Chapter 15: Chapter III.3: A Sword in the Dark

“Is that all that you needed assistance with?” the blonde lad inquired, hopeful that there was to be more amazing sights to behold that night.

He was destined for disappointment though, as Wulfnoth laughed and nodded if wearily so. “Aye, I apologise for the late arrival, I was busy assisting with the Queen, whom was quite worried about her most recent pregnancy.”

“You met the Queen?!” Now it was both Daegan and Cormac who grew excited.

This was met with another laugh, though this one rapidly turned into a yawn, “Mayhap I will say more at length on the morrow. Would any of you mind terribly, were I to impose myself upon you to-night? I must confess to being wearied from that bit of sanctifying as it does take the wind out of one’s guts if you will.”

“Not at all, brother Wulfnoth, we would be honoured to have so esteemed a guest stay with us, even if it is for but a single night.” Corin said in as dignified a voice as possible, as he added, “You may take my bed, I will sleep herein the main part of the house, Dae will show you to the room.”

Dismissed, Cormac was to depart not long afterwards. He was however worried, when he went to leave, by how quickly the storm had calmed itself, almost as though the sword had lain at the center of it.

“Cormac,” Daegan called just as he set foot outside, she hurried over to him, whilst her father was in the midst of preparing some fur-coverlets upon the ground by the table. “Do hurry home.” She said rather clumsily, only to add when she saw the surprise on his face, “I shall speak to you on the morrow, as there is something of great import I wish to speak to you of.”

“What is it, Dae?”

“Just find me here, and we will have to take a walk by the shore, after you have finished with assisting your mother.”

Cormac’s heart began to race, at the important note in her voice and the sight of her freckled cheeks reddening until they were the same colour as her tresses. Excited, he wondered as he made his way home, if it was her hope to confess her love to him.

It was something that plagued his thoughts for a short time, hardly paying the route to his home any mind. This proved to be a mistake, as he felt a great chill suddenly come over him, one that he would remember for the rest of his days. The wind had picked up, much to his chagrin with the skies still darkened. No starry heavens lay above him due to the clouds having covered them, this blotted out even the light of the moon. If he had had a torch, it could well be that Cormac might have died that night, for it was at that moment as he stumbled blindly through the darkness that he felt something large and fierce brush past him.

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The beast, or monster whatever it may have been was easily his height if not more so, and moved so rapidly that he had nary a second to blink before he was thrown forcefully off his feet, and onto his side. Thankfully the snow cushioned his fall, thereupon he lay in a ridiculous pose, his shoulder screaming in agony as he failed to grasp what it was that, had just happened to him.

Goddess, I did not see anything moving in the darkness, yet I am fairly certain that a horse just passed me by, he mused stunned by the pain in his left shoulder which was where he had been ‘brushed’ by the ‘horse’.

The trouble lay in that the more he squinted his eyes, struggling to distinguish what it was that had hit him, the less certain he was of what he saw. Sitting up with a groan, he saw what appeared to be a shadow in the darkness, galloping away towards the druid’s temple. The horse’s hooves hardly made a sound by virtue of the snow.

Frightened and not wishing for this ‘shadow’ to turn about to strike him down, especially as he had heard quite enough about these dark-riders who had haunted Glasvhail for months now. Scurrying back upon his feet, his head dizzy and his stomach nauseous with fear, Cormac could feel his breath hitching in his throat as he hurried home.

Once his home loomed into view, he had the distinct impression that he heard off in the distance, horse hooves turning about to begin coming hither towards him.

His stomach leaping into his throat, he made for the door as quickly as he could, ignoring as he did so the pain in his shoulder whereupon he threw the door open with all his might, dove inside and threw it closed behind him.

Cormac knew not what to expect, only that once the door was shut firmly behind him, he could have sworn that he heard then the sound of a disappointed hiss followed by a huff of outrage. So utterly terrible was this rage that he felt his heart begin to quaver in his breast. It took him some time before he managed, to pull himself back together enough to scurry up the stairs to the second floor, where his and his mother’s rooms lay. Pausing briefly out of curiosity, he felt grateful to hear his mother’s soft snores echoing down the hallway.

This went a long way towards comforting him, and for a moment he wished to wake her up as he was wont to in his childhood, and was frightened by a nightmare. ‘Mama, I’m scared!’ he would cry out, convinced that his bear-like mother could protect him from all the dangers of the world.

You are now a man, you shan’t be running to your ma, for protection now… not with your pa truly dead now, He reminded himself sharply with a shake of his head. Resolutely, he forced himself to hurry to his own bedchambers, where he lay awake for some time before he at last dozed off to sleep.