FOREST OF SORROW - CULLEN PART 11

CHAPTER NINE
FOREST OF SORROW

Anton had gathered the remaining Godsmen and shuffled them off towards Holdfast. They were physically and spiritually defeated, their leader gone somewhere, chased only by Dragos. Anton knew those men needed new leadership and he stepped up to fill that role.
Cullen, his friends and the happy Asrai walked back to their own camp victorious ad cheerful. Many of the elves transformed back into wolves and chased each other through the forest yipping and howling.
Cullen however was angry that they had lost Connon at the battle. He knew that Sonia had seen through the elf’s disguise and she made the right decision, but he needed to recover the Sword and started challenging the Host.
He returned to camp full of brooding anger and his friends withdrew from him and he stewed. He walked to the edge of the waterfall’s pool and splashed his face with some water. Being angry made him feel hot and he skin prickled.
“Where is Cernunnous?” he asked aloud, his back turned towards everyone else in the camp.
“I AM HERE CULLEN,” the Forest God spoke in his voice of tumbling boulders. Cullen was always surprised at how silently the lumbering giant moved through the forest. He never heard him approach even though he was three times as big as anything else.
“We struck down Mabon, the Creations maker,” Cullen informed the giant. “Why would he work with Connon?”
“I CAN ONLY GUESS CULLEN, BUT I ASSUME HE WANTED CONNON TO DOOM THE DAOINE SIDHE. BUT WHY, I DO NOT KNOW.”
“I think we should go to the Seelie Court and inform them. I wish to meet them. But we also need to do something about Vlad. He’s still out there somewhere.”
“TRIS’TAN CAN GUIDE YOU TO THE DAOINE SIDHE. THEIR LANDS ARE CLOSE TO THIS LOCATION. YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR MOTHER AS WELL. I WILL REMAIN HERE.”
Cullen looked up into the wooden face of the God, glaring into the two tiny blue lights that were his eyes. He turned away looking for his half brother, Tris’tan. He found him nearby listening. He nodded when Cullen made eye contact.
“Please find our mother and make ready to see the Daoine Sidhe. Its time we met,” Cullen commanded. He walked away from the edge of the pool and approached the Dreamweaver.
“I imagine you will want to come old friend,” he invited. “Does anyone else wish to go or stay?” he called aloud.
“Cullen, I think its time for me to return to the castle and make the soldiers ready. It won’t be long before the Host attacks us directly,” Grimm said, sounding a little sad.
“If you must, then go,” Cullen said easily, command beginning to suit him. “But know that you will be missed.”
Grimm bowed his head slightly. “I will also tell the High King that you have met your mother, and she is the woman from his past. You are indeed his son.”
Cullen gave a low head nod back, acknowledging the statement. He looked towards Tik and Sonia, who were standing together a small distance away.
“Would you both like to come see the Faeries?” he asked gently.
Both of them agreed they wanted to come along. They were smiling and Cullen let go of some of his anger. He walked towards them and hugged Sonia, letting the lavender scent wash over him.
He released her and shook Tik’s arm. “Stay close, both of you. I need your stability in this time of madness.”
The camp stirred and Queen Gwyddneu entered, carrying her spear once again.
“You wish to see our ancestors?” she asked in her proud and ancient voice.
“I do mother,” Cullen answered. “Will you lead us there?”
“Of course my son.” She waited for them to gather up some traveling bags, sacks with food and water for a short trip, then she led the to the side of the waterfall, to a hidden path that climbed up the hill and atop the falls.
Cullen and Tik helped the Dreamweaver up to the top and Cullen stopped to look down at the camp. Grimm was tightening his saddle, almost ready to ride away and bring news to the High King.
Cullen wondered how that news would affect his life. How would things change now that he was son of the most powerful man in the Realms? Would it affect his friendship with Tik and his love for Sonia? He shook his head and made himself stop thinking such thoughts. Better to be focused on the task ahead.
The Asrai Queen walked at a brisk pace, keeping everyone moving swiftly through the trees and ferns. There was no path, just forest floor and Cullen wondered if it was like the enchanted path they took to travel quickly through the forest. Then he heard his mother singing softly, quiet words in another language.
The air around them shimmered and he felt like he was on a path he shouldn’t step off of, although there was no path to be seen. He looked back at Sonia and he could tell her enchanted vision caught signs as well, as she kept looking off to the side at something only she could see.
Tik stayed focused on keeping the Dreamweaver close and caught up with them. Tik, ever the cheerful one, was just excited to see the elves in their own Kingdom. He was thinking about what they might look like and what their homes would be like.
Sonia was looking at the glowing path beneath their feet that she knew only she and possibly the Queen could see. The Queen’s singing had brought it into focus and she could see a golden path stretching off into the forest, directing them through the trees.
It took two hours with no breaks before they saw the first signs of some habitation. There were colored cloths stretched between trees that made a distinct entrance into a very special part of the forest. The fabrics made a hall of sorts that funneled the visitors into a large clearing surrounded by the biggest trees in the forest.
The trees grew up into the sky, so high that clouds were ringing their branches. The trunks were so wide that the elves had carved buildings into them, whole structures that could hold a hundred bodies.
And between the trees, among the branches, were steps and bridges, all surrounded by bright colored fabrics that guided the eye up and up into the heights. And walking around, on the ground, in gardens, and on the bridges and tree tops, were elves, the ancient Daoine Sidhe, the rulers of all Faery.
There were every color imaginable, tall, thin bodies, with pointed ears and slanted eyes, with long hair that was also brightly colored. Their clothes were more fabric, usually barely covering them, as they had no shame about their forms.
Cullen saw no guards, no soldiers, and no weapons at all. There were groups listening to others play music on bizarre instruments, while other surrounded a painter that was painting the garden in front of him. While other were napping on the little hill in the wide clearing, or eating fruits from baskets.
“This is a land of plenty Cullen,” his mother whispered to him as he stared in awe at the community around him. “But they have grown lost. They have lost direction and passion.”
“There are no guards or soldiers,” he whispered back in winder.
“It would be hard to find them without being shown the path. They do not fear attack, at least not yet. We must tell them of the Host’s return.”
Cullen looked around some, watching the elves go about their business, elegantly. Their poise, their forms were beautiful and alien to him, shaped differently than human, or even the Asrai. The Asrai were thicker and more muscular, for fighting, built for war.
An elf, walking past the entrance, turned to look at the group. He was colored in oranges and reds, with bright yellow tips on the spines that grew off his head and back like a hedgehog. His eyes were violet and glowed with sudden interest.
“Sen dari tuk melow?” he asked, his voice musical, even more than the Asrai, as though each syllable was a note of song.
“They speak the human tongue Aki,” Gwyddneu said, addressing the strange Sidhe.
“Oh!” he exclaimed. “I asked, what are you?” his purple eyes roamed across them, searching every inch of them in wonder and interest.
“This is my son, Cullen, Aki, and the others are his human friends.”
Aki’s eye opened wider. “But he is not pure Fae! He is half human! Is that right?” Aki exclaimed.
“That is correct,” the Queen said, her voice revealing nothing.
“And humans?! Here? You have brought humans to the Daoine Sidhe Court? You must speak with the King Gwyddneu!” Aki seemed out of sorts, alarmed in some way.
“That is why we have come. Is Vivien close?” the Queen asked politely.
“I will fetch her for you,” Aki answered. “Humans, amazing!” Then he hurried off, making even that look graceful and smooth.
“He was once a great warrior of our kind,” the Queen said quietly to Cullen. “He was called the Lightbringer and his own sword was enchanted as well.”
Shortly Cullen and the others spotted the brightly colored elf returning with a female elf. She was stunningly beautiful, with raven black hair that ran to her ankles. She was thin, like the other elves, but had wider hips and larger breasts than many they had seen.
She walked with a swaying motion and her eyes were sultry and deep. They were ice blue and seemed to pierce through them as she looked them over.
“Queen Gwyddneu! How surprising to see you here!” she called as she came closer. Aki faded behind her as she seemed to occupy all the space around her. She was quite a woman.
“I have brought the Chosen One as well as some dire news,” Cullen mother said shortly, her tone clearly not liking this woman.
“That myth perpetuates? This is your Chosen One?” she asked looking Cullen up and down. She lifted one arm gracefully and extended one thin finger to touch Cullen’s face. He didn’t move, mesmerized by the woman before him.
“Well, he is certainly a handsome mix isn’t he?” she asked no one in particular. “I am Vivien my sweet, and I welcome you to the home of the Daoine Sidhe, the People of the Forest.”
“Thank you,” Cullen said a little slowly. Sonia came up beside him and grasped his arm protectively. He shuddered and then noticed her. She gave a weak smile for him alone.
“And you brought friends as well I see!” Vivien gasped. “Welcome, all of you! The King will want to see you right away! Come!”
She walked away crooking her finger at them and they stepped in line behind her. Tik was goggled eyed as he watched her sway away, and even the Dreamweaver had a small smiled growing on his old bearded face. The Asrai Queen shook her head and Tris’tan chuckled.
“She is something,” he said under his breath.
Vivien led them to one of the trees surrounding the clearing and gardens. It had a carved entrance, made to appear as though deer were leaping through the air after eagle that floated above the doorway. It was open and inviting.
Cullen realized with a start that everything here was enchanted, the people, the houses, the land, everything. It could suck them in and he could feel himself wanting to stay and listen to the music, eat the food, watch the paintings, relax and do nothing. He shook himself free of the desire and growled to himself.
“Good, my son,” Gwyddneu said softly behind him.
Inside the chamber of the massive tree were more elves, standing around eating and drinking some elixir out of tall fluted glasses. Sitting at the center of the far wall was an older elf, crouched in a chair made of wood, carved to look like sleeping dragons.
“This is our King, Leader of the People in all things, Dagda, our Sun and Moon, our Stars and Light,” Vivien said in her loquacious voice, deep and throaty.
Cullen guessed the King of the Sidhe would be like the King of the humans and would appreciate some subservience. He walked to the front and center of the room and dropped to one knee, bowing his head.
Tik, Sonia and the Dreamweaver followed him, all of them down on one knee, looking at the grassy floor of the chamber.
“My Lord, this is Cernunnous’s Chosen One, the son of Queen Gwyddneu and the Asrai, and his human friends, come to see you.” Vivien, after her introductions, walked to the King’s side and draped an arm over the top of the wooden throne.
The King looked very like the last elf they had seen in the woods. He was golden skinned and golden eyed, but fine lines like wrinkled parchment layered his face and his eyes were sad. He did not smile or greet them.
“My Lord, I bring terrible news,” Cullen began, not rising from his kneeling position. “The Host has returned and threatens the human Kingdom. And Mabon was working with humans to destroy Faery.”
The room around them burst into whispered conversations and fear. Cullen could feel it like a wave across the room and his shoulders. These powerful people were frightened.
“How do you know this?” Vivien asked, apparently speaking for her King.
“The Host has attacked many human settlements, and we are afraid they will attack the human King’s castle soon. Using Seeker, we shot down Mabon as he was disguised as an angel, working with a powerful human Priest.”
The King’s eyes began to glow as he looked at Cullen. The young man could feel the force of that gaze wash over him. There was fear and anger but mostly there was a great sadness in him.
“I have two of the Creations, and I mean to get the third back. I am fighting for the humans and for Faery. I believe we must fight together my Lord. The Host is strong.”
“We cannot go –“ Vivien began.
“You must find the Sword,” the King said in a whisper of a voice. It sounded old and weary. “You must have all three Creations to find the Fourth. When you have the Fourth, then you may call on us, not before then!”
Cullen looked at the old elf and nodded. He suspected as much already. “I am another enemy, a man I have killed once before. The Host had raised him up and he fights again.” Cullen said it with hope.
“For that, you must go to the Forest of Sorrow and talk to the witch who lives there,” Vivien answered, this time in control. “Go south from here until you reach the Great Swamp. Inside the Swamp is the Forest of Sorrow. You will find her there.”
Cullen could hear the dismissal in her voice. The King seemed overwhelmed and the Faeries all around them were twittering with anxiety and worry. Cullen stood and helped his friends to their feet.
“Thank you for your help,” he said, and then turned away. He and his group walked back out of the open doorway and into the gardens. The Queen led them back down the trail and into the wider forest around them.
Everyone was silent on the walk back. Most of them worried for Cullen, to shoulder such a burden. Sonia watched him with her new eyes and she saw storm clouds over his head. Tik watched them both, worried for each of them. The Dreamweaver walked carefully, but writing in his journal the whole time.

***

Connon woke with the same feeling he had every waking moment. Somewhere, out beyond where he was now, he could feel the other Creations, as if they were calling him. Like a buzzing in his head, he could feel them.
And he knew a boy held them! Some little village whelp, that was somehow tied to the High King, was running free with the Creations and support of the Faeries. He attacked Connon’s Godsmen with elves! All that was left now was Connon and this other boy, the traitor to Cullen.
He sat up and brushed away the branches that covered him. Dragos was ten feet away sleeping while sitting up against a tree. Connon rubbed his face and felt the day’s growth of a beard. He had always been clean shaven, but now he was running and dirty.
He felt weary and tired. He needed to get the other Creations, but the boy had too much power now. Even with the Sword it would be difficult to get close to him. And he let someone else use the Bow, so Connon had at least two powerful enemies.
But there was a new feeling in his head today. A second buzzing, from a different location. It was similar but different in some way. Like a lower pitch, a different frequency of sound.
Connon stood and adjusted the Sword that never left him. He turned slowly, facing east and he felt very little, he turned south and felt nothing. He turned west and felt something, but faint. As he turned north, he felt first the lower buzzing and then as he turned more to the north, to where he knew Cullen was, he felt the greater buzzing.
Someone was carrying a Creation! A different Creation than the three Connon knew about. He could sense that Cullen was coming for him, searching the south, looking for him specifically. He must sense the same siren call.
But this other secondary weapon, was also coming towards him, as if it shadowed Cullen’s movements. Connon kicked at Dragos’s feet, waking him.
“We have to go deeper boy,” he said in a voice gone scratchy with weariness.
Dragos lifted himself and gathered his things. Connon turned south again and walked deeper into the swamp. It was slow going, finding just the right amount of earth to step on instead of falling into the water, but Connon had been here before on the border of Dustan and the Marshking’s land.
He would find a suitable place to attack from, a place that would make it difficult for Cullen’s numbers to work in his favor. A place where he could fight Cullen, and Dragos could kill the girl.
“Make sure you hunt while he walk today Dragos,” he said casting his voice behind him. “We need to eat.”
Dragos murmured a response. Connon couldn’t hear what he said but he knew the boy would do as he commanded. He didn’t know what drove this boy against the other boy but it ran deep within Dragos and Connon could use it any way he wanted.

***

Cullen, Sonia, Tik and the Dreamweaver rode out of the forest at a canter. Tris’tan ran alongside Cullen’s horse, keeping pace on his long legs. Cullen had explained that he could feel the call of the Sword as well as the existence of Vlad’s weapon.
Vlad was behind them somewhere, while Connon seemed to have gone directly into the swamps they wanted to go at themselves. Tris’tan thought he was trying to find a place that would support an attack that would be best for him, alone or with Dragos.
The group rode across the rolling hills of the countryside, headed straight south towards the Great Swamp that covered part of Holdfast and all of Dustan. Somewhere in there was the answer to killing Vlad once and for all, Cullen hoped.
He assumed that since Vlad was dead already, he couldn’t be killed again without some kind of enchantment of his own, something that would stop the enchantment that animated him now. He hoped this witch would have such power, and would be willing to help him.
They rode for half a day out of the forest, crossing the gently rolling hills that covered the land before devolving into swampland. Cullen saw brightly colored wagons in the distance and he slowed his horse to match Tik’s pace.
“Do you see them?” he asked across the space between them.
“Yes, but there are so many, more than one tribe certainly, maybe many,” Tik answered.
“Let us go see then,” Cullen advised. He kicked the horse into a gallop and all of them except the Dreamweaver raced ahead. Tris’tan stayed back with the old man, keeping pace with him and keeping him company. He preferred not to gallop on his old bones.
“It looks like a Rom clan meeting,” he said to the Asrai next to him.
Cullen slowed down as he entered the camp, and counted wagons. There must have been fifty or more. He had never seen so many Rom in one place. There was a copse of trees nearby, s mall wood in which to hunt perhaps, and a stream that ran across the fields. The Rom had chosen a good campsite.
He saw many faces in the Rom that came around to look at him and he saw no one he recognized right away. Then Tik called to him and pointed, and on the far side of the campo, Cullen saw Alex’s wagon and he knew the Rom he was familiar with were there.
Tik led them across the camp, and many greeted them warmly since they both looked like Rom, Tik with his vest and Cullen with his tie wrapped around his upper arm. On the other side of the sprawling camp they found Alex and Tik’s mother, sitting with some others Cullen didn’t know.
“My son! And Cullen!” Alex exclaimed when he realized who was riding towards him. “Welcome! Sonia, dear, welcome as well. We are glad to see you.”
“We are glad to see you as well, but we are surprised Alex,” Cullen called back. “Why have the Rom gathered?”
“We have been seeing scenes of war Cullen, and we have gathered to decide what to do about it. These people with me are the clan leaders of all the tribes in this area.” Alex swept his arm aside directing Cullen’s eyes towards the Rom who were standing in a semi circle nearby.
There were four men and two woman, all wearing different color vests to signify what camp they came from. Cullen nodded a greeting to each of them in turn.
“What have you decided to do? Will you fight?”
Alex looked at the others before he answered. “The King has barely tolerated our people over the many years we have lived in this area, but this threat, faces us all I believe. We may have to fight just to survive.”
“Well I have news for you, and perhaps a suggestion,” Cullen hinted. “Can we talk?”
Alex nodded his assent and Cullen dismounted, as did Tik and Sonia. The Dreamweaver arrived with Tris’tan and Alex greeted them both. Alex’s wife gathered some more stools for everyone to sit on and they formed a circle around a good sized fire pit that would be used for cooking later.
Tik’s mother set about making some tea for everyone. She believed in strong drinks to fortify the body and Cullen had always enjoyed the flavors she chose. He could see on the faces of the other guests that they always look forward to drinking her tea.
It was a hot summer day and the air was hazy. The sky had no clouds in it at all, and the air seemed thick. Cullen hoped Tik’s mother would use something that helped cool everyone down.
“First let me introduce you to the others,” Alex began. “This is Adam,” he said as he pointed out the first man. He was at least as tall as Alex and stringy, with long limbs. He also wore a long brown beard and Cullen could identify him quickly that way.
“This is Clara,” a rather large woman, both muscular and broad, she sat in the chair like she owned all the space around her. She seemed fierce, like a Rom chieftain should. Cullen liked her right away.
“Next to her is Gabriela,” a thinner woman, with two long braids of gray hair. Her face was marked with age, but she was still a pretty woman. He eyes were webbed with laugh lines and she smiled easily.
“Then Luca,” had to be the fattest Rom Cullen had ever seen. Then tended to be lean and strong, living a hard life in the wild mostly, but this man was quite big. He also seemed jolly the way big men sometimes were. His laughter was infectious and loud.
“And last is Sorin.” Sorin was the youngest, not much older than Cullen himself. Cullen wondered how he became chieftain so young since usually the tribes selected someone older.
“And now all of you have met my son Tik, and his friends Cullen and Sonia. Behind them is the Dreamweaver, who helped raise both boys and is a friend to the tribe, and Tris’tan, an Asrai warrior of the Faery. We are proud to welcome him as well.”
Cullen appreciated Alex’s introduction. The connections between him and the Rom had always been good and he hoped they would trust him enough to follow his advice.
“So what news do you have Cullen?” Alex asked, the preliminaries over. All of the chieftains watched him carefully, some wondering at the respect that Alex clearly gave the young man.
“I was born an orphan, with no parents that I knew. Alex helped raise me, along with the Dreamweaver and a man known as the Outsider,” Cullen began for the benefit of the others.
“I have since discovered my parentage and it leads me to a suggestion for the tribes of the Rom. My mother is an Asrai Queen and I am half Faery myself.”
That news should have been shocking enough, and it showed on the faces of the Rom around him. Alex looked cheerful though, he knew how much it meant to Cullen to finally know.
“My father is none other than the High King himself, King Remus the First,” Cullen announced to the already shocked group.
“That cannot be!” Alex’s wife exclaimed suddenly. “How?”
My mother traveled to human lands and seduced my father in order to have me. The Faeries call me the Chosen One and have given me the duty of acquiring Weapons to fight our new enemies, the Host, or Dark Fae.”
“This is a lot to take in. Does your father know that you are his son?” Clara asked, ever the sharp one, wondering at the family connections already.
“He does. And this leads me to my suggestion. I pray that you go to him, as a group, offer to fight the Host with his soldiers, and use the protection of his walls.”
This time Cullen was met with silence. The Rom had never been treated fairly by the Kingdom, always outsiders, and without laws to govern them; they were often abused and taken advantage of. To go and offer to fight for the King rankled a little.
“I know I’m asking a lot, but I believe that now is the time for everyone to work together to answer this threat! And I believe that the King is a good man and will honor you if you go in my name.”
The Rom all began to talk at once, mostly to each other; some agreeing it was a good idea, the others hesitant to accept it.
“The King will never allow us in the city!” Sorin argued.
“If Cullen says he will then I believe him,” Alex said calmly.
“What if he doesn’t allow us out again?” Sorin demanded, clearly not happy with the idea.
“Oh, he would let us out faster then he’d let us in, you can be sure of that!” Clara pointed out.
“I could go in first, speak with the King, see how he feels. Then only one tribe would be within the walls until we’re more sure,” Alex suggested. Cullen though that was a good idea and was pleased that Alex supported him.
“Maybe the Dreamweaver should go with them Cullen,” Tik offered from the side.
Cullen thought about the old man going through the swamps and thought that was a fine suggestion as well.
“Dreamweaver, you have some influence on the King as well. You should go with them I think,” Cullen said loud enough for all to hear. Surprisingly the Dreamweaver bowed his head gracefully in acquiescence.
“Then we will go to the King and offer our support in the fighting, but our women and children will be safer within the walls,” Alex said, clearly having decided for the group. Sorin grumbled but when none of the others argued, he settled into the idea.
“I’m glad that’s settled. Take good care of each other and tell the King I’ll be back as soon as I’m able.” Cullen stood and shook Alex’s arm, then bowed his head to the other Rom leaders.
Tik took a few moments to say goodbye to his father and mother and soon enough Cullen, Tik, Sonia and Tris’tan were off towards the swamp.
The Asrai warrior ran ahead and found a good path into the swamp, choosing areas that were more land than water. But often enough they had to walk the horses through pools of stagnant water and they felt the bite of bugs as the heat of the day swelled.
Tris’tan would leap to the back of Cullen’s large stallion when they reached the deepest areas and slowly they made their way deeper into the Great Swamp. The day wore on and Cullen decided to ride into the night as well. Tris’tan said they should reach the old woman soon, maybe even in the night, so they continued one.
Cullen could feel Connon deeper in, somewhere in the watery land of the massive swamp. It was fed by seawater at the edges and by the river on the opposite land side, but it stretched for miles to either side of the connections.
Cullen could feel the faint buzzing of what he assumed was Vlad also, tracking them from behind. He worried that the dead man might trouble the Rom, but eventually he decided that man hadn’t stopped and continued to trace them.
Well after the sun went down, Cullen saw a light within the trees of the swamp ahead. Tris’tan ran ahead, leaping from tuft of land to grass clumps, making his way closer while Cullen and the other winded their way through the water covered land.
Sitting on a small hill, in one of the most crowded sections of swamp so far, was a little shack. A candle was lit in the windows and Cullen could see the light shining brightly against the dark of night.
Standing outside the little building was an old woman, dressed in black and red cloaks that covered her bony frame. Her face was ancient looking, crisscrossed with lines. Her eyes were watery and faint and her hair was a crisp white halo about her head.
She grinned as the horses rode up onto the small island and she waited until Cullen had dismounted and approached.
“Welcome boy, my name is Gwyllion and you’ve been looking for me.”
“How do you know that old woman?” Tik asked from the side. He looked about nervously. Sonia stood behind the two boys, also a bit on edge.
“The swamp tell me things child,” she answered. “It tells me that you’re looking for me and that something is looking for you as well!”
Cullen couldn’t help it. He laughed, liking this mysterious old woman. Tik glared at him and Sonia gasped, but the old woman laughed with him.
“Oh I like you boy! You are strong! You will do quite nicely, yes indeed.”
Cullen stopped laughing at those strange words, but he forged ahead readily. “I need to kill a man whom I’ve already killed once. Somehow he’s returned and I need to kill him again.”
“The undead chases you huh,” the old woman commented. “I can help you with that but you must help me with something in return.”
“Anything!” Cullen blurted out without thinking.
“Oh, anything is it?” she chuckled again. “You should be careful what you promise young man. Come inside now, and leave your friends out here. My magic is just for you.”
“Cullen!” Tik called. “Don’t go alone!”
Cullen leaned back to look at his friends. All three of them looked concerned but Cullen felt safe enough.
“It will be alright; all of you get some rest and eat something. I’ll come out when we’re done.”
Sonia rushed up to him and gave him a light kiss, just brushing her lips across his. “You come back safe,” she commanded. He smiled reassuringly.
The old woman had already gone inside and Cullen followed her directly. The inside of the hut reminded him of the Dreamweaver’s house. It was two rooms, one presumably sleeping quarters and the front room for everything else.
There was a fireplace, complete with a hanging pot over the blazing fire. A table sat in one corner with two chairs near it. They were old rickety looking ladder backed chairs.
The walls were covered in shelves and littered with everything you could imagine and some things you couldn’t. Cullen saw jars of strange substances or preserved pieces of things he could both recognize and other things that were strange to him.
The old woman produced a small skull, sized as though from a child and she placed it on the table in front of where she motioned for Cullen to sit.
She took out a mortar and pestle and started grinding up different items that he tossed inside. Cullen saw pieces of an orchid just like the ones used for making intruders sleep in the forest, but everything else was new to him.
Finally she poured hot water into the skull and stirred everything around once or twice. She next revealed a sharp dagger from behind her somewhere and Cullen eyes it carefully.
“Cut yourself, deep and fill the skull to the top. That’s the last thing it needs.”
Cullen took the dagger, tested the edge and found it was razor sharp. He would have to be careful not to go too deep when he cut himself.
He held his arm over the vessel and cut his flesh deep enough for blood to run, but not so deep that he would need stitching. The hot red blood poured into the skull, quickly filling it to the top edge.
Gwyllion gave Cullen a bright white clean linen bandage for his arm and he wrapped it quickly, hissing at the sting of the wound.
“Now you drink some,” the witch said, grinning again. Cullen looked at it dubiously but put his hand out. He lifted it to his lips and took a long drink, letting the foul substance wash down his throat.
Almost immediately he felt dizzy and sleepy. He leaned back against the chair and watched as the woman started dipping her finger in the cup and drawing symbols on her face and arms.
“Now you sleep and dream. Dream of what was, and what will be. Be strong boy, you must survive.”
He heard her and thought of a question but his eyes closed and he felt the world drift away from him. Darkness overwhelmed him and he fell asleep on whispered winds.

***

Connon felt the presence stop and it stayed in one area for an hour. He felt that it would not move again, since night had fallen and if it was going to attack, it would have. Wherever Cullen was, this other person didn’t want to attack yet.
So Connon would go to him.
“Up if you’re coming boy!” he barked at the weary Dragos, who was drifting asleep where he crouched.
“Now? It’s night Connon,” he complained.
“Yes, an excellent time to come upon someone unexpectedly! We go now!”
Connon rose to his feet, adjusted the Sword and started off in the dark, using the bright moonlight to find his way between the pitch black of stagnant water and the lighter silver of grass covered tufts of land.
Cullen had stopped somewhere still north of Connon and he would probably be there for the night now that it was well after dark. This other presence was west of Cullen and also waiting in the night.
Connon picked his way through the swamp carefully, growing angry at the sounds of splashing behind him from the tired boy he had for company.
“Must you make so much noise?” he shouted after the third splash.
“I’m sorry Connon, but its dark out and I can’t see the edge of the ground!” Dragos argued. “Please slow down!”
Connon made fists with his hands and thought for the hundredth time about just killing the boy and ending his misery. But he reminded himself that he might be useful later when they ambushed Cullen, so he calmed himself and moved ahead again, slightly slower for the boy’s benefit.
They tromped through the Great Swamp for two hours; while Connon filtered the lower pitch buzzing away from the one he knew was Cullen’s Shield and Bow. He focused on the feeling and drove himself forward until he finally saw a figure standing in the middle of a clearing.
He saw an average sized man, standing alone in the moonlight. Strapped over his shoulder was a sword that appeared to be jet black and didn’t reflect moonlight like a blade should.
Connon could feel something from that blade, something that his own Sword responded to. But it was like the opposite energy that his weapon felt like. His felt like light and excessive energy, while the buzzing from this other man, felt like the abyss or the void, the opposite of all things good.
Connon motioned to Dragos to stay back and he stood up, drew his Sword and stepped forward into the light of the moon. The man before him moved suddenly, shifting across the little island on land and light, moving towards the shadows on the side.
“Who are you?” Connon called loudly, challenging this other human. He looked like he was covered in shadows even under the direct moonlight. It was disconcerting to see. And his eyes were black, pure black.
“My name was Vlad,” the man said in a strained voice that sounded pregnant with pain.
“Vlad?” Connon questioned, “Is that really you?” Connon knew who Vlad was, but really had very little interaction with the man. But he knew his as a very good swordsman.
“I was Vlad. No I am something different,” Vlad said in his weird voice. He took a step forward. “You have something there, something I need to destroy.”
“Vlad, I don’t know what’s happened to you, but this weapon was given to me to destroy demons. We are both human, we should work together! Where did you get your weapon?”
Vlad reached across his back and pulled free his sword, showing the black blade filled with red runes that glowed fiercely in the night sky.
“I was human, now as I say, I’m something different. I might even be a demon. Release the Sword and I’ll let you live Priest.” His words were so dead, so cold, that Connon shuddered uncontrollably.
“That’s not going to happen Vlad,” he responded, taking some strength from the weapon he held. It glowed in the moonlight, its power clear along its silvery blade.
Dragos watched the exchange from the background, hidden within the trees. He had seen Vlad die, and hadn’t gotten a good look at him when he was in the castle, but he was sure that he looked dead even now.
But he was there, talking! Moving his sword in figures that looked exactly like the movements he used when he was alive. Dragos couldn’t take his eyes off the scene, it was strange and frightening, but he couldn’t not watch!
Connon lowered his blade into a ready stance, while Vlad came at him slow and confident. He lifted the black blade and swept it down and red fire leapt forward towards the High Priest.
Connon raised his own weapon to block the attack and the flames crashed against his Sword, falling away to the sides like water around a stone. He slashed his own weapon back and blue fire erupted from his silvery blade to sweep at Vlad.
He blocked the attack and then the two men were next to each other. Both of them were highly trained and being dead had not stopped Vlad’s abilities. The two enchanted weapons smashed against each other and fire and energy ripped across the island they fought on.
Red and blue lights were sparking as the blades crashed together and fire burst forth from both blades and the whole swamp started to light up. A gale force wind seemed to begin to blow, shaking the trees all a round them as they swept their blades at each other and tried to score a hit.
Neither man seemed able to cut the other, but they kept striking and blocking as an hour went past. Dragos watched the contest in awe, bearing witness to an event he couldn’t really describe. Trees were breaking and shattering all around the two men and the grass was being burned beneath them.
Connon was sweating profusely while he battled but Vlad seemed unaffected by the stress at all. His face didn’t show strain or alarm when Connon made a close hit, it just was, deadpan the whole time. It was incredibly unnerving.
They backed away from each other and stopped to breathe. At least Vlad seemed to tire like a normal man, even if he showed no emotion. The two men eyed each other across the island, looking past the scorch marks on the grassy hill between them, surrounded by broken branches and destruction.

***

Cullen woke in the small room he stayed in at the Dwarven Fortress. He sat up and stretched and looked down at Sonia, who was still sleeping. She looked so peaceful then, and he could just stare at her for hours if he could.
But today was the day that he wrestled for the Shield. He was nervous, but ready, deciding he would face the day head on and do his best. He bent down and kissed Sonia awake, and she came to with a smile.
He brushed some of her hair out of her face, then stood to get dressed. He put on his fighting leathers and strapped on his boots and rose to give Sonia time to get herself ready.
He found Tik waiting outside his room, also eager to face to the day. The two friends walked together towards the Hall where they would eat before the match. Everyone was there, Arthur and Dragos, Tris’tan and his twin brothers, the Dreamweaver and Grimm.
Looking at Arthur and Dragos made Cullen feel a little strange, like there was something he needed to remember, but it didn’t come to him and soon he let it go while he ate with the others.
The Dwarves were jovial companions, laughing through most of the meal, telling jokes about elves and Goblins. Cullen enjoyed his meal, felt grateful to be surrounded by friends and his lover.
When the Dwarven King, Garm asked him if he was ready, he felt totally prepared to fight for the Creation, in order to eventually fight the Host. He was filled with energy and a sense of right. He leaped to his feet.
He followed his friends and the Dwarves down a series of tunnels until they reached the arena, a circular area of sand depressed in a dome shaped room where seats had been carved all around.
Cullen saw his friends get seated and then he entered the ring, doing some stretches to limber up before the battle. His friends were cheering him on and the fires all around the walls flickered cheerfully.
When they darkened suddenly, Cullen felt a moment of panic. It seemed that the fires around the audience went dark and he could only see the entrance to the pit. He suddenly couldn’t hear his friend either. Nervous, he stared at the entrance, waiting for his opponent.
The creature that entered didn’t really look like a Dwarf. He was short, but not much shorter than Cullen and he was wide enough that he could barley get through the opening to the ring. He was massively muscled and his fire red beard had little tapers in it that were on fire, making his face stand out from flames and smoke.
“So you’re the little Halfling boy that’s going to win the Shield are ye?” the monster asked in a voice like rolling boulders.
Cullen nodded mutely, wondering whether he could really wrestle such a mountain of a Dwarf. He crouched, ready as he was going to be and he steeled himself for the charge.
“I’m going to break you boy,” the Dwarf rumbled as it rushed forward. Cullen tried to meet him in the clench, but the Dwarf just barreled through him and smashed him to the floor.
Cullen tired to get up quickly, but the Dwarf pushed him down with a large foot and he grabbed his arm and a leg, pulling both of them back, putting Cullen in excruciating pain.
Cullen cried out and tapped the sandy floor repeatedly, trying to get the Dwarf to let up but he didn’t. The pain grew so intense that Cullen blacked out for a moment and then he was released.
His face laid on the sand, where he could feel each particle, each grain as his body slowly reacted to the pain he had been in. He tired to move his arm to get it under him so he could get off the floor, but it wouldn’t move.
He tried to move his legs, and found he couldn’t do that either. He could feel them, but they just laid there, no reacting to his mind. The huge feet of the Dwarf came around where he could see them, and he leaned down to look Cullen in the eye.
“I’ve decided to let you live boy, but you’ll be paralyzed for life now. Some hero you turned out to be!” And he laughed, and great rumbling chuckle that shook the ground.
Cullen opened his mouth and screamed when he saw Sonia’s face covered in horror at what had been done to him. He screamed and everything went black.

***

Cullen walked behind Tris’tan through the tunnels of the Goblins, keeping ahead of his other friends as they stalked their way down the deep passages of the mountains.
They had been walking for hours, the only light they had was just a glow from lichen and mushrooms that grew on the walls and floor of the caverns and tunnels.
The twins had rushed ahead to make sure the passages were save and Cullen was waiting for their return soon. He looked back and smiled at Tik who seemed to be good natured despite the terrible conditions of walking through the endless dark of the underground world.
Tik was carefully helping Sonia and Cullen was grateful that where he couldn’t help, Tik was always there to watch over his love for him. It was a tight bond through the three of them and Cullen was happy to have saved them both.
He turned ahead when he heard movement coming from somewhere up the tunnel. The twins arrived out of breath.
“We must turn back to the large cavern! There’s a horde of creatures coming up the tunnels!”
Everyone turned around and raced back to the large chamber they had just walked through. Grimm and the Dreamweaver were the leaders now and they hurried through the passage into the cavern ahead.
The cavern was massive and wide and the Asrai urged them all to run off to the side to get away from the path that cut through the middle. They rushed to hide among the pointed rocks that reached for the ceiling.
They were all crouched down, as well hidden as they could be when the troupe of monsters came up out of the depths. Cullen could see giant spiders and centipedes crawling along the walls and floors as they led Goblins and Duergar along the path.
Behind them came the Host, Dark Fae warriors, all carrying weapons of a wicked nature. As the host walked past, something made one of them turn and look off into the shelter of the shadows where Cullen was crouched.
A cry went up and the horde charged across the chamber. Cullen and the others raised their weapons and tried to fight their way free. Cullen saw a centipede take down Arthur in seconds and something twitched in his head, as though that’s not how it was supposed to happen.
Dragos was dragged down by two spiders, the Asrai were killed with arrows shot by Dark Fae. Grimm killed a dozen Goblins alone but they finally overwhelmed him. Sonia died right after Tik since he stood to defend her and the creatures surrounded Cullen, waiting.
A woman, dark skinned and covered in little black scales stepped forward. She raised a small black globe and within it, somehow even in the dark, Cullen could see shadows moving around inside.
“We shall use you, Chosen One,” she said with sarcasm, “With my magic I will make you a slave to out will.”
She kept the globe between them and blew gently against the glass. Smoke poured free and billowed around Cullen as he slashed the air with his sword. The woman laughed as the smoke and shadows chocked him easily and he fell to his knees as the world went black.

***

Cullen shifted and stirred himself, as if from a dream and found himself on the deck of the ship headed towards the island of the Selkies. Sonia was next to him and she held his arm as the spray from the ocean crossed their faces.
She laughed, happy to be near the sea again and he saw a side of her he rarely got to see. Some part of her woke up when she was near the ocean, like she remembered all of her childhood and was happier than usual.
The way her eyes reflected the ocean, something in his chest twisted and he loved her more than ever. He looked back along the deck and saw his friends all moving about, practicing their sword fighting as they waited to reach the island.
Something about Arthur also made his heart clench, but in a different way. It surprised him and felt strange but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He stared at the other boy as he laughed and spared with Tik, but nothing happened, so he soon let it go.
Not long after they were on the smaller boat headed for the island. Cullen was the first to step onto shore and he looked across the desolate rock and wondered how it served as a landmark to Faeries in the sea.
His friends went silent and he looked around again and saw that they were surrounded by the Merrows. He knew what they were without being told by the Asrai, who tensed up near him.
The Merrows had fish bodies from the waits down and strange elven bodies from the waist up. There mouths were fish wide and filled with needle like teeth. Their eyes were far apart and ogled as they glared at the humans and elves.
A voice called out and Cullen saw the Selkie Queen in all her beauty. He forgot about the threatening Merrows and greeting her warmly. She seemed sweet and subtle and invited them all into the undersea castle.
Cullen explained that they had come to get the Bow, since he had won the Shield and the Host was attacking the human villages. The Selkie Queen told Cullen it wasn’t for her to decided, he had to speak with the Sea God, Manawyddan himself.
Cullen agreed and he was escorted to another room where a large pool of saltwater drifted back and forth with unseen tides. Sonia joined him and they waited to speak to the God.
The water in front of them ballooned up and turned into a floating globe of water with faces that drifted across it. The faces were stern and foreboding as they appeared and disappeared.
“YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE?” a great voice roared out of the globe, like a hundred waterfalls.
“I am,” Cullen answered quickly. Sonia stood at his side in awe of the God her parents worshipped.
“A BOY. A HALFLING BOY. ROYAL BLOOD AND YET THIS IS ALL YOU HAVE BECOME.”
“What do you mean?” Cullen asked, offended.
“YOU ARE A REPRESENTATIVE OF TWO RACES, BUT YOU CLING TO YOUR HUMAN LIFE. STANDING WITH YOU IS A FEMALE HUMAN, AS YOUR LOVER. YOU WILL OUTLIVE HER BY MANY YEARS BECAUSE YOU ARE HALF FAE.”
“I will? I never thought about that!” Cullen said suddenly overwhelmed.
“IF YOU WANT THE BOW YOU MUST SACRIFICE THIS RELATIONSHIP. YOU MUST DEDICATE YOURSELF WHOLLY TO STOPPING THE HOST. NO HUMAN TIES AT ALL.”
“I can’t do that!” Cullen shouted. He couldn’t possibly just leave all his friends behind and never see them again, especially since he was fighting for them most of all! “How can you ask that of me?” he wailed.
“I DON’T ASK IT, I DEMAND IT!” the voice boomed like thunder and the water swelled forward like a wave and crashed over Sonia’s body. She was covered in water in seconds and drowning inside the globe.
Cullen tore at the water and reached inside to pull her free, but he couldn’t get a grip. He watched her face grow tight with fear as she tried to hold her breath. Cullen was screaming and weeping as he dove into the water to save her.
Everything went black.

***

Cullen woke in the large bed in Holdfast Castle, where he had been sleeping next to Sonia. He looked to his side to make sure she was sleeping soundly and he pushed himself to the edge of the wide bed.
It had soft sheets and warm blankets, better than any he had ever slept in before. The King’s guests had never complained about the rooms they had to sleep in as they were luxurious indeed.
Cullen needed to make water so he crawled out of bed and walked into the hallway that would lead him to the bathroom at the end of the stone hallway. There was a sink for washing, a bathtub on clawed feet and in the back another room just for making waste. There was a seat carved into the stone with a hole that dropped four stories to a pit below.
Cullen was using the room when he heard a commotion. He finished as quickly as he could and ran back out. He saw the bodies of some of his friends laying about in the hallway. His Shield and the Bow were with Sonia in the farthest room down the hall, where the action was.
Cullen saw flames and people being flung out of the room. Arthur was down and headless, the twins were both groaning in agony on the floor and Grimm was fighting with his large axe in the doorway of Cullen’s room.
Cullen ran down the hallway scooping up a sword that was discarded on the floor and he charged in behind Grimm. Another gout of flame erupted from the room and Grimm was carved in half while still swinging his weapon.
Cullen reached the doorway and saw Sonia slumped over the bed with the Bow still clutched in her hands. Cullen looked at the intruder and saw that it was Vlad come to kill them all. His skin was blotchy with black bruises and his eyes were beady and black, but his grin was bright white.
Cullen raised his sword an attacked. Vlad swung his own sword and flames rushed ahead engulfing Cullen. He felt the fire burn his flesh as the world went black.

***

Cullen woke in the morning in the large bed he shared with Sonia in Holdfast castle. He stretched and yawned and had a moment of déjà vu as he looked around the room. He gazed at Sonia as she woke and he loved how the morning sunlight gleamed in her eyes. It really made the gold flecks stand out in her normally gray eyes.
Cullen was dressing himself for the day when a soldier appeared in the doorway.
“Cullen, you are summoned before the High King at once!” he said, his tone rude and sharp. Cullen glanced at Sonia in alarm. What was wrong that he would be summoned this way?
He quickly tied on his boots, gathered up his arms and walked out behind the Kingsguard soldier. He was led through the halls, until they reached the main Hall where the King conducted his business most.
Inside the room were the Dreamweaver on one side of the King, Grimm on the other and a large group of nobles and others that either worked for the King or were there to petition him for something.
Cullen was shown right to the front, to stand before his friends and the High King, who was looking down on his from his throne with a scowl.
“I have come to a decision about you boy,” the King began and Cullen already didn’t like the tone of his words. “I think you are a Fae creation, made to trick me into believe that I have a son, because the Daoine Sidhe look to steal my crown!”
The words carried such venom that Cullen was speechless. He couldn’t imagine what had occurred that would make the King feel this way. He looked to the Dreamweaver and Grimm but found them looking on passively as though they didn’t care at all.
“Your Highness, I swear to the best of my knowledge, the Faeries don’t want anything more than their own freedom as they have always had.” Cullen spoke softly, trying to ease the King out of his apparent anger.
“Enough! I won’t listen to your lies! Grimm has told me of your people and the Dreamweaver has explained that you were found in the woods. How could a natural baby survive alone in the forest? You were planted by the Fae to destroy the Kingdom of man and I won’t allow it!”
Guards came from either side and grabbed Cullen as he shouted at the Dreamweaver to help him. More guards came to assist and soon he was held with his arms outstretched and kneeling on the cold stone floor.
“For crimes against the Kingdom and for the appalling nature of those crimes I sentence you and your co-conspirators to death! To be carried out immediately!”
Cullen cried out for it to stop as Grimm walked down the steps from the dais carrying his brutal battle axe. Cullen felt hands push his head down so he couldn’t see the blow and he watched Grimm’s feet get closer and closer to his side.
The room went silent and all he could hear was his own sobs as the axe whistled down for a killing blow. And everything went black.

***

Cullen woke in the Danann Forest, surrounded by the sleeping forms of his friends. The sun was coming up and the air was crisp and cool. The Asrai were already up and Cullen grinned because this was a big day.
Today they showed him how to transform like they did into a werewolf. He was so excited he could barely contain the wide smile on his face. Tris’tan looked more serious but he finally smiled when he saw Cullen.
Everyone woke easily and settled into a routine of eating some food, doing some stretches and practicing some fighting forms before they all went to the Kingdom of the Sidhe for the ceremony.
They walked from camp into the fabric and wood city of the elves and entered a large field where they planned to show Cullen how to transform. Cullen saw his mother, and Vivien, near the King Dagda, where he sat waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Cullen entered the circle formed by his friends, elves and Asrai. His half brothers, the twin and Tris’tan all moved into positions around him keeping him in a smaller circle.
Gwydion and Gwaelod started singing a soft song in the language of the Daoine Sidhe and Cullen closed his eyes. Tris’tan touched him from behind and Cullen removed his shirt, then his breeches until he sat in his small clothes in the center of his family and friends.
He kept his eyes closed and listened to the song of transformation while he envisioned the wolf he wanted to become. The Asrai thought he could achieve the state between wolf and man, the mighty werewolf, a body that would grow larger and become covered in fur, with claws and fangs. They did not think he could become a full wolf, not with his human heritage.
But he imagined the wolf he’d like to become anyway. He pictured himself as a large wolf, just like his brothers, larger than a true wolf. He would have black and silver fur, long behind the ears and down the chest, with a full tail that he held upright to show his strength.
He would have bright green eyes that could see in the dark and could find prey. He would have sharp ears that could find the slow breathing of the old or infirm pray like elk and deer.
He would have a wide mouth, filled with crushing teeth and snapping jaws that could tear and rend his pray when he hunted with the others. He would howl with his brothers and his mother and go running and playing in the forest.
He could hear the howls and he felt himself vibrating with energy. He felt sure he was transforming but a new emotion, one he had always struggled with came to the front of his mind.
Anger, hot red fire of rage filled him without warning and he felt himself become overwhelmed with the power of it. Anger had protected him and helped him through his hard childhood and it was like an old friend. But it seemed to totally take over now that he was the wolf.
He felt pain suddenly and he felt something smash against his head. He opened his eyes to total chaos as he saw his friends and elves screaming and running form him. Tris’tan stood before him with weapons drawn, sizing him up for another strike if he moved.
He looked around at the bleeding bodies around him, including both the twins. He looked at Tris’tan, who was snarling at him and he wondered at what happened.
“What?” he asked.
“You did this Cullen,” his brother snapped. “You transformed and went berserk! He started killing everyone around you! You’re too dangerous to let transform. Stand down or I will kill you!”
Cullen cried out in horror and everything went black.

***

Cullen woke in the rickety chair in the witch’s hut. His mouth tasted like ashes and crud and he blinked his eyes a few time to clear his vision. The old woman was nowhere to be found, so he stood and walked to the door.
When he stepped outside, he found no one there either and he wondered where his friends had gone. He waited for a while, but no one came as the sun slowly rose into the sky overhead.
The swamp was a variety of greens and gray and brown and he saw a path ahead of him where it looked like his friends may have traveled. He couldn’t understand why they would leave him, but he decided to follow their tracks into the swamp.
The trail was clear ahead of him and he followed it thoughtlessly, just tracing their movements through the wet land before him. Had the witch told them to leave? Or had something happened and they had to leave?
He walked until he reached the edge of the swamp, and he walked out into the fields of Holdfast. He was thirsty and hungry and wished for some sustenance so when he saw smoke in the distance he walked towards it, hopeful.
Instead of his companions he found what was left of the Rom camp they had visited earlier. The wagons were destroyed and burnt, with bodies strewn all about, torn to pieces. It had to have been the Host’s doing, as only they would be so violent in their destruction.
Cullen looked over each body, slowly becoming more upset, both angry and torn with sorrow over the deaths of so many good people. He found a wounded horse still attached to a wagon and he unhitched it to clean the wound.
After fixing the horse, he mounted and rode towards the castle, hoping to understand what had happened to his friends while he was with the witch. It took another day to get close and he knew something was wrong when he saw the King’s Road early the next day.
All along the road, on both sides, were crosses of wood, with bodies crucified and left to rot. He recognized some of the Rom and then as he rode towards the city he finally found his friends, hanging upon wooden crosses, staked along the road.
He stopped his horse below where he found Tik and Sonia. They had been placed close together and they managed to hold hands as they died. They had been brutally beaten and whipped before they were hung and all of their beauty had been taken from them.
Cullen fell to his knees and wept. He stayed there for an unknown amount of time, until it occurred to him that the King should have taken the bodies down. Anger at their treatment overshadowed everything else and he leapt to his horse and galloped towards the city.
As he got closer, he saw why no one had taken the bodies down. The city was covered it black smoke, where a cloud of darkness hung over the entire city and smoke and flame erupted from the tops of buildings.
The Host had come to the city and burned everything. Everyone he knew was dead. Everything he knew was gone. He felt more alone than he ever had as a child. He knew utter and total despair.
The gates to the city opened, and a black woman stepped out. She grinned at Cullen’s sorrow and laughed at his tears. He leaped to his feet and charged her, hands outstretched to kill her any way he could.
As he got close enough to touch her everything went black.

***

He woke in the rickety chair of the witch’s hut. His vision was blurry as he blinked repeatedly to clear it. His mouth tasted like ash and muck and he made sucking noises as he moved his lips. He turned expecting to find the hut empty and instead Gwyllion was seated in the chair next to him.
She looked entirely different from how she had looked before he fell asleep. Her hair was bright and wavy, her eyes were no longer gray but bright green and her face was smoothed of wrinkles. She smiled at him as he looked her over.
“Is this real?” he asked, remembering all the nightmares he had experienced.
“Yes Cullen, this is real. You survived the experience and you have fed me well,” she chuckled as his face screwed up when he realized what she meant.
“You must be thirsty and hungry now. I have never felt so much fear in one man. It was delicious indeed.”
She handed him a cup of cool water which he drank gratefully and she followed it with a bowl of hearty stew that he quickly wolfed down.
“The fear empowers you in some way?” he asked after he finished eating.
“Oh yes, I use it well, as you can see!” she laughed, spinning around for him to see how youthful she looked now. “Your fears and your strength will keep me young for another dozen years.”
“And in return, how do I kill Vlad?” he asked, getting right to the point of their bargain.
“With this,” she said, producing another dagger, this one bright white that glowed in the darkness of the hut. It had a large pearl in the pommel and looked to be made from steel like Faery weapons.
Cullen accepted the weapon and looked questioningly at the now young woman.
“It has been blessed by powers that no longer dwell in this world. This will kill the undead and insure that they cannot return. But you must pierce his heart, that’s the only way.”
Cullen turned the weapon over in his hand, wondering how he was going to get close enough to stab Vlad with the small knife. But as he looked at it, his mind kept swimming with images and memories of what he had experienced while in this witch’s hut.
Would he really age slower than Sonia? Would he see all his friends die, except the Asrai? Could he make a life with them? If he had powers of transformation, would he be able to control them? All of these fears would haunt him he knew until he faced each of them.

***

Connon and Vlad backed away from each other, neither able to kill the other, even though both of them had been wounded. Connon kept backing away until he reached the trees again and Vlad turned and walked away into the night.
Connon found Dragos who quickly gave him water and food from their stores. Dragos didn’t say a word and Connon couldn’t talk; he just breathed heavily and started off into the night.
After an hour of eating and drinking water, Connon lifted himself to his feet. He was exhausted but wanted to get away from the sight where they had fought, in case Cullen came looking.
With Dragos’s help, they made their way to another island clearing a few miles distant and made their small makeshift camp there. Connon laid on his back staring up into the sky trying to decided how to go at Cullen.
Vlad’s sword was powerful, as much as his own, but Cullen had the Shield and the Bow. He would have to set up some kind of ambush, possibly getting Dragos to go after the girl.
But Cullen had those damn Faeries with him and another few friends as well. He traveled in a pack of people loyal to him, so it was difficult to catch him off guard. Maybe he could overwhelm them all at once with the Sword and then rush in for the kill. If Dragos could stop the girl from using the Bow.
He would have to find a section of swamp where Cullen could only come through a narrow approach. Then he could control the fight and who he faced. He believed in the strength of the Sword and thought it could get past the Shield.
Finally he left himself drift off, letting go of all his plans and just trusting to God that he would find his way. He hadn’t lost faith even through the discovery that the angel had been false. But he wondered at God’s plan for him.