The Dark World

Chapter 18: Wolgoral

Marisoll

I could not believe Cairn would say such cruel things to me, try to humiliate me, actually, I could, he was a monster. Ezekiel chased after me when I had stormed off.

“Marisoll! Don’t let him get to you, he has always been callous and a brute.”

I broke down in tears and cursed myself for it, I hated anyone seeing me cry. Ezekiel came over and pulled me into his arms holding me close. “I’m sorry he hurt you,” he whispered.

Ezekiel was such a good man, kind and strong, and it was the only reason I could come up with as to why I reached up and kissed him. I was behaving outrageously for a lady, going from one man to the next, but I could not help myself.

He was thrown off guard for a moment, and then he kissed me back, our lips were locked in passion, but then he pulled away and breathlessly said, “this is not the time for such intimacy, you are hurt and upset, seeking comfort, but this is not the way, when you want me, if, you want me, I want it to be while you have a clear head.” He smiled gently at me and stroked my cheek to soften the rejection.

He was right, and I smiled gratefully at him, I do not know what I had been thinking, I was still sore from Cairn for gods’ sake.

He led us back to his tent and I blushed hotly like some young girl when my dark brown eyes met his emerald green ones, his black tousled hair fell into his eyes and I could barely breathe at the beauty of such a man. He lay down leaving enough space for me and I shyly joined him.

I tried to ignore the hurt in my heart, Cairns cruelty cut deep and upon returning I had seen him kissing Cynthia, that he could move on so quickly like I was nothing crushed me.

For a moment, just a moment I had dared to wonder if the woman Cairn and Ezekiel were destined to be with was me, but after today’s events I knew that certainly was not the case.

Time seemed to have stopped since the darkness, it was sometimes difficult to tell how much time and days had passed, but I knew it had been a few months, what I did not know was how fast I could fall for a man, or rather two men.

We slept side by side, but we did not make contact with one another, as I lay there in the dark, I was so thankful he had stopped me from pursuing him in my emotional state, I was still so sore between my legs and I also knew I was not ready to be intimate again when my heart was in turmoil, when I was intimate with a man I would make sure it was with a clear mind and a clear heart.

When we woke the next day, mystic Zerena announced it was time to move on, we had been training every day and there was not much more we could do now except finish our journey to the dark lord.

We ate together first and said our goodbyes to Cynthia, it was extremely petty of me, but I struggled to feel genuine warmth towards her knowing Cairn had been all over her only hours after me. Poor Esther was the hardest to leave behind, she cried and screamed and clung to Cairn, terrified he would leave and never return.

He bent down in front of her and placed his helmet down on the floor so he could smooth away her tear soaked hair from her face. “Sweetheart, do not cry, I promise you I will do all in my power to come back to you, only death can prevent me from returning, I won’t ever leave you of my own doing, I will not abandon you. Ok?”

In these times there were no gentle lies of happily ever afters or death not being real, so he was as gentle as he could be with her but still honest about the possibility he could die. As much as I wanted to hate Cairn, I loved seeing this side to him, soft and gentle, kind even, dare I say. The bond between the two of them was beautiful.

He kissed her forehead softly and even Ezekiel looked surprised by such tenderness coming from Cairn. Cynthia managed to get a still sniffling Esther back inside the home, mystic Zerena had done a spell of protection, a ward to keep any trespassers crossing through, so they would be safe until our return, or rather Cairn’s return.

While we walked I watched Cairn up ahead with mystic Zerena, he would make a good father, an amazing father.

He had not spoken a word to me since I had stormed off after his cruel words, I truly did not understand the man, why have s.ex with me if he could not stand me? Perhaps his words were true and he had simply enjoyed the violence.

Ezekiel came up beside me and quietly asked, “are you ok, my lady?”

“I am, thank you,” I smiled, he gave a smile back and looked up ahead as we carried on in silence.

It was not silent for long. We were walking along a dirt path when we saw the trees and bushes moving and rustling up ahead.

I felt the earth tremble beneath our feet slightly as something big and heavy moved from within those bushes.

We all stopped moving, and I could not help but hold my breath in both fear and anticipation. A Wolgoral came out of them and my heart began to race.

A wolgoral was a mutated monster, what once must have been a wolf, it was huge, the size of an elephant or a little bigger even, it was a wolf with two heads, and they had the gift of electricity, they could stamp their paws on the floor sending a spider web of lethal electricity across the ground to kill their prey.

I had seen one before but never fought one, those who tried never lived to tell the tale.

It’s two heads sniffed the air and then looked in our direction, their red eyes landing on us. They bared their fangs growling menacingly and started walking towards us. Ezekiel hissed to mystic Zerena, “do we fight it?”

She took a step back while staring at it and replied, “no, we need to run, even my spells will be no help in defeating this thing.”

Cairn interrupted, “if we cannot even defeat this then how do you expect us to have any hope against the dark lord?”

“What do you suggest then?” Ezekiel replied sarcastically.

Cairn glared at him but answered, “we fight it, perfect practice for what’s ahead of us.”

“You are mad,” Ezekiel hissed as Cairn turned to face the Wolgoral and drew his sword out.

Cairn’s aggressive stance riled the wolgoral up, and it began snarling and stomping its feet, luckily it was not producing any electricity yet.

I did not see this going well, but I drew my bow and arrow, Ezekiel sighed but pulled his sword out too while mystic Zerena cast a spell ready to blast it when needed.

Cairn swung his sword expertly, keeping his stance low as he moved closer towards it, the wolgoral charged, but not towards him, it was coming for me.

I fired an arrow towards it, but it was nothing more than an irritant to the beast, it was fast so I turned and ran, Ezekiel slashed the back of its paw as he ran past him, but it did not slow down.

I felt it gaining on me, could feel its thunderous paws hitting the floor hard, I did not have many abilities as a Druid, my parents had died before they could teach me, but I used what I could, I had heightened senses like animals, if I focused hard enough I could use them, I felt the static in the air and knew it was about to use its electric gift, it slammed its paw on the ground and I smelt the burnt earth as the electricity shot out and towards me, I dove to the right, and it barely missed me, another shock shot across the floor and I rolled to the left, I could not keep this up, and I did not have the time it took to concentrate and transform to a flying animal.

I rolled to get up and more electricity shot across the floor, this time it scorched my arm and sent white-hot pain shooting through it, I was distracted by the pain and I knew as I rolled onto my back and looked up at the wolgoral who had finally reached me…I was done. This was it.