Darius was pinned on his back, as if a beast held down his shoulders and feet, pressing him into the wet soil. But there was nothing over him, only heavy clouds that hammered his face with rain. He tried to sit up but felt as if a giant plate pressed down into his chest. Wait a second. He craned his neck and looked down his torso. A metal plate was on his chest, he was wearing armour. He tried to move his hands but struggled as hard, heavy gauntlets encased them.
And suddenly it hit him. Why was he wearing armour? Why was he lying on the ground? And where was he? Why didn’t he know?
He tried to sit up under the weight of the armour, but only managed to prop himself up on one elbow. He looked around, thankful that he wasn’t wearing a helmet and could get a clear view of his surroundings. The dark clouds cast their shadow making it hard for him to see far, but he was in a clearing within a thick forest. Rows of towering oak trees surrounded him, their leaves hissed as the wind and rain tossed them.
Then he saw a dark figure move and disappear between the trees; he wasn’t alone. Who was that? Were there other people around?
He shook his arms violently in a desperate attempt to free his hands. Why was he wearing such heavy garments? It made no sense but then nothing about his situation did. He didn’t know why he was here or who was in the forest with him, but he didn’t quite care to find out right now. To his relief his right gauntlet started to loosen. He used the mud to grip it and pulled his hand hard.
A crash of metal suddenly broke through the patter of rains within the trees a short distance away. He looked over from where it came and saw the dark figure again, now standing in the open.
The man must have stood seven feet tall, one continuous menacing mass of armour, holding two swords that swayed inwards and outwards as he took huge breaths. He towered over another man who lay squirming faintly at his feet. He paused for a moment, watching, then pitilessly drove a sword through the poor man’s neck.
Fear crushed Darius’ throat as he watched the murdered man slump. It was as if it too felt the impact of the armoured giant’s blade. Would the man come to finish him off next? Just one more helpless victim? As he lay paralysed, the armoured man’s head turned towards him.
Adrenaline surged in him and he tried again to get up. But he couldn’t run with this armour on, he had to get it off. He barely felt the pain of his skin tearing as he finally ripped his right hand free of the gauntlet. He flipped his arm over to free the other hand, daring to take his eyes off the armoured man for a moment to inspect the fastening.
When Darius looked back the man was now striding towards him, faceless helmet fixated on him. He finally freed both hands and grasped over the chest plate to find some way of removing it. His hands felt numb, shaking so much he barely had control over them. He had no idea what he was feeling for, but found nothing. So he dropped to the floor, dug in his heels and pulled his body downwards, sliding out of the chest-piece. The man had almost reached him.
He leapt to his feet, turned his back and ran. He didn’t know why he was here, or how he would get away, or even if he could get away. All he knew was that he didn’t want to die. He willed every ounce of energy he had into his legs and ran for his life.
He dove into the densest part of forest he saw, tree trunks whipped past as he ran. His only desperate hope was to lose this man in the mess of trees and overgrowth. Long grass and bushes scratched at his legs as he ran through, but pain barely registered with him. He dared a glance back over his shoulder and saw the man now bounding after him, keeping up despite wearing a full suit of armour. The man shouted after him. He wanted to run faster, but was already at his limit.
He caught sight of something else moving to his left. It was low, barely visible above the long grass. All he could make out was a pair of yellow eyes dashing straight for him on four legs. They looked threatening.
He dodged to the right, sprinting in the only direction he could to escape his now two pursuers. His thighs were beginning to cramp and he could hear the patter of the animals legs closing in on him quickly. His hope started to fade. But still, he ran.
Another armoured soldier darted from behind a tree directly in front of him, brandishing a sword ready to strike. His feet jerked and tried to stop him, but found no grip on the muddy ground and slid from under him. He fell and skidded along the ground stopping only a few feet before the soldier.
A roar sounded from just behind, the beast was upon him. There was no way out. He did all he could do, buried his head in his arms and braced for the imminent onslaught.
He sensed motion around him, heard the scurry of feet, grunts, growls and cries. Still he braced waiting for something to hit him and for the inevitable onset of pain, but nothing came. Should he dare to open his eyes? He did, and saw the soldier now lying on the ground, thrashing and wrestling with a mighty black panther that had its jaws locked around his forearm. The soldier’s hand still held his sword, trying in vain to twist and stab at some part of the cat. His other arm punched and struck the cat’s head as it thrashed and tore at his flesh.
He watched in confusion as the two wrestled. What was happening? Did it matter? He started to get up, hoping the pair wouldn’t notice him making his escape.
Then, a foot of metal stomped beside him. Darius had almost forgotten about the giant man but looked up as he strode past. The man wasn’t looking at Darius though, his eyes were fixed on the pair wrestling on the floor. He strode over and with one swift swing of a sword, severed the soldier’s head from his body.
‘What’s going on?’ the man growled, now looking directly at him. ‘Why are you running around like a lunatic, and why did you ditch your weapons and gear?’
The man stood and waited for an answer. Darius felt like he should say something, but his mind was blank. Who was this man and why was he talking to him? This man acted as if he knew him, but he was sure he had never met someone so memorable before.
‘Darius, what’s wrong?’ the man said again, now stepping towards him.
He shuffled backwards, not wanting to let the man get close to him. The sight of all that metal, those blades now dripping blood, it was making him more and more nervous. His breathing was short and sharp. He tried to think but only questions came to his mind, no answers. It was then that he realised, he didn’t even know who he was.
‘Who are you? What’s going on? And why don’t I remember how I got here? Or who I am, or anything?’ he cried.
The man paused for a moment in thought. ‘Oh, this isn’t good,’ he said. ‘Your name is Darius—’
‘I know my name,’ Darius said, ‘but it doesn’t mean anything to me. Why is that? And who are you?’
‘I’m Morden, I—’
A clunk of metal interrupted them from behind. Darius could hear footsteps were approaching and turned around to look. Another man casually walked towards them, also wrapped head to toe in a suit of dark metal similar to Morden’s. But he was shorter and his only weapon appeared to be a hammer slung over one shoulder.
‘Guys, I think we’d better get out of here’ said the new arrival as he neared. ‘There are probably more of them on the way, and I could have sworn I saw a goman.’
‘Belth, we’ve got a problem,’ said Morden, pointing to Darius who still lay on the water-logged floor. ‘It got him.’
‘What do you mean “it got him”?’
‘I mean, he doesn’t even know where we are, who we are, of even who he is.’
‘No...what are you talking about, how could it get him?’ Belth tossed his hammer to the ground and took a step towards the now trembling Darius. ‘See here now lad, you’re ok aren’t you?’ Belth stretched out a hand to help Darius off the ground.
Darius was in shock, he didn’t know what to think. Who were these men, and what had “got him”? Perhaps he should have felt calmer now that he was with two people who, at least, didn’t seem to want to kill him. But he was only feeling more and more panicked as he searched his mind to find answers and continually found nothing there. Why couldn’t he remember?
‘No, I’m not ok,’ Darius said. He struggled to his feet in the slippery mud, but dared not take Belth’s metallic arm. He had a feeling that once he gave it to Belth, he wouldn’t get it back. ‘What’s happening? And why don’t I remember anything? Who are you people?’
Belth looked over at Morden, then turned back to Darius. ‘You’re right, it got him.’
‘What got—’
Darius was about to press them but noticed the panther now stalked towards him. He started walking backwards, getting ready to run. But Belth was quick to react, lunging forwards and grabbing his arm to stop him. The grip of Belth’s steely hand was intense and he groaned in pain. He had been right, there was no way he could escape this grip.
‘Damn, he doesn’t even recognise his own pet,’ said Belth, pulling him back over towards Morden and the panther. He tried to resist, to dig his heels in but the ground was too soaked.
‘We don’t have time for this now,’ said Morden, head scanning around the surrounding trees vigilantly.
‘Let’s get out of here, then we can sort him out,’ said Belth.
‘OK. Which way?’ said Morden.
Darius grew impatient. ‘Wait, what—’
‘Down the hill,’ said Belth, ignoring Darius. He picked up his hammer and pointed ahead of them. ‘We’ll make for the bridge, that way we can wreck it behind us and stop anyone from following us.’
Belth shoved Darius at Morden. ‘Carry him, we need to move quickly.’
‘What—’ Before Darius could protest, Morden grabbed him and hauled him over his shoulder. Then they started to run.
‘Stop, let me go!’ Darius cried.
Belth dropped back to face him. ‘Quiet. There are more enemies out there. If they find us, they will kill us.’
Darius didn’t argue any further, he couldn’t see Belth’s eyes but felt their threatening stare all the same. He was powerless, the two warriors had grabbed and tossed him about at will and there was nothing he could do about it. Could he trust them? It didn’t look like he had much of a choice. If they wanted to hurt him, wouldn’t they have done it by now? But he couldn’t quite convince himself. He wriggled, hoping that Morden’s grip would loosen as they ran and he could somehow get away. All he wanted was to be alone, hide, somewhere safe where he could think and try to remember.
He looked back from where they’d come from and saw the panther following. Belth had said it was his pet, was that true? He didn’t recognise it, but that didn’t seem to mean much at the moment.
He searched his mind for memories, trying to recall something. I am Darius, he thought, but who is Darius? He searched. I don’t know. He thought harder, trying to think of names, faces or even random images from his memory.
He found something. The notion of a cat as a pet was familiar, especially panthers. Somehow he knew this was true, possibly common in fact. He could even see himself meeting and talking to people stood beside docile animals. Finally, he felt a little hope; he hadn’t lost everything.
He continued to watch the big cat. Tt kept looking at him but he recalled nothing about it and those last few memories were so impersonal. The speck of hope he’d felt soon faded.
Morden started to slow. Darius tried to twist and look in the direction they were travelling but before he could see Morden slipped him off his shoulder and onto the ground. Morden raised a finger to his mouth before he tried to speak.
‘Quiet,’ Morden whispered, then pointed ahead of them.
Darius looked into the forest. The light had faded now, night must have been approaching. He squinted and searched but all he saw were rows of tree trunks into the distance. Belth had stopped too and was crouching behind a tree just ahead of them looking in the same direction.
‘I don’t see anything,’ Darius whispered back.
‘They’re out there. More soldiers. Use the trees and try to stay hidden. Stay close to me, and don’t run off again.’
‘Why are soldiers—’
Darius cut off as he felt something brush against his leg. He spun around, nerves on edge, only to find the panther. His heart gradually stopped racing as he remembered this cat was apparently his pet, but he was still afraid of it.
‘Kai will protect you too, she’ll stay close to you,’ Morden whispered.
Kai, Darius thought. The name sounded familiar. In fact he was sure that it was a name close to him. Maybe he could trust this cat, maybe she was the only one he could trust. The names Belth and Morden sparked no such memories.
Belth crept over to them, keeping low. ‘There’s a group up ahead with at least one Ranger,’ he whispered. ‘I say we sneak in as close as we can, then go in hard and take them by surprise.’ He batted his hammer on his hand as he spoke, he seemed eager for a fight. But Darius wondered how two large metal suits would manage to sneak around. The rain was loud, but not loud enough.
‘Don’t you think it’s a bit risky? What about him?’ Morden asked, nodding in Darius’ direction.
‘What about me?’ Darius asked.
Belth grunted and thought for a moment. ‘You’re right, he might get hurt. Or worse, run off and get himself caught. Let’s go around, try and get to the bridge without them noticing.’
‘I don’t think we’re heading the right way, this area doesn’t look familiar,’ said Morden.
Darius kept quiet. It seemed pointless to keep asking questions, they never answered. How had he got himself into this situation? Apparently lost in a hostile forest with two men who seemed to think little of slaughtering other people. Was he like them? Just remembering the two men Morden had killed made him feel sick. Surely he wasn’t like them... But then why was he here? Were these other soldiers after him, or perhaps just this pair? If he somehow managed to slip away from them, maybe he would be better off.
Belth shifted over and roused Darius from his thoughts.
‘Look, the bridge can’t be far,’ Belth said. ‘If we head downhill we’ll probably come across it, or at least the river. We’ll send Kai up ahead of us, she can sneak better and find us a safe path through. Give us early warning of any more soldiers.’
‘You going to walk, or do I have to keep carrying you?’ Morden asked, turning to Darius.
‘I’ll walk,’ said Darius. He had no wish to be manhandled any further.
‘If we run into anyone, I’ll keep them busy while you two carry on ahead,’ whispered Belth. ‘We can’t afford for Darius to get caught.’
Darius wondered why Belth cared about him getting captured, given he couldn’t remember anything, but thought it wisest not to ask. If they wanted to keep him safe, he wasn’t going to argue.
‘Stay with Morden. Don’t you run away lad.’ Belth planted a hand on Darius’ shoulder. ‘You look afraid, but trust me you aren’t half as scared as you should be. I don’t know if you remember what kind of things are lurking out there in the dark, but there’s more than just soldiers.’
Darius doubted whether he could feel more fearful, but something about Belth’s words sent a chill deeper than even the icy rain had reached.
‘Stick with us, or you’ll die. Or worse. Understood?’ said Belth.
Darius nodded. He wanted to ask what these things were, that he should be so afraid of. But he got the impression Belth wouldn’t elaborate and he didn’t think he really wanted to know right now. He just wanted to be safe. Somewhere dry and warm.
‘Darius, tell Kai to sneak on ahead,’ whispered Morden. ‘Just call her name, point over there and say “stalk”.’
‘Why?’ asked Darius.
‘Because’, Belth was losing patience, ‘she won’t listen to anyone except you. Just do it.’
Darius looked over at Kai. Those big yellow eyes were staring at him, waiting, as if she already knew she was about to be given instructions.
‘Kai’, said Darius, pointing over to the direction Morden had indicated. ‘Stalk.’
Kai turned and prowled forwards. Belth and Morden waited until the cat was almost out of sight in some long grass the distance.
‘Let’s go,’ whispered Belth. ‘From now on, no noise,’ he added to Darius before following after Kai.
They all moved slowly through the forest, using whatever trees and bushes they could for extra cover. The branches clawed and clung to Darius clothes as he creeped. He still couldn’t see anyone else around, and half wondered whether there really were any other soldiers. But he couldn’t see far enough to tell, only weak light now crept through the canopy onto the forest floor. He could barely see Kai up ahead of them, still stalking through bushes, her black fur melding her into the shadows.
They hadn’t been travelling long, when Kai froze. Belth and Morden stopped, Morden placing a hand on Darius’ chest. They stood still. Darius dared not move, dared not even breathe for fear of alerting whatever had spooked Kai.
Belth suddenly set off sprinting to their left, letting out a deafening cry. Before Darius knew what was happening, Morden shoved him back and then ducked. An arrow shot through the air where they had been standing and smashed into a nearby tree, releasing a spray of electric blue. Darius’ shock was interrupted as Morden’s push slammed him into another tree trunk. It knocked the wind from his lungs and he collapsed in a deflated heap.
His vision was hazy and took a few seconds to come back into focus. By the time it had, Morden was no longer crouched. He stood, braced, two swords drawn and ready. Darius now saw approaching soldiers. Their armour shimmered, appearing lighter than Morden’s but similarly covered them head to toe. Two rushed in towards Morden. He side-stepped and lunged at one of them with a sword. The soldier deflected with his own blade, but Morden spun and followed through with his second sword, thrusting it straight into the abdomen of his foe.
Another blue-tipped arrow flew through the air. Morden ducked, narrowly avoiding its path. Darius looked to where it had come from. He saw the bowman, a figure coated in a royal blue cloak. He’d held back and was coiling another arrow. The tip sparked with blue just before he released.
Morden dodged the bowman’s arrow again, and was now battling with the other soldier. Their swords clashed throwing a haze of sparks. The soldier was sent off balance by the impact and Morden dove forward and thrust his head into his foe’s. Darius flinched as he heard a crack of bone and watched as the soldier collapsed to floor, his helmet caved in.
Darius saw more soldiers to the side, weaving through the trees and heading straight for him. He tried to scramble to his feet but wasn’t fast enough and a soldier was on him, thrusting a sword. Darius lurched to the side but the blade sliced his shoulder. He cried out and rolled away.
Before the soldier could take another swing, Morden was there and plunged two swords into his back. He let out a short cry before falling down silent. Darius breathed a sigh of relief, but was soon thrown back into panic as another blue arrow shattered on a tree beside them.
‘Run!’ shouted Morden, grabbing Darius by the arm and hauling him to his feet.
Darius didn’t need telling twice. His heart raced as he took off away from the bowman and chasing soldiers.
Morden followed. ‘Don’t look back.’
Darius fixed his eyes ahead. As he sprinted the cold rain really started to bite. His thighs were stiff and almost cramping, he didn’t know how much longer he could go on. The forest looked endless ahead of him. How were they going to escape? There could be more soldiers anywhere, it would only take one lurking behind a tree to extend a sword at the right moment and cut his throat. He tried not to think about it, all he could do was run. Run and hope that the pounding rain masked their hurried footsteps from any other lurking men. The rain was getting louder, it must have been falling even harder but was already so heavy he could barely feel the difference.
Kai burst from some bushes nearby and sprinted ahead of them. Oh how Darius wished he could run with the speed of a cat. Then, he noticed something ahead. The trees appeared less dense, there was some sort of clearing. He slowed, not knowing whether to risk sprinting out of the cover of the trees, but Morden was right behind him and pushed him onwards.
‘Keep going,’ Morden bellowed. ‘To the river.’
River? Darius thought. Then he realised, it wasn’t a clearing, it was a river cutting through the forest. And that growing noise wasn’t the rain; it was raging waters.
They broke from the cover of the trees and were almost at the banks of the swollen river. But there was no bridge. Kai had already reached the edge and hesitated, watching the rapids with trepidation.
Morden stopped and turned back towards the forest. Five soldiers had emerged right behind them but had stopped, waiting for something.
Morden didn’t wait, he charged at one. The soldier stepped back as Morden swung his sword and avoided its slice. The momentum of his swing seemed to throw him off balance and his foot skidded across the mud. As it did, a blue arrow darted from the forest and pierced his thigh, ripping through his armour. Morden grunted in pain and dropped onto one knee. The soldier seized the advantage and leapt forward, stabbing his sword into Morden’s neck. He dropped, dead.
Darius watched in horror. His protector was now dead and Belth was nowhere to be seen. More soldiers emerged from the trees, among them the bowman and an unfamiliar, strange looking man. The strange man had no armour or weapon bar a staff on his back.
Darius looked around frantically, but he found nowhere to run. The river cut off any escape he had. The soldiers fanned out to surround him and the strange man walked forwards.
‘Darius, I’m so glad we found you,’ the man said. As he approached, Darius recoiled, realising why he looked strange. He had no nose, just smooth bare flesh where his nose should have been.
Darius back peddled until he felt Kai behind him, hovering at the edge of the river. Kai growled and stayed shielded behind his legs.
‘Who are you?’ Darius asked.
‘We’re here to keep you alive,’ the man said.
Darius didn’t have time to think, the man was almost within reach. The mere sight of that noseless face twisted his stomach. He did the only thing he could do. He turned and dove into the surging waters.
And suddenly it hit him. Why was he wearing armour? Why was he lying on the ground? And where was he? Why didn’t he know?
He tried to sit up under the weight of the armour, but only managed to prop himself up on one elbow. He looked around, thankful that he wasn’t wearing a helmet and could get a clear view of his surroundings. The dark clouds cast their shadow making it hard for him to see far, but he was in a clearing within a thick forest. Rows of towering oak trees surrounded him, their leaves hissed as the wind and rain tossed them.
Then he saw a dark figure move and disappear between the trees; he wasn’t alone. Who was that? Were there other people around?
He shook his arms violently in a desperate attempt to free his hands. Why was he wearing such heavy garments? It made no sense but then nothing about his situation did. He didn’t know why he was here or who was in the forest with him, but he didn’t quite care to find out right now. To his relief his right gauntlet started to loosen. He used the mud to grip it and pulled his hand hard.
A crash of metal suddenly broke through the patter of rains within the trees a short distance away. He looked over from where it came and saw the dark figure again, now standing in the open.
The man must have stood seven feet tall, one continuous menacing mass of armour, holding two swords that swayed inwards and outwards as he took huge breaths. He towered over another man who lay squirming faintly at his feet. He paused for a moment, watching, then pitilessly drove a sword through the poor man’s neck.
Fear crushed Darius’ throat as he watched the murdered man slump. It was as if it too felt the impact of the armoured giant’s blade. Would the man come to finish him off next? Just one more helpless victim? As he lay paralysed, the armoured man’s head turned towards him.
Adrenaline surged in him and he tried again to get up. But he couldn’t run with this armour on, he had to get it off. He barely felt the pain of his skin tearing as he finally ripped his right hand free of the gauntlet. He flipped his arm over to free the other hand, daring to take his eyes off the armoured man for a moment to inspect the fastening.
When Darius looked back the man was now striding towards him, faceless helmet fixated on him. He finally freed both hands and grasped over the chest plate to find some way of removing it. His hands felt numb, shaking so much he barely had control over them. He had no idea what he was feeling for, but found nothing. So he dropped to the floor, dug in his heels and pulled his body downwards, sliding out of the chest-piece. The man had almost reached him.
He leapt to his feet, turned his back and ran. He didn’t know why he was here, or how he would get away, or even if he could get away. All he knew was that he didn’t want to die. He willed every ounce of energy he had into his legs and ran for his life.
He dove into the densest part of forest he saw, tree trunks whipped past as he ran. His only desperate hope was to lose this man in the mess of trees and overgrowth. Long grass and bushes scratched at his legs as he ran through, but pain barely registered with him. He dared a glance back over his shoulder and saw the man now bounding after him, keeping up despite wearing a full suit of armour. The man shouted after him. He wanted to run faster, but was already at his limit.
He caught sight of something else moving to his left. It was low, barely visible above the long grass. All he could make out was a pair of yellow eyes dashing straight for him on four legs. They looked threatening.
He dodged to the right, sprinting in the only direction he could to escape his now two pursuers. His thighs were beginning to cramp and he could hear the patter of the animals legs closing in on him quickly. His hope started to fade. But still, he ran.
Another armoured soldier darted from behind a tree directly in front of him, brandishing a sword ready to strike. His feet jerked and tried to stop him, but found no grip on the muddy ground and slid from under him. He fell and skidded along the ground stopping only a few feet before the soldier.
A roar sounded from just behind, the beast was upon him. There was no way out. He did all he could do, buried his head in his arms and braced for the imminent onslaught.
He sensed motion around him, heard the scurry of feet, grunts, growls and cries. Still he braced waiting for something to hit him and for the inevitable onset of pain, but nothing came. Should he dare to open his eyes? He did, and saw the soldier now lying on the ground, thrashing and wrestling with a mighty black panther that had its jaws locked around his forearm. The soldier’s hand still held his sword, trying in vain to twist and stab at some part of the cat. His other arm punched and struck the cat’s head as it thrashed and tore at his flesh.
He watched in confusion as the two wrestled. What was happening? Did it matter? He started to get up, hoping the pair wouldn’t notice him making his escape.
Then, a foot of metal stomped beside him. Darius had almost forgotten about the giant man but looked up as he strode past. The man wasn’t looking at Darius though, his eyes were fixed on the pair wrestling on the floor. He strode over and with one swift swing of a sword, severed the soldier’s head from his body.
‘What’s going on?’ the man growled, now looking directly at him. ‘Why are you running around like a lunatic, and why did you ditch your weapons and gear?’
The man stood and waited for an answer. Darius felt like he should say something, but his mind was blank. Who was this man and why was he talking to him? This man acted as if he knew him, but he was sure he had never met someone so memorable before.
‘Darius, what’s wrong?’ the man said again, now stepping towards him.
He shuffled backwards, not wanting to let the man get close to him. The sight of all that metal, those blades now dripping blood, it was making him more and more nervous. His breathing was short and sharp. He tried to think but only questions came to his mind, no answers. It was then that he realised, he didn’t even know who he was.
‘Who are you? What’s going on? And why don’t I remember how I got here? Or who I am, or anything?’ he cried.
The man paused for a moment in thought. ‘Oh, this isn’t good,’ he said. ‘Your name is Darius—’
‘I know my name,’ Darius said, ‘but it doesn’t mean anything to me. Why is that? And who are you?’
‘I’m Morden, I—’
A clunk of metal interrupted them from behind. Darius could hear footsteps were approaching and turned around to look. Another man casually walked towards them, also wrapped head to toe in a suit of dark metal similar to Morden’s. But he was shorter and his only weapon appeared to be a hammer slung over one shoulder.
‘Guys, I think we’d better get out of here’ said the new arrival as he neared. ‘There are probably more of them on the way, and I could have sworn I saw a goman.’
‘Belth, we’ve got a problem,’ said Morden, pointing to Darius who still lay on the water-logged floor. ‘It got him.’
‘What do you mean “it got him”?’
‘I mean, he doesn’t even know where we are, who we are, of even who he is.’
‘No...what are you talking about, how could it get him?’ Belth tossed his hammer to the ground and took a step towards the now trembling Darius. ‘See here now lad, you’re ok aren’t you?’ Belth stretched out a hand to help Darius off the ground.
Darius was in shock, he didn’t know what to think. Who were these men, and what had “got him”? Perhaps he should have felt calmer now that he was with two people who, at least, didn’t seem to want to kill him. But he was only feeling more and more panicked as he searched his mind to find answers and continually found nothing there. Why couldn’t he remember?
‘No, I’m not ok,’ Darius said. He struggled to his feet in the slippery mud, but dared not take Belth’s metallic arm. He had a feeling that once he gave it to Belth, he wouldn’t get it back. ‘What’s happening? And why don’t I remember anything? Who are you people?’
Belth looked over at Morden, then turned back to Darius. ‘You’re right, it got him.’
‘What got—’
Darius was about to press them but noticed the panther now stalked towards him. He started walking backwards, getting ready to run. But Belth was quick to react, lunging forwards and grabbing his arm to stop him. The grip of Belth’s steely hand was intense and he groaned in pain. He had been right, there was no way he could escape this grip.
‘Damn, he doesn’t even recognise his own pet,’ said Belth, pulling him back over towards Morden and the panther. He tried to resist, to dig his heels in but the ground was too soaked.
‘We don’t have time for this now,’ said Morden, head scanning around the surrounding trees vigilantly.
‘Let’s get out of here, then we can sort him out,’ said Belth.
‘OK. Which way?’ said Morden.
Darius grew impatient. ‘Wait, what—’
‘Down the hill,’ said Belth, ignoring Darius. He picked up his hammer and pointed ahead of them. ‘We’ll make for the bridge, that way we can wreck it behind us and stop anyone from following us.’
Belth shoved Darius at Morden. ‘Carry him, we need to move quickly.’
‘What—’ Before Darius could protest, Morden grabbed him and hauled him over his shoulder. Then they started to run.
‘Stop, let me go!’ Darius cried.
Belth dropped back to face him. ‘Quiet. There are more enemies out there. If they find us, they will kill us.’
Darius didn’t argue any further, he couldn’t see Belth’s eyes but felt their threatening stare all the same. He was powerless, the two warriors had grabbed and tossed him about at will and there was nothing he could do about it. Could he trust them? It didn’t look like he had much of a choice. If they wanted to hurt him, wouldn’t they have done it by now? But he couldn’t quite convince himself. He wriggled, hoping that Morden’s grip would loosen as they ran and he could somehow get away. All he wanted was to be alone, hide, somewhere safe where he could think and try to remember.
He looked back from where they’d come from and saw the panther following. Belth had said it was his pet, was that true? He didn’t recognise it, but that didn’t seem to mean much at the moment.
He searched his mind for memories, trying to recall something. I am Darius, he thought, but who is Darius? He searched. I don’t know. He thought harder, trying to think of names, faces or even random images from his memory.
He found something. The notion of a cat as a pet was familiar, especially panthers. Somehow he knew this was true, possibly common in fact. He could even see himself meeting and talking to people stood beside docile animals. Finally, he felt a little hope; he hadn’t lost everything.
He continued to watch the big cat. Tt kept looking at him but he recalled nothing about it and those last few memories were so impersonal. The speck of hope he’d felt soon faded.
Morden started to slow. Darius tried to twist and look in the direction they were travelling but before he could see Morden slipped him off his shoulder and onto the ground. Morden raised a finger to his mouth before he tried to speak.
‘Quiet,’ Morden whispered, then pointed ahead of them.
Darius looked into the forest. The light had faded now, night must have been approaching. He squinted and searched but all he saw were rows of tree trunks into the distance. Belth had stopped too and was crouching behind a tree just ahead of them looking in the same direction.
‘I don’t see anything,’ Darius whispered back.
‘They’re out there. More soldiers. Use the trees and try to stay hidden. Stay close to me, and don’t run off again.’
‘Why are soldiers—’
Darius cut off as he felt something brush against his leg. He spun around, nerves on edge, only to find the panther. His heart gradually stopped racing as he remembered this cat was apparently his pet, but he was still afraid of it.
‘Kai will protect you too, she’ll stay close to you,’ Morden whispered.
Kai, Darius thought. The name sounded familiar. In fact he was sure that it was a name close to him. Maybe he could trust this cat, maybe she was the only one he could trust. The names Belth and Morden sparked no such memories.
Belth crept over to them, keeping low. ‘There’s a group up ahead with at least one Ranger,’ he whispered. ‘I say we sneak in as close as we can, then go in hard and take them by surprise.’ He batted his hammer on his hand as he spoke, he seemed eager for a fight. But Darius wondered how two large metal suits would manage to sneak around. The rain was loud, but not loud enough.
‘Don’t you think it’s a bit risky? What about him?’ Morden asked, nodding in Darius’ direction.
‘What about me?’ Darius asked.
Belth grunted and thought for a moment. ‘You’re right, he might get hurt. Or worse, run off and get himself caught. Let’s go around, try and get to the bridge without them noticing.’
‘I don’t think we’re heading the right way, this area doesn’t look familiar,’ said Morden.
Darius kept quiet. It seemed pointless to keep asking questions, they never answered. How had he got himself into this situation? Apparently lost in a hostile forest with two men who seemed to think little of slaughtering other people. Was he like them? Just remembering the two men Morden had killed made him feel sick. Surely he wasn’t like them... But then why was he here? Were these other soldiers after him, or perhaps just this pair? If he somehow managed to slip away from them, maybe he would be better off.
Belth shifted over and roused Darius from his thoughts.
‘Look, the bridge can’t be far,’ Belth said. ‘If we head downhill we’ll probably come across it, or at least the river. We’ll send Kai up ahead of us, she can sneak better and find us a safe path through. Give us early warning of any more soldiers.’
‘You going to walk, or do I have to keep carrying you?’ Morden asked, turning to Darius.
‘I’ll walk,’ said Darius. He had no wish to be manhandled any further.
‘If we run into anyone, I’ll keep them busy while you two carry on ahead,’ whispered Belth. ‘We can’t afford for Darius to get caught.’
Darius wondered why Belth cared about him getting captured, given he couldn’t remember anything, but thought it wisest not to ask. If they wanted to keep him safe, he wasn’t going to argue.
‘Stay with Morden. Don’t you run away lad.’ Belth planted a hand on Darius’ shoulder. ‘You look afraid, but trust me you aren’t half as scared as you should be. I don’t know if you remember what kind of things are lurking out there in the dark, but there’s more than just soldiers.’
Darius doubted whether he could feel more fearful, but something about Belth’s words sent a chill deeper than even the icy rain had reached.
‘Stick with us, or you’ll die. Or worse. Understood?’ said Belth.
Darius nodded. He wanted to ask what these things were, that he should be so afraid of. But he got the impression Belth wouldn’t elaborate and he didn’t think he really wanted to know right now. He just wanted to be safe. Somewhere dry and warm.
‘Darius, tell Kai to sneak on ahead,’ whispered Morden. ‘Just call her name, point over there and say “stalk”.’
‘Why?’ asked Darius.
‘Because’, Belth was losing patience, ‘she won’t listen to anyone except you. Just do it.’
Darius looked over at Kai. Those big yellow eyes were staring at him, waiting, as if she already knew she was about to be given instructions.
‘Kai’, said Darius, pointing over to the direction Morden had indicated. ‘Stalk.’
Kai turned and prowled forwards. Belth and Morden waited until the cat was almost out of sight in some long grass the distance.
‘Let’s go,’ whispered Belth. ‘From now on, no noise,’ he added to Darius before following after Kai.
They all moved slowly through the forest, using whatever trees and bushes they could for extra cover. The branches clawed and clung to Darius clothes as he creeped. He still couldn’t see anyone else around, and half wondered whether there really were any other soldiers. But he couldn’t see far enough to tell, only weak light now crept through the canopy onto the forest floor. He could barely see Kai up ahead of them, still stalking through bushes, her black fur melding her into the shadows.
They hadn’t been travelling long, when Kai froze. Belth and Morden stopped, Morden placing a hand on Darius’ chest. They stood still. Darius dared not move, dared not even breathe for fear of alerting whatever had spooked Kai.
Belth suddenly set off sprinting to their left, letting out a deafening cry. Before Darius knew what was happening, Morden shoved him back and then ducked. An arrow shot through the air where they had been standing and smashed into a nearby tree, releasing a spray of electric blue. Darius’ shock was interrupted as Morden’s push slammed him into another tree trunk. It knocked the wind from his lungs and he collapsed in a deflated heap.
His vision was hazy and took a few seconds to come back into focus. By the time it had, Morden was no longer crouched. He stood, braced, two swords drawn and ready. Darius now saw approaching soldiers. Their armour shimmered, appearing lighter than Morden’s but similarly covered them head to toe. Two rushed in towards Morden. He side-stepped and lunged at one of them with a sword. The soldier deflected with his own blade, but Morden spun and followed through with his second sword, thrusting it straight into the abdomen of his foe.
Another blue-tipped arrow flew through the air. Morden ducked, narrowly avoiding its path. Darius looked to where it had come from. He saw the bowman, a figure coated in a royal blue cloak. He’d held back and was coiling another arrow. The tip sparked with blue just before he released.
Morden dodged the bowman’s arrow again, and was now battling with the other soldier. Their swords clashed throwing a haze of sparks. The soldier was sent off balance by the impact and Morden dove forward and thrust his head into his foe’s. Darius flinched as he heard a crack of bone and watched as the soldier collapsed to floor, his helmet caved in.
Darius saw more soldiers to the side, weaving through the trees and heading straight for him. He tried to scramble to his feet but wasn’t fast enough and a soldier was on him, thrusting a sword. Darius lurched to the side but the blade sliced his shoulder. He cried out and rolled away.
Before the soldier could take another swing, Morden was there and plunged two swords into his back. He let out a short cry before falling down silent. Darius breathed a sigh of relief, but was soon thrown back into panic as another blue arrow shattered on a tree beside them.
‘Run!’ shouted Morden, grabbing Darius by the arm and hauling him to his feet.
Darius didn’t need telling twice. His heart raced as he took off away from the bowman and chasing soldiers.
Morden followed. ‘Don’t look back.’
Darius fixed his eyes ahead. As he sprinted the cold rain really started to bite. His thighs were stiff and almost cramping, he didn’t know how much longer he could go on. The forest looked endless ahead of him. How were they going to escape? There could be more soldiers anywhere, it would only take one lurking behind a tree to extend a sword at the right moment and cut his throat. He tried not to think about it, all he could do was run. Run and hope that the pounding rain masked their hurried footsteps from any other lurking men. The rain was getting louder, it must have been falling even harder but was already so heavy he could barely feel the difference.
Kai burst from some bushes nearby and sprinted ahead of them. Oh how Darius wished he could run with the speed of a cat. Then, he noticed something ahead. The trees appeared less dense, there was some sort of clearing. He slowed, not knowing whether to risk sprinting out of the cover of the trees, but Morden was right behind him and pushed him onwards.
‘Keep going,’ Morden bellowed. ‘To the river.’
River? Darius thought. Then he realised, it wasn’t a clearing, it was a river cutting through the forest. And that growing noise wasn’t the rain; it was raging waters.
They broke from the cover of the trees and were almost at the banks of the swollen river. But there was no bridge. Kai had already reached the edge and hesitated, watching the rapids with trepidation.
Morden stopped and turned back towards the forest. Five soldiers had emerged right behind them but had stopped, waiting for something.
Morden didn’t wait, he charged at one. The soldier stepped back as Morden swung his sword and avoided its slice. The momentum of his swing seemed to throw him off balance and his foot skidded across the mud. As it did, a blue arrow darted from the forest and pierced his thigh, ripping through his armour. Morden grunted in pain and dropped onto one knee. The soldier seized the advantage and leapt forward, stabbing his sword into Morden’s neck. He dropped, dead.
Darius watched in horror. His protector was now dead and Belth was nowhere to be seen. More soldiers emerged from the trees, among them the bowman and an unfamiliar, strange looking man. The strange man had no armour or weapon bar a staff on his back.
Darius looked around frantically, but he found nowhere to run. The river cut off any escape he had. The soldiers fanned out to surround him and the strange man walked forwards.
‘Darius, I’m so glad we found you,’ the man said. As he approached, Darius recoiled, realising why he looked strange. He had no nose, just smooth bare flesh where his nose should have been.
Darius back peddled until he felt Kai behind him, hovering at the edge of the river. Kai growled and stayed shielded behind his legs.
‘Who are you?’ Darius asked.
‘We’re here to keep you alive,’ the man said.
Darius didn’t have time to think, the man was almost within reach. The mere sight of that noseless face twisted his stomach. He did the only thing he could do. He turned and dove into the surging waters.
