Alone at Sea: Chapter 2 The Truth of my Land

"Immortal? No way! I'm dreaming. This is not real. Immortal?"

"Well, you can only kill my people if our blood is spilt and even then sometimes we still stay alive but as for disease, old age, even poison can't kill us."

"Seriously!"

"Yes. Seriously. I would have thought that my appearance would have given you more of a shock than me being immortal."

"Are you sure we use immortal in the same context. It is that you can never die…right."

"Yes!"

Archie sat down on a nearby log and held his head. He was sure this was a dream. How could any of this be true? He had heard of stories of men coming back speaking of queer folk with two heads and such things but never of immortals and black riders that thundered the earth with the hooves of their terrifying horses. He didn't know exactly what they were only that he had to stay away from them. As far away as possible.

"Well it's not really a custom of my people to invite people back to my home, especially ones that I've just met but I think I've probable told you to much already so it would do no harm I suppose to let come and get something safe to eat and it will also keep you out of danger."

"Told me too much! You've hardly told me anything" spoke Archie standing in protest.

"You sea folk. Always complaining. You do not need to know much to know a lot." Hayley starting to walk through the bushes and Archie had to jog to try and keep up with her long strides even though she was at last a few inches shorter than himself.

"So how many sailo…sea folk have stumbled here?"

 "I've only seen five. One was of your female species. She managed to get to the castle but she left a few months later but she couldn't tell anyone because father put a curse on her that meant if she ever spoke about us she would feel empty and total darkness for eternity. The rest were found by the Elite."

"The Elite?"

"The dark riders. They were once like us but they were condemned to darkness and greed by a thing more terrible than anything you've ever seen. They are more like a plague on this land. They cannot be turned nor extinguished. They started out as three and now there are twelve of them. There is a legend that anyone who sees them for what they are, are also joined in the curse."

"Dare I ask how you see them for what they really are?"

"Don't say to anyone I told you this. You have to feel like nothing is left and then they lower there masks. When you meet their eyes it is like they…

"Suck the soul out of you."

"Yes how did you know?" ask Hayley curiously. She stopped and stared at Archie for an answer.

"I read it somewhere once."

She started to stride again. Her dress was swiftly but most elegantly sweeping passed the trees and bushes that normally would have grabbed and clawed at you as if trying to claw at your skin. Archie on the other hand was having trouble keeping up, as it seemed each tree was becoming more and more difficult to counter attack just by pushing them away. It seemed they were not as keen to invite him into a land that had been hidden from his mind for so long. He almost felt the need to draw his sword and hack away at the blasted things but he felt some resistance in case this was something that would offend Hayley and her strange ways to Archie.

 "It is not long now," she yelled back to Archie without so much as a glance.

Archie found am slight clearing in his pathway and took his chance to run to the side of Hayley.

"Why do you keep this land so hidden?"

"Why do you fight in wars?"

"To stop other countries invading Britain."

"Then there is your answer. You have you ways and we have ours. Unfortunately we have more things to worry us than our own kind. Tell me Mr Kennedy, is it your choice to fight your own people?"

"Well no, not really. I just follow my orders."

"And that is where your land will fail whereas ours prevails."

" I don't understand?"

"You take to many orders and strive too much for the day when you can give them. You should be looking for alternatives to protect your home rather than destroying others."

"I never thought of it that way before."

"Nor did the other collective colonies around here. Hence why my people strive to put up defences. We are afraid that the black day will come again and that cannot happen."

"What day?"

She fell quiet.

"Hayley?"

Archie saw a crystal tear run down her face and her silver eyelashes slowly closed and raised again.

"I'm sorry. I have spoken out of place."

"The day when the heavens and the earth collide and all is lost in a dark rumble of black thunder." She spoke quietly. "It happened once before. I pray it never happens again."

"I am sorry"

"You were not to know. It is in your blood to ask questions. It is my fault for bringing up the subject."

The walked for a while again only this time in silence. Archie did not want to say any thing else that may upset her. In fact he did not speak until he saw thick smoke in the distance and lapping flames in the distance above the trees.

"Hayley? Where are those flames coming from?"

"What flames? Oh no."

Hayley began to run through the forest and Archie hoped that what he thought was burning was not true. After a few moments he lost site of Hayley but he kept running in what he thought was the right direction and eventually found her again only she now knelt with soft crystal like tears running down her face as she watched what was once a vast and grand town burn to the ground.

"Hayley we should move from here." Archie spoke walking beside and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"No. Wait."

She stood abruptly and began to run into the burning town. Archie yelled after her whilst running to try and catch up but her strange and unique quickness made this almost impossible and again he lost site of her. In fact he only knew where she had gone when he saw a large door to a great burning castle hang off and a small voice was calling out names from inside.

He took off his navy blue uniform jacket put it over his head to protect him from the smoke and ran in to find a distressed Hayley. He found her on the verge of collapsing, so he helped her to her feet and managed to pull her outside just before the castle burst out thousands of spitting flames at them.

They were now both on the ground from the extent of the blast but Hayley was the first to sit up and look at her fiery home. When Archie appeared by her side she spoke words he would never forget,

"The black day has come in a burst of flames."