The Shadow-Fighters

by Kevin Bolger

  ‘What are you looking for?’ Inara asked. ‘My arrow,’ he replied. ‘Look,’ he said, pointing to where he had shot the animal. ‘Here is the wound.’ ‘But t is already back in your quiver!’ She replied. Matu took out the arrow and saw the blood on the tip. He cleaned the arrow on the grass, a look of complete bewilderment on his face.

  ‘Pan, look at your sword!’ Ryel was almost shouting. She held it up to the light. The polished handle now revealed small detailed carvings. Its blade was gleaming, the edge razor sharp. Inara’s knives were the same. Ryel’s armlets looked as if they had just come from the blacksmith’s forge.

  ‘OK, now that’s very?’ She paused looking for the right words.

  ‘It’s magic.’ Said Inara. ‘There’s no other explanation for it. ‘I suppose,’ Pandora agreed, ‘but we are in another world or land, or whatever you want to call it, so I think we had better just get used to it and move on.’

  ‘And quickly.’ Replied Ryel. ‘I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. We have not yet cleared the wood and already having to fight for our lives.’

  ‘It’s not the best of starts to a quest I agree.’ Pandora added. They put away their weapons. Ryel dragged the beast into the bushes and they started back towards the valley. The smallest sound from the bushes or trees made them nervous and they were nearly running as they left the wood. The sun was getting lower in the sky; nevertheless, they could still feel the warmth on their backs. They stopped and gazed at the valley.

  ‘It looks just the same,’ said Inara. Matu looked to where they would have held the gathering. ‘The Black Rock, it isn’t there!’ Neither were the huts. In fact, there was no evidence of anyone having ever lived in this valley.

  Pandora started to walk down the hill. ‘You right, Matu, but look.’ She pointed into the distance where they could just make out a settlement located on the edge of the river that separated the low valley from the Prime-Lands. ‘How far do you think it is from here?’ She asked Matu. He used his hands to gauge the distance. ‘Nearly a half day’s walk. I could do it in less, but without horses you wouldn’t keep up.’ Pandora thought for a moment, ‘OK, let’s go to the brook first and collect water. Hopefully we can eat when we reach the outpost.’

  They all agreed and were soon on their way. Inara walked alongside Pan, talking while Matu scouted on ahead. They had travelled at least a third of the way when Egyn stopped, tugged at Ryel’s arm and pointed over to the hills to the left of the valley. He made a sign with his hand.

  ‘Inara!’ Ryel shouted. ‘What’s he saying?’ Inara’s eyes widened as she read Egyn’s sign. ‘Riders, it means riders!’ Matu, on hearing the shouting, began running back to see what was going on.

  ‘Well, I can’t see or hear anyone!’ He said, looking towards the hills.

  Pandora was thinking; she turned to them. ‘Listen, we tell them, or whoever it is, we are catching up with our parents who are only a half day away.’ They all agreed it was good cover story. Shortly, just as Egyn had predicted they heard the rumbling of hooves.

  ‘Let’s just keep walking and hope they ignore us,’ said Matu, ‘and pull up your hoods.’

  The sound grew louder and a cloud of dust started to appear over the hill. Ryel glanced over his shoulder. ‘Six, maybe seven, they’re heading our way.’

  Just try and stay calm,’ whispered Inara. The riders came alongside the group and slowed their horses to a walk. However, they remained silent. From the corner of their eyes, they could see the horses’ legs steaming with sweat. There was an uncomfortable silence for a little too long and Pandora was becoming anxious. Finally, one of riders spoke. ‘I hope you will not mind if we walk with you. We could do with the company.’ They all stopped and turned to see who had spoken. It was a young boy about the same age as Inara, maybe fifteen. In fact, all the riders were children; one looked younger than Egyn, eight years old at the most. Pandora removed her hood. ‘Of course, of course, we would also be glad of the company!’ She tried not to sound too relieved. The boy dismounted and introduced himself. ‘I am Dill, and these are my brothers and sisters.’ Pandora looked at the rest of the group. They were a mixed bunch of races, which was plain to see. ‘I am Pandora.’ She paused. ‘And these are my brothers and sisters.’ The two parties nodded to each other politely then continued walking. ‘So may I ask where you are headed?’ Dill asked. ‘To that settlement,’ she replied pointing.

  ‘Ah! That is a good place to rest; my cousin runs the Inn there. I will be sure he looks after you.’

  ‘That is very kind,’ replied Pandora. Ryel, who was listening carefully to the conversation, came to the front. ‘From what clan do you belong?’ Dill looked puzzled. ‘What do you mean, 'Clan'?’

  ‘Your people, what is their clan? I am Ryel, Prince of the Maram-chi.’ Dill looked confused.

  ‘I am sorry, what is a, prince?’ Inara spoke from the back of the group. ‘It means he will become king after his father.’ Dill stopped walking then looked to his companions. ‘I think they are playing a joke on us.’ Pandora started to laugh. ‘Yes, you’re right, he is always joking like that!’

  Ryel was about to interrupt when Matu kicked him in the leg.

  ‘And what was that for?

  ‘Just laugh!’ Matu whispered. Ryel tried, but it was not very convincing.

  Dill and his younger brother asked whether Pandora and Inara would like to ride, so that they might quicken the pace. The girls thanked them and joined the others on horseback. Thankfully, for the new arrivals, the two parties remained quiet for the remainder of the journey.

  The outpost was not too far away and in a short time, they could just make out the sounds of a lively village echoing across the low hills. Pandora slowed her horse and waited for Dill to draw level.

  ‘Excuse me Dill, we will need horses, we are travelling as far as the great lake,’ Dill shook his head. ‘Horses, yes if you can pay, but I have not heard anyone speak of a lake. Not within three of four days of this area at least.’ Egyn signed to Inara. ‘There are definitely horses at the outpost,’ she informed them. ‘What? He can tell from this distance?’ Ryel sounded unsure but now, less surprised.

  Egyn looked at Ryel, his fingers moving fast, and Inara laughed. ‘He said horses are like girls, they talk all the time and loudly.’ Dill and his companions looked at each other but remained silent.

  As they drew closer, they could see there were quite a few buildings, some larger than others and some even two stories high.

  ‘Have you ever seen buildings like these?’ Asked Matu. Ryel shook his head.

  ‘They have rooms on top of rooms, how odd.’

  CHAPTER 8: THE SHADOWS

  A low wooden fence, high enough only to keep livestock from wandering off, surrounded the outpost. They entered through the main gates and people turned to see who had arrived. The outpost was noisy; children were shouting and playing in the dusty streets. The people were buying and selling from carts filled with grains, vegetables, fish and meat. It was a hive of activity, but it took only moments for Pandora to notice something was wrong or rather, something was missing. Inara recognized Pan’s expression. ‘You noticed too?’

  ‘Let’s not say anything; we don’t want to draw too much attention.’

  ‘Have you noticed…?’ Ryel began loudly; both Inara and Pandora glared at him and Ryel immediately stopped talking.

  ‘Dill, could you take us straight to the Inn, please?’ Pandora asked.

  ‘Of course, it’s this way,’ he replied, leading them off through the market. A young boy saw Inara riding by. He smiled and threw her a bright red apple. ‘Why, thank you!’ She called back.

  At the far end of the outpost, they reached the Inn. It was small and the sign over the door read ‘Droon’s Inn’. They walked into a wide, open reception room with a low beamed ceiling. The floor was a mismatch of wooden planks, a variety of different colours. However, it gleamed with a waxy polish. There was also a large open fireplace at the rear.
The tables were long, made it appeared from half sawn tree-trunks, the chairs big and heavy looking. They had never seen a building like it. Ryel ran his fingers across a large oak beam tracing the engravings with his finger. ‘What craftsmen built this house?’ He asked Dill.

  ‘I do not know,’ he replied with a shrug. ‘I imagine they have always been here.’

  On hearing the new arrivals, a young man of around sixteen or seventeen came out from the kitchens. Dill introduced them. ‘I am Droon, welcome to my Inn. The rooms are very basic, but clean,’ he told them. ‘Food will be ready in about two hours.’ ‘Shall we pay you now?' Asked Pandora as he led them upstairs to their rooms. ‘There is no need for that now; you can settle things upon your departure.’ Unlike Dill, he seemed to have no any interest in them whatsoever.

  Pandora and Inara were together, with the boys in a larger dormitory to themselves.

  ‘I am so tired,’ yawned Ryel, as he lay on a bunk and closed his eyes. Matu opened the window shutter and looked into the courtyard below. Dill was speaking to his cousin.

  ‘They are a strange lot,’ said Dill, ‘and did you see their weapons?’ The voices drifted in and out of earshot as Droon shifted crates onto an old wagon; Matu struggled to make any sense of what they discussed. Eventually Droon sat himself on an old crate and put his head in his hands. Dill spoke softly to his cousin; nonetheless, this time Matu heard every word clearly.

  ‘I know he is your closest friend, but it is his time to meet the shadows. Soon it will be yours and I too will be sad but that’s how life is.’ Droon nodded in agreement.

  ‘You are right, cousin so let us make his last night a good one.’ He then stood up and continued with his chores. This was the first mention of the Shadows, Matu closed the shutter and turned to Ryel but he was already asleep. Egyn too had collapsed onto a bunk.

  There was a light knock on the door, Matu went over and peered through a hole in the wood. It was Pan and Inara. He quietly called them into the room. ‘Matu, where are all the adults? It’s so strange!’ Said Pandora. Matu told them of the conversation he had overheard in the courtyard.

  ‘We could talk to Dill,’ suggested Inara, 'tell him about the Shadow-Lords.’

  ‘We can’t, well not yet anyway.’ Argued Pandora.

  'But he needs to know the truth Pan...'

  ‘I understand, but we don’t really know what the truth is!’

  ‘I think,’ suggested Matu, ‘it’s best if we all get some sleep, then after we have eaten maybe we can then talk to Dill, what do you think?' Both girls agreed and left for their room, two minutes later Matu was sound asleep.

  The dinner bell rang downstairs. Matu nudged Ryel with his foot just as the girls entered the room.

  ‘Come on, food’s ready. Egyn! Ryel! It’s time to eat.’ They both sat up, bleary-eyed. ‘How long have I been asleep?’ Ryel asked. ‘No more than two hours, but listen…’ Matu repeated the conversation between himself and the girls earlier. ‘It’s obvious,’ Ryel began. ‘There is a war on, that’s why they wouldn’t disclose their clan.’

  ‘Could be,’ replied Matu. ‘But where are the women? Surely they wouldn’t be fighting too?’ Pandora agreed; it did not make any sense. ‘There is no one older than Droon in the outpost, I am sure of it.’

  They made their way downstairs to find the dining room was nearly full. Boys and girls of all ages lined the tables, some of the smaller children played underneath. They saw Dill sitting at the far end and he waved them over to his table. ‘I hope you are hungry! There is always lots to eat at a farewell feast.’ Ryel took no time and had already helped himself to a large ham-hock; he was ravenous. In fact, they were all very hungry. The soup was hot and filling and tasted wonderful, and the bread was still warm from the oven. ‘It looks like you have cooked a whole pig,’ said Matu.

  ‘Only the two!’ Dill laughed. After an hour, they were full and already starting to feel the tiredness returning. Inara pointed over to a table set out in front of the open fire where four young adults sat talking. Flowers and candles covered the table but the group seemed in a sombre mood.

  ‘Is the farewell feast for them?’ Asked Inara.

  ‘Of course, who else?’ Replied Dill. Ryel, who had remained silent throughout the meal, could not contain his curiosity any longer. ‘Where are all the village elders? Who takes care of you?’ Dill pointed to the table by the fire. ‘They are there, but tomorrow,’ he pointed to another table where Droon sat with six others, ‘they will be the elders but you would already know this!’

  Pandora spoke softly. ‘Dill, we mean your parents, where are your parents?’ Dill looked around the table; others were now listening to the conversation. ‘I do not know that word, what does it mean?’ Inara spoke to a girl sat across from her. ‘Don’t you know who gave birth to you?'

  ‘Oh the shadows of course!’ Said the girl with a smile. ‘In from the shadows, you must know the poem?’ Inara shook her head. 'I was never told that one could you tell it to me please?'

  The girl stood then began to recite.

  ‘I came from the shadows to walk in the light.

  I have no more need to roam in the night.

  Please feed me and teach me each step of the way.

  From morning to yawning at the end of my day.

  I will pass onto others all I have known.

  Then return to the shadows when I have grown.’

  ‘The Shadows have always taken care of us; we already have three new sisters this spring!’ Matu looked towards the table were the four elders sat. ‘And what about them? What happens to them?’ ‘They must return. It’s their time.’ Dill sounded frustrated. ‘Why are you asking what you should already know?’ Pandora stood up slowly. ‘You mean return to the shadows? ‘That’s so wrong!' She continued. Her voice getting louder with every word. Everyone in the hall was now looking to her table.

  'Where we come from, we live till our seventies, sometimes older!’ Droon laughed. ‘That is impossible, we have seen what happens if you do not return to the shadows!’

  ‘I imagine your skin turns grey, you become ill and then die?’ Inara looked like she was about to burst into tears. A girl at Droon’s table spoke up.

  ‘Yes! Two summers ago, my best friend refused to go. She was so scared, she hid in the barn.’ Droon looked shocked. ‘You never told anyone?’

  ‘No, she got ill after just three days. I took her outside as night fell and we said goodbye.’ The girl started crying. 'Well I am not letting this happen to my people!' Inara said loudly.

  ‘Listen everyone; we are not from this land!’ Announced Pandora. A hushed murmur went around the room. Matu stood up next to Pandora. ‘We are Shadow-Fighters. These Shadow-Lords or whatever you call them are trying to take over our land and we are here to stop them!’

  An awkward silence fell over the room, just as a young boy maybe only six or seven at the most walked over to Inara and tugged on her hand before pointing to Pandora.

  ‘She looks like the lady in the book, and she has her sword!’ Inara knelt down to speak with him.

  ‘What book?’

  ‘The one with pictures! I found it in a wall over by the fields.’ Inara turned to Pandora.

  'It has to belong to Aloris, the one mentioned in Rithian's tale.' Droon had already made his way over to the group. 'Who is this Aloris?' He shouted. 'I don't know what you are doing here but I think you should leave at first light.'

  ‘Now what?’ Ryel asked completely ignoring Droon’s outburst. ‘If Aloris left a book here, we need to see it,’ said Pan. Inara turned back to the boy. ‘Where is it, where's the book now?’

  ‘It’s under my bed but it’s too dark now the shadows will be here soon.’ He then whispered. ‘We can’t go out in the dark, it’s not aloud.’

  At the main table one of the elders announced. ‘It is time, enough of this nonsense.’

  ‘You don’t have to do this!’ Inara pleaded.

  ‘They have no choice’. Replied Dill
coldly. The elders said their goodbyes, pulled on their cloaks and made their way outside.

  The sun was beginning to set over the distant mountains. ‘Where is your house?’ Pan asked the young boy. Dill approached Pandora and placed his hand on her arm Ryel stood up quickly knocking the chair to the floor. 'Its fine Ryel be calm.'

  ‘It’s too dangerous after dark,’ Dill said. ‘Look, I don’t know who you are or if you really are from another land, but there will be creatures out there and we have lost others.’

  ‘Others?’ Asked Matu. 'What do you mean by others?'

  ‘Sometimes scouts travel too far and don’t make it back before dark.' Pandora insisted they had to see the book and would be back as fast as they could. After getting directions, they left through the rear door and Dill reluctantly wished them luck.

  Outside the air had become damp, in the fading light they could see a low mist creeping along the narrow dirt street. ‘OK, which way now?’ Asked Ryel. Matu took a moment to get his bearings.

  ‘This way but let us hurry!’ They made their way along the perimeter fence. All the small houses had their shutters up, only narrow slivers of light shone through the cracks.

  ‘What creatures do you think he meant?’ Asked Ryel in a whispered voice.

  ‘I don’t want to think about it,’ replied Pan. ‘Then let’s hope we get back before we have to find out,’ said Inara. Matu pointed to a small house ahead of them, it was long and quite low with a chicken coop at the side. ‘Over there, come on!’ As they approached the house, they could see right across to the village square. The sun had now dropped behind the mountains and the outpost had become enveloped in an eerie darkness yet not quite black. They could just make out the silhouettes of the four elders. They were sitting on the ground singing a quiet song. Inara sighed. ‘Can’t we help them?’

  ‘It’s pointless, said Matu. ‘They won't listen to us, let’s just get the book and get back quickly.’