Kainan
One night will change is life forever
Excerpt One
Prelude
It had been well into the early hours of the morning before the revellers had finally given into sleep or were too drunk to care and had simply passed out. Now Kainan lay awake in his bed, his eyes wide. Still charged from his twenty first birthday party he just couldn’t sleep. He looked across at his brother Michael and then sniggered to himself. He was out cold, mouth open and snoring loudly. Kainan sat up and looked at his bow and arrows which were leant against the side of his bed. Quickly pulling on his clothes he grabbed them and headed quietly out of the door. He checked on his mother and his younger brother and then snuck into the kitchen grabbing a few supplies before slipping out into the darkness unseen; completely unaware of the nightmare that was about to descend upon his village.
***
There were many and they had completely surrounded the village. Edging in closer like a pack of wolves they moved in with ease and grace. Smooth, quick and noiselessly they swept through the village. Its people lay sleeping, wrapped in the warmth of their beds, oblivious as to what was about to befall them. The Dark Elves were searching for someone. Their instructions had been clear, find the boy and leave no survivors. The Gorzars, huge, heavily muscled creature’s hell bent on revenge stood and watched in the shadows as the massacre began. The wind howled and ripped around the village muffling their cries and screams as the Dark Elves began their hunt. Like a tidal wave they flooded the village, strategically moving along until each home had been searched. Death was not an option for these people; it was a state of fact. Finally they came across the home of Marianna, the boy’s mother.
Having fulfilled their deadly task the Dark Elves re-grouped, heading back into the depths of the forest and moving on to their next mission. However the boy was not there nor would his mother reveal where he was.
The Gorzars would wait……………….
One - Dawn of Fate
The moonlight speckled through the tops of the trees as he crept along what appeared to be animal tracks freshly worn with the footprints of deer. Then a short distance away a deer nibbled sapling freshly stripped of its bark a few feet from the ground. Now he knew the deer were close, these were all good signs to an experienced hunter like him. Kainan stopped suddenly cocking his head to one side, he listened. Something was coming. The fox stopped in its tracks when it saw him and eyed him warily for a moment, before nonchalantly continuing on across the track in front of him. He smiled, watching as the fox slinked back into the undergrowth. Kainan continued cautiously trying not to let the ground cover crack beneath his booted feet.
The tracks then stopped as the forest opened wide into a leafy glade. The fingers of an early morning mist crept its way across the ground, and the night sky above brightened with the approach of dawn. His heart skipped a beat when he saw them; adrenaline began to course through his veins as slowly and carefully he crouched down among the thorny gorse. Pushing his thick dark hair out of his eyes he took a quiet breath and slowly and steadily he withdrew two arrows from his quiver. Placing one of them in between his teeth he raised his bow and nocked the other into place. He held it steady, aiming at the group of deer grazing on the grasses less than twenty yards in front of him. Moving the point of his arrow along each one in turn, his eyes fell upon a young doe; she stood separated from the rest of the herd quietly nibbling on the leaves of a young sapling. His brow creasing as he concentrated, his dark eyes staring fixed upon his prey, Kainan drew back and fired. The arrow sprung from its bow string at lightning speed straight across the glade, through the mist and into the heart of the doe killing her instantly. Jumping up from his crouching position and whipping the spare arrow from his mouth he cheered triumphantly, it was a perfect shot! He grinned congratulating himself; his family would eat well tonight; and he was certain even with two greedy brothers to feed, she would keep them in meat for a good week.
Kainan was both an excellent archer and a skilled swordsman, abilities that had come naturally and easily to him over the years. His father had died when he was very young and so from an early age he had become self-reliant on his own skills and the family’s main provider. He was independent and strong willed and when he set his mind to something, nothing would stop him from achieving it. Now he had grown into a fine strong man having just turned twenty one. His long dark hair was wild and let loose and his face was striking with fine strong features. His clothes were pretty basic; he wore his black leather boots fastened high to the knee over dark brown leather trousers, he had on a white tunic under a leather waistcoat and a brown deer skin cloak clasped around his throat, to protect him from the elements. His family were by no means wealthy but thanks to Kainan’s determination and hard work they managed to live quite comfortably. By trade he was a carpenter, having taken over his father’s old workshop as soon as he was able to control a blade. His middle brother Michael was an up and coming carpenter too and together they ran their business, quite successfully, from the barn at the back of their house in the village of Oakhurst; which lay deep within a lush green valley surrounded by the ancient oak forest in the east of Zyon.
Upon hearing Kainan’s cry of victory the rest of the herd quickly scattered back into the cover of the trees. Grinning again at his own success he placed the spare arrow back into his quiver. Quickly picking up his small backpack which contained his water bottle and some basic food rations, he slung it over his shoulder. He glanced up at the rising sun, it was nearly daybreak. The adrenaline rush of the kill had made him feel suddenly hungry and he found himself thinking about breakfast. Placing his bow over his neck and shoulder he walked over to the doe. Squatting down carefully, minding not to let his knees touch the wet grass which had been kissed by the early morning dew, he gently stroked her fine soft fur. He had been right she was indeed a good size, and there was plenty of meat on her young bones. He ran his hand across her chest and pulled out his arrow. Scrunching his nose he examined it, rolling the arrow head between his finger and thumb. Then deciding that it still had some life left in it he wiped off the deer’s blood onto the dewy grass and popped it back into his quiver. Opening his pack and reaching inside he pulled out some twine and began binding the doe’s feet together to make her more manageable for the journey home. Glancing back up at the rising sun his mind wandered; as it looked like it was going to be another fine day maybe if they were not too hung-over he would take Michael and Ryall fishing down on the lake. If there was one thing his younger brothers loved it was fishing. And if luck really was on his side today they may even catch a loguenmast, he smiled at the thought. It was his favourite fish, large and succulent and with a few herbs sprinkled on top it was absolutely delicious, then what a feast they would have and he felt his stomach rumble at such a prospect.
Wiping his hands down his trousers and reaching into his pack he pulled out a muslin cloth and un-wrapping it he breathed in deep inhaling the aroma of the freshly baked bread and goat’s cheese that he had swiped from his mother’s kitchen before he left. Standing back up he looked about and then wandering a few paces he perched himself on the edge of a fallen oak and began munching hungrily on the bread. He noticed a cluster of mushrooms hugging the fallen tree upon which he was sat, so reaching down he picked one, giving it a quick brush with his hand before popping it into his mouth.
He smiled to himself as he thought of the night just gone. It had been a fantastic party for his twenty first and nearly the entire village had come to join in with the celebrations. He chuckled most of the men would be waking up with sore heads this morning, including his brothers. Both somewhat worse for wear from drinking too much beer he had left them both warm in their beds sleeping it off. He too had had a belly full of beer but instead of feeling worse for wear he actually felt the complete opposite, full of energy and wide awake, so he had decided to go on a hunt. He turned his gaze to the autumnal colours of the oaks that surrounded him; the beauty of the forest fascinated him, especially this time of year when the mornings were crisp and fresh and intricately woven webs covered in tiny dew drops twinkled on every bush. It was a magical place, calming and almost surreal. He enjoyed being alone in the stillness of the forest, it gave him time to think about what he was going to do with his life. Ever since he could remember he had felt a strange sense of loneliness that tore at his heart and it was not something he could explain or understand as he had no rational explanation for it. His mother and brothers were always there for him and he had lots of friends in the village, but part of him still felt empty and alone. He looked down to the mark on the palm of his left hand, it worried him. No one could explain what it was or how it came to be there. The mark had suddenly appeared yesterday morning; it was a pentagram surrounded by a circle and it was embossed into his flesh.
Pushing his thoughts aside he continued eating his bread. He pulled out the knife John had given to him for his birthday and flicked it about in his hand; it truly was a work of art. John, his best friend was a blacksmith by trade but loved to tinker about with swords and blades and this had to be the finest piece he had ever seen him make. He un-wrapped his cheese and using the knife he cut it into smaller chunks before using the point to stab a piece and pop it into his mouth. After he had finished he cleaned it and put it back into a sheath on his belt. Standing up he threw his last piece of bread to a curious squirrel who had been sitting watching him with hungry eyes. Eagerly the squirrel snatched up the bread and he watched as the squirrel fled to the top of the trees with his prize. Smiling to himself he closed up his back pack, threw it over his head and across his left shoulder and pulling the strap tightly across his chest he walked back over to the doe. Bending down on one knee he lifted her up throwing her around his neck like a scarf. He gripped each side of her bound feet and jostled her about a bit until she sat comfortably on his broad muscular shoulders and then steadily and without rushing he made his way back through the dense forest. He knew the way only too well as it was one of his favourite hunting routes and he often travelled it at this time of year as he knew the mushrooms would be plentiful and he stopped now and then to gather a few.
By early-morning he was through the forest emerging onto the brow of a steep hill, it was such a beautiful morning, the sky was a deep blue and the suns’ golden rays were glowing brightly spanning out across his valley. He took in a deep breath inhaling the crisp, fresh air. He frowned concerned and inhaled again more deeply, he could smell smoke quite strongly in the breeze and it puzzled as to where it was coming from. Just ahead of him was the start of the rocky pathway that would lead him down the steep incline of the hill and back into his valley below, he smiled, soon he would be home. Moving towards the start of the path his eyes followed the silver shimmer of the river as it ran down the opposite hill feeding into his valley below and then on into his village. Suddenly his eyes widened and he was not quite sure if he could believe what he was seeing. Stepping forward further he squinted shielding his eyes with the back of his hand as he looked harder. It was smoke he could smell and it was coming from the heart of his village; it made him go cold to the bone as he stared at the bright orange flames roaring across the tops of the houses, black smoke billowing furiously spiralling high and blackening the morning sky.
Kainan’s heart pounded fearfully and his breathing quickened as panic began to overwhelm him. His village was under attack, but who the hell would want to attack them? His valley had been at peace for decades and they had no enemies that he knew of and they were certainly no threat to anyone that was for sure. Then as his mind flashed through all the horrific possibilities all he knew for certain was that he had to get home fast.
He lifted the doe up and off his shoulders and threw her with such a force that she hit the ground with an almighty thud. He didn’t spare a moment to watch as her body bounced over the edge and began rolling down the steep hill, finally tearing into shreds as she hit the rocks below. All his thoughts were on home and Kainan began to run in earnest. He ignored the graduated path that he would normally have taken, opting instead to clamber down the steep incline of the hill. Giving no thought to the precarious ground that was beneath his feet he ran as fast as he could, slipping and sliding his way down. Throwing out his arms he tried to balance himself but abruptly lost his footing and went down. Pitching forward he began tumbling head over heels down the ruggedness of the slope. Grabbing his hands out wildly he grasped desperately at everything and anything, until he managed to stop himself by grabbing hold of some protruding bushes; but it was not before he had injured himself against one of the many rocks that jutted out. Cursing out-loud he picked himself back up and held his hand over the gash in his left arm trying to stem the bleeding; but even that would not slow him down. His heart pounding painfully in his chest he forced himself to push on even faster.
Trying to steady himself he turned sideways and continued clambering downwards into the valley below. His breathing was now coming in fast and ragged gasps and cold sweat drenched his reddened face making his long dark hair stick uncomfortably to his skin.
On reaching the bottom he ran along the edge of the river that separated him from his village. At its narrowest point he jumped in and began clambering precariously one by one across the rocks that jutted out of the water. Like stepping stones they stretched from one side of the river bank to the other. He slipped off one of the rocks half way across the river and landed in the water and although it was shallow the water still filled his boots. He waded across the rest of the way and then clambered up the side of the embankment. Although near to exhaustion he picked up the pace again and began running across the meadow. His boots still heavy with water began squelching as the muddied earth below him sucked at his heels making it even more tiring for him. Horses grazing nearby startled by his sudden appearance began neighing furiously at him and he glanced only briefly at them as he ran on side jumping over the wooden fence that surrounded the meadow.
His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he reached the entrance to his village. Held frozen by the horror that greeted him he held his right hand over a painful stitch in his side as he panted hard to catch his breath. Sweat clung to his shaking body and ran like water down his face. Using the sleeve of his cloak he wiped the sweat away from his forehead and the sides of his cheeks. He stared for a moment before revulsion suddenly gripped his stomach and turned it inside out. Ahead of him his fellow villagers lay dead, their bodies had been mutilated most of them were beyond recognition; it was the scene of a massacre. Smoke billowed furiously as the buildings all around him burned and the darkest black cloud he had ever seen hung over his village like a veil of death. He was unable to take it all in; this was not the work of bandits or thieves. It was as if they had all been savaged by some evil creature.
Bending over he braced his hands upon his knees and took in a few long deep breaths; he was exhausted and felt incredibly dizzy and sick. Rising back to his full height he made himself walk on even though increasing fear for his family rose through him with every step he took. He covered his nose with the sleeve of his cloak trying to stop the appalling stench of death from burning into his nostrils. Glancing all around he could see more bodies burned beyond recognition, lying in what was left of their decimated homes; he made his way slowly through the horror. He could not begin to imagine why or who would do such a terrible thing to so many people and it was not just the adults. Kainan felt his eyes begin to weep and his hand rose to wipe away his tears as he saw the bodies of children, innocents who didn’t have a chance. He shook his head painfully. He knew these children these families, most he had seen only the night before at his birthday in the tavern. Why would anyone do this, take such precious young lives, he could not understand it at all. What were these attackers looking for?
Making his way through what was left of his village he checked in doorways and half-burnt houses looking for survivors. What he saw just tore him apart, some people had not even had time to leave their beds and lay eyes still staring with their throats cut. Every now and then he would stop at a body reaching his shaking hand forward he felt for life, but to his dismay there was none, everyone in his entire village appeared to be dead. He then turned the corner with fearful apprehension terrified of what he would see. There in front of him was his home. He breathed a quick sigh of relief when he saw it was not yet burning, hoping upon hope that his family were safe; but his relief was only momentary. Standing frozen to the spot, he hesitated not knowing what to do. He could see movement, shadows of something or someone by his home. Then making a quick decision he darted like an arrow down the side of the dirt road, ducking and diving between broken doorways and derelict homes. Quickly he dived behind the wall of what was left of his family’s barn. Rolling onto his side, he then crouched on his hands and knees moving slowly on all fours towards the edge. Still in shock and taking a few deep breaths he cautiously peered around the ruin. There it was again, he could definitely see movement but what the hell were they?
His heart leapt to his throat as they came into view. Never in all his life had he ever seen such evil looking creatures. He stared wide-eyed and open mouthed. They were huge, seven, maybe even eight feet tall, and they were emerging from his home. What were they doing in there? He bit down hard on his bottom lip, he was desperate to know, where was his family, what had happened to them? Leaning forward further he tried to get a better look, frowning as he watched them. They were humanoid in appearance, but their faces looked contorted, their skulls misshapen and they wore some kind of red and black leather uniform. He had never seen anything like them in his entire life and he was certain that one of them looked like it was a female even though it was as ugly as sin. He was so terrified that he felt sick to the pit of his stomach. Looking around at the decimation he just could not understand how this could have happened. There were good strong men living in Oakhurst, they were not a weak village by any means. He knew the villagers would have fought back hard if they had had the chance.
He sighed sadly; it had most probably been a surprise attack, a cowardly attack in the dead of night just after he had left to go on the hunt. They probably didn’t even know what hit them, many of them he knew would have been drunk from partying all night. He shook his head as he tried to figure it out. There must have been more, many more. He was certain that it could not have possibly been just these two creatures that had inflicted so much death and destruction; but the only dead he had come across so far were villagers. So where had the rest of these attackers gone, or were they still here lying in wait somewhere?
Suddenly there was a pitiful cry coming from inside the house. Kainan’s eyes widened and he watched as another one of the creatures, and by far the largest, stormed out of his home. He swallowed hard, now there were at least three of them. He suddenly grasped the side of the ruined wall so hard that his knuckles turned white and he stared in startled fright. The creature had both his brothers! He watched helplessly as the creature dragged them both along the floor by the scruff of their necks kicking and screaming. He ran his hands through his hair as their screams for help pounded in his ears; what could he do? Then his eyes were abruptly drawn back to a commotion at the front of his house, his mother had emerged from behind them she was shouting, pleading with it, clawing desperately at the creature trying to free her sons from its clutches.
Kainan was frantic and his heart shook within him. He needed help, there was no way he would ever be able to tackle them all on his own. His eyes searched around in panic but there seemed to be no-one left; all around him everything was burning. He felt helpless and took in a deep sharp breath. His heart raced as he tried urgently to think of what he should do; his mind was in turmoil, unable to believe this was happening, unable to think clearly logically. His eyes shot from side to side looking. What should he do? Then his eyes locked on the blacksmith’s barn; it was practically the only other building that was not yet burning. Maybe John was inside hiding. He would help him. Stealthily he moved along the edge of the building and slipped unseen through the door. Frantically he then began searching, but the place had been wrecked. It looked like a wild whirlwind of a storm had ripped its way through the entire barn everything was either broken or destroyed completely. Climbing over a broken chair and a smashed up table Kainan continued searching the room; he was terrified beyond words, beyond comprehendible thought. It was like the worst ever nightmare he could have dreamt, no it was even worse than that, it was hell like the end of the world where no hope was left. And this he knew was not looking good as his friend was nowhere to be seen; but he could not give up.
“John, John it is me Kainan,” he cried, with fear and desperation in his voice, throwing aside the broken furniture as clambered through the barn. Moving further into the back of the barn his hope was fading as his cries remained unanswered. He called again in a desperate whisper.
“John if you’re in here please help me, those monsters have got Michael and Ryall!” Then his heart almost stopped dead and his eyes widening he stared in shocked horror as his worst fear was confirmed. Biting on his lower lip he then raised his hands to his mouth shaking his head repeatedly. On the floor in front of him was a mutilated body swimming in a deep dark pool of blood. It was John, what was left of him. His face was bloodied and so badly beaten that Kainan only just recognised him. His throat had been cut and his blood had seeped across the floor collecting in wells between the cobbles.
He felt his stomach turn inside out. Spinning around he threw up violently and coughing and choking he retched as his body shook uncontrollably from head to toe. Stumbling backwards he leaned hard against the wall closing his eyes, he didn’t want to look, he couldn’t look. Inhaling a deep breath he tried to steady and calm himself. What the hell was going on? Poor John he was his best and closest friend, they had climbed trees, fished and hunted together ever since they could walk; to see his life ended like that was more that he could bear. He took another deep breath forcing his eyes open; and using the back of his sleeve he began wiping away his uncontrollable tears as grief overwhelmed him.
Then fearing what else he might see his eyes nervously began searching around the rest of the room, but thankfully he then remembered that John’s wife Emmie and their baby had gone to stay at her mother’s in a neighbouring village, half a day’s walk away. Swallowing back his tears he was thankful that they had gotten away from this massacre. Diverting his eyes down to the ground he noticed an iron bar lying discarded next to the furnace. Swallowing he took a breath before reaching down and picking it up, then quickly he pulled it in close to his chest and leant back against the wall. Gripping hold of it tightly, he knew it was not going to be much of a weapon against such creatures but it would have to do. He had already cursed himself a hundred times for not having his sword, but it was not something that he ever took on a hunt, why would he when a bow and arrow was all he needed to kill a deer? Somehow he would have to try and save his family alone, there was no other choice, there was no-one left to help him.
Gathering his nerve he started to make his way out of the barn, but before he had even taken two steps there was the most terrifying, bloodcurdling scream that he had ever heard in his entire life. He recognised the voice immediately, it was his mother. Kainan’s heart felt like it had been wrenched out of his chest, his stomach churned and hot sweat enveloped his entire body. Gripping hold of the iron bar tight he rushed out of the blacksmith’s barn; and stopping dead in the middle of the street he looked down towards his family.
In the same instant the largest of the creatures, grabbing his brothers by their throats and lifting them simultaneously into the air, began shaking them, choking them. The two boys’ kicked their feet out furiously, clawing at the creature, trying desperately to release its grip from around their throats. Gasping for air, their eyes bulged as the creature squeezed tighter.
Kainan’s body shook frantically; it was killing them he had to act fast! Throwing the iron bar down his shaking hands pulled his bow off his shoulder. Then pulling an arrow from his quiver, and nocking it into place he fired. The arrow shot through the air at lightning speed, but at the same time he watched almost in slow motion as the creature turned and said in a whisper something to his mother. She screamed, shaking her head at it, falling to her knees she pleaded, begging with all her might. The creature took no notice of her, instead it just laughed. Then without hesitation it broke both the boy’s necks instantly and threw their lifeless bodies to the ground next to her. A wail of horror escaped his mother’s throat as she threw herself onto her sons.
His arrow whizzed past the first creature and hit deep into the neck of the largest. It spun around towards the direction of the arrow, its eyes falling upon the shadow of a man in the distance.
Kainan stood there motionless and in total shock; he was unable to believe what his eyes had just witnessed, what it had just done.
“Michael, Ryall…,” his voice cried, broken. The creature had killed them, it had murdered his brothers!
“Kainan?” it snarled in recognition pulling the arrow out of its neck. Snapping it in half angrily the creature threw the broken arrow down on the ground. It looked down at his mother as she lay heaped upon the floor weeping hysterically over the bodies of her sons. Upon hearing the creature speak Kainan’s name horror engulfed her. Shooting a glance towards the figure in the distance she saw her eldest son and her heart broke. She had fought so hard to hide him from them.
“NO, leave him alone!” she screamed, pleading. She began grabbing at the creature’s legs trying to hold it back. It laughed a deep penetrating growl of a laugh, throwing its head back guffawing at her futile effort. Summoning all her strength his mother screamed.
“KAINAN RUN! THEY’RE GOING TO TAKE YOU. RUN MY SON RUN, YOU MUST SAVE YOURSELF!”
Shaking his head at her he stared intensely at the creature standing his ground; he would not run and leave her. Kainan looked at his brothers lying dead by the feet of the creature slain without mercy; he was not able to comprehend what had just happened. He could not believe that both his brothers were dead. Staring around his decimated village burning like hells fire all around him anger engulfed him. The image of his best friend John lying dead, slaughtered in his own home flashed before his sodden eyes. Overcome he bit so hard on his bottom lip that it began to bleed. Throwing his bow away he reached down and picked up the iron bar. It was not much of a weapon but he knew he would rather die trying to save his mother than live the rest of his life with the guilt of leaving her to die. His fear had turned into rage, uncontrollable rage, giving him no thought or care for his own safety.
Seeing what he was about to do his mother shook her head at him. “KAINAN NO!” she screamed, “LEAVE ME AND GET OUT OF HERE!” The creature stared at him laughing, and began gesturing with its hands for him to come forward. Turning its attention back towards his mother and tormenting him further the creature kicked her so hard in the stomach that she cried out involuntarily pulling her arms into her stomach and clenching as the pain engulfed her entire body. Reaching down the creature grabbed fistfuls of her golden hair and began dragging her across the gravel and the dirt of the road. Clawing at the creature’s hands she tried desperately to pull him off but she was too weak and her face scraped hard along the road, grazing and cutting her until she bled.
“GET YOUR DIRTY EVIL HANDS OFF OF HER!” Kainan screamed, his anger overwhelming him. His whole body then shook uncontrollably as he felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Gripping the iron bar hard his knuckles turned white. He was determined that he was going take out as many of them as he could. Raising the iron bar he charged screaming in fury towards the largest of the creatures; but before he even had a chance to strike it grabbed the raised bar with one hand, holding both Kainan and the iron bar firm. With a depraved grin the creature’s face moved down close to him, until its deathly breath could be felt upon the young man’s face.
Looking into the eyes of evil Kainan was suddenly paralyzed with fear; he tried to swallow the lump in his throat but instead he just choked as he stared at the creature’s enormous fangs. Slowly it whispered to him in a satisfied growl. “Got… …you.” and using the heel of its free hand the creature slammed it hard into the centre of his chest. The jolt, knocking the wind out of him flung the young man hard against the wall of his house. His mother screamed as Kainan, smacking his head hard against the wall, passed into unconsciousness.
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