by Peter Hall
When they came back to shore they got dressed and equipped their armor. Durandal headed over to the horses and Bryn smiled, watching him as she put her gauntlet on and headed over to the campfire. She whistled and Odin trotted over to her as Durandal trotted up on his horse, his red cape billowing in the wind.
“We should get moving.” he said as he scanned the horizon.
It was a clear morning, hardly a cloud in the sky and as he looked across the valley, Bryn mounted her horse and trotted over to him.
“Then move.” she said with a smile as she kicked her heels and took off.
Durandal grinned, turned his horse around and kicked his heels. They raced through the grasslands at a cracking pace and headed north across the valley.
They crossed the Siera Valley around noon, the hills had become steeper, the paths narrower and they were soon riding amongst heavy foliage and wild plants and trees. They had entered the Teeko Forest, which was known as a rather mystical place throughout Siera. Bryn heard many fantastical stories about this place on her journey north along the western coast. It certainly seemed like a strange place to her but not exactly mystical. It’s just an old, overgrown forest. The horses were keeping a steady pace along the winding path. As they followed the path high along a steep hill they could see across the forest to the west. Bryn pulled her horse up.
“Woah Odin! Durandal look!” she said as he pulled up alongside her. In the distance they could see black smoke billowing up from the trees. Bryn looked over at Durandal. He stroked his moustache and rubbed his chin.
“I suppose we better get a closer look.” he said. Bryn nodded and they cut down the side of the hill through the thick overgrowth and headed towards the black smoke.
The sun was setting by the time they got there and orange light was beaming through the trees, the pink sky above was bright and gave everything in their lush surroundings an eerie glow. The smoke was coming from a village nestled deep in the ancient forest. They slowed down as they approached the village and dismounted their horses, looked at eachother and drew their weapons. As they walked toward the village, Bryn noticed a few market stalls and a fence, and what looked to be a stable but something was odd. Everything was tiny. The buildings were about half the size they should be, like it was a village for children. Even the stable was too small for a horse. Bryn was a little puzzled by this. She knew there was such a thing as Dwarves and Gnomes, but even they were too big for these dwellings and both lived under the mountains of Kotari on the far side of the world.
“What in the name of Esra is this?” Bryn said and looked over at Durandal.
“Halflings, they live in these parts. Mostly keep to themselves.” He said as they walked up the main path into the village.
“Halflings? I never knew of such creatures.” Bryn said scanning their surroundings.
It was silent except for the wind blowing through the trees and the noises of the insects and animals of the forest. The buildings all had round windows and green rounded roofs. There were chickens running loose on the road that scattered as Bryn and Durandal approached. They walked up a little further and there was a building on fire. It looked like it may have been a library or something similar, Bryn could see there were shelves full of burned books and scrolls inside as she peered through a window. They came across a cart full of fruit that had tipped on its side, the fruit was spilled across the road and there was a small body next to the cart. Bryn kneeled down and saw it was a little man wearing a simple green tunic and brown pants, he would have only come up to Bryn’s knee’s if he was standing. His throat was badly cut open and there were claw marks across his body.
Bryn looked up at Durandal and he seemed troubled.
“Poor little soul.” He said and looked around. “I think we should leave this place.”
Bryn looked ahead and saw more smoke coming from the trees beyond a small rise.
“Wait.” She said and got up.
They continued along the road as it wound around the rise and they saw where the smoke was coming from. There were about fifty or sixty small bodies piled up and burning at the end of the road.
“Oh no…” Bryn said under her breath as they walked towards the fire.
Then she saw a little person standing in front of the fire looking at them. It was a little lady, only about two foot tall. She had long brown hair, she was wearing a white hat with earflaps that tied under her chin and a green gown that was covered in mud. As they got closer, Bryn saw she was filthy, her face was covered in ash and she was crying.
Bryn started to feel dizzy and everything started to tilt on its side. She closed her eyes, she felt like she was going to throw up. She opened her eyes and saw herself as a child, standing there in the road. She fell to her knees and at the same time the child fell to her knees and sobbed. In the back of her mind, she was aware of something going on behind her. She heard Durandal say something but she couldn’t understand. It was like she was submerged underwater. She turned her head slowly, sweat dripping off her face and looked behind her.
Durandal was swinging his sword. There was a huge explosion of black blood as the silver sword glistened with a flash of pink in the dying light. Bryn's eyes went wide and she felt the blood spray across her face. He swung again and she saw a demon fall to the ground in front of her. She was frozen. She watched as a demon charged at her and just as it reached her, Durandal stepped in front of her and ran it through.
Bryn felt everything start to fade and she could see Durandal’s face now. He was shouting at her.
“Brinhildr! Brinhildr!”
She felt a cool breeze sweep across her face and she closed her eyes. The nausea and dizziness started to pass. She opened her eyes again and then she reeled back and gasped.
“Brynhildr! Are you alright?” Durandal said with a panicked look on his face.
“Yes… yes I'm fine.” She said and slowly got to her feet. There were three dead demons in front of her. She looked over at Durandal who still looked concerned. “I'm sorry… I don't know what happened.” She said.
Durandal put his hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Just don't do that to me again alright? You had me worried for a moment.” he said and sheathed his sword.
Bryn turned around and the little lady was on her knees crying and watching them. They walked over and Bryn knelt down beside her. “Hello, my name is Bryn. Are you alright?” she said to her.
The little lady looked up and sniffed. “Monsters came and they killed everyone in my village.” She said sobbing. “I am scared they will come back. Please help me.” she said and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
Bryn smiled and wiped the tears from her little cheeks. She only looked like a small child but she spoke like she was older. “Of course we will help you. This is my friend Durandal. What is your name?” Bryn asked.
“Eir. My n-name is Eir Honeydew.” she said and tried to smile through the tears.
Durandal knelt down next to her. “I'm so sorry about your village Eir. Come, we will keep you safe.” he said and held out his hand. She took his hand and he gently picked her up and sat her on his shoulder. She held onto his hair and smiled. He looked over at Bryn and she smiled at him.
“Come on let’s get out of here.” Durandal said and they headed back down the main road to find the horses. As they got to the cart that was tipped over on the road, Eir pulled on Durandal’s hair.
“Wait!” She said, “My friend… please.” she was pointing at the dead Halfling near the cart.
Durandal knelt down and picked up the small, lifeless body. He walked back over to the fire and carefully tossed the body into the flames.
“Thank you Durandal” she said, wiping her eyes.
Steig looked back over his shoulder and saw Bryn’s feet disappear up the rusty ladder at the end of the tunnel. He unsheathed his sword known throughout Galadon as Venom, and walked straight towards the incoming horde, his green cape billowing out behind him. It was dark in the tunnel but he could jus
t make out shapes and movement as his eyes adjusted. The hissing and screeching in the tunnel was getting louder by the moment. He readied his sword and braced himself. The horde was upon him and he lunged forward and stabbed the first demon in the face, pulled his sword back and kicked the next one in the chest. He stabbed again and pierced a demon through the neck. He stood his ground and stabbed again and again. He rolled forward and spun around slicing two more in half as they clambered forward. He stabbed two more and one lunged at him, knocking his sword flying.
He fell over with the demon and twisted it’s neck. He got back to his feet and saw that the bodies were blocking half the tunnel now but they were clambering over the pile. He grabbed another one by the head and it dug its claws into his arms. He screamed and twisted its neck. Another two were climbing over the dead bodies and he charged them, slamming their heads together as more tried to climb over. He turned around and dropped to the floor searching for his sword, the demons squealing and screaming behind him. He felt the cold steel of the mighty Venom and gripped it tight.
He got up and ran through an oncoming demon, pulled his sword out and kicked another into the pile of bodies before stabbing it in the face. More piled through and he stabbed their ghastly faces as they tried to climb over the bodies. The tunnel was almost blocked with a wall of demons and now they were trying to squeeze over the top of the pile to get through. Steig kept stabbing them until eventually the tunnel was completely blocked. He could hear them on the other side screeching and howling.
He felt blood running down his arms and the pain was intense. Then the wall of bodies in front of him started to move. They were bashing their way through. Black blood sprayed from the wall as a white clawed hand burst through the bodies and he gasped. He turned around and ran back down the tunnel towards the ladder. He sheathed his sword and climbed up as fast as he could. He managed to pull himself up and out of the small well, falling over the edge and collapsing to the ground. He was covered in dirt and blood was flowing from the deep gashes in his arms. He squinted and looked at the city as he lay in the grass, the sweat and smoke making his eyes sting. Galadon was burning before him. He slowly got back on his feet and jogged as fast as he could across the open fields north of the city as the sun began to rise.
Magicks
‘Magickal and Occult Systems’ from ‘Eterialumen 1320th year since the cataclysm’
There are two main branches of magickal systems practiced throughout Eteria; Natural Magicks and Unnatural Magicks, Natural Magicks harness the forces of light, healing, music and love, whereas Unnatural Magicks harness the forces of darkness and evil, death and destruction. Each of these magicks branches into five sub-magickal systems. Natural Magicks are divided into Elemental Magick, Star Magick, Animal Magick, Light Magick and Sound Magick. Unnatural Magicks are divided into Necromancy, Death Magick, Hex Magick, Void Magick and Blood Magick. Each of these sub-magickal systems again branch into five sub-systems making up the fifty known fundamental magickal systems. Magickal power is generated by converting one’s Hugr or ‘Life Force’ into raw energy by channeling it from the heart, into the mind and then out into the physical world. Magick can be applied in an infinite variety of ways, according to the will of the Magick User.
E.
V
The Lion
Steig scanned the treeline as he approached the Northern Woods but he couldn’t see the stable boy. When he got to the trees he stopped and took a moment to catch his breath. He looked back at Galadon and closed his eyes. He turned and walked into the woods, looking for the stable boy and the horses. He stopped and looked all around. Nothing. Well that’s Just wonderful… He was alone and without a ride. He walked back over to the treeline and sat down on a rock, held his wounded forearms and watched the city burn. The sun was up and the bats were still swirling around Galadon. As Steig watched on, they turned north all at once and headed straight for him.
He scrambled to his feet and ran into the woods, hiding behind a tree. The tumultuous sound of flapping and screeching filled the air as the swarm flew over the woods. He put his hands over his ears and winced as he looked up at the flying terrors. After a few moments they had passed and the sound died down. Steig looked ahead and narrowed his eyes. The demons were all gathering around inside the northern gate. The gate went up and the demons spilled out and rushed towards the woods. Steig jumped up and ran into the trees, heart beating out of his chest. Realising that running wasn’t an option, he ran over to a large old tree and climbed as high as he could, hugging the branch and trying to slow his breathing. He could hear them coming. They thundered and crashed through the woods, thousands of demons sprinting through the trees. He was holding on for dear life as the old tree shook from the sea of monsters storming through the forest below.
He looked at his forearms and blood was running down to his elbows. His eyes widened as the blood started to drip down onto the rushing horde. Eventually they passed through and as the noise died down Steig closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He slowly made his way down the old tree and headed back to the treeline. He looked across the grasslands and the city looked quiet, so he headed back towards the northern gate. As he walked through the gate he coughed from the black smoke filling the city. The road was covered in blood and body parts. He jogged over to the western side of the city and walked the streets, looking for any survivors. Everywhere he looked, men, women, children, dead bodies everywhere. Many of the houses were burning and Galadon Castle had collapsed into a pile of rubble in the middle of the city. Galadon had fallen.
Steig walked the streets for hours but there were no survivors. He knelt down next to the river running through the city and gazed into the red water. There were bodies floating slowly down stream. He saw a child's body float by and as he watched it pass he drove his fists into the dirt and stared at the ground, sweat and spit was dripping from his face and he let out a furious scream that echoed through the empty streets. He started punching the ground and screaming.
He looked up and he bared his teeth, his eyes were red with rage. He stood up and walked back through the city to the northern gate, then started jogging north. I’m going to kill them all…
As night fell, the winds softly howled across the Siera Valley, the tall grass and wildflowers swaying in the moonlight, far into the distance like a soft blanket covering the rolling hills. Steig was still keeping a steady pace as he pushed north through the valley. He was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring from his face. The deep wounds on his forearms had stopped bleeding but now he couldn’t feel his hands. He ran across the grasslands and rolling hills all night without stopping. As the sun came up and the stars began to fade in the morning light, Steig finally slowed down, stumbled and collapsed to the ground. He didn’t have the strength to even try to get up, so he just laid there and caught his breath. He closed his eyes and felt a cool breeze on his face, just before he drifted out of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes it was daytime. He squinted and looked up, the sun was high in the sky. Slowly he lifted his head up out of the dirt and got to his feet. He swayed and stumbled back a few steps then steadied himself, holding his knees. He looked north and it was rolling hills as far as the eye could see, and no sign of the horde. He started jogging. His mouth was dry and his head was thumping, his whole body ached but he kept moving. He kept jogging north without respite until the sun started to set over the western horizon. He saw a river up ahead and there were trees and wildflowers growing in abundance. As he approached the river, he slowed down and saw the remnants of a campfire that had been used recently. He looked around at the dirt and saw signs that there had been people here. He saw hoofprints heading north. He walked over to the river and knelt down, cupped his hands and drank some water. He fell back and laid there on the shore as the light started to fade.
As Bryn finished packing supplies into the pouches hanging from Odin’s saddle, she saw Eir pulling on Durandal’s hair.
“Dura
ndal,” she said “I need to go back for something please, can you put me down.”
Durandal knelt down and set Eir on the ground and she ran back into the village. He looked over at Bryn and shrugged his shoulders. Bryn walked over to him and they watched for Eir to return.
“Do you think there are more of them? More Halfling villages out here?” Bryn said.
Durandal stroked his moustache and scratched his chin. “Yes, but I venture to say that any place west of here will have suffered the same fate as this one.” he said. He turned and looked at Bryn. “We need to find the source of this evil... Where are these beasts coming from? Who is controlling them?”
“They are coming from Asgard. And I think I know who is controlling them.” Bryn replied.
“Who?!” Durandal said, his eyes widening.
Bryn looked over and saw Eir running back down the path towards them. “I will explain later, right now we need to get out of these woods and head north, it is not safe here.” she said as she turned and mounted her horse.
Durandal looked frustrated and folded his arms, then he felt Eir tugging on his pant leg. He looked down and saw she was carrying a small, slightly charred wooden flute and a book attached to a strap over her shoulder. He gently picked her up and mounted his horse, sitting Eir in front. They headed back east the way they had come and by nightfall they reached the hill where they had first seen the burning village. They followed the path north and slowly moved through the thick trees and overgrowth. There were giant mushrooms growing wildly everywhere and huge colorful plants that seemed to glow in the dark. Fireflies were buzzing around and even the grass looked a luminescent blue as they passed through the depths of Teeko Forest in the moonlight. Durandal’s curiosity got the better of him. “So, Eir, what is that book you have there?” he said inquisitively.
