by Rob Donovan
The slaughter of the townsfolk continued and Cody could no longer watch. He turned away and sunk to the floor, his back sliding down the trunk of the tree. He wanted to flee but was too terrified to move. Only moments ago, he had congratulated himself on a successful mission. He had closed the portal and prevented more Glooms from entering his world. But the harsh reality was that the fight had only just begun. The number of Glooms which had escaped into Frindoth had to be dealt with. Evelyn was his priority, but there was no way he could protect her whilst Glooms roamed the land. He would return to his home to find her, but he also realised he must fight. To ignore the Glooms and purely pursue his daughter was as good as sentencing her to death anyway.
Evelyn was alive, his wife and Annalua had informed him of that fact. That meant she was safe. Cody pictured the large stately home the monster Jahn Scropson owned. When he had given up his wife and daughter he thought he was placing them in a fortress. Now the large house just seemed an easy target for the Glooms. Assuming the town behind him was Compton and if he could procure a horse, he could be home in less than a week. Find Evelyn and take her somewhere safe. Maybe Prince Althalos would allow her to stay in Lilyon whilst Cody served as a Knight?
It took the Truth Knight a moment to realise the Glooms had fallen silent. For a horrible second he thought he might have been discovered. He opened his eyes and half expected to see a circle of Glooms around him. There was nothing but trees. Slowly he turned towards what was left of the town. The Glooms were still and stared intently at the church. Some of them had fallen to one knee as if in supplication, others had bowed their heads.
He glimpsed the top of a head moving in front of the Glooms; something walked towards the church. The Glooms brayed, hissed, and mewed in what Cody could only imagine was awe. The figure which had attracted the Glooms attention reached one clawed hand up to the church roof and pulled itself up. In his other hand, he held an object but somehow, he still managed to gain purchase as he climbed. Despite effectively climbing with one hand the figure somehow made the act look graceful. The figure wore armour which was brightly polished. It had a conical head and was heavily muscled. There was something familiar about it, although it was clearly animalistic in appearance. Cody was sure the thing was a Gloom - it had to be. To think it could be a man horrified the Truth Knight as it dwarfed even Mondorlous.
When it reached the roof the Glooms as one all lowered their heads and fell to their bellies. The Gloom turned and surveyed its subjects. It had beady eyes which shone the colour of fire. Whatever it held in his other hand was concealed behind its back. If Cody had not already been holding onto the tree he would have fallen. The sight of so many Glooms had terrified him but this thing alone rendered him paralysed. Even the Glooms shuddered before it.
"My army," the creature said looking at the Glooms before him. "You may rise." As one, the creatures got to their feet. The leader breathed in deeply as if drinking the power of the Glooms before him. The potential of destruction was intoxicating to it and Cody shivered as it smiled. "Yessssss," the leader said. "Yesssss. The time has come at last. We will take what we want; we will rule how we want. All shall bow and we will live the afterlife we were promised. We will cleanse this filthy land of lies and false promises.”
It talks. The fucking thing talks, Cody thought. He was not sure why but this concept was the most abhorrent of all. The Glooms were monsters, alien to anything he had ever witnessed, but the idea of them communicating in a language Cody could understand horrified him. He recalled Annalua's explanation as to what the Glooms were - men and women who were not content with utopia and sought more. Cody heard a soft squeak and realised he had made the sound. He clamped a hand over his mouth and then slapped the other on top of it. A serpent-like Gloom near the rear of the crowd swivelled its head and scanned the trees. A long tongue flashed in and out of its lips trying to taste the presence of an intruder. Cody did not have to try to keep still. He could not have moved if he wanted to. The serpent Gloom looked towards Cody. Cody was sure he had been discovered but the creature turned its attention back to the figure on the roof as it began talking again.
"It is time to create the utopia we all want," the leader of the Glooms said and revealed what it held in his other hand. The Glooms roared in approval, they stamped their hooves, talons and paws. This time Cody's legs did give out. His world swam before him and he dry heaved several times. Part of him screamed at him to run. The Glooms must have heard him but the thunder in his ears was the noise from the Glooms and not just the roaring of his mind.
"With this head, the connection between Frindoth and the Realm of the Glooms has ended. We are free to dominate, unconstrained by rules and limitations. We now live in a land where only the strongest lead; where only we lead."
The cheering from the Glooms was deafening. Cody felt tears roll down his cheeks. He forced himself to look up at the figure on the church roof. The Gloom held aloft the head of his friend Tristan. Cody stared at the expression on the Arrow Knight's face. His mouth was open, aghast as if it realised the scene occurring before him. As the adulation of the Glooms increased, a gold outline flickered around the frame of the Gloom on the church roof and Cody realised why the creature looked so familiar. It was Xandamon the mysterious figure only he had seen in the Realm of the Glooms.
Cody flinched as a hand clamped over his mouth. Before he could withdraw his sword from his scabbard another hand clasped over his wrist.
“Since when did you become such a soft, blubbering coward?” Marybeth whispered in his ear. Cody relaxed, at least his muscles did. He was not sure his heart beat would ever slow down.
He gently pushed the witch’s hand away from his mouth. “That sight does not terrify you?” Cody asked.
Marybeth’s eyes darted to the mass of Glooms. “Utterly,” she admitted.
“What are we going to do?”
“Not here,” she said and pulled him up. Cody held onto the witch, his legs still felt like water and he had grave suspicions that they would betray him if he tried to stand on his own. Marybeth seemed to sense this and nodded at him whilst offering a tight smile. “Take your time.”
Cody glanced over at the Glooms, Xandamon sniffed the blood which had clotted at Tristan’s neck and then hurled the head into the crowd. They swarmed upon it as if they were starving pets that had been tossed a morsel of food. The Truth Knight fought the urge not to dry heave again.
“On second thoughts move,” Marybeth said and pulled him after her as she turned and ran. He followed without question; he had spent enough time in the witch’s company to obey any orders she gave. He looked back and glimpsed the serpent like Gloom slithering in their direction, its black tongue darting out and testing the air in front of it.
Cody jinked in and out of the trees, dodging the next trunk rather than forging any kind of path through the woods. Marybeth remained ahead of him neither of them looked back any more.
“Should we fight it?” Cody called after her when they had put enough distance between them and the town not to be overheard.
“No, if it calls the others than we are done for.”
Cody hurdled over a fallen trunk. “Don’t serpents just hiss?”
“Serpents do, this is a Gloom that resembles a serpent. Who knows what it does? Probably uses its mind to communicate.”
Cody ducked instinctively as a flock of Swift tails burst from the trees overhead showering him with leaves.
“By the Tri-moons could you attract any more attention?” Marybeth called out. Cody cursed. He was not aware he was making any more noise than the witch but did not feel the urge to point this out.
“Where are we going?” he asked instead.
“To the boat.”
“What boat?” Cody asked. Since when had they acquired a boat? “What about Janna?”
“She is on the boat. Hurry up.”
Of course, she is. Cody thought. She has probably just celebrated her twenty fifth birthfeast as well. Why w
as he always the last one to arrive whenever he travelled to another realm?
He burst through the last of the trees and found himself sprinting across a grassy plain. A wide river meandered before him. Sure enough, on the bank a small row boat was moored. He could see Janna standing in the middle of the boat shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked towards them.
“Untie the boat girl. We need to move.”
The former Stoneholder sprang to attention and began to frantically untie the rope which moored the vessel. Marybeth had increased the distance between Cody and herself and the Truth Knight felt a little ashamed at this. He looked over his shoulder and saw the trees silent behind him. Had they outrun the Gloom? He could not say for certain it had even pursued them. When he spied it, the creature had merely been investigating Cody and Marybeth.
Marybeth reached the boat and pushed Janna to one side. The girl did not seem too bothered by the treatment and jumped back into the boat. Cody watched the girl look back at him and then saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open. The change of expression told him everything he needed to know. The serpent like Gloom had chased them.
Cody’s legs felt heavier. He could not remember ever being unfit but this was the second time he had been forced to flee and been at the rear of the people who fled. He would have to do something about that. That is if he survived this encounter. The serpent Gloom hissed and it sounded far too close for Cody’s liking. The Truth Knight focused only on Janna and pumped his arms at his sides, willing more speed into his legs. His chest hurt but he did not care; could not care. If he did not speed up he would die it was that simple. He did not have Tristan’s arrows to save him now.
He was less than fifty yards from the boat. Marybeth finally untied the rope and hopped into the boat and began pulling the rope in. She looked up and scowled at Cody.
“Move,” she shouted.
“What does she think I am doing?” Cody muttered but he could see the fear etched on both women’s faces showing that the serpent Gloom was close. With a final injection of adrenalin, he sprinted close to the boat.
Marybeth had already pushed the vessel away from the bank with an oar
“What are you doing? We can’t leave him behind!” Janna said and went to wrestle the oar from Marybeth. For the second time, the girl was shoved roughly to the side.
“Idiot girl,” Marybeth said. “He will have to jump.”
Cody did not need to be told twice. He could feel the presence of the serpent Gloom behind him. He imagined the creature opening its jaws ready to strike its fangs dripping with venom.
He reached the edge of the river bank and did not break stride as he hurled himself into the air. The distance to the boat was too far and he realised mid-air that he would not make it. He plunged into the water, an icy blast shocking his system but at the same time refreshing him.
Marybeth had seen he was not going to make it and cast the rope after him. Cody surfaced and grabbed hold of it. The current had already whipped the boat along. As he pulled himself towards the boat he looked back to the serpent Gloom. It had reached the bank and swivelled its head from side to side in frustration, rearing up so that two thirds of its long body rose in the air. Cody shuddered as he realised his imagination had been a little too accurate - the serpent Glooms fangs were a good two inches in length.
The serpent Gloom moved towards the water and then recoiled when it encountered the river. It tried three more times before it gave up. Cody ignored the creature and concentrated on pulling himself towards the boat, freezing water washing over him as Marybeth and Janna began to pull him in.
He reached the boat and had to be helped over the side. The adrenalin rush left him as suddenly as it had arrived and he suddenly ached all over. He lay on his back and gasped for air.
“How did you know it wouldn’t like the water?” Cody said in between deep breaths.
Marybeth stared back towards the serpent Gloom. “I didn’t,” she said looking down at Cody as her cheeks reddened. “Figured we could use some luck.”
Cody closed his eyes. Sometimes he did not understand the witch. Janna flung her arms around him and he hugged the girl tightly.
“That was my home town,” she said.
Cody pushed her off him and kissed the top of her head. “What did you see?”
“Nothing, Marybeth would not let me look.”
Cody glanced at the witch who shrugged. Maybe Marybeth was finally learning to consider the girl’s feelings after all.
“Was it bad?” Janna asked.
“Yes,” Cody said. This time it was his turn to shrug his shoulders as Marybeth raised an eyebrow at him. He did not see the point of lying. They had all gone beyond that. They had all seen too many horrors. Cody shivered as his blood ran cold at the memory of Compton. He would never forget the sight for as long as he lived.
They sailed down the river for a few hours. The current did most of the work. During that time Janna slept and Cody and Marybeth mostly remained silent, each lost in their own remorse. There had been nothing to say. With it’s beautiful scenery the Realm of the Glooms may not have appeared to be the nightmare world they had thought it would be but it had turned out to be every bit as dreadful in the end. Their losses had been heavy, with each passing day; their group seemed to grow smaller.
“I need to find my daughter,” Cody announced suddenly.
Marybeth sat back in the boat and placed her elbows on the edge. She nodded but did not say anything. The reflection of the sun on the water glistened against her face. For a moment Cody was reminded of Xandamon and had to look away.
Despite the hours of sailing, the smoke was still vaguely visible in the sky.
“I have no choice. She is out there without her mother or father. I can’t stand that thought.”
Still Marybeth did not speak, after a while she tilted her head to one side and just stared at Cody. He felt anger brewing inside. What did she expect of him? He was one man; there was no way he could make a difference against an army of Glooms.
“You would do the same in my position.”
This time Marybeth sighed and pushed herself away from the side of the boat. She leaned towards Cody so their faces were only half a foot apart.
“I wonder why we were sent back?” she said.
The question confused the Truth Knight; he had not expected Marybeth to completely ignore his statement.
“What do you mean?” Cody asked.
“Why us three?”
“Annalua explained why. Janna and I had to return because we were Stoneholders and the final place was between you, Mondorlous and Tristan.”
“Huh,” Marybeth said and pulled a face.
“What do you mean huh?”
“I am just surprised you believed her when she said you and Janna had to return.”
“You didn’t?” Cody was more confused than ever. Why would the guardian have lied?
“No, I didn’t believe her. I don’t think Mondorlous did either. I think we both thought it was a nice way of solving the dilemma over who should return. It took the decision out of our hands so to speak. By only leaving one space left, it was obvious it had to be a member of the Order that should return.”
Cody rubbed his eyes with both hands. He did not want to hear this. He had come to terms with his guilt over deserting Mondorlous and Tristan because he had no choice in the decision. He hated the thought that the whole set-up might be a ruse to ease their suffering.
He lowered his hands and looked at Marybeth, a chilling thought occurring to him. “Are you just saying this to make me feel guilty? Are you hoping that I will feel obligated to you or Frindoth because of some guardian’s decision?”
Marybeth sat back again with a shrug. This annoyed Cody even more. “I have news for you. I don’t feel obligated to anyone other than my daughter. It is Evelyn who I owe a great deal. It is Evelyn who I have massively wronged. Try to make me feel guilty all you want. It cannot possibly make me feel worse than
the guilt I feel over my daughter.”
They continued in silence for a bit. Marybeth picked up the oars and started to row the boat even though the current was still as swift as it had been moments ago. She dipped the oars in and out of the water with practiced ease, the oars barely making a splash.
“You should do what you feel is right,” she said at last.
“I will. That is all you have done lately.”
He had not meant it as an insult but he saw her shoulders stiffen as she bristled at the words. He knew Marybeth would think he was talking about the Ritual of the Stones and how Marybeth’s good intentions had led to the turmoil which now engulfed Frindoth.
Cody opened his mouth to apologise but then closed it again. Why should he say sorry? He had done everything asked of him since finding the cursed stone. He had no reason to help the Prince on his quest, or to become a Knight. If anything, he had been wronged by the Ritual. Because of Marybeth he had nearly died. Instead, he had chosen to accept her explanation and try to help her. How dare she try to make him feel remorse over choosing to do something selfish for a change?
“You must do right by your daughter,” Marybeth said.
Cody breathed deeply. He did not need the witch’s permission and the fact that she thought she was condoning his course of action rankled him.
“I will,” he said. The witch nodded and after a while handed Cody the oars. He accepted them and assumed her seat in the middle of the boat. His technique was nowhere near as accomplished as Marybeth’s but it felt good to be doing something useful. He began to enjoy the resistance the water provided; it was one obstacle he felt he could influence.
“Janna will be fine I am sure,” Marybeth said from behind him.
Cody closed his eyes and squeezed the oars in his hands. He wanted to ignore the statement but knew he couldn’t.
“What does that mean?” he said through gritted teeth.
