Egbert's World

by Robert Ian Wilson

  “I won’t let you take anyone else. Where is my grandfather?”

  “Safe… for now.”

  “So, you do have him! Give him back!” I commanded.

  “Isn’t there someone else? Have you forgotten?”

  A young girl passed through a shadow on the wall and walked into the light. She wore black armour and her eyes were hollow. She looked like her soul had left her body.

  “Thea!”

  The knight's daughter approached the black sword and pulled it from the ground. I drew my blade and held it up: “Don't do this.

  Remember who I am - Thea!”

  The voice gave out his order: “Destroy the sword, do my bidding and release me from this world!”

  Chapter Twelfth - Friend or Foe

  She attacked with great force and made me stagger back; her strength was supernatural. The shadow's voice had gone, and it was present through Thea. She held up her sword and slashed down, narrowly missing my face. In that moment, I decided the only way to save her was to fight back and somehow subdue her.

  I tried to reason with her.

  “Thea, if you are there… fight it. Don't let it consume you!” but she’d taken another wild swipe at me.

  I moved forward and dodged her sideways slash, cutting her armour in mid role. It was easy to cut through, like paper. My sword shone and I knew I could win the fight. She raced towards me with such malice and we clashed.

  We repelled each other's attacks, making the swords spark with each contact. With one last attempt to cut me, I managed to knock her shadow sword from her hands. She fell backwards onto the floor and I raised my sword and slashed down with a triumphant yell. The Entity's voice screamed when I shattered its sword to bits. Thea’s eyes turned back to blue and she awoke.

  “Lucius?” she said. Thea looked confused and docile.

  The room started to cave inwards and the bark was peeling from off the walls. I heard a dog down a tunnel and my friends appeared.

  “We found a way out, we must go!” boomed Flit. “Who’s that?”

  “Thea, nice to meet you,” she replied.

  I grabbed her arm. “No time for pleasantries, come on!” and we followed Sam’s nose.

  He’d found a way out and led us back into the mist. We managed to evade the collapse of the dead tree and paced towards the entrance door of Maylok. We wasted no time and passed back through into the Divided High Grounds, where we were greeted by a small force of ocean creatures.

  “They made it back through! Stop them!” screeched a crab with a peg leg. Two species of shark attacked, but all looked equally ferocious. Flit fired an arrow between the eyes of the hammerhead who dropped down dead. Sammy went for the crab and managed to crack its shell open, making it vulnerable and I dealt the final blow; Thea slit opened the frilled shark with one slice with Flit's sword.

  “Something has happened... the alliance has broken,” worried the Hare.

  I heard the sound of war amongst the waves and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

  We rushed outside in the rowing boat and over yonder were a battalion of warships, firing up towards the earthen sky. Luckily, we slipped by and found the sea's pentagram. Flit talked in the strange dialect once more and we floated towards Eirik's kingdom. I wasn't sick again, but I felt apprehensive for the wellbeing of the woodland animals.

  We passed the stone pillars and headed back to the castle. In the valley below were the two armies battling for their kings.

  “Tidious!” shouted Flit.

  The Tiger was surrounded by the ocean critters and we ran to his aid. He roared when he saw his friend and the battle commenced.

  I was shaking from the adrenalin, which pumped throughout my body and I was scared, but something in me was raw and powerful; I felt invincible - stronger. My sword looked smaller in my hands, my hair was longer, and I felt bigger. The Entity was right; I had changed...

  We had locked swords with our foe and fought for each other; I had difficulty with a slimy Eel, who’d slithered around my legs. Flit shot the Eel and its fat side, wept with blood.

  It gave me an advantage and I hacked my opponent in two; I looked up to see my friends triumphant.

  “Where’s Eirik!” commanded Flit.

  “He is over the hill, in the forest. Nordaious is there!”

  “We must protect the King!” commanded the Hare.

  A small group of the enemy advanced, to cut us off.

  “Go, old friend! I will hold them off!” roared the Tiger. Flit nodded to his old rival and accepted his help; Tidious pounced into the crowd of sharks and battled hard for his countryman.

  We wasted no time and rushed off to find the Stag King and we headed through a dense forest.

  Amongst the thistles and weeds, a scouting party of birds flocked over us; they screeched as they passed by. They looked huge and they closely resembled a Pterodactyl, eyeing the ground for their prey.

  We kept moving until the mound that Tidious had mentioned came into view. A loud commotion was on top and a clash between two large animals rattled the floor.

  We ran to the top and the King’s had clashed with full force. The ground was coated with blood, from the combined powerful blows.

  They both breathed heavily and Eirik was struggling to stand from his wounds.

  Nordaious had a rib visible from where an antler must have struck.

  The Stag turned to us. “Lucius!?”

  The great white shark laughed at my presence.

  “So, you survived the master; impressive, human.”

  “Master!? When did it become the master of you?” shouted Eirik.

  “From when I grew tired of sharing this world with land creatures! He offered me a deal; I couldn’t ignore!”

  Nordaious charged at the Elk once more and Eirik shrugged him off. The shark rolled away but regained his stance. Behind him a shadow slowly descended, and the Entity had appeared again.

  “Nordaious, quit fooling around and destroy Eirik!” it commanded.

  Two shadows came out of the ground and held the Elk King still, he struggled, but couldn’t fight them off. We ran to his aid, but we were too late. The shark used his thousands of teeth to puncture Eirik's neck and he dropped to the floor.

  “Traitor!!!” roared Flit; whose arrows deflected off the shark's hard skin.

  I ran towards the ocean king and cut off his fin with one slice. He screamed with dissatisfaction and hit me so hard; I flew back and landed awkwardly on the floor. Thea and Sammy helped me up.

  “I want the sword! Take it from the boy!”

  Nordaious charged towards me and had saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth.

  I thought it was over and I'd failed in my quest, until a large furry animal roared, as he jumped towards our enemy.

  Bjorn the Bear clashed with the great white shark and stopped Nordaious in his tracks. He picked up the humongous fish and tossed him to one side. Bjorn was stood next to the body of his King and he looked down to see Eirik's see-through eyes.

  “I’m going to rip you to pieces!” threatened the Bear.

  “Will you now, sea-bear!?” laughed the great white. “Prove yourself then! Can you save your friends or fail like you failed your family?”

  I’d noticed the shadows coming from the ground once more; the Entity was going to trick us again. Nordaious attacked with his teeth brandished, as I quickly anticipated his threat. My sword pierced the Evil and made it screech and return to its host. It had failed the Ocean King and the Bear defended himself. Bjorn slashed the shark's throat with his long claws.

  Nordaious had fallen.

  Everything was quiet and still.

  I felt the anger of the Entity and the mound started to split in two. Bjorn picked up the body of Eirik and gestured us to quickly follow him.

  We followed and came to a waterfall. The realm shook and the bright sun turned black. The ocean above us became unstable, making the castle collapse into the sea and earth.

  �
��Quick! Everyone under the waterfall!”

  We rushed in, to find a warped, hidden door in the rock. The Divided High Grounds was collapsing on itself or it was something else entirely different.

  I watched my friends disappear one by one, until it was only me and Thea left. I heard its voice whisper behind me and there was someone stood in the entrance. An old tired face stared and struggled to smile, whilst he held out his hand; it was my grandpa.

  Before I could do anything, Thea had dragged me through the door, and we disappeared into another realm of Eve.

  Chapter Thirteen - Ullpli

  We came out of the doorway, with me struggling. I needed to go back, but the door on the other side had collapsed and the secret entrance was no more. I was furious and couldn't understand why Thea dragged me through against my will.

  “How could you!? It was my chance! My chance to free him!” I protested.

  “Lucius, I’m sorry. I did it to protect you. The Entity tried to deceive you! It twisted and warped your mind by using the pain that you’ve built up inside you. It can feel it and it feeds off your sorrow. I know from experience. That person was not your grandfather!”

  I looked up into her eyes and felt a comfort and warmth, which I hadn't experienced in a long time. She calmed me and I had rationalised her response. She was right and had done the correct thing.

  I sat back against a stone wall and stared at the collapsed door before I realised, we were alone. My friends were nowhere to be seen.

  “Thea... where are they?”

  She darted about quickly. “I don’t know!”

  We got up from off the stone floor and headed through a tight archway that had collapsed with age.

  “Sammy! Bjorn! Flit! Where are you guys?!” I called.

  The roof was bare and there was a harsh wind that passed through the cracks of the mysterious building. There were large amounts of moss in every damp corner and a green light, which flickered down a set of old stairs. We descended the steps and into a derelict hall. It was fall of shrubs and grubs. Half the building had disappeared into the night.

  Luckily, we were sheltered from the gale from the remaining stone walls. I heard talking and my missing animal friends were sat facing someone, who talked very softly.

  Thea's face instantly lit up and she ran towards the group. She too sat down; very excited and so I followed.

  I watched the light reveal our host and to my surprise, he was almost human. He was a tall, slender, and a green hermit. His features were highly unusual; he looked like he was made of a forest. His beard was long, white and patterned with twigs; his eyes were emerald.

  “Hello...” I said quietly.

  “Welcome Lucius. Please sit,” he gestured.

  I sat with the others, but after what had happened, I felt cautious and my hand rested gently on the hilt of my sword. He noticed straight away and yet didn't seem to flinch.

  “Are you going to use that?” he said calmly.

  Thea gave me a hard stare and Sammy placed a paw on my shoulder: “It’s okay Lucius.”

  “We are safe here,” said Flit and I gazed at Bjorn who simply nodded his head.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  The green man smiled: “I am the spirit, Ullpli. A servant for 'The Light' and the guardian of Eve.”

  “He’s our father and Eve is our mother,” explained the Hare.

  “He is the one who gave me the task of protecting the sword, until your arrival,” said Thea.

  “My arrival? How could you have possibly anticipated my arrival? And why me? Why has my grandfather been taken?”

  “My, my... so many questions from someone so young,” grinned Ullpli. “You were chosen from the very beginning. Where there is light, there is always darkness and you are the idea to stop the Entity, who has rooted itself in these worlds. The light created you for this very purpose and forged the blade that can cut the Shadow's skin. But from your past pains, it can sense the light fading within you, and will use that feeling for its conquest to return.”

  “Return? How?” asked Bjorn.

  The green man looked upon me with sorrow: “He will use you, Lucius, to regain his physical form. He is already stronger from devouring the spirit realms of Eve and is ready for its last phase.”

  “You mean they're all gone?' I said, shocked. “Bjorn, what happened to the town?”

  The Bear looked to the ground.

  “Hethenheim was lost the moment you left. I failed again in protecting its animals and narrowly escaped with my life. There were shadows everywhere.”

  Sammy stepped forward and asked after the wellbeing of one who saved his life; the Hare Thistle. Bjorn's response was one we all didn't want to hear, “I am sorry.”

  “How am I going to defeat him?” I nervously asked.

  The green spirit pointed towards my sword.

  “That weapon has more power than you think, and I have tried to help you, by changing your physical attributes.”

  My body had become unrecognisable to me and I studied my hands, noticing the defined differences.

  “So, you’re the one who has made me and Sam like this?”

  “Yes, my boy. You should have more faith in your own ability Lucius. You are more than capable of defeating this evil. The only opponent who you face is yourself.”

  I stared at the silver blade, which shone from the flames of the fire and for the first time, I felt a beginning of a connection.

  “You won’t be alone,” said Thea.

  “We will stand with you, till the very end,” Bjorn said, proudly.

  Ullpli smiled once more before he started to fade from the light. “Be true to yourself Lucius and trust your instincts. When you are all ready, call my name and I will open the door, which will lead to the Entity. I will take Eirik's body too and put him to rest; where Kings are honoured,” and with those words, he was gone, and the Elks body vanished from sight.

  “I think we should get some rest and move at dawn,” commanded Bjorn.

  Flit was a bit miffed at his newly appointed leader: “Who put you in charge?”

  “Me,” replied Bjorn, who brandished his teeth and the Hare, certainly had no complaints after that.

  Thea suggested we went back to the room where the broken door was because it was more sheltered than where we were. We agreed and settled in the stone room and Flit lit a small fire to keep us all warm.

  It wasn't long before everyone drifted off to sleep and left me to ponder on my thoughts. I must have sat in front of the door for many hours until my eyes felt faint.

  Thea had awoken and must have noticed me alone. She left the shelter of the large grizzly bear and sat down next to me.

  “Haven’t you had any sleep?” she asked.

  “No. My body feels tired, but my mind is too active.”

  She placed her hand on my chest and pushed me down to the floor; lying close to me. As soon as I hit the ground, my eyes closed and I felt comfortable, and we drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, I woke up to a strange smell. Thea had breakfast on the go, some kind of soup, which smelled like mushrooms. Flit was sorting out his arrows by replacing the fletching’s and Bjorn was sat looking out of the window. I think they had been arguing again, having two leaders in the same camp can sometimes be a bad thing.

  “Where’s Sam?” I asked.

  “Gone exploring. He’s got a strong nose that one, brought us the mushrooms for the soup,” replied Thea.

  I got up and stretched before making my way back into the hall. The warmth of the sunlight was nice, and the breeze had died down. I could see the building for what it was; a derelict castle. Time had not been kind and half of the building had fallen down a cliff.

  There was a strange carving on the far wall, and it told a story. Most of the artwork had been worn away; I could only make out a lost civilisation who’d worshipped the stars. They were shaped like dwarves...

  I walked to the edge and was met by a land of extreme
ly large fungi. There were mushrooms the size of Redwoods and they stretched as far as the eye could see. I noticed a slope and a pathway that led down into the valley. A small speck was racing up towards me. Sammy had a woven basket in his mouth, which contained truffles. It was good to see him running like a normal dog; his newfound physique was still quite hard to get used to.

  “Where did the basket come from, boy?” The gingery pup dropped his prize and looked very happy at his achievement. “A huge pig found them and gave me some to share with you. He is a friend of Ullpli and wishes to meet you. He's coming up now.”

  Halfway up the cliff path was a round, pink pig dressed in a tartan skirt and in rugged garments. His muttering was getting louder, the closer the pig got, until he finally stopped in front of me.

  “Aye! I forgot how steeeep that wee path was!” said the animal, who must have had the broadest Scottish accent, I’d ever come across.

  “What?”

  “What? - What do you mean what? I didn't just come all this waaay for you to just saaay, what!” complained the Pig.

  I apologised instantly for forgetting my manners. “I'm sorry… that wasn’t very polite of me… forgive me. My name is Lucius Domhill.”

  “I am the great chef of Ullpli! Doodle Pigmy! Wonderful to meet ya, human!”

  He shook my hand to the point it felt like my arm was going to drop off.

  “What brings you all this way?” I asked, curiously.

  “I wanted to cook those truffles for Ullpli’s guests. I could smell something foul coming from this castle. It smelt like someone was using the wrong kind of mushrooms if ya catch my drift.”

  I rushed back to our camp and Thea was just about to serve up breakfast. The giant pig bustled in and picked up the old pot and he flung it out of the window.

  “What are you doing?!” screamed Thea.

  “Did you taste it lassy?”

  “Well - no,” replied Thea, sheepishly.

  “Thank goodness! Good thing ya not a good chef, always taste the flavour for a better taste!” criticised Doodle.