The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light (2 page)

The black swarm of creatures burst through the trees, splintering
branches and pulling them to the ground as they leapt and flew towards their
prey. The sound of breaking wood would have been deafening by itself, but it
was easily overwhelmed by the throaty scream that erupted from the creature’s
mouths. If the humans had time to look around at the hoard of hungry shadows that
desperately wanted to feed, they would have seen black leathery skinned
creatures that primarily looked the same, but with subtle differences. Some
leapt from branch to branch, using the trees to propel themselves forward. They
appeared to be longer in body than their brothers that had adapted a stumpy
joint in the middle of their wings to use as a crutch to creep along the
ground. These walking creatures were wider at the shoulders with more muscle
where the skeletal wings joined the body. Other creatures swept gracefully
between the narrow gaps of the tree trunks; a leaner more agile version of the
same creature that flew quickly towards the prey. Mouths of various sizes and
shapes had evolved on the different creatures in the short time they had lived within
the forest, each adapted to best suit its hunting technique and the prey it fed
on.

The small group of humans ran.

They ran as fast as their legs would take them.
Burning hot breath panted from their tight and tired lungs, forming a white fog
in front of their faces as soon as it hit the cold night air.

The flying creatures took it in turns to swoop down
towards the prey, testing what defences they had and working out which of the
humans were the most vulnerable. At the back of the group the shrouded figure
of the Grey Man could hear a gust of wind approaching from behind as a creature
dived down to attack. In a single agile movement, he leapt off the ground,
twisting in mid air until he was momentarily facing the wrong direction. The
hooked Donestre sword swung round in a wide arc slicing the creature that had
been about to attack cleanly in two. The momentum of his swing continued to
twist the Grey Man round until he faced the direction in which he had originally
been moving. He landed in a crouched position then leapt forward and continued
to run. Ahead of him he could see the silhouette of Edgar and Lady Flora trying
desperately to hurry the children on, despite their legs beginning to tire.

At the sound of movement behind her, Lady Flora spun
round. She could see the Grey Man running towards her accompanied by several
aerial creatures that darted around him, like trails of black smoke. Behind him
was an inky black wave of creatures that screamed and crashed its way forward,
enveloping the trees as they came. Lady Flora picked up a fallen branch from
the ground and thrust it forcefully into the soft earth of the forest. She then
closed her eyes and allowed her mind to connect with the forest and every part
of nature that lived among it. In a flash she raced through the minute cells
that made up a fungus, a young sapling and an aphid, then moved on to the small
erratic brain of a shrew, jumped into the mind of a fox, then a badger, until
she was racing through the living cells of the phloem vessels inside a birch
tree, charging through the centre of the trunk towards the top. Now that she
had connected with the tree, she willed the trunk to move. The Grey Man ducked
as a tree trunk swung in a wide arc that slammed into two creatures, knocking
them out of the air. Changing her thought path, Lady Flora entered another
tree, this time raising its roots high out of the ground creating hoops and
knots that protruded from the forest floor. The ground moving creatures tumbled
and fell as they became tangled amongst the roots.

But more creatures came in a never ending wave of
darkness. Those that had fallen simply became platforms for others to leap from
in their determined pursuit of the humans.

As the Grey Man came level with Lady Flora, he grabbed
her hand and pulled her along with him. Edgar and the children had continued to
run and were some way in front of them by now.

The path that Edgar had taken opened into a clearing
that was edged on all sides by small saplings. It was some distance across to
the other side where they would find additional cover from more densely packed
trees. In front was an area that was uneven and boggy and exposed on all sides,
making them vulnerable to attack. Edgar spun round checking for any possible
exits or places that could provide some protection from the pursuing creatures,
but there were none. The children stayed close, not daring to venture too far
away from the knight. Within seconds the Grey Man and Lady Flora joined them. The
three adults stood in front of the children forming a protective barrier between
them and the approaching creatures. Several seconds later the black shadows
began circling above them. Then the ground moving creatures appeared between
the trunks of the trees, each menacing white eye glowed from out of the
darkness like spotlights searching for their victims.

They stopped their pursuit and watched the group of
humans in the clearing. The creatures knew there was no way of escaping from
such an open area. They began slowly and cautiously crawling out of the forest,
spreading themselves wide at the sides, ready to strike from all angles in one
deadly attack. The creatures in the trees chirped excitedly and shook the
branches. When the time was right, they would leap in and join the frenzy.

The humans continually moved backwards, one step at a
time, feeling their way across the clearing by the soles of their feet, without
daring to take their eyes off the advancing creatures that had now begun
taunting them. As one creature dashed forward and pretended to attack, cleverly
drawing the human’s attention towards them, another creature moved in closer at
the sides. It wouldn’t be long until the prey was enclosed on all sides.

The Grey Man slashed his sword at a creature that
leapt towards him, tired of being teased and made to feel like a trapped mouse being
played with by a cat. The long reach of his sword slashed a creature along its
side, wounding it and causing it to pull away in a muffled cry towards its own
kind. But that just resulted in another frenzy of activity as the other
creatures took advantage of their weak and vulnerable brother and with no mercy
or compassion; they ripped into it, tearing flesh and wing without hesitation.

Edgar was attempting to protect them from attacks
coming from above. The creatures took it in turns swooping down towards the
group, each time daring to go lower and lower. They soon learnt that the
children were the most vulnerable and could easily be separated from the
others. One creature swept down towards Scarlet who instinctively raised her
arms to protect her head. The creature pulled back up into the air. Without
consciously thinking about it, she had also taken several steps away from the rest
of the group. Another creature came for her from the same direction, trying to
push her further and further away from the adults, but Edgar had noticed. He
took several quick steps towards Scarlet, pulled her to the ground then thrust
his white sword upwards into the soft belly of a creature as it flew over the
top of them. The creature tumbled to the floor with a deep gash that ran the
length of its body. A yellow liquid oozed onto the grass releasing an acidic
smell into the air.

Lady Flora was once again trying to summon help from
the elements of nature, but in the clearing there was only the grass and the
shallow rooted ferns that could fight the battle for her. All of the forest animals
had long since left the area.

‘Keep close to me,’ said Sir Edgar, as he stepped in
front of the group. He raised Ethera, his white sword, high into the air and
began chanting under his breath. A silvery light sparkled from the point at the
end of his sword whilst the flat metal blade vibrated and hummed gently. Edgar
continued to chant, ignoring the screams of the creatures despite more of them
swooping down towards him. The Grey Man and Lady Flora rounded up the children
and continued to protect them as the creatures continued to taunt and snap at
them. At first, the night air was filled with a gentle vibration that sang from
Edgar’s sword. It was difficult to hear over the screams of the creatures that had
become more and more excited as they continued to advance towards their prey.
The humans were now completely surrounded with no way of escape. It would only
be moments until a deadly attack came, and when it did, it would come from all
sides.

Edgar continued to chant loudly as he gathered
momentum. The sword sang and the light became brighter. The light at the end of
the sword pulsated like a heart beating, releasing rhythms of silver light that
rippled from the point.

The creatures advance began.

A flock of black shadows in the sky started their
descent towards the group. Ground moving creatures began to constrict the
circle. Lady Flora pulled the children in tightly whilst the Grey Man slashed
for one final time at the nearest creatures. As the black shadows got ready to
pounce, Edgar’s sword burst into a bright white light. A single wave rippled
from the tip of the sword, knocking the creatures back like grains of sand on a
windy beach. A second ripple followed, then a third and a fourth. With each
wave of pure white light, the creatures were pushed back further or knocked from
the sky. This time the creature’s screams were from pain rather than
excitement. Each one appeared to be burying their eye beneath the leathery
folds of their wings, protecting it from the light that burned at their sight.
Every pulse of light pushed them further and further away, washing the black
poison out of the clearing.

The tall figure of Sir Edgar suddenly buckled from the
effort, dropping to one knee but still tried desperately to hold his sword
high. The chanting had been disrupted and the final pulse of light that came
from the sword was weaker than the previous ones.

The sword fell to the ground, quickly followed by Edgar,
exhausted and weak. Lady Flora and Scarlet leapt towards him.

‘Edgar?’ said Scarlet, placing a hand on his arm. She
could see he was desperately trying to take in large breathes of air.

‘He’s exhausted,’ explained Lady Flora as she reached
for his wrist to check for a pulse. As soon as she touched his skin Lady Flora
withdrew with a sharp intake of fear.

‘What is it?’ asked Scarlet. She looked where Lady
Flora had touched Edgar’s wrist and saw a large area of skin that was covered
with a black dried crust. Threads of poisoned blood tracked along the veins in
his arm, like a network of black cobwebs.

‘There is sickness in him. These creatures have
already left their mark on Edgar,’ replied Lady Flora. She removed a green silk
sash from around her waist and wound it gently around Edgar’s arm, above the
blackened veins. ‘Quick,’ she continued. ‘We must get away from here as quickly
as possible. The creatures will return.’ Lady Flora placed a hand on the
ground. ‘There is confusion amongst them, but there are many who will eagerly resume
the hunt. Edgar has provided us time to find a safe place to hide, but we will
not have all night.’

The Grey Man reached beneath Edgar’s arms and lifted
him up. Max collected Ethera from the ground and together they quickly moved towards
the other side of the clearing and the limited protection of the trees. The
creatures would not be easily deterred and would soon pick up their scent.

Edgar’s feet dragged through the soft ground of the
forest floor leaving deep trails in the leaf mulch; two tram lines that
betrayed their route. All was quiet in this part of the forest. Max pointed towards
some dark shapes that circled in the night sky over an area close by. They
moved deeper into the forest, following a path through the trees that slowly
sunk lower than the level of the forest floor. They continued between a stone
crevice where the roots of trees formed cobwebs that clung over to the rocks, like
wizened dry fingers.

Suddenly, from above they heard the scream of a
creature once more.

The hunt was back on.

The humans began moving as quickly as they could, but
with Edgar so weak; their progress was difficult and slower. The path narrowed
between a pair of tall rocks that had been cleaved in two long ago by the
course of water that had found its way down to the ancient riverbed below. The
river and water had long since gone, but the moisture in the ground of this
part of the forest still helped to create a micro-climate where ferns and
gunnera plants grew within the warm humid atmosphere. The path widened onto the
redundant riverbed. Each side of the embankment had receded and been cut back
by the once fast flowing water to leave cavernous gaps beneath the forest
floor. Roots from the trees above dangled from the ceilings of these receded
banks.

Jumping from one large rock to another above the
narrow path they had just come along was a black shadow. It chirped slowly and
menacingly watching the prey once again. It saw that they were slower and more
vulnerable than before. This time the kill would come quicker.

‘In here,’ instructed Lady Flora to the others. They
ducked beneath the roof of the receded embankment and moved into the darkness
of the gap. Peter pushed some of the aerial roots out of his way, but one
bounced back and slapped him on the cheek. In retaliation he then proceeded to
pull at the root, trying to snap it off.