Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Eighteen: Preparing for Visitors

The following day was sunny and warm and according to the Sun, it was now about noon. No breeze stirred the air and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day, and still Morgan refused to allow herself to relax. Everything was much too quiet, the enemy had chased them relentlessly, and she did not expect them to stop now.

Despite, everyone's most cautious approach, nine others had been taken by the unseen creature. In each case, the unfortunate victim was quickly pulled under, despite everyone's best efforts to prevent it. Every attempt to make the creature show itself had failed, it simply refused to take the bait. Somehow, the beast managed to remain hidden. The monster only moved when someone made the mistake of stepping into the swamp.

No sign of the enemy had been seen, since the battle with the black scaled beasts, days ago. The utter calm was starting to fray everyone's nerves. No one was allowing his or herself, to be lulled into a false sense of security. Now, they had to deal, with an unseen monster, that was stealthy, as well as deadly. Despite that, a number of diligent searches had been made, no evidence of the sanctuary could be found.

"I have sent many of my people, to search for any sign of the enemy. Thus far, my scouts have not found any trace of them, it's as if the ground itself, has swallowed them up. I tell you, I do not like the feel of this," Celete said while pacing back and forth.

"My friend, I agree with you wholeheartedly. The enemy are biding their time, for some reason. The question is, why?" Prince Everin asked, while stroking his goatee.

Donovan brushed at some brownish-black muck which was drying on his leggings. "Perhaps, they sense we are no closer to finding the sanctuary now, than when we left. We have been unable to locate it. Maybe, it no longer exists."

"Oh, the sanctuary exists all right. I sense we are close to solving the riddle of its location," Brenna said. She took a seat upon a dead tree and swatted a mosquito on her arm. Her sense of confidence gave Donovan a renewed sense of purpose.

"The real question I believe, is will we be able to fend off Bemenah's lackeys, long enough, to find it? The filth will not leave us alone for long. The enemy's greatest chance of ending our threat, is right now, I tell you." Sir Alfred took a puff from his pipe, while looking at the Great Black Thorn Swamp, which sprawled below the ridge they stood on.

"Perhaps, the Dark Brother waits for no grander purpose than what's happening, right now," Girard said. Upon having finished his comment, he threw his dagger, which embedded itself in a nearby dead fall.

"What exactly are you getting at, my friend," Donovan asked pointedly. "You sound like you have an answer to our dilemma, please inform the rest of us."

"Prince Donovan, I've fought in many battles, at home and in far-off lands. No matter where I have fought, one thing has always proved true. If your men have lost their spirit or morale, then you have already lost the battle," Girard answered.

"What is the best way to handle our problem?" Changa asked while stepping closer to hear.

Girard retrieved his blade and walked back to the others. "We have no idea how long we may be here before we find the sanctuary. Our morale is low, and we are in a vulnerable position, should the enemy attack. Let us solve both of our problems at once, by giving the men something constructive to do and at the same time, we can make our position here a much stronger one."

The plan was simply ingenious. One third of the men were to spend the days searching for the sanctuary. The remaining men would work on digging trenches and placing cut logs to provide cover. Horse teams dragged the heavy logs, while others felled and limbed the standing timber. The work seemed to galvanize the men into action, giving them a purpose for being there. Instead, of being out in the open on an exposed ridge, they now built a square basic log barrier, that they could defend.

If danger did present itself, their group could defend themselves from a position of strength. Morgan was impressed by the amount of work they had managed to complete, by sunset. Four tiers of logs had been placed and were now being reinforced by large wooden poles which were hammered in the ground.

Meanwhile, others were hammering flame-hardened sharpened stakes into position to fend off encroaching horsemen, or warriors. Around the barrier, shallow pits were dug, and concealed by leaves and dry grass. Within the pits were placed many stakes, that were sharpened, and flame hardened.

"Well, it's not a roof over our heads, though I dare say we are definitely more secure now. We have fresh water, plenty of firewood, and good cover to hide behind. All we need now is a crackling fire and some warm food in our bellies," Alfred exclaimed tiredly.

Morgan and a few men began to gather kindling and wood for a couple of fires. Changa, Emec, and Maneau had left awhile back, in hopes of hunting something for dinner. That would sure be nice for a change, rather than eating the current dried fare.

Meanwhile, Donovan and Alfred worked with flint and steel, to start a fire. Gradually, they managed to build a crackling fire, which provided them with welcome light and warmth. A second fire was likewise kindled giving everyone a chance to sit by a fire.

"Well, here's the fire, all we need now is some meat to roast over it," Donovan said. He threw another small log on the fire and stood quietly, watching the flames consume it. The c***k of a twig drew his attention to where Emec, Changa, Maneau, and Celete had stepped out of the shadows of the forest. Behind her, were more Dreena.

"We managed to find a couple of slow-moving deer and some small game, with the help of the Dreena. Tonight, at least, we will not go to bed hungry," Changa said with a wide smile.

Though their position had been much improved, Morgan still gazed uneasily, at the gathering darkness of nightfall. She sat upon one of the log barriers and could not shake the feeling, that something was just not right. The night air was still, around the bog, not even a frog could be heard. For some reason, it gave her the creeps, and she found from time to time, that her imagination started to run wild.

Morgan silently applied beeswax to her bowstring. With deft movements of her fingertips, she rolled the string back and forth, until no loose fibers showed along its length. The bowstring was fine, as it had been when she had performed this task, twice before. She needed to keep busy, in order to keep from worrying about the enemy.

"I see you are about as relaxed, as I am." Donovan sat down beside her, while gazing into the dark. "I must admit that I do not feel comfortable, tonight. It has been much too long since the enemy has attempted to attack us."

"Anarta and Selt are out there, somewhere, I'm sure of it. Their other attacks were too brief, like they were toying with us. When they attack next time it will be different," Morgan said with a voice filled with conviction.

First, they could not find the sanctuary. Then, several men had been dragged beneath the surface of the black bog. Now, the enemy had vanished without a trace. Morgan felt as if everything was closing in on them again.

"The enemy is out there, there is no doubt about that. They are gathering all the help that they can, to deal the final blow. It's exactly what I would do," Donovan commented. He shifted his position upon the log he was sitting on.

Some distance away, a large, dark-purplish light flickered. The light from it was dark and Morgan at first, thought she had imagined it. Whatever it was, she decided then and there, she did not like it.

Two hours later, they had managed to eat supper. Everyone was relaxing around the fires the flames were hungrily l*****g at a couple of logs that had been placed on them. Morgan watched a bright glowing spark drift up, and wink out high in the sky.

"What is that?" Morgan guided Donovan with her upraised right arm and pointing finger.

Donovan gazed into the distance, towards the dark wavering aura. "I have no idea. We need to inform the others."

The dark-purplish light suddenly vanished. Without hesitation, Morgan felt the feeling of dread build within her. She knew, Anarta and Selt had decided to act and they were coming soon.