Chapter 10 - Nightmare in the Darkness
Orin watched as the large white rod landed on the stone floor, making a loud clang. He lifted it up, and tossed to Vahn, who grabbed it and began to use it as a walking stick.
"Shale…" murmured Duran, as he looked toward Shale's motionless body.
Orin rushed to Shale's side, and rolled him onto his back. He lay there, his face drenched in crimson blood from the wound on his face, and blood was also dripping from his mouth. Orin looked at his bloodied face, waiting for his eyes to open. He wished he would stand and walk off the wound, saying the sword had only grazed him. Sadly, he did no such thing, and Orin put his body gently on the ground, and stood up. Duran was facing the wall behind him, and Orin suspected he was crying silently, and as Orin turned to Vahn, he watched Vahn take his weight of his rod, and raise it in the air. His still weak legs wobbled under his weight, but he stood tall, his face serious, though he looked a bit pained as well. A ray of bright light appeared from his rod, and enveloped Shale's body, but it still lye motionless, and after he had tried three times, Orin held his shoulder, and Vahn realized it was helpless. Shale was dead, and it couldn't be helped by tears nor spells, and Orin knew that the minute Niro's sword had pierced the thick steel armor.
"Orin." said Duran suddenly, his eyes slightly swollen from tears, "The soldiers are coming this way! We have to get out of here and find Kasha."
"Yeah…I understand we can't stay here." said Orin, as he looked up from the ground to Duran's reddened face.
"We can't shed tears for Shale forever, and we should be thankful that he gave his life to get us this far." said Vahn, as he began to prop himself up again with his staff.
They searched the castle for Kasha while trying to avoid enemy soldiers and skirmishes that were going on around the castle. The major battle between Niro and Shale's soldiers had slowly calmed, and most of the enemy had been liberated. Those who were not were either killed or thrown in jail. Orin found Kasha in his mother's room. She was sleeping soundly, and it didn't look as if harm had come to her. While Vahn to care of his sleeping sister, Orin and Duran returned to the dungeons in search of Elis. She was not treated as well as Kasha had been. Her dress was dirty and wet, and her face was spotted with dry blood. Orin let her down from her tight shackles, and he and Duran carried her to Bowie's room. When she awoke, they helped clean her.
"Orin," she said quietly as she pinned up her hair, "I shouldn't have let you leave…"
"But mother…I found a lead to were father might be…I--" Orin stopped, as she turned to him with tears in her eyes.
"I wanted to let you live a luxurious life, Orin." she said as tears began to flow. "Your father and I agreed not to tell you of anything that had happened to us those many years ago. We thought if you knew, you'd want to take after your father, and we didn't want you in any danger…"
"Mother, it doesn't matter where I go. I'll always come back…" said Orin, as he hugged is mother.
"As long as you promise…" she said, her voice muffled in Orin's shoulder.
"Of course." he said, and he turned and walked out.
Orin found Duran and Vahn waiting for him in the Hall. Vahn looked in perfect health again, and Duran looked still a bit upset over Shale.
"They will bury him tonight." said Vahn, as he looked from the ground to Orin. "Will we stay?"
"Not unless you feel we need to." Orin replied, as he looked to Duran.
"No. I'd like to, but we do need to get to Galam. Not to sound disrespectful, but we can pay are respects to Shale when we return." said Duran.
"Fine then, but we need someone to help my mother defend this castle. Niro might come back for this castle, and I want it to be ready just in case it comes under siege." said Orin, as they walked through the Hall toward the large castle entrance.
"You shouldn't worry, Orin. Sir Gyan is probably as ready as ever for a battle, and if anyone tries to take this castle, I'm sure he can take care of it." said Duran, as he looked to Orin, an expression of happiness on his face that had not been seen since the day they had walked toward Galam ruins.
"Yeah. The only real reason why Niro took away this castle was because Sir Gyan was still injured when he attacked." said Orin. "I'm still worried though. We'll have to hurry and find the source of these possessing spirits before everyone is overcome by them, including Sir Gyan."
Duran and Vahn both nodded and they walked on into the outer court of the castle. The sky was dark by now, and it was clear enough to see that it was brightly lit with the vivid stars of the heavens. Orin and the rest of them had rested before they set out, and they decided it best not to waste time, and travel at night.
Orin was a bit worried for Keith and Ikara, since he had not heard from them for at least a day. His worry disappeared as the two came walking toward them through the dark tunnel.
"Are you ok?" asked Ikara anxiously, as they met in the middle of the tunnel.
"Of course." replied Duran. "We can stand a few petty soldiers."
"How about you two then?" asked Vahn. "Were you attacked during the battle?"
"Actually," started Keith, "we went to visit Sir Gyan after seeing our families. He informed us of what had happened in the castle."
"We helped the soldiers when they rebelled against the enemy lord." added Ikara.
"Then he told you about Niro?" asked Orin, as they walked through the sleeping town toward the gates.
"Niro?" said Ikara curiously.
"He's the one who took the castle." said Duran and Vahn at once.
As they walked through the town gates into the vast field, they began to tell Ikara and Keith about what had happened in the castle. About how Kasha had been taken away, and how they had all been imprisoned by Niro's men. When they had finished, Ikara and Keith looked surprised, yet they felt bad that their friends had lost the one that freed them and helped them survive.
"I'm sorry such a thing had to happen." said Keith. "I wish I could have met a man as valiant as General Shale."
"May he rest in peace." murmured Ikara.
"We have other things to worry about now. Look." said Vahn as he pointed into the darkness ahead.
There, in the darkness of the night, stood a creature. The light of the moon and the stars were a bit dim, but Orin could make out the devil's hunched silhouette. It stood about ten yards from them, its body stooped over another figure, and the sound of flesh tearing and splattering blood began to grow. Orin focused on the figure, and saw that it was a dead man, but this man was victim to a devil Orin had never heard of before. It looked like a man, yet it had something about it that made its figure look obscure and misshapen. It was much larger than a normal man, and it had matted fur coving most of its body. To Orin's surprise, it wore a pair of torn pants, and a small cape that was smeared with mud and full of holes. Out of the corner of Orin's eye, he spotted Duran moving forward to get a better look.
"What in hell…?" he whispered, as he squinted to try and better his sight.
Suddenly, the figures ears perked up and it stopped feasting upon its prey. It stood slowly and turned its head to look at them, its body still slightly arched. It had the head of a wolf, and its razor sharp fangs protruded from under its blood stained jowls. Its eyes were as red as the blood of its victim, and they looked as if they were created from the flames of hell. It showed its bloody teeth and began to growl with agitation, and it spun fully around to look at his next victims.
"Oh no." said Vahn, eyes widening at the sight of the creature. "It's not a devil. It's a Werewolf."
Orin gulped and backed away from the angry beast and grabbed the hilt of he sheathed sword.
"Don't move Orin!" exclaimed Vahn, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. "Werewolves have the sharpest senses of any creature in the world. It can see you even on the darkest of nights."
Orin looked toward the werewolf, and gazed into the crimson eyes of his enemy. Aside from the eerie glow the eyes gave off, there was something strange about them, but Orin could not put his finger on it. The fur around the eyes was gone, and scar tissue stood in its place.
"Ok." agreed Orin. "I won't move."
Orin slowly moved his hand to his side, and stood tall, as the creature stared back into his nervous eyes. Without warning, the beast spun back around, and in a flash ripped up its victim's body from the ground, and sped off into the night. Orin heard both Keith and Duran let out a sigh of relief, and they all fell down on their backs into the tall grass of the plains.
"Wow. That was a close one." said Keith. "We were almost dog food."
"It was a disgusting event!" yelled Ikara. "That poor man was killed by that sordid creature."
"This makes no sense." said Duran, as he looked into the star spotted sky. "How could a werewolf be out on the night of a new moon? I thought they could only transform on the night of a full one."
"That's a myth." said Vahn, as he rolled over to face Duran. "Men transform into werewolves when they see or smell the blood of humans. The sight and smell gives them a thirst for blood and a hunger for mortal flesh."
Ikara cringed as Vahn spoke of the werewolves.
"If a werewolf bites a mortal, the human also becomes a werewolf." Vahn continued. "This doesn't happen often, considering werewolves attack to kill people, and not just to turn them into werewolves. In a werewolf state, they have no regard for the life of anyone, even loved ones."
Orin sat up in the grass and stared into the darkness ahead of him. He could only see about 25 yards ahead, but he could still spot the area of blood stained grass. A warm breeze brushed against Orin's face, and made the grass move like the waves of the ocean.
"We should go soon." said Orin. "We can't waste time just because we had an encounter with that creature."
"We have to wait a while longer." said Vahn, as he too sat up in the grass. "Werewolves tend to hunt in a certain area for about an hour. We have to wait until he leaves."
"Won't he try to find us then!?" exclaimed Keith as he jumped fearfully out of the grass.
"Sit down." chuckled Vahn. "He won't come back because he smells the blood of an already dead human here."
"Oh…" said Keith, trying to look as if he wasn't scared. "I…uh…wasn't scared…"
Keith sank back down into the grass, and Duran snickered at him from behind Ikara.
"Hey, shut up." said Keith defensively. "Dense oaf."
Duran chuckled a little louder after this, but Keith ignored him, and laid himself back down while grumbling curses.
About an hour and a half later, Orin stood, and turned to his troop. Duran had fallen asleep, and his snores had begun to annoy Ikara, who moved away from him slightly. Keith was still looking into the starry sky, while Vahn looked at Orin intently.
"I think it's time to go." said Orin, as he turned his back to them.
Duran awoke from a light sleep and yawned loudly, while the other three stood to follow Orin. Duran grabbed his axe and ran to catch up with them. They walked cautiously, just in case the werewolf was still about, toward the ruins of Galam.
"I hope we can reach Galam by morning." said Keith, who looked a bit tired.
"Me too." added Ikara, as she yawned loudly.
"Oh, I guess you didn't rest as long as we did." said Vahn. "We napped before we left, so we're ready for the rest of the night."
"Thanks. Just rub that in, won't you." said Keith sarcastically, as he gave an angry glance toward Vahn.
"Keith," laughed Orin, "You're so uptight. Relax a little, we're not trying to hurt your feelings or anything."
"Yeah." said Duran. "You just bring it upon yourself."
"Why you!" yelled Keith, as he struggled to get to Duran. Orin and Vahn grabbed tight around his arms, and he cursed at Duran loudly, and flailed in their grip.
Duran laughed, but apologized to Keith, who was steaming, and they walked on toward the ruins. Keith cooled off as they walked, and began to chat with Vahn while Duran stood in the back of the group, his axe at his side in case someone attacked. Once again, Ikara walked with Orin, but didn't speak a single word as they walked along in the darkness, with only the light of the stars to guide them.
"Orin?" asked Ikara finally, as she walked next to him, staring at the ground.
"Uh…yeah?" he said, a bit surprised she had begun talking with him.
"Do you really think we'll be able to reach the mainland?" she said worriedly, still looking at the ground. "Or even Galam?"
"Of course." he said hesitantly, as he remembered what he had been thinking on the night Kazin was possessed. "Why? Do you have any doubts?"
"Why wouldn't I?" asked Ikara, as she looked at Orin. "I've hardly ever even left home, never mind travel miles overseas to a foreign land."
"I felt the same way." said Orin openly. "That is, until I saw Kazin become possessed by that spirit. It changed my view, my ideas, my emotions. I felt like I had so much to do, and so little time to do it. I have no time to doubt myself. I have to help these people, like my father helped others."
"Yeah." agreed Ikara, as she smiled sweetly at Orin. "I guess people don't see the truth until they've had a revelation like that one, but I don't think I can handle something so critical. I'm not as strong willed as…you are."
Ikara looked at Orin, her face began to grow red as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"I want to come with you, but I don't think I'll be able to hold up and fight with the rest of you." she said, as tears began to fall from her cheeks.
"Ikara." said Orin, as he chuckled a bit. "This isn't something to get upset over. Don't worry about it. I…I'll help you…"
Orin looked at Ikara, his face filled with sincerity and compassion. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she smiled and looked at Orin, and her wet eyes seemed to thank him. They walked quietly toward the ruins of Galam, which had now appeared clearly in sight. As the sun began to rise, and the horizon glowed with brilliant shades of red and orange, Orin smiled, and for once, he was happy again.
Orin watched as the large white rod landed on the stone floor, making a loud clang. He lifted it up, and tossed to Vahn, who grabbed it and began to use it as a walking stick.
"Shale…" murmured Duran, as he looked toward Shale's motionless body.
Orin rushed to Shale's side, and rolled him onto his back. He lay there, his face drenched in crimson blood from the wound on his face, and blood was also dripping from his mouth. Orin looked at his bloodied face, waiting for his eyes to open. He wished he would stand and walk off the wound, saying the sword had only grazed him. Sadly, he did no such thing, and Orin put his body gently on the ground, and stood up. Duran was facing the wall behind him, and Orin suspected he was crying silently, and as Orin turned to Vahn, he watched Vahn take his weight of his rod, and raise it in the air. His still weak legs wobbled under his weight, but he stood tall, his face serious, though he looked a bit pained as well. A ray of bright light appeared from his rod, and enveloped Shale's body, but it still lye motionless, and after he had tried three times, Orin held his shoulder, and Vahn realized it was helpless. Shale was dead, and it couldn't be helped by tears nor spells, and Orin knew that the minute Niro's sword had pierced the thick steel armor.
"Orin." said Duran suddenly, his eyes slightly swollen from tears, "The soldiers are coming this way! We have to get out of here and find Kasha."
"Yeah…I understand we can't stay here." said Orin, as he looked up from the ground to Duran's reddened face.
"We can't shed tears for Shale forever, and we should be thankful that he gave his life to get us this far." said Vahn, as he began to prop himself up again with his staff.
They searched the castle for Kasha while trying to avoid enemy soldiers and skirmishes that were going on around the castle. The major battle between Niro and Shale's soldiers had slowly calmed, and most of the enemy had been liberated. Those who were not were either killed or thrown in jail. Orin found Kasha in his mother's room. She was sleeping soundly, and it didn't look as if harm had come to her. While Vahn to care of his sleeping sister, Orin and Duran returned to the dungeons in search of Elis. She was not treated as well as Kasha had been. Her dress was dirty and wet, and her face was spotted with dry blood. Orin let her down from her tight shackles, and he and Duran carried her to Bowie's room. When she awoke, they helped clean her.
"Orin," she said quietly as she pinned up her hair, "I shouldn't have let you leave…"
"But mother…I found a lead to were father might be…I--" Orin stopped, as she turned to him with tears in her eyes.
"I wanted to let you live a luxurious life, Orin." she said as tears began to flow. "Your father and I agreed not to tell you of anything that had happened to us those many years ago. We thought if you knew, you'd want to take after your father, and we didn't want you in any danger…"
"Mother, it doesn't matter where I go. I'll always come back…" said Orin, as he hugged is mother.
"As long as you promise…" she said, her voice muffled in Orin's shoulder.
"Of course." he said, and he turned and walked out.
Orin found Duran and Vahn waiting for him in the Hall. Vahn looked in perfect health again, and Duran looked still a bit upset over Shale.
"They will bury him tonight." said Vahn, as he looked from the ground to Orin. "Will we stay?"
"Not unless you feel we need to." Orin replied, as he looked to Duran.
"No. I'd like to, but we do need to get to Galam. Not to sound disrespectful, but we can pay are respects to Shale when we return." said Duran.
"Fine then, but we need someone to help my mother defend this castle. Niro might come back for this castle, and I want it to be ready just in case it comes under siege." said Orin, as they walked through the Hall toward the large castle entrance.
"You shouldn't worry, Orin. Sir Gyan is probably as ready as ever for a battle, and if anyone tries to take this castle, I'm sure he can take care of it." said Duran, as he looked to Orin, an expression of happiness on his face that had not been seen since the day they had walked toward Galam ruins.
"Yeah. The only real reason why Niro took away this castle was because Sir Gyan was still injured when he attacked." said Orin. "I'm still worried though. We'll have to hurry and find the source of these possessing spirits before everyone is overcome by them, including Sir Gyan."
Duran and Vahn both nodded and they walked on into the outer court of the castle. The sky was dark by now, and it was clear enough to see that it was brightly lit with the vivid stars of the heavens. Orin and the rest of them had rested before they set out, and they decided it best not to waste time, and travel at night.
Orin was a bit worried for Keith and Ikara, since he had not heard from them for at least a day. His worry disappeared as the two came walking toward them through the dark tunnel.
"Are you ok?" asked Ikara anxiously, as they met in the middle of the tunnel.
"Of course." replied Duran. "We can stand a few petty soldiers."
"How about you two then?" asked Vahn. "Were you attacked during the battle?"
"Actually," started Keith, "we went to visit Sir Gyan after seeing our families. He informed us of what had happened in the castle."
"We helped the soldiers when they rebelled against the enemy lord." added Ikara.
"Then he told you about Niro?" asked Orin, as they walked through the sleeping town toward the gates.
"Niro?" said Ikara curiously.
"He's the one who took the castle." said Duran and Vahn at once.
As they walked through the town gates into the vast field, they began to tell Ikara and Keith about what had happened in the castle. About how Kasha had been taken away, and how they had all been imprisoned by Niro's men. When they had finished, Ikara and Keith looked surprised, yet they felt bad that their friends had lost the one that freed them and helped them survive.
"I'm sorry such a thing had to happen." said Keith. "I wish I could have met a man as valiant as General Shale."
"May he rest in peace." murmured Ikara.
"We have other things to worry about now. Look." said Vahn as he pointed into the darkness ahead.
There, in the darkness of the night, stood a creature. The light of the moon and the stars were a bit dim, but Orin could make out the devil's hunched silhouette. It stood about ten yards from them, its body stooped over another figure, and the sound of flesh tearing and splattering blood began to grow. Orin focused on the figure, and saw that it was a dead man, but this man was victim to a devil Orin had never heard of before. It looked like a man, yet it had something about it that made its figure look obscure and misshapen. It was much larger than a normal man, and it had matted fur coving most of its body. To Orin's surprise, it wore a pair of torn pants, and a small cape that was smeared with mud and full of holes. Out of the corner of Orin's eye, he spotted Duran moving forward to get a better look.
"What in hell…?" he whispered, as he squinted to try and better his sight.
Suddenly, the figures ears perked up and it stopped feasting upon its prey. It stood slowly and turned its head to look at them, its body still slightly arched. It had the head of a wolf, and its razor sharp fangs protruded from under its blood stained jowls. Its eyes were as red as the blood of its victim, and they looked as if they were created from the flames of hell. It showed its bloody teeth and began to growl with agitation, and it spun fully around to look at his next victims.
"Oh no." said Vahn, eyes widening at the sight of the creature. "It's not a devil. It's a Werewolf."
Orin gulped and backed away from the angry beast and grabbed the hilt of he sheathed sword.
"Don't move Orin!" exclaimed Vahn, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. "Werewolves have the sharpest senses of any creature in the world. It can see you even on the darkest of nights."
Orin looked toward the werewolf, and gazed into the crimson eyes of his enemy. Aside from the eerie glow the eyes gave off, there was something strange about them, but Orin could not put his finger on it. The fur around the eyes was gone, and scar tissue stood in its place.
"Ok." agreed Orin. "I won't move."
Orin slowly moved his hand to his side, and stood tall, as the creature stared back into his nervous eyes. Without warning, the beast spun back around, and in a flash ripped up its victim's body from the ground, and sped off into the night. Orin heard both Keith and Duran let out a sigh of relief, and they all fell down on their backs into the tall grass of the plains.
"Wow. That was a close one." said Keith. "We were almost dog food."
"It was a disgusting event!" yelled Ikara. "That poor man was killed by that sordid creature."
"This makes no sense." said Duran, as he looked into the star spotted sky. "How could a werewolf be out on the night of a new moon? I thought they could only transform on the night of a full one."
"That's a myth." said Vahn, as he rolled over to face Duran. "Men transform into werewolves when they see or smell the blood of humans. The sight and smell gives them a thirst for blood and a hunger for mortal flesh."
Ikara cringed as Vahn spoke of the werewolves.
"If a werewolf bites a mortal, the human also becomes a werewolf." Vahn continued. "This doesn't happen often, considering werewolves attack to kill people, and not just to turn them into werewolves. In a werewolf state, they have no regard for the life of anyone, even loved ones."
Orin sat up in the grass and stared into the darkness ahead of him. He could only see about 25 yards ahead, but he could still spot the area of blood stained grass. A warm breeze brushed against Orin's face, and made the grass move like the waves of the ocean.
"We should go soon." said Orin. "We can't waste time just because we had an encounter with that creature."
"We have to wait a while longer." said Vahn, as he too sat up in the grass. "Werewolves tend to hunt in a certain area for about an hour. We have to wait until he leaves."
"Won't he try to find us then!?" exclaimed Keith as he jumped fearfully out of the grass.
"Sit down." chuckled Vahn. "He won't come back because he smells the blood of an already dead human here."
"Oh…" said Keith, trying to look as if he wasn't scared. "I…uh…wasn't scared…"
Keith sank back down into the grass, and Duran snickered at him from behind Ikara.
"Hey, shut up." said Keith defensively. "Dense oaf."
Duran chuckled a little louder after this, but Keith ignored him, and laid himself back down while grumbling curses.
About an hour and a half later, Orin stood, and turned to his troop. Duran had fallen asleep, and his snores had begun to annoy Ikara, who moved away from him slightly. Keith was still looking into the starry sky, while Vahn looked at Orin intently.
"I think it's time to go." said Orin, as he turned his back to them.
Duran awoke from a light sleep and yawned loudly, while the other three stood to follow Orin. Duran grabbed his axe and ran to catch up with them. They walked cautiously, just in case the werewolf was still about, toward the ruins of Galam.
"I hope we can reach Galam by morning." said Keith, who looked a bit tired.
"Me too." added Ikara, as she yawned loudly.
"Oh, I guess you didn't rest as long as we did." said Vahn. "We napped before we left, so we're ready for the rest of the night."
"Thanks. Just rub that in, won't you." said Keith sarcastically, as he gave an angry glance toward Vahn.
"Keith," laughed Orin, "You're so uptight. Relax a little, we're not trying to hurt your feelings or anything."
"Yeah." said Duran. "You just bring it upon yourself."
"Why you!" yelled Keith, as he struggled to get to Duran. Orin and Vahn grabbed tight around his arms, and he cursed at Duran loudly, and flailed in their grip.
Duran laughed, but apologized to Keith, who was steaming, and they walked on toward the ruins. Keith cooled off as they walked, and began to chat with Vahn while Duran stood in the back of the group, his axe at his side in case someone attacked. Once again, Ikara walked with Orin, but didn't speak a single word as they walked along in the darkness, with only the light of the stars to guide them.
"Orin?" asked Ikara finally, as she walked next to him, staring at the ground.
"Uh…yeah?" he said, a bit surprised she had begun talking with him.
"Do you really think we'll be able to reach the mainland?" she said worriedly, still looking at the ground. "Or even Galam?"
"Of course." he said hesitantly, as he remembered what he had been thinking on the night Kazin was possessed. "Why? Do you have any doubts?"
"Why wouldn't I?" asked Ikara, as she looked at Orin. "I've hardly ever even left home, never mind travel miles overseas to a foreign land."
"I felt the same way." said Orin openly. "That is, until I saw Kazin become possessed by that spirit. It changed my view, my ideas, my emotions. I felt like I had so much to do, and so little time to do it. I have no time to doubt myself. I have to help these people, like my father helped others."
"Yeah." agreed Ikara, as she smiled sweetly at Orin. "I guess people don't see the truth until they've had a revelation like that one, but I don't think I can handle something so critical. I'm not as strong willed as…you are."
Ikara looked at Orin, her face began to grow red as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"I want to come with you, but I don't think I'll be able to hold up and fight with the rest of you." she said, as tears began to fall from her cheeks.
"Ikara." said Orin, as he chuckled a bit. "This isn't something to get upset over. Don't worry about it. I…I'll help you…"
Orin looked at Ikara, his face filled with sincerity and compassion. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she smiled and looked at Orin, and her wet eyes seemed to thank him. They walked quietly toward the ruins of Galam, which had now appeared clearly in sight. As the sun began to rise, and the horizon glowed with brilliant shades of red and orange, Orin smiled, and for once, he was happy again.