As he tramped through the rain, he found that he was starting to become a little paranoid. He pictured in his mind’s eye that there something hiding behind every tree, and that every shadow was about to jump forward and attack him. He knew that he was allowing his imagination to run away with itself, but he needed to keep a clear head and try and concentrate on following the tracks ahead of him. But it wasn’t easy being as scared and tired as he was. Luckily for him, the ground was flat and firm to walk on and hadn’t been flooded by the rain. He took a deep breath and then sighed. “Pull yourself together, man,” he thought, and tried to comfort himself by thinking that every step would take him that much closer to a dry place to rest, but it gave little or no comfort as he pushed on through the rain.
The rain was relentless and was so hard it was now difficult to see more than a few yards ahead, and the heavy storm clouds blanketed the whole of the woodland in darkness. The two sisters knew that it was no normal storm: this kind of weather was caused by darker things, and they both knew who or what was responsible for it. Hazel had said little since they found the remains of the elf scout: she seemed oblivious to the weather and the fact that she was soaked through to her skin. Her thoughts were obviously on her son and whether he was still alive. Sophia tried relentlessly to reassure her that her son was in safe company, and that they found no further evidence of any other skirmishes but it made little difference: Hazel wasn’t going to stop worrying or even try to relax until she found her boy.
The weather was getting worse by the minute and now coming down in torrents, and above the sound of the rain slamming onto the mud-sodden ground echoes of thunder rolling in the distant hills. Both sisters agreed that they needed to find shelter and to get out of the storm. They both knew of an old, abandoned gamesman’s hut not that far from where they were. It would take them away from the crossing and their search for answers, but they needed to find shelter and to rest up, everything else would have to wait until morning.
Hazel at first objected to leaving the area, arguing that they should stay and search for any survivors, but Sophia pointed out that if there were surviving elf scouts in the area they would be taking shelter from the storm themselves, which would make it next to impossible to find them without using their powers. But, given the fact that that they were both exhausted from walking all day and healing the earth, not to mention the fight with the creature the night before, it wouldn’t be wise to do so. Hazel reluctantly agreed. “But we must set off as soon as the storm blows over,” she insisted. Her sister nodded in agreement and set off to find the hut. It took the two sisters just under an hour to reach the old hut: it was a tatty, wooden hut nestled tightly among the trees. There had been no gamekeeping in the woodlands for many years now, so it stood unused and uncared for, but it still had a good roof and all the doors and windows seemed to be still in place.
Sophia stopped and indicated to her sister that something was wrong. “There’s someone in there,” she whispered, staring in the direction of the hut. Having already sensed it herself, Hazel nodded. They carefully approached the old hut from the tree line, trying to keep to the shadows, then stopped just a few yards away. “It knows we are here,” Hazel whispered, looking at her sister. Sophia didn’t respond but had a look of concern on her face. “We can’t stay out here all night,” she said softly. “But we are not strong enough for another fight,” Hazel replied. There was a short pause. “I’ll go first,” Sophia said firmly. “No point putting us both in danger.” Hazel was about to object but she could see that Sophia had already made up her mind and there was no use in arguing with her. Besides, they didn’t have much choice in the matter: they would need every ounce of their strength in the morning, so they needed somewhere dry to rest.
Hazel moved to a point where she could see the only door clearly, and stood behind a large tree as her sister moved forwards towards the hut. She could sense that Sophia had already put up a defensive shield around herself and watched as Sophia disappeared around the corner of the hut. As each second passed, Hazel become increasingly concerned for her sister’s safety, and was almost at the point of going in after her… when to her surprise, Sophia emerged from the door and signalled for her to come over. At first Hazel hesitated but then walked slowly towards her. There was a dull light behind her that was emitted from within the hut. All she could see of Sophia was her silhouette in the doorway, but still Hazel hesitated. She had heard of creatures that could change their shape and, bearing in mind how active the darkness has become lately, she had to be curious. The shape changers were good at imitating the general form of an object or person, but were not capable of imitating facial detail.
Considering the fact that someone or something was inside the hut when they arrived made it a real possibility that it wasn’t her sister at all, but something else entirely. She edged closer, trying to make out her sister’s face: it was only when she got really close that she was able to see that it was in fact her sister. She sighed with relief as Sophia called her over. “I have a surprise for you, sister,” she said smiling. Hazel rushed forward. “Henry… it’s my boy Henry!” she bellowed. Sophia, still smiling, said, “Henry, yes… your boy, no?” Hazel pushed past her sister and rushed through the door. To her surprise, standing near an unused wood-burner was not her son, but her brother Henry!
The old hut consisted of only one room which housed two wooden chairs, a small table, a cot-like bed, a cupboard stacked with a number of tinned food items, and an old, rusty, iron wood-burner. After Sophia had lit the fire, Hazel had decided to sit on an old fur rug near the burner whilst Sophia and Henry occupied the chairs, all wrapped in old threadbare blankets that were found stacked neatly on the cot. They had stripped down to their underwear, leaving their outer garments hanging here and there around the room in an effort to get them dry.
The two sisters sat listening in horror as Henry finished telling them about his encounter with the shadow master and how it had killed the father and son who tried to help him after he crashed his car in the ditch, but made a point to leave out the fact that the shadow master knew he had the spearhead of Aelfgar, and that it tried to find its whereabouts by forcing itself into his mind. However, he did tell them everything else he could remember before he became unconscious, and how he was rescued by a strange, skinny man with large glasses, and his friend who happened to be a tree-morph. “Oh… you mean Kreedy,” Sophia said in a matter-of-fact way. “A helpful… if not moody individual,” she continued. “He’s been the keeper of the books for as many years as I can remember… Haven’t seen him much lately… He never seems to leave his home … and the only time I do get to see him is when I need information from his books.” Henry wasn’t that surprised that his sisters knew Kreedy: in fact, he would have been more surprised if they hadn’t.
He pulled his chair closer to the wood-burner, which was now roaring nicely. They had found a pile of old dry, logs stacked in the corner of the room and took no time in getting the burner going. “Have you seen the damage on the east side of the woodland…? There must be tens of acres… if not more, of dead or dying land.” The two sisters’ faces went white. “So much damage… how could that happen without us being aware of it?” Sophia said, almost in shock, but no one answered.
Sophia shuffled in her chair and sat forward a little. It was her turn to relay to Henry their eventful day and how they found large areas of damaged land and their efforts to repair them where they could. The first of which had been close to her home. She then told Henry of the fight they had when the huge, powerful creature attacked them, a creature she or Hazel had never seen the likes of before and that even her most powerful counter-attacks barely hurt it, finishing off by saying that it must have come from another realm or dimension.
She told him that Hazel’s attack did some damage to it, but had no idea how bad its injuries were. Unfortunately, usually the more pain a creature was in, the more dangerous it could become, even more so than it was before. She then sa
id with some difficulty that the creature had been patrolling the crossing and that they had found signs of a battle and the remains of one or more elf scouts.
Henry was just as horrified, and again the room went deathly quiet. Hazel hadn’t said much throughout the conversation, but decided that something positive had to be done, for up to now all they’d been doing was running, hiding and defending themselves, and it was about time they took control of the situation. Breaking the silence, she said, almost to herself, “We must fight back…” Henry and Sophia looked over to each other but said nothing. “But first we must protect the outside world and confine the damage to the woodland.” Henry shifted in his seat. “And how do you propose we do that, little sister?” he said mockingly. Hazel hated it when he used that term, but chose to ignore it.
At first, she didn’t answer him, but sat huddled with her face half-buried in her smelly, old blanket. “I propose that we use our joint powers to seal off the woodland from the outside world… and to any other realm or dimension that has a crossing to this world.” She paused, knowing that she had now got their full attention. “It would stop the shadow master from spreading his rot outside the woodland…” Hazel paused again, this time to think. “We can’t seal off the elves… There’re signs that they may be involved in helping us in some way… and my Henry, Bert and the others may be with them… And the only way to find that out is to find the elves.” She looked over to her brother first and then her sister. “There were reports from the wood-nymphs of more than one scouting party … and they were signs in different locations along the crossing… We only had time to search a small area today, so there’s still hope that there are others alive… and with luck tomorrow we should find them.”
She was now for the first time in days starting to think clearly. Looking from one to the other, she said in a determined tone, “Well.” Henry had no idea how Hazel intended to seal off the entire woodland, with or without their joint powers. “It’s a great idea… but may I ask, little sister… how do we go about hiding ourselves from the outside world…? Do we wave a magic wand or merely close our eyes and hope that eventually everything will just go away?” he said sarcastically. Hazel ignored her brother’s sarcasm once more. She had more important things to worry about. She then looked back to Sophia. “The flute,” she said. Henry still had no idea what she was talking about. However, by the look on Sophia’s face she did. “Do you have your half?” Hazel asked softly… Sophia nodded but didn’t like what her sister had in mind. “Acca…” Sophia said. “Shouldn’t he know before we do anything as drastic as that?” Sophia replied. “As drastic as what…?” Henry interrupted, now becoming more than a little concerned. If it needed Acca’s involvement, then, whatever they had in mind must be really drastic. “What’s all this about a flute…?” Hazel put up her hand up to stop him in mid-sentence, then reached over to get her bag.
She fumbled around in the little leather hunting bag for a second and then produced the bottom half of what looked to Henry just like an old, tatty, wooden flute, reminding him of a recorder they gave to young school children to play. At first, Sophia just sat looking at her sister. Hazel leant forward to offer her half to her sister. Sophia reluctantly took it and then reached into her own bag to produce the top half. Henry still had no better understanding how his two sisters intended to seal off the woodland, and was concerned how the old oak would react if they went ahead with whatever it was they intended doing. Taking Hazel’s part of the flute, Sophia held both parts in each of her hands. After a moment’s hesitation she carefully put the two parts together, and as she did she muttered an incantation under her breath. A second or two later, a small, purple-coloured flare emanated briefly at the point where the two parts met. “The flute of Aglaredon,” she announced, cupping it gingerly in her hands.
The weather was hot and unforgiving. Both Bert and Henry slumped down on a grass clump to rest. Ben sat down beside them, panting. Bree, however, was still keeping her distance and sat just behind Henry, feeling that she should have a little more time to himself, but they both felt uncomfortable with the awkward distance between them. They both wanted to be together, each hoping that the other would make the first move, but despite how they were feeling, neither had said a word to the other the entire journey. It had been a long, hot day and Henry had spent most of it with Bert and Ben, whilst Bree had spent most of the journey walking alone until she was joined by the weirdest creatures Henry had ever seen: two large balls of fluff. But Bree seemed pleased to see them and looked as though she enjoyed their company. Mylon had also greeted them and seemed equally pleased to see them, taking their hands and patting them on the back like old friends.
Henry took off his shoulder bag and placed it on the ground next to him: the bag had been cutting into his shoulder all day. “Is there a drink in there for me?” Ben panted. Henry smiled, rubbing his sore shoulder, then pulled a metal container and a mug out from his bag and poured a little water into it, and offered it to Ben. “Here,” he said, placing the mug on the ground just in front of him. Ben looked up at Henry. “Are you not having any?” he said, a little confused as to why Henry would give him his water before taking a drink himself. “My mother always told me to share,” Henry said with a smile. “I may have misjudged this lad,” Ben muttered to himself before lapping from the mug.
“Been a good journey so far… Hot, mind ya,” Bert said to no one in particular, whilst glancing around and taking in the surrounding countryside. It was breathtakingly beautiful, full of colour and all kinds of wildlife, all of which in abundance. Everywhere they looked there were flowers, butterflies, birds and clusters of multicoloured trees. “Not moaning, though… I ave enjoyed the stroll.” Henry was a little surprised that Bert looked so refreshed when he, a fraction Bert’s age, was totally exhausted. The elves and Bree also looked just as fresh as the moment they set out, but they were young and fit… whereas Bert was old, but Henry knew, despite his looks, that Bert wasn’t human and belonged to nature. He was at home among the wildlife and plants, but still… He must be incredibly fit. When Henry felt just the opposite. Risking a quick look, he glanced over to where Bree was sitting on a small mound of grass. Like Bert she was taking in the countryside.
Clearly deep within her own thoughts, Henry took a moment to admire her. She was so incredibly beautiful… he loved everything about her… her flowered green hair, her large eyes, and he even loved her tiny wings. For a brief moment, he lost himself in her beauty, but was interrupted by movement amongst the troops. Mylon had travelled with Alk and his men for most of the journey and hadn’t said much to Henry or the others except to ensure that they were okay. He, too, was feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation between Henry and Bree, knowing that he was the reason for their rift and the guilt that she was feeling. The sooner they made up, the happier he would feel, but unfortunately it still didn’t change how he felt for her… Even though she could never be his, he knew in his heart that he could never feel the same for any other woman, but it was early days and he hoped, with time, that he would forget Bree and one day be able to find love with another.
Mylon had ordered his men to stand down and rest up a while before walking over to where the Henry and the others were sitting. “Soon be at the crossing…” he said in a matter-of-fact way. “I know it’s been a long, hot trek, but make the most of the sunshine… From what I’ve been told we’re heading into really bad weather. A troop of my men returned from your world sometime last night… But I’m afraid that the weather is the least of our troubles… We’ll speak of that in a while… but first… do you need anything… Food …? Drink?”
Ben sat up at the mention of food. “Just point me in the right direction… I’m famished.” Bert patted him on the head. “Ya always starving… I don’t remember a day when ya weren’t,” he said mockingly. Henry watched in amusement as Bert patted Ben. He didn’t think anyone would ever dare to: he certainly wouldn’t attempt it, not that is, if he wanted to k
eep his hand. He’d known them for only a few days and was starting to like the odd couple. But more importantly, he trusted them. Bert was no longer an odd-looking man and Ben not just a dog… They were his companions and hopefully with time would become his friends.
Mylon called over a trooper and instructed him to show Ben where he could get something to eat. He then sat next to Henry, at first saying nothing, but then he placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “It’s time you made up with her.” It seemed more of an order than friendly advice. “By what I’ve heard we’re heading into big trouble… and who knows what’s going to happen… to me… or to you or any of us?” He paused, and Henry turned to look at him. “Do you think we’re strong enough to get through this?” Henry asked. Shrugging his shoulders, Mylon smiled. “Who knows?” he said, patting Henry’s shoulder. “I’ll send someone over in a while… when you’ve had time to rest… There’s a lot to talk about before we go any further.” With that, he got up and walked over to where Alk was standing. It looked to Henry that there was no rest for Alk, the old commander: he was busy barking out orders and looked to be well in his element.
Taking Mylon’s advice, Henry looked back over to where Bree was sitting: she looked so sad and lost, and his whole being yearned to be with her again. So, with a little courage and determination he put his water bottle back in his bag and walked over to her. She watched him as he approached and it hurt Henry to see that there was no sign of her usual welcoming smile. She always smiled, especially on seeing him. “How are you…? I mean…” he said awkwardly, totally lost for what to say. “I don’t… I mean to say… I…” Bree smiled. “My dear Henry…” she said softly, “I have no words either.” Henry was so pleased just to hear her voice again: except for greeting the two odd balls of fluff, she hadn’t spoken to anyone all day. “I’m so sorry… I’ve been a complete idiot,” he said, moving closer. Bree’s face was now beaming with joy. “I’ve never said this before…” he continued, “and I know it’s going to sound corny… but I…” Bree got up and kissed him passionately on the lips. Henry wrapped his arms around her, taking in her sweet scent and her soft touch. Mylon smiled as he watched from a distance but with mixed emotions as they embraced and held each other.
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