24Prologue: An Ole's Good Time
Leif did not tremble as he walked down the path. Barda was beside him and Leif didn't want to look like a coward. He was sixteen today and that meant he was a man; a cowardly man was useless to Deltora.
Shadows shivered and slithered over the ground and Leif wished to be home again. Resolutely, he shook his head and quickened his steps. He would not turn back and go crying home to his mother. However, that didn't mean they couldn't go back to the main path and forget about the shortcut entirely. Leif slowed and began to turn so as to view Barda.
"Barda, I've been thinking-"
Whoosh!
A flash of steel passed through the space Leif had just vacated. What…?
Leif leapt back and just barely avoided a second swipe of cool metal. Raising his gaze he was shocked to see Barda's maniacal visage. Barda was attacking him?
"Stay still, brat." Barda hissed in a high, eerily pitched voice. His voice sounded inhuman and something in its tinny tones made Leif's hair stand on end.
Whoosh! The broad handed sword swung down again and Leif dove to the side in a roll to avoid it.
"Barda! What are you doing?" Leif cried. Barda grinned and stilled for a moment before continuing on.
"You still don't understand, do you?" Barda asked as he readied his sword for another strike. "I'm not Barda. Barda hasn't been around for a long time."
And with those words, Barda changed. His face warped and became an indistinct mass while his body twisted and wove into a glob with only a tiny semblance to a man. Leif watched the Transformation in horror and silence. For a moment he could only stare back at Bar- the Creature with terrified eyes. Then he spotted a dark hand in the center of the Creature. It was the Shadow Lord's mark. The monstrosity was the Shadow Lord's making; Barda had been against them all along. Fear raced through his heart and Leif wondered where it had all gone wrong. This was the start of a quest, it wasn't supposed to just end!
For a brief moment Leif's mind flashed back to his parents and worry flooded him. If Barda had been an enemy all along, then the Shadow Lord must know of his parents' actions!
Unfortunately, Leif had no time to dwell on these thoughts; the Creature's next swing was avoided with a sharp jump backwards. The Creature's action drew Leif's mind back to the present and he focused his sky-blue eyes on the monster before him. With trembling hands Leif drew his sword and held it aloft. He had never received any lessons in sword fighting, but he had seen lots of it. Maybe some of that would carry over…?
It didn't. When Barda next swung, Leif tried to block the blade. It didn't work. Barda's blade struck his own with strength and slid down to the hilt in a screech of metal. Sharp pain lit a fire along Leif's forearm when Barda simultaneously disarmed and struck him. Leif managed to avoid the worst of the strike by leaping agilely away, but was unable to stop a strangled cry of pain. His blade thudded to the ground, as with another loud cry, Leif curled around his injured arm. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before. It snuck up and down his arm like liquid lightning. The pain also brought about a realization of something he had never realized before.
Leif was only sixteen. He was weak, never having been trained in proper weapon usage, and he didn't want to die. He was injured, and the Creature was much, much stronger and more skilled than he was.
Leif turned and ran. Days of working the forge had left him with strong muscles and fast reflexes, but those sadly did not pass over to sword skill. If Leif went up against the Creature, he would die. Leif really didn't want to die yet. So, with tears of cowardice and pain, Leif fled with a fleetness of foot only desperation can give.
Heavy footfalls sounded behind him and Leif's own gasps rang through his ears. Crimson life blood streamed from his injured arm and Leif knew the cut was really deep to be losing this much blood. Leif's head pounded in beat with his boots as he sprinted deeper into the forest. Before the Creature's Transformation, Leif had feared this path and wanted to go around. Now he thudded down it; alerting the forest to his presence with his heavy foot falls.
Behind him the Creature let out a screech of rage. It must have actually thought I would sit still… Leif thought. He quickened his pace but knew he could not run forever. The slash on his arm was dripping blood faster that he thought possible and while he had covered a large amount of distance with his sprinting, the Creature hadn't exactly fallen behind. Now, It gained on him and though Leif could hear It's ragged breathing, he very much doubted it would stop to rest. Creatures like that were known for their ability to keep going. Like Grey Guards, they relied on the Shadow Lord's magic to endure endless amounts of fatigue.
Something caught his boot and Leif fell to the ground with a thud. Leif lay for a moment, winded and dazed. Blinking, his eyes widened at the sight of incoming steel and he rolled to the side just in time. He struggled to stand and realized, dazedly, that he must have hit his head at some point because his vision was tumbling around in haphazard circles.
Now, it was no longer easy to dodge the Creature's strikes, no matter how slow they were. Leif struggled to remain focused as he weaved away from the Barda-monster. His vision blurred and when he blinked again he was facing the treetops.
Was this the end?
For a moment Leif wanted to give up. His whole body hurt so much, and he didn't think he would ever be able to complete the quest if this was only the beginning. Sudden heat flared at his waist and Leif blinked lazily as he remembered about the belt. It was probably why the Creature had waited so long. It had likely been looking for the belt but hadn't been able to find it until his parents had entrusted it to him. That was why it had disguised itself for so long.
Leif wished he had known about the Creature's subterfuge or noticed something earlier. Then he could have done something about it. Now… now he was failing and really, Leif doubted he could have done something about it before either.
I'm so sorry, people of Deltora. It seems I've failed you as well. I was such a child, getting upset about being called what I am, being reckless… I really have done it this time. If only I hadn't been so childish and silly… maybe, then I could…
Leif opened his eyes for what would probably be the last time. Above him the Creature held its blade aloft with its gel like appendages. Leif felt the pounding in his head increase and darkness clouded his vision. A loud voice rang through the darkness but a moment later Leif knew no more. If he had been conscious, he would have felt small hands lifting him into the air and carrying him away.
I wrote this a few years ago, forgot where it was, figured I'd lost it on my old computer, and just reccently found it on my google docs. Weird how life works, huh? Surprisingly, It didn't actually need too many edits to make it up to standard. Now, I will not be working on new stuff for Deltora before Deception, until at least after summer. That said, I do have a lot it already written by younger me that just needs a bit of an edit before its ready. So, I will slowly post the already edited stuff and eventually get around to writing new stuff for this fic.
Have a blessed life,
Blitza
