he got here, was there?’ he continued.
‘There wasn’t no,’ Luwa snapped back, then changing her tone again she said, ‘I do however, know of its whereabouts.’
‘Go on,’ said the King, motioning with his hand and growing more impatient by the second.
‘Well it appears it was taken from the boy by a wise elder of sorts, a teacher I believe is the term he used,’ continued Luwa.
‘A teacher eh …….. yes I think I’ve heard of them,’ said Drer, more to himself than talking to Luwa. ‘And what has this teacher done with the gem then?’ he added, directing his question at the witch again.
‘The boy does not know of its exact location, however it is being held within a building that the boy and the teacher frequent on a regular basis called a school,’ answered Luwa.
‘RIEZGAR,’ The King shouted so suddenly and loudly that it made Luwa jump.
Riezgar emerged from his hiding spot among the shadows halfway down the chamber and strode quickly towards the King until he drew level with Luwa.
‘Yes my King.’
‘Do you know of this place that Luwa talks of, this school?’ Asked Drer.
‘I do indeed,’ replied Riezgar.
‘Good, take some guards with you, go to this school and bring me back the Straize.’
‘As you wish my King,’ replied Riezgar. As he turned to leave the chamber, Drer spoke again.
‘Oh Riezgar………one more thing, I want you to take Doogard and the boy with you.’
‘The boy?’ exclaimed Riezgar, with a look of surprise on his face. Taking Doogard would be annoying enough, but even Riezgar had to admit that Doogard was a skilled warrior, even if he did detest him. But the boy?
‘I don’t mean to question your orders my King but what use would a scrawny little boy be to some of the finest warriors the realms have ever seen?’ said Riezgar, trying not to sound as offended as he felt.
‘The boy may be of use for locating the stone, also I have another little task in mind for you,’ said the King, then after pausing for a moment he turned his gaze towards the witch again. ‘Can I have some privacy to speak with Riezgar?’ ‘Thanks Luwa,’ he added, just to let the witch know he was only asking to be polite. A sly grin came over his face too, as he knew that the witch would have liked to have heard what he was about to say, but although they worked together on most matters, she did not need to be kept informed on all Elf business.
And sure enough, Luwa cursed silently before say
ing, ‘As you wish Drer,’ whilst trying to hide the disappointment from her voice. She then turned and left the King’s chamber.
Chapter 25
It had seemed like hours ago since Eric had awoken to find himself back in his cold, dark cell, — the panic that had arisen within him, now a distant memory. A guard had brought them some kind of food a while ago that had tasted utterly disgusting Eric thought. and had it not been for Bron encouraging him to eat something in order to keep his strength up, he would have just left it altogether.
He had chatted with Bron for a while but they now found themselves out of conversation and sitting quietly in the dark, when Eric heard Doogard’s voice in the distance, presumably talking to the guards stationed at the dungeon entrance. Then after hearing a large-sounding door creak open and bang shut, slowly the dungeon started to get brighter as a large figure approached holding a flaming torch aloft.
Eric quickly recognised Doogard as he neared his cell. ‘Hello Eric, how are you?’ Doogard asked in his booming voice.
‘I’ve been better,’ replied Eric rather sarcastically.
Doogard’s large, unfriendly-looking face broke into a large grin, ‘Yes I’m sure you have,’ he said before bursting into a loud laugh. ‘At least I’m here now to let you out of this godforsaken place.’
‘You are?’ Eric said, his voice lifting a little.
‘I am indeed,’ replied Doogard as he slipped a key into the cell door and turned it. It clicked loudly, then Doogard swung the large, iron bar door open. ‘Before you get too excited though, I’m afraid Drer has only released you so that you can assist his royal guards with a special mission.’
‘Eh?’ exclaimed Eric as he rose to his feet. ‘Assist with a special mission………me?’ It was now Eric’s turn to laugh loudly. After what he had been through already, Eric was pretty sure that whatever they were going to do would definitely be no laughing matter, but the absurdity of the situation was getting too much. Regaining his composure a little he continued, ‘And what kind of special mission does the almighty Drer want me to do now?’
‘He commands that you travel with the royal guards back to your world and help them to locate the Straize gem stone, which you will know as the red gem stone that you normally wear around your neck,’ said Doogard.
Eric started shaking his head in a kind of state of disbelief to what he was hearing. ‘The what gem stone?.........Why on earth are we going to find my chain?’ he added, before waiting for an answer to the first question.
‘The Straize, that’s the name of the gem stone that you’ve been wearing around your neck for years. You see, that stone is not from your world, it’s from here, it’s part of our world,’ said Doogard looking Eric straight in the eye.
Eric opened his mouth to speak, then paused. He wasn’t sure what to think or say anymore, everything was getting very confusing. He half hoped Doogard’s face would break into a large grin again and he would admit to this all being one big joke, but it didn’t. His face looked as serious and scary as the first time he had set eyes upon the large Elf.
Doogard continued, ‘Yes it is part of a set of two that originate from our lands, so legend has it. Your brother has the other one I assume and they are the only two Straize gems in existence. Which obviously makes them very rare and precious. However, that’s not the reason why they’re sought after so fervently.’
‘Oh and why is that then?’ asked Eric, his interest levels now tweaking.
‘Well it is said that the stones harness incredible power and when used in a certain way they can make an undefeatable weapon.’
Eric roared with laughter so loudly that even Doogard and Bron jumped a little. ‘You have got to be kidding,’ said Eric as he put a hand on his knee and shook his head still laughing. ‘So your telling me that I’ve been kidnapped, tortured, starved and locked up in a dungeon because you want a stupid gem stone that I wear on a chain?’ continued Eric as he suddenly stopped giggling and stared straight at Doogard.
Silence fell for a few seconds as Eric moved his gaze towards Bron who merely shrugged his shoulders and made a kind of ‘don’t look at me it’s not my fault’ face. Eric returned his gaze to Doogard, ‘Well?’
Looking rather sheepish Doogard said, ‘Yep I’m afraid that’s pretty much the size of it.’
Eric looked disbelieving. ‘Well, you’re all idiots because I can assure you that those stones, whatever you call them, have no power whatsoever. My brother and I have carried them around for years and they have never once displayed any kind of power or shown anything out the ordinary…….ever!’ He looked incredulously at Doogard, who again looked uncomfortable.
‘Look I don’t know whether the stones have powers or not, but my opinion doesn’t really matter, what does matter is that various people from our world, powerful and dangerous people for that matter, believe that the stories about the gems are true and they have been looking for them for a very long time. Furthermore, they won’t give up the search for them until they know for sure that the gems are indeed powerful or otherwise; and they will happily destroy anything that stands in their way of finding out. So listen up little man, because if you do not already realise the seriousness of your situation here, then you better wise up soon.’
Eric looked a little shell shocked at Doogard’s outburst, making the large Elf instantly regret being too harsh on the boy. As Eric despondently lowered his head and walked through the cell door, Doogard placed his hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Look boy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to add to your woes, I know you’ve been through a lot, especially for someone so young, so chin up, you’re doing well.’
Doogard’s words raised Eric’s spirit a little, but it didn’t last long as the Elf’s next words sent a feeling of dread shooting through Eric’s body. Still with his hand on Eric’s shoulder, Doogard leaned in closer and was almost whispering when he said, ‘Listen closely boy, keep your wits about you and stay close to me at all times during this trip. I’ll do my best to keep you safe but be warned, this is not a friendly group we will be travelling with.’
Doogard then released his hand from Eric’s shoulder and stood back from him, turning towards Bron’s cell. ‘My old friend, how are we?’ said Doogard, his voice returning to its normal booming self.
‘Happy as ever Doogard, you know me,’ replied Bron laughing.
‘Good to hear,’ said Doogard, joining in with the laughter, then continuing, ‘Well, I have another parcel for you, which I think might even improve your mood further.’ Doogard slipped a small parcel between the bars of Bron’s cell, which Bron gratefully accepted, saying ‘Oh, that sounds interesting.’
‘Yes,’ started Doogard before pausing to look around, as if checking to see that no one else was listening in. His voice lowered once more as he spoke again. ‘There’s a little something extra in there for you this time.’
‘Is there now,’ exclaimed Bron. ‘Does that mean what I think it means?’
‘Yes, I suspect Drer has other plans for me and the boy on this mission, so it’s now or never I’m afraid,’ said Doogard.
‘Well it’s about bloody time,’ said Bron in a jovial voice, ‘and you’re right, that did indeed improve my mood,’ he continued before breaking into a joyful laugh.
The laugh was contagious and Doogard joined in before saying, ‘I thought you would like that news, but we must bid you farewell for now brother.’ He slipped his large hand between the cell bars and the two elves shook hands, then beat their chests.
‘Take care brother,’ said Bron, ‘and good luck.’
‘Same to you old friend,’ replied Doogard before he turned swiftly and began marching out the dungeon, leaving Eric standing next to the open cell door looking rather bemused.
‘Come on boy, keep up,’ he yelled, already fading into the darkness.
Eric glanced up at Bron, unsure what to say. He just smiled before turning on his heels and chasing after Doogard. Bron broke into another laugh before shouting after
Eric, ‘Good luck boy, perhaps we’ll meet again.’
Chapter 26
To say Eric was feeling a little intimidated when he joined up with the rest of the group would have been an understatement. He had been greeted with cold hard stares, from some of the toughest, scariest looking people he had ever seen. Each and every one of them armed to the hilt with various weapons including swords, dagger, spears and axes.
‘Nice of you to join us,’ sneered Riezgar to Doogard sarcastically. Before Doogard had the chance to reply Riezgar continued, ‘Right Elves, let’s get moving, we’ve wasted enough time waiting on this pair……..MOVE OUT.’
On his command the Elven warriors had one last growl at Eric then set off on a brisk march, winding their way down the castle, through the courtyard and finally exiting the large gates that formed the main entrance to the castle.
Doogard had given Eric some extra clothing and a large fur cloak, for which he was extremely grateful as when the large gates of the castle had opened, the gale force freezing wind and snow hit them like a tornado, stinging the bare flesh on Eric’s face and hands.
They marched their way back to the portal in silence, each person left with their own thoughts as they battled through the wind and snow, with Riezgar leading the way and Doogard and Eric trailing at the rear.
When they finally arrived at the cave that housed the portal, Eric was glad to get out of the bitter wind. As they made their way down through the cave, Eric wondered how long it had been since he first came through the portal and arrived in this horrible world. It was probably only a few days, yet it seemed like a lifetime ago, he thought to himself.
When Eric and Doogard entered the large cavern part of the cave that housed the portal, they saw that most of the other Elves had already vanished through the large misty object. With a sneering look on his face Riezgar stood to the left hand side of the portal.
The Other Side Page 9
