Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  “I did not wish you to suffer the same as me,” Alfwald continued. “My life was taken from me long before your mother’s actions… The fire serpent and the Aelfgar had taken from me the only thing a man should always fight to keep… My soul… I was no longer respected by others… but feared and shunned by those I trusted.” Alfwald paused again. “But your mother could still see good in me… when I, myself could not… I have waited a long time to speak with you, but fear that … like all others… you will reject me.” Henry turned to look at Grog and Nog, but again they would give him no eye contact. “Did you know that he would be here?” he asked accusingly. Both nodded but still wouldn’t look up. Henry then looked back at Alfwald. “So what do you suggest we do now?” Alfwald dropped his sword to rest the tip on the cave floor. “We wait,” he said.

  “Master,” Nog said, but Henry didn’t want anything to do with them. Alfwald may not be a threat, but they should have told him: it was not up to them whom he met. It was as if they were deliberately manipulating him, and he didn’t like it. “Master,” he said again, but without looking around. Henry shouted for him to be quiet. “They’ve done only what they see is right,” Alfwald said calmly. “That’s rich, coming from someone who thinks choking the girl… the girl I love … is the right way to get my attention… You have no right to your opinion…You lost that right the day you hurt my Bree… So keep your trap shut,” Henry shouted in hatred. Alfwald loomed over him with his sword raised, while Henry called upon his powers. Then, before he could blink, Nog was standing between the two and had grown to such a size that he nearly filled the cave, blocking any way for Henry to get to Alfwald or vice versa. “Stop,” Grog shouted: it was the first time Henry had heard him raise his voice.

  “Stop,” he called out again, “must stand together… not fight.” Henry stood back and called back his powers. Nog was reduced back to his normal size again. Alfwald was unmoved and still standing where he was, but with his sword lowered to the ground. Henry was about to say something, but Alfwald put up his free hand to silence him. “It’s here,” he said. Henry immediately put up his defences, a little peeved that he hadn’t sensed it before, but he was too busy arguing to have noticed anything.

  Henry turned to see what Grog and his brother were doing, but they had disappeared and were nowhere to be seen. “Great,” he said to himself. “There are others approaching,” Alfwald continued, but Henry didn’t hear him, putting all his energy and concentrating on his powers. Still he couldn’t sense the dark one but he could sense the others… And he knew exactly who they were. “Mum,” he whispered to himself. He had to quickly change his plan to face the shadow master. His priority now was to get to the others before it was too late. “Stay,” Alfwald ordered, Henry froze and looked up at him with a confused look on his face. “I must save them… we must save them,” he called out, but Alfwald remained. “The brothers are with them,” he said flatly. “Stay here.”

  Henry was about to argue the point, but judging by Grog and Nog’s skills, his mother and the others were in good hands. Besides, his aunt alone was a formidable woman: even he would think twice about upsetting her. Seconds ticked by, still nothing. Alfwald had said no more: instead he just stood there, sword in hand, fading in and out of existence. “Welcome, both!” A booming voice reverberated throughout the cave, making Henry jump out of his wits. “What an honour indeed,” it continued. Henry sent out his senses but still couldn’t find where the voice was coming from. “Two hosts… one of the present… and the other of the past.”

  Henry looked to see what Alfwald was doing, but he hadn’t moved. It was then that Henry felt something strange. A pain suddenly started burning behind his eyes. The shadow master was trying to get into his head. Immediately he channelled some of his own power to his mind, forcing out the intruding magic and filling his mind with his own powers, so that it couldn’t do it again. “Impressive,” the voice echoed. Still Alfwald was unmoved. “You are as strong as I had hoped… We could do great things together… you and I.”

  “Show yourself,” Henry called out. Seconds went by and then Henry felt its presence behind him. He gave Alfwald a quick glance before turning to face it, but still Alfwald did nothing. As Henry turned to face the shadow master for the first time, he simultaneously put a defensive shield in front of him. At first, Henry couldn’t see anything and then he could just make out a tall, black shadow standing only a few yards from him. Fear flooded his mind: why didn’t he detect it, and how did it get so close to him without him noticing? “It holds no form,” Alfwald said, as if reading Henry’s mind. “It’s a shadow of evil and can take any shape it chooses.” Henry watched as the shadowy figure slowly started to take a more solid form, until standing before him was a tall, thin man with burning ember eyes. At first, no one spoke, leaving the cave in a deathly silence. The only sound was that of dripping water echoing throughout the cave. “You have no need of protection from us,” the tall figure said, referring to the protective shield Henry had put up. “We wish only to talk.” The shadow master’s voice no longer reverberated around the cave, but still was loud enough to echo.

  Taken a little by surprise, Henry needed a little time to think. So if the shadow master wanted to talk… then let’s talk. It would hopefully give him the time he needed to find a way out. “I have no interest in anything you have to say,” Henry replied, trying not to sound intimidated by its presence. The shadow master moved a step closer, making Henry back off a little. “Whatever you want to say… you can say it from where you are… not a step closer.” Suddenly the ground beneath his feet shook. To steady himself, Henry fell against the wall of the cave, but unfortunately it was wet and covered in a slimy moss, and he fell, but instead of falling on the rocky ground, he just kept falling: a void had instantly opened up under his feet, and everything went totally black. He panicked, having no idea what was happening to him: it was as if he was floating in nothingness.

  Back in the cave, Alfwald stood and watched as the void closed behind Henry. The shadow master also disappeared the moment Henry did. The shade just stood looking out into the dark, sensing someone was coming, then from out of the darkness appeared Grog and his brother, followed closely by Sophia and Mylon. They both froze on seeing him standing just a few feet in front of them. Mylon had exceptional night vison, being an elf, almost twice that of humans; but unlike Sophia, he didn’t command powers to aid him to see clearly in such total blackness. Although he could see the sword in Alfwald’s hand. It was difficult for him to make out what was holding it. However, on seeing a weapon, he instinctively pulled out his short sword and braced himself for an attack.

  “Put your weapon down,” Alfwald said in warning, “you have no need of it here.” But Mylon stayed where he was with sword in hand. “Where is your sister?” he asked Sophia in a flat, almost breathless tone. “Here,” Hazel said, stepping out from the dark. For a second or two there was silence, then Hazel stepped forward until she was only feet from Alfwald’s shade. “What have you done with my son?” Alfwald didn’t answer her straightaway, then after a few seconds said, “I have done nothing to our son… the shadow master has taken him to the void.” Sophia moved forward. “And you didn’t stop him!” she blasted. Unmoved, Alfwald slowly moved a little closer to Hazel, but Sophia placed herself between the two, making Alfwald pause. “I intend no harm,” he said, but Sophia didn’t trust him.

  “The same way you meant me no harm when you came to my home.” She paused and looked over to Bree, who up to this point kept her distance, not wanting to be hurt by Alfwald a third time. “Or this girl… did you mean her no harm either?” Alfwald was still unmoved, fading in and out of existence. “I meant only to warn the girl… I know of no other way: my responses are limited.” He paused. “I did not go to your home to confront you, Alden… only to talk… You attacked me.” Sophia was about to say something but thought better of it. Having no reply, he was right: it was her who attacked him.

  Hazel pushed past
her sister. “So what now?” she asked. Alfwald paused a second before replying, “We follow… you and I,” he said, in a deep, booming voice which echoed throughout the cave. At first, Hazel didn’t respond. Then she nodded. Sophia pulled her sister back and swung her around. “Are you out of your silly little mind?” she said sarcastically. “We have already lost Henry… and what makes you so sure that… that this shade had nothing to do with…? It could be trap.” Hazel looked back to Alfwald and said very calmly, “My sister has a point.” Alfwald just stood motionless for a moment, the tip of his sword still resting on the cave floor. “I am here to put things right… The world has suffered much… some of which is due to my neglect in life… I have limited time here and can only do what this form allows.” He paused. “We must go to our son.” He paused again. “I allowed the shadow master to take him.”

  Hazel was about to erupt but Sophia grabbed her. “Let him finish.” Hazel looked Sophia directly in the eye. “Move your arm, sister,” she hissed and pulled her arm away and turned back to face Alfwald. “Well,” she said, “the battle against the darkness cannot be fought here… The host… our son, must face the dark one where it would affect it the most… in the void… The darkness would be thinking that he has the host at a disadvantage… but nothing could be further from the truth… We must attack it where it hurts it the most… at its heart.”

  Mylon relaxed a little but still had his sword by his side. He stepped forward a little. “And where is that, exactly?” he enquired. The shade ignored him and continued to speak to Hazel. “We must follow after him… Elwine has already passed over to the underworld.” Both sisters were shocked that their brother of all people had been killed. He would have been the last person on their minds. “My brother’s dead,” Hazel said with a lump in her throat. “Not dead,” Alfwald said flatly. “If we find him… or what is left of his soul, he may be able to help in our quest.” Alfwald paused, then expanded to nearly twice his size. “Come, Aldin, we have much to do…” he said to Hazel, and with that a large void opened up beneath Alfwald.

  Sophia grabbed Hazel’s arm again. “You’re going nowhere without me,” she said with tears welling up in her eyes. Hazel placed her hand over Sophia’s. “I must… my son needs me.” Sophia tightened her grip on her sister’s arm, making Hazel wince. “It could be a trap… What’s to say the shade is not siding with the darkness…? He’s not to be trusted… Believe me, sister,” she begged. Hazel gently pulled her arm away. “I still have to go… you know that.” Sophia lowered her head and nodded, and then held her sister tightly to her. “Take care, little one,” she whispered. Hazel hadn’t heard her use that term in centuries: it was always Sophia’s name for her when they were younger. Hazel hugged her sister back. “I love you, sister,” she whispered. Sophia kissed her on the forehead and then stood back, composed herself, looked directly at Alfwald and said, “I hold you responsible for my sister’s safety… If anything happens to her… don’t come back.”

  Alfwald didn’t respond to her: instead he addressed Hazel. “Time is not on my side… my time in this world is almost over.” Hazel walked over and stood inches from the void. She could feel the cold, lifeless air within and could smell the death. She took a second to look into the dark, endless, empty void, then looked back at her sister and smiled. Mylon had stepped forward and was now standing alongside Sophia. “Take good care of my sister until I return,” Hazel said with a sad smile. “She has a nasty habit of finding trouble.” Mylon smiled and nodded. Hazel then turned and, without, hesitation walked into the void. Sophia took hold of Mylon’s hand and squeezed it as her sister disappeared from sight. Alfwald reduced himself back to his normal size, but he was still an imposing size and stepped forward.

  Lifting his sword as he advanced, Mylon immediately pushed himself in front of Sophia and took up a defensive stance, but Alfwald ignored him. “I leave this for… for Henry, my son… Be sure he gets it on his return… It is the only thing that ties me into this world… Once I leave it, I’ll never be able to return.” He dropped the sword on the ground with a loud clanging sound and slowly faded away, closing the void behind him. Nothing was left, except total darkness and the sword that now lay on the cave floor.

  At first neither Mylon nor Sophia moved, still holding hands and staring at the point where Alfwald and Hazel were only seconds before. After a few short moments, Mylon released his hand and walked up to the sword. Sophia watched him, feeling the loss of her sister already. She knew that she had treated her quite badly over the years, but there was always that strong bond between them, a bond that neither time nor distance could break. She lowered her head, somehow knowing in her heart that she would never see her sister again. Mylon knelt on one knee and took hold of the sword’s hilt and lifted it, then immediately dropped it again. “On Olay’s life, that’s heavy.”

  He stood back up and then with both hands picked it up again and rested its tip on the floor. He looked over to see what Sophia was doing but was still finding it difficult to see clearly. However, he could just make out that she was standing with her head lowered and could hear her crying openly. “She’s gone… I’ll never see her again,” she sobbed. Dragging the tip of the sword along the ground, Mylon walked up to her and placed his free hand on her arm. “She’ll be back… you’ll see… she would never let any harm come to her son… nor will he allow any harm to come to her.” He knew as he said it that Sophia was right. But as for young Henry, he had the Wyvern to call upon and as such had a better chance than any to survive the void. Sophia looked up, her eyes full of tears. “She… she,” Sophia tried to say but broke down completely and fell into Mylon’s arms. Before she could say any more, he dropped the sword, making a loud clang as it hit the stone surface, echoing throughout the cave. Then he held her tightly with both arms, enjoying the closeness between them, but saddened that he could do no more to ease her pain.

  Mylon stayed holding Sophia for some time, allowing her time to grieve to try and compose herself. Finding the right moment, he pulled away, then for the first time realised that Bree was nowhere to be seen, nor were Grog and Nog. “Where’s Bree and…?” he said, almost to himself. Having better vison, Sophia looked around and then sent out her senses. “They’re not here,” she answered, surprised that she hadn’t noticed earlier. “Bree!” Mylon called out, making her name echo in the cave. “We must find her,” he said, but when he turned to look at Sophia, she wasn’t there.

  “This way,” she called back, heading for the entrance. Mylon grabbed the sword, flung it over his shoulder, and followed. Once they got to the opening of the cave, Mylon stopped and called out. Immediately Poppy was by his side. Against their better judgement, he had posted Poppy and Lilly at the entrance, instructing them that nothing or nobody else was to enter the cave. Alk was ordered to take the few troopers they had and patrol the area to ensure they weren’t trapped in the cave by any of the shadow master’s followers. “Have you seen Bree?” Mylon shouted, a little short of breath. “She left a few minutes ago… Should we have stopped her?” Mylon didn’t answer. “My lord!” Poppy shouted, trying to be heard over the roar of the falls. Not sure whether or not she had done wrong in letting the nymph pass, seconds later Alk appeared from out of the dark. “The nymph went in that direction!” he shouted, pointing towards the ridge. Mylon paused for thought. “Let’s find somewhere quieter to think.” Alk had unsuccessfully tried to shrug off the chill from being wet through from the spray generated by the falls. “And somewhere drier!” he shouted back.

  It took them a little over half an hour to reach the tree line, leaving the spray and the noise of the falls behind them. Lilly was unfortunately lagging behind, due to the injuries inflected on her earlier. But as much as Poppy wanted to, she couldn’t stay with her: her job was to watch over her king, not her friends. However, Alk had decided to stay with Lilly and help her a little to climb the embankment to the ridge. Mylon stopped under the safety of the tree canopy: the shadow master might be i
n the void but his followers were still a real threat to them and to others. They couldn’t help Henry in the void, but they sure could make a difference in this one.

  Once Alk and Lilly had caught up, Mylon suggested that they took a moment to rest and to try to decide on their next move. Sophia sat down next to Mylon, and on the other, sat Poppy, while Lilly and Alk sat opposite him, all huddled up in a small, dry clearing, shivering from the wet and the cold. “Well, that was a complete waste of time!” Alk bellowed when hearing what had happened in the cave. “And what became of the two fluffy things?” he asked. For the first time since Henry vanished, they realised that they had gone. It wasn’t unusual for them to keep out of sight: in fact, they often disappeared and reappeared, but for some reason, known only to them, they had completely vanished. “They may have followed young Henry,” Alk suggested, but Sophia shook her head. “No… we would’ve seen if they had… They were right next to us when the void closed.” For a brief moment nobody spoke, then Mylon slapped his hands together and rubbed them for warmth. “They’ll turn up when it pleases them,” he said, trying to sound matter-of-fact. “We need to worry about what we are going to do next,” he said, looking at Sophia.

  Despite the fact that she was tired, wet and muddy, she was still a beautiful woman and Mylon found himself staring at her for a second, something Poppy didn’t miss. She couldn’t see the attraction: Sophia was old and not even an elf – in fact she was even human – but Poppy knew that she was in Mylon’s service and responsible for his personal safety, and as such had to keep her thoughts to herself; but as usual, Lilly was watching her and it was clear that Poppy had fallen for Mylon. But Lilly knew Poppy well enough to know that she wouldn’t listen to her. Poppy had always done things her own way, whether it was the right way or not. So, as usual, she decided to say nothing – that was, unless her feeling affected her judgement.