A Kingdom in Half Light

Chapter 4; When Fires Met

Four years passed, four dark, treacherous years. Full of the terror formed by evil, and no one to end the darkness.

The throne it is without a king,

In the great hall no jesters sing,

The Crown it is without a head,

In the great hall no speeches said,

The sword it is without a hand,

There is no king in this great land.

The Earls guards had destroyed the monarchy. Now they seemed to oppose all that was good, had they forgotten why they were there? Their leaders had, like so many, been twisted by greed. Destroyed by their true enemy.

Soon they spread their powers out and started to take lands from further away. I knew it was only a short while until it was the turn of our village. So upon the fourth month of 1347 I left. My destination was the port of Mygellen, south of the Gamrelc Square.

My leaving was not a real shock to my friends. Since the Earls death they had reckoned I had changed: They were right.

It was a four-day journey by cart, I had to walk, and two weeks it took me. Whilst walking I learnt how dark these times were, the trees no longer blossomed, the flowers shrivelled.

When I finally reached Mygellen there wasn’t a ship free. They were packed. I headed then for the inn by the name of Gyralths Sword, it was small and lit only by a few candles. I met no other visitors save one who kept his face covered and never spoke. The barman gave me a room for the night and I went upstairs so I could sleep.

My dreams were troubled, emptied of all things good. Tortured souls bearing down at me, dark shadows looming upon the horizon.

I awoke abruptly to the sound of knocking. It was still dark and I could not of been asleep for more than three hours. Cautiously I opened the door. The other visitor I had seen was there, his face covered by a dark hood and breathed heavily, in a way I was sure I knew.

“Who-” I began.

The stranger interrupted me, “I thought I would never see you again, I bring terrible news.”

He stepped forward and removed his hood. It was Mirgrin. His face seemed more scared than it had been the last time I saw it. A few cuts on his face were bleeding.

“News?” I asked.

“Yes, terrible news. The Crown is not dead, he is back.”

“What?” I said in hushed tones.

“He is raising an army in the heart of the dark lands. Soon he shall have a force several thousand strong!” Exclaimed Mirgrin. “I have seen the future, oh so dark. But what a feeling, to feel all that is to be great mixed with all the terrors of the world in one moment. To know all in a place where nothing exists. Such power was given to me.”

“You saw the future.” I said, stunned.

“Yes, Gwell taught me to do it, he showed me how dark these next years were to be. The future is all but gone.”

“What is there to do?” I asked.

“Everything, we must wait here until we hear word it is safe.” Said Mirgrin.

“Safe?” I said questioningly.

“You think that the Crown would let us walk away free, we who know so much. No, he is still searching for us. We are best to wait.” Mirgrin answered.

We did not attempt to leave for the next two weeks, for they were still searching, burning and pillaging, lighting the night sky with fire and sparks. The moons light the only defence of shadow.

It wasn’t until snow and frost drove them from their quest that we set off. We were heading for the vast plains of Myslick, a place of devils and dancing flame.

I remember the day clearly, it was misty, and thunder rumbled off to the east. There was no wind and the day seemed empty of all thoughts. We started early to get away before any prying eyes could catch us. Three hours in we stopped for some breakfast, by this time the thunder had stopped and the mist was dying away. We were on a hill slope thickly forested with trees. There was the sound of water carried on the air but we saw not one stream.

We sat down and Mirgrin took several chipped mugs from his bag.

“Have a drink,” he said, pulling a bottle filled with a murky blue liquid from his bag.

“What is it?” I asked.

“This is ogre blood,” said Mirgrin “It makes you grow strong.”

“No thanks, I think I’ll pass,” I said.

So we ate and drank until the sun reached high enough to peep over the hills. The mist had cleared completely by now, there seemed to be some smoke to the south. We ventured down to find a camp, seemingly deserted.

“Who was it?” I murmured.

“Greps,” muttered Mirgrin.

“Who-” I said.

Mirgrin interrupted; “They are dark creatures, to evil to live. They are what the Crown uses for scouts in his armies.”

Mirgrin turned, for a split second the sun caught his face, throwing his scars into sharp relief. I took a step backwards. Mirgrin didn’t appear to notice. There was a long silence, no one quite sure what to say. The wind blew calmly across the slope, bending and twisting the trees. There was something mystical about the suns gaze, the shadows were long and dark, mourning the hills tragic past.

Mirgrin and I set off later that day knowing the enemy was close behind, we stopped at Methcarn, this is the place Mirgrin expected to find his friend. We arrived to find the place almost deserted, there was just the garrison left, a group of fifty or so armed men. They claimed that “Dark Beings” had come and taken everyone, they spoke of evil and dark deeds. They, the only ones spared.

Mirgrin seemed terrified by this fact but I knew not why. Later that day I confronted him and he told me the terrible truth, which only a few people knew.

“They need sacrifices for the ritual of the meeting fires. It is said that in times of darkness the evil lords performed a ritual to create eternal darkness, forcing shadow upon the land. When the fires meet all light is swallowed. We have little time.”