Children of the Cursed Read online

  “Every student of the Academy knows of the Great War,” Leon answered with pride.

  “Academy? What's that?”

  “It's a place they send young men and women to train to become warriors, everybody knows that.” Leon chuckled.

  “What else do they teach you there?”

  “All kinds of things. How to read scrolls, the use of Alchemy. The Masters there also taught us how to use a bow and arrow properly, and teachings in the way of the blade. Important skills such as that.”

  “Interesting, but why teach you things in such a place as that? This is what a courtyard is for.”

  “The Academy has been around for many a year, they no longer teach young people such as I in a courtyard. Proving yourself at the Academy is how you become a true Knight nowadays.” Leon smirked. “Just how old are you?”

  The old man gave a kind-hearted smile, “Old enough.”

  Leon gave a faint smile in return, not that he didn't find Robin's joke to be funny, it's just his mind was more focused on where he had found himself. “Will you please tell me what this place has to do with the Great War?”

  Robin's face narrowed, and he pointed his cane in every direction as he spoke, “Open your eyes boy,” he said. “This is where the Great War took place, that is why it is holy ground.”

  Leon's eyes widened, “How is that possible?” He asked. “Very few Knights even known of the where to find such a place, and the ones that did took that secret to their graves. And you're telling me that's where I stand now? Impossible.”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” Robin laughed. “It is very possible child, but the biggest question you should ask yourself is how you got here, and why.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Well for one, you are a Cromwell.”

  “What's that got to do with anything?”

  “You have a powerful bloodline running through your veins, child,” Robin explained. “I can tell by looking into your eyes that power is slowly awakening inside of you.”

  “I assure you that I do not come from some great bloodline,” Leon laughed. “I'm just a poor farmer’s son, nothing more than a peasant is what I am.”

  Robin turned his back to Leon and started mumbling to himself yet again, “He has no idea who he truly is, and what destiny awaits him,” he said to himself. “Tell me, boy, what of your father?”

  He stared down at the ground with a look of sadness, “My father was killed by the Dark Knights, so was my mother. I was saved by a man named Gawain who went on to become my master at the Academy.”

  “I see.”

  “Enough about me, tell me more of this place.”

  “As I said before, this is where the Great War took place many years ago. But what you didn't know is that both sides used weapons of great power; the power of the gods.” Robin explained.

  “I'm not sure I understand,” Leon replied. “Even if there was such a power, how could such people control it?”

  “That's a good question,” Robin smiled. “Somehow, Mages infused axes, bows, and swords with powerful magic, which only the chosen could control.”

  “If what you say is true, why would such a power be needed to win a war?”

  “What exactly has that Academy of yours been teaching you?” Robin sarcastically responded. “Here's how the real story goes. A very kind Mage, whose name we do not speak for reasons that I'm sure you yourself will understand one day, started to experiment with magic that none had ever heard of before, nor had ever laid eyes upon.

  He was determined to unlock the secrets of this magic, in the hopes it would save the King he served and the kingdom he so loved. This Mage worked endlessly day and night, up until the point that it started to slowly drive him mad. It even got to the point that he used animals as his test subjects. When those failed he used humans, thus the Dark Knights were born.”

  “Wait, I thought the Dark Knights were created by an evil King, and Edward before he became the new King vanquished that evil with his legendary blade.” Leon interrupted.

  “Hmph, I do not know of the tales that your Academy spins. But the Dark Knights were created by the Mage, and such evil is never truly vanquished, as you found out first-hand, child,” Robin replied. “If you don't mind I would like to continue, uninterrupted of course.” Leon nodded his head, letting the old man know that he would hold his tongue and let him finish his tale.

  “You're starting to learn, that's good,” Robin said. “Now where was I? Oh yes. The Mage had created The Dark Knights. Instead of destroying them as he should have done, he cast a spell that would hide them from the world until the Mage felt like they would be of use. Over the years this Mage started to perfect the magic that he had been obsessed with for so long. And he now had the power to control that which he had created, even monsters bowed down to him as well.

  It wasn't long before the man was corrupted by power, with the ability to now bend things to his will. He wanted to change the world as he saw fit, and in his mind the only way he could do that was to cleanse the world and rebuild it in his image. So the once kind Mage had now filled his heart with evil and cared not for others; even the King he served had to die, along with the kingdom that he had once loved, and at one time protected.

  Not just his kingdom but all the lands in the world of Todrain had to be cleansed. The Mage made the choice that the first kingdom that had to fall was his own. He took to the top of the castle and cast forth a spell of darkness that swept across the land. The Mage made sure that none survived, and for the ones who did, he sent the Dark Knights out to finish what the spell could not. It was nothing more than a senseless massacre of innocent lives, lives the Mage saw fit to snuff out. If the Mage did let a person survive it was just to turn them into his servants.

  However, what he did to the King was far worse. The evil Mage needed a commander that he could trust, that would lead his Dark Knight's to victory over all that stood in his way. Without hesitation or remorse, he used his newfound powers to turn the King himself into the commander of the Dark Knights, thus the Mage's army of evil was complete.” Robin stopped his tale short, which seemed to annoy Leon ever so slightly.

  “What happened next?” Leon asked with excitement. “You can't just leave a story unfinished.”

  “I believe I've said enough for now,” Robin explained. “And your journey here, young one, is about to come to an end.”

  “What do you mean?” Leon started to feel light headed again and he couldn't understand why, he tried to speak, but no words would come from his mouth. That's when he realized that he had felt this same sensation before, just after he had given the piece of the blade to Master Gawain. He fought against what he was experiencing but it proved to be too much, and he passed out yet again. When he awoke he found himself in a room with Ellyn and Ulrich hovering over him.

  “Well look who finally decided to rejoin the living.” Ulrich joked.

  "I see that you're still a smart ass.” Leon joked back, raising himself up before he could utter another word Ellyn hugged him. “What was that for?”

  “I'm just glad that you're okay.” Ellyn blushed. “You had us all scared.”

  Watching Ellyn give Leon a hug then blush afterward made Ulrich jealous, which was something he had never felt before and he wasn't sure how to handle it. “You know that you shouldn't push yourself that hard like you did back in the Cave Of Sorrow, especially if you can't handle the end results.” He scolded.

  “What has gotten into you?” Ellyn turned and asked.

  “Nothing,” Ulrich mumbled. “I need some fresh air, this room is getting to me.” And out the door he went.

  “What in the world has gotten into him?” Ellyn muttered, as she looked on confused.

  Ellyn was clearly getting upset at Ulrich's reaction, which made Leon change the subject, “Don't worry about him,” he said. “Anyways, where are we? And how did you guys get me here?”

  “Oh.” Ellyn cracked a faint smile. “After you passed ou
t, Gawain and Ulrich helped you back onto your horse; luckily Gawain knew of a place close by that we could take you and let you rest.”

  “Where is that exactly?”

  “East Haven,” Ellyn answered. “That's all I know, we haven't exactly had the chance to explore much.”

  “East Haven?” Leon replied. “I think I've heard of this place, but I can't recall much at the moment. My thoughts are still somewhat foggy.”

  “I know.” Her eyes widened, which usually meant trouble. “Let's grab Ulrich and go explore the town.” She jumped up off the trundle and motioned for Leon to follow. “Hurry up, slowpoke. We haven't got all day.”

  “Alright. Alright.” Leon made his way to his feet, but not too fast, he was still somewhat weak. “Let's see if Ulrich is still around, then we can explore.”

  “Yay.” Ellyn clapped with excitement before grabbing Leon's hand and pulling him out the door. She couldn't spot Ulrich anywhere near the hall of the Inn. “Where could he have gone off to?”

  “I don't know,” Leon answered. “Look at it this way, it gives us an excuse to look around the town.”

  “Then let's hurry,” Ellyn said. She grabbed Leon's hand once more and pulled him along as they ran out of the Inn and onto the streets of East Haven. “Wow!” She exclaimed, looking around the town from where they stood. “This place is huge. Why is East Haven called a town? It's bigger than most cities I've seen.”

  Leon was quite surprised as well as the size of East Haven, it was much bigger than he could have ever imagined it to be. “You're right, this town is amazing. But why act so surprised?”

  “Why say that?”

  “Well, you did help Gawain and Ulrich get me here. Did you not?”

  “Yes, but Gawain wanted to make sure that it was nightfall before we entered this town,” Ellyn replied. “I didn't really get the chance to see what the town looked like until now.”

  Leon smiled, “That makes sense.” Though in the back of his mind, he wondered why Master Gawain wanted to wait until night to bring them into the town of East Haven. While he pondered this, it finally came to him where they had found themselves, “Did Master Gawain give any instructions as to what we should do?”

  Ellyn nodded, “He said for us not to leave the Inn until he had returned.”

  “Damn it!”

  “Is something the matter?”

  “We have to find Ulrich and get back to the Inn as quickly as possible,” Leon frantically said.

  “Why?”

  “Because now I remember exactly where we are, and why Gawain waited until nightfall to enter this place,” Leon answered. “We are in the town of thieves.”

  “What? This town is full of thieves?”

  “Yes, I remember being taught that East Haven was a town built by thieves,” Leon responded. “Not a place you want to spend a lot of time if you know what I mean.”

  “Then why are we standing around talking? Let's find Ulrich.” Ellyn grabbed Leon's arm yet again, quickly pulling him along. Thirty minutes or so of searching the town provided the results they were hoping for; there standing by a fountain at the center of town was Ulrich. “Ulrich, there you are, we're so glad that we found you.” Ellyn let go of Leon's hand and went running up to Ulrich.

  “Took you guys long enough to find me,” Ulrich was sarcastic with his response. “What do you want from me anyway?”

  “We have to get back to the Inn with haste,” Ellyn said with fright.

  “Why the look of concern?” Ulrich laughed. “And why are you guys in such a hurry to get back to the Inn?”

  “This is the town of thieves, that's why,” Leon told him.

  “And your point is?” Ulrich huffed. “Thieves can sometimes be the most reliable, at least that's what I've been told.”

  “You knew?”

  “Everyone at the Academy knows of this place, it even scares the old man being here.”

  “Master Gawain is just trying to keep us safe, you know what happens to people that come here.”

  “The old man isn't trying to protect us, he just wants to keep us under lock and key.” Ulrich barked. “Well I'm not going to take it any longer. I'm going to explore this town and I don't exactly care if the old man likes it or not. You two can either come with or go back to the Inn. I couldn’t care less.” He turned his back to them both.

  “I'm not going to let you explore on your own, you know that.” Leon took a deep breath. “Count me in.”

  Ulrich slapped Leon on the back, “I knew that I could count on you.” He then turned and looked over at Ellyn, “What about you?”

  “What about me?” She asked.

  “Are you in, or out?” Ulrich chuckled.

  “Do you even have to ask,” she replied with confidence. “I'm up for another challenge.”

  “Then it's settled, let's explore the town of East Haven.”

  The three of them walked through the town, exploring with wonder and curiosity in their eyes; the sites of the town were breathtaking for the three young ones. They walked through the town square, watching people in weird clothing dance in the streets, which was an odd sight indeed. Then they ventured to the market place where all different sorts gathered to buy and sell goods. Next to be explored was the tavern, where they stumbled upon Gawain by accident talking to an unknown male.

  “Look guys, it's Gawain.” Ellyn pointed. “Let's go and get him.”

  Leon and Ulrich both were quick to grab hold of her arms, “Stay put,” They both said at the same time.

  “Why? I thought that we were searching for him,” Ellyn said.

  “Don't you see that he's busy talking with someone?” Leon asked.

  “So?” She shrugged. “Isn't that just another one of your friends?”

  “No, it's not,” Ulrich whispered. “We've never seen that man before, right Leon?”

  “Right,” Leon answered. “What do you think they're talking about?”

  “I don't know,” Ulrich answered. “But I intend to find out.”

  “Then let's go,” Leon agreed. “I am just as curious as you are.”

  “Being sneaky.” Ellyn smiled. “This should be fun.”

  It took some effort getting close enough without being spotted, but they pulled it off. “What do we do now?” Ellyn asked.

  “We hide here,” Ulrich answered before pushing Ellyn and Leon behind one of the huts.

  “What was that for?” Ellyn responded angrily.

  “Shush!” Ulrich motioned with his finger up to his lips. “We don't want the old man to hear us.”

  “Be quiet you two.” Leon demanded. “I can't hear what they are saying.”

  And with that, they quietly listened in on Master Gawain's conversation with the mystery man standing before him. “You know why I'm here,” the man said.

  “I haven't the foggiest clue to why you are here, nor do I know who you are.” Gawain snarled.

  “Who I am is not of importance.” The man hissed. “But what you carry with you is.”

  “I don't know what you're talking about.” Gawain smiled. “Why don't you run along back to where you came from.”

  “Don't play coy with me,” the man responded with anger in his voice. “You have no idea who you are dealing with.” He unsheathed his blade, “Hand over the piece of the blade that you carry.”

  “You are a fool.” Gawain laughed. “Do you really think that you are a challenge for me?”

  “I might not be,” the man replied with a smile. “But with their help, things could end differently.” He pointed in every direction, and Gawain found himself surrounded by thieves with their blades drawn and aimed solely at him.

  “He's in trouble, we have to help.” Ellyn wanted to rush over by herself, but still she waited.

  Ulrich disliked the old man with every fiber of his being, but for some reason he could not explain, he found himself in agreement with Ellyn. “Ellyn is right we have to help.” He readied his sword for battle.

  “Wait.�
� Leon demanded. “If we rush in now we could make the situation worse than what it is.”

  “What do you suggest?” Ulrich questioned.

  “We wait,” Leon answered.

  “If that's the way you want it, then so be it,” Ulrich agreed, hoping that it didn't make Ellyn upset with him.

  “Guys, you can't just leave Gawain to defend himself against that many people,” Ellyn said with pleading eyes.

  “Master Gawain knows what he's doing,” Leon told her. “Wait and see for yourself.”

  “Okay.” Ellyn sighed. “But if anything happens, promise me that you guys will help him.”

  “We promise,” Leon and Ulrich answered at the same time. They waited patiently just to see what would happen next, and if a fight did break out they were ready to aid Gawain the best they could.

  “This is your last chance, naïve man. Give me the artifact.” The man demanded.

  Gawain drew his blade, staring straight into the man's cold eyes, “If you want it that badly, then come and take it.” He motioned for the man to come at him.

  “I'm not waiting any longer.” Without thinking of the consequences, Ellyn rushed off to aid Gawain in battle.

  “Ellyn! Wait!” Leon called out to no avail.

  “Too late to do anything about it now.” Ulrich laughed then followed in pursuit.

  “Master Gawain isn't going to be happy about this,” Leon muttered before pursuing.

  With the distraction, one of the thieves took the opportunity to shoot an arrow that sailed through the air with precision straight towards Gawain's back. Little did the thief know that Ellyn would jump in at the last second, knocking the arrow out of the air before it reached its target. Gawain turned to see Ellyn smiling brightly at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Saving you.”

  He wanted so badly to scream at her for leaving the Inn and disobeying a direct order, however, he could not. If it wasn't for her the arrow that lay broken on the ground would have ended up piercing the flesh of his back. “Thank you, Miss Ellyn, I owe you my gratitude.” He smiled back at her. “But we must talk about understanding commands when all this is said and done.”