Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition (5 page)

At rare times, he would trade in
cities that were built in faraway lands. It was not the most
glamorous of lives, but it was a lifestyle that was cherished by
both Leon and his wife, Victoria. It was here that they proudly
raised their two sons, Vartan and Finn. Vartan was the elder of the
two boys and was today celebrating his fourteenth birthday.

The farm was built near a
freshwater river, which could always be depended upon to provide
fish for supper. There was one lonely dirt path which led from the
farm to the nearest town. It made its way like a snake, slithering
through thick forests that led past the Elven Woods. Marithia’s
forests were thick and lush with greenery, with wild mushrooms and
flowers painting a kaleidoscope of colours throughout the highlands
that were worthy of an artist's brush strokes.

Leon felt Victoria’s warm, soft
hands ease their way onto his sore shoulders as she spoke. "You‘re
tense today and the day is long. It’s strange, isn't it? Growing
old? I’ll never forget the day we found each other."

Leon placed the carving on a
nearby table, leaned back to enjoy her massage, and breathed a deep
sigh. "I’m just waiting for our boys to return home."

“Would you look at that? I never
grow tired of its beauty. It’s such a wondrous jewel upon our land,
shining like a diamond.” Victoria gazed out over the lush forest
surrounding their farm, toward the golden city far in the
distance.

It really was a majestic sight,
even for those who had seen many of the great wonders of the world,
and was one of the reasons their farm had been built where it was.
Although they could never afford to live within Greenhaven’s
protective walls, it almost felt like home ground after all these
years sharing a horizon with the great city.

Leon stirred and his
tension returned. “Victoria, it's getting late and the boys
still
haven't come home. Have the horses been fed? There’s still
much to do, and I need their help to finish it all.”

“
Sweetheart, they hunt in
the woods. I’m sure they’ll return shortly. Vartan wanted to bring
home a special meal for supper. It
is
his birthday after all, and
he’s using the new bow you brought him from She’Ma’Ryn. Don’t worry
about the horses. I shall tend to them,” Victoria said warmly. She
hesitated for a moment, thinking back on the strange
bow.

“I do have one question about
that bow. How did you happen upon it?” she asked.

Leon thought back to his most
recent trip to She’Ma’Ryn. “I won it from a traveling merchant, who
told me he won it himself in a game of chance from an elven
warrior, many years ago. That drunken fool sure was lucky to get
his hands on such a finely crafted weapon. He did mumble some story
about the bow being used to channel power, but I can’t quite recall
the exact words he used. I thought Vartan would love such a gift;
He’s always had a keen eye for quality.”

Suddenly, Leon did not feel so
sure that the bow was the right gift for his son. He placed his
head in his hands and Victoria walked around to kneel in front of
him. She spoke softly. "What’s wrong? Please tell me."

"It worries me that we are
raising them as if they aren't special. We can’t protect them when
we are like
this
."

Victoria brought his hands
down and looked deep into his eyes. "It is our way. We knew this
when we agreed to be reborn. Only when the time is right will they
find out the truth, when
she
deems them ready to know it.
Let's focus on enjoying our life together. We never know how long
our hearts will beat."

“A bit higher, Finn, and
remember to strike using your full body weight as the sword comes
down. There are forces you can use to your advantage. Use the
ground’s pull to your favour,” said Vartan, leaning against a
nearby tree.

Finn nodded knowingly with
boyish confidence, returned to his stance, and once again hacked
into the old tree trunk.

“
I can do this, brother!
I
know
I can. I want to be a great knight of Greenhaven and fight
glorious battles for the king. Like the old tales Mother reads to
us at bedtime, that are so exciting and full of wild
adventures.”

As Finn took another swing at
the old tree, Vartan slid his sword out to meet him. The sound of
weapons colliding echoed through the thick forest. Finn immediately
lost his balance and landed with a soft thud next to the tree.

“
Ow! What was that for?”
asked Finn, nursing his sore backside.

Vartan chuckled softly.
“Remember, little knight, in a real battle you won’t face an old
tree, but someone who will fight back, and most likely send you
flying onto your rear. Have patience, young brother. The time will
come for you to fulfil your dreams of knighthood and glory, but
this poor tree cannot take too much more of your sword. Then
again,” he laughed, “you're not
really
damaging it.” He helped
Finn to his feet and dusted off the dirt and grass from his
brother’s pants. He smiled and gave his younger brother a quick,
reassuring hug. “You will be fine, Finn. You can’t expect to
conquer the world in one day, you know. All good things will come
in time. Are you hungry? I packed some spiced meat for us. We
should eat now, to regain our strength.”

They sat beside the great roots
of an oak tree and began to dig into the juicy spiced deer
meat.

“
So, what do
you
dream
of, big brother? Surely you don’t want to help mother and father
run the farm forever, do you?” asked Finn, watching his older
brother with innocent curiosity.

Vartan stopped chewing for a
moment to consider the question. “I truly don’t know the answer to
that, Finn. Maybe I will travel the lands in search of a young
damsel in distress, discover some famous treasure for all to
remember me by, or be a trader like father and travel to
She’Ma’Ryn. Maybe I can save enough gold to start my own farm. We
are still so young, brother—do we really need to decide now?” He
grinned mischievously. “Not every boy wants to be a glorious
knight, you know, but don’t let anyone sour your dreams. If it is a
knight you want to be, then we sure have plenty of trees around us
for you to practice on, and enough for years to come. And of
course, we have plenty of ground for you to fall onto as well.”

Vartan stood suddenly and
whispered, “The sun’s setting, and we have to be careful in these
woods. That’s more than enough practice and fooling around for one
day. In all our fun, we’ve allowed the day to pass us by with no
time left to waste. Stay close to my side and don’t fall
behind."

The woods were fast
slipping into the cold bosom of darkness. Vartan sighed deeply and
let out a harsh breath. “Damn! Night is already falling upon us,
and we have no lamps,
and
have found no beast for
supper."

The sounds of the forest died
down and even the crickets were silenced. Only their footsteps
could be heard.

“Finn, I fear we may be in
danger. We have to find supper fast, then head back to the farm
swiftly. Father would be displeased if we return home empty
handed.”

“Vartan?” Finn began.

Vartan snapped his head to
Finn and brought his index finger to his lips. “Not
now
! Stay
quiet—I think something moved up ahead,”

“
But Vartan,” whispered
Finn, “your bow, it’s
glowing
.”

Vartan stood still, suddenly
realising that his back had warmed. Crouching down on one knee, he
eased the elven bow off his back and saw purple light glowing from
the runes carved deeply into the wood.

“What do you think it means?”
asked Finn.

“
I do not know, brother. I
am unable to read this. It could only be some form of
magic
.”

Snap!

Vartan heard ragged movements
only a short distance from where they stood, and he instinctively
pulled Finn behind his back for protection. He reached into his
hunting sack and pulled out a shiny metal arrow. Easing it into his
left hand, he gently strained the bow into position and remained as
silent as the night itself. Only a soft hum could be heard from the
taut string of the bow. There was a faint light moving through the
trees, and the sound of steps coming closer.

He whispered through stiff lips.
"Don't... move..."

Vartan slowly lifted the bow in
a smooth motion until the cold silver of the razor-sharp arrow
rested on his cheek. The light became even brighter as the creature
neared, easing its body through the bushes surrounding the trees.
It came to a gentle halt and stared curiously at the two boys
crouched on the forest floor.

“
Finn, you
need
to
see this—I can hardly believe my eyes. Come around me slowly, and
try not to make too much noise,” whispered Vartan, gently lowering
his weapon.

Finn's voice broke with his
sharp intake of breath as he took in the sight before him. “Can
that really be what I think it is? It’s so beautiful."

Directly in front of them, an
adult unicorn stood proudly. Warily, it moved towards the boys and
halted a man’s length away from them. Vartan stood slowly and
raised an arm towards the unicorn’s neck. It instinctively moved
its head away for a moment and stared at the glowing bow with wide
eyes.

“It’s okay, my friend. We shall
not harm you,” Vartan said gently.

Finn reached up and touched the
unicorn’s horn, and he was surprised by its texture.

“Vartan, the horn feels warm,”
Finn giggled.

The unicorn turned to Vartan and
cocked its head to the side.

It is not your
presence that I fear, human. Leave this place as soon as you can.
It is not safe here for any of us,
said a
voice in his mind.

Vartan jumped back and looked
around in confusion, only to find no other presence in sight.

Did a unicorn
just talk to me? Am I losing my mind?
thought Vartan.

Of course I spoke to you. We
should not be meeting like this. The time isn't right. Are you not
aware—

Suddenly, and without warning,
it turned its body sharply and stared deep into the darkness.

Vartan whispered, "What's
wrong?"

The beast's voice reverberated
in his head.

Run!

The unicorn snorted and galloped
away at full speed until its white glow could no longer be
seen.

Vartan caught a quick glint of
moonlight through the blanket of trees, reflecting off a metallic
object flying through the air with penetrating speed. There was no
time to waste on thinking. As if time itself had slowed to a crawl,
he leapt backwards and shoved Finn out of the path of the unknown
missile slicing its way through the icy air.

Vartan landed heavily on top of
his brother, who yelped in pain at the weight suddenly crushing
him. Finn's voice shrieked, "I’m scared!"

There was a loud thud as the
weapon embedded itself in the trunk of an oak tree, only a body
length away from where the boys lay. Vartan looked up and saw what
appeared to be a plain dagger, but just as it came into focus, it
quickly dissolved into nothing.

Vartan blurted involuntarily,
"Dark magic..."

A voice whispered from within
the darkness. "Fools!"

Suddenly, something darted
between the trees, like a moving shadow.

“Who are you? Tell us what you
want with us!” growled Vartan angrily into the darkness.

There was a moment of uneasiness
as the boys found their feet. Not a sound could be heard aside from
their lungs expelling air. The night became noticeably cooler, and
a chill found its way up their spines as their hot breaths formed
mist in the air.

“
Brother, I want to go
home
now
,” cried Finn.

“Stay still and don’t move a
muscle!” hissed Vartan, pushing his brother back onto the muddy
forest floor and once again readying his bow. His slow steps
crunched the twigs on the forest floor beneath his weight.

“You shouldn’t be here!”
reverberated a dark voice that sounded as if it came from all
around them.

Suddenly, Vartan realised what
had found them. They had truly ventured too far into the forest
this time.

Shadow
demons
, he thought.

His father had warned him about
the Forces of Darkness that preyed on innocents in the woods and
had no compassion, not even for children. They could move wherever
no light shone, and they used the shadows as portals to their
realms.