by Richard Wood
The Warrior of Elamor
Book 1 in the Saga of Zel-Elcon
Richard Wood
Copyright Text © Richard Wood 2013
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
The Coming of Eli’s Son
CHAPTER 2
Beginning Whispers of Elamor
CHAPTER 3
Besem, Ta’am, and Shama
CHAPTER 4
Final Ancients Fall
CHAPTER 5
The Breathless Despair
CHAPTER 6
From the Tortured Horde to the Peace Cat
CHAPTER 7
Pala’s Dreadful Secret
CHAPTER 8
A Witches Turning
CHAPTER 9
Capital Secrets
CHAPTER 10
The Son of Quygon
DEDICATIONS AND SPECIAL THANKS
CHAPTER 1
The Coming of Eli’s Son
In the ages before man or beast, the corrupted Lord Quygon was driven from the Kingdom of the Stars onto Terra-Cova, a dark and shapeless world, eons before the age of light and dark. Rejected by the Star King, Tearcion, he languished for countless eons in the frigid blackness of the Caverns of Ness. No light, no sound, colorless, odorless, friendless, alone in every possible way, until the grief of his own memories twists him into a dark, crooked, evil beast that is consumed by a desire to devour the bodies and souls of all living things.
As the centuries pass, Terra-Cova’s darkness is divided by light. Clouds form, filling the skies, fish swim the waters, and trees, grass and flowers begin to grow. Then, the time of man begins. Quygon becomes drawn to the fragrant aroma coming from the blood of man, like a hungry beast keenly aware of its prey. Totally unaware of Quygon, men live their lives quietly just above him. Men find shelter in the lush valleys of the forests and jungles of Terra-Cova. They build villages and trade for local goods. Children play along streams and rivers, while parents perform their daily duties, forever vigilant, never at peace and unaware that villages were beginning to vanish, never to be seen again.
As time goes on, Quygon builds a small army of twisted demonic warriors. They are a gruesome sight – bones exposed, skin like molded leather, with flesh that looks like damp black clay – breathless creatures without a soul who attack violently, fearless of men. They storm without caution. They are completely obedient to the orders of Quygon. They exist without freedom of choice, but are completely subjected to the dark will of Quygon. They capture the living, both great and small. Their prisoners are thrown into the open, hollow, black hole that is Quygon’s mouth. They are added to the multitude of living corpses that create a twisted mass of people forever held within the beast. They scream in endless chaos of desperate agony, slowly being consumed, but never able to die. The stench of rotting man oozes from the mouth of the beast, as Quygon lavishes every painful cry, savoring every ounce of their fear. But still, the beast is forever hungering with an unquenchable need for the souls of men. He’s held unsatisfied in the blackness of the Caverns of Ness.
On the surface of Terra-Cova, separated by the waters, lie its beautiful continents. The continent that houses the Caverns of Ness is Scarland, mostly a land of great beauty and full of wildlife. The southeastern most part of the continent is a dry mountainous region. It is the Providence of Paradore. In all its history, there has never been a king, nobleman, or warrior who has risen from this providence. It is filled with lowly people, peasant farmers, aged slaves, thieves, and the deceased. It is a discarded land, overtaxed by its kings. Cast down by all of Scarland, they are the despised people of an entire continent. Nothing of value comes from this forsaken land. The rejected come in, but none go out.
At the southeastern corner of this land are the foothills of the Mountains of Light and Shadow. Where the high brush meets the cliffs is the small village of Payne. Dusty, somber, and with a sense of foreboding, travelers avoid this ghostly village. There is a shiver through the village, like that of a dying man. Some say it feels like your soul has been bitten by the cold. It is a gloomy place, but one place stands out – the Blacksmith’s Shop.
Eli, the local blacksmith, came to the village many years ago. Although no one knows from where, he became known for his honest work. Both he and his trade were welcomed in Payne. You could hear his hammer ringing through the village streets from early morning until late at night. It was his kindness that caused the village people to fall in love with him. When it came to business, he somehow knew when the poor couldn’t pay, and in turn, he would sometimes accept a kiss on the cheek by a child or a widow’s hug as payment. He was an honorable man indeed. He was shorter than the average man, with bull-like shoulders and hands that could grip a runaway giant; yet still gentle enough to watch the children play in the streets.
In the fall of the fortieth year of the new king, a young woman came to the village of Payne. Her name was Shaira. With her big brown eyes and slender frame, she brought beauty to Payne. She was sent to the village by her peasant father to stay with relatives. Her bubbly nature drew attention right away. Few knew her, but all seemed to love her.
One day, while walking through the village on her way to the well in the square, she heard a loud, boisterous laughter coming from the Blacksmith’s Shop. It was a sound you wouldn’t usually hear in Payne, but one that was inviting to Shaira. She approached the shop completely unafraid and slowly opened the double doors. As the doors opened, the bright sunlight from outside entered Eli’s shop. His attention turns from his work and sees the silhouette of a narrow frame standing at the entrance. Realizing it’s a woman, he asks with his rough but inviting voice, “Can I help you miss?” “No, sir”, she says. “I was walking when I heard a loud laugh coming from your shop.” “Yep”, he answered with a smile. “My cat bumped his head right over there, trying to catch a mouse. I kind of think he’s getting too old for the job,” laughing as he speaks. “But I have so much fun watching him try, it’s worth it just having him around.” “That’s good”, Shaira replies, enjoying the warmth of his voice. “My name is Shaira. My father sent me here to stay with relatives living on the next street over”, she says as she points toward the north. As her eyes begin to adjust to the darkness, she sees a strong man standing by an anvil. His muscles light up by the fire. He had a face as calm as a placid pool. He was strong, but friendly, not scary at all. As the conversation ends, Shaira smiles, and says, “I have to go now. I’m on my way to the well”, and waves as she turns to leave. Neither of them realized it at the time, but destiny had just brought them together.
Walking through the village streets, Shaira begins to realize that the constant dread of Payne no longer plagues her mind. Thinking back to the last few minutes, she realizes that the burden seemed to lift during her conversation with Eli the blacksmith. She reflects on kindness, gentleness, and the sound of his laughter as he shared with her the funny story about his cat. It all softened her heart and lifted her spirit. From that moment on, she would never forget those innocent minutes she spent with the humble man with strong hands and a big heart. He was a man different from all others.
Back at the Blacksmith’s Shop, Eli is hard at work swinging his hammer. When the memory of Shaira’s subtle little frame standing in the light of the opened doors came rushing into his thoughts, it suddenly brought a warm smile to his stubbly face. Where did this woman come from? Who was her family? The amazing voice she had, like the sound of a thousand songbirds, was soothing to his soul. At that moment, a perfect invisible chord had been struck, forever to link the two for eternity.
As weeks and
months passed by, there would be many more visits by Shaira to the Blacksmith’s Shop. It was now spring, when butterflies filled the air and jasmine flowed in the wind, and Eli had now done something he never had done before. He closed the Blacksmith’s Shop one day a week so he could spend time with Shaira. They would sit on the flowered fields next to the cliffs talking about the events of their week, their lives of past, and what secrets the future might hold. Slowly, the lives of Eli and Shaira were becoming one and they were happier than ever. Yet, at the same time, the burdensome venom of Quygon continued to cover the Kingdom of Scarland. People continued to disappear while a large army of Quygon was being spotted creeping throughout the land. While neither knew of the others progress, the love between Eli and Shaira and the poison of Quygon continued to grow.
Throughout the Kingdom of Scarland, provincial leaders began to meet in secret, hoping to discover the origins of Quygon’s forces, and strategizing on how they may be defeated. As of then, no weapon produced by the Kingdom of Scarland had been able to stop the creatures of Quygon’s army. Broken bodies of soldiers were still able to advance. Leaders of Quygon’s army told stories about forces being blasted by cannons and their disfigured bodies rising from the smoke and still moving forward. Headless, cut in half beings still walking while pulling the rest of their torsos, looking for a means to take the people captive. Murder was in their very bodies. They knew nothing else, so that’s what they did. Where could such creatures come from? Nobody had any answers about these horrible beings.
During the spring of the forty-second year of the king, Eli paid the dowry for Shaira, and in the same beautiful flowery meadows where they met each week, they were wedded. The powerful, humble, and gentle Eli took the left hand of the beautiful, bubbly, and glorious Shaira. You could almost hear the sound of their love as they both knelt before the village ministers. Eli and Shaira’s union was publicly announced. The union would be for a lifetime. Six months later, the slender body of Shaira began to develop a slight bump inches below her ribs. Inside the warm and welcoming body of Shaira, a baby boy is beginning to grow – the likes of which Terra-Cova has never known and will never see again.
Meanwhile, deep in the Caverns of Ness, a new death form is beginning to arise. Quygon is also creating a likeness; one that is detestable to the mortal mind but that comes from the very being of Quygon. This likeness is in the form of vomit from the monstrous beast that covers the cavern floors. The likeness is greyish-green goo that is mingled with the morbid bits ripped from the bodies of tortured men and women that are locked within Quygon. As the fluid pours out, the cavern floors become lined with the new death form “The Essence of Quygon”. The Essence of Quygon is a separate entity in its own, separate from the vile beast but yet the two will be unified forever in the coldness of death. The Essence is free to grow among the toxic pools in the dark caverns, and over a short period of time, the toxic pools begin to show a slight shimmer, then movement and last a sudden ripple. As the ripple slowly makes its way across the toxic pools, there is something that happens to Quygon. An unholy link between the two has produced an eye within his mind that opens and now Quygon can see himself blanketed in darkness and surrounded by his Essence. He sees that he is locked within the cracks and crevices of the caverns. Disfigured, he is literally swallowed up by the cavern walls and his own Essence. Held for eons in the prison of Ness, he sees for the first time his hopeless state, forever locked in his very own dungeon beneath the foot of man. Quygon becomes violently outraged and screams a scream that nobody has ever heard before. His voice shakes all of Scarland – trees are uprooted, waters start to foam, and the mountains rumble. A hatred for all things burns within the beast, like the fires of a thousand lost worlds. In his twisted and demonic rage, he swears that every living thing must suffer his pain, must suffer horrible acts of violence brought on by him.
Deep within the trenches of the cavern floors, lies the thickest and darkest of all blackness. It’s a blackness that one can feel, an emptiness that would drive the wisest man insane. The Essence sees the thick darkness and feels a sense of welcoming, a sense that it belongs. As the Essence meets with the bitter darkness, the two become one, evil and darkness coexisting to become one in itself. The Essence and darkness breathe in the hideous fumes expelled by Quygon and nurse on the torturous cries of the twisted suffering mass of men within Quygon, making the Essence stronger and stronger.
Within the twisted and insane mind of Quygon, he realizes that he can now experience freedom not on his own, but through his connection with the Essence that has formed and become very powerful. This black, shapeless death form will live his life in the outside world. Instantly, Quygon, the Essence, and the darkness begin to think as one. Quygon’s body begins to flow with the feeling of movement, as now his Essence, being born from the tortured living souls that were within him, starts to glide within the jagged walls of the caverns. His death form can now move among men.
Separately, up on the surface in the somber little village of Payne, in the quiet little home that Eli built; the delicate frame of Shaira is taking on a new form. The boy child Jesse is growing and moving. As Shaira stands looking out of a window watching the sun shine through the trees, she feels the little hands of Jesse moving inside her womb. Exploring his soft, warm home, he is blanketed by the loving sounds of his mother’s heart beat and comforted by the muffled echoes of his mother’s singing as she is getting ready for some rest. As Shaira lies down for a nap, she feels an amazing love for her new baby Jesse that she never thought she could imagine.
Soon Shaira is fast asleep, her quiet rhythmic breathing sounds like the warm waters of the open sea. Cuddled in her soft womb, the perfectly formed hand of little Jesse is wrapped around an invisible finger. A tingling on the left side of his chest, like the feeling of a light caress of a dove’s feather, comforts baby Jesse. A light brown image begins to appear on the soft skin just above his heart, a birthmark that would set him aside from every other person on Terra-Cova. Jesse is soon in a rest that the baby has never been in before, one that was brought on by both the touch of something bigger and greater and his mother’s beating heart.
At the Blacksmith’s Shop, Eli is hard at work creating a plow for a village elder. Through the pinging sounds of metal, he suddenly hears the sounds of distress. Eli walks out through the double doors and looks out towards the Village Square and sees people pointing towards the west. Turning in that direction, he looks toward the horizon just over the western slopes and sees a dust cloud. “That’s a lot of people”, he thinks to himself. “But that many travelers never come this far at one time!” Eli was correct; the rushing of the Horde of Quygon caused this dust storm.
As the dark army crested the slopes, a terrifying sight appeared. Mixed in with the horde he sees giants moving right along with them. In an instant, his mind races toward his family and how he needs to get to them. “Shaira and the baby!” He gasps. Like a leopard on a dead run, he speeds towards his little home where Shaira and baby Jesse were. With a great deal of momentum from the run, he burst open the door and it slammed against the wall. Shaira is startled awake and suddenly becomes weary. “Come with me Shaira!” He shouts. Running toward Eli, she grabs his hand. As they ran out the door, Eli told her to follow him as close as possible. Shaira was confused but didn’t have time to think, as she was concentrating on keeping her baby safe and keeping up with Eli. Breaking the northern barrier of the village, they reached the tall shrub on the outskirts of town. Parting the shrub, Eli whispers, “I’ve made a place for us between the shrubs and the cliffs”. Eli reached down and grabbed what appeared to be an exposed root that was attached to a trap door, he opened it as it exposed a dark hallow. Shaira looked down and observed there were four metal walls, a dirt floor, and what appeared to be enough food for three to four days. “I started building it before we got married”, he said, “I knew the horde would come someday”. Helping Shaira down the steps he whispers to her, “stay here, I’ll be righ
t back”. “No Eli, stay with me!” she exclaimed with wide open eyes and a look of terror on her face. “I have to check something”, he said. He lowered the door and kept Shaira safe in the makeshift room.
Creeping through the shrubs Eli started thinking of how the giants became part of the horde of Quygon. In his travels before settling in Payne, he visited the mountains of Sha-Xli. On the eastern edge of the mountain range lived a tribe of giants called the Forseeans. They were a noble people and sought out by kings as royal guards. They are very faithful and highly trustworthy. “But what were these creatures?” he thought out loud.
Reaching the shrubs edge, he bends down among the shadows and watches the village intently. He starts to hear terrifying screams coming from the towns’ people. As the sound echoes in his mind, he sits motionless, caught hopelessly between the loyalty to his friends and the need to protect his family.
In the distance, he watches as a few creatures circle a hut on the border of the village, and in the air, he can smell a vile stench of decayed flesh that encompasses the horde. These giants that were with the horde were a hideous sight. They had exposed rib bones, gray-green teeth, and twisted wrinkled skin. And then out of nowhere, Eli saw something that disturbed him deeply. They had six fingers on each hand. “There is only one people in all of Scarland who has six fingers,” he whispered to himself. “The mountain giants!” he muttered. “But the Forseeans are a noble people, and these giants are terrifying”, he thought, “I just don’t understand”. He breathes in deeply trying to hold back the nauseous feeling starting to build in the pit of his stomach. “It’s not possible!” he exclaimed, “This gruesome creature could never come from the Forseeans. They would never allow themselves to become this hideous.” Eli’s mind turns back to Shaira and baby Jesse. Slowly and quietly, he creeps back into the shrub and makes his way back to the secret door.
