The Fall of Light - Chapter 6 - YA Action Fantasy Adventure

Linta stood at the window, paralysed with fear as the monstrous creatures ran riot beyond her Kingdoms walls. When the first blinding blast of lightning hit the outer wall and the deafening crash rumbled through the city of Scorvain, it made Linta jump and pulled her out of her state of shock. She screamed again, this time her vocal chords sprang to life and a shrill shriek escaped her lips. She fell back onto the bed as if she had been pushed by the sheer force of the blast. Her body trembled on the bed, she found it hard to breath, and for a second the Princess felt like she was going to pass out.

Then the door to her room splintered into bits as Lars sprung through like a coiled snake to protect his friend from the imminent threat. The snake’s vine like body landed in a mass at the end of Linta’s bed and made a loud hissing sound at the window. Lars head then poked up over the edge of the bed and the pale white lily petals receded back from his head to peer at Linta. An image popped into Linta’s mind as Lars asked her if she was ok.

“I… I… don’t know Lars.” she whispered as she raised her head, her words came out in short bursts as she struggled to breath and focus her mind enough to draw the pictures in her mind to communicate with her companion. “What are those… those things out there?”

Lars slithered up onto the bed and came alongside Linta, as she was pushing herself up into a sitting position. Then the snake climbed up her arm and draped itself over her shoulders to assume his customary perch, and Linta felt his clammy reassuring weight around her neck. A blank image came into the young girls mind, and Linta took this to mean that the bright green snake did not know the answer to her earlier question. She dared to push herself up onto her unsteady feet and took a few careful steps toward the window, preparing herself for the sight beyond it.

She peeked round the thick red curtains and saw her home burning, many of the houses near the great wall were on fire and clouds of thick black smoke were rising from them. The swirling mass of demonic beasts was still surging over the edge of the city but they were moving much faster now and Linta found it difficult to make out any of the their features. The copper haired girl then looked back down at the city and saw the crowd of people, her people, all desperately pushing their way back towards the relative safety of the palace. In the distance, Linta could hear bells and horns sounding, trying to rally the soldiers of Scorvain into battle against the terrible monsters.

“Linta, are you there?” said Alesson’s young boyish voice, coming from the main living area beyond her splintered door. He sounded shaken and tired and when he appeared in her doorway, he looked worse than he sounded. Her brother was just in his sleep shorts and his thick black hair was tangled and messy, his face had lost its colour and his body glistened, covered in a cold fearful sweat.

“Yes I’m here,” the Princess replied.

“Who or what is that thing out there?” Alesson said, his adolescent voice cracking outrageously through his fearfully excited sentence.

“I don’t know Alesson, one moment they were in my head and the next they were really here,” Linta blurted quickly, tears starting to form in her emerald eyes.

“They do seem like something out of a nightmare, don’t they?” Alesson said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Alesson, Linta!” came a shout from the next room. It was their father, King Trengar and he sounded frantic.

“We’re here, father,” Alesson called back and the twins stepped through the remains of Linta’s doorway into the royal apartment.

“Thank the Crystals, you’re both safe,” said the King in a calmer, relieved voice.

“What’s happening, father?” Linta wailed in a scared little girl voice.

“We’re under siege,” Trengar replied, trying to sound strong in front of his children.

“By who?” Alesson demanded.

“We don’t know yet, but we’re not just going to let whoever they are get away with this outrage!” Trengar replied crisply to his son and directed his children’s attention to the larger south-facing window. “Look, we’re not defenceless.”

Beyond the window, the twins saw the flying winged forces of Scorvain take to the sky to help protect their homes and the people below.

“But we need to get moving, I need to get to the throne room and secure the Etherium. That must be what the invaders are after,” Trengar said in a strong but solemn voice. He looked at Linta, “Good girl, you’re dressed already, I need you to pack essentials for us all, we’ll be leaving to take the Etherium to a safe location as soon as possible. I’ve already sent for a pack of food, so all we need are clothes and other travelling essentials.”

Linta found herself nodding complacently, compelled by his strong commanding voice. She realised two things as she went to her room to get her pre-packed bag. Firstly, she was glad she had something to do, it took her mind off the turmoil that was happening outside and secondly she loved to see her father being so active, alert and strong. She bent to her task of packing bags and sent pictures of things she needed to Lars so he could slither off and help her prepare. It looked like she would be leaving the castle tonight after all.

Back in the main living area, Trengar looked at his half-dressed son. “Alesson, I need you to get dressed and get down to the creature stables and prepare Frostbite and yourself for the task ahead. There’s some light armour in the storage packs at the rear by the baths, prepare yourself thoroughly for combat but move swiftly and quickly, we can’t waste time.”

“Yes father, I’ll be as quick as I can,” Alesson said, revelling in the fire that shone in his father’s eyes.

The Prince flew into his room and pulled on his thick winter clothes from the day before. Once he was dressed, he went back to his father, who was pulling his black ceremonial plate armour on over a rust splotched tunic.

“I’m ready father, I’ll be back soon,” Alesson said, as the King pushed his head through the straps that held his breastplate in place. Then a shout came from the next room.

“Your Majesty?” said a thick gruff voice from the doorway. Alesson recognised it instantly as Commander Garlent.

“Garlent, what are you doing here? You should be commanding the defence of this city!” The King spoke in a harsh angry voice at the interruption and his embarrassment at being only half dressed in his armour.

“Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty,” the Commander said briskly, ignoring the King’s outburst. “The defences are in place; Major Coz has everything in order. I’m here to attend to my other duties. The safety of you and your family has been the responsibility of the Commander of the Scorvain armies since the beginning. Now you can either let me get you out of here my way, or I could carry you out?” Garlent said, fixing the King with a hard stare, daring him to rebuke the statement. The King stared back, grinding his teeth and Alesson thought they were going to fight.

“Fine,” snarled the King. “We’ll do it your way, we’re almost packed and then we can get the Etherium.”

“I have provisions already stored at the refuge point; we need to get going now!” Garlent growled.

“Not without the Etherium!” the King said sharply.

“And not without Frostbite!” Alesson shouted at the squabbling adults. Trengar looked at his son and then at the towering Commander Garlent.

“He’s right, just as you’ve got to do your duty to us; we have commitments to others too. Go on son, go get your friend.” Then the King looked to the end of his bed where his sleek steel kestrel was perched. “Stanza, go with my son and keep him safe.” The bird bobbed its head in affirmation of the Kings command, and then flew to Alesson and landed on his outstretched arm. Alesson felt the weight of the metal bird, his arm sagged a little, and a metallic smell tinged the air.

Alesson faced the hulking Garlent and put his spare hand on his hip defiantly.

“Ok, young Prince, be quick and be safe. If you’re not back soon, I’ll send someone to bring you back,” the large man said, shifting his weight out of the doorway to let Alesson pass.

The crown Prince leapt through the doorway and dashed round the corridors and down the stairs to the courtyard. He bounded across the dark courtyard and Stanza took flight to allow Alesson to run easier. The courtyard was filled with smoke and the stench of burnt flesh and sulphur filled Alesson’s lungs causing him to choke. Alesson sent an enquiring image into the barracks to find out where his companion was. A yelp from just inside indicated where Frostbite was, Alesson went to his friend, fell to his knees, and hugged the wolf’s shaggy mane. Stanza landed on a post near the doorway and squawked loudly.

“I know Stanza we need to hurry,” Alesson said as he released his grip on his friend and hurried to the armour packs. Alesson quickly donned a bulky chain mail shirt, some thick leather pads to go over his legs and arms and a steel domed helmet. He then quickly fitted Frostbite’s armour plated coat over the white wolf and securely fitted the straps. Alesson also grabbed a light breastplate for Linta, just in case and then they were ready to go.

The armoured pair ran out of the barracks and the steel kestrel jumped into the air impatiently. The trio headed back towards the royal apartment, but just as they got to the doorway, a ball of fire sailed erratically into the yard and skidded towards them. Alesson jumped inside and once the creatures were inside too, he swung the door shut. Then he back peddled up the stairs and fell backwards, safely away from the door. The fireball hit the door and incinerated it, burnt embers flew everywhere and the doorframe started to collapse.

Alesson was breathing heavily from his dash across the courtyard and his brief encounter with the fireball. The corridor was bathed in red flickering light from the fire and Alesson could feel the heat, he looked at Frostbite and suggested that he put the fire out. Frostbite opened his mouth and a flash of blue light flew out towards the fire, as the beam of ice steadily covered the whole of the doorway, the fire disappeared and a wall of frozen water replaced the empty space where the door once was.

“Alesson,” Garlent shouted down the stairwell.

“I’m here,” Alesson shouted back, coughing slightly as he breathed in some of the remaining black smoke that was drifting around.

“Come on my boy, we need to get going. This no time for messing around,” Garlent said.

“Ok,” Alesson said, grumbling, he didn’t think that dodging fireballs and putting out fires could be classed as ‘messing around.’ The boy and his companions started up the stairs at a quick pace. Soon they reached the top and ran head long into the rest of the group. Alesson’s father now had his thick black armour on and as soon as Stanza saw him, the kestrel glided across to land on the King’s padded shoulder. Linta was behind the King; she looked nervous and kept edging closer to her father for protection. The little Princess had Lars round her neck and she was carrying two large packs. When she saw her brother she straightened up a little, threw one of the packs at her brother and said “Finally, I was beginning to feel like a pack horse!”

“Sorry, I was as quick as I could,” Alesson replied. “Thanks for packing my stuff. Here, I got this for you, just in case.” Alesson said, handing her the light armour and the young girl quickly pulled it on over her head, while their father helped secure the straps.

“Good thinking my son,” the King said, nodding in approval at Alesson’s acquisition of the breastplate. “Now let’s get to the throne room.”

The group turned and proceeded along the winding corridors as fast as they could. Luckily, the throne room was not too far from the royal apartments. The Scorch family came to a doorway that led onto the upper balcony level of the great hall. The balcony led straight over to the throne room and acted as a short cut for the royal’s to attend court. Inside, the hall was a high slightly oval shaped three-storey structure with a small domed section in the middle that cast multi-coloured beams of light in all directions around the hall. Garlent proceeded first along the balcony towards a smaller entrance that would get the royal family into the upper level of the throne room.

Then, all of a sudden, the dome overhead shattered and the other windows around the hall collapsed inward, as the second blast of lightning hit the cities inner wall. The room was illuminated brightly from above and a deafening roar came from outside. Alesson felt himself pushed to the ground, he was almost blinded by the bright light and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Spots danced behind his eyelids and his ears buzzed with static. The boy was sure that his head was about to be crushed by the sheer oppressive force of the blast. Then he felt something sharp cut across his cheek, the glass shards from the dome were being blown around the room, so Alesson covered his head with his arms and tried to physically push himself into the floor beneath him.

Soon the roar of the thunder passed and Alesson realised he could still hear, but his ears still buzzed and they popped painfully when he swallowed. He then risked opening his eyes and the world slowly blurred back into existence, spots and strange lights floated across his field of vision, and he felt relieved that he had not gone blind.

Alesson then felt rough hands grab him and turn him over onto his back; the hands then proceeded to drag the young man towards the far end of the balcony.

“Stop it. I can still walk,” he croaked, his mouth suddenly very dry. Alesson struggled to shake off the hands and rise to his feet. He checked Frostbite was ok, the crystal wolf was hunched down nearby and had a few chips taken out of him where some glass shards had landed on him, but the young wolf seemed fine.

The rough steel gauntleted hands belonged to Commander Garlent who was now glaring at the dawdling young boy. “Get moving, now!” the Commander bellowed. Alesson did not need to be told twice he ran as fast as he could through the doorway and into the throne room. He managed to take a quick look over his shoulder to see his father carrying Linta. The Princess was folded over the King’s shoulder in a very unflattering position while Trengar pushed his way into the upper gallery of the throne room. Once inside, Trengar dropped to his knees and dumped the girl unceremoniously on her rump.

“Oww,” Linta exclaimed loudly as she rubbed her behind.

“Sorry” said her father who was breathing heavily and struggling to get back to his feet.

“Who’s there?” said a voice from the lower levels. Alesson and Garlent moved to the edge of the great marble walkway that ringed the upper gallery and looked down into the throne room. Cowering behind the massive quartz throne was Deltain with a couple of packs of belongings and next to him was Garlent‘s stone bear Razza.

“What are you doing here, old man?” shouted the Commander, “Didn’t you hear, we’re under siege and all non-combatants are to evacuate.”

“Oh, is that what all that noise is about.” Deltain replied with heavy sarcasm. “I know what I’m supposed to do, Commander, but I just can’t help disobeying directives and being here to help my King and lifelong friend.”

“That’s enough!” said Trengar as he approached the creamy marble balcony. “It’s good to see you my friend but you shouldn’t have come here, it’s far too dangerous.”

“I agree Your Majesty,” Garlent quickly added. “Now get on your way, Sage!”

“Garlent, it’s too late for that,” said the King sternly. “He’ll have to come with us now.”

“Yessir,” Garlent snapped back sharply, but Alesson saw the disgruntled soldier shake his head and mutter under his breath. “Great, now I’m babysitting an out of shape monarch, two kids and an old man.” Alesson grinned at the older man’s discomfort and moved back from the edge and towards the twin marble staircases that led down to throne.

The group went down the stairs and moved towards the gleaming Quartz throne. Once the King got to the throne, he put one of the small leather packs that he had been carrying on the chair and rummaged through it until he found a long cylindrical glass tube. Trengar placed the tube on the top of the throne and pushed it down into a hidden recess. Alesson heard a distant series of clicks and rumbles, and then behind the throne, one of the marble slabs shifted and sunk into the floor, revealing a short passageway.

The King then quickly disappeared down the dark passageway. Alesson pushed forward to the edge of the hidden doorway and peered into the darkness, after a few seconds he saw something impossible appear. It was a star, a little twinkling light coming from far down the corridor and it was getting closer, soon Alesson could see that it was coming from the head of a shadowy figure. The boy recognised the figure as his father, but now he was wearing the Scorvain crown, which the Etherium mounted upon it. The Etherium was a brilliant white crystal that seemed to pulse erratically, almost as if it was alive.

Alesson was transfixed by the pure clean light that was coming from the small perfectly circular gem. Alesson had seen the stone many times in the past and he had even held it on various occasions for royal ceremonies. He remembered the calm feeling of serenity that had washed over him when his fingertips had touched the smooth round crystal.

Then that feeling of calm was shattered as the great doorway at the far end of the throne room was flung open violently. The force of the blow, bashed the large wooden doors off their hinges and blew them into the rows of marble pews that were facing the throne. Alesson turned sharply as three men entered the room; two of the men wore the grey and red armour that Alesson had seen earlier. While the third seemed to be shrouded in shadows, which flowed over the person’s body like a living cloak that hid their features completely.

Next came two monstrous creatures, one was shaped like a man’s skeleton, tall, thin and scrawny, but it was covered with black swirling lines that resembled tentacles and at the same time seemed to shimmer and shift into dark flames. The second creature had four thick muscled arms that stretched out of a hunched purple-black leathery body and two large red eyes shone brightly out of the beasts chest.

The swirls around the shadow-cloaked entity’s head fell away to reveal a face, a man’s face with pale white skin, which seemed to have been pulled taut over high pointed cheekbones. The man’s hair was long and mostly black with streaks of white at the man’s temples. The man’s eyes were completely black; there was no hint of colour at all.

Alesson heard his father gasp behind him and saw all the colour drip out of his sister’s face, and she collapsed to her knee’s whimpering. The King roughly pushed past his son to put himself between the monsters and his family.

“Ahh, Trengar how good of thou to bring us the Etherium.” snarled a thick guttural voice that sounded beastlike, compared to a normal human timbre.

“Inemi, is that you?” said the stunned King. “What have you done?”

The figure made a low rumbling noise that Alesson eventually recognised as laughter. “That name no longer has any meaning to us; the only thing we desire now is your death and the destruction of the Etherium.”

“That’s not going to happen Inemi!” Trengar declared defiantly and Alesson could feel the rage building in his father. “Deltain get the twins to cover, Garlent let’s get this traitor.”

“No, Your Majesty,” Garlent refused the King as he came alongside him “You and the others get to safety, I’ll hold them here and buy you some time.”

“There’s no time to argue Garlent, you know I’m not going to let Inemi slip away again,” Trengar pleaded.

“I’m not going anywhere Trengar,” the grotesquely alien voice rumbled loudly. “This shall be our final meeting.” The dark figures arms came up and the two menacing monsters started to move forward.

Trengar drew his jewel-encrusted sword and pointed it towards the odd skeleton like creature and as he did, Stanza took flight from his partners shoulder and began to circle above the King. With his spare hand, Trengar pulled his black visor down over his face and set his feet ready to charge his foe.

On the far side of the throne room, Trengar saw that Garlent had ordered Razza to charge the other black muscled beast. The brown stone bear crashed through the remaining benches throwing chunks of marble at the multi-limbed monstrosity. The red-eyed ball of arms and legs did not try to dodge the incoming projectiles; instead, it just raised its two upper arms and swatted the lumps of white rock out of the way. The two beasts collided in the middle of the throne room and grappled each other like two colossal wrestlers, testing their opponent’s strength and trying to discover any weaknesses they might have.

As the two larger creatures tore up the middle of the room, Trengar dashed round the outside of the room and at the same time, he directed his steel kestrel to bombard the spindly skeleton. Stanza flew as high as he could in the room and pulled his wings forwards to point at the enemy beast and from the birds metal wingtips, sharp steel shards rained down on the black skeleton. The fleshless monster was prepared for the attack and seeming insubstantial grey tentacles flashed out of its thin body and batted the steel fragments out of the sky.

What the beast was not ready for however was the fast approaching King, who had flanked the skeleton like being and was charging toward it as fast as he could. Trengar’s sword was pointed straight at the protruding ribcage of the beast and as he reached the skeleton, the steel blade passed easily through its chest and broken bone fragments flew everywhere. This surprise attack was not enough to kill the beast and Trengar found himself staring death in the face, the grinning skull of his foe swivelled down to face the man who had dared to confront it and slowly it raised its arm to strike. The blow never came, as the creatures arm reached its apex, it stopped and then it started to dissolve into a fine black mist. Trengar fell backwards and his sword came free of the skeletons chest as that too evaporated into thin air.

Trengar rolled over and came to his feet, what had caused the demon to disappear? Then the King saw that one of the grey and red armoured warriors had been killed, two of Deltain’s crossbow bolts protruded from the man’s neck. The black army of beasts and monsters were just the same as the friendly crystal creatures, in that they died when their partner’s lives were extinguished. Deltain was back in the doorway that led to the Etherium's resting place, he gave the King a hasty thumbs up and Trengar saluted back to thank his friend for his help.

“Enough!” Inemi’s thunderous voice bellowed, “Thy end is now King Trengar.”

Inemi raised his arms above his head and the shadows that shrouded his figure flowed quicker and started to move away from his body. As the shadows left Inemi’s body, colour returned to his eyes and the elder longhaired Commander fell to the floor in a heap. The shadows convulsed in the air and a thin beam of darkest black was emitted from the clouds centre. The jet-black line streaked toward the King and sliced straight through the crown of Scorvain and the Etherium shattered into millions of tiny exploding fragments. Trengar again fell to the ground and threw his smouldering helmet away as if it was diseased and blood sprayed from a wound high on his head. Then Trengar’s body was pulled up into the air and spun round until he was upright and facing the black shadows. The shadows were now spinning and convulsing so fast that they formed a vortex and the King found himself slipping into the swirling black hole.

“Garlent, get my children out here now,” the immobilised Trengar shouted in desperation, as tears fell down over his cheeks.

Stanza then flew to his partner, dug his razor sharp claws into the King’s armour and tried to pull the King away from the spinning maelstrom. Then the black vortex lurched forward suddenly, engulfing the pair, it shuddered violently and promptly vanished. The King and Stanza were nowhere to be seen.