Now he was alone in the middle of the dark field. His eyes searched for the carriage but could not find it. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he tried to listen for Marrisa’s screams, but couldn’t hear anything but the nature around him. It was as if he imagined everything and within a blink of an eye, it stopped.
The rain had stopped completely, leaving everything chilled and quiet. Everything seemed eerily tranquil as the chirps of crickets and frogs sang on. He felt lost and anxious for a moment, not knowing what to do. His emotions were numb but his heart felt as if it was about to burst.
But those strong feelings oddly vanished as he caught the glimpse of a large white bird which gracefully glided above him, giving him a warm feeling of hope. The bird glided elegantly and calmly and seemed to peer into Tairren’s heart. A small moment went by and he felt warm and at peace.
“Marrisa!” he finally called out, determined now, wanting to hear her call back to him, “I will come for you!”
All of a sudden he heard the sounds of something running behind him. Something was charging at him! Panicked, he turned quickly, but was stopped short by a vigorous blow to the head. A sharp pain surged through his head as everything became dark as he fell unconscious, crashing down upon the wet earth below him.
Quiet and full of malice, Lilith stood over him for a moment, staring her eccentric black eyes upon his calm and bloody face. She raised the large stone that she had hit him with high above his head, ready to heave it down to crush his handsome countenance.
“Let the dark powers of hell smite your heart!” Lilith shouted with a sneer. The uncontrollable urge of wanting to kill shrouded her body as the muscles in her ugly face quivered.
Just then there was a soothing call of an owl as the large white bird swooped down at her, charging her as if she were its prey. Fearful, Lilith let the stone fall to the ground, making a deep thud sound as it hit the earth. She hissed at the bird, then quickly and quietly vanished into the blackness of the silent night and towards the beginnings of The Forest of Old…
†††
There was darkness, everywhere, shrouding Tairren’s body like a thick black cloak. The air around him was still and quiet, undisturbed. His unconscious thoughts were of nothing, of no one… But there came a small light in the black shroud, like that of a gleaming pinhole. The small shimmering spot became larger, shining like a massive star.
“Tairren…” a low and clear voice said from the light, resonating beautifully like the sounds of chimes, leaves and feathers fluttering in a soft breeze. “Tairren, son of Timotheus, awaken your mind to me.”
Tairren’s eyes opened to the beautiful light, looking upon the great lustrous orb of many colors. Two great gleaming wings came from either side of the light, revealing their splendor.
“Who are you?” Tairren asked, intimidated.
“Do not be afraid, for I am Malakh, messenger of The Great King of light,” he said. His serene voice exuded assurance and radiated with warmth and harmony. “The time of great tribulation has begun. Stay true to the Lord of light, steadfast and full of faith… your destiny will unfold itself in time.”
“I don’t understand,” Tairren said.
“Heed my warning young Tairren son of Timotheus, the powers of Lucif are amongst your people and this golden land. Depart these familiar lands of Minslethrate and venture off into the south with your companions—when the sun breaks through the night. You will face many things you have not seen… Following the night when the moon glows like blood, during twilight when the morning star shines the brightest, evil will prevail and take on a new form… The time draws near when you will witness the true face of evil. Stay true to Him and the ones you love—you are the golden key in this quest…”
“My thoughts are incredulous,” Tairren responded. “I do not know of what you speak, but I will do as you say. Lilith has captured Marrisa and my love for her is strong. I will go to the ends of Minslethrate to find her.”
“You will do what I say because it is The Great King’s will, you are the chosen one…” the light seemed to get brighter as Malakh spoke. “The light in you is strong and unwavering. Lilith and Marrisa, whom you mention, are merely an apparatus to Lucif. He will not have pity on them when he completes what he came here to do. Lilith is now a Nomed of the night, temple to the fallen ArchLegna, Lucif. Lilith must spare Marrisa—until it is done... Lilith’s soul is lost and now rests in the hands of Lucif. Find Marrisa and you will find the prince of Hell, for Marrisa is as precious to him as gold is to the earthly king.”
“I have only heard of these names in legends and in lore… I do not know of what you speak,” Tairren said, timidly.
“Know this, what I have spoken of will come to pass… Amen…,” Malakh’s voice seemed to fall away from him, like a disappearing whisper. “Awaken… Tairren…”
The magnificent colors and light slowly diminished with the dissipating voice of Malakh. Just as Malakh had commanded, he came to, slowly opening his eyes to the night’s sky. A rush of cold air covered his wet body as the frightened voice of Natalia echoed in his ears.
†††
“Oh Tairren, thank God!” Natalia squealed as tears flowed from her eyes. She was on her knees and hovering over him. She threw herself upon him, hugging him as if she hadn’t seen him for years. “I was so worried, I thought I lost you! What happened and where is Marrisa?! I’m so relieved you are alright!” She sat up quickly as Tairren began to groan out in pain, realizing she was probably making things more uncomfortable for him. “We have been here for a little while by your side, I didn’t know what had come of you!”
He slowly sat up, placing his hand on the back of his head as it began to throb. He pulled his hand away to find a small amount of blood on his fingers.
“I was attacked,” he said, his voice shook a little. He put his hand on his brow. “A pack of some kind of wild flying—creatures came out of nowhere… They were human-like and repulsive, with wings the length of my body and they smelled of—burning things. The shrieks that they made were horrible…”
Tairren stared into the black horizon as he spoke. Natalia and Phillip both glanced at each other, then back at Tairren.
There was an awkward silence, then Phillip cleared his throat. “Do you need a physician?” he asked, now kneeling over him.
Tairren looked at him, then back at Natalia.
“No, I’m fine,” Tairren scoffed, wiping blood from his lips and nose.
Even though it was a kind gesture with Phillip wanting to help, Tairren only saw it as his way of trying to take over the situation.
“You are a battered mess,” Natalia said, panicked as she moved his long wet bangs from his face. “What you say is frightening and incredulous. And your face is bleeding and it looks as if the wild animals have gotten the best of you.”
Tairren began to get up, both Natalia and Phillip helping him the rest of the way.
His handsome light-blue tunic was no longer vibrant and clean, but dirty and blood-stained. The fabric on his arms as well as his torso, was ripped, revealing bloody lacerations. They were bad enough to leak blood but not too bad where he would need them to be stitched. He was muddy and wet, and looked pale. The lower half of his face was covered in blood from the powerful blow of Lilith’s elbow smashing into his face.
“Lilly and I chased Lilith into the fields,” Tairren said, motioning his hand around him. “She drove the warden’s carriage, in which Marrisa was locked. I found the way because of the torch Lilith held.” Tairren looked around, noticing that Lilly and another horse stood next to each other, grazing in the wet field. “Lilith has evil in her, and is taking Marrisa far off to the south—to the Dark Tower of Sacrifice. Something horrible is going to happen,” Tairren said with a serious voice as he began to walk towards the horses.
“What do you mean Lilith is evil, and that something horrible is going to happen?” Natalia asked, following him, with Phillip right behind her. “I knew she was s
trange—but evil?!”
“I know this may sound mad, Natalia—but I’ve been…,” he paused, looking at both Natalia and Phillip, wondering how all of this madness had come about.
“What?” Natalia said, raising both her eyebrows.
“I’ve been called by a being of light… Before I was struck from behind, I saw a great white owl flying above me, making me feel at peace. Then I was attacked from behind and darkness came over me. And as I was unconscious—a spirit of light came to me, annunciating what I should do and foretold things that would come to pass.” Tairren stroked Lilly’s long mane, then hugged up against her, resting his cheek on her wet fur. He felt anxious and lost on the inside, wanting to go right away to save Marrisa, but he knew going without weapons and food would be useless. He thought of what Malakh had told him, to wait until the sun broke through the night—dawn. “I must do what He says and I will find her, Marrisa will be saved,” he said, as if talking to Lilly.
Natalia was speechless, not knowing what to think or say about what Tairren spoke of. Everything was happening so fast, and felt as if she was stuck in a night terror. She glanced at Phillip, wondering what was going through his head and if he was having second thoughts about Minslethrate and of marrying Marrisa. “This night was supposed to be a grand celebration, a night to remember,” she thought, taking a deep breath. “Tonight will definitely be remembered… Pity it will be a dreadful memory... And how could he marry a missing princess anyway?!”
“Let’s get you home and mended,” Natalia said, her voice sounded nervous. She was confused and frightened and didn’t know what Tairren was talking about. She didn’t know what was true, whether he got hit on the head too hard—making him delusional, or that he really was visited by a spirit of light. “We’ll discuss a plan when we get you home,” she said, apprehensive.
“How did you know I was in the fields?” Tairren asked, glancing at them both.
“We saw the light of this torch,” Phillip said as he walked over to the dying light, picking up the torch. It now gave off a soft orange glow, indicating that it would die soon. “It was brighter when we first saw it. It must have been dowsed heavily in oil—the drizzle of rain didn’t even kill it.”
“Not to mention we saw Lilly frantically running through the fields by herself,” Natalia said as she climbed onto Lilly’s back. Tairren climbed up behind her, knowing that he was in no shape to direct Lilly through the night. “Now let us go before those creatures come back…,” Natalia said, gripping Lilly’s reins.
“My lady can maneuver such a powerful beast?” Phillip asked with a teasing smile as he climbed onto his horse’s back.
She glowered at him, then yanked the reins to turn her around.
“Hold on, Tairren,” she said, still having a fixed stare on Phillip.
He smirked as they went off into the night.
The frogs and crickets chirped on as the bright moon had begun to come out from behind the dark clouds, giving them a glowing light as they made their way towards Tairren’s abode.
CHAPTER 10
The Night Is Late
They all sat and listened to Tairren’s quick brush with death, and of Malakh. Wide eyed and minds wondering, Moral and Natalia sat across the small table from Tairren and Phillip stood on the side, leaning against the rough wooden wall on one shoulder while having his arms crossed. They sipped on hot chamomile tea and nibbled on warm sweet bread, to help comfort their soggy bodies. The cozy house was warm from a small fire burning in the stone oven and Moral had given each one of them a woolen mantle to help dry them and to keep the chill off their backs.
“This is horrible news! I don’t know what will come of Minslethrate, but you must go and rescue Marrisa, you must!” Moral said, her voice beginning to shake. “The poor dear must be awfully frightened.”
Moral sat in a state of melancholy, shaking her head slowly and looking down every once in a while to hide her emotions. She didn’t want to look like a blubbering fool in front of her guests.
“I know mother, and I will,” he said, placing his hand on hers. “I will, as soon as the sun comes up, breaking through the night.” He glanced over at Natalia who looked distraught. “Malakh said to venture off to the south with my comrades, when the sun breaks through the night.” He looked out the black window, quiet for a moment, “Lilith and those things in the night will be waiting, and it is much safer in the day light.”
“I will go with you,” Natalia interrupted. “I cannot believe this is happening, but I will go with you.” She happened to glance at Phillip who seemed to be very surprised at what was happening.
Tairren was quiet as he nodded his head in approval. “And I will not stop you,” he said, putting his hand on hers as well.
“This is unheard of! It’s—it’s absurd!” Phillip bellowed out, shaking his head in disbelief. “No weapons, no armor, no plan, creatures attacking in the night and a courtier boy who is really a commoner, is summoned to save the captured princess, accompanied by a lady?!” He paced back and forth, shaking his head.
Tairren bit his bottom lip, containing himself, trying his best not to lunge over the table at him. He glanced at Natalia as he took a deep breath, who also looked irritated, as if she wanted to slap him.
“If this is so ludicrous to you, prince, then go back to your mighty kingdom of riches and pleasantries and have nothing to do with us,” he said in a low tone, trying to maintain his composure at some effort.
The prince stopped pacing, looking at Tairren with a sneer. “What impropriety is this?! I am prince of Ishkar and the son and descendant of powerful kings—I will not be told to do anything from anyone,” he said in a stern voice, “especially from a peasant!”
“Stop it! Both of you!” Natalia yelled out. They all looked at her, surprised. “We are not ourselves tonight. Prince Phillip, I know you are a man of your word. You told me at the castle stable that you would do anything to help Marrisa. Did you not?!” She said sternly, looking up at him from the table.
He nodded his head, looking back at her. “Yes, my lady—I did,” he said in a low voice.
“Then you must!” she looked back at Tairren who was quiet now, slowly shaking his head in disapproval. She could tell Tairren was not fond of Phillip, but she knew Phillip would be of great help. “We must do this, we have to, and Tairren has even said that Malakh has foretold this… If this is all true—if we don’t do this, not only will Marrisa and Minslethrate be damned, but our whole world will be and all that dwells upon it. We are all in grave danger…”
Moral sat quiet and wide eyed at everything that was going on. It was hard to believe that one day would be normal and grand and the next would be ill-fated.
“Then you must go—all of you…” Moral said in a low tone.
She stood up, now quiet, walking away from the table and beginning to dig in her small pantry.
“Tonight I will go to the castle and write King Julpen a letter of what my intensions are: that I will be off to look for the princess…” Phillip said, putting his fingers to his chin.
He looked at Natalia with a soft smile, trying to show her that he cared.
“He will not want you to without an army or such,” Tairren said, taking another sip of his tea. “And what of your families’ expectations of you getting married in Ishkar?” Tairren asked, seeming to test him.
“I will write that I must go alone, and if he wants to send an army behind me he can do so—the more the merrier—but not with me because I know he will want an explanation and a plan of action. He will think that I was mad if I told him everything that has happened. And if his men catch up with us, we will simply tell them that this Lilith women and a group of mad men have captured Marrisa—that way they will see for themselves, the madness of the creatures and of Lilith, when and if they arrive. But by the time your king reads the letter we will already have been off.” He grabbed a piece of bread as he spoke, eating it while speaking. Wet pieces of the bread sprinkled out of
his mouth as if he was blowing dust as he ate. He spoke ardently and excitably, as if he had an awakening. “And as for Ishkar, I will send a letter back with my servants and assistant this very night, they will do as I say. I will write to my father telling him that I will not be coming back to Ishkar for a while and that I will stay for a holiday here in Minslethrate before I get married. He will be surprised—but my father accepts everything I do.”
They were all quiet for a moment, taking in everything that he spoke of. It was all so surreal—like a dream.
“It sounds like we have a plan then,” Tairren broke the silence, shrugging his shoulders and wishing Phillip had no part in it. But he seemed to have everything all figured out already.
“Go now, the night is late,” Moral said, in a low and worried tone.
“Yes, we must,” Natalia agreed, standing up.
She hugged Moral goodbye, kissing her on the cheek, and thanked her for her hospitalities. Prince Phillip thanked her as well, and she bowed her head to him politely.
“I will see you tomorrow morning then, at twilight,” Natalia said, kissing Tairren on the cheek. He nodded his head yes.
“Look for me at the edge of the forest, I will be waiting with Lilly by firelight,” he said.
They nodded their heads. Tairren watched as both Natalia and the prince left the small house.
Tairren watched his bothered mother. She was still quiet, fiddling around in the kitchen area and packing food into a satchel. She seemed to be doing busy work. Tairren knew that his mother was fretful, he knew she didn’t like anything that was going on—but he didn’t either.
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