The Sword of Light

by Andrew G. Wood

  Galdrac and Mazen rushed quickly over as Arach landed near the abandoned house. “We saw the fire in the sky and guessed it was you,” the dwarf said. Finley did not reply, but quickly slipped down and removed his mother’s body from the dragon’s back. “Quick, Help me!” he cried out realising she was not moving.

  Galdrac was first to help, as Finley lay her body down on the damp grass. He watched on feeling helpless, as the old Mage placed two fingers on her neck, “She’s still alive. Come on we need to get her indoors,” he added lifting her back up again. Mazen followed as they moved into the house, and placed Leyna down on one of the beds. “Get out of my way,” Mazen cursed as Galdrac seemed to be the one trying to help. “I am a druid, I am trained in this sort or thing, I can help,” the dwarf grumbled. Galdrac turned sharply, “Be sure you do!” he said slowly but with real menace in his words.

  Finley did not have time to stand and stare as Galdrac placed an arm around his shoulder and asked what had gone on. Although not really feeling like explaining, he knew he would have to do so sooner or later and decided to get it out of the way now. The old Mage listened, for once not interrupting or asking further questions, at least not until he thought Finley had finished. “Send your dragon away Lad, Abalyon will target him now he knows you have linked with it.”

  Finley was just about to ask why, when he recalled Arach’s warning of one die, both die.

  Finley sent the message out to Arach who was still where they had left him outside the house. “Stay out of trouble!” Finley said feeling the link with Arach had become stronger after what they had just achieved together. “You too!” came the reply as he sensed the beast flap its wings and take off into the dark night sky, flying northwards away from the outpost.

  Chapter 5.

  Mazen worked his medical skills on Leyna, trying to heal the injuries she had sustained from Finley’s escape. Although not magical in any way, most druids had a good understanding as to how the body worked, and more importantly how it could be repaired if damaged. After waiting far longer than he would have liked the young dwarf called Galdrac and Finley into the room.

  “I think she’ll be okay. A few broken ribs and a bit of bruising, predominantly where she had been bound around the ankles, but nothing life threatening, so long as she rests,” Mazen told them, pointing down to the resting elf asleep on the bed. “I’ve given her a tonic for the pain, and something that should speed up the healing a little, but she needs to stay here a few days.”

  “Not going to happen. You have five minutes to get your things together then we leave!” Galdrac replied sternly before turning around and exiting through the bedroom door.

  Finley immediately went after him, “We can’t move her. You just heard what Mazen said,” he said grabbing the old man by the shoulder to stop him.

  Galdrac turned and faced the youngster. “Look lad. I know it is not safe to move her, but very soon this entire area is going to be crawling with balgraf, and I don’t mean to be here when they come knocking at the door!” he replied bluntly.

  As much as Finley did not want to agree with the old Mage, he knew the man made a very valid point. Abalyon was probably already amassing his beasts, and if he had not yet already started, would soon be scouring every inch of land looking for them. Reluctantly, he turned around and went back into the bedroom where Mazen was rigging something up. “We will need something to carry her,” the dwarf said as he glanced up just ever so slightly to see who it was that had entered the room. Finley nodded, as Mazen asked him to check outside, “I need two poles, or pieces of thin wood, strong enough to carry your mother’s weight.”

  Finley did not argue, nor question as to the purpose of what he had been asked to find, but quickly headed outside to look. He immediately found what he thought Mazen was looking for in the small garden around the back of the house. Propping up a line that was used to dry clothes on were two such poles, which he immediately grabbed and took back indoors. Mazen was evidently surprised to see him return so quickly, but set about making whatever it was he was doing. Finley was surprised to see the dwarf using a needle and thread on the folded sheet, but kept any opinion to himself.

  After a little excessive cursing, the dwarf finally exclaimed it was done. “Right we need to lift your mother into here,” Mazen said pointing to the folded sheet. “We can then carry her with the poles that I’ve run along the two edges,” he added.

  Galdrac popped his head in through the doorway, “Are we ready?” he asked.

  With Mazen holding one end and Finley the other, the pair carefully carried Leyna on the makeshift stretcher quickly assembled by the dwarf. Although it was very basic, Finley actually thought the entire thing quite ingenious. After all, his mother was still lying down and resting, and they were able to move her with relative ease, although he was unsure as to how long he would be able to carry her. “Right come on we need to go. Mazen, get that dog of yours to lead the way back to the tunnel entrance,” Galdrac spoke again, although not in a nasty way, one that showed the importance of their predicament.

  The dwarf nodded and without even asking, Madra was sniffing up at the air and leading them away from the house. Galdrac knew only too well that they would need to hurry, the balgraf would be upon them at any time and in such numbers that neither he nor the others would be able to deal with. Thankfully, as he recalled the tunnel entrance was not that far from the house they had been using. Another thing that might have worked in their favour was that Abalyon would hopefully have assumed Leyna had been carried off on the dragon. If that was the case, the fallen God might not be looking right under his nose.

  With both Mazen and Finley having their hands full, Galdrac was the one who would have to protect them, should they encounter any problems. Progress was slow and somewhat awkward as the old Mage also kept his eyes skywards. If the flying balgraf should spot them moving about, he knew they would be easy targets for those beasts on the ground. As a result, he had them ducking for cover on three separate occasions, erring on the side of caution despite it meaning them taking even longer in getting back. Finley was actually glad Galdrac had them hiding under the cover of the trees, as it at least gave him a few moments to rest his aching arms. While his mother might not have been the heaviest person in the world, she was definitely beginning to feel like it.

  Moving through the Dwarf lands was not easy, as so little of the land was actually flat, meaning Finley for one lost his footing on more than one occasion. Thankfully, he had managed to remain on his feet and not drop his mother to the ground, although there had been one time that he had come close to doing so.

  Madra, the hound, stopped numerous times to sniff up at the air, which only appeared to irritate Galdrac. “Are you sure that mutt knows which way to go? I don’t recall any of this when we travelled the other way,” he said. Mazen just shook his head. With his hands full carrying one end of the stretcher he needed to rely on the hound to find their way back. While Galdrac might not have had faith in the animal to do so, as a druid who was linked to it, he had every confidence.

  As they moved northwards, they seemed to be climbing upwards as well, which actually gave Galdrac a good view of the area below. Pausing just a moment, he afforded a look back across the lands and could see in the distance, probably several miles off, hundreds of balgraf. “I think Durn Raldun might be getting some visitors,” he said dryly.

  “Right, well you better get yourself on the end of this stretcher now,” Mazen said catching him a little by surprise.

  “What? You can’t expect me to carry that. I’m not a young man you know,” the Mage scoffed dismissing the idea.

  “Well, the young lad will have to carry his mother by himself then because I need to unlock the gates.”

  Galdrac felt a little sheepish as he took the two pole ends in his hands, a little shocked they had so readily made it to where they needed to be. “Told you Madra could find us the way back in!” Mazen said as he moved aside some overhanging bushes to
reveal a solid looking door.

  “Yes, yes, get on with it instead of standing about gibbering on about how great you are!” Galdrac replied rather rudely. Finley just let the two exchange snidey comments, it was all he could manage to keep holding onto his own end of the stretcher.

  The sound of balgraf echoed out in the distance, indicating that they probably made it just in time. After Galdrac had grumbled a little more about how he was old and shouldn’t have to carry the stretcher, Mazen agreed to him swapping again after they had passed the final gate. Once that was done, and after the dwarf had checked he had locked each one as they had passed through it, they headed down some stone steps.

  Galdrac, now free from the burden of carrying, led the way, using a small globe of light he had manifested to illuminate their path. Carrying the stretcher down steps was even more challenging, and Finley knew he could not go another step without a break. “I’ve got to stop,” he finally admitted, “My arms are killing me,” he added as the other two turned to look his direction. Mazen merely nodded and suggested they place Leyna down carefully, “I’ll support her head Lad while you have a breather.” Galdrac, of course, was his usual self and made several comments about how useless they both were. Finley though felt far too tired to argue and just nodded his agreement.

  With them being out of harm's way, at least for now, Galdrac thought he was being generous in allowing them a five-minute break. Having had time to take on a little water and get the feeling back in his hands, Finley reluctantly stood again. “Come on then, my mother needs to be resting in bed, not in a tunnel.”

  “Exactly!” Galdrac said clapping his hands together, “So come on, that stretcher isn't going to carry itself now is it?”

  Finley finally saw the welcome sight of other dwarfs, and he was only too glad to pass his mother over for one of them to carry. Galdrac however, had no time to waste and was already dragging him along one of the many chambers that made up Durn Raldun. Mazen though had assured him that he would see his mother received the care she needed, and knowing that would be the case allowed the old Mage to lead him through what looked a very overcrowded thoroughfare.

  Dwarf soldiers were joined by a few of their human and elven counterparts heading towards the main entrance to Durn Raldun. “Looks like it’s all starting,” Galdrac said as he headed the same direction. Finley, although tired and weary followed behind and thought being as he probably started all of this, it was only fair he helped in any way he could.

  A company of soldiers were already lining up in the vast open chasm that led them to the capital’s entrance. Climbing the stone steps up to the city’s façade and battlements Galdrac immediately clapped eyes on the Dwarf Commander and headed straight for him. Finley followed behind but could not help but look out beyond the walkway that allowed access to the city. Lining up in military formation were hundreds, possibly a thousand even, large black haired beasts. He knew then that if those defending the battlements could not keep that lot at bay, then every dwarf in Durn Raldun would very likely perish.

  Chapter 6.

  Karesh moved his horse slowly along the track so those riding behind could do so comfortably, even though it meant taking much longer than he had hoped. With the young girl called Rosie sat just in front of him, he was beginning to wonder why humans even had children. The youngster was either crying, sniffling, fidgeting or talking, but never sitting still and quiet as he needed her to be.

  Fortunately, Sessi would hopefully give him forewarning of any trouble, and up until now, that had thankfully not been necessary. Karesh had thought that was just as well anyway, as the noise Rosie was making would surely draw the attention of any man, elf or beast within a mile radius of their position. The young boy called Dylan had shown a little more maturity, probably because he had a troll sat behind him and had to manoeuvre the horse, but he was definitely much quieter than his little sister.

  Thankfully, the only balgraf Karesh had seen since leaving the outpost had been of the flying variety, and they had all been at some distance. Unfortunately, they had spotted signs that the forces of Darkness had been that way, as Karesh had noticed smoke rising from a nearby elven settlement. Rather than risk there still being any balgraf around, he had avoided the place, giving it a wide berth in the hope they remained out of sight.

  After slowing slightly and holding the small device in his palm that could show him the right way, Karesh tried to picture Neylarin in his mind before looking down at the needle. Happy he was on the right track he quickly replaced the device in his pocket before Rosie had a chance to snatch from his palm. However, that hand soon had to be used to place over Rosie’s eyes, again to stop her seeing what lay discarded on the track.

  Appearing to have just been tossed aside was the remains of a corpse, lying among the ferns. The body had clearly been mauled, and Karesh knew he didn’t need to be a genius to know what had been responsible for the dead elf. Not only had the body suffered several significant gash wounds, probably caused by claws, but it had also endured a number of bite marks, where chunks of flesh had been ripped off the bones. So gruesome was the sight that Karesh even had to look away, and quickly grab the attention of the young boy riding on the horse behind in the hope that he did not look.

  A little further along the track, Karesh was given a dilemma. Sessi had growled and indicated there may have been trouble ahead, but with needing to go that way, he had been left with no option. As it was, he could already see two small stone properties and at least three balgraf looking at a loss around the buildings. At first, Karesh had assumed the beasts were just scouting around the homes, but then he saw a crossbow bolt come flying out of one of the narrow windows and hitting one of the balgraf.

  Torn between turning about and helping whoever was trapped in the small house, Karesh would not, at least under normal circumstances, have given it any thought. However, with two small children to consider he was not so sure, yet made his mind up to act anyway. “I need you to stay here,” he said turning his horse back just slightly and lowering the little girl down from his saddle. “Akeev I’ll require your help,” he asked although the troll just looked at him blankly. Karesh pointed to the half-staff being carried by the troll before pointing to the balgraf still a little way off.

  After finally getting his message through and having Sessi keep guard of the children, Karesh left them with one final instruction. “If this goes badly, I want you two to take the horses and ride. Don’t stop until you reach the next town…Got it?” he said firmly making sure they understood the importance of what he was saying. Dylan nodded slowly that he understood, and Karesh placed both youngsters up in the saddle just in case, making sure the young boy’s horse was connected to the pack animal behind it. “Now only if things go terribly wrong,” he reminded them before drawing the two-handed sword from his back and turning his horse about.

  Hoping his presence had not yet been detected by the balgraf preoccupied with whoever was locked in the house and firing out at them, Karesh kicked his heels into the flanks of his horse. Using the pace of the animal, he thundered as fast as he could towards the enemy. Akeev, not being used to riding had to travel by more conventional means and was forced to run behind. However, Karesh could not help but be impressed by just how quickly the troll could cover the ground. Using his long thin legs, although not as fast as his horse, Akeev was not that far from it.

  Holding his sword aloft he galloped up to the nearest balgraf and brought his arm down as hard as he could, swinging the blade downwards. The beast of the darkness did not even have a chance to react as Karesh removed its head in just one swipe. As the head went tumbling across the ground, the body remained standing for a few seconds before finally slumping forward onto the ground. The thick black blood oozed from the neck forming a puddle, but Karesh had no time to watch and was already moving onto his second target.

  Akeev thrust his staff out, sending forth a thin stream of blue energy hitting a balgraf already having been struck
by two crossbow bolts. The beast roared out as Akeev’s shot hit it in the back, causing it to turn around and focus on the new arrival. Snarling and snapping its massive jaws, it bounded over towards him as if making a charge. Akeev remained calm however and thrust the staff outwards again, this time holding it in place and sending out as much power as he could manage. The balgraf stumbled sidewards as smoke started billowing from its body before it keeled over to the left and dropped down just a few paces from where Akeev was standing.

  The last of the beasts turned to face Karesh, and although being mounted gave him a height advantage, the young orc decided to slip down from his saddle. Charging headlong on foot, Karesh roared out as he felt the bloodlust of his people take ahold of him, swinging the large blade down and across hitting the balgraf with both strikes. The beast snarled and circled around as if trying to gain an advantageous position. Karesh, however, was not giving away any ground and thrust the long blade outwards impaling the creature, pushing the steel deep into the balgraf’s body until it emerged out of its back.

  After pulling his blade free, Karesh turned to look for any more beasts to fight and felt almost disappointed to see the three were all now nothing but dark shapes on the ground. Breathing deeply, he turned to check Akeev was okay, before casting his gaze towards the children and horses were still where he had left them a few moments ago. “Akeev, fetch the children,” he asked trying to indicate with his hand to let the troll know what he was trying to say.