Chapter 1: The Forbidden Woods
Aurora walked into the Forbidden Woods without fear. She was going to prove that those humans, who spoke the legends with terror and superstition, wrong. Superstition ran so free here in the Western Lands. Of course, it had been many years since these people had seen a goblin, especially one as dark skinned as herself. Creatures, who wore mostly black and hid themselves in the shadows didn’t get pleasant welcomes. Aurora had learned early in her life that black was essential to the hunted and the hunters, because it befriends the shadows. It was not that she feared her hunters. She could well fend for herself, but it would keep the unplanned knife or arrow from her back. It had taken much of her will power to stay her sword. She had to remind herself that she was on a quest for knowledge. Useful information did not come from the dead or the vengeful.
To be honest, she would have much preferred to have stayed at home and never have seen these lands and their people, but her husband needed her to see this quest through. He had fallen to the curse of the Shadow Demons, and she must find a way to rescue him from their curse and his ultimate fate. He was already losing his memories of himself and becoming one of them. There was once a story she had heard as a child about the destruction of the Shadow Demons, and all those who had been cursed within that year would be freed. It had been three months at least for her husband. How was the Shadow Demons to be destroyed? She didn’t get that end of the story. The people she had heard the stories from would not tell her. They were either servants to the Dark Lord that created them or dead, and she was not on good terms with either way. It was more of a teasing taunt from her childhood. Not to mention, those people had a far share of scores to settle with her.
So, she was left with two choices. She could find the father of her race and ask him. There was no proof that he would have the answer. She seriously doubted that he actually existed anyway. He did not stay long in one place, and she found it hard to believe that someone could live since the twenty-fifth year of the life of the World. She had never seen him. She huffed and threw back her long, black hair. Morithil’s people, who sometimes spoke of him sometimes, tended to make up things to fit the story.
She had set out two months ago with her horse packed down with supplies to try the other option. She traveled to these lands where legends lived so vividly with these people, who have been isolated for so long. Still, fear lived strongly with these people. The unknown brought about great violence. The only thing that she had heard that remotely dealt with ancient history and things of lore had to do with these woods that she now passed into. Of course, the people here had done many things that they thought would protect them from her. She found many of their actions, if not amusing, if not interesting.
The woods were suppose to be haunted by an evil spirit, who had destroyed all life that had once lived there. Aurora looked up at the dark thick trees. They were wrong on that point. If any living creature ventured the woods, this monster would not only devour his life but the soul as well. The people of the village were more than happy to push her in that direction. Aurora’s hair bristled on the back of her neck. Something had happened here. The trees were unnaturally green. The death of the season had not touched the firm green canopy of leaves. These were not the strange trees with the sharp, thin, pointed leaves of winter trees. These were like the trees of her home forest that changed and died during the cold months. It also was a bit more chilled here than it should be. The temperature had dropped drastically since she passed into the total darkness that the interweaving branches created. Aurora shrugged it off. She had been in darker places and her race was bred for the darkness of underground living. Besides, the restless spirit would be gone after seven hundred years. Nothing lasted that long.
The gentle warm autumn air that had caressed her face that night had ceased as soon as she stepped into the woods. The chatter of the night creatures had silenced. Even though it was soon after twilight, it was dark as the darkest hour of a moonless night. Her body gave a shiver and a chill rushed down her spine. Her horse reared and would have bolted from the woods, if Aurora had not pulled hard on his reins to keep him steady and forward. This was very odd. Manle was a special breed of horse that the Dark Lords had used for their less than savory minions, and they tended to be afraid of very little natural predator or not so natural ones. Against her companion’s and her own misgivings, she continued forward.
