Preface:

In this story we enter a new world I created called Dadrajala. The city Enakilan in this story is located in the middle, surrounded by the thick woods of Enakilan. Those that have purely dwelled in Enakilan do not know what lies beyond the woods.  Above Enakilan is the desert. A wide stretch of barren land no peasant has ever dared cross. Above that barren stretch of land lies the deserted empire that once was Ichbar. Ichbar has now been replaced by the dark wizard Ichbati’s fortress. The Ichbar Fortress. Inside here the most evil things imaginable dwell. Above that sits the Dark Tower, marking the north pole of Dadrajala. Under Enakilan, lies a stretch of water and a land much like our Antarctica. An inhabited land of ice and snow. This covers most of the bottom half of Dadrajala.  To the west of Enakilan another city lies, Dane-Dane. Directly to the east of Enakilan lies the Elven Empire, Glédinel. Inbetween Glédinel and Dane-Dane (the other side of the world) there is nothing. Nothing but land. No inhabitants. Or are there?

 

The Cross

 

Prologue: A Child’s Secret Fantasy

 

Inside, we all wish to be heroes. We all want an adventure. We want something to break the routinely pattern that is life… But it never happens. Most of us live our lives out until death. Or so Mister Tennah told us. Today was Enachala – A festival with various foods and entertainment from foreign countries. Long tables were spread out across the grassy field that spread out in front of our city, Enakilan. On the tables sat food. Glorious amounts of food – enough to keep one man entirely satisfied for more than a year. The food was crammed onto pure gold bowls, platers and plates. Beautiful silver goblets lined the edges of the tables. The goblets had rubies around their tips. Soon the grassy field would have thousands of visitors cluttering it. All of the visitors would be wearing their best gowns or suits. Hair would be done up in delightful new fashions and gowns would be covered in beautiful, new designs. Lanterns were put around the grassy field as it got dark and the children went to listen to another of Mister Tennah’s stories. Mister Tennah was by far the most popular entertainment at Enachala. I sat on grass. The grass was uncomfortable, but it would do. I loved Mister Tennah’s stories. Mister Tennah walked over slowly, his cane digging violently into the grass as he walked. He sat himself in a chair. The chair creaked and the children laughed. There were almost fifty children sitting there in anticipation, and their parents standing behind them. He cleared his throat and began to speak, “Today children, we will hear the story of the Cross. ‘Tis an epic story. I’m sure you’ll love it.” Mister Tennah smiled at us. I saw the other children look around in worry. A new story?

Personally I was excited. A new story! What would it be this time?

A knight slaying a dragon?

A damsel in distress?

Mister Tennah seemed amused at our befuddlement. He knew the children wouldn’t leave because it was a new story. They knew it would be good no matter what it was. He began,

“A long time ago, a man created a pure gold cross. This cross was magical. It was created for the perfection of the world. The man set about perfecting the world but as he did so, the cross was stolen – leaving the world half done. The Dark King and his Imperfect Ones had stolen the cross. The Dark King wanted to use the cross for the opposite reason for which it was built. To destroy the world.

Before the Dark King could destroy the world the cross was stolen – again – by a peasant boy.

It happened that when the Dark King was too sure of his success and became so incautious that a simple peasant boy found the hiding place of the cross by chance and took it. The boy kept the cross in his family line, pretending it was an heirloom. And so the cross stayed hidden from evil. But word spread out determining the cross’s location. And the evil began to awaken. Soon the Imperfect Ones slaves and greedy men began to attempt to get the cross. One man eventually goes too far and destroys the whole village, in which the cross is hidden.

But before he could take advantage of the cross the man pays the price for the blood he shed. He is killed himself and the cross is taken from him... by our new hero. And here is where the real tale begins. This young man must return the cross to its owner before the Imperfect Ones find him or-”

Mister Tennah stopped. His body lurched in its chair. Blood began to run down his chin and that’s when I realised. Mister Tennah was dead. He had left the story unfinished. I wondered wether it was a true story or not. Wether this was a prophecy. Mister Tennah’s body sat silent in his chair, slumped over. A parent walked over to his body and slapped his face. When Mister Tennah didn’t move, she screamed. The children wondered what was going on. I felt sorry for them. They were all so young. About five. I myself were young too, but not as young. I was ten.

Panic circulated through Enachala. My mother dragged me inside our house inside the gates. Everyone thought it was a heart attack. I thought it was something different. I believed that Mister Tennah had known that his death would occur if he told that story. I believed that the story was not finished. Who was this hero? When would he be found?

 

Chapter 1: The Journey Must Start Somewhere

 

(Five years later)

 

I looked down on the man’s bloody, vacant face. Grey eyes stared endlessly into the sky. His face was pale and I could see the veins under his skin. I had killed him.

My eyes dropped to the dagger in my hand, covered in crimson blood. Behind me I could hear the sharp breathing of Anila. I turned to her. She was half-naked. Her dress had been ripped to the rags she wore now. I handed her a towel and she wrapped it tightly around herself. She had thousands of bruises and scratches, some bleeding, where the man had hit her. I had come to save Anila, not to murder this man – but my anger had got the best of me. He had raped my childhood friend.

I sat myself down next to Anila. She was looking up at me, tears in her eyes. She spoke softly to me: “Thankyou for coming.”

I embraced her as she cried.

“Do you think he deserved to die?” I said to Anila, still unsure of what I had done. Anila rose, took my hand and said, “Come with me, and then you can decide for yourself!” with half anger, half grief. I followed her over a hill and then I saw the city, Enakilan. A large pile of rubble with smouldering bodies and decaying mess lay around me. Tears formed in my eyes and I bit my tongue trying to stop them. But it was useless trying. Even the toughest man with the hardest heart would not be able to suppress tears. Enakilan had once been a majestic place, a ruby in a diamond mine. Now, it lay in ruins, burning to its end. I was shocked and it took me some time to take in the slaughter. Finally I gasped; “One man?” and she nodded as I stared in disbelief. I said to her, “Why didn’t he kill you?” And she said, “He was going to kill me after the - …afterwards… but then you came.”

I was shocked at this man’s evil heart. “Are there any other survivors or are we alone?” She said, “I don’t know.” Her troubled eyes reached mine and I wanted to comfort her and take away the grievous look on her face. I wanted her to have that happy smile she almost always had. I realised I wasn’t smiling myself.  I said slowly, “We should look for survivors…” Anila half-nodded before her eyes dropped back to the pale, flimsy grass. It felt like the life had been sucked out of everything. The sky was grey with clouds and soon I expected it to rain. The grass moved in time with the wind and the rubble that was once Enakilan seemed disturbingly tranquil.

I took her hand and we walked down the hill. We reached the grassy plain that was before the city gate. The city gate was the only thing standing amidst the smoke. We walked under the wooden beams. I turned to her and said, “Do you how he did this?” Anila nodded silently. “He set fire to our homes, and hunted us down...one by one. A few people might have escaped to the woods but I don’t know. I got lost in the confusion and then he caught me.” Just then I remembered my mother and father and I turned to face Anila. “Do you know if my mother and father are alive?”

Anila nodded once, then shook her head. “Your mother was taken away by the man...with me and he…” Anila began to cry and I thought I knew what she was going to say. She wiped her tears away and continued. “Your father was also taken by the man with me and your mother. The man butchered him…so much blood…” Anila sobbed hopelessly into my chest. I felt despair wring my heart.

Anila said to me, “You were lucky that you were out hunting when the man came.” I wasn’t paying attention to what Anila was saying and I said to her, “I must find my mother, wether she is dead or not.” Anila nodded and said, “After the man…finished…with her, her dumped her body behind some bushes in the clearing.” I smiled grimly.

 

                                                         ***

I stumbled on the loose root of a tree. I heard a twig crack; turning to see it was only Anila…again. We came to a clearing in the woods. I could hear some breathing. I said to Anila, “I think we are not far from where you were…you know…” My voice trailed away as I thought of what Anila had been through. The raspy breathing got shorter. I rushed over to some bushes that Anila had pointed out to me. My mother lay still behind them, looking vacantly into the sky. Her chest moved quickly up and down. She was also wearing rags. I found another towel and wrapped it around her. I could see my mother was covered in worse scratches than Anila. I said, “Mother! Are you alright?”

“I think I’ll be alright…but don’t concern yourselves over me.” She whispered. She coughed and a few speckles of blood flew into her hand. I grabbed her hand and held it tight. Right now I was too happy that she was alive.

“I know what the man came for…” She whispered to me. I said, “What?” She closed her eyes tightly for a second before opening them and focusing on me, “He was looking for the Cross. ” I stared at her. Surely this wasn’t the cross that had been talked about by Mister Tennah? Was my theory right? My mother continued, “It is a gold cross with magic beyond imagination concealed inside it. Many dark powers want and search for the Cross, and that’s why you never knew about it. We are the protectors of the Cross, and you must uphold that now. I fear I shall not live long enough to fulfil the Cross’s purpose.”

My mother’s eyes closed slowly. She was unconscious. I picked up her body and Anila and I walked over to where the rapist lay. The man lay there, covered in blood from his own neck. I noticed that one of his hands was clenched, clutching a small object. I opened his hand and there it was, the most beautiful piece of jewellery I had ever seen.

The Cross.

It was pure gold, with a beautiful chain of gold. I picked it up and slipped it around my neck. The gold felt light (for some strange reason) and soft against my skin. It was very soothing.

I heard a rustle in the trees. I picked up my mother’s body and dragged her behind the bushes. Anila and I ducked behind a large tree.

Hooded figures emerged from the other side of the clearing we were in. They saw the dead man’s body. One of the four hooded figure bent down and sniffed the man all over. They were wearing black cloaks, covering their feet and hoods so large their faces were hidden. Everything was deathly silent. I dared not breathe for fear that I would be found.

“It is not here. He has betrayed us.” The cloaked figures looked at the dead man on the ground and then said, “Why hasn’t he brought the Cross? Was he ambushed?”

The cloaked figure that had been sniffing the dead body said, “It’s obvious. Someone close knows about the Cross…and has their own intentions about its use. They must be found and killed…”

A twig cracked and a rustle came from behind the bushes close by. All four heads of the cloaked figures snapped quickly towards the bushes.

“I think we have found an important piece of the puzzle…” The hood of the cloaked figure that had been sniffing the dead man flew backwards and I nearly died. I heard Anila stop breathing and her body went limp for a second. It was shocking. Stinking burnt flesh covered his face. No eyes, only empty sockets. Slits where a nose should have been and no ears. A dark crown sat atop his head. The Dark King. The smell was unbearable. Anila and I held our noses and shut our eyes tight.

Black burning flesh. Smouldering, and melting of his face…

Under the black, solid flesh was lava swirling constantly down his face, but never ending. His ‘body’ seemed to just endlessly produce it.

The Imperfect Ones!

Suddenly his empty eye sockets glowed with red brilliance. An evil crimson red. It was a haunting sight. I knew that I would have nightmares for days to come. One of the cloaked arms reached for the bushes. Only then did I notice a sword that was held on his hip by a black belt. It had been hidden under his arm. It was clearly one of the four Dark Blades. It was made of silver, with a black handle. The blade had a dark aura around it. What were these creatures?

He uncovered the bushes. My mother stared up at the Dark King, her face white and expressionless. She had woken. The Dark King said, “Bring her. We will break her mind, collect the information we need and then she will be killed. We travel to the North to Ichbar. There we will consult the dark wizard, Ichbati on our next move towards universal domination. Come.”

The two hooded figures behind the Dark King lifted my mother’s body up with some kind of dark magic. Her body went limp and flew eerily through the air. The hooded figures left the clearing, leaving the rapist’s body to decay. Anila and I crept out from behind the tree, I said, “Did you hear that?” Anila nodded silently. She said, “I believe there is more to the story than we know. We must find more information on the origin of the Cross. Something tells me that the man who created the Cross knows something that will be a big piece in the puzzle that must be correctly put together.” I said to her, “And what if the puzzle is put incorrectly together?”

“Then the beginning of the end begins.” She said simply. “Without the Cross we are lost. There are no second chances. Lose the Cross, and the universe is already doomed for death…” Anila put her hand on my chest where the Cross lay. “Keep it safe, or the demise of the universe will be at your hand!”

Anila began to creep over to the rapist’s body to see if he had any weapons that could be of use. Maybe even some spells or potions. I thought about what Anila had said.

She was right. If I did not succeed in the task given to me, than the universe’s demise would be at my hand. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. The Cross felt heavier…like real gold. I realised that the Cross was feeding on my emotions… If only Mister Tennah had said a little more about the cross itself!

What had the Cross’s creator done to it? How was the Cross able to live on my emotions? It seemed to me that the heavier the Cross got, the worse my chances of survival got. I looked down at the Cross. My heart felt despair. The Cross felt heavier and I knew that if it got much heavier than the hooded ones would return.

Anila came up to me with a show of weapons in her hands. I studied Anila’s face. She had bright blonde hair, with beautiful creamy skin. She had ocean blue eyes. Her face usually looked very full of life, but right now it looked thin and covered in blood. I put my hand on her cheek and wiped off some blood. I said, “I think we need to get you cleaned up…” Anila dropped the weapons in my satchel that I opened for her. I slung the satchel over my shoulder and we walked back to the ruins of the city, Enakilan. Enakilan had once had beautiful cream walls surrounding it with a strong wooden portcullis. Inside the surrounding wall there were thousands of large wooden houses and shops supported by wooden beams. As we walked over the grassy field that led to the city I contemplated my mission. Rescue my mother then take the Cross to the man who created it. I didn’t even know where the man who created it lived, nor did I know where Ichbar was. All I knew was that in order to get there I would have to travel north. It wasn’t much but it was all I had.

 

                                                        ***

A looked affectionately at Anila’s face. Her face looked much better. It was no longer covered in bruises and blood. Now it was full of life like it had always been. As we walked away from Enakilan, I thought about Mister Tennah’s prophecy. I was the hero? How could that be? Personally I thought I definitely wasn’t ready to take a mission of such importance. I realised why my mother had rushed me inside my house. She had known all along!

I’ve always been the quiet boy. No one ever expected me to do anything exciting. So to get away from that I’d always listened to Mister Tennah’s fantasy stories or read books. Books had been my best friend until I met Anila some ten years ago. We had always done things together. Things like playing fantasy games on the lawn. I remember one time when she came over my mother made cookies. I remember the child’s joy I felt at having cookies. Of course now, I didn’t think of cookies that way. I could make cookies myself so it really wasn’t such a big thing to have cookies. But I remember the joy of having Anila over for cookies fondly. I looked away from Anila’s face. She said, “Why were you looking at me?” And I said, “Just lamenting on times past.” She gave me a confused look before shrugging and turning to look at the tall pine trees that made up the woods. The woods had a formal name – but nobody ever used it. It was actually called Anaa. Anaa had a grand history. Battles had been fought around it, secret associations had been formed within it and it had been a shelter for more than one man hiding from the orcs that roamed the lands. Orcs roamed free here. But that was not a good thing. The orcs had naturally evil hearts and when coming across an orc you would either run or be slaughtered. I was fond of Anaa. I remember my mother’s pleas not to enter the forest. She had known that I would be the one to have this task – meaning I would have to live. I didn’t blame her.

If she hadn’t stopped me from committing dangerous acts then she herself would have been the one to take the Cross to its creator. Nether the less, I had disobeyed these rules and made a ‘cubby’ with Anila on the borders of the forest. Anaa surrounded Enakilan…or what once was it. It was our border. Most people from the outside never came in here because they mistook it for a forest. That was why Enakilan had been built here. Unfortunately our whereabouts leaked out over the past few years and we have had many tiny assaults on the city. Orcs and humans have come over the past few years. They came either because they were employed by the Imperfect Ones or they were greedy and sought power.

A memory flashed into my head from almost ten years ago. My mother was tucking me into bed. We said our prayers, then she asked me if I’d made friends with any other kids. I’d said, “They hate me! They think I’m useless.” I’d cried after that, my small shoulders shaking. My mother had wrapped her arm around me and said, “I know that you are destined for great things. No one can tell you you’re useless. I know you are destined for great things…” I remember looking up and watching my mothers blue eyes soar off into oblivion and I understood what she had meant. But how had she known?

Anila poked my shoulder with a blunt fingernail. I turned to face her and she said, “We’re at the border of the woods. What now?” I said, “Do you remember the cubby we made ages ago? We made it for if Enakilan came under attack?”

When Anila stared at me blankly I realised she didn’t. I sighed and said, “We christened it Dunnit?” Anila laughed and rocked her head up and down, showing that she understood. I hadn’t wanted to mention that name. How had we come up with that? I smiled widely. I couldn’t remember who had made up the name but I had to admit I found it funny.

Anila stopped laughing and instead went into a fit of giggles. We reached the border. I said, “Step One: Locate base…” Anila looked at me with a pale face and said, “You don’t remember where it is?” I answered, “Well, do you?” Anila closed her mouth before opening and closing it again.

 

                                                       ***

I sat myself down on the ground next to Anila. She sighed heavily. We had both just been searching helplessly through the woods. I touched the blood on my cheek.

“Great. We really need a map and we can’t find it. Do you think that man would have had one? Oh, never mind. He’s probably a decaying skeleton by now…plus we wouldn’t be able to find the clearing again…” I said.

Anila looked a little disturbed at the mention of the man who had raped her. I noticed her look and closed my mouth. We sat there for a few minutes in total silence. All I could hear my own breathing and some birdcalls from far away.

Both of us had little scratches all over us travelling through the trees and running into low branches. Some were bleeding, but not major wounds. I said (to break the silence), “Should we go again?” Anila forced her head to move to face me and just looked at me. I stood up, grabbed her hand and hoisted her up before saying, “Okay, it’s agreed then!” And we walked into the woods once more.

 

                                                       ***

“Speak…” Said a hissing voice. A long haunting hiss that trailed off. She felt her spine shiver. Her throat felt dry and sticky. She could not let them break her mind! She thought about what they had done to her. She was slowly breaking apart. But she wasn’t going to give up without a fight. The hooded ones were losing their patience. She knew that she was somewhere between Enakilan and Ichbar. For the whole day she had been pulled on a leash harshly. She had a rash around her neck. Then they had injected black tubes into the sides of her head. Blood had begun to gush from her eyes and she had wanted to be dead. But she couldn’t forfeit that easily, and give them the information they needed.

She had to contact Anila.

But how could she do that? The hooded ones were always watching her. Even in her sleep. She could feel them creeping into her mind. They wanted that information badly. More than once her mind had touched with the mind of the Dark King. Each night he had tried to persuade her to tell him what he wanted to know. He had threatened her with death, though she had known he would not kill her because the information was vital.

She knew she was fighting a battle that she couldn’t win or lose. Somewhere out there her son was beginning to grasp his task and he would surely come for her.

Wouldn’t he?

She closed her eyes and blocked out all the voices. Except one. The voice echoed softly through her aching head, which was very soothing. It said, “Sleep. He will come, he will come.”

Anila.

 

                                                     ***

Anila could feel it. She could feel the information pouring into her mind. She had to admit it felt good. Like when you are thirsty and someone gives you a cool glass of water from the spring that had ran past Enakilan while it had been in existence.

Anila needed more but she knew that my mother could not give her large sums of information at a time. She knew the Dark King might be able to intercept some of the information as it passed to her if the information is too great. I lay on the wooden floorboards next to her. They had eventually found it – Dunnit. She was not sleeping, unlike I, who slept peacefully. My mother was using the special gift she had been given to transfer her knowledge to Anila before the Dark King could break her mind. My mother was transferring everything she knew – including her memories and most special moments. No chances could be taken with the Imperfect Ones. They had been touching with my mother’s mind often these past days.

Disturbing her in her sleep.

Keeping her awake.

Trying to grasp that little piece of information that resided within her.

The Imperfect Ones had not yet resorted to violence, but Anila knew it was coming. Anila knew more than she thought she could ever know about anything. Every day my mother grew weaker and the sad thing was, Anila had not the heart to tell me what pain his mother was enduring. My mother was giving her life to save her son’s. Anila knew that my mother would die with no memories of her past life and no knowledge of anything. She would die, without a soul.

 

                                                    ***

The next morning came, a light streaked through the windows of Dunnit. It felt good to wake up from a good nights sleep. I felt somewhat renewed and fresh. Anila sat next to me with a plate of meat.

I said, “Can I have some?” She said yes and I grabbed a strip of meat. I was hungry. We hadn’t eaten anything since the encounter with the Dark King and his Imperfect Ones. Three days.

I crunched through the dry bits of meat before reaching the tender middle. The meat was a little stringy, but not bad. Tasted like wild hare.

Still Anila had not found it in her heart to tell me what would happen to my mother. There was hope in me that I could save her and I was eager to, but also afraid. I had no knowledge of what these Imperfect Ones were capable of.

Anila didn’t say anything at breakfast. She was thinking. Though she looked thoroughly disturbed. Something was telling me it wasn’t the rape that disturbed her.

She knew something I didn’t.

I stopped thinking about such things and instead started on my third piece of meat.

 

                                                       ***

Anila called out, “Help!” Her voice echoed endlessly through the cold evening air. The sky was pink and quickly darkening. Streaks of white stained the sky.

I whipped my head around. I knew she was close.

I heard her yell, “Kaxil…” faintly then she went silent. I screamed out her name and bolted in the direction I last heard her voice.

I turned and saw Dunnit disappear as I entered the trees that surrounded the clearing of which Dunnit resided in.

I ran. Sweat dripped down my body. Where was she?

I burst through some trees and stumbled, only just regaining my balance.

Anila lay on the ground. She was covered in blood, thankfully not her own.

I picked up her body. She was cold, but not dead.

A dagger lay near her arm.

I saw what had attacked her disappear into the trees. A wild boar. I was angered. The same anger I had felt when the rapist had attacked Anila.

My face went hot, and I sprinted through the trees. Twigs and low branches whipped at me violently but I did not stop.

Anila had gone hunting for our food. And I, being the fool I was, let her go.

Anila didn’t seem to be cut, just badly bruised. She had dozens of big and small bruises all over her stomach where it seemed the wild boar had charged at her. It had most likely butted her in the stomach, knocking her over.

Anger swelled inside me. I emerged into another clearing. I muttered under my breath, “So many damn clearings…”

This clearing was bigger than most other clearings I had seen. It was more than a sandy bare spot in the woods that surrounded Enakilan. This clearing had luscious green grass and tall beautiful trees. Oaks.

Plentiful bushes dotted the area. Most of the bushes were ferns.

In the middle of the clearing I saw the wild boar grazing.

My eyes narrowed and I heard myself mutter, “Die…”

I brought out my hunting javelin.

I threw it with no sound. It soared through the air at a great speed silently. I heard the sound of flesh splitting and saw that I had been successful. I heard the boar fall to the ground with a heavy thud and watched its crimson blood stain the grass.

I had caught our dinner.

As I looked over the boar’s body I saw several wounds that I had not inflicted on the animal. Anila’s efforts to kill the boar. I smiled. The cuts were deep, but in all the wrong places. The boar had two wounds to its stomach, one to its left shoulder, and one more to its right ear.

I picked up the heavy body as its blood dripped down my body. Ten minutes of walking with the beast through the woods and I found Anila again. She stared up at me in disgust. She told me she had just awoken.

I looked at my arms. They were stained with the boar’s crimson blood. My arms were slippery and I nearly dropped the boar so I hurried inside and began to cook the body before it began to decay.

 

Anila watched me in disgust as I gulped down another scrap of meat from the boar. Anila had only eaten one strip of meat form the boar and I was a little worried. She had that same look she had had the previous night. The look that showed me that she knew something I didn’t.

And she was disturbed by it.

Her face was furrowed in concentration and she chewed half-consciously. I watched her eyes wander around the room before beginning to study the meat she held in her hand. I put my greasy hand on her shoulder.

“Anila, it’s okay to tell me what’s bothering you…”

Anila looked up to me. I could feel her heart breaking inside of her.

“It’s nothing Kaxil. Sleep, your body needs it.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, just thinking about things; you know…”

“Okay Anila. I just want you to know that you don’t have to tell me, but I’m here if you ever want to talk.”

I sighed. Anila wouldn’t tell me whatever secret she held. Maybe it was something too important to be shared. Too private.

I turned away from Anila, sitting on the cold wooden floorboards of Dunnit with my hands wrapped around my knees. Anila draped a blanket around my shoulders, and then I heard her footsteps leave the small cubby.

 

                                                       ***

Anila, it’s getting worse. Each day they taunt me. They want the information.

We must hurry with this operation, or it might be too late.

 

Do not worry; Kaxil will be coming for you soon. Hold tight and don’t let them gain control of your mind.

 

Have you told him about my situation Anila?

 

No, not yet.

 

Anila! You must hurry. I fear it might be too late to tell him. He might have built up his hopes too much.

 

I know…but it’s hard to tell him. How will he react being told his mother will die?

 

It will be hard Anila but it must be done. Now, do you want the information about the Dark King? I can tell you about how they interrogated me. Their security systems are strong…

 

Speak.

 

'Anila felt the glorious information flow into her mind. Another night, and another transfer of information from Kaxil’s mother entered her mind. Secrets about the Dark King and his Imperfect Ones. Right now Kaxil’s mother, the Dark King and his Imperfect Ones were located at Ichbar, where they were to consult the Dark Wizard, Ichbati.
Kaxil’s mother’s mind was slowly weakening and would soon break. Each night Anila went outside and cleared her mind. Kaxil’s mother’s voice would enter her head and the transfer of information would begin. Kaxil’s mother’s mind was emptying itself out with each transfer.
Anila listened intently to what Kaxil’s mother had to say;

 

When you reach the fortress Ichbar, you must always be on alert for the dark spirits of those who have been condemned. They can rise from the ground from their graves at any time. I am hoping you can reach me before I am condemned myself.

The fortress is high and the exterior walls are spiked. The internal halls of the building are lined with dark ghosts, elves and chinos. The chinos are a dangerous type of monster. What they look like cannot be described for they are like a disease. They infect your body and control your mind. The chinos haunt every stair on every staircase.

 

Anila rubbed her forehead in distress.

 

That sounds impossible!

 

Don’t worry Anila. You can do it. I am on the third level, in a room that cannot be reached by any stair. You’ll know which room…trust me.

To reach me you must master teleportation.

 

I can’t do that! How would I start? I have no knowledge of how teleportation works.

 

I do, though I have never mastered it myself. I never had the Gift.

 

Then how are you communicating with me?

 

I don’t have the Gift. I have a small component of the Gift. Only the chosen one can have the complete ability to use the Gift.

 

Are you sure that I am the chosen one?

 

Of course not. I can feel the presence of supernatural powers around me when we communicate. It is in my heart. Wether you believe me or not is completely up to you.

 

I have to go. Kaxil will be worried. He asked me tonight at dinner wether I was worried about something. He’s getting suspicious. My concern for you is beginning to show.

 

You don’t have to rescue me, Anila. And you know that, don’t you?

We both know that I cannot be helped. My fate is set…

 

I want Kaxil to see you one more time. I owe him that…

 

You owe him? What deed has he done to put you in his debt?

 

One: I feel he deserves it and second: he saved my life today. He found me dying in the woods covered in blood. He nursed me back to health and even made dinner for us tonight. I agree, Kaxil deserves to know. But how can I tell him that you are destined to such a fate when he is so fragile.

 

Fragile?

 

Yes. Although he appears to be tough and fully matured there is a part of him that needs you. His yearn for love is natural.

 

I see. Where are you now Anila?

 

Kaxil and I are hiding in the woods from Cross-seekers. We are near the border of the woods that surround Enakilan…or what once was Enakilan in a cubby we once made together called Dunnit.

 

I don’t recall…

 

You shouldn’t. It was a private project we worked consistently on. We abandoned it soon after it was completed. I must admit that the joy of completely such a structure was very good. I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody that.

 

So you are still near Enakilan? Well then, by the time you reach me, my mind will most likely have been desecrated. You are the only one keeping me sane, Anila.

 

Thankyou.

 

I must go now Anila. Please, use the information passed onto you wisely – and do not spend it all on my account. If you want Kaxil to see me once more, then you must hurry. I fear the end will be soon…

 

Wait! I never asked you how you knew all this information.

 

All I can say is that one storyteller I knew was more special than you can imagine.

 

The voice in Anila’s head ceased and Anila became aware of the world around her. It was pitch black, except for the lantern that sat next to her knees. She was sitting on the ground, her knees under her body.

“Oh…” She sighed and flopped onto her back.

“Tired…” She said, and yawned loudly. She decided to retreat back to Dunnit.

She entered the small cubby and saw Kaxil sleeping. His body moved slowly up and down. She lay down next to him, and wrapped a blanket around herself.

 

I heard footsteps re-enter the house. Anila had returned. I pretended to sleep, closing my eyes and relaxing my body. I heard Anila lie down next to me, wrapping a blanket around herself. I watched shadows dance on the wooden roof of the small cubby. Then the shadows disappeared and everything went into darkness. Anila had blown out the lamp. What did she do every night that took up so much time. Anila had been away for nearly an hour.

What was it Anila never told him?

I felt an aching pain in my heart. Was my childhood friend moving away from me?

I could feel the tension between us each time we talked. Maybe we were starting to go our separate ways.

Maybe this was the end of a long friendship…

I felt a tear run down my check. It evaporated halfway down my chin. I wrapped my blanket tighter around myself as the wind began to howl outside. A cold chill came over my body and I began to shiver.

It would be a long night.

 

                                                       ***

I woke. The warm body of Anila wasn’t next to me. I flipped my body over and saw Anila. She was packing her few belongings (as well as mine) into a large satchel. She grabbed the blanket I had wrapped around me and stuffed into the bag. The bag bulged due to the large amount of matter it held.

I said, “Where are we going?” showing my confusion openly.

Anila’s eyes focused on me for the first time since I woke and said, “We are travelling north to Ichbar.”

I said, “Why?”

Anila kicked the satchel and it changed shape. Now it was a deformed sphere.

“Your mother is there and we must…rescue…her.”

I heard the pause in the sentence. It made me uncomfortable.

Anila put the bulging lump on her back, before swinging it onto her shoulders. She tried a few more poses with the back and then tossed it to me.

“Your carry the bag.” I was about to object but I couldn’t see the point. I grabbed the bag and put it under my arm.

We left Dunnit and stood outside the wooden shack. I breathed in the morning air.

Then my hand was grabbed forcefully and I was dragged along behind Anila.

I was about to say something but Anila (as if knowing what I was going to say) said, “You want to see your mother don’t you?”

I was a little surprised at Anila’s behaviour. This wasn’t like her.

What happened to the quiet girl who made cookies with me?

Anila began to tell me what she planned to do:

“When we reach Ichbar there will be many obstacles in our way. That is, IF we get to Ichbar. Of course, first you have to live through the journey…

Anyway. When and if we make it to Ichbar, we will not be greeted by smiling faces. There are many monsters and evil beings in our way. They want our lives – always remember that.”

I looked at her, confused beyond belief. We were townsfolk. The Lords and Kings of these lands considered us peasants.

How could a simple peasant girl such as Anila know so much about a place she’d never been too?

Anila noticed my confusion and if reading my mind she said, “Don’t worry. All the questions will be answered soon.”

This only confused me more. Instead of worrying about how Anila knew so much I was grateful for what she knew. Something told me Anila would prove a very helpful friend in the task before me.

“How long will the journey take?” I said.

“More days than you can count!” laughed Anila.

I saw a smile creep onto her face. A pure smile.

A childish smile. The smile I knew so well.

I held out my arms to Anila. She held my hand and then we embraced and I knew that we were not getting further apart but closer together.

I had my friend back.

Anila and I finished embracing and she began to walk away from me.

I called, “Where are you going?” And she said,

“The journey must start somewhere!”

TO BE CONINUED...

<- Ch. 5 Ch. 2 ->