Between Darkness and the Light

by Paul T. H. Mitchener

  Taking her time to assess their options, Sophia didn’t say anything right away. For now at least the outside world was safe, sealed away by the magic of the flute. Briefly she pictured Hazel dancing and enjoying the music she had played. Somehow she knew in her heart that her sister would not return from the void, and the thought of never seeing her again hurt so much. But negative thinking wouldn’t help their situation, so catching herself, she cleared her throat and concentrated on matters in hand: the border crossing that led to the realm of elves was by now patrolled on both sides, so for the time being at least, they could put their efforts elsewhere. However, there were still darklings and other hideous creatures lurking around somewhere within the woodland, so they would have to be taken care of one way or the other. But would they be strong enough?

  Bree had run off somewhere. Henry and her sister were now in the underworld. Grog and Nog had disappeared, leaving herself, Mylon, Alk and a handful of elves: what could they possibly do to make a difference? If her nephew failed, there would be no one left strong enough to stand against the dark one. Suddenly feeling chilly, she shrugged her shoulders in a vain attempt to relieve her discomfort, and then noticed that all eyes were on her. She took a moment to look around at the ragtag group and smiled. “We’re no good to anyone like this,” she stated. “We’re not that far from Kreedy’s place… There we should be able to get something hot to eat… and maybe some dry clothes… Then I feel we’ll be in a better mind to decide what we do next.” At first nobody spoke, all half-expecting her to come up with a cunning plan, but it made perfect sense. They were all mentally and physically exhausted, hungry and wet through, and no good to anyone in their condition. It was still dark and sometime in the early hours of the morning, so all agreed with her suggestion and in turn followed her as she made her way towards Kreedy’s home.

  That same night found Bree running through the woodland, crashing through undergrowth and leaping across fallen trees and rocks, her eyes full of tears and almost hysterical after seeing her Henry disappear into the black void. She cursed herself for not doing anything: all she did was hide away in fear of being hurt again. She knew that her place was by Henry’s side, and that’s where she would be now if it weren’t for her cowardliness. She stopped to gain her bearings, wiping tears from her eyes. She studied the surrounding area, firstly to ensure that she was heading in the right direction, and secondly to look for any danger. But for once she wasn’t in fear of her own life. She needed to get to Acca as soon as possible and had no time to rest or even think. She needed to help her Henry and could think of no way of getting to him without the help of the old oak tree. Satisfied that she knew where she was and that nothing seemed out of place, she set off again at breakneck speed. If there was anything out there to attack her, it would have to be fast to even try and keep up with her, let alone catch her.

  The night wore on and Bree was still a mile or so from the old oak. She had slowed up sometime ago, and was only just managing to keep to a jogging pace. All her energy was now spent and she had none of her sweet energy drink left to replenish her. She literally kept going through sheer willpower alone. She had made it this far and had no intention of giving up now. She slowed to a walking pace, now physically exhausted, her face, legs and arms bruised and cut from running at speed through the woodland. However, she hadn’t noticed: her thoughts were on getting to the oak tree safely.

  Suddenly, a white blur ran out in front of her: it was still dark and her eyes were a little misty and sore from crying. Bree stopped, her heart still racing. She sent out her senses, but could sense nothing untoward. Then from behind her came a deep, booming voice. “What’s you doing ere?” She turned and saw to her relief Bert standing before her, seconds later joined by Ben. “Well, answer the question, young lady…What are you doing here?” Ben said. Bree rushed over to Bert, jumped into his strong arms, and once more burst into tears.

  Ben looked up, unaffected by Bree’s emotional state. “Well, girl… what are you doing here…? The last I knew was that you had gone with lady Hazel and the others to find Henry.” Bree looked down at him with her eyes full of tears, but didn’t answer. Bert lowered her to the ground. “Well?” Ben said, impatiently. Before answering, Bree wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m going to… I’m…” She swallowed hard. “I’m going to the old oak,” she just managed to say. “And why, may I ask?” Ben enquired. “I need to get to my… my Henry.” Ben looked up at Bert, who just shrugged and then gently placed his large, powerful hand on her tiny shoulder. “Tell everything,” he said quietly. “Everything, mind… leave nothing out.”

  Bree tearfully relayed every terrifying event that transpired within the cave. She told Bert and Ben how cowardly she acted, too terrified by Alfwald to support Henry. She should be with him now and that’s why she was going to the old oak: it was her only chance in reaching him. Acca had the ability to send her there – well, her mind at least. It was a long shot, but it was the only option open to her. After a brief moment’s deliberation, it was Ben who spoke first. “Does Henry need you there?” he asked. Bree didn’t know how to answer: in her mind, they should be together always. “What I’m saying is: if he really needed you with him, surely he would have kept you with him… Henry certainly made it clear to all of us that he had to face the dark one alone…You’d only be a dangerous distraction to him… The lad needs all his wits about him if he is to survive.”

  Bree was now red-faced with rage, but didn’t respond. But also she couldn’t deny that what the unpleasant dog said was right. She’d only get in the way, but she still needed to go to him. “We should let the tree decide,” Bert interrupted. Bree looked up to him, still red-faced but a little calmer. “Come on, then,” he continued, as he headed off up the muddy track. Bree looked down at Ben and gave him a filthy look. “He will need me… you’ll see,” and he turned to follow Bert. Unperturbed, Ben just sat sniffing the air and watching after her. He liked Bree; however, to him, she was a little too clingy, and the lad needed room to breathe. Henry had a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders: the last thing he needed now was a girl hanging on his arm all the time. After taking a little time checking his paws for any twigs or foreign objects, he got up, sniffed the air one more time, and then followed.

  It was nearly morning by the time Mylon and the others reached the untidy, cluttered clearing that surrounded Kreedy’s home, and the sun was still low, throwing long shadows across the clearing. Sophia suddenly stopped and put her hand up in warning. Mylon appeared immediately by her side and, without speaking, she pointed towards a heavily shaded spot to the left of them. Mylon silently signalled for two of his men to check it out, but before they had the chance to reach the spot, a huge, lumbering creature emerged. Breaking the silence by loud cracking sounds, the beast smashed through the trees. It was obvious to all that it was waiting in ambush, but why here? Kreedy was no threat to anyone. Then Sophia had a disturbing thought: perhaps these things are smarter than they thought? Kreedy’s was the only place for miles for anybody needing food and rest: maybe it was here because it knew that eventually someone would come along. At first nobody moved, then Alk rushed forward to stand next to Mylon. “Well, my king, what do you suggest?” he said, in a matter-of-fact way. “Nothing… we stay here until we know what it is up to,” Mylon whispered. He turned to Sophia. “How come you didn’t sense it earlier?” he asked. Sophia turned red-faced, partly because she was embarrassed and partly due to anger. Who was he to question her? He may be king to the elves but he was nothing here.

  Moments went by as they lay hidden within the shadow of the trees, watching its every move. At first, it just stood sniffing the air for any signs of prey. It was far bigger than the creature Hazel and Bree had killed, almost the size of the trees around them, standing on two powerful legs, each ending in long, angry, hooked claws. Dripping off its large, round body was a kind of dark green slim, and everything it touched instantly withered and died. At first there s
eemed to be no defining neck, the undersized head attached directly onto its body. But they all looked on in horror when, slowly, very much like a tortoise, it extended its neck upwards until it was as high as the trees surrounding it. Again, like a tortoise, when it opened its mouth, it had no teeth, just a large, sharp, pointed beak, big enough and powerful enough to bite a grown man in half.

  Still the tiny group lay hidden within the relative safety of the trees. However, it was obvious, judging by its size and how easily it crashed through the trees, that there was no safe place to hide from it. Suddenly it turned, swinging its long neck around and smashing its head into the trees. One of the two troopers Mylon had sent over leaped into the clearing, too quick for the creature, but he wasn’t in the clear. The creature lifted one of its enormous front legs and slammed it into the earth, making the whole ground shake like an earthquake, and tossing the poor trooper across the ground. Covered in debris and mud, the poor elf struggled to get to his feet and slipped and fell back down. By this time the creature was looming over him, drool running from its open, beak-like jaws.

  Mylon was now back on his feet and quickly covered the distance between him and the fallen elf. Sophia shouted out to stop him, but that was a big mistake: the creature heard her and its attention was drawn towards where they were hiding. It roared, a terrifying sound of hatred and hunger. It seemed as if the creature knew who she was and now she was its sole target. Losing interest in the fallen elf, the creature lumbered towards her, nearly crushing the elf under its powerful legs. Mylon was too quick for it and just managed to drag the trooper out of the way as its large, clawed foot crashed down on the earth, again making the earth shake.

  Back in Kreedy’s cottage, Walt and Kreedy were both almost hysterical as large stacks of books toppled over as the ground beneath their feet shook violently. Kreedy ran this way and that, as he unsuccessfully tried to save his precious books from falling. Now under the kitchen table and visibly shaking, Walt mopped his head with his dirty hanky, muttering under his breath. Neither he nor Kreedy had any idea of what caused the ground to shake.

  Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. At first neither Walt nor his host moved, Walt still under the table and Kreedy braced against the wall, holding an armful of books. Then sounding from outside the cottage came another loud crash, and again the ground shook. Dropping the books in his arms, Kreedy tried to grab hold of another stack of large, heavy books to stop them falling over, but this time he wasn’t quick enough and only just managed to get out of the way as they came crashing down around him. Unfortunately for Kreedy, one of the heavy, leather-bound books hit him on his shoulder. He screamed out as it sent him flying across the room. Walt was huddled up in fear under the table and had no intention of moving. Up to now, at least, he had been safe from falling objects. He flinched his eyes as pots, pans and all manner of items fell around him, crashing and banging as they hit the table and the floor.

  Again the shaking stopped. Kreedy pushed the large book off him, sat up and examined the books closest to him for any signs of damage, then looked around the room: books, broken crockery and all manner of things lay scattered throughout the room. He flinched with pain as he got to his feet. Holding his shoulder, he made his way across the room to the kitchen, treading carefully so as not to step on any of his precious books. “Where are you?” he called out once he reached the kitchen door. At first, Walt didn’t reply. “Are you still alive?” Kreedy called out. Then, with a great deal of grunting and puffing, Walt climbed out from under the table. “I wouldn’t be able to answer you if I wasn’t,” he puffed as he straightened his back. Kreedy walked over to the back door and listened for any sound from outside. He could hear something, but couldn’t make out what it was and certainly had no intention of opening the door to find out. “There’s something outside,” he whispered. Walt tried to move a little closer to the door so that he could hear it for himself, but stumbled over a number of cooking pots that were strewn across the floor, crashing and banging and struggling to keep himself from falling over them. “Quiet, man!” Kreedy ordered in a sharp whisper. Walt decided to stay where he was for the moment, for fear of making any more noise: the last thing they wanted now was to attract the attention of whatever it was outside.

  “What do you think it is?” Walt asked, still in a whisper. Neither of them had any idea what was happening outside, or of the large creature that generated the shocks when it slammed its powerful leg into the earth, which to them felt like an earthquake. Kreedy signalled to Walt to be quiet as he listened intently at the door. For a brief few seconds there was no sound: all Kreedy could hear was the ticking of the kitchen clock, which was lying on the floor next to him, and Walt’s heavy breathing. Then came another loud crash, and again everything within Kreedy’s cottage crashed to the floor, but this time all Kreedy could do was hold onto the handle of the door to stop him from falling. Walt wasn’t so fortunate: he was quick enough to grab hold of the table for support, but a large cooking pot that was hung on a hook just above him come crashing down on his head. Walt fell amongst the clutter on the floor like a sack of wet flour.

  “Quiet, man!” Kreedy shouted, then realised that he was making just as much noise by shouting. “Be quiet,” he whispered again, and the shaking stopped. Kreedy glanced over to see if Walt was okay and was relieved to see that he was now sitting up and rubbing the top of his head. “Any damage done?” Kreedy asked jokingly. Walt gave him a mock laugh. “Ha-ha… funny man,” he replied, sarcastically. Seconds passed as Kreedy put his ear to the door once more. “If you’re so keen on finding out what’s out there…” but Kreedy put up his hand. “Hush, man,” he whispered. “I think I can hear shouting.”

  Outside, Alk had crossed the clearing to help Mylon pull the fallen trooper to safety, they had just managed to drag him behind an old, dilapidated tractor before it slammed its legs into the ground for the third time. “What now?” Alk shouted, but as he did, a blue ball of fire exploded into the creature’s head. It roared up and swung its long neck around in agony, but the attack didn’t do it any lasting damage to it. “It’s not after us!” Mylon shouted. “It wants Sophia!”

  With that, he got up and ran in her direction. “Stay here!” he shouted back as he disappeared into the trees. Alk watched as the creature’s long neck stretched out to where the attack came from, and then another blue ball exploded on its back. Sophia had changed locations and was trying to draw its attention away from the others. Her reasoning was that if she could draw it into the trees, they would have a better chance of defeating it – in the open they would have none. Mylon was now by her side. “Let it follow me!” she shouted. Mylon’s concern must have shown on his face. “We’ll have a better chance if we lure it into the tree,” she continued. By now the creature was stretching its neck around to see where the second attack had come from. Mylon nodded. “I’ll tell my men.” He gave Sophia one of his smiles and then rushed off.

  Poppy was beside herself with worry. Her king just upped and disappeared. It was getting light, but she still couldn’t find any sign of him. The last she saw of Mylon was when he rushed to help the fallen trooper, but since then she had no idea where he was. Then from out of the shadows he appeared.

  “Where have you been!” she shouted at him and then realised what she had said, now red-faced. “I mean… where have you been, my lord…? You just…” Mylon placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m safe and well… so stop worrying… Besides, we have much bigger things to worry about,” he said, looking up at the great, lumbering beast. “Get the others and follow me.” He paused to look at Lilly. “You stay here.” She was about to object, but Mylon put up his hand. “No arguments… you stay here.” Poppy gave Lilly a weak smile and went to rush off to get the others. “What of Commander Alk?!” Lilly shouted after him. Mylon stopped, turned and said. “He’s safe where he is… Besides, we need speed and that’s not something he’s known for,” he joked. “Lady Sophia is trying to lure the th
ing into the trees… We hope there its size would be a disadvantage… Tell Commander Alk… But make sure you both stay here… He’s too slow and you’re too sick… Besides, you have an injured man to tend to.” He smiled. “Don’t worry… I’ll be back soon.” With that, he disappeared again into the shadow of the trees.

  Sophia was still trying to lure the creature into the densest part of the trees. Each time the creature slowed or showed signs that it was not following her, she hit it with a blast of blue flames. The creature roared with anger each time and crashed through the trees as if they were twigs, in order to get to her. Here the trees were young and not that large, and as such had no impact on slowing it. However, Sophia knew of an area where there were very old and very large trees: there it would have difficulty in manoeuvring. Again Sophia sent a powerful blue fireball into the creature’s undersized head. She was trying to hit the same area each time, hoping that eventually she would do it some harm. However, up to now, the creature seemed to be unharmed and showed no signs of weakening as it crashed its way through the trees towards her.

  Moments later, Mylon and Poppy joined her. “How are we going to kill this thing?!” he shouted as they ran and leaped their way through the woodland. “I thought perhaps you had some idea!” she shouted back. She stopped and looked back to ensure the creature was following them. It wasn’t fast but, due to its size, it covered a lot of ground quickly and was only a few hundred feet or so behind them.

  Sophia stopped and turned to face the creature again. With her hair ablaze, lighting up the whole area around her, she raised her arms and again sent out a blue flare, hitting the creature directly in the head. This time it looked as though she may have done some damage to it. It stood on its hind legs, towering above the tree, and thrashed its long neck wildly, crushing everything under its feet and sending broken trees flying in all directions. Mylon grabbed Sophia and dived to the ground and instinctively protected her by lying over her as twigs and branches rained down on them. Sophia pushed Mylon off. “Get off me, man!” she shouted. Mylon did as he was ordered and stood up quickly. He took a second to see what the creature was doing: it was still thrashing its long neck around and then dropped down on all fours again. The ground shook so violently that Mylon fell back down. Sophia was unperturbed by the creature’s action and continued to reprimand Mylon. “I can take care of myself… you’ll be wise to remember that!” she shouted, getting back on her feet, but Mylon was too occupied with the creature. “Move!” he shouted. Sophia glanced back, and to her horror saw that the creature had gained a lot of ground and was almost bearing down on them, its eyes burning red with rage. But they were far too fast for it and quickly put a little distance between them.