Druids Rise

Chapter 17~ what we saw

The sun rose and with it so did I after a refresing night back in the castle I got up and readied myself for the day Katiline walking in and greating me with a smile and some breakfast which I ate as I looked out over the chaos from the night before knights and squires finding their horses far from their tents in the royal stables while other knights were found by their squires laying dead in the strangest of ways that could not be explained.

"Trystan did you see yet?" said Uther as he walked into my room fully dressed and ready to go.

 "yes I have what could have done this?" I asked him as I stood at the window looking out at the grand ruin of the jousting tents.

 "I have not the slightest idea and your royal physician has looked at the bodies and he too does not know what caused the deathes of the knights the way in which they died is a mystery" Uther said as he joined me.

"Well then we have to find out what it is for ourselves then" I said as I shared my breakfast with him.

 "yes but perhaps after we consult the king he seems to be obsessed with the fact that it was some kind of assasin but it had to be magic wouldn't you think so Trystan" he said as he took a swig of wine.

"yes thats the only thing I can think of is magic but magic users have all but fallen I would think though it is odd the way the bodies of the knights look it's as if something drained the color from them then took the life from them as if the life essence had been drawn out for some dark use" said a man from behind us the royal physician standing in the doorway of my chambers.

"Azorius how long have you been lingering there?" I asked looking at the man puzzled.

 "Long enough to know that your father has gone half mad" he responded entering the room and walking towards us.

 "this was not made by any natural cause no and nor was it made by a source of living power" he said looking at us.

 "what do you mean by living power Azorius?" I asked more confued then before.

"This darkness came from the dead and with it what is called a shadow beast they are shadow creatures risen from a memory or a feeling this one looked like it was a fallen dragon rider if left to wander the shadow will do unthinkable things I have seen them take villages in a single pass we must stop it" he said as he lead us up to his study.

"Well how do we stop this so called shadow beast?" Uther said as he looked around at the books scaning the binding for some kind of indication for the right book.

 "that is why we look in a book that will not be on the self in plain sight Prince uther I have hidden this book because it's pages are filled with the ancient arts" he said opening the book.

"So we are looking for a shadow beast in this book then" I said flipping a page of the book.

 "yes but that is the hard way to do it Prince Trystan we wont simply look through the book it would take to long" then he paused and spoke "boloca pagorius shadorn beasrotian" the book racing through it's pages until it finally laid flat showing an exact image of what we had seen the night before.

"It looks just like a puff of smoke with a sort of shape in the middle" Uther said looking at the book and starting to read the page out loud "the only way to rid yourself of a shadow beast is to....shower the image with light or offer the shadow with something to calm it and put it to rest again as a last resort use the spell.." then he was cut off.

 "Don't you dare carry on speaking Uther you are no warlock" said Azorius quite harshly.

"well then we must find someone who is" he said sharply back before slamming the book closed and walking out of the study.

"perhaps the warlock of Fredicrion can help?" I asked looking at Azorius.

 "I am afraid the message would not reach Fredicrion in time but maybe it would reach the village of kaliora there is a warlock there that may be able to cast a spell like this he's not to far out of reach either Trystan" He said before following me out.

"we must leave at once to find him in the village who knows where he will be get some horses ready and bring only what you need we will travel light to save the horses" Azorius said and I nodded in understanding going to my chamber and dressing in something else other than my royal cloths looking more like a villager even Starling being tacked in diffrent gear than normal.

"Azorius are you ready?" I said as we mounted and he gave me a nod the horses troting off out of the stables and into the streets and through the main square taking us to the main gate that would lead us out into the woods that led to the village of Kaliora where we would find the warlock that would vanquish our new found foe and bring peace before war began.