T
thestoryteller
Guest
Unaware of the late hour, my father led me through Jordheim; time was not my concern. As we walked through the silent markets, dimly lit by the moon, the power from my new attire felt eerily comfortable, almost like a second skin.
As we approached the north gate, my father tipped his head to the guards, who bowed back to him as we passed through. We entered Mularn, a place I had not often been, yet seemed familiar all the same. Again its houses lay silent in the night air, in the distance Sveawolves sang their song of their hunt, breaking the still air.
On the far side of town we approached the horse merchant, his scruffy clothing and unshaven face looked poorly aged, his eyes red with fatigue, he looked at my father in an expectant way “Alls well master, the others have passed through the vale and said they will await you at the portal. And this must be young master Cardij, my boy, a gold coin awaits your safe return from the hunt, may the gods smile upon you this night.” His smile was somewhat reassuring, it seemed my name was becoming something of a legend to others, though odd it seemed fitting for the nights events.
He passed the reigns of a huge mare to my father, who swiftly mounted it. He reached out his strong hands to me, flexing his fingers beckoning me towards them. I placed my bow across my shoulder and around my chest then took his hand and he raised me high into the air, swung me round and I landed gracefully behind him.
“Remember old friend, nothing of us you have seen this eve, tomorrow we will repay you with the spoils of our hunt.” With those words he dug his heels into the mare, making her buck up high before taking to a speedy gallop out of the town.
I clung tightly to my father’s studded tunic, and watched as the scenery blurred past me. Never before had I seen Mularn at night, strange shadows and lights I could see around me, sounds that chilled my soul, I hung on even closer. We soon passed a guard post, one of the guards held his torch high in the night air, prying to see who was in such a hurry, before walking back towards his post.
The crescent moon shone brightly over our heads, partially lighting the path. Not that my view ahead was any good, especially as for a lot of the journey I held my eyes firmly closed. Ahead I could hear water, rippling against a shore, rhythmically tapping at the banks. I noticed our pace slow, not stop yet calm to a canter.
“Cadij, look up to the west” I did as my father advised, in the distance high on the side of a large hill I could pick out a large rock formation, glowing with a blue haze, glistening as if it were encrusted with precious jewels.
“That yonder is Darkness Falls, a place soon we will show you son, the deepest heart of the realm dwells within, tis not a place you should go until you have matured more.”
I accepted his words, he spoke them more like a warning than advice, I detected a certain amount of fear in his words, although it gave him bad memories. He twitched the horse’s reigns and again we gathered speed, northward towards the frozen lands. On my left, I watched as the hills became whiter the further we rode, the chill in the air started to make my small body shiver, so I clung tighter to my father, taking as much warmth from him as possible.
It wasn’t long before we reached a mighty wall, in its centre were embedded a huge set of iron and oaken gates. The structure made me feel small, like a drop of blood in the snow. As we approached the gates, a familiar voice rang out in front of us, it was the stranger who had greeted us outside our house that night. As we drew closer to the gates, he slowly merged into view. This time I was more prepared for his appearance.
“Cardij, welcome to your first of many hunts, I am Ulvnack, Shadowblade trainer and master of illusion. Tonight I will show you the powers you have yet to tap into, the arts we rogues must master to defeat our enemies. Cardij, are you ready to journey beyond your homelands?”
“I will follow my father wherever he goes,” I said shyly, “ I want to learn his ways.”
Ulvnack smiled down upon me, and gripped my shoulder firmly. Behind him more Midgardians started to appear, materialising from the night. “Your hunting party awaits you Cardij, they are the best in the realm, you will learn all their ways. No we must go, the Gothis magic waits for no man.”
The large doors behind him began to part slowly, grinding across their stone runners, rumbling deeply. Ulvnack turned, and with his hand still upon my shoulder, pushed me gently into the structure.
“Welcome to Svasud Faste, portal to the enemy, boundary to the harshest and most dangerous part of the realm, gateway to the frozen lands.” He said. I had heard people talk of Uppland, and its mighty barrier before, perhaps this is what those tales spoke of. We entered a mighty open yard, surrounded on all sides by huge walls of stone. Two towers of wood twisted their stairs towards the battlements above, camped by Troll and Kobold guards, patrolling the outer walls.
In one corner, a large stone plinth. I did not recognise the type of stone this circular platform was made of. Dark yet smooth, its surface as flat as the calmest of waters. Around its edge, stood eight Norsemen, dressed in blue and black chain armour. I the centre stood a taller man, dressed in the finest black armour, his long blonde hair swaying in the winds, his eyes closed and his head pointed toward the floor. We approached the plinth, and Ulvnack spoke to him, holding out his had, clutching a small purse.
“Take us to the land of trees, we return tomorrow before first light” he offered the man his purse, he took it without question, and without opening his eyes.
Ulvnack turned to face us, “Gather round, its time to go.”
“Where father?” I asked.
“To the bad lands, home of our enemy, where many of our kin have been slain and have conquered mighty armies. Don’t fear my son, we will keep you safe”. His words felt reassuring, but at the same time menacing, this was my first time away from home, and yet we are going so far.
Our party gathered in a circle around the central Gothi, I looked up at him smiling, waiting for a reply. None came. We stood for what seemed an eternity, I watched him motionless for an age.
Suddenly, I began to feel the ground beneath me shake; the plinth below started to glow gently. I looked again at the Gothi, his eyes were open wide, shining in the dark. He put his hands together and slowly raised his arms to the heavens, my eyes tracked them towards the sky, and high above a star began to pulsate, gaining brightness and speed every second. Evermore it gained in strength and power, around us the men circling the plinth began to chant in the ancient tongue. Louder and louder it grew, the star getting bigger as they did.
My father offered his hand to me, but I couldn’t move, my arms, legs and head were rigid with fear. The main Gothi began to chant now, I was transfixed by his words, quietly at first but gaining in volume, and then abruptly, all sound ceased except his lone voice. A flash of blinding light followed by total silence.
When I reopened my eyes, the sun was setting in the distance, a red sky above me. We stood inside a keep, more guards around us looked down upon the party.
“Welcome, to the land of the trees and great magic, stay close my boy, and no harm shall come to you” my father said, I turned to face him, then Ulvnack stepped up to me once more;
“Welcome to Hibernia, Cadij.”
As we approached the north gate, my father tipped his head to the guards, who bowed back to him as we passed through. We entered Mularn, a place I had not often been, yet seemed familiar all the same. Again its houses lay silent in the night air, in the distance Sveawolves sang their song of their hunt, breaking the still air.
On the far side of town we approached the horse merchant, his scruffy clothing and unshaven face looked poorly aged, his eyes red with fatigue, he looked at my father in an expectant way “Alls well master, the others have passed through the vale and said they will await you at the portal. And this must be young master Cardij, my boy, a gold coin awaits your safe return from the hunt, may the gods smile upon you this night.” His smile was somewhat reassuring, it seemed my name was becoming something of a legend to others, though odd it seemed fitting for the nights events.
He passed the reigns of a huge mare to my father, who swiftly mounted it. He reached out his strong hands to me, flexing his fingers beckoning me towards them. I placed my bow across my shoulder and around my chest then took his hand and he raised me high into the air, swung me round and I landed gracefully behind him.
“Remember old friend, nothing of us you have seen this eve, tomorrow we will repay you with the spoils of our hunt.” With those words he dug his heels into the mare, making her buck up high before taking to a speedy gallop out of the town.
I clung tightly to my father’s studded tunic, and watched as the scenery blurred past me. Never before had I seen Mularn at night, strange shadows and lights I could see around me, sounds that chilled my soul, I hung on even closer. We soon passed a guard post, one of the guards held his torch high in the night air, prying to see who was in such a hurry, before walking back towards his post.
The crescent moon shone brightly over our heads, partially lighting the path. Not that my view ahead was any good, especially as for a lot of the journey I held my eyes firmly closed. Ahead I could hear water, rippling against a shore, rhythmically tapping at the banks. I noticed our pace slow, not stop yet calm to a canter.
“Cadij, look up to the west” I did as my father advised, in the distance high on the side of a large hill I could pick out a large rock formation, glowing with a blue haze, glistening as if it were encrusted with precious jewels.
“That yonder is Darkness Falls, a place soon we will show you son, the deepest heart of the realm dwells within, tis not a place you should go until you have matured more.”
I accepted his words, he spoke them more like a warning than advice, I detected a certain amount of fear in his words, although it gave him bad memories. He twitched the horse’s reigns and again we gathered speed, northward towards the frozen lands. On my left, I watched as the hills became whiter the further we rode, the chill in the air started to make my small body shiver, so I clung tighter to my father, taking as much warmth from him as possible.
It wasn’t long before we reached a mighty wall, in its centre were embedded a huge set of iron and oaken gates. The structure made me feel small, like a drop of blood in the snow. As we approached the gates, a familiar voice rang out in front of us, it was the stranger who had greeted us outside our house that night. As we drew closer to the gates, he slowly merged into view. This time I was more prepared for his appearance.
“Cardij, welcome to your first of many hunts, I am Ulvnack, Shadowblade trainer and master of illusion. Tonight I will show you the powers you have yet to tap into, the arts we rogues must master to defeat our enemies. Cardij, are you ready to journey beyond your homelands?”
“I will follow my father wherever he goes,” I said shyly, “ I want to learn his ways.”
Ulvnack smiled down upon me, and gripped my shoulder firmly. Behind him more Midgardians started to appear, materialising from the night. “Your hunting party awaits you Cardij, they are the best in the realm, you will learn all their ways. No we must go, the Gothis magic waits for no man.”
The large doors behind him began to part slowly, grinding across their stone runners, rumbling deeply. Ulvnack turned, and with his hand still upon my shoulder, pushed me gently into the structure.
“Welcome to Svasud Faste, portal to the enemy, boundary to the harshest and most dangerous part of the realm, gateway to the frozen lands.” He said. I had heard people talk of Uppland, and its mighty barrier before, perhaps this is what those tales spoke of. We entered a mighty open yard, surrounded on all sides by huge walls of stone. Two towers of wood twisted their stairs towards the battlements above, camped by Troll and Kobold guards, patrolling the outer walls.
In one corner, a large stone plinth. I did not recognise the type of stone this circular platform was made of. Dark yet smooth, its surface as flat as the calmest of waters. Around its edge, stood eight Norsemen, dressed in blue and black chain armour. I the centre stood a taller man, dressed in the finest black armour, his long blonde hair swaying in the winds, his eyes closed and his head pointed toward the floor. We approached the plinth, and Ulvnack spoke to him, holding out his had, clutching a small purse.
“Take us to the land of trees, we return tomorrow before first light” he offered the man his purse, he took it without question, and without opening his eyes.
Ulvnack turned to face us, “Gather round, its time to go.”
“Where father?” I asked.
“To the bad lands, home of our enemy, where many of our kin have been slain and have conquered mighty armies. Don’t fear my son, we will keep you safe”. His words felt reassuring, but at the same time menacing, this was my first time away from home, and yet we are going so far.
Our party gathered in a circle around the central Gothi, I looked up at him smiling, waiting for a reply. None came. We stood for what seemed an eternity, I watched him motionless for an age.
Suddenly, I began to feel the ground beneath me shake; the plinth below started to glow gently. I looked again at the Gothi, his eyes were open wide, shining in the dark. He put his hands together and slowly raised his arms to the heavens, my eyes tracked them towards the sky, and high above a star began to pulsate, gaining brightness and speed every second. Evermore it gained in strength and power, around us the men circling the plinth began to chant in the ancient tongue. Louder and louder it grew, the star getting bigger as they did.
My father offered his hand to me, but I couldn’t move, my arms, legs and head were rigid with fear. The main Gothi began to chant now, I was transfixed by his words, quietly at first but gaining in volume, and then abruptly, all sound ceased except his lone voice. A flash of blinding light followed by total silence.
When I reopened my eyes, the sun was setting in the distance, a red sky above me. We stood inside a keep, more guards around us looked down upon the party.
“Welcome, to the land of the trees and great magic, stay close my boy, and no harm shall come to you” my father said, I turned to face him, then Ulvnack stepped up to me once more;
“Welcome to Hibernia, Cadij.”
