Ellas

Kane

‘So now you’ve defeated Luke, what do we do?’ Carthia asked.

She sat, as she had since Alex had come, next to her sister clasping her hand tightly in her own.

‘Whatever we do, we must act soon, and decisively,’ I answered as I looked Jalholm in the eye.

‘He will return,’ I said. ‘Luke will return… but I do not know when. So we must act while Dar’cen strives to remake his servant.

‘Is there anything in your book, Alex? Anything that tells of this time. Anything about Luke… no, never mind. He is not mentioned, I know that.’

Alex hesitated, and then opened her backpack, took out her book, and opened it to lay spread across her and Carthia’s laps.

‘The only thing that might refer to the now,’ she said, as she leafed through the book almost to the end, ‘is where it talks of the weakening of the demon because of his loss. Ah, here it is.’

‘Now we strike at…’ Alex paused suddenly, a smile on her face as she looked at her sister, both looking puzzled, yet also content and unafraid.

Jain and Jalholm too smiled as they looked at each of us in turn and then peered past our encampment to the tree line.

Contentment and music filled my mind as I said, ‘Hello, Grall. It has been some time since we last saw each other. You can show yourself. You are amongst friends.’

Some fifty feet away, at the edge of the sparse tree line that bordered our camp, a mass of grey motes of light appeared, glowed and flickered, and then slowly coalesced into the huge wolf form that I knew was Grall.

Jain and Jalholm, both still with smiles on their faces, leapt to their feet pointing to the huge creature.

Carthia smiled and mouthed, ‘Grall,’ even as she leaned over to Alex and said, ‘Fear not, for this is Grall, and he is our friend.’

Slowly, Grall approached our fire, while all around our camp, the men and women of our small army, stared and pointed at the huge wolf. But none shouted, screamed, or even seemed afraid, such was the power of Grall’s Soothing.

Pausing a few feet in front of us, Grall, as wolf, lay by the fire, paws again crossed over each other as when we had first met.

His massive head turned to focus his eyes on each of my companions in turn.

I stood suddenly. ‘Forgive me, Grall, I believe that a formal introduction is required.’

‘Thank you, Kane, that would please me… especially as I see that Carthia is now whole as Erithain predicted. But first let me take on a form more fitting for the company I keep.’

Slowly the wolf form dissolved into grey motes of blue light that swirled and gyrated until they finally coalesced again into the shape of a man, a tall muscular, somewhat handsome man, clothed almost exactly as Jain was.

‘There, that’s better, is it not?’ Grall said, over the gasps of amazement from Alex, Jain, Jalholm, and all those that watched from afar.

And so, one by one, following my lead, those around our fire, stood and introduced themselves to Grall, each bowing low to mimic the bow I had given.

Grall, in turn, as a name was given, clasped a hand in his own, and pressed them to his chest, in what he later explained was an ancient ritual of friendship performed by a long extinct race whose form he now mimicked.

Then, without a word, Grall stood before Carthia and Alex, and held a hand out to each of them.

Hesitantly, Carthia took Grall’s proffered hand. ‘Smiling at Alex, she said, ‘Do not be afraid, Alexandria, Grall is our friend.’

Alex smiled first at Carthia and then at Grall, as she took his hand in hers, her other hand still firmly clasping Carthia’s.

‘Since we first met, Carthia, much that Erithain told my ancestors has now come to pass. You two, together with…’ Grall’s head turned to look directly at Jalholm, ‘the one Erithain named The Unwitting One, and all that is good in our worlds, will be his undoing.’

‘Did you say worlds?’ I heard myself ask.

‘Yes, Kane, Worlds. He is weakened now… I know not how, but you have dealt him a grave blow. I feel his weakness. The shadow he casts on the world is lessened. Now is the time to strike him… now is the time to drive him to his beginning, and then destroy him.’

‘Wait, that is what Sarah wrote… not exactly. But her last words were almost the same,’ Alex said, even as she reached for her book.

‘But you said, Worlds, Grall. What worlds… Ellas and the world he was brought from?’

‘Yes, Kane. This place here and now, and the world of his birth, the world from which Erithain fled. The world where you yourself were birthed, Kane. The world, that twinned with Ellas, created the Sisters here before you.’

‘My world? He came from my world? But—’

‘The moon, Jalholm! You said the moon was ours,’ Alex gasped.

‘Deep inside, you know it is so, Kane. You have always known it to be so. ‘To defeat him, he must be driven back there, and you… all of you, I fear, must follow. As must I if I am to protect the Sisters.’

Alex dropped to her knees, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wid.

‘What is it, Sister,’ Carthia said, as she knelt beside her.

Alex looked up to Grall, and then turned her eyes to me.

‘He’s already there, David… Kane. He was there all the while. The attacks when you were on Earth… it was him. Jalholm, when you fled the hospital you told me of the dread you felt seconds before you escaped, and in the alleyway, you said… what was it again?’

‘I said that I feared Dar’cen had his new servant… that he had his new Kanteth. I said that the one who followed us was one such as you, Kane.’

‘He’s on Earth, David… and Luke, or if not Luke, someone like him, is there with him. He’s been there for years, David!’

‘But… how can he be here also? We know that he is still here on Ellas, so how—’

‘Time, Kane,’ Jain interrupted. Time that aided us when I returned from your world is now our adversary.’

‘What?’ I said. ‘Explain, but please, please be brief.’

For once Carthia didn’t join in to berate Jain. Even she looked stunned.

‘He is here now, Kane, but at some point in the future he will travel to your world… but to some time in the past.

'So, yes, what Alex says is possible… probable even, given what she and Jalholm have said.

‘We have to go home, David. We have to follow him… the book says we must, and so does Grall. We—’

‘But how can we? We can’t just leave him here corrupting and destroying Ellas until he decides to go to Earth.’

‘He is weakened, Kane,’ Grall said. ‘I feel it, and the whole of Ellas does too if they but knew what it is they feel.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

'Now is the time, Kane. Now is the time to act and drive him from Ellas to where he was birthed.’

I stared at Grall, replaying his words, all I knew of Dar’cen’s coming from Jalholm, and that which Erithain had spoken to Anna.

Round and round my thoughts went until I realised that Alex was speaking.

‘You’ve already gone back, David,’ she said, timidly, completely at odds with the Alex I knew of old.

‘The phone you gave Jamie... he spoke to you on it. And Pauline saw you. She swore she did… and I didn’t believe her.’

‘This is all too much,’ I muttered, as I dropped to my knees beside Alex, my hands clenched into fists at my side. ‘All too much!’ I screamed.

‘Confusing, I will admit, Kane,’ Jalholm said. ‘If you would allow me to summarise your confusion. I would very much like to see if I have it right.’

I looked at him, as did all the others, all of us now sitting or kneeling around the fire. The rest of the camp had all returned to their fires, although I was sure that many still looked in our direction. Tomas for certain, for he still watched Carthia from afar whenever he thought that she did not see him.

As I nodded, Jalholm stood.

Ever the showman, I thought, and then berated myself for my slight.

‘You, Kane, as David, were abducted from Earth and brought to Ellas. There you were tort… you became Kanteth. Anna, for it was Anna, was it not, freed you… and then she seemingly died.

‘Eventually you were returned to Earth by your future self.

‘Whilst on Earth you were attacked by unknown assailants, you met Alex, eventually found me, and were left notes that we now know came from your future self via Jain.

‘You were then sent to Ellas’ distant past, became Al’Kar, and were instrumental, shall we say, in Dar’cen’s downfall.

‘Fast forward, and at some point you meet young Carthia, and then we, Alex and I arrive.

‘Now you learn that both you, the you from the here and now, and Dar’cen… and possibly Luke, or another of his elk, were on Earth in the same time period that you were first returned there… a year or so ago I would guess.

‘So at some point, soon I would estimate, Dar’cen will flee Ellas and go to Earth, but to when we do not know, and you, with others, will follow. But, again, to when I do not know.

‘Have I missed anything out?’

Strangely, after putting all that together, Jalholm did not look the slightest bit smug. He really has changed, I thought.

Then, as memories of her last words at Falhar flooded my mind, I said, ‘She is there too. Anna is there on Earth. She said that the place she went to was a world Dar’cen had left in ruin. The world he came from, I must now assume.’

'If Lady Anna is on this Earth of yours, Kane, then we must go there. Go there to her,’ Carthia said, as she bounded to her feet.

‘I don’t know Anna, only what you told me, David, what you believed back then, but I’m coming too!’

‘Stop!’ I said. ‘None of us can go anywhere until we drive him from Ellas! And to do that, we must know where he is… and how to hurt him. Weakened as he must be at Luke’s loss, he is still more powerful than any of you can possibly know.’

‘Why would loosing Luke weaken him. Kane?’ Jain and Jalholm asked almost in unison.

I paused, looking inward at memories, horrors, of my past life, and then hesitantly, I said, ‘When he made me, he forced into me part of himself. A gift, he said, part of his being, his life force.’

Alex knew of this, but the others, even Carthia, stared wide eyed. Grall’s eyes held pity.

‘Don’t worry, it is gone now. Purged from my body… destroyed perhaps, hopefully, when he was first defeated.

‘But Luke was far stronger, faster, better in every way than I was. So perhaps he gave far more of himself to Luke. And with Luke destroyed for a time, it leaves him less, less than he was at least.

‘But that doesn’t help us. We need to find him, and find a way to at least hurt him!’ I said, as I shook my head in despair.

Thinking then of what was done to my body and of how Dar’cen’s gift had been destroyed along with my body by our Magic ones, I stood and paced considering.

‘Perhaps,’ I said, ‘Whatever part of himself he forced upon Luke is gone now. Permanently gone. And if he is to build Luke anew, he will need to gift him again. Weakening himself even more.

'It is only a theory, a guess, a hope even, but I believe it is possible I know it is possible, I thought.

‘He wants me,’ Grall said, as he almost instantly became the wolf again, but this time, at least twice as large as he’d been earlier.

‘He would do much to have me. I could lure him to us, to where you could… hurt him, as you say, Kane.’

‘No!’ said a voice that I would never have expected to hear so forcefully.

‘It is me that he wants. Me, he would do almost anything to recapture. I should be the bait… I did this. I brought him here. It must be me. I must be sacrifice… for after all, Jain, am I not the Unwitting One.’

All hell broke loose then, everyone trying to talk over one and other. Alex began crying, telling Jalholm, ‘No’, while Jain was shaking Jalholm as he said, ‘But why, Jalhom? Why does he want you so much? That you are important to what we do is irrefutable… the Unwitting One is mentioned throughout the prophecies, but nowhere does it say why.’

‘Before you answer that, Jalholm, before you commit yourself, may I speak with you… privately?’ Grall asked, his voice almost servile in its tone, and yet I could sense the touch of Soothing he had attached to his words.

Jalholm paused a moment looking at Grall, puzzlement on his face.

Finally he laughed, ‘So that is what you Smallites did.’ He laughed again. ‘So much nicer that how he bent people to his will. More polite, in fact.

'Of course we may talk. Lead the way to where you think may be private enough.’

Jalholm continued laughing as they both walked away.

‘So what do you think that’s about,’ Jain asked on no one in particular.

‘You do not know?’ Cartha said, feigning surprise.

‘I have an idea,’ Jain said, smugly as he tapped a finger to his nose.

Carthia smirked as she said, ‘I thought you might.’

‘Anyone else have any ideas?’ I asked.

‘Let’s just wait on Jalholm and Grall,’ Jain said. ‘They may surprise us yet.’

So we waited. The two of them had sequestered themselves just beyond the treeline, just out of sight and beyond normal hearing. But even I only heard cries of astonishment followed by uproarious laughter from Jalholm.

I had not a clue what they schemed, but Jain’s remark had given me a little hope.

It wasn’t long but it felt as though I had lived another lifetime before movement in the trees signalled their return.

Jalholm emerged from the trees first but stopped at the edge and beckoned to us to come to him.

I stood for a moment puzzled. What now? I thought.

Carthia called out, ‘Where’s Grall?’

Jalholm remained silent as he turned and walked back into the tree, out of our sight.

Jain was the first to move, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

‘What do you know, you-know-it-all, bastard?’ I called to him, as I followed.

Carthia and Alex, hand in hand, passed me as they almost ran to catch up with Jain.

I took my time, a wariness coming over me such that my head swivelled in all directions, my eyes roaming far and wide for the threat that set my mind on edge.

There was nothing - a few watched us from the other camp fires, but most were abed, nothing else stirred.

Ahead of me, I heard twin gasps of astonishment from Carthia and Alex, and Jain’s voice as he proclaimed, ‘I knew it!’

After one final look around, I stepped through the trees into the small clearing where Jain stood, his arm around Jalholm almost as if they were now best friends.

The the sisters, as I truly now thought of them, stood hand in hand next to them, both with looks of awe and astonishment on their faces.

My eyes widened as I saw who they all looked at, but before I could utter a word, Jalholm walked forward to stand facing us, next to the one we all stared at… his twin.

‘We believe we have a new plan,’ Jalholm, or was it Grall, on the right said.

‘But first,’ the other, the one on the left said, ‘let us see if any of you can tell which of us is the true Jalholm.’

We all laughed and then took turns examining the two, looking for some deviance from the Jalholm we had come to know.

But even Jain looked flummoxed, not surprising given that even their voices were identical, and when Alex suggested that only the real Jalholm would be able to perform some magical feat, fire danced above the twin Jalholms’ hands as they held them out and twirled them around.

Yet even when we all gave up, much to Jain’s annoyance, they refused to say who was who, and then when I suggested we return to our fire to hear their new plan, both refused.

‘It would be wise to talk of what we do next away from the others, away from prying eyes who would think to profit from what they see. Better that they see and hear what we want them to… but that will be later, after you hear the plan that we suggest.’

I don’t know who spoke those words, Jalholm or Grall, but it made sense, for long had we known that some amongst our small army had other allegiances.

Jain and I insisted that Step, Garam and Tarnia be privy to all that was said.

‘They have been with us from almost the beginning,’ Jain proclaimed, after one of the Jalholms said that the plan should be confined to just the six of us.

‘Fetch them, Jain. Wake them if need be, but bring them,’ I said, with finality, as I sat cross legged on the floor.

Some moments later, Garam arrived mumbling obscenities at being pulled from his bed, while Step and Tarnia brought up the rear, Tarnia strangely with a slight blush to her cheeks.

We listened attentively to what the two had to say. Some nodded their heads in agreement, others, Jain especially, asked questions and brought up perceived flaws.

I didn’t like it. It was a gamble that left too much to chance, and I was no Poker player.

But one by one, the Jalholms convinced each and every one of my companions that there was no other viable plan, and in that, I agreed with them.

But I didn’t have to like it. I prayed that the one we put most at risk would forgive me for what we were about to do.

Dawn came, and still we all sat discussing finer and finer detail, until at last, one of the Jalholms said, ‘This day we begin his final defeat,’ and then his form dissolved into motes of blue light spinning and dancing until they again came together to form the wolf.

‘I knew it was you,’ Jain said, sheepishly, as Step and Garam leapt to their feet, drawing their swords, and Tarnia laughed and clapped her hands together almost like a child watching a magic show.

After everyone calmed down, we returned to our now dead fire, to begin my first ever game of Poker.’