The Foreshadow of Balance

by Dangerous Walker

CHAPTER VII

  The four men looked at each other and the floor. Were they embarrassed or scared to talk to her, Dylan wondered. She seemed nice enough so he pushed through them and stepped forward.

  “I am Dylan of the Shed, how do we go?” he said as Lucas stepped forward and put one hand on his shoulder and one on the handle of his axe.

  “Pleased to meet you Dylan of the Shed, it is well,” she replied with a tender smile. “And this is your Protector.”

  “Lucas, Protector of the Guardian,” Lucas said, “How do we go, Magician?”

  “It is well, Protector.”

  “I am the boy’s Father, Connor of the Shed,” his Dad stepped forward.

  “You are supposed to say, ‘how do we go?’” she said and laughed a little.

  His Dad blushed.

  “Right, yes, sorry. How do we go?”

  “It is well, Outworlder.”

  “How do you know?” Bell said and then stopped and took a step forward.

  “Our magic is not all diminished, Forest Ranger. Will you not step forward and greet me?”

  Bell stepped up to the others. “How do we go, Magician?”

  “It is well. But who is this last of your party?” she closed her eyes and Dylan thought she was concentrating hard. He looked over at Mattaeus and it seemed as if there was a mist covering his body. He looked back as the woman opened her eyes.

  “You will not find my secrets so easily, my lady,” Mattaeus said.

  “Then you can only be one person,” she said. “I am Kaitlin, Shadow Ranger, how do we go?”

  “It is well, Magician.”

  “Then come into our home and rest, you look tired,” she said, but no one moved. She laughed. “Are you afraid?”

  “We are told you are powerful Magicians,” Bell admitted.

  “But we have fine ale,” she winked at Lucas.

  “That is settled then, I for one need a sit down.”

  “Same here,” Dylan said and the woman laughed.

  Really he didn’t know why the men all seemed scared, she seemed so nice. He took a few steps forward and then remembered the Deer Woman and stopped.

  “I am not like that, Guardian,” the woman said and Dylan marveled how she knew.

  “Come on,” said Lucas, “we are here for business,” and that seemed to agree it and they all walked towards the house.

  %%%

  It was amazing inside, it seemed so much bigger than on the outside and then Dylan remembered that these were Magicians and maybe they could do things like that. They sat in an airy living room on padded chairs and sofas, they seemed to Dylan like the ones at home, but he could see they were made from things in the forest.

  “Oh, that’s better,” Lucas said as he sat down on the sofa with Dylan between him and his Dad.

  Mattaeus stood by the door. “Where is your sister?” he asked.

  “I will get her along with the refreshments,” Kaitlin said and left the room.

  “You do not trust us, Shadow Ranger?” asked a woman from the door next to Mattaeus. He jumped and put his hand to his sword. “You will not need that,” she smiled.

  To Dylan she looked just like Kaitlin, but where she had blonde hair and blue eyes, this woman had dark brown hair and brown eyes and wore a dark green dress. Dylan thought she was just as pretty.

  The woman walked into the room as Kaitlin entered by another door.

  “Here is my sister, Alura.”

  “How do we go, Foreshadow?” Alura asked.

  “It is well,” everyone answered.

  “So we are well met,” Kaitlin said as she set down a tray of ales and what looked like biscuits. Dylan couldn’t help but take one, he was so hungry.

  “We need your help,” his Dad said.

  “Connor,” Bell warned.

  “We are here for their help, we have to tell them,” Connor replied.

  “Very well,” Bell said and his Dad started to explain their situation.

  “An interesting turn of affairs, but we cannot help you,” Alura said.

  “So that is it?” Bell asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Alura said.

  “We could,” Kaitlin said.

  “No.”

  “But they could do it.”

  “It is a great risk to put upon the shoulders of strangers.”

  “What is it already?” Lucas asked.

  “No,” Alura said again.

  “You said your magic is not all diminished,” Bell said.

  “See?” Kaitlin asked her sister. “They are not so unwise.”

  Alura sighed. “There is a dragon in the mountain; he keeps us here, draining our magic for his own sake.”

  “A dragon?” Dylan asked excitedly.

  “Do not be so eager, young Outworlder,” Alura said.

  “He uses our magic to hide himself, elongate his own life as well no doubt,” Kaitlin explained.

  “Then why not just leave?” Connor of the Shed asked.

  “Dragons can have powerful magic, he had enough to keep us here and now that he drains ours he is more than powerful enough.”

  “So we defeat the dragon and then you will help us,” Mattaeus stated.

  “It is the only way, Shadow Ranger,” Alura said.

  “But do you believe in our Quest?” Dylan asked. This was all just words to him.

  “We do, young Guardian,” Kaitlin smiled at him. “We are Magicians; we are bound to the Balance.”

  Mattaeus snorted. “Not all Magicians are.”

  The Twin Sisters both looked sad and Dylan saw that even the Shadow Ranger blushed.

  “Forgive me,” Mattaeus said.

  “There is nothing to forgive, Shadow Ranger,” Alura said, “you are correct. Many have foregone the Pledge.”

  “So we go and kill this dragon and then you will help us?” Lucas asked.

  “Basically, yes,” Alura said.

  “Basically?” the Shadow Ranger asked.

  “Well,” said Kaitlin, “it would be foolhardy for you all to go, we could only give you so much magical protection.”

  “Yes, only one who already has magical protection could get to the dragon undetected,” both sisters looked at the Shadow Ranger.

  “A fine day this is turning out to be,” Mattaeus sighed.

  “I do not need magical protection I have all the protection I need,” Lucas said and patted the handle of his axe.

  “But you are now a Protector yourself, Lucas,” Kaitlin said gently.

  “I forget myself,” Lucas apologized. “It is true we cannot take the Guardians to fight a dragon.”

  “I agree,” Mattaeus said.

  “There has to be another way,” Connor said.

  “Yes, we cannot let…”

  “Enough,” the Shadow Ranger interrupted. “We pledged an Oath to this Quest, no one said it would be easy, or how we wanted it to be.

  “Well, this is how it is and so this is how it is.”

  “You are right, Shadow Ranger,” Alura said. “The rest of you need to go to Columbina Port and find the Pirate d’Gaz to take you across the sea.”

  “A pirate? You fool us,” Bell said standing.

  “Please be settled,” Kaitlin said. “You will not find d’Gaz to be all that the stories make out.”

  “That is a long promise, Magician,” Lucas said. “Even I know this name and the bloodthirsty stories that go hand in hand.”

  “Find a freighter and lose an ally,” was all Alura said.

  “We need all the allies we can get and we have no other choice but to trust the Magicians,” Mattaeus said.

  “Then let’s go before I lose my nerve,” Connor said and squeezed his son.

  “You have already shown much nerve, Connor of the Shed,” Kaitlin smiled and Dylan looked up to see his Father blush.

  The two sisters quickly gathered together some provisions for the caves and they all walked outside. Dylan couldn’t help but look backwards at the bungalow; it was definitely smaller
on the outside than the inside. He forgot all about the Quest in his marvel at the ways of magic.

  “How do you get to be a magician?” he asked Kaitlin.

  “You are born with it,” to Dylan’s disappointment; he wanted to be a magician; that would show Brandon Cole and his bully friends.

  “But you have to study it too,” Kaitlin said. “Who knows what magic might be within you?”

  “You think?”

  “You opened a Portal, I know of no other who has done this.”

  “Yeah,” he smiled. “That’s right.”

  “Do not wish for things, you are a Guardian already and this is a most important task,” and then she bent down and hugged him. It felt so good; it brought back so many feelings, feelings of being safe. And loved. His Mum. Tears trickled down his cheek.

  The Magician Kaitlin stood and used the hem of her dress to wipe away his tears; then she looked up and it was her turn to blush. Dylan looked and saw his Dad looking, but then he blushed too and looked away into the Forest.

  “Bell, you know where you are going,” the Shadow Ranger said, “We will meet up with you again at Columbina Port or failing that wait for us across the sea.”

  “I hate to see you go into the mountain alone,” Bell said.

  “Maybe I can help with that,” a voice said and they all looked to the edge of the clearing.

  There stood another woman, but she seemed to glow with a faint green light, an aura. She didn’t have any clothes on; instead she was wrapped in vines and leaves. Dylan thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her hair was the colour of Autumn leaves and her eyes were a very light green. Just standing there he felt peace. The forest seemed to feel it too as it was again silent. A few leaves swirled around her feet and a squirrel sat there happily munching on an acorn.

  Bell fell to his knees.

  “My Princess,” he said. “My eyes deceive me. Lucas, wake me from this dream.”

  The woman laughed and the trees of the forest swayed with it.

  “Arise, Bell, Defender of the Forest Way.”

  Bell slowly got to his feet.

  “For now I will help you, shield you from the dragon so that the Shadow Ranger might not go alone, but you will need to find me again before you leave this world. We have yet to finish.”

  “Princess, will you not also help my companion?”

  “That I cannot do,” she said. “The Shadow Ranger is already protected by power more than mine, but I understand not why.”

  “Do not provoke me, Princess,” Mattaeus said seriously.

  “Do not speak to the Princess that way,” Bell commanded him and put a hand to his sword, but she laughed.

  “Oh, Arturo, ever the same,” she said.

  “Do not invoke that name,” the Shadow Ranger warned dangerously and the forest suddenly shook violently, the trees seeming to bend down towards the Shadow Ranger.

  “This is not the time,” Connor spoke up and then stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Do not apologise, Guardian, you are right,” the forest calmed and she smiled, “I am here to help the Protector of the Forest Way and to help you, Shadow Ranger.”

  “What are we to do, Princess?” Kaitlin asked humbly.

  “The same as you thought. Your magic is connected to the dragon; it will help to shield the two who seek it.”

  “Very well, Princess.”

  “Again, Bell, we are not finished, you must find me again.”

  “How will I do that, Princess?”

  “You will, Defender, you will. And as for you Shadow Ranger, your mercy is your undoing, but it is also the redemption of yourself and others. May the Righteous hold his right hand over you and his left at bay.”

  And then she was gone. Dylan blinked and rubbed his eyes. She was there and then she wasn’t. He had understood just about nothing of what had happened and when he looked at his Dad he realised he hadn’t either. His Dad looked pale.

  “What by thunder has just happened?” Lucas demanded. “Myth and life side by side? If Nargel call me below now I know not that I believe it.”

  And then he stood with Mattaeus’ sword at his throat.

  “Do not call upon such things, Protector, you know not what you say,” he rasped.

  “What are you doing?” cried Bell.

  “Don’t fight,” Dylan shouted and the Shadow Ranger looked at him and then back at Lucas. Then he sheathed his sword.

  “My apologies, Lucas, I am frayed.”

  “None taken, Shadow Ranger, you are more than I can understand,” Lucas felt his throat and then shook his head. “Talks to myths as if they are his friends,” he shrugged at Dylan.

  “Then we go, you and I, Forest Ranger,” Mattaeus said.

  “Aye,” replied Bell.

  “Nothing changes, you wait for us at the port or across the sea,” Mattaeus told the rest of the Foreshadow.

  “How will we know how long to wait?” Dad asked.

  “The Quest will carry you, Guardian,” he said and shook Dad’s hand. Then he bent over and hugged Dylan. “Be safe, stray not from Lucas and your Father, they are brave men and will protect you.”

  “Come back soon,” Dylan said.

  “I have no intention of leaving you in the care of Lucas too long,” Bell said and smiled.

  “Hey there,” Lucas protested, but Bell walked up and gave him a hug.

  “We will reunite soon, my friend.”

  “Well we better,” Lucas said and Dylan thought he saw a tear in the big man’s eye.

  And with that Mattaeus and Bell disappeared into the forest.