The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations (10 page)

             
“What happened?”

Saab appeared to look far away, as if across the years.

              “War happened and it brought us down like war does to all people.”

             
“The Great War?”

             
“The Dark Times,” Saab answered sadly.

             
“As the nation of Masallah grew, its people intruded further and further into our lands.  At first, we didn’t mind the intrusions.  After all, we felt that the world was big enough for all peoples.  But the people of Masallah were greedy.  It wasn’t enough for them to have one plot of land or two.  They wanted great estates with vast boundaries.  The Lords of Masallah all wanted larger estates to outdo each other.  It became a competition to them to see who had more property.  It wasn’t enough to have a house big enough for themselves and their families.  They weren’t happy unless they could look out and see miles of land that was theirs and no one else’s.  As such, they pushed deeper and deeper into the forests and to the streams and rivers of the Tree.  They were squeezing us out.”

             
“We tried peaceful means, of course.  We were a peaceful people.  We made deals and signed treaties.  But it still wasn’t enough.  Eventually the humans began moving into our sacred places and we were powerless to stop them.”

             
His eyes turned sadder still.

             
“Then came the Dark Times and the Dark Lords.” He said almost in a growl.

             
“We made a deal with them and forged an alliance.  They used their dark powers to create a warrior race for our people.  They were larger and stronger than our predecessors and our artisans and craftsmen made terrible weapons.  The Dark Lords formed us into fierce armies and we marched on the people of Masallah.  We destroyed the great estates and burned the cities in the sacred places. We drove the humans back into their grass lands and mountains.”

             
“Sounds like you won.”

             
“We did…but we didn’t understand the whole of the bargain.  There was a terrible price to pay.”

Saab closed his eyes as if in pain.

              “The Dark Lords turned our own armies against us.  They destroyed all of our old cities and reduced our great constructions to rubble.  Our temples and libraries were burned and much of our knowledge forever lost.  The great thinkers, artists, writers and alchemists were slaughtered and much of the forests burned so that the Dark Lords could create factories of death where more weapons were made.  Those of us who weren’t massacred were turned to slaves to work for the Dark Masters with the warrior race of our own people used to drive and punish us.”

             
“You talk as if you were there.” Kenner interjected.

             
“I was there.” Saab said forcefully.

             
“The race that came before the warrior class can live for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of your years.  I was born into these terrible times and I am one of the last of my kind.”

             
“But then what happened?” Kenner asked.  “Surely these days ended with the end of the Dark Times.”

             
“They did.  The weapons masters and their armies swept away the Dark Lords and drove their foul beasts into the deep places; even our formidable warriors and weapons were no match for them.  But there were very few of us left and much of our knowledge forgotten.  The Kings and Lords of Masallah took back the lands we had won and reclaimed their great estates.  The only thing they left for us were the deep jungles that they didn’t want.”

             
Kenner sat silently, letting all of this sink in.  He’d heard stories of Morgrils being animal-like in nature and fearful warriors.  However, he’d never even heard rumors of what Saab had just told him.  The two sat quietly for a few moments until a distant scream pierced the silence.

             
“What was that?” Kenner asked.

             
“An owl,” Saab answered.  “They scream like that to make their prey freeze in terror before catching their meal.”

             
“I’ve heard owls before, but nothing like that.”

             
“It was a really big owl.”

             
Kayla found the small cabin at the edge of the city.  A single, flickering light shone from the window and the door was open.  “She must be expecting me,” Kayla thought.

             
She entered the tiny cabin and saw her huddled close to a single candle, the hood of her cloak hiding her face.

             
“He’s here, isn’t he?” The sad old woman asked.

             
“Yes he is.” Kayla answered tenderly.

The hooded figure did not move even to look at Kayla.  She stayed sitting in her chair, but Kayla could feel the pain coming from her.

              “You should see him.” Kayla told her.

There was no answer at first, but then the hood shook from side to side.

              “No.” She said frightfully.

             
“Why not?  It’s time.”

             
“I can’t.”

             
“It’s time he heard the truth.”

             
“I can’t face him; not now.”

             
Kayla approached the old woman and touched her gently on the shoulder.  She woman flinched as if burned.

             
“What are you afraid of?” She asked kindly.

The old woman shook her head more.

              “I can’t.  I just can’t.”

Kayla nodded and started to leave.  Before going out the door,
she turned and looked at the woman again.

             
“You’ll have to face him eventually.” Kayla told her.

The old woman made no reply and Kayla left her alone.

Chapter Fifteen

             
Kenner tried lying down, but still couldn’t sleep.  Something was troubling him, but he couldn’t figure out just what.  It felt as if something were coming for him.  But who, he thought and from where?

             
Suddenly the light in his room turned a strange color.  It was no longer the soft orange glow of the fire.  He looked to the fireplace and saw that it had turned blue.  Something inside him told him that this was very wrong.  He nearly jumped out of his bed and went to his window.  Looking out to the houses in the trees, he saw that all of the lights within had turned the same bluish color.  At that same instant, his black armor jumped onto him and the sword was instantly in his hand.  Something was very wrong indeed.

             
When he stepped outside his door, he saw Terri on the balcony next to his.

             
“The strangest thing just happened.” She said to him.

             
“Let me guess,” He answered, “Your fire turned blue.”

             
“How did you know?”

Kenner answered by pointing across the river at the houses in the trees.  Terri noticed the blue lights coming from all of them.

              “This can’t be good.” She said fearfully.

She then raced into her own room, quickly dressed in her own armor and ran down the stairs and to the river bank where she found Kenner.  Although there was no wind, the leaves in the trees began to shake and the branches began to sway.  Th
e usually clear river turned black.  She saw men and women leaving their homes bearing weapons and running.  All of the doors which she’d never seen shut in all the times she had visited were now slammed closed along with the windows.

             
“What’s going on?” She asked Kenner.

             
“Someone’s coming.” He answered seriously.

             
The frantic activity in the woods continued for nearly an hour.  As the light became brighter, archers in their dark, green cloaks raced up the stairs to positions in every tree lining the river bank on both sides.  Another set of soldiers, both men and women formed along the stairs leading up to the Sanctuary.  Kayla stood at the top of the steps and gave Kenner and Terri a look that seemed to ask them to join her.  They both raced up the hill and when they found their way next to Kayla, they both saw that Shela was waiting for them.

             
Suddenly the trees fell silent and a deathly stillness covered the city.  For several moments, nothing seemed to be happening, then Kenner noticed Shela’s fur begin to bristle, her eyes focus toward the river and she gave a warning growl.

             
At first, a single boat came silently around a bend in the river and then another.  Soon, there were dozens of small boats inching their way slowly up through the now murky water. They were paddling and seemed to be struggling as the water now looked to be as thick as pitch.  The branches of the trees reached down to the boats appearing to be a warning.  Terri nearly gasped as she saw that those in the boats were not human.  They were Wolfen.

             
In the center of this formation was a boat slightly larger.  Standing in the center was a single figure and the very sight of him filled Kenner with a sense of dread.  He was taller than any man he’d ever seen and wore a thick, white robe.  The hood of the robe was pulled over his head hiding his face.  The sleeves were large and billowed and with the man’s arms crossed, his hands could not be seen.  As his boat came toward the river bank, one of the branches came close to him.  He turned his head and appeared to whisper to it and then it withered and its leaves fell.  After that, another branch from another tree swept up one of the Wolfen from another boat.  The beast howled in terror and pain before one of its arms fell into the river.

The Wol
fen piloting his boat struggled to bring this boat to the river bank, but when they did he stepped gracefully out and onto the ground.  He approached slowly to the well, took the bucket, filled it with water and also took the ladle.  But just before his foot touched the first step, Shela roared with a force that made all of the foul beasts in all the boats cower.  Not even Kenner had ever heard her roar so loud.  Terri drew an arrow and then tried to aim at the stranger.  However, when she tried to sight in on him, she suddenly couldn’t see him.

The Lady of the Woods then spoke in a voice that sounded like it came from everywhere at once.

“Your feet will not touch my steps and you will not enter my sacred sanctuary.” She said angrily.

The head under the hood
raised only slightly; just enough to reveal the cold smile on the visitor’s lips.

             
“You used to call me friend.” The hooded figure spoke in an icy and cruel voice.

             
“That was long ago, creature; and shall never be again.”

He stepped back from the stairs
and bowed.

             
“Why have you violated the sanctity of my woods?” Kayla asked him.  “And why have you brought these foul beasts with you?”

             
“I came to talk as we once did” He answered, “As old friends.”

             
“You are no longer a friend to me or this forest.  But if you have something to say, then say it.”

             
“I had hoped we could speak in a far less public setting.”

             
“Anything you have to say to me, you may say here, now and then be on your way.”

             
“My dear Lady,” He said in mock tenderness.  “If you fear being alone with me, then by all means have friends stand with you to hear me speak.”

He then turned as if looking at Kenner.  Although he could not see his eyes, Kenner felt as if he could feel them peering into him.

              “I’m sure the bearer of the Black Sword could help you feel safer.”

             
Everyone then looked at Kayla as if hoping she could make the visitor somehow go away.

             
“Do you remember the stone circle?” Kayla called down to him.

             
“I remember it well.” He answered with smile seeming even colder.

             
“I shall meet you there in an hour.” Kayla said finally and then turned her back on him entering the sanctuary.