I stood with my back against the wall in a dark room, and felt like I couldn�t move. The only light in the room came from a candle standing on a table in the middle of the room. Although the candle did not give off much light, I could still see their faces. The faces of hundreds of different creatures that were staring at me. From what I could see, most of them had hideous, mismatched and ugly faces. Some had only one eye and others had plenty. Leather skin was pulled tightly around small skulls, and some had heads bigger than their body. They were sitting on chairs, right across of me, all of their eyes fixed on me.
But the man standing behind the table was the one that frightened me the most. It was not that he was so ugly; it was more the aura he gave off. It was one that made me shiver like a little twig in the wind. I immediately knew that he was the boss of the creatures in this room, that the others were frightened of him also.
As for his appearance, I think he was the one that the looked less demon-like of all the creatures in the room. He was very tall, about 6�5� feet. His eyes were like black coals, burning into mines; there was no difference between the pupils and the iris. His hair looked more like a raging fire; it was bright red and standing almost entirely upright and it almost seemed to glow. His skin was eerily white, a prove that it hadn�t seen daylight for a very long time and he was wearing a long, black robe that covered all of his body except for his face and hands. He looked at me and smiled in a way that frightened me to no end.
�Ah�our guest has finally chosen to wake up.� He said and his voice was a deep baritone, making the hairs on my arms standing on their ends.
�Where�where am I?� I stammered.
�This?� He chuckled. �This is just something a�friend of mine helped me create. Do you like it? I made it for you.�
�For me?�
�That�s right. You should be honored, you know. You are the first human to see me in a thousand years.� He said.
�A thousand years?! Wait�you�� My eyes widened, �You are Keir!�
Keir laughed a deep laugh, which made the ground beneath my feet tremble. �So you have heard of me, haven�t you? Your friends must have informed you well about me!�
�Yes, they have. And they have also told me that you were the one that kidnapped Aislin! Come on, tell me where she is! We are going to find her anyway, so you might as well give up already!� I said to the God.
Keir�s eyes changed into slits and he walked closer to me. When our faces were only inches apart, he put his right hand on my cheek and stroke it. His breath blew right on my face and it smelled like sulfur. �Listen to me, little girl. What happened between Aislin and me is a personal matter, and has nothing to do with you. She does not need any help and especially not from nosy little pests like you and your friends. If you know what�s good for you, you stay far, far away from her and me. Understood?�
�No!� I yelled, and spit him right in his face. And for a second, it was completely silent in the room. Although it had been quiet before, this was the kind of silence wherein you could hear a pin drop. And then, all the creatures began to talk and shout and yell at the same time. Keir stepped back and wiped the spit off his face with his hand, looking at me with a furious look on his face. He then turned around, and yelled:
�Silence!�
at which everyone was quiet all at once.
�I will forgive you for that, because you obviously don�t know who you�re dealing with. Silly girl, haven�t your friends told you that I am the God of Death? I can snip off your lifeline, just like that. Remember that, and the things I told you!�
And the fog just came back out of nowhere. One moment I was looking at Keir�s pale face, and the next everything was clouded again, so white, I couldn�t see anything�
~
�Shaylee?� I heard someone say. I opened my eyes and looked right into the face of�
��Raghnall?� D�j� vu, I thought.
�Finally!� A big smile spread on the Elf�s face. �You have been unconscious since forever-�
�One hour and thirty-four minutes, to be exact.� A voice interrupted and I saw Kayne standing behind him.
�Shut up. What I was saying�you got me pretty worried there. Suddenly disappearing like that, and then screaming like you were being attacked�I thought you were done for for sure!� He said.
�What? I disappeared? You guys were gone all of a sudden!� I pushed myself up to a sitting position with my elbows. �And what were you saying about me screa-� I looked around me, then back at Raghnall. �What is this place?�
Because what I saw, would have amazed anyone. I was lying on a big, rectangular stone with some leaves on it, in a small, stone arbor. But outside of it, everything looked to be built in miniature. There were hundred of trees with holes inside of them, where tiny, flying creatures were flying in and out of, like busy bees. When they flied through the air, they left a trace of brightly colored sparkles, which created a magical effect.
�This is Shea! We, the Faerie folk, welcome you, Shaylee, inside our city! My name is Aina, nice you meet you!� A soft voice said from beside of me. I looked to the right and saw one of those creatures right next to my ear, hanging in the air. She looked like a tiny little girl with long hair, but only she was glowing in a pink shade, her wings moving fast. She seemed to be naked, but didn�t have any distinctive features at all, except for her little breasts.
�Shea�? But, how did I get here? The last thing I remember is passing out�� I said, getting more and more confused by the minute.
�That�s right!� Aina answered. �We found you in the swamp, my friends and me, I mean. They wanted to leave you there, but I felt sorry for you, so we transported you over to here! I hope you are feeling better now.�
�Thank you for that�if there is anything I can do to repay you for this, just say it.� I offered.
�Tell her why you were screaming that way.� Kayne said, looking very serious.
�Screaming? Was I screaming? I can�t remember��
�What do you remember, then? Was it something that terrible?� Raghnall pushed.
�I remember�Keir�� I said, and told them all that I could remember. The creatures, the room, and the threat he made to me. When I finished, everyone was looking at me with a worried expression. Even the little Faerie looked upset. �What? It was only a dream, right? Right?� I asked.
�I�m afraid it wasn�t. I suspect that Keir forced Aislin to create that Dream, and put himself in it. What happened there was real, only in the Dream world.� Kayne mused.
�But what I don�t understand is�the Arrow stone said Aislin would be here, right? Why isn�t she, then?� I asked.
�She probably was, but then Keir found out that we were searching for her, and quickly hid her somewhere else. That is probably why he contacted you now; the threat of us finding out where he is hiding her became too big. Besides�we can�t use it anymore.� The wizard explained.
�What? You mean we can�t use the Arrow stone anymore? Why not?�
�Because around the same time that you disappeared, it exploded. Now that I heard you tell about what happened, I know that it was Keir�s work. He is trying to stop us from finding Aislin.�
�You can�t make another one, then?�
�No, Arrow stones take a while to create, and I am afraid we don�t have that time right now�� The boy sighed.
�But�how are we going to find Aislin now? We don�t have a clue where she is!� I said, losing more hope in succeeding in our goal every passing minute. Kayne just smiled.
�Leave that to me! My strength is intelligence, right? I will think of a way to find her.�
�This might be more difficult than I had thought�� Raghnall said. Kayne frowned at him.
�What did you expect, then? We are dealing with Gods here, beings that are immortal. They decide if we live or not. Did you really think this would be easy?� He snapped.
�No, I did not think that. I am just saying that we now have an extra obstacle, namely Keir. He knows what we are up to, and I don�t doubt that he will try to stop us, in any way possible.�
�I think I can help.� Aina said. Everyone looked at her like she had just grew a second head. �You want to find Aislin and defeat Keir, right? The Faerie folk hate Keir, too! He once killed our queen, just because she didn�t want to marry him! Please, let me help you!� She pleaded.
�How�how do you think you can help us?� Teagan asked the Faerie.
�We have a sword!� Aina began. �A sword that once belonged to the great warrior Kael, which he called Bredon. It was his magical sword, and even though I am not really sure what it does, I think it could help you defeat Keir and find Aislin. Just before Kael died, he gave it to us, and said we should give it to the person that it will choose.�
��The person that it will choose�?� Kayne asked.
�Yes! He told us, since it is a magical sword, Bredon will chose if the person is the right person for it. If you are not that person, it will just be a normal sword. And I just know that one of you is that person. I can feel it!� Aina said enthusiastically.
�Are you sure it is okay to just give the sword to us? Wouldn�t that get you in trouble?� I said, rather hesitant to accept her offer.
�I am sure it is okay! The sword is too big for the Faeries to carry anyway. And besides, Kael said we should give it away, right? Yes! Please follow me if you want to see the sword! It is not far away from here.� The Faerie exclaimed. She flew right out of the arbor and then stopped. �Come on! Follow me!� And she signaled for us to follow. I looked at the others, who just shrugged.
�Why not�we can always give it a try, right?� Teagan said. He followed the Faerie out of the arbor, Kayne trailing behind him. Raghnall looked at me and smiled.
�You�re fine now, right? Can you walk?�
�Yes, yes, I am fine, really. It wasn�t anything serious. Now, please, let�s follow them before they are gone.� I answered and stood up, running after the rest of our little group. What I didn�t see was Raghnall looking at me with a weird expression in his eyes, sighing and then following me.
�Hey, wait for me!�
~
I walked into the direction Aina, Teagan and Kayne had disappeared in. Although the fog wasn�t as bad as before, I had still trouble seeing what was in front of me. I continued walking until I saw a small shape moving about.
�Kayne? Is that you?� I called out.
�Yes, I am here, Shaylee.� The reply was. When I approached, I saw Teagan and Kayne standing there, and Aina flying in mid-air, all surrounded by fog. �What took you so long? And where is that Elf?� The wizard asked me.
�Here I am!� came a voice from behind me, and when I turned around I saw Raghnall running towards us.
�Right. Faerie, won�t you show us Bredon now?� Kayne asked. Aina almost sparkled with joy, glad that she was being helpful.
�Yes! Come on, let�s go!�
And we followed the Faerie deeper into the swamp. At first the fog only got thicker and thicker, so that I could only see the shape of Kayne walking in front of me. I faintly heard Teagan ask Aina if she was sure we were going the right way and Aina answering, �Yes! I am sure!� in the enthusiastic way the always seemed to talk.
�Are you still feeling alright?� Raghnall said into my ear, still walking behind me.
�Yes, quite fine. You can relax; I don�t think Keir would pull the same trick twice on a day.� I answered over my shoulder. And when I looked back in front of me, I could see a light shimmering in the distance. It was a bright light, coming from one point and at the same time I saw that the trees suddenly had green leaves here, not brown and faded like before. The grass was soft and fresh here and I saw the most beautiful flowers growing everywhere. And when the light touched my body too, I felt all warm and relaxed inside. All the pains and worries I had, didn�t seem to matter anymore. As we came closer to the light, I saw that it came from some kind of altar. The light that was currently shining directly into my eyes seemed to be coming from the middle of the altar, and by the looks of it, Aina hadn�t been lying�
There, lying on the middle of the altar, was the sword. Even if you didn�t know the legend that was Kael, you could see it was no ordinary sword. The hilt was made from pure gold and it was beautifully crafted. From what I could see, strange figures were made into it, together with a few red, shining rubies, blue sapphires and other orange stones I could not identify. The blade itself was shimmering into the light that had crept from between the trees, and looked so sharp you could cut a blade of grass with it, vertically. But it was not the blade that made the light that was glowing around it. The whole sword itself seemed to be glowing a bright shade of yellow.
�This�this is!� Kayne gasped.
�This is the sword that Kael used to own, Bredon! I can assure you that thousands, no, millions of demons have died at the blade of this sword!� Aina said.
�How is he supposed to chose who will be able to use him?� Raghnall wondered.
�Ah, I forgot to tell! When Kael left the sword here, he gave us the incantation to make the sword alive! What was it again, now�Wait, I remember!� The little Faerie exclaimed. Then she placed her hands together in front of her face, palms touching. She closed her eyes and began to chant:
�Bredon! Holy sword of the mighty warrior Kael, hear my pleas! Down from Earth I call to you, one of the seven Angels of War. Bredon! Please arise before me, awaken!�
And if I hadn�t been there myself, I wouldn�t have believed it. The light that came from the sword became brighter, brighter, more intense, until all I could see was an all-consuming, white light. And then, slowly but surely, it became less again. The light left my eyes again until it was gone, and I squinted because of the sudden darkness. When my eyes had fully recovered, I saw him.
Sitting on the altar where only a minute ago the sword had been, was a beautiful young man. He had long, slightly curled golden hair, and glowing, amber eyes. He was about 6�0� with a very slim frame, and was wearing a blue and white vest, that exposed a strong chest. His pants were made from the same material and color, and on his feet he had blue sandals. In his ears he had little red shining knobs and from his neck and arms were dangling several pendants and bracelets. All in all he was breathtaking.
�Yes? Someone summoned me? What is the matter, then?� He said, in a very slow manner that made him sound relaxed and self-conscious, which matched his appearance completely.
�That would be me! Mr. Bredon, I hope I didn�t interrupt anything, because if so, I am terribly terribly sorry!� Aina said, bowing again at each word. Bredon looked at her in confusion.
�A Faerie? Tell me, little girl, why did you summon me? Surely you didn�t want to try me yourself?�
�No, no! You don�t understand, it is for my friends! They are on a quest and they need your help! Please, could you help them?�
�Your friends?� Bredon asked, and then turned his head to look at us. �You are on a quest?�
Kayne stepped forward at that. �Yes, we are. And I think this quest would be an almost personal matter for you. We are currently searching for Aislin.�
�Aislin! All those years�she has still not been found?� The sword asked while whisking a golden hair lock away.
�No, she hasn�t. And we now know Keir has her in captivity, because he appeared in a Dream to Shaylee.� The wizard made a hand movement towards me. �Keir knows what we are up to now, which adds some difficulty to our purpose. Aina the Faerie told us about you, and she also said you might be able to help us on our quest.�
�I see�Keir.� The Angel�s amber eyes narrowed to slits. �That stinking bastard has the nerve to go after my master�s wife, and when she declines he just kidnaps her! It is decided; I will try to help you. It is my duty as the sword of my master that I shall help those who were dear to him. In this case, that is Aislin. You,� And he pointed at Teagan. �come here. I shall test you.�
Teagan stepped forward rather hesitantly. When he stood face to face with the Angel, Bredon put his hand on the forehead of the dragon slayer.
�Close your eyes.� The Angel ordered, and Teagan did as he was asked. Then it was silent for a while.
�What is he doing?� I asked to no one in particular.
�Shh! He is testing if your friend has the capacity to handle the sword!� Aina answered while staring at the two men in fascination.
And then it was quiet again, and for a while I could hear only the sounds of the swamp. Then suddenly, Bredon let go of Teagan�s head. The latter staggered backwards with a confused look on his face.
�No. You are not the one. You, then. I will test you now.� He said, and signaled for Kayne to come closer. He repeated the whole process again, but to no avail. Just like with Teagan, Bredon just suddenly let go of Kayne�s head, and sighed.
�No. You are not the one, either.� A disappointed look shifted over Kayne�s face, and before I could even blink it was gone again.
�You, then?� And Raghnall stepped forward and the Angel put his hand on the Elf�s forehead. For a moment, I thought Raghnall would be the one Bredon was searching for, because it took longer than the first two times. Minute after minute went by, and we were just standing here, looking at the odd scene. And then, Bredon let go. For some reason, he almost looked shocked. His eyes were slightly widened and he was breathing faster than before. Raghnall himself didn�t look as relaxed as he was earlier either. In fact, he even looked slightly confused.
�N, no�you are not the one I am searching for.�
Everyone breathed out in disappointment, and then the sword looked at me.
�Only one left�maybe, you are�� He started, and I interrupted him harshly.
�Me? Are you kidding? I have never even held a sword in my whole life, let alone fought with it! You can�t just-� And then it was Bredon�s turn to interrupt me.
�The experience doesn�t matter, it is the heart that does. Please, close your eyes�� He said in such a way that made me feel that he knew what he was doing. His eyes pierced directly in mines and even if I wouldn�t have want to, I still closed my eyes. I felt his hand touch my forehead, and that was when it started.
Instead of the usual black you would expect when you close your eyes, I saw every color in the spectrum. A vortex of colors was circling before my eyes, making me feel dizzy. It felt like my mind was a being of its own, like I was no longer connected to my body. My ears were buzzing and I felt completely disoriented.
And then, there was light. Whiteness everywhere; I felt like standing in a snowstorm, only seeing white around me. It made me feel very small, and when I heard a cough behind me, I cowered before I turned around. And standing there, looking completely out of place in this white landscape, was Bredon.
�What�what is this place?� I asked him. He smiled at me.
�This is your mind as it was when it was created. Devoid of any experiences, opinions and complex emotions, I can now see what kind of being you truly are. This is called the soul.� The God explained.
�The soul�� I whispered and looked around me into the never-ending whiteness. Then I looked back at Bredon. �But what has this got to do with choosing the right person to fight with you?�
�It has everything to do with that. Like I said before, experience with fighting doesn�t matter. My power has to match your soul�s power. Please, allow me�� And he put his hands together in a prayer position and began to chant in a language I did not know.
�Ahn Gari Maho Baku Mori! Sobani Irokoha Mashin! Zan-Pak-Gin!�
The colors were back. They were like fireworks around me, and when I looked closer, I could see they were coming from Bredon. Colors were swirling around me, and in the midst of it was the Angel, praying, and then I had to close my eyes because the colors were making me so dizzy, almost nauseous.
And then it was gone. I felt the ground beneath me again, and I saw the back of my eyes, slightly orange of the sun that was shining on them. I opened my eyes and looked right into Bredon�s. He smiled at me and his eyes shimmered in the golden sunlight. His right hand was still on my forehead, but then moved up to the top of my head. He was�petting me.
�You are the one that I am searching for.� He said. Beside me I heard the other 3/4th of our group gasp.
�M-me? No way! You must have made a mistake�I don�t-�
�Quiet.� Bredon interrupted my rambling. �I have never made a mistake before, nor did I do today. You are the one with enough power to handle me. All you have to do now, is agree.�
�What do you mean, she has enough power? If you are searching for someone with power, I honestly do not think she is the one you are searching for.� Kayne said to the Angel, at which Bredon just smirked.
�Are you doubting my judgment? Do you think I cannot choose who is right for me myself? I do not think I need help from you, wizard.� He replied, and then turned back to me. �Now, Shaylee�what will you do?�
The calm, almost too calm voice of Bredon. The hopeful looks the boys were giving me. The excited squeals that Aina was making. All this and several other reasons that remained a mystery just made me say�
�I will do it.� I said. Bredon smiled at me and it seemed like he had started to glow.
�Then it is settled. I will return to my original form now. Please take care of me well, Shaylee, just like my previous master, Kael, did. I bid you farewell, and good luck on your quest!� The glowing around the Angel became brighter and brighter, until I was once again being blinded by the light. When the light was gone again, the Angel was gone. Instead, the sword was back, lying on the altar like nothing had happened, only now lying next to it was a scabbard, made out of brown leather and decorated with jewels as beautiful as on the hilt itself. Attacked to the scabbard was a belt made out of the same material as the scabbard itself, and it looked like you could just put it over your shoulder, much like Teagan�s sword was strapped to his back.
�Shaylee!� screamed a squeaky voice, and before I could even see who said it, a little Faerie had latched itself to my shoulder. �Congratulations! I knew it! I knew that Mr. Bredon would be able to help you! Now you can defeat that nasty Keir for sure, I can feel it!� Aina almost shouted into my ear.
�Um�thank you? Although I don�t know if we can defeat Keir now�� I said, a bit hesitantly.
�Shaylee,� I heard Kayne say from my other side, and I turned my head to look at him. �take the sword, please. I�want to see what happens.�
�Right�� I said, and looked at the sword. It didn�t look any different from before, and it was hard to believe that only a few minutes ago, a man had been in its place. I walked up towards the altar, and Aina let go of me. I heard her say �Go, Shaylee!� at which Kayne told her to be quiet. I extended my arm and lowered it towards the sword. I fully expected something to happen, seeing as ever since I had left my village, something happened when you expected it the least. Then, I finally touched it.
Nothing.
�Um�� I stuttered, completely taken by surprise by the lack of�whatever I expected to happen.
�Shaylee?� Teagan called out from behind me, a worried tone in his voice. I picked up the sword, turned around and held it in front of me. Its surface was cool and smooth, even though it had looked hot, shining in the sun, before. Also, I had expected it to be heavy, but it turned out to be the opposite, as it felt every light.
�Nothing is happening. Do you think something is wrong with it?� I asked, at which Raghnall walked up to me and snatched the sword out of my hands before I could even say something. He weighed it in his hands and watched it closely.
�I don�t see anything weird�� He said, while looking at the sword in confusion and gave it back to me. I put the sword into its scabbard and put it on my back.
�Maybe it just isn�t supposed to do anything. Bredon said it was settled, right? I can�t think of another logical explanation�� I said.
�Guys,� said a voice, and everyone turned around to see Teagan leaning against a tree, looking very serious. �this is all nice and fun, I know. But I don�t think we have any use of that sword until we have found a way to find Aislin. Kayne, have you figured something out already?�
The boy blushed and shook his head. �I haven�t gotten any time yet��
�You can think it over while having something to drink! Thinking goes much better when you aren�t thirsty, don�t you think so?� Aina offered. �Please, come with me! Right outside of Shea there is a river for you, that has enough to drink for all of you! Come, come, follow me!� And she fluttered with her little wings, and disappeared in the swamp again, in the direction of Shea. I looked at the others a bit, wondering what they wanted to do.
�I suppose we should go�I am feeling a bit dizzy of the thing Bredon did to my head.� Kayne said.
�Right, come on then!� Teagan exclaimed, and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me into the swamp. The other two men just followed.
~
And now we were right outside the swamp. The Faerie had explained we could not drink any of the water in Shea, as drinking or eating something there would make us stay forever. Aina hadn�t lied when she said there was enough to drink, as the whole river that was flowing there seemed to be made of a pinkish, sweet liquid. She had gotten little barrels that were actually quite big for her, from Shea, where we could drink from. I was sitting on a tree that had fallen down during a storm, and now formed a bridge over the river. Kayne was sitting next to me and Teagan was lying in the grass on his stomach. Raghnall, being his usual self, was sitting up high in a tree, looking very grumpy for some reason. The little Faerie Aina was sitting on my shoulder, humming happily. She was probably satisfied that she had been able to help us.
�Aina?� I asked to the little Faerie. �Can I ask you a question?�
�You can ask me anything!� Aina said while smiling.
�You know�in everything I have read and heard about Faeries, they were supposed to be hostile and don�t like humans. How come you do want to help us?�
�That is easy!� The Faerie exclaimed while standing up and putting her fist in the air. �It was Aislin who made this swamp for us. Aislin who gave us Shea! I will do anything for people who are trying to save her from Keir!�
�Ah, I understand. Thanks a lot, anyway.� I said.
�My pleasure!� Aina said in her usual enthusiastic way, sitting down on my shoulder. Then it was quiet again.
�So, what are we going to do next? How are you planning on finding Aislin, Kayne?� I said, while stirring into my drink with my finger.
�I just cannot think of a good way to find out where she is being hidden.� The wizard sighed. �I�m sorry�I have a feeling I just failed you all. I should have expected that something like this was going to happen. You can�t just go around, doing things on Earth, while the Gods won�t even notice it. Imbecile��
�Hey, now! Don�t be so hard on yourself! You tried, right? And you were the one that got us this far in the first place! I said while smiling at the boy.
�She is right, you know. You worked hard enough to get us to this point. If it wasn�t for that Arrow stone you made, we wouldn�t have even been here. Now, my suggestion is we go to Keir�s castle on the Black Mountain and we�ll see it from there.� Teagan said.
�You can�t be serious!� Raghnall exclaimed. �That would just be suicide. Keir would know we were coming and would just stop us, because he is God and he can do that. No, there has to be another way��
�Then what would you suggest, Mr. Know-It-All?� Kayne snapped at the Elf.
��I don�t know, yet. But I will figure it out. I will not give up this easily, let me tell you that.� Came the reply.
�That means he just doesn�t know, but is too stubborn to admit it.� The boy sitting next to me whispered to me. I giggled, and then stared back into my drink. I thought about this journey so far.
Would it not be silly to give up now? To come this far and then just let it all go? If it weren�t for Keir, we would have found Aislin by now�Even though I had been hesitant at first, I now refused to give up, just like that. There had to be a way, there just had to be one�
I stirred the water-like substance inside my cub, watching it swirl round and round. Someone the swirling started to enchant me and I found myself unable to look away. My whole body felt weird and my head felt fuzzy. My eyes seemed to be getting heavier and they slowly drooped, until they were shut. The last coherent thought I had, was that I hoped that I didn�t fall into the river.
~
It was dark all around me. The kind of dark that only occurs when you are in a closed room with no lights, not the kind of black that the night brings. For a minute, I was scared that I had been locked into a closed room, but then I could feel no walls around me. I wrapped my arms around me and shivered, for it was quite cold wherever I was. Then, I heard the voice from behind me.
�Shaylee�� It was a very weak voice, but the sound made me hear bells ringing inside my ears. It was so pure and it had something else to it that could not be described in words.
When I turned around, I saw that the room was not completely dark. There, standing more than a few feet away from me, in a spotlight, was a beautiful young woman from about 25. She had long, shining black hair and her eyes were, much to my surprise, the same shade of violet as mines were. She was about 5�2� and looked way too thin. Her ribs were almost poking out through the thin, white dress she was wearing. I realized she must have been a very beautiful and strong woman once, but right now she looked like a little lost girl. And even though I had never seen her before, I immediately knew who it was.
�Aislin�?� I almost whispered. She smiled at me.
�How did you know it was me?�
�Just�just a feeling�� I answered truthfully. Moving a hair lock away that had fallen in front of her face, she looked at me as if inspecting me, and then smiled faintly.
�You are everything I expected, and more�� She whispered softly, but loud enough for me to hear. I looked at her questionably.
�What�? I don�t understand.� I asked, and began to walk closer to her. The distance between us made it all seem so�informal.
�No! Stay away, don�t come any closer!� She shouted, looking distressed.
�What? But why? Aislin, I just want to help�� And while saying that, I stood still anyway. It seemed to mean a great deal to her, so I just obeyed.
�I know, but it is important for you to stay there. Listen, I don�t have much time so I will keep this short. As you may know by now, Keir is keeping me captured. He contacted you, right?� The Goddess said.
�Yes�� I answered, getting more and more confused by the minute. What was it that she wanted?
�Your friends and you were on the right track before. I was in Shea, but Keir got word that you were searching for me, so he quickly transported me to somewhere else. Then he forced me to create that dream, and, well, you know the rest�� Aislin explained.
�Where are you now, then? We are still searching for you!� I asked. The Goddess just smiled at that.
�I knew it�you are not one to give up that easily. Now, let me te�ou, I am cu�ntly�re�ding near�Mor�yn.� At the last part of the sentence, Aislin seemed to have trouble speaking. At some parts, her voice just disappeared.
�What? Aislin, where are you?� I asked, and then saw Aislin talking to somebody else, who I could not see. She seemed to be almost panicking, and the person she was talking to her was screaming at her. I could hear pieces of what they were saying.
�Did you rea�think�you cou�get awa�it? Fool!� Suddenly, Aislin disappeared. All was dark for only a few moments, and then the ugly face of Keir appeared in the place where Aislin had just been standing.
�So we meet again, Shaylee.� The God of Death hissed. �I thought I had told you to keep your nose out of other people�s business? But you could not stay away, could you now?�
�No!� I yelled, my hands clenched into fists. �And now that I have seen in what kind of state Aislin is, I will certainly not give up! I don�t care that you are the God of Death, but we will bring you down!�
�Big words for such a little girl. I would like to see how you and your little gang are going to accomplish that. But for now, I will say �goodbye� to you, because I am sure this will not be our last meeting�� And with that, Keir�s face left the darkness with a plopping sound. For a moment all I saw around me was black, but then the colors came back, out of nowhere. They seemed to surround me, spinning before my eyes, until I had to close them, and I fell to the ground.
~
Until I was sure I was back on the Earth again, feeling the grass tickling me in my neck, I did not open my eyes. When I did, I saw green treetops waving in the wind, and a blue sky with some small, fluffy clouds in it. I slowly propped myself up with my elbows, and saw the guys looking very bored. Raghnall was sitting beside the river, doing something, which looked like poking the water with a branch of a tree. Teagan was practicing his sword moves, swishing the sword through the air as fast as he could. And Kayne was just sitting in the grass with Aina on his shoulder, watching the other two. It was him who noticed that I was awake first.
�Ah, finally!� He exclaimed, looking relieved. The other two men looked my way and smiled, too. They ran my way and helped me sit up more.
�Yay! Shaylee, I was so worried!� Aina said.
�What happened?� Teagan asked. I rubbed my head a bit with my hand.
�It happened again�another dream�� I answered.
�What? Keir again? I swear you, if he hurt you, then I�ll-� Raghnall said, but I interrupted him.
�It wasn�t Keir. It was Aislin�� I said, and then explained to them what happened. About how Aislin looked so thin and weak, that Keir had found out she was contacted me in a Dream, and that I wasn�t able to hear clearly where she was right now. For some reason, I did not tell them that Aislin said I was �everything she expected, and more�. I couldn�t explain it, but I felt I wanted to keep that to myself.
�Wait�where did she say she was?� Kayne asked.
�I could not understand it very well, because I think Keir was on to us right then. But she said something like �Mor�yn�.� I answered.
��Mor�yn�, huh? I do not think I have ever-�
�Morvyn.� Teagan said. Everyone looked at him as though he had just grew a second head. �Morvyn! Haven�t you guys heard of it? It�s a place near the sea, I have a cousin living there.� He explained.
�Are you sure?� Raghnall asked. �Can�t it be something else? Morwyn? Morblyn? Mor-whatever-yn?�
�Well, it is nice to know that you have so much fate in me, dear friend. But no, I cannot think of another place that has �Mor�yn� in it. Can you?� Teagan replied, looking a little bit annoyed.
�Um, well, no. Fine, Morvyn it is.� The Elf gave in. �Now, we should go there as fast as we can. Teagan, where is that dragon of yours?�
�Hmm, good question. I haven�t seen her in a while.� The dragon slayer said, then looked up to the sky and shouted: �Edana!�
Nothing. Everyone stared at the sky for a few minutes, but all there was, was silence. Then, I heard somebody chuckle.
�Don�t bother. I saw some men getting rid of her a while ago. Clubbed her head right in, the poor little creature.� A voice came from behind us. I turned around only to see a very peculiar looking man standing across the river.
The first thing that one noticed was the black eye patch over his left eye, which left only one brown eye to see. Then, when you trailed down his face, you saw a big, X-shaped scar on his right cheek. With black hair that was pulled back into a short ponytail and about 6 feet tall and a slim frame, he looked like some kind of lost pirate. He was smiling brightly, which made his white teeth flicker like gold in the sunlight. Though the thing that intimidated me the most was not the black leather jacket, the white shirt or the black pants he was wearing. It was the big scythe that he was carrying with him. It was even bigger than the man himself was; the knife part of it came out from above his head.
�What? Taking her away? Are you sure?� Teagan shouted, although it was clear he did not completely trust the stranger.
�Small, red dragon? Black wings? Paws that go flapping like this when they run?� Teagan nodded.
�Then it�s her. She was running around on farmer�s property, and they called in the help of some knights. Killed her off just like that, with their swords, swish-swash through the air. Psh, I think it must have been at least eight of them, against one little dragon. But she did not let them get her easily, oh no! First running off and when they caught her in a net, trying to squash them with her feet�� The stranger said.
�K�killed?� Teagan repeated, eyes wide in shock. He hung his head low, so that his black hair shielded his eyes from us, but I was sure that he was crying. Then he wiped his eyes quickly with the back of his hand, and looked back at us, almost to show that this was not enough to break him.
�I am so sorry, Teagan�� I said sympathetically. Everyone around me nodded in agreement. The dragon slayer himself just smiled gratefully. I looked up when I heard the stranger scrape his throat.
�Well, sorry to interrupt this touching scene, but��
�Who are you anyway?� Kayne interrupted harshly.
�I was just about to say that!� The man exclaimed, at which he mockingly pouted. He then jumped across the river gracefully and made a perfect landing. �I am called Cahal, but you can call me Cahal. My friends call me Cahal, too!� He looked around as if he had just made the funniest joke ever. Nobody laughed. �Right. What a bunch of humorless people! You really have to learn how to lighten up, you know. Anyway, like you, I am in search of Keir, that nasty God of Death, I bet you know him. So I suggest we team up and search for him together. You know, like in a team.� Cahal offered.
�Wait a minute. How do you know we are searching for Keir?� Raghnall asked.
�Are you kidding me? It�s hot news all over the country, you know! Everyone knows there are people searching for Aislin and Keir. They are all talking about it! I heard it too, and came over here as fast as I could, because I can use some extra manpower. And womanpower, of course.� He said while flashing a white-toothed grin at me, which made me feel very cheap.
�Then why are you searching for Keir, as you know our reason already?� Kayne questioned the man.
�Easy: He has something I like.� Cahal answered, at which Kayne lifted an eyebrow.
�Something you like?�
�You know that scepter you sometimes see him with on pictures? The one with all the jewels on it and that is made of pure gold? Shining when Keir comes out on Earth once in a while? I want it. Heard it is worth millions.� was the reply. And to tell the truth, I was stunned. Was he willing to put his life at risk for just a silly scepter? For money? Were there really people that were this greedy?
�You can�t be serious.� Kayne agreed with me. �Going through all the trouble of fighting the God of Death himself for just a silly scepter? Are you crazy?�
�Well, by your definition, I guess I am. But life is no fun without being a little weird!� Cahal exclaimed.
��A little weird��� Kayne muttered.
�But anyway! How about my offer? Travel together? It is not like you are going anywhere fast, without that dragon of yours. Or were you planning on walking to Morvyn?�
�Oh, and I suppose that you do have a way to get there?� Teagan asked in a sarcastic tone.
�As a matter of fact, I do! Wait, don�t move. I will be back before you know it.� Cahal gave his scythe to me. �Hold onto this for a minute.� And jumped across the river again and disappeared into the swamp. The rest of us exchanged a look, not believing that Cahal was really that ignorant.
�Is this guy for real�?� Teagan wondered.
�I sure am!� came a voice from which seemed to be the air. And then I looked up, and there he was. It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen; Cahal was standing on a small ship that was literally floating through the air, but instead of the usual white cloth that the sail was made of, there was a purple hue where the sail should be, making the sound of the wind blowing through a tree. And although the ship was completely made of wood, it was shining proudly in the sun. On the front of the ship was a beautifully crafted figurehead; it was a mermaid with a long fishtail that was once painted a bright blue, but the paint was now faded. The wood was a little rotten on some spots, but you could still see her delicate face and her long, flowing hair framing it. Cahal was currently standing behind the wheel, steering the ship, and then pulled a handle and the ship descended.
�So, what do you think?� Cahal asked while jumping off the ship and landing right in front of me. He took this scythe back from me while muttering a �thank you, Miss� and then looked back at the ship. �A pretty, isn�t she? Right, right? I got her off the market in Deng�Gong two years ago, while searching for some bloke that had stolen all of my money when I was drunk. Nasty little bugger, he was. But I got him good, you can count on that! Bashed his head right in, because you just can�t have scum like those roam the Earth like that! But, as I was saying, I was at that market in Deng�Gong two years ago, which is, as I may add, a fucking crazy city. Nobody ever sleeps there, trust me on that one. They just stay away all night and then just go to work in the morning, like nothing happened! I have absolutely no idea how they do that, but hell, I wish I could do it too! Wait, where was I? Oh, of course, so on that market, I saw this beautiful baby and stated that I did not have a flying ship yet, so I should definitely buy one now! The guy that sold her first asked 43632 Schmir for it, which is the kind of money they use there, and I was like �Hell no!�. I mean, who is he kidding? Nobody would ever fall for that, so of course, me being me, I outsmarted him and we came to a price of 45000 Schmir, which is obviously a lot less. So now you know how I got her, and isn�t she grand?�
�Um�what?� I stammered.
�Have you even been listening to me? Ach, I hate it when people don�t listen to other people! It is just so rude! I am just talking to you and you are just staring off in space, or whatever? Can�t you even take the time to listen to me?� The man said while pouting.
�No, wait, I was listening, it�s just that-� But Cahal seemed to have stopped listening to me already, as he moved to stand in front of Kayne, looking down on the smaller man. He put his hands on his hips and smirked in a way that made him look very confident.
�So, what do you say now, little man? Still don�t think I can help you with going to Morvyn? Eh?�
�L-little man?� Kayne said, and I remembered the previous time someone had called him small.
�Um, Cahal? Kayne here doesn�t like it when you call him little or small, so please don�t do that again, okay?� Teagan said and put his hands on Kayne�s shoulders, before the little wizard could attack the offender.
�Why? He is short, right? Hey, it�s okay, you know! You are still young, and the height will just add up when you grow older, trust me on that one!� Cahal tried to cheer Kayne up. It did not seem to help, though, as the wizard grabbed his snow white bangs with his hands and pulled at them as hard as he could without actually pulling the hairs out, and whispered:
�But I am two hundred years old��
�Right, man�� Cahal said while looking at Kayne oddly. He then whispered to Teagan: �Are you sure that this guy is alright?�
�Yes, yes, he is fine. Now, what were you saying about taking us to Morvyn?�
