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| Whisper of a Demon's Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| When hope seems lost he shall appear. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A common man - yet one destined for greatness. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In his mind - he shall see visions of what is yet to be. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| He will know the way... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ...The Prophecy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chapter One: reluctant hero | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Out in the almost barren fields - what few remaining villagers that were able were tending to what they tried to call a harvest. Each year - it got worse. The winter seasons would stay just a touch longer - the rain would fall less and less - and disease and illness began to grip the dwindling population as the local water grew stagnant. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Some - had lost hope - trying in vain not to think about what was lost - how hard everything had become as of late. Some held onto the vain hope that things might get better. The rest trudged on - as hollow shells of people they once were - just doing what they needed to - in order to survive. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| On the far side of the field - one farmer - a young man named Thomas - stopped what he was doing to take a brief break. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you stop now - we will all be here later," one old peasant muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I have been doing more work in the past few hours than you have all day," Thomas muttered as he took a sip from his flask. "So please don't insinuate that I'm not pulling my weight," he added. The old peasant resumed what he was doing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What's the point of all this? We aren't even living anymore - just surviving. Is that enough? Thomas thought to himself as he picked up a handful of blackened soil. The land - it won't support us much longer. He thought tossing the dirt back to the ground. He slowly got up and began to walk away. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where do you think you are going?" the old peasant demanded. Several others that were nearby stopped what they were doing and glared at him. "We aren't done out here yet," he stated sternly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I am going to talk to the elder," he answered as he began to walk. Two younger peasants hurried over and stood in his way. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It can wait until we are done," the old peasant all but ordered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "We could spend the next thirty days and nights toiling in this mire of a field and would get the same results. Nothing! The soil is tainted. The ground water has gone bad," Thomas stated seriously. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh really? Then how do you explain that patch over there?" the old peasant retorted - pointing to the weakly growing vegetation by the southernmost edge of the field. Thomas looked over at the vegetation and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Desperation must be having its way with you. Those plants are dying. Anyone that eats from those will end up sick or worse. I am going to speak with the elder - so get out of my way - now," Thomas stated seriously. The two remained where they were until the old peasant motioned for them to move. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Leave - and you will not be allowed to partake of the fruits of our harvest," he warned. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Fine by me," Thomas retorted as he walked off the filed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mere moments later - Thomas was telling the village elder of his findings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I see - this - is serious then," the elder began. "But - the harvest," he began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Is tainted - like that last crop - only I fear that this one will be far worse. If we stay here - we will end up like all the others. We have to leave this place before it kills us," he warned seriously. The elder sighed and took a sip from his chalice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And go where? Have you looked at our people? Do you think they could survive a long exodus?" he rebutted seriously. Thomas slowly stood up and placed his hands on the table before him. in his mind he could see his parents - weakened almost to the point of death due to some unknown sickness that had struck the village like a plague. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I - have lost - two younger brothers - one baby sister - to the poison that taints these lands. As we speak - I know that poison is killing my parents too. Unless they and the others are taken from here - they will die - you must see this," he protested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I am not blind Thomas - but there is little I can do. We - have lost so much that - many - would be unwilling or unable to leave. Would you have us abandon them? Sacrifice them so that maybe a precious handful of us might survive?" the elder asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You speak of sacrifice. Who is sacrificing whom? Those that want to stay - are condemning us all to death as surely as if they struck us down. Our only chance - is away from here," he rebutted. The elder smiled a passive smile. "What?" he hesitantly asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I am not used to seeing so much zeal in one so young. Lack of food and drinkable water has quenched much of the fires that used to burn in the chests of our youth. Tell me - is there a reason - for this? What caused this passion?" he asked curiously. Thomas sat down and looked over at the window. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't know what you are talking about," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not - two weeks ago - if that - you wouldn't have cared one way or the other. The grief in your heart had over-weighed any such thoughts. You just woke - worked in the fields - then returned to bed to start the cycle over again," he pointed out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Maybe I don't want to die," he stated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Death comes to us all at one time or another. Denying its presence will not keep it away. You - saw something. I am curious as to what," the elder remarked. Thomas looked around the room and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I - had a dream. It told me that the ground water had tainted - far worse than usual. Just touching the soil - made me feel dirty - and - not just in that sense. It makes no sense - but I know I am right about this," he explained. The elder studied him for a few moments. "You think I'm crazy," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I never said that. What do you know of the five battles?" he asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No more than the next. Around a thousand or some odd years ago - three kings fought for control of these lands. After a few centuries two made peace - the last refused. They tried to kill him - and united their forces to do that. They won - or so they thought. But as it turned out - he escaped his fate and murdered the two kings while they slept," he recounted. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - know more of the story than just that. I have seen you reading when the others would leave," he pointed out. Thomas groaned. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "After the other kings were disposed of - a sickness fell upon the last king. It was rumored - that with their dying breaths - the kings he slew cursed him. fearing this to be the case - he sent his armies out to slay any that were once loyal to his enemies. The soil ran red years with the blood of all those innocent people. When they returned - the king was dead. The illness - had taken him - but what does all of that have to do with anything?" he asked seriously. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Have you ever wondered - why we tell of those stories - teach - their lessons?" the elder asked seriously. Thomas shook his head. The elder reached over and pulled a scroll out from a pouch - and opened it before him. "Where we are - this village this forest - these - lands," he began tracing his fingers all over the map. "All of it - was ruled by that - one king. These lands - are the lands that were washed in blood," he continued. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But - that would make us," Thomas began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The few among those that survived that hunt - that massacre," he completed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Why have you not told the others of this?" he asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "To what end would it serve? Would it change anything? Would it enlighten them? Or would it make matters worse?" he asked seriously - looking at the ancient map. Thomas sighed and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Worse - they would most likely fear that we are cursed," he remarked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "In a sense - we are," the elder replied. The statement surprised Thomas on more than one level. He looked at the elder and saw that he was being quite sincere. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Come again? I refuse to believe that. I mean - if what you say is true - how the hell could we have survived as long as we have? Plus - this hardship - it wasn't always here - there were easier times," he protested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Easier - perhaps - but never easy," he rebutted. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But - that can't be - I would have seen some sign of this," he began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Would you? Many of you - were so young that - a lot of the hardships would seem almost fictitious. It was done to protect you all," he stated sincerely. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If this is so - then - why not leave then? Why subject them and all of us to this - existence - this mockery of living," he asked. The elder sighed and closed his eyes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "There was no where we could go. Besides - this was - and is our home. Tell me what you know - of Rubius," he asked changing the subject. Thomas almost shuddered at the mention of the name. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "A wraith of a man that is said to walk in dreams. A creature whose power transcends that of a god. A soulless beast - whose merest touch can make a young man wither, age and die," he stated hesitantly. It was then that he studied the elder suspiciously. "You are up to something," he muttered. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - are the one," he replied seriously. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The one?" I don't like the direction this is going," he remarked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I fear you will like it even less when I am done. The king mentioned in the five battles - the one that murdered his rivals - he - is Rubius. And he is very much with us today," he remarked. Thomas muttered as he threw his hands up in the air. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Then talk is useless - we're already dead," he blurted out. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not - so. The curse that felled him so long ago - it holds his imprisoned soul in place - binding it to the lands and his old castle. However - time has weakened that spell - almost doubly so over the past ten years," he continued. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "When the plague began," Thomas muttered dryly. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If the spell fails - if it falls. It will not matter where we go. There is no place that we can hide from Rubius. The only thing that saved what few of us that survived was the fact that word got out that the king had died. That brought all of them back to the castle - sparing the last of us," he stated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh no - don't look at me," Thomas began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You are the one," the elder began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I'm not hearing this! I'm just a farmer - not some hero or savior," he protested. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Fate - deals us the hand we are meant to play. You know your role in this - as much as you might wish to deny it. Your destiny - your place in the prophecy - is clear - more so now than ever," he stated - taking out another ancient looking scroll. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I - am not a wizard - I am not a warrior. How am is supposed to stop the most powerful monster that walks the world? Beat it with a shovel?" he asked in modest disbelief. The elder sighed and shook his head. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You will know what must be done - and that which might seem alien - will be made clear - after you read this," he reassured handing the scroll to him. Thomas hesitantly took the scroll and opened it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This - must be over a thousand years old - how come - I can understand it?" he asked hesitantly. The elder sighed and motioned for him to look at the top of the page. "The Prophecy," he read. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You can read it - because - you are the one - that parchment speaks of. Through you - the fallen kings shall speak. Through you shall Rubius be vanquished. Through you - shall all of this - be set right," the elder stated seriously. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "There must be some mistake," Thomas began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "About mid-page - read there," the elder interrupted. Thomas slowly scrolled down the page until he reached that paragraph. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "And - the sickness and plague shall taint the land. None - save - save - one shall see it. For he will have been told by Grean - the first king," he muttered as he shook his head. "He will - be the reluctant savior - the one that shall set the darkness to the light. And when hope seems lost he shall appear. A common man - yet one destined for greatness. In his mind - he shall see visions of what is yet to be. He will know the way..." Thomas read aloud - almost dropping the scroll. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Still think there is a mistake?" the elder asked. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But why me?" he muttered - hoping beyond hope that there was some error. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "There is no error," he replied. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But - what - what if I fail. I'm not a fighter," he began. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You have not had need to - so how do you know what you are or aren't - if you have not even been tested? Do not doubt yourself. Do not allow others to stray you from your path - your destiny," he rebutted. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But what if I fail?" he repeated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "If you fail - we will die. Some from sickness - the unlucky ones - they will survive - and they will be hunted by Rubius. And this time there will be no reprieve - no saving grace - just death," he replied grimly. Thomas looked down at the scroll in his shaking fist - and pondered just how he ended up in this situation. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||