The Legacy of Gaea Volume I: The Underworld

by S L Gassick

  “Nothing, Scrathios. I wonder where the Titans stand?”

  “They are indifferent. A very small number have worked out that it is us controlling these Undead, but most are just hiding or fleeing for their lives. As predicted. It’s not exactly the same mentality as when they kicked off the Titan Wars.”

  “Most of them won’t remember that. But they could be dangerous if they all find out we’re controlling the Undead.”

  “Not only will they not find out. But even if they did, they do not have the means to get even a small battalion together, let alone get to the battlefield or co-ordinate with Theus’s lot. Fear will out. Don’t you worry. It always does.”

  “Well, last thing we want is another Titan War, who knows what will rise out of the ground this time? Can’t be having any more dragons spouting up from the earth!”

  Shui smiled and poured himself out some more wine. Something was still bothering him, there was something approaching, some kind of power that he could not place. Fear might just out, indeed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Hemero and the others had walked around the outskirts of Titan territory to prevent any further trouble and to also remain hidden from any prying eyes. This route took much longer and most of the time the group travelled in silence. The sky had seemed to turn a smoky grey and they were tired, poorly and disheartened. The disturbing scene at the cave had taken its toll, especially on Rose. It was like a light had been extinguished inside her and it was affecting the group.

  They were also approaching the army and had not yet decided what course of action to take. Everyone was left wondering what was going through Lirilius’s mind but dared not ask. In fact, the only two to really talk were Phin and Clem who seemed to be very interested in each other, their laughter often broke the otherwise sombre mood and was a pleasant distraction from the otherwise relentless and tiresome journey.

  Phin’s attraction to Clem made him realise how ridiculous it was to be afraid of all Titans. He could see Clem would never hurt anyone. He thought her glass-like skin was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

  “I don’t understand,” Phin said, “so even though it looks like glass, it’s stronger than flesh?”

  “Phin, flesh is incredibly soft, the glass from a pair of spectacles would be tougher than your skin. You are silly.”

  “I guess that’s right, those cuts and bruises must have really hurt then to make such a mark.” Clem’s smile quickly faded. “Oh no! Wait, I didn’t mean to…”

  “Ssh!” Lirilius hushed them as they came across a large group of Titans arguing with each other. Their talk was indecipherable and died down very quickly once Lirilius and the others were noticed. “Speak not unless spoken to,” Lirilius whispered to the others. He stood tall and strode confidently up to the four or five dozen Titans whom each looked as different as the last.

  “Stop!” one large, grey giant boomed from across the way, “who goes there?”

  “Friends!” answered Lirilius as he smiled, “we come far and…”

  “Deeno?” shouted Clem

  “Clem?!” answered the giant.

  “Deeno!” Clem suddenly sprinted across the large green space between the two groups and jumped into Deeno’s huge hand. “It’s so good to see you!” By this time the others had caught up to her. The large giant seemed to soften and seemed a lot less intimidating now that he was holding onto Clem.

  “Who are these humans?” Deeno said with a sneer.

  “They saved me from a fate worse than death. I honour them all with my life.”

  “Then they are welcome. But I am afraid this is not a good time, we are all unsure what path to take to go from here.”

  “What makes you unsure?” asked Lirilius.

  “We can head north and hide, but there is talk of war. Or we could head further east, but then we approach the Dark Clans where the evil has spread to. There is nothing left south anymore as the borders have been closed. I have been told we have been quarantined or some such nonsense.”

  “It’s a tough decision and even tougher one once the Dark Clans try to take over these parts.”

  “What happens between humans is none of our concern any more. Too many Titans have died unfairly in squabbles between humans where both sides hate us as much as the other.”

  “I hear your words, Titan. But do we not now share a common foe? They are saying that these are the days leading up to the return of Gaea after all.”

  “I care not for Gaea.”

  “That may be. However,” Lirilius continued, “he did save humans and Titans alike. We at the Norheath Valhalla have a thriving Titan community.”

  “I doubt thriving.”

  “Nonetheless, they are there. Living peacefully. The Valhalla still has good people and if anything, it is the only defence we have against Shui and his ruling of the Dark Clans.”

  “And what is to say we are not better off under Shui?”

  “If that’s the case, then why are you running? I have no time for a political debate, Titan. It seems to me you all have three choices. You can run north, where it will be safer if you take care not to be spotted. You could head east and join the Dark Clans, whereupon I’m sure Shui will treat you kindly until he has no further use for you. Or you can gather what rest of Titans there be and talk them into helping the Valhalla, defeat the Undead and help protect the land of Norheath and possibly the Earth. For if Shui takes over our Valhalla, there is no saying when he will stop. But I sincerely doubt it will be with Norheath.”

  A moment of silence passed. Most were taken aback by Lirilius’s words, others stared at Deeno who they thought would get very angry being talked to in such a way, but instead he rubbed his hairy, bruised boulder-like chin and answered “you are right. I feel we should help the Valhalla.”

  Just then a voice arose - “who made you leader? I’d rather help the Dark Clans.” Deeno gave off a roar that shook everyone to the very core and rushed into the crowd from where the voice had come from. He lifted up a small gnome-like creature and lifted him to his face. Some shrieked thinking he might eat the little foul-mouthed Titan.

  “Look at me!” Deeno growled. The poor little Titan stared him in the face. “Am I not the blood of Lord Gravigal? Am I not the only one here old enough to see all my loved ones die in battle just to save pathetic cowards like yourself?! Most of you here deserve to fight. I am not going to run, especially since I now know it is Shui who has made us leave our homes. I will stand up for the honour of Titans even if you do not, you small, foul, unworthy nothing man.”

  The small gnome was too scared to answer. Deeno set him back down on the ground again and addressed everyone else.

  “To most of you I am but an old giant. Set in his ways you may say. But I have seen more than you could imagine and have always fought for what is right. And bringing up the dead to kill others is nothing but evil. I will fight for what I believe in and will not be ashamed for the rest of my life knowing I did nothing to help when I could have. For those who can live with that, head east to the Dark Clans and I will see you on the battlefield. For those who wish to join me, let’s head north.”

  Deeno set off walking towards the Valhalla. After an awkward silence, others started to join him until everyone followed, including the argumentative gnome. Clem walked up to Phin.

  “I will also join them. I know you have to carry on with your mission.”

  “Oh,” Phin replied, “okay.” He cleared his throat.

  “I must join them Phin, but I will wait for you at Norheath upon your return. Be safe and come back to me alive.” She kissed him on the cheek and ran off before he could reply. Rose let off a giggle and the others walked off like nothing had happened to try and save him more embarrassment.

  “I tell you what,” Phin suddenly said, “it’s lucky no-one wanted to go east and join the Dark Clans,” he laughed, “that would have been awkward!”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  The Valhalla was in a frenz
y. The time to move for battle had come. Men of all ages were given spears, swords and shields to fight with. Women and children grouped together until their men were ready for battle, whereupon they would say their farewells and the men went to stand in line in front of the Valhalla. Tears were shed; the sound of screaming babies and wives begging not to be widowed filled the air. Milius walked onto the balcony of the War Room in one of the highest towers in Norheath and stared down. Theus joined alongside him.

  “This is not what men want to hear,” said Milius, “horrid noise, sounds of fear and their own flesh and blood telling them to be careful. As awful as it sounds, no man here should be careful, otherwise our swift, bold attack will not work. Guard!” A lone guard came and stood to attention in front of Milius. “I want our finest musicians to stop whatever it is they’re doing, even if they are prepared for battle, gather their instruments and play something to stir these men’s hearts. As quickly as possible!”

  “Yes, Sir,” the guard replied, and hastily left the War Room. Within half an hour there was a noise by the front entrance. All of a sudden a full and majestic sound filled the space between the walls of the Valhalla and all other noises stopped or were drowned out.

  All turned to hear the group of musicians play; a few men were weeping. When they finished their first number, everybody applauded and roared in appreciation. It sounded like a million wild lions claiming their prey and was the sound Milius wanted to hear. The music continued but people carried on with their duties. The music had calmed the fear and brought with it a sense of pride, women were telling their partners and sons to fight brave and come back alive.

  A horn sounded from above the gates and it was the final call for the men to get into line and prepare to advance. It shook them all to the bone and the musicians stopped playing to get back into line. It was also Theus’s cue to talk to the troops; he had since gotten changed into his battle uniform which was much different to the general Norheath outfit of purple. He wore bright, shining gold armour, a relic that had come from an ancient land and that was reconstructed to fit his build. The armour meant a lot to him, but it was his sword that he kept most sacred. His father’s sword. A light, thin sword that could glide through the air like nothing else. It was the sword he wanted to use today.

  As Theus climbed the stairs to the peak of the tower, he clutched onto the sword hilt like it was a crutch. Milius was right behind him, making sure he didn’t fall or worse - change into his other self.

  As they reached the top, he looked out towards the army gathered in front of him. There were hundreds of thousands of them; it was like a sea of people drowning the green grass of Norheath. The Knights had gathered nearer the back of the group, therefore being in front once they started to move. This meant the ones closest were old, some barely stood, others too young to have even seen blood drawn.

  Theus wondered again if this was a good idea, yet anything that required thought made his brain more tired and his body, weighing heavy under the armour, was aching for sleep. He had not even left the Valhalla yet and was determined to fight but wanted nothing more than for it to end, one way or another. However, he knew this was not encouraging, and the people did not want to hear this.

  “Milius,” Theus called out to him. Milius walked up and put his ear to the master’s lips, “I am tired. I will not be able to stir these men for battle, you are to do the honours, and I must save up every ounce of strength if I am to go forward.”

  “Yes, Theus,” Milius replied, and stood in front of him proudly wearing his knight’s battle uniform. He looked out towards the mass of people, the sun was setting behind the mountains in the distance, time was short and they would need to be in position before the enemy arrived. They would be many days away, but they would make it in good enough time to set everything up before the battle.[DG40]

  “People of Norheath!” Milius exclaimed, his voice ringing between the hills, “today is indeed a dark day. Out there lays an army of creatures you will never have seen before, yet they may be wearing faces you recognise, do not let this fool you as I can assure you they are your enemy. You will be battling not only the Dark Clans, but the Undead. But do not be fearful, for they beat us in nothing but numbers. On the battlefield they will pose no real threat to you. Do not let fear overcome your bravery, protect the man next to you, and most of all do not let them take a step further towards this Valhalla, towards your mothers, wives and children here today. For they will slaughter every one of them … or worse. And I will not see the Norheath I know and love turn to the Dark Clans. Do you love your country?!”

  The crowd roared back.

  “Then we will not fear them! We will not die in front of them! For we are Gaea!”

  The crowd cheered and a horn sounded to begin the march. Milius watched as slowly but surely the troops ventured towards the sun and towards glory.

  “Will we succeed?” Theus asked.

  Milius stayed completely still.

  “What choice do we have?”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Lirilius and the others had travelled for ten more days into the ever growing darkness before they started to fear they were already too late. During the whole time, there had been no more contact with anyone. They had been on quiet, hidden routes in order to not get spotted but to not see anyone at all was just strange. They had not even passed any Undead, which they weren’t sure was a good or bad thing.

  Lirilius had grown even quieter and Nayakax suddenly recognised that Lirilius was getting more acquainted with the ground. It seemed to him that for every foot they treaded nearer the Dark Clans, it brought back another memory to Lirilius.

  “Lirilius,” Rose broke the cold silence. There was a slight pause and then he stopped.

  “Yes, Rose.”

  “Are we even close to the Kalad?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know?” Hemero asked.

  “Because I can feel Shui. He is with his army and they are preparing to attack the Valhalla. Too much time has passed and I fear the other knights have perished; it is up to us now, if Shui does not have the artefact, or if we fail to retrieve it in the next few days, then war will break out and we will lose everything. Your home, your parents, everything you’ve ever known, will be completely destroyed.”

  Lirilius continued walking.

  Nayakax was angry. He knew Lirilius had changed but this almost blasé attitude to the fall of Norheath might be evidence enough that he had turned at the final hour. Nayakax was going to have to keep a watchful eye on him.

  After a few more hours, the sun had set and they reached the top of a large wooded hill and looked down upon a camp. There were fire lanterns placed everywhere and hundreds of thousands of tents erected as far as the eye could see. There was movement, a lot of shouting, dancing, fighting and all sorts.

  “These,” Lirilius spoke, “are the Dark Clans.”

  “What are they all doing here?” asked Rose.

  “They are preparing for a final attack. My guess is this would be the last wave. The first wave being the Undead. Shui is here somewhere, I can feel him. Knowing him, he would be set away from the rest in an extravagant tent.”

  “Then let’s find him!” Hemero rushed up to run in before Lirilius pulled him back.

  “Are you blind? How are we to battle this many?! We must wait for the right time. Only then can…”

  Suddenly a huge horn blew out every other sound within miles and there was a sudden furore in the camp. Lirilius immediately thought they had been spotted and dived for cover until it became clear this was a war horn. People had started rushing around and getting ready, jumping on horses, packing bags, extinguishing fires and checking their armour.

  Hemero could see that most of the Dark Clans were human like himself, though some were disfigured; others Titans;, and others part-animal. It was a mismatch of races, genders and ages. Hemero had never seen so many different types of faces and he looked around to see if he could spot anyone with e
yes like his. Someone who might be one of his clan. Anyone.

  “This is it,” said Lirilius, “this is the final wave. Let’s hope the Valhalla’s armies haven’t taken a lot of damage before this battalion gets there.”

  The others were scared stiff and dared not speak. They watched the masses below them start marching towards their Valhalla. Towards their home. Suddenly the realisation of what was at stake really sunk into everyone’s hearts.

  “We will have to wait until it clears,” Lirilius said.

  “Wouldn’t this Shui have gone with them?” asked Nayakax.

  “He does not get tangled up in a dirty war. He would not risk it. His power is not in fighting, but in manipulation of others and use of his kyu. Though don’t go thinking he cannot fight. For even if he had no kyu at all, there is still skill there.”

  It would evidently take some time for such a huge gathering of forces to move out of sight, so they decided to go back over the hill and set up a small camp.

  “Lirilius,” spoke Phin, “just what exactly happened then after Gaea died? Do the Dark Clans have a different story to ours?”

  “Well…” Lirilius sighed and sat down on a log facing the tiny flame of kyu the old knight had made so as not to make any smoke. “Gaea’s Chosen Fifteen scattered themselves across the globe to teach the rest of the world what they had learnt from Gaea and to spread his word of peace and harmony. They set up towns and gathered up villages in the local area to become a new version of what were once countries.

  The time was peaceful for a while, each country helping out the other. However, once the Fifteen died out, some lands began to be more powerful than others, Norheath in particular; importing and exporting and money had all started to play its part.

  At the same time, the outcasts of Gaea’s Chosen had set up their own countries. They made their own tiny plots of land and allowed anyone who wished to enter to be one of them. They put up their own borders and spread out from the South, some of Gaea’s men tried to stop them, but they were killed with such ferocity that the word spread to not risk going up against them. They are now known as the Dark Clans.”