Lord of the Darkness
By: Sam Purcell
Prologue

A beautiful Elven maiden walked through a field swiftly and gracefully. Suddenly she bent down and brushed her hand on the grass gently. The dew clung to her hand and her eyes widened. She was the fairest Elf in the land, with light blue skin and hazel colored hair. Her pointed ears jutted out sharply from her slim head.
“He has come,” she murmured.
Another Elf came and placed his hand on the grass and his eyes also widened. He was dark green with tough skin and had weathered many battles.
“The fifth prophesy of the Great Telunear is coming to pass, and the new one will come.”
“I know, Ragitni,” said the female Elf.
“I feel it in the grass. The sky has been weeping and the clouds are many. I sense trouble,” said the one who was obviously called Ragitni.
Suddenly the two Elves were thrown to the ground as a loud boom echoed behind them. A man covered in fire walked forward.
“You are with enemy,” he grunted. Hundreds more streamed out behind him. “DESTROY!” they yelled, brandishing their torches fiercely.
“HOLD!” boomed a voice so fierce that the men covered in fire stopped instantly. Two glowing red eyes appeared in the sky.
“You not Master,” muttered one. A bolt of black lightning shot from one eye and the Minion was immediately incinerated and his companions stood stock still, hardly even breathing. “You not Master, but we listen,” said another.
“Xenor,” breathed Ragitni.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground next to him and he lurched violently. His dying words were, “Evacuate the village, Kalbi, for my days as a warrior are over.”With that message, he died. The female, Kalbi, began to weep, but collected herself and ran from the marching men covered in fire. (Minions of the King of Fire.)
Kalbi rushed to the village and yelled, “ Come, the Minions approach! Evacuate!’’
Everyone was streaming around grabbing possessions and herding children out of the village. Then everyone stopped.
A faint black outline appeared on the hill and roared,”We come!”
A small band (but still powerful) of the King’s finest Minions marched up behind him.
“Destroy!” they shouted and they closed in.
The men rushed forward, swords drawn, and the women and children retreated into the houses. Doors closed everywhere. The men stood firm and raised their swords. Archers strung their bows on the rooftops of the small village. They schelped the strings and released them. The arrows shot through the air at an untenable speed. The Minions howled in rage as the aciculate arrows pierced the layer of fire armor that was latched to their skin. The leader’s eyes burned fiercely. He chucked his sword. The burning blade impaled an archer. His dying screams of agony shot through the clear, fresh air. One by one, the leader marred the men. A horn was sounded and the rest of the Minions began the invasion of the town. The leader of the Minions was ripping and hacking. Even the stoutest of the warrior’s mail could not stave off the brutal onslaught of the leader. He slaughtered all, even his own men. His blind fury made him ignorant to who was who. Then he stopped. He had seen a door move. A small head peered out, but pulled instantaneously back as the small green eyes spotted the leader’s malevolent stare. He trudged slowly to the house and ripped down the door viciously. His eyes gleamed with pleasure. A woman was muttering consolations to two children. Her back was turned. His iron clad foot met the planks of wood on the floor. She turned swiftly and raised her hand to summon forth magic, but before she did anything, the blade rushed down to meet her. One child was thrown to the side and knocked out. The other was stabbed directly through the heart. She grimaced as scarlet blood dribbled out of her wound.
“Desriftr,” Kalbi muttered. A powerful wave of wind shot through the open door and the leader was thrown backward. His head hit the wall and his eyes rolled up into his head.
She sighed and wiped her brow. Kalbi rushed to check her children. What if the old man was here? Would destiny be changed? she thought. She lifted the corpse of one and began to weep again.
“Serighryt,” she said. A hole appeared in the ground
New Goals

One boy, an old man, a dragon and other
acquaintances will reshape the
war-filled world of Honcresral.
An ancient prophesy will come to pass
and the soul of the boy will be put
to the ultimate test. This took place
thousands of years ago in a secret
world of magic and warfare.
This is their story.



In the era of the four lords of the Elements, most everything was peaceful.The planet, Honcresral, had plenty of resources. Blacksmiths had no need to make weapons and armor. The Warlord of the Wind, Emperor of the Earth, King of the Fire and Soothsayer of the Sea all ruled for a time. But the position
would not hold and soon greed corrupted minds and caused fighting that lasted almost an eternity. The battles made dragons and trolls quake in fear. But let’s tell the other parts of this long story about the war.
In the middle of the war, a squire named Sauno was in hiding. He was in the high trees of the Kayne Jungle, where fabulous creatures roamed: fairies, magic mice, and even the guardians of the wood that could grant small wishes. One day a great wizard named Honail came to his trees. The boy had no idea his life was about to be changed forever.
Sauno was sitting whittling knives with a sharp scrap of armor he had picked up from a Servant of the Soothsayer. No, not really picked up. A more appropriate term for that would be looting. Sauno was a thief. He had wavy brown hair, a slender physique, and tan skin, perfect for blending into the shadows. His eyes were brown flecked with gold. And strangely, from his birth, right above each of his eyebrows was a little red mark.
He had wondered if it was a birth mark, but as time went on he got used to it and his thoughts were not troubled by it when he looked into his mirror. This was another example of his habit of looting people. It was a stone so polished it reflected everything in front of it. He had cool water in the huge tub on the roof.
It rained plenty in the jungle, so he was never thirsty. A porch surrounded his house and on it were stacked odds and ends that he had gotten from his special talent. Sauno was nineteen years old, and from having to survive on his own his legs and arms always looked as if he were tensing them, but he was so strong that it was his normal appearance. His parents were dead, and he did not remember them.
They had been taken into the capital of the world, Suratak~freo for questioning. They threw him into a bush and went calmly with the strange beasts that came. But that was almost fifteen years ago, and he did not remember them, so he was not troubled by their absence. He dropped his armor and knives. Time to go hunt, he thought. Sauno got up and picked up his spear. This he had not looted. He found it in the forest while hunting.
It was of Elven craft, the handle was made from a soft bend material, and the tip was made of something shiny. It was stronger than steel or iron. He had tested it by finding a small piece of iron and one of steel. When slammed on a rock they shattered into a million pieces. But when he slammed the mysterious tip, the rock shattered. He had always kept it after the test. He stepped onto the porch. With bow in one hand and spear in the other, he climbed down on his stepladder.
A noise! He had been following an Etite, a large creature that ate tree bark. Its meat was tender and juicy. The creature looked a bit like an alligator in our world. It had armor, and a steel scimitar. Its four legs ended in curved talons.
It was the dead of night and he wanted to go home. But the thought of meat made him toil on. Then he saw a flash of brilliant white in the darkness. He ran towards it. Fresh meat! he thought. He notched an arrow. He was about to release when he fell. Startled, Sauno looked around from the ground. A sword was under his feet. Its blade was bloody and he realized he had been sliced. Forgetting the Etite, he picked it up. The pommel was of iron, and the blade slightly curved. The handle was made of red leather. Compared to real warriors swords, this was a toy.
But he kept it anyway. It might be worth something. He trudged home, hungry, tired and in need of a washing. He rinsed off in steaming water he boiled from a fire. Then he bound his wound. He went to bed. He did not eat. Thus ended the almost-average day of Sauno.
The next morning he found some magic mice and skinned them, then roasted them over a fire. He began to chew. I was perfect. He liked his life. Then Sauno heard rustling, and what sounded like a twig snapping. He quickly and silently threw dirt over the fire. Then he covered the ashes in leaves and sticks. Sauno scurried up the ladder with the mice in his mouth. He set them on the floor and was ready to throw his spear.
As Honail arrived, Sauno was nervous, fearing it was a Minion of the King of Fire. They had been around his tree house a lot recently. The old wizard came into view. Sauno relaxed. He didn’t want to go down yet. He dropped the spear and put his bow behind his back, up his shirt, just in case.
“Is anyone here ?” Honail yelled up.
“I am!” Sauno yelled back.
“Come, I just want to see you, and talk,” Sauno came down. He was amazed by Honail and felt a special, wonderful power rising. His beard was shining silver and he was garbed with a white robe that was designed with horses and swords, all woven into it beautifully.
“Hello, young one,” said Honail.”I have been informed you live here.”
“Yes,” said Sauno, feeling uneasy. He knocked an arrow into his bow behind his back. Phreak did not want to hurt Email, But if the old man is dangerous, it might be necessary to hurt him, thought Sauna.
“Now, now,” said Honail.”We wouldn’t want to hurt someone with that bow,hmm?” And suddenly he was behind Sauno, with the bow in his hand. ”Be calm, for I mean no harm. Let us talk. I have an offer that could change your life. May I speak to you in your lodgings?”
“Yeah, sure,” mumbled Sauno. He had half expected Email to say lodgings’ in a mocking way, but he said it perfectly politely. They climbed the rope stepladder to his tree house and pulled the door handle to the inside. They sat on the floor.
“Now,” said the wizard, ”I am on a quest. A quest to end the war.” Saunas eyes widened. That was nigh impossible. The lords believed in what they thought very strongly. "We must obtain the stone of Charlock from a place. I am not sure where it is. But we will find it.”


Sauna and Email
set out into a world
of magic and danger to find it.
In their world, somewhere, the Stone lay waiting.
As they traveled, many magical sights met their eyes. Bustling cities with merchants haggling and fine horses up to buy. While they were in Gut,’,lam, Sauna saw a stall on the side of the street in a shady part. It looked abandoned, but he walked up to it nonetheless. As he stepped up to it and rapped his knuckles on the counter, a fat man dressed in a robe of elegantly woven silk stepped up from under the table. His red velvet hat was covered in deep scarlet rubies. A pair of gloves were in his hand and those too were red with rubies as well. A plump bag hung from his sash belt that jingled when he moved.
“Hello s-,” started Sauno. But the man held up his hand to silence him and pulled a small bag from his pocket. He dumped the contents in front of him. A red stone, blue stone, green stone and brown stone all fell out. All were the size of his hand.
“Ugtral at your service,” said the man in a thick, heavy Edr’.lon. accent.
“Never mind,” said Sauno. ”We thought that there was something of interest here, but we were mistaken.”
“Hold on, I think I know what these stones are,” said Honail.
“They are the eggs of the beasts,” said Ugtral.
“Sauno, this must be done,” said Honailail sharply. ”How much to touch them all?”
“Five gold coins and if anything happens, money back” Ugtral said, confident that he would keep everything.
“How much money do you have?” inquired Honail.
“Five gold coins.”
“I have seven. Here,” he said and handed five of his seven to the stall keeper.
“Touch each stone,” said Ugtral. Sauno stepped up and touched the brown stone. Nothing. He touched the green stone. Nothing. After touching the blue stone and having the same result, he began to despair
“It was a waste of money,” he grumbled.
“Touch the last,” said Honail.
Sauno touched the red stone. A cloud of red light enveloped him
and an incredible wave of power surged through his body. The stone rose high into the sky and little cracks started to run down it, and out of the cracks shot rays of red light. A terrible screeching filled the air and the egg dropped heavily on the ground, where it shone brightly through the black dirt. Then, the stone split in half and Sauno was holding a tiny red dragon that was puffing smoke. He gave the dragon to Honail and fainted.
When Sauno awoke, the baby dragon was eyeing him, as if to say: I chose you. Don’t make me regret it. He looked closely at the dragon. Its wings were still glistening with the amniotic juices from inside what was obviously an egg, not a stone. The thin membranes inside its wings were visible and pulsing slightly. The dragon’s long snout was ended with two wickedly curved fangs. It puffed clouds of smoke and the claws were ice white and sharp as razors, but retractable. Its scales flashed and glimmered like one thousand fires and looked as smooth as silk. He remembered yesterday, or was it two days? he thought. Okay, the other day, the dragon was the size of his hand, about a quarter stretch. But now it was double in size, about half a stretch. Wow, that’s fast growth. I had better watch his size. Just then, Honail entered the room. His usual elegant robe was replaced by coarse leather travelers’ garments. He had made his beard wild. He was wearing a small cloth cap.
“Best not to attract attention to ourselves. The enemies of our world all want to enlist the help of a wizard,” explained Honail.
“Speaking of wizardry,” said Sauno, ”I haven’t seen you do any magic.”
“Ah,” breathed Honail. ”I see. Well, let me show you some basic magic. If you are not impressed, remember this: I am old. My magical energy source wavers. However, I will do my best.”
With that, Honail walked calmly to a stool in the room and stood there. Then his eyes began to move up and down quickly.”Fuoig~htra,” the chair was soon sliced up into hundreds of paper thin slivers. Then he said,”Arth~giouf.”
The stool pieced itself back together and in seconds was a regular, whole stool once more.







One day, while walking in the cave, Sauno and Honail were discussing Charlock and his Stone. They heard some odd sounds. On instinct, Sauno turned and drew his blade. He blocked a vicious red fang that was reaching out of the darkness behind them, about to attack them. However, Honail did not block it.
The fang hit his head and Honail fell. To Sauno’s horror, the old wizard was sprawled out on the ground. A giant Yabe had slammed Honail!
Suddenly a surge of energy ran through Sauno. He saw Honail transferring his power to him temporarily. Honail smiled weakly, then passed out. Sauno shot a fireball at the Yabe and it hissed, spat and died. Sauno healed Honail and as soon as he was up, Sauno lost the power. As they exited the cave, Sauno almost fell off a precipice. He called Ruby, his dragon, to fly them to a craggy platform rising out of the dark chasm below. Ruby flew them there quickly. A gigantic stool rose out of the ground and on top of it was a black stone glittering darkly at its core. Five small pebbles were placed next to the big stone, in a long row. A song in the voice of a Dwarven lord rang out:

Pull away mind
and you can find it.
Tug your heart
the way is clear.
4th of legends
Stone gray, leaves green
And Charlock glows with fiery sheen.
It will be fine.
Will you see it?
Come and try.

They were baffled. Neither one of them understood the song. They thought and thought. Suddenly Honail smirked. Sauno was incredulous. Honail walked over to the five stones and attempted to yank the second stone. He fell instantly to the ground. He got up, but his eyes were veiled and his face was dark so Sauno knew something was wrong.










Battle

Honail looked up with a maniacal gleam in his eye and he smirked again.
“They say,” he said, ”that if you pick the wrong smaller stone around Charlock’s stone, your heart will turn evil.”
Sauno’s face turned as white as a sleeping Enapo. “Come, then, and I will help you.” yelled Sauno, letting his anger consume him. He drew his blade and Honail materialized his staff. Their power clashed fiercely as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. It began to rain.
And they started to battle as the four elements watched them from far away.
“The boy has potential,” said the Warlord from the cloud realms.
“Good fighter,” said the Emperor from an ancient cave.
“Astonishing,” said the King from a volcano.
“Incredible,” said the Soothsayer from the Sea of Hell.
Back at the rock...
Energy radiated from his body like an angry Zatyurek. He cut and slashed, and just like War battles, dragons and trolls felt it. But Honail just dodged and rarely had to block.
Then he jumped high into the sky and slammed Honail with the blunt side of his blade. Email fell fast and was on the ground with Sauno holding him down. Just then, Sauno saw the second pebble on the back of sauno neck.
He flung his hand on it and yanked, but it was in vain. He didn’t get it off, but he did get a nasty shock. Sauno flew off Honail and landed hard. He took advantage of it and shot a wave of magic at Sauno, blasting him into the ground. He cried out in pain and dropped his sword. “Fool,” laughed Honail.
Suddenly Honail also fell, and the stone on his neck was sliced in half. Ruby stood there and held up his claws. Sauno smiled weakly and held up his thumb. Then he passed out.
Meanwhile, the elements were speaking for the first time in
an age.
“What in the light of death are you talking about?” yelled the King. “We must put him in the Fire army.”
“No, he will be an Earth mage,” said the Emperor.
“Shut up, fools, and I will teach him to control wind,” said the Warlord.
“Shut up, all of you,” said the Soothsayer.
“I have a plan,” he said,”that we all teach him a portion of our magic and power.”
“But we are fighting, and that is stupid. We might as well end the war,” said the Warlord.
“Then it will be fair and we can use him in turns.”
“But if he is the Dark One, then he will be dangerous,” said the King.
“Then we will despose of him, if he is rebellious,” said the Soothsayer.
“But we are fighting! I think that who ever has the boy first may take him into hiding! Then it would be for nothing!”

Everyone agreed. But then they saw two interesting and terrible things.
Back at the rock...
When Sauna awoke, he saw the old wizard lying peacefully on the ground, eyes closed, scarcely breathing. Sauna slowly crawled over to him, hoping he was still alive. He was, but only just.
“I don’t have a herb or anything,” he thought.
Then he knew how he would be without Email. He would hide again. Not this time!
“No!” he whispered and poured all his strength into Honail’s body. And again, he passed out.
1 hour later...
He woke up again, and it was lucky, because an enormous black dragon towered over him and was about to take the Stone of Charlock. It had a long blue line on its chest. Its eyes were a deep crimson and its teeth as sharp as razors. The dragon puffed smoke with every breath. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, or Sauno would have called for help.
Sauno sprang to his feet instantly and was ready to fight. The dragon didn’t even turn its head when Sauno shook his sword at it. But when Sauno cut off a scale, the dragon spewed fire around him.
Sauno tried to jump, but his foot was burned badly in the process. He could not stand. As the dragon shot forth a jet of fire, Phreak knew he was going to die.
But before the fire got to him, a shield went around him and the blast was deflected back at the dragon. Its tail was chopped off and it flew away, but not before kicking the 4th little stone and yanking the Stone of Charlock off the pedestal.
Sauno looked around for Honail to see if it was he who launched the shield. But the wizard was still lying on the ground, sleeping.
“Who helped?”Sauna yelled at the sky.
“It was we, the Lords of the Elements,” they said. “You have great potential to fight, and we will train you, but first you must meet us at Mt. Davies, in the outskirts of the Enobmort kingdom. There will be many challenges along the way. Are you ready?”
“Uh... OK...I am ready,” said Sauno. He would have said no, but it was death to refuse a lord.
“Very well. We will be waiting.”
Sauno was very nervous, having just talked to the sky, but he put that aside. He knew Enobmort was to the north. Getting proper training would help get the Stone of Charlock. But he didn’t want to fight in an army. So after a few days rest, he would go there with Honail and start training with the four lords themselves. Whose dragon was that? A wild dragon wouldn’t know how to get the Stone of Charlock. Sauno was low on food, so he decided to go hunt.
But he was still worried because the stone was gone and he still needed to find it and end the war. Ruby landed witha bloody carcass hanging from his mouth. He rode out on him to the forest of Koobdah to get some meat and herbs.
He dismounted on a large tree and his large dragon flew away. He jumped from tree to tree, searching for a big creature. Finally he spotted a wild Yablucer roaming the forest floor eating magic mice.
He readied an arrow. Then it saw him. It was gigantic, with 3 tails and 4 foot long horns. Its red eyes blazed through tough black skin on its head. Its hooded feet looked as if they could crush him easily. Sauno could tell it was no ordinary Yablucer.
Sauno jumped off the tree and landed behind the Yablucer. Then he saw it had a long blue line running down the side of its stomach. Either it was chief Yablucer of the forest, or it served someone powerful. That was two creatures with a blue scar he had seen that day and Sauno knew they had a connection.


























Old Tales

The Yablucer pawed the ground and screamed his famous Yablucer scream. Evil flowed onto Sauno and he felt it badly.
“Please,” he implored, ”don’t be evil.”
“We can help you and make you good”
“A little humanoid begging me to change,” growled the Yablucer, mockingly.
“My lord Xenor,” roared the Yablucer, suddenly looking at the sky. ”I have here a young humanoid who is attempting to brain wash me. May I take care of him, Master?”
“No, Latrommi, I need him. I grow older and weaker by the day. Let us keep him, in case,” said a voice that chilled Sauno to the bone. It sounded like death itself and a million Minions coming to capture Sauno.
“You lucked out this time, stupid humanoid,” grunted Latrommi angrily. And with that, he charged into the forest. Sauno was tired. He lay down and rested till nighttime.
He woke a while later. Ruby was standing beside him. He flew to Honail, who was up and about.
As he landed he asked, “Honail? Are you okay? You were evil for a while. I’m glad you are okay. Tell me, is there another reason that you want to end the war, besides all the hate?”
“Sit down young one, and I will tell you why I want the war to end,” said Honail. He opened a bag of cold fish and spiked them on a spit. The smell of sizzling fish filled the air.
“It all began nineteen years ago, when I was perhaps younger than now,” he began grimly, smoking his pipe.
The fumes rose from it twisting in intricate patterns that took the right shapes and made his story come to life.
Smoke rose from a village. Women and children were screaming. Men covered with fire walked around flinging torches everywhere. Sauno knew they were Minions of the King of Fire. The village men stood up to them, but were killed mercilessly and thrown to the side. Then Sauno saw a Minion walk towards a house that had its door closed. He tore the door aside and saw a woman and two children crouched in a corner. She put up a good fight, and hit him on the head. She buried the dead one. But the Minion rose and threw aside one child and slaughtered the woman and other child. The thrown child was unconscious, in the shadows.
“And he killed them,” said Honail. But he did not cry. Obviously they were important to him. “I was walking back from a training session with my teacher, The Great Telunear, in the forest far away.”
“But why did he kill them?” asked Sauno.
“They are hateful creatures and The King asked them to because he was convinced that his enemies were in my village,” coughed Honail as he inhaled smoke from his pipe.
“If you weren’t there, how do you know that?” Sauno queried.
“I am tired,” said Honail sullenly, avoiding the question. He stalked off to bed. Sauno followed after eating his and Honail’s fish.
Prisoners of the Dwarven People

When Sauno woke, a large chunk of rock fell from the platform. He rushed to Honail, who was ready and alert. A stairway opened in the ground and a smallish man dressed in a plate of iron armor and Gereif hide leggings emerged. He carried a stout axe with a gilded gold handle. He motioned for them to follow.
Sauno and Honail felt drawn to the little man. They put their hands on the hilts of their swords. They stepped down into the inky black darkness under the platform. Sauno felt like he were descending into hell. They walked down for miles. Then the man stopped. It was pitch black.
“Jump forward as far as you can, and then stop,” the man said in a slithery voice. Sauno raised an eyebrow. The man can talk, he thought.  Sauno and Email stepped back a while, then charged forward and leapt off the ledge that was apparently there, even though they could not see it. Sauno felt air under his feet and thrashed around madly as he heard a loud thud that signified Email had landed. He brushed the air with a clammy hand and his heart beat quickly. He was falling, falling…
His hand caught a handhold. One finger holding... Two… And his whole hand connected with the coarse gravel that clung to the vertical wall of rock. Sauno’s other hand felt up the cracks and crevices of the rock. With that hand he unsheathed his sword and dug it into the nooks. He pulled himself up and up. Sauno repeated the procedure until he felt flat ground under his prying fingers.
“Honail?” he called. A hand helped him up. Then he was thrown roughly onto the ground and someone hit him. Sauno knew no more.
He woke to curses a many.
“Those bastards won’t hold me,” shouted Honail furiously. ” Those asses of Dwarves are not so noble as in those damn fairy tales. You pieces of crap.“
“Hi,” said Sauno loudly.
“Oh, did you hear my forsaken words?” asked Honail.
“No, what happened?”
“Those freaking, d- sorry. The Dwarf man hit both of us out cold. He swore once more. Then, “We are to be held for trial tomorrow. In the meantime, I must implement upon you the most basic of attack magic. At the trial we will be given a puzzle. If we fail, we will be killed. If we solve it, we will go free.”
“But why not just kill us?“
“Dwarves have always been fair to prisoners. Of course, we wouldn’t be prisoners if the runt didn’t hit us,” he said irratably.
“To perform magic is an extremely difficult task. You may be weary after doing even the simplest of spells.” A plate of food was slipped into the room along with a pitcher of foul smelling water through a small hatch. “Now, before you do it, eat and drink to get strong.”
Sauno sat on a coarse wool cot and ate the food. It was chewy, cold meat with stale, crusty bread. It was all stone cold. The water however was warm and salty. He was so thirsty he gulped it down gratefully anyway. In a minute, he was full and satiated, ready to perform the “difficult” magic. Sauno smirked. This magic was easy. He had seen Honail dismantle a chair with ease.
“I am ready,” he said confidently.
“Good. Now step forward. Hold this.” He gave Sauno a match. ”You must think of a rage inside you. If you do what I tell you, the match will be lighted with a small fire. Repeat after me: fur~Ja^Kars.” As he said it, a guard for their cell carrying a torch stepped back. It had flared up ominously.
“Aye no munkee bus’n’ss Is got a good min’ to tell ya ta be ‘xcuted on tha spot.” The guard spat into the cell through a large hole. Then he began to make love to his tonic and gin.
“Honail, why don’t you just blow the door down? I mean, I could learn magic at a less perilous time, right?”
“You could. But they know I am a wizard, and could blow the door down. It is specially reinforced. And if you don’t know magic and are weaponless you’re dead.”
Now that he looked, Sauno could see the door and bars glowing faintly. A wall seemed to pass over them.
“Okay,” muttered Sauno. He thought of how his parents were gone and a rage of hate boiled within him. He did not know them, but knew his life would be better with them. His life was ruined because of that. He needed to release his anger, thrash anyone who stepped into his path. ”Fur~Ja^Kars,” he murmured. The match flared for a second and quickly died. He fell onto his knees. “Heh-huh,” he puffed. “It’s hard. Unbelievable. It’s so strenuous.”
“Keep going,” instructed Honail.
“Fur~Ja^Kars,” he said. The match held for a nanosecond, then it wavered. But Sauno concentrated on his lost parents and it went up to full flare. Then he could not concentrate. The match flickered then died. He fell on the cot. “Honail, I’m hungry. Could you conjure me up some food?”
“No I can’t do that. Feel the air,” replied Honail. “It is thick and stuffy, correct? There is a poison smoke in the air that repels magic and sends it back at you. They are pouring it in as we speak. I would get food in my face. Sorry.”
“How are they pouring it in? There must be a hole. Also, I would be on fire since it repels your magic at you, right?” said Sauno.
“Ah, you are right, there probably is a hole. And you won’t be on fire because I created a solid dome of pure air around you using most of my magic,” said Honail.
“But if magic is deflected, then how could you cast it?” asked Sauno.
“I cast it on myself so it went to you,” he said sternly. “That should have been obvious. If you want to train with me and get the Stone, your mind must be swift but thoughtful.”
“Honail? I have to tell you something. The Lords contacted me. I am to go train with each of them. In Enobmort, Mt. Evales.”
Honail sighed, “The King killed my family. His minions were spawned from the dark pits of hell. They have only one purpose. That is killing. Although I know the ancient Lord of Chaos caused all of the destruction, hate and war of our world, I am angry still. He also created the Minions, and Servants and the others. However I understand that you must train. You will do so with me until Enobmort. By the time we arrive, you should have had enough training. However, I will not watch as you train with them. If they see me and want to enlist me in their armies, they will fight over me. There are challenges to the Stone. I understand it was taken?”
“Yes,” replied Sauno glumly. “By a huge black dragon with a long blue scar on it.”
“A scar?! That dragon must serve the ancient Lord of Chaos. The danger is even greater than I had expected!” exclaimed Honail fiercely. “I hate him even more than any other lords. He caused hate. He is hate. Some call him the Pirate of Plague. I simply call him Chaos.”
“I also saw a Yablucer that had one. He tried to kill me, but a terrible voice told him not to. The Yablucer called the voice Xenor. So this Xenor told him not to. He called the Yablucer Latrommi ” he said.
  “Latrommi. Do you notice something about that word? Xenor is Chaos, by the way.”
“Yes. It is immortal spelled backward. But what significance is that?”
“He is immortal except if Xenon dies,” said Email.
“Oh. Are there other immortals?” asked Sauno.
  “Yes. One for every single animal. No further queries. We must look for the hole and keep training.”
Sauno looked around then saw the guard’s gob of spit. It was wobbling and shifting and sliding along the stony floor. A whistling sound filled the room and a sharp gust of air caught Sauno in the leg.
Sauno observed the shifting saliva and exclaimed, ”There, there it is! It is in the hole where the guard spat. The smoke is in the hall. Since nobody can probably do magic here, they have it in the halls!”
  “Good, now you’re thinking,” he said. Honail spat on his hand and picked up a handful of dirt from the earthen floor. He then removed his cap and put it over the small hole. Honail quickly smudged the dirt around the edges of the hat. But what Sauno hadn’t realized was that the dirt in the wizard’s hand had softened because of the spit. It was now mud! It held and the companions blew on it, hardening it. Soon the same poison gas was circulating and it began to lose it’s effect. The grip of magic slowly returned to Honail, and a little to Sauno. He practiced for many more hours, until it was evening and he fell onto his cot and slept. Sauno had accomplished a great deal that day. On his final attempt to keep it lit, he had succeeded in holding the flame a minute. Night crept into the room slowly and immersed everything under its dark veil.
Morning came. Sauno woke after a night of fitful sleep by being hit on the head and a voice saying, ”Get up.” When he did not rise, he was dragged forward on the floor gruffly. He was thrown into a room. Sauno slid forward on a highly polished floor.
A deep voice commanded him, “Stand, human before Yeryasain the Almighty. You dare defile our sacred land? We seceded from the normal Dwarven clans long ago. Our hate and malice resides in these halls for them. I am sorry for this but we must be fair. If I had my way, you would be already dead. Be thankful that we spared your pitiful souls.”
Sauno stood and looked around. He was standing in a room with a large cushioned throne surrounded by polished, wooden pews where sat many small, bearded, irratated dwarves. They were all ready to fight him, he could tell that.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t know this was your land. Please, forgive me.” He bowed.
“Damn humans!” the Dwarves shouted angrily. One dwarf had the audacity to jump from his pew and charge to Sauno swishing his axe.
“NO!” roared Yeryasain. But it was too late. A light shot up to the domed, wooden ceiling and the Dwarf who had attacked him was thrown backward, only to be caught by his companions. Sauno swiveled around. He had not seen his old wizard friend.
His face contorted in fury, he yelled, ”Honail! Will you get my idea into your head that I DON’T REQUIRE BABYING!”
Honail looked hurt, but immediately composed himself. He began to adress the Dwarves.
“Dwarves may be one of the ancient clans of Honcresral, and humans not, but heed my warning. If you continue to act like this, I will spread the word over Honcresral of the Hålaœro Dwarves! Do you think the three ancent clans are still united!? Are all others inferior because of what is now history?!”
Some of the Dwarves were silent, but the others scrambled from thier seats with axes and hammers whistling through the stuffy air. Yeryasain leapt nimbly of his cushioned throne and brandished his iron hammer. Light spewed from it and the ceiling opened to the stars. All ruhed to their seats.
Yeryasain squinted at the wizard.
“Honail?” he asked softly. “Is that you, my old friend?”
“Aye, it is, milord, ” said Honail gently. “I am glad to see you after all these years, young one.”
Sauno was shocked.Young one?! Just how old is Honail? he thought disconcertedly.
It was true. Yeryasain the Almighty was old. A silver beard plaited with gold hung, trimmed and sharp over a strong chin. His warm hazel eyes rested just above a crooked nose and a pure gold headband gleamed over his silver eyebrows.
“Well,” said the Dwarf lord. “I am sorry for the fact that we captured you. You may now leave in peace.”
Just then, an old Dwarf stepped from behind the throne.
“Yeryasain Hayendo Koreth! You let these humans go? Do you forget the customs? Hmmm?The tresspassers of the dwarves must be treated accordingly,” the old man said.
“Please forgive my grandfather,” he sighed. “But I see his point. Honail, you remember the customs, correct?”
“Yes, I do,” replied Honail. He turned to Sauno. “Now we will be given four puzzles or riddles each, and then asked the meaning of the answers. We must answer them correctly, or we will be excecuted. And then, if I am not mistaken, we will team battle a Dwarven gladiator or monster. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” replied Sauno nervously. “Let’s think!”
“The boy has energy. I like that, kid. On with the tasks,” said Yeryasain. “Out, Hideyros! The test awaits your riddles.”
Riddling

A figure in a rough gray cloak stepped from the shadows.
“I understand, master,” he said in an oily voice. “You first.” He pointed to Honail.
“Very well, Hideyros, or should I say, Sarkor Nerafyse, front line in the clan wars?
“My past is none of your concern,” he said fiercly. “Let us begin. You will have three and one half minutes per riddle. Are you ready?”
“I am,” replied Honail bitterly. ”Do your worst.”
“Number one,” he paused. “I spread the light, brighten the night. I do not eat, I do not sleep. Perhaps you see me when you count sheep. What am I referring to?”
Honail paused, and then said, “A moon.”
Hideyros grimaced. “Well done.”
“Number two. I glint and glimmer and help a knight. You may use me to win a fight. I have many cousins, aunts and brothers. Uncles, sisters, fathers and mothers. What am I? Hmm?”
Instantly Honail began to laugh scornfuly.
“Well, well? Has the trial system been so dumbed down that I must answer that pathetic a riddle?Very well... The answer to that riddle is... a sword.”
The cloaked man frowned. “You wish to put your wit to the test? Very well. I darken things, not unlike wings. There is someone I am always near, but in the dark, I disappear. Day is my ally, night not nigh. I am crushed, but it is not felt. For many years, with these toils I have dealt. What am I?”
Sauno winced. That was a hard one. Long, and complex. Was it his hammock? It cast a shadow, and when he was sleeping, it was always near him. But it didn’t disappear at night.
Honail stood, calmly pondering the riddle. Hideyros began to count the seconds. Three minutes had passed and he was desperately thinking of a solution. Then his eyes widened. He hastily materialized his staff and bellowed, “Gyu`treft.”
The entire hall lit up and people’s shadows appeared behind or under them.
10 seconds left...
Honail smiled, and satisfied, pulled down his staff.
5 seconds left...
He opened his mouth.
2 seconds...
And said,
1 second...
“A shadow.”
“Hmmm...” said Hideyros. “Now what is all of this referring to?”
“You wish me to recall a children’s fairy tale? OK then.” Honail thought for a second, then said, “ The Moon Helm, the silver blade, and the ancient king’s guardian shadow. The king used the Moon Helm to blind Chaos, the sword to impale it, and the shadow plunged it into eternal darkness.”
Hideyros grunted. “You may go. Wait in the guest pews. You will know when to come.”
“Good luck,” said Honail to Sauno and he walked away, to sit quietly on a pew, surrounded by angry Dwarves.
Sauno stepped up.
“Now, your friend was lucky. I gave him easy ones out of pity. You shall get riddles and puzzles. Are you ready? Like I care...”
“Let’s go,” said Sauno.
“Indeed. Very well,” he said, placing several large, wooden blocks on the floor. They were odd shapes, curving and slanted. But the most interesting thing was the shapes on them. There were bits that looked like armor, and a spear.
“Make the rectangle,” said Hideyros smugly. “Oh, I may have forgotten to mention. Sometimes the shapes shift. But the only way you are allowed to change them is with magic. You don’t know magic. You have more time for this one. And you must make it with the sword, spear and ax designs. Ten minutes. GO!”

















He quickly sat down. Sauno rearranged the peices and began to put them together. After several minutes, they were all assembled. Except for one peice...
He couldn’t get it in anywhere. As it finally twisted into shape, he squeezed it to keep it that way.
“AHA!” yelled Hideyros triumphantly.
“What?” asked Sauno, startled.
“You used strength. Remember? The only way you are allowed to change the blocks is with magic. You lost. Kill them!”
Angry Dwarves swarmed around them. Honail rose above them, cloak billowing out, to Sauno’s side. The Dwarves shouted and attacked.
Yeryasain gazed at them sadly.
They fought gallantly, but the Dwarves were too many. They were strapped down. The fighting died down and the Dwarves left the room.
“Your excecution is at dawn,” said Hideyros smugly. “Be ready.”
Sauno’s heart fell into his stomach. “Ugghhh,” he groaned. They were in the stocks. He swiveled his eyeballs to Honail. The old man’s forehead was caked with dry blood. He fell asleep with the disturbing picture in his mind. Sauno’s fitful sleep was plagued by nightmares until... BANG!
He woke and instantly stared upward. For there were three men standing in a giant hole in the wall.
One was an Elven knight in chain mail and a mythril helm. He carried an glowing blue sword. But the air around it was crackling with saphire lightning. In his other hand was a large blue and black shield. He was facing one way, ready to fight.
Standing next to him, facing the other way, was an archer. He had an arrow notched. The man had blue, unkempt hair. He had a bare, azure sword at his belt. The arrow in his bow was sparkling saphire. The Elf’s quiver of arrows was slung over his back.
And standing, facing forward in front of both of them was a mage. He was garbed in a scarlet and yellow robe. In one hand was a staff topped with a crimson sphere. It radiated scads of power. In his other hand was a ball of fire (Which he used to blow the wall in). A hood shadowed his face.
The mage strode forward and muttered something. The stocks opened, and Honail crumpled and fell. The mage raised a hand and said in a smooth voice, ”Gadihil.”
Honail hovered in the air just a few feet above the ground.
Then Sauno felt lightheaded. He fell forward and was caught by the knight and archer. He blacked out.
Allies
Sauno woke in a dimly lit cavern. He was lying on a straw cot surrounded by herbs, rolls of parchment and spellbooks. And an old man was sleeping soundly next to him.
He quietly got up and tiptoed away. A torch-lit corridor stretched in front him.
Sauno began to walk. He heard laughing and shouting as he neared the end. A bright light shone through the dim glow of the torches.
He entered another cavern. Six Elves and Honail were sitting in front of him. From their ears Sauno could tell that they were Elves.
“Ah,” said Honail brightly. “You’ve awoken. That is good. Let me introduce you to my friends. This is Iludre.” He pointed at a burly Elf who had been chatting with Honail.
He was BIG. Stout arms stuck out from a wide chest. He wore skintight clothing (for none was big enough). Iludre wore steel gauntlets on his hands. He clapped Sauno on the back heartily, saying, “Greetings, youngster!”
“Now Dasherk is a half-Elf. But he is extremely keen with a shortbow.”
A short Elf stepped up. “Greetings,” he said. The Elf had a short goatee, a knife in one hand, a shortbow in the other. Across his back a quiver of arrows was slung. Sauno bowed deeply. “The boy is being polite,” the Elf named Darshek laughed. “Stand up, kid. We’re all equals here.”
And then he saw the mage, knight, and archer.
”I thank you for our rescue. But tell me? Was there a fight when the wall broke down?”
“Relax, boy,” said a voice from a corner. The tone was menacing. “Or I shall slit your throat, burn you and leave the ashes for the wild fetyls that roam here.”
“Don’t mind him,” muttered Iludre gruffly. “Kurutak had his family killed by-er- others.”
“E