Shadows

Angie gazed down upon Robert’s pale, impassive face as her tears ran down her cheeks and onto his forehead. She held a shaking, blood-stained hand up to his face and gently stroked his cheek, shivering as she felt how cold he was to touch.

“Please… I don’t want you to go…” she mumbled softly to herself as she watched Robert’s chest rise and fall at ragged intervals. There was nothing more she could do. Nothing more she could give. No plan. No… what was that sound?

Angie rose her head and began to look around. She knew she was shaking with nerves, but it was as if the timbers of the building seemed to be shaking too. An old rusting bath tub by the door fell over and a clang resounded around the otherwise silent farmhouse. There was a rumbling growing deep down, however, which seemed strong enough to rock the foundations of the building.

What new nightmare was this? groaned Angie to herself as the roaring of the earth intensified. Instinctively she backed towards Robert. Had the Olossa found them already?

Well, if she about to die, then fine! She’d done everything she could. Angie had no idea what she really believed happened after death, but if there was an afterlife she’d be joining Verne, Polo and Robert. Her real parents would be there too as well, she thought to herself as an old timber dropped to the ground next to her.

And if the Olossa were about to kill everyone, then so would everyone else… Angie trailed off. Kel, and her father too… Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad? It certainly couldn’t be worse than the tortured existence she’d been living over the past week.

Still, it hadn’t been all bad, she pondered to herself in a moment of tranquillity. She’d met some wonderful people on her journey – Godfrey and Mrs Gambol, that bizarre gentleman Duvet Verc-Lean, and Robert and Kel of course.

The first real friends she’d ever had. And now one of them was nearly dead, and she no idea where the other was.

As an apothecary she’d got used to fighting death. You couldn’t save everyone, of course, but you saved as many as you could. You couldn’t be afraid of death because otherwise it would overwhelm you. Angie had been fighting death all the way from Velayne and she felt like she’d been losing every step of the way.

She’d defeated the Skadirr and seen the man who hired Verne and killed Polo die, but it hadn’t brought her any satisfaction. Not really. It hadn’t brought Verne back. It hadn’t brought Polo back. Even if now she could find a way to defeat the King of the Olossa for killing Robert, it wouldn’t bring him back.

But that didn’t mean giving in.

You couldn’t save everyone, but you saved as many as you could. If she gave up now then the Olossa would only kill more people, and there was no way she was letting anyone else experience the grief she’d been battling.

“Come on, then!” Angie yelled defiantly as the house shook and crumbled around her. “Come on, I’m ready for you! You may well kill me, but I’m not giving in! Not now!”

The ground exploded in front of her, rotten wood splintering and flying everywhere. She saw a towering man step forth from the hole in the ground and recognised him as one of the Olossa. Angie leapt forwards, dagger drawn and screamed defiance as he rose to meet her.

“Hey! Hold up there!” cried Kel as she emerged, blinking dirt out of her eyes. She saw Angie slashing wildly at Varkun, and rushed to grab her and hold her still. “Angie, stop! It’s me! He’s on our side!”

“What? Kel?!” Angie yelled in response, fighting back tears and rage as a smile crossed her lips. “You’re alive?”

“Yes, I’m alive! And my father too!” Kel beamed. “I’m so glad you’re alive too! Where’s Robert?”

Kel watched as Angie’s face fell and paled. She dropped the dagger from her hands and turned round towards an old table covered with dust, wood chippings, and…

“Oh, no,” Kel breathed, seeing the lifeless form of Robert lying sprawled on the table. “He’s not?”

Another look at Angie’s face told her all she needed to know.

“I did what I could,” sobbed Angie, “but he’s too badly hurt…”

The girls collapsed into each other’s arms as Ambriel stepped forth from the hole in the ground, shaking dirt and rock out of his hair.

“I told you the ground here felt different. It’s a building,” stated Varkun.

“Yes, alright,” nodded Ambriel. “So have we made it to Alderbay, then? Wait, what’s going on?” he asked, noticing Kel and Angie embracing. Then he saw Robert on the table. “Oh, dear…”

Kel watched as her father rushed over to Robert, inspected his wound, and pressed his head to his chest. He quietly held place for a moment, then grabbed Robert’s wrist and felt for a pulse.

“Is he-?” asked Kel, unable to bring herself to say the words.

“Not yet,” replied Ambriel, shaking his head. Kel felt Angie sob and gasp in her arms. “But he might be soon if I don’t get to work quickly. I just hope my magic has recovered enough to be able to do this. Varkun, give me a hand would you?” he asked, beckoning the giant of a man over.

“What are you going to do?” asked Angie. “What’s going on?”

“Using our magic to heal is never easy, I’m afraid,” Ambriel sighed, rolling up his sleeves. “It’s a lot more suited to destruction, but it’s not impossible to tweak it to be a force for good. You’ve done an excellent job trying to stem the bleeding, but it won’t do any good if you can’t repair the wounds caused.”

“I know,” sniffed Angie. “I didn’t have any equipment to sew up the cuts.”

“Well, no worries,” replied Ambriel, positioning himself over Robert and placing his hands palm down over Robert’s gaping wound. “Varkun, if you would be so good as to channel some of your magic into me temporarily, I’ll do my best to heal him. I’ll need quiet so I can concentrate, please.”

“You can save him?” asked Angie incredulously.

“Can you, father? Can you heal him?” chimed in Kel, her heart rising in her chest.

“I will do my best.” replied Ambriel diplomatically. “It won’t be easy, and the poor boy is almost gone. But I will do what I can. Now please, if I may have some quiet? Ready when you are, Varkun.”

Kel and Angie watched in nervous silence as they watched Varkun close his eyes and seem to push a pale green light through the air towards Ambriel. Ambriel took a deep breath and then exhaled, his hands starting to glow green too. He leant forwards, pressing his hands against Robert’s wound, who gave a brief wince and mumbled something softly.

The sun wasn’t up when Abraham Ingleworth rose from his bed. He never slept too well these days, what with having to get up about ten times in the night to visit the outhouse. Usually after the tenth time he knew it would be getting close to dawn, so would decide to just get up then and head down to the docks to start getting his boat ready for the days fishing.

Abraham lived alone in a little cottage on the outskirts of Alderbay, and he considered himself very lucky with his lot in life. He’d been married to a wonderful woman, had many wonderful children and grandchildren, and apart from the toilet issues and an occasionally dodgy back he’d kept his health well into his old age. He’d lived in Alderbay so long he was as much a part of it as the cobbles on the main street.[38]

As he stepped out onto his front step, slinging his fishing basket over one shoulder and grabbing his rod with the other, he couldn’t help but notice the horizon looked a lot lighter than it normally did at this hour. Certainly it was summer, he thought to himself, and the days were longer during these months anyway, but something about the orange glow didn’t seem right.

It was in the east, for definite, but as Abraham squinted to take a better look he couldn’t help but notice the light seemed to be coming from a fire. Had the forest caught alight in the night? It had been a very warm, very dry summer, and forest fires weren’t unheard of. The last one had happened many moons ago, though, back when Abraham had been a small boy.

He had to warn the town. If the wind caught the fire it could be bearing down on Alderbay in a matter of hours and the whole town could turn to ash.

Fortis strolled along the western road, torching trees, vast swathes of grass, and the road indiscriminately. He’d burnt the wagon and cart to the ground after Varkun, Ambriel and Keliashyrr had escaped and stormed off on foot, the single overriding thought in his mind being that he wanted to bring death and destruction to as many as possible. He was angrier than he’d ever been before, and Marielle could tell.

“I was supposed to be the greatest leader in the entire history of the Olossa!” He raged to the world. “That was what my father always said! And I was, wasn’t I? I made myself King, didn’t I? The people loved me, didn’t they?!” Fortis growled, breathing fire. “So why do I find myself in this situation, Marielle? Why do I find myself one of the four remaining members of our race, betrayed and abandoned by two of them, bearing down on a measly human fishing village?! How could the mighty Fortis Arcturus, Lord of the Fire Spire and King of the Olossa, come to this?!”

“I’m still here, my king,” Marielle reassured him nervously. She knew madness when she saw it, and right now Fortis was a shining beacon of insanity. He’d been dancing on the precipice of chaos for a long time now and Varkun’s betrayal had seemed to be the last straw – the last little push to send him tumbling. “Forget my traitorous brother and that filth Varkun. I’ve always been loyal to you!”

“Are you, though?” growled Fortis, spinning to face her. “That was what Varkun kept saying, and look what happened there! Are you just another betrayal waiting to happen?!”

“My king?!” Marielle gasped, recoiling in shock. She’d never imagined he’d turn on her. “I would do no such thing! My loyalty has always belonged to you!”

“That is precisely what Varkun said!” Fortis raged, fire bristling at his itching fingertips. He ground and gnashed his teeth, practically frothing at the mouth, and his skin was waxy and pallid, a thin sheen of sweat across his brow. Sick with anger Fortis advanced upon Marielle, his limbs striking out angrily and wildly, giving him the disturbing appearance of a deranged marionette loose from its strings.

“You’re in this together, aren’t you?! Laughing at me behind my back, just waiting to drive the dagger home! It wasn’t my fault our race died – it was Ambriel’s, it was the humans! They’ll die and burn and pay for what they did!!”

“Yes, yes they will!” Marielle nodded wildly, hoping to reassure Fortis. “We’ll do so together, just like we’d planned all those years in the Orb!”

“Yes, yes of course,” nodded Fortis, shaking himself wearily back to some semblance of sanity. “Like we planned, like we planned… it’s all going to plan…”

In the near distance came a clanging sound, the frenzied sound of clashing metal ringing out across the night sky. Fortis grinned and his attention was drawn back towards the buildings on the horizon. He rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“Ah… we shall have a welcome committee, it seems…”

Godfrey saw the orange glow on the horizon before he reached the town square, where he found Abraham was busy ringing the town bell with as much gusto as his aged, wiry arms would allow. The bell was clanging back and forth with such ferocity Godfrey wondered if the poor man could stop ringing the bell, or if indeed he had passed that point and the bell was now ringing him.

“Abe!” Godfrey shouted over the continuous ringing, pushing past dazed and half-asleep people milling about. Some who hadn’t spotted the approaching blaze were grumpy and annoyed at being woken up so early, whereas those who had seen it were already beginning to try and organise some form of rudimentary bucket chain and inform the former group of the danger. “Abe, what’s going on?” Godfrey called.

“Fire!” replied the man, rocking back and forth as he was dragged along by the bell’s momentum. “There’s a forest fire closing in! Man the buckets!”

“Right,” nodded Godfrey, turning back to the crowd and beginning to tell as many people as he could what was going on. “Ben! Ed!” he called, spotting two familiar, if dopey, faces in the crowd.

“What’s going on, Godfrey?” asked Ben, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Old Abe think he saw a ghost again, did he? Or is it a wolf this time?”

“It’s a fire,” replied Godfrey, and Ben shook himself awake.

“A fire?” asked Edgar. “Are you sure?”

“Can you not see the glow on the horizon?” asked Godfrey, pointing behind him.

“Oh. I thought that was just the sunrise.” shrugged Edgar.

“At this hour?”

“Well, what hour is it?”

“That doesn’t matter!” sighed Godfrey exasperatedly. “Go and join the bucket chain, the both of you! If you see Tom or Dan get them to join in too!”

“Is it just me or can you see two figures coming over the hill?” asked Ben. Godfrey turned and squinted into the darkness. It was probably just a trick of the light, but there did seem to be two silhouettes striding down the road towards them.

“What the devil are they doing out in the middle of a fire?” began Godfrey, but then he saw one of the silhouettes extend its arms and great gouts of dark orange flames erupting forth, drenching the surrounding woodland in searing light.

“What the devil are they?!” Godfrey gasped as the screaming began.

“So how did you escape?” asked Angie quietly, not taking her eyes off Robert as Ambriel stood over him, deep in concentration.

“Well, that’s all thanks to Varkun over there,” replied Kel, pointing at the giant of a man who stood hunched over, trying to avoid hitting his head on the low hanging roof beams. “I don’t really know much about him to be honest with you, but he seems to have been an old friend of my father. He helped us escape, then tunnelled us here.”

“Yes, I noticed,” nodded Angie, her eyes briefly flitting to the giant hole in the ground where they’d emerged from a little while ago. “But how did you know to come here?”

“That was a bit of trial and error, really,” shrugged Kel, scratching the back of her neck. “Varkun said he could feel the difference in the earth around us and would know when we got towards the coast and buildings. After popping up in the middle of the forest a few times we made it here. We were aiming for Alderbay, but I’m glad we ended up here instead. Where actually are we?”

“It’s an old abandoned farmhouse halfway between Clifftop and Alderbay,” answered Angie. “I came here a few days ago when I was first looking for Robert after he took the Orb to safety. Not long before we first met you, actually.”

“Right,” nodded Kel, “so we’re not far from Alderbay?”

“Not that far, no. Are you thinking of going there?”

“Yes. We have to. Father and I have a plan to stop Fortis and Marielle – we’re going to destroy the Orb.”

“But won’t that mean you and your father will die too?” asked Angie, turning to Kel.

“Possibly,” nodded Kel. “But it’s the only way. We’re simply not strong enough to defeat them in a battle.”

“I… I understand,” sighed Angie, bowing her head. “It’s just – if your father… can’t save Robert… and if you die as well, then…”

“I know,” said Kel, gently pulling Angie in for a hug which she didn’t resist. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s selfish of me, I know,” sniffed Angie. “I’ve just lost so much…”

“I’m sorry about Polo. I didn’t get the chance to say before. He was trying to protect me when he…” Kel trailed off, her eyes watering.

“Stupid old dog,” sniffed Angie again. “Why did he have to be so brave? Why do you? Why does Robert? I thought I was strong. I thought I could hold it all together. Now I just… I just want to go home. I want to go back to Velayne; back to how it used to be.”

“So do I,” rumbled Varkun, rising like a glacier and turning to face Angie. “I long for the olden days. When I had a family, and friends, and a home. All that is lost now.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Angie meekly. “I know you must have lost more than I can imagine.”

“A loss is a loss,” shrugged Varkun. “Who are we to say which loss means more?” The man paused. “Do you think I am strong?” he asked.

“You certainly look it,” laughed Angie weakly, and Varkun smiled softly.

“Perhaps. Though physical strength is not the same as mental strength, or emotional strength. Feeling lost, angry, sad – this is not the same as weakness, either. It is a natural reaction to grief. It is how I have felt every day since my race was lost.” The giant of a man stepped forwards and laid a hand on Angie that eclipsed her shoulder. “You do not forget that pain. But you must not let it rule your life, either. That is a dangerous path.”

“Well said, Varkun,” nodded Ambriel from across the room before returning his focus to Robert. Angie sniffed once more and brushed a tear from her cheek.

“Thank you,” she said, and Varkun nodded silently, then slowly walked back over to a corner of the room and sat down on an overturned pot.

“I think,” began Ambriel cautiously, lowering his hands and dispelling the soft green glow, “I think Robert here is stable. I can’t see any more sources of bleeding. That’s not to say he’s alright – he’s still in a very critical condition – but I don’t think he’s going to get any worse.”

Angie’s heart leapt and she gasped gratefully, almost falling to her knees. Beside her Kel sighed and smiled and the two girls embraced each other in happiness.

“Thank you! Thank you!” Angie beamed, racing over to give Ambriel a hug too. Kel followed shortly after, nuzzling up against her father and clutching tight to his robes.

“Thank you, father,” she smiled softly, and Ambriel stroked her hair gently.

“Easy now,” he smiled, “we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“It l-looks like we are,” came a faint voice from the table. “We seem to b-be in a building of sorts…”

Angie grinned and began to cry as she turned to see Robert opening his eyes hesitantly and looking around. He tried to sit up but Angie rushed over and gently pressed him back down to the table.

“Take it easy,” she smiled through happy tears. “Don’t push yourself. You’ve had a bad injury.”

“I feel awful,” Robert groaned. “What happened?”

“You were stabbed through the stomach by Fortis,” explained Angie. “I managed to carry you down to this farmhouse, and then Ambriel, Kel and Varkun – that’s this gentlemen,” said Angie, pointing across to Varkun. Robert rolled his head over to follow her finger and looked at the man, who looked back and nodded. “Then they caught up to us and Ambriel was able to stop your bleeding with magic. You’re not completely healed, but apparently you’re stable for now.”

“T-thank you,” said Robert, raising his head slightly to look at Ambriel.

“You are more than welcome. Keliashyrr has been telling me how the two of you,” Ambriel said, nodding to Angie and Robert, “have been looking after my little girl. It was the least I could do to return the favour. Besides, Angie had already done a good job of stemming the bleeding before I got here. I didn’t really do that much.”

“You did a great deal,” replied Angie. “Now, please – Kel has told me your plan to destroy the Orb. What can I do to help you?”

“Oh, no,” said Ambriel, shaking his head. “It’s far too dangerous for you to come with us. You should stay here and look after Robert.”

“I’m c-coming with, too!” Robert croaked, choking as he tried to sit up. Angie pressed him gently but firmly back down to the table.

“You’re not going anywhere,” she instructed. “You’re in no fit state to walk, let alone enter a battle. I nearly lost you once before, I am not running that risk again.”

“Quite right,” nodded Ambriel. “Angie, you should stay here and look after Robert with Kel.”

“What?” asked Kel in surprise. “I’m coming with you, father!”

“No,” stated Ambriel strictly. “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you. As Angie said, I’m not letting you enter a battle. I can’t afford to lose you. Varkun and I shall go alone.”

“But I might die if the Orb is destroyed anyway, so why shouldn’t I come with?” complained Kel.

“The two of you don’t even know how to get to Alderbay!” interrupted Angie.

“I’m the only one who’s b-been there before,” began Robert.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Angie replied, shushing him.

“Look, surely it makes sense to have as many of us trying to get our hands on the Orb as possible?” asked Kel. Ambriel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“You’re not going to be able to stop them from coming, Ambriel.” said Varkun, plodding over towards the group. “So we might as well plan together than all try and pull in different directions.”

There was a pause, and Angie looked between Varkun and Ambriel as they locked eyes and there was an unspoken battle of wills.

“You’re right, of course,” sighed Ambriel eventually, surveying the group until his eyes rested on Kel. “You’re as headstrong as your mother, you know? I wish you’d been able to meet her.”

“So do I,” nodded Kel sadly. “But we can’t change the past.”

“We can change the future,” said Angie softly but adamantly.

“We can try,” nodded Ambriel. “It’s up to us, then – it falls on us five to stop Fortis and Marielle from wiping out humanity. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to need a plan…”

[38] Which was, for no apparent reason, called Second Street. It wasn’t as if there was a First Street.