Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  Bree was still on the ground, unable to move. “But when you do… little one… be assured that I will not be far behind,” he said in a more sinister tone, sending a chill through her every bone. “The boy’s destiny belongs with me… and I shall do everything in my power to ensure that it does.” He paused, as if trying to think of what to say next. “I am not the monster you all think… My goal is a greater and far-reaching one… greater than any of you could possibly imagine.” His voice was calmer now and less intimidating. “I mean no harm to the boy,” he continued, but then his manner changed, darker and more menacing. “However, little one… I can’t promise the same restraint I’ve shown you tonight… to you… or anyone else who stands between me and what must be done.”

  Bree stayed lying on the damp ground for some time after Alfwald had gone. Once he had melted back into the night, all of the night-time sounds returned, indicating to her that the night might be safe again. Rubbing her throat, she took a little time to scan the area and to her relief could sense no evidence of anything else dangerous lurking within the woods. Gingerly she sat up, still feeling weak and shaken by her second encounter with Alfwald. She decided to stay where she was for a while whilst she built up the courage to get up and continue her search for her beloved Henry. However, things had changed since her encounter with Alfwald. If she found him, it would immediately put him in danger and she had no way of warning him, not without finding him first. By then it would be too late, but she had to find him, even though Alfwald wouldn’t be that far behind…

  Alfwald was right… she couldn’t help herself, she must find him whatever the consequences. Her mind raced with every emotion she had. She feared for her safety and his, but she needed to be with him, no matter what it took… even if she would inadvertently lead Alfwald to him. She tried not to think further on the matter. Negative emotions would not help her in her search: she needed to start thinking logically. Then she remembered something Alfwald had said, something she didn’t pick up on at first: “not in this realm”. What did he mean? If he were not in this realm… then he must be in another, and there’s only one other that Bree was aware of and that was the realm of the elves. “That’s it,” she said to herself, “that’s why Alfwald couldn’t sense him here…” And the reason he had allowed her to live.

  Bree was starting to think clearly again, and a plan of action started to fall into place. She got up onto her feet and knew exactly where she must go. She could travel to the elves’ home whenever she wished. She had done so on many occasions over the years. If she could cross over, then why didn’t Alfwald simply follow her there? It then dawned on her that maybe… just maybe, Alfwald couldn’t cross over and that’s why he needed her alive. She now knew exactly what her next moves were. It would be safe for her to cross over to the elves and find Henry, he would only be in danger once he crossed back over to the woodland, and by then he would be well warned and hopefully be ready for any trouble Alfwald may offer.

  Henry washed up and had a little to eat before trying to rest. Although he was hungry, he couldn’t eat that much: once the food had been put in front of him, he found that he had lost his appetite, but he knew he had to eat something. He sat looking around the tiny room he was in. It was like everything else in this city… bold and brightly painted, and his bedding seemed to be made up of the same material that Pagworth was wearing. The bed was comfortable but short, and obviously made for an elf. When Henry stretched out his legs they hung over the bottom of the bed by at least two feet.

  He knew before he settled down that he wouldn’t sleep. The size of the bed didn’t help, but it was mainly because of what had happened since he left his home… He had to get some rest, so reluctantly he lay back on the soft, feather pillow and stared up at the yellow and orange striped ceiling. His world was totally upside down: nothing made sense anymore… And nothing could be the same again. He knew that, just as he knew that he had changed in himself… and it wasn’t just because he was now the host for the Wyvern. He felt that he was a lot less needy than he was before the hosting, and now a great deal more confident in himself. Yes, he had grown somewhat but that was because he had to before he could come to terms with his new life. He was fully aware that the alien thing inside him had helped him to grow into the person that it needed him to be in order for it to survive, bringing the best out of him. The stronger he was as host, in time, the stronger it would become: it wasn’t as though he was happy being used in such a way. To Henry, it was both a curse and a blessing: unfortunately, it was done now and there was nothing he could do to change it. From now on this was his life. However, somewhere deep inside him, he already yearned for the old Henry and the simple life he had before.

  Henry had only been to bed an hour or so before he sat up on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t sleep. There was still far too much going on in his head for it to settle; besides, he had to speak with the others about his fight with the ground wromp, but had no idea how to go about it. He simply didn’t have the words, so he had decided not to mess about and just come straight out with it and tell it as it was. Now feeling a little stiff and sore, he got up and stretched his aching limbs. He wasn’t used to walking any real distance and had never been into all that “exercise rubbish”. Perhaps in hindsight he should have gone to the local gym more often. He stretched his arms and arched his back in a vain attempt to get his aching limbs working again.

  Before going to bed he had stripped down to his underwear. Pagworth had promised him clean clothing, but unfortunately there wasn’t anything laid out for him. So, having nothing else to wear, he had to put his dirty clothes back on. However, judging by what Pagworth was wearing, he was quite relieved that there was nothing clean left for him. Closing the bedroom door behind him, Henry made his way to the bar where he found Bert alone, staring down at a half-empty glass.

  “You’ve not been long,” he said without looking up. “Couldn’t sleep,” Henry replied as he approached him. “Ya… I suppose ya have a lot to think about,” he said with a sigh as he sat back on the stool. “Ya don’t ave to tell us nothing, lad… Pagworth ave filled us all in on what happened.” Henry nodded, grateful that he didn’t have to go over it all again. “Is there a drink in there for me?” he asked. Bert reached over the bar and grabbed a large-handled jug, picked up a glass, blew into it, checked that the glass was clean, half-filled it with ale, then handed it to Henry. “Been ard for ya, lad… A lot ave happened in such a short while… and not all for the good… But I knows ya got it in ya to push on and see things through…You’re your mother’s son… I see it in ya, lad… when we first met back by the old hut.” Henry didn’t really feel up to talking so he raised his glass and took a long drink. Bert joined him. “I will do my best…” he said, placing the glass on the bar. “I know that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.” He looked up at Bert. “But will my best be enough?” Bert smiled and raised his glass again. “It will ave to do, my lad… It will ave to do.”

  Several hours later found Henry fast asleep on a large, old, leather chair in a dark corner of the bar. On the table in front of him were a number of empty ale jugs and glasses. Bert was sitting opposite, still holding a half-empty glass in his hand. “What have you been doing with the boy now?” Ben growled, entering the room. Bert shrugged. “He needed rest and I couldn’t think of a better way than to get a few drinks down his neck.” Ben walked over and sat next to Bert, looking at Henry slumped back in the chair with his mouth half-open. “Not a pretty sight… is it?” he said in his usual sober manner. “What’s next, then?” Bert gave it some thought. “Whatever he decides, I suppose… but whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow… The boy needs to rest and Pagworth told me that Mylon has gone to speak with the elders and possibly even the king.” Ben raised his eyebrow and sighed and got back up to leave. “We will need their help, ya know,” Bert called after him. Ben stopped and looked back. “The elves… we need them to stand with us when the time comes.” B
en hesitated a moment and then nodded. “Let’s hope that’s enough,” he replied, “but the boy still worries me.” He left the room. Bert stared after him, then studied Henry a little while. “Ya, he worries me, too,” he said to himself.

  The following morning, Henry and the others were up and ready early. Pagworth had made them all a hearty breakfast of hot meats, eggs, home-made bread and large mugs of hot tea. “Eat up, my boy,” Pagworth told Henry. “Still feeling a bit icky from the ale last night…? Well, eat up and drink something… It will settle ya stomach, lad…Ya got a long day ahead of ya. Mylon’s back and has news from the elders.” The result of last night’s ale had left Henry with a rather delicate head and stomach: waiting to hear what Mylon had to say just made it feel that little bit worse. He looked down at his plate, groaned and pushed it away, deciding on just the tea.

  “Not eating?” Ben enquired as he sat down close to Henry’s chair and looked up at him. “Begging at the table is seen to be bad manners,” Walt injected sarcastically from the other side of the table. “And who asked you, fatso?” Ben growled back, showing his teeth and making it quite clear to Walt that it would be wise to shut his trap. Immediately Walt regretted opening his mouth. “Here, you’re welcome to it.” Henry placed his plate on the floor. Ben gave it a sniff and then tucked in, clearing the plate in minutes. “I hope the day finds you all well?” Mylon enquired cheerfully as he entered the room. “We have a meeting with the elders this morning… What’s more… the king has summoned us to dine with him tonight… all of us.”

  Later that morning, Henry and Mylon set out to make their way through the bustling narrow streets of Koh-Panyee and head directly to the city hall where they were to meet the elders. Henry hadn’t said much since they set out, and with his bad head was finding the brightness and colours of the city a little too loud for him, especially the noisy streets on this bright and sunny morning. The whole city was incredible and reminded him of a famous amusement park he had visited as a boy. There were people buzzing around everywhere, all caught up in the throes of their daily lives, but this morning there seemed to be a kind of excitement about the streets. Time after time he had to stand aside to allow tiny, colourful carts loaded with all kinds of goods to squeeze past him.

  Mylon noticed the look of astonishment on his face and smiled. “It’s not always like this,” he said. “It’s due to the banquet tonight… at the palace.” Henry took hold of Mylon’s arm and pulled him into one of the less busy side streets. “Banquet… what banquet…? I thought that we were dining at the palace tonight,” he said, showing his concern. “We are… and so are hundreds more… The king has decided to hold it in your honour… It’s not every day we have a host master visit us,” Mylon replied, smiling. Henry wasn’t too pleased with the fact that his visit was being made public, let alone being shown off as a spectacle in front of hundreds of strangers. But no matter how uncomfortable he felt about it, he knew that it would be a waste of time and energy to object. Besides, what could Mylon do about it anyway? He was just a commander of the Border Guards, so he decided to push the matter to one side. “I haven’t asked you your king’s name… And how should I address him tonight?” Mylon now grabbed Henry gently by the arm to lead him back up the street. “Koh-Panyee… All our kings take the name of the city… Once king, they stop using their real names… And you… you alone should address him by the name Koh… Here, my friend, you are his equal.” He paused to look around him, then whispered, “Once that’s been recognised officially by the king tonight… the elders will have to listen to what you have to say.”

  Without further comment they continued on their way, dodging the hustle and bustle of the streets. As far as Mylon was concerned the matter was closed… Although Henry wasn’t happy with the evening’s plans, but he managed to keep his views to himself. With Mylon in front and Henry following close behind so that he wouldn’t get lost, they headed towards the centre of the city and in the direction of the city hall. As they approached the centre of the city, Henry couldn’t help but notice a very tall, rather higgledy-piggledy building sitting uncomfortably in the centre of a large, circular opening that was filled with all manner of market stalls. Like all the other buildings surrounding it, it was multicoloured and made of all kinds of bits and bobs. The closer he got to it, the more unstable it looked: it was twisted and bent, and looked as if it would topple over any minute. “Is it stable?” Henry asked, almost in jest. Mylon smiled. “Well, it hasn’t fallen over yet,” Henry smiled back but still wasn’t convinced that it was safe to enter. “Not to worry, my friend… It’s been standing here for hundreds of years… and I’d agree that it’s in need of a bit of TLC. … but it’s served us well.” Mylon continued smiling.

  To get to the building, Mylon and Henry had to negotiate a maze of busy market stalls and traders. The air was filled with the sweet smells of spices and cooking, hundreds of people of all ages, some carrying baskets full of food and goods, while others bartered for better prices, leaving the children to happily play as they dashed between the stalls. But Henry was almost oblivious to his surroundings: he had never had to do anything like this before and his nerves were getting the better of him.

  He stopped just yards from the city hall. Mylon stopped and turned with a look of concern on his face. “What is it?” he asked. “What do I say to them?” Henry replied whilst staring up at the odd-looking building. “Just the truth… that’s all, my friend… just the truth… They already know most of what has happened…The only information they wish to know from you is what threats there are to your world… and ours of course… They may want to know why you think that the Wyvern has raised its ugly head again after so many years.” Henry nodded but was still unsure what to expect or what he could say. “Then let’s get this over with,” he said with a little less determination than he would have liked.

  The main entrance housed a pair of enormous, partly opened wooden doors, again brightly painted, but unlike the other buildings, the doors were carved with large coats of arms, which were brightly painted in gold. The first door had a shield carved on it, painted to look as though it was covered in ermine. It had a thick, horizontal black line running though the centre. On the top halves of the shields were painted two suspended hunting horns, and another below the line; the other door had a black shield with a golden Wyvern winding around it. “The King’s arms,” Mylon stated, pointing to the first. “The other… Well, I think it speaks for itself.” To get to the entrance, they had to climb a number of well-worn stairs. As they reached the top of the stairs, the two guards standing on either side of the doors came to attention as they approached. Mylon gave them a smile and a half-hearted salute as he walked past, but Henry couldn’t miss the uneasy look on their faces on seeing him. However, to his surprise they both lowered their heads in acknowledgement, so Henry felt obliged to nod back in response.

  Once inside they were met by a very nervous, young elf. He was wearing a uniform that looked a little too large for him with the ermine shield on the front. “Commander Mylon… sir… I’m Winsal… the town clerk… please follow me… The elders are all assembled and await your presence,” he said nervously in a childish voice. He glanced over to Henry and then away again. “Sir… you are also welcome and the elders ask if you could wait a while whilst they speak with Commander Mylon.” Henry looked to Mylon. “Don’t look so worried, man… it’s just formality… I’ll only be a few minutes, then I’ll come and get you,” he said mockingly. “But seriously, my friend… I hope you’re ready.” Henry shrugged his shoulders. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Mylon gave him another smile. “Then that should be enough.” With that, he turned to follow the young elf into the chambers.

  Henry watched as they went through to the next room. Over the door was a sign written in elfin: “pretty writing,” he thought to himself. He took a moment to look around the large entrance hall. There were a great deal of people and officials rushing this way and that, some laden down with heavy bo
oks, others with files and bits of paper, all looking busy and with some purpose about them. A few noticed him, but tried not to make eye contact, while others didn’t give him a second glance. The hall was an odd shape, almost an oblong but with one long, straight side, and almost no furnishing, and, although there were quite a few elves running around the hall, it was so large that it still felt empty. There were a few well-worn red leather seats around the walls but none in use. Feeling a little uncomfortable and conspicuous standing in the middle of the room, Henry decided to take one of the empty seats, dodging the busy workers as he made his way across the room, and sat on a chair nearest to the door Mylon went through.

  His mind racing, Henry tried to think what he could say to the elders that would make any difference to his situation – or more importantly, the situation waiting for him back home. He rested his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands, and was looking down at the floor in despair, when a deep, booming voice bellowed out of nowhere, making him jump. “The host master, I presume.” Henry looked up to find a heavily built elfin guard staring at him. He was a lot older than any of the others he had seen or met. At first Henry didn’t respond, but sat back and studied him for a second. He had a weathered but friendly face, with large scars on his right cheeks cutting through a heavy grey beard. This man had certainly seen combat.

  “Let me introduce myself… I’m Alk… commander-in-chief of the King’s Guards.” Henry stood up and extended his hand. Alk took it and gave him a handshake that nearly ripped his arm off. “Henry,” he replied, “I know who you are… Henry… Nearly every folk ere-a-bout does… I sit with the elders but wanted to meet with you alone before you addressed the others… That’s why I arranged for young Mylon to go in alone to deliver his report first.” He paused and looked around him. Satisfied that they were not being overheard, he continued. “Now listen to me, young Henry, and listen well… There are many who will not welcome you here and do not agree with you being allowed to stay among us… They fear you and what you stand for… They don’t want anything to do with you or your realm of humans and especially not… well, not that thing you hold inside you.” He paused just long enough to look around him again and then continued. “They truly believe that, by doing nothing and having nothing to do with you, that they will remain safe and untouched.” He paused again and moved closer to Henry’s ear. “But they are all fools… and they must start to see the sense of things… So, I will be standing with you today and will try to help you where I can… But it’s up to you to persuade them that joining you in your fight is the only way we can truly secure our own future.”