Egbert's World

by Robert Ian Wilson

  I did and what followed was something out of one of my fantasy books. The bright star turned from hot to ice cold and transformed into the moon within a second. I watched the steam from the star turn into clouds.

  Sammy let out a howl and his voice echoed into the atmosphere. I looked up to see the moonlight reflected off the ocean ceiling.

  We were guided by a light not far off and came to a castle. The palace was a long, spiral building. It stretched from the earth to the upside-down sea; like a pillar holding up two worlds.

  “We are here! The throne room is in the castle centre. It is where Eirik and Nordaious await.”

  We entered the grounds, which were heavily guarded by a number of animal breeds. It was like visiting Bristol zoo again.

  I’d noticed the hundreds of ships docking up above, making the waves dance between the hauls.

  Sammy had gotten closer to my heels with his ears down when we passed through the large stone entrance. I sensed a few guards focused on him, maybe because they were not used to a normal dog; although I've noticed some of Sam's characteristics had changed within the time we had spent in Eve. It could have been my imagination, but he looked unusually bigger.

  We headed inside the castle, which closely resembled a large burrow. There were tunnels in every direction.

  “I bet you can get lost, quite easily in this place,” I muttered.

  “Unless you have a good sense of direction and the ability to sniff your way comes in handy. For me, I can hear the vibrations,” assuredly said by Flit. “It’s this way, Lucius; Sammy.”

  We passed through some tunnels and along some spiral stairs. We headed up through the building. I ran my finger along the patterned encryption on the steel walls of the crest and antlers of Eirik.

  We detoured through the armoury room, consisting of many varieties of weapons. A large Toad was counting the weaponries, which were carefully inspected. There were hundreds of swords, bows, crossbows, staffs, maces, and shields, lined up in a long wooden stand. They had been kept in a much-organised fashion. Flit placed his bow and knives into the stand and signed them off on a sheet, which was provided by the amphibian.

  “No weapons in the throne room,” explained the Hare.

  “Oh…” I said and I started to remove my silver blade.

  “No Lucius,” said Flit. “You'd better keep it on you. Erick’s instructions.”

  “But why? Will I need protection?” I panicked, thinking I was going to walk into another trap.

  “No Lucius, nothing like that. He wants to simply talk about it. Come, the throne room is only two levels up from here.”

  We climbed the stairs and reached an extravagant, round, golden door. Again, this had the crests of Kings engraved into the material. Flit opened it up and the creak of the door interrupted a council of animals, who bickered amongst themselves. They stopped immediately as they looked upon me and the room fell into silence.

  We walked into the huge oval hall, which was as wild as the outdoors. A throne of thistle and weeds was high up on a grassy mount. Above it was another throne. It was upside down and made from bone. The roof was covered in rock and sand, below a level of water.

  “My King! He has come!” announced Flit and a large Elk strolled out from the crowd.

  Eirik looked old, but wise. His age showed through his antlers. The withered hide spread high across the room.

  “So, this is the human and his dog, we have all heard about.”

  The silence was profound.

  “From your naivety you have let go an evil who is looking for a way back to civilisation, so it can spread its darkness once more. And so, you have come for the King’s help, yes?”

  I nodded.

  “Yes, King Eirik, I can’t do this alone. I’m not a knight or even a fighter for that matter. I’m just a normal boy, who is looking for his grandfather.”

  “I think you are more than that Lucius, otherwise you wouldn’t be wielding that sword,” said Eirik, as he looked upon the blade.

  “Why is this sword so special?” I asked, pondering on its importance. “I've had much interest in this sword and I've had to kill for it.”

  “Because they know its true purpose; the

  Entity wants it destroyed, for fact that it can harm him.”

  I drew the sword and the sharp sound resonated around the room. The light reflected from off the silver.

  “I fought his shadows before, and it pierced them with ease.” I analysed the inscriptions, which had been engraved on the sides.

  “That is spirit language; it tells the story of its origin. It was forged by the very same light who had created Eve and was given to the spirit, Ullpli; the Father of all animals and the husband of Mother Nature. You might know him as the green man.”

  I remember taking a trip to Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. There were carvings of faces in the stone, above the archways. He had a wild appearance; leaves coated his hair and his eyes were large and watchful, like a scary painting from a haunted house.

  “How have I ended up with this?” I asked.

  “The sword doesn’t choose at random,” explained Eirik. “It was forged for only one being and it is you, Lucius. Only you can defeat this evil and finally bring peace to all worlds.”

  “I seem to be told the same thing from numerous animals. I set the Evil free, it’s only fitting for me to put it back or kill it, but I still need help.”

  “And so, you shall have it!” boomed a voice from above. “But first! I have heard news of another human who might be the boy's Grandfather!”

  I hadn’t noticed that the room above had started to fill with the ocean animals. On the bone throne, a huge great white shark sat staring at me with his intense black eyes.

  “I am Nordaious! The Lord of the Oceans and a King of Eve.”

  The great white shark looked menacing and big. He got up from his throne and swam directly above where we stood.

  “I have heard things…” he whispered, with the thousands of teeth grinding away in his mouth. “The human is being kept hostage by one of the Entity’s followers. An ancient snake called Mesilla. She’d found him wandering her realm by himself, lost and docile. She took him away.”

  “This sounds too good to be true…” doubted Flit. “This can’t be coincidental. Who is your source?”

  “You question and doubt me, Flit? Even after these years of peaceful alliances between our kin!” yelled the shark.

  “Some can’t forget what you did,” said an emotional Flit.

  Eirik gave the Hare a glare.

  “There were many casualties of war, in both camps,” said the Elk, wisely.

  The large shark continued with his taunt.

  “You must be careful hare, my followers are loyal to me and so the source will be truthful,” grinned the shark.

  Erik's eyes narrowed with distrust too, but I spoke out. “I must see for myself, it’s the only way to be sure,” I said, shaking in my boots.

  The great stag looked upon me. “If you must go, then I will send aid,” commanded the Elk.

  “I’ll go with him,” volunteered Flit.

  “I will too!” barked a dog from behind me. I turned and Sammy was standing like the rest of the animals of Eve. To my astonishment, he had become like them.

  Chapter Eleven - Betrayal

  The animals had left the throne room and we were a company of three again. My dog, Sam looked more abnormal than ever, especially when he wore an armoured brown coat, which was given to him by Flit. It certainly made my dog fit in more into this changeable world and it gave me the thought of whether I was changing too; I felt calmer and slightly more confident than usual, even taller.

  I had a good conversation with Sam, finding out the specifics of a canine's mind. It consisted of bones, digging, and barking. His voice was slightly slurred, as his body was still adapting to his pronunciations and he looked like a ventriloquist's doll at times. In that moment, Sam revealed to me, he’d never liked pork much
after the family pig died (I didn’t realise it affected him that much) and some sneaky facts about the hidden dog treats, he’d stashed around the manor. He asked the welfare of Molly who was living with Mrs Turnside, while Hamish was down at the Fairfax Farm. He talked more about my guard dog, who was, in fact, sad to be left outside and was tired of guarding the garden; suppose he was getting on a bit, but if we had known sooner, he would have been sleeping at the bottom of my bed.

  On returning home, I’d made a promise to let all the dogs sleep on my bed and it included, Sam and Molly’s unplanned offspring.

  “You two ready?” said Flit, as we packed our provisions. I had to change from out of my orphanage uniform, which had been reduced to rags. Flit had provided me with a shiny steel suit of armour. The cuirass was slightly tight, but incredibly light weight. It made it easier for me to move in.

  I had the crest of Eirik on my chest. I was proud to wear it. He handed me my sword and I strapped it on my side. In that moment, I truly felt like a Knight.

  We travelled east along a narrow path that was quite steep and eventually, it guided us into a mountain range. I could see the peak tip touching the sea that was the sky. The waves crashed harshly against the rock and vanished into a crevice.

  “You see the cave up yonder?” asked the Hare, as he pointed up towards the mountain top.

  “We have to go up there!?” I replied, staring up at one of the largest mountains I’d ever seen. My legs wobbled at the prospect of climbing it.

  “My paws are going to be as red as rare steak,” grumbled Sam.

  “Not to worry, we’re not climbing it, but we will end up in the sea above. There’s a boat waiting for us.”

  “How do we go, from here to there?” I questioned.

  “Follow me and you will see,” gestured Flit and we followed him into a rocky clearing, where a stone circle stood.

  In the middle was a pentagram. The symbol had scribing’s on each of the five points. We moved into the middle of the star and Flit referenced a strange dialect. Within a second, I was floating from off the ground, as the gravities law was abolished.

  We quickly ascended into the sky, leaving the green plain behind and landing into a wooden rowing boat. The trip made me feel queasy and I was sick over the side. Sammy struggled to gain his balance and Flit amusingly watched with a giant grin.

  “You need to find your sea legs quick, cause there’s a wave coming!” boasted the Hare.

  The big frothy wave came fast and we braced ourselves for impact. The boat was swept into the cave, which was lit up by candlelight. The sea tried to take us back out again, but we rowed the boat into calm waters.

  We hit the sandy shoreline and jumped out; tying the boat's rope to a rock shaped like a hand. I sat down and emptied out the water from my steel boots. My socks were sodden, and the salt had made my armour slightly squeak; it was incredibly amusing.

  Sammy and Flit dried themselves off by shaking. In front of us was a very intimidating statue of a horned goat, who looked more human than animal. It had a snake balanced on its shoulders with its teeth brandished like hooks. I had chills up my spine and I felt anxious. “What is this?”

  “This is the door to the shadow realm of Eve. It’s called Maylok and it’s occupied by many animals and creatures who have turned their backs on the light.”

  “I was told Eve was made by light; how does this exist?” I asked.

  “Where there is light, there is always darkness. The two can’t exist without the other. The Divided High Grounds is the pillar between all realms,” said Flit.

  “I suppose there will be many of the Entity’s followers here?” I pondered.

  “The majority of them, most are just lost souls, like your grandfather,” explained the Hare. “Are you sure about doing this Lucius? It’s not too late to turn back.”

  “You still think it’s a trap, don’t you?” I said, knowing this could have been the end of the road. The Hare's mistrust in the great white shark was clear from the moment we’d met and even then, it was obvious.

  “Nordaious still has hidden agendas,” said Flit.

  I turned to my dog, he had been thoughtfully quiet: “Sam, what do you think?”

  He sniffed the air and walked towards the statue. “Follow your instincts... that’s what I do…”

  A true canine answer, I thought; the one thing all animals relied on. “And what do your instincts think?”

  “We are being betrayed by the giant fish, but if there’s a slight chance of him telling the truth… isn’t it worth it? Master Egbert could be there.”

  I decided, “Then, we go!”

  “We are with you Lucius,” Sam said, bravely and we all drew our swords and headed past the statue. A dark hole awaited us, and a strong gale burst from within. We walked through the door-less gateway and into Maylok.

  *

  We came out to be blinded by an intense red light. The sky was black with grey clouds and the sun was blood red. I couldn't see my feet; a mist coated the floor and covered the two animals from head to toe. Flit's long ears poked out and Sam was jumping up and down.

  “I can’t see a thing!” said Flit.

  “Me neither!” shouted Sam.

  I instructed the two to link up and hold onto a piece of string, I’d tied around my waist. A large object was not far in the distance. “That definitely looks big enough for a huge snake lair.”

  “I wish I could see what you are talking about,” snapped the Hare.

  “Sorry, forgot you can’t see. Shall I explain it to you?” I replied.

  “No - it's alright, I trust your judgement. Let's get moving before I choke to death.”

  We headed straight towards the shadow and the ground felt soft and sticky. It was getting harder to move in and it slowed us down.

  “What’s that!” cried Flit. “There’s something moving around out there.”

  I looked carefully into the fog, but nothing came out to greet us. Sammy gave off a little whine and his ears dropped down; he looked spooked. That was when we heard the whispers.

  We moved forward a little, but I felt something holding my leg...

  “What’s wrong Lucius?” asked Sam.

  “I can’t move!” I panicked.

  “Let’s have a look” and Flit wafted the mist away from my legs. He screamed to see a half-mangled ape clutching my legs. Its eyes were bulged, and its skin was peeling from its face.

  We all yelled and howled frantically and witnessed the animal speak. “Come with me!” it whispered and held my leg even tighter; pulling me down into the ground.

  I stabbed my sword through its skull, and I was pulled from its clutches by my friends.

  The incident made us move even quicker and into a sprint towards a maze of humongous, dead trees.

  The mist faded and we made our way inside a hollow trunk. The wind passed through and headed up and out of the top, creating an eerie musical sound.

  “We’ll head to that clearing,” gestured Flit, as he pointed at a circular opening.

  We climbed the dead bark and tried to tread carefully; occasionally knocking off a bit.

  We reached the top and stepped into the snake's den. It smelt like rotten flesh, even the fungus had turned black from the stench. Sammy's eyes were watering, and his sense of smell must have heightened through his development.

  We drew our swords and bravely walked into Mesilla's home. I looked about and whispered my grandfather's name.

  “Grandpa… Egbert… it's me Lucius… are you here?”

  “Who'sssssss Egbertssssss?” called a sinister voice. The hairs on my neck stood up and I sensed we were in the presence of the Entity once more, but a large golden snake slithered down from a branch and stared at us.

  I couldn't catch my breath, until Flit told me to be calm and focused. Sammy was growling, with all his might to sound more intimidating. He brandished his teeth and some drool fell from his bottom lip.

  “He is my grandfather,” I answere
d. “I’ve been told he is here, I want him back, snake.”

  “Don’t make threatssss little manssss,” she hissed. Mesilla moved in closer, “I haven’tsss seen a human in over a century.”

  “You Lie!” I yelled.

  “Nordaiousss did say you were foolish.”

  “The traitor! I told you it was a trap! It was too obvious!” shouted Flit, as he pulled back my shoulder.

  Sammy barked continuously at the snake who readied itself for an attack. I saw a light through a small hole in the bark.

  “Look! Head towards the light!” I commanded and we ran.

  Mesilla struck down and created a gaping hole in the wood and I turned and slashed at her skin. Blood stained my blade and I fell down into a separate hole and into darkness...

  I remember landing onto an uneven ground, and something snapped from under me. I got up and realised I was standing on a mountain of bones. I quickly jumped down and caused an avalanche behind me. I hit the ground hard and did a forward roll into another room.

  This was lit up like a shrine and in the middle was a black sword, sticking from out of the floor. It was quiet, yet the candles started to fade from a presence; I knew it was there and had been waiting for me.

  “Hello Lucius, it has been a while since we spoke properly.” I shook at hearing the low voice once again.

  I tried to find my own voice and I felt brave enough to speak out. “You... you tricked me!”

  It chuckled and replied, “You let me out of one’s own accord. I merely bent the truth.”

  “It doesn’t matter now; my guilt has subsided, and I’ve accepted my fault. My sole goal is to right my wrong!” I bellowed.

  It was silent for a few seconds and I felt a gaze not far off. “You have grown… not only in confidence but physically, like your dog. Eve agrees with you; it's changing your anatomy.”

  “Changing me to what?”

  “It’s giving you power… this place is special, especially when you have a certain someone looking out for you. The light grants you and the animals of this world with these gifts; I devour the realms and take its nutrients, so I can get stronger.”