The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light (4 page)

In the embankment beside the dried up riverbed, the
occupants slept lightly beneath the gentle light from the glow-worms. It was
early morning and the darkness of the night was beginning to fade.

Lady Flora woke with a start and felt disorientated
for a few seconds, before she finally recalled where she was. She remembered
escaping from the creatures into the embankment and staying awake listening to
them trying to break through the root and vine doorway. But every attempt only
made the tangle of plants even denser. After several hours the creatures gave
up and headed back into the forest to look for easier prey that still hid
amongst the trees.

Instinctively, Lady Flora placed her hand on the
ground to establish a connection with her environment, a gift she inherited
from her mother. Through her hand she received information about the creatures
in the forest outside, as well as the animals that were hidden within. As her
mind raced through the forest, jumping from nervous animal to spoilt plant, she
found her way back to the marshy clearing where they had been surrounded by the
creatures the previous night. The ground was wet; pond skaters darted across
the surface of small stagnant pools of water that had collected around the base
of some plants. Moving into a fern, she felt the breeze across her face and smelt
the acidic decay of the creatures that had pursued them. Aware of an animal’s
presence, she slipped out of the fern and into the head of a buck hare. It
crouched low amongst the long grass at the edge of the clearing, still hidden
in the shadows of the trees. The hare’s eyes darted at the slightest sound,
flicking from one patch of grass that blew in the breeze to a creaky branch of
a tree on the other side of the clearing.

Lady Flora sensed another animal approaching.

She was just about to move out of the hare and into
something else when she hesitated. The hare had just seen some black shadows
moving awkwardly on the opposite side of the clearing.

Curiosity made her stay and watch. She was familiar
with the tree line on the opposite side; it was the same one they had watched
the Moon Stealers come crashing through when they were being hunted. Although
there was darkness in the area between the trees, she was sure that the shadows
were moving.

The clearing appeared to be empty.

The hare’s long ears were alert, rotating on its head
as it locked into sounds that floated on the breeze. Mainly it was just the
sound of wind blowing between the trees or brushing the tops of the grass, but
occasionally a faint chirp of a bird could also be heard. But there was something
that wasn’t right.

Lady Flora waited.

The hare’s mind was not totally his. Lady Flora willed
the hare forward. Not quite understanding what was happening, it took a nervous
hop forward out of the safety of the overhanging trees and into a more vulnerable
position. It crouched low, pressing its stomach down against the ground. Its
eyes and ears strained to keep alert. After a few seconds of silence, the hare
found itself bursting forward between the long grasses and over to the rotted
remains of a tree stump. It crouched low once again, relying on its brown fur
to blend in with the colour of the wood and hide it from sight.

The birds continued to chirp.

The hare moved once again in a rapid burst of speed
until it found a clump of ferns it could nestle within. From there the hare’s
eyes could see black shadows moving within the gaps of the trees on the
opposite side of the clearing. They seemed to lurch in a random way, hugging
the tree trunks with their clawed wings. Flora watched the creatures through
the hare’s eyes. Occasionally she would see one of the creatures raise its head
up and call to its brothers. It was then she realised that the chirping sound
was not made by birds at all, but by the creatures. The sound seemed so passive
and weak, as if the creature was calling for help, like an injured dog
whimpering for its master.

Shaking with fear, the hare was urged on further. From
out of the ferns it kept low, quickly moving in small bursts of speed towards
the long grasses on the other side of the clearing. Lady Flora could feel the
fear and panic that was growing inside the hare. She could hear its heart
thumping loudly against ribs that were exposed from a lack of food. She tried
to reassure the hare, knowing that something was out of place and the creatures
that were in the clearing seemed to be confused and injured. She made a mental
promise to the hare - in return for using its eyes and ears; she would direct
it to a safe area where it could feed on young juicy plants.

From where the hare was, Lady Flora could see the
creatures more clearly. Their wings looked intact and they didn’t appear to
have any wounds on their body. But, they were calling in such a vulnerable way
that it made her think they must be injured.

A group of about five creatures moved around, some
took gentle steps forward, feeling their way with their feet. One had its wings
stretched out wide whilst others kept hold of a tree trunk, clinging against it
like a newborn child to a mother.

Suddenly, from behind the hare, a creature moved
towards them. The hare turned, Lady Flora saw the black leathery face low to
the ground, the white eye wide. The creature moved on all fours, creeping
through the grass. The frightened hare sprang from its hiding place and leapt
for the cover of the trees. The creature remained on all fours, but didn’t
follow. Something was strange about the way the creatures were behaving. They
weren’t showing the brutal hunting techniques the humans had witnessed last
night.

Lady Flora needed to stay and find out what had
happened. She left the nervous mind of the hare, slipped into a woodlouse,
jumped into a hawthorn, a young ash tree, then into the mind of the black
creature that was crawling through the long grass.

As soon as she entered into the Moon Stealer a wave of
sickness flowed through her body, making her feel weak and vulnerable. She
travelled along the purple vessels that carried yellow acidic fluid around its
body, and then leapt onto the nerve conductors that joined its muscles to the
nervous system. The line crackled with static as she shot up into the control
centre that would normally be classed as a brain in any other animal. But,
inside this creature was a cavity filled with a bundle of electrical fibres,
like a ball of sticky cobwebs rolled together. As she penetrated the ball, her
world became darker; sparks of electricity flickered and showed the way until
she reached the centre. From here Lady Flora had access to everything the
creature was experiencing, every sight, sound and feeling. In the centre of the
brain, the creature’s world was black and lifeless.

Lady Flora was bathed in darkness.

Occasionally there was a flash as electrical impulses
zipped along the nerves and sparked as they crossed synaptic gaps. Through the
creatures ears she could hear the wind blowing across the clearing beside the
forest, but the world of the creature appeared to be separate and not at all
connected to the outside world. For a split second Flora wondered if she had
bypassed the connections for the eye. But, she hadn’t. Then she realised why
this group of creatures were acting so strange.

They were blind.

That was why they were calling desperately to the
others, asking for help. She knew the creatures were ruthless and any help they
would get from their siblings would only be to end their torment and be swiftly
consumed.

Happy to be leaving the oppressive cobweb of nerve
endings, she moved out into the nearest thing she could find. A small field
mouse tunnelled through the grass, dashing close to the foot of one of the
creatures. Cautiously it watched the blackened creatures as it moved bit by bit
around them. None of the creatures noticed the mouse. It continued to jerk
forward at various angles. Lady Flora coaxed it away towards the other side of
the clearing. As the mouse burrowed into a small den of twigs and leaves, Lady
Flora crossed into a nearby Silver Birch, following its root system, crossing
from one tree to another until she returned back to the make-shift cave that
was cocooned beneath the river bank and tree roots.

‘They’re blind,’ she said, as much to herself as to
the others.

Edgar was running a large stone along the side of
Ethera, his sword, sharpening the cutting edge. It seemed like he had fully
recovered from his exhaustion, but his skin was pale in the light from the
glow-worms, giving him a ghostly look.

‘Who,’ he whispered, trying not to wake the children.

‘I’ve travelled into the forest,’ she explained.
‘There are still some creatures abandoned in the clearing where they attacked.
They haven’t dispersed with the others to hunt, because they can’t see.’

‘Why?’

‘The light from your sword must have blinded some of
them.’

‘Ethera created a pulse of energy, it should have
simply brushed them backwards, not blinded them.’

‘Don’t forget that a magical item is an extension of
the user. You told me before that you were appointed by King Arthur himself as
one of the League of White Knights. The pulse of energy from the sword also
emitted a light, a white light of purity and good that came from within you. Some
of the creatures that were engulfed in the wave of energy must have had their
eye burnt. Without their sight they are vulnerable and cannot hunt.’

‘I didn’t realise that’s what would happen,’ said
Edgar apologetically, remembering how Lady Flora valued all of nature.

‘You do not need to apologise to me, these creatures
are not natural, they are monsters created from bacteria that feeds off others
until there is nothing left. What you have found is a way to stop them.’

‘But, I’m not strong enough to stop them all,’ replied
Edgar instinctively holding his infected wrist.

‘I know,’ Flora gave a reassuring smile, ‘but Ethera
is one of the legendary twelve swords of power. If enough energy was focussed
through twelve swords, the effect could be magnified and the creatures would
become weaker.’

‘You mean the swords could be the way of ridding the
creatures from this world?’

‘Do you know where the other swords are?’

‘Ethera was given to me by Nimue, Priestess of Avalon.
When a Knight dies, the sword dies with him. It is thought that the sword
returns to its maker, in this case the lady of the lake, but no body knows for
sure.’

‘Do you remember where Avalon is?’

‘It’s been a long time and the landscape will have
changed, but yes, I know the location of Avalon. But entering will not be easy;
the magic of the lake has long since diminished. I fear there would be no one
to greet us and take us through.’

‘The first time I met you inside King Conroy’s Council
Chamber, Joe presented the druid’s flute to us. You said that it had opened the
portal into the Underworld, as well as the Dore into The Rocks of Goran. You
already have the key in your possession. You must use it now to open the
gateway to Avalon.’

They patiently waited whilst Lady Flora mentally scoured
the forest to see if it was safe before they decided to leave the embankment.
Once she was satisfied she diverted her mental energy and entered the root
system of the Ash and Elm trees that cocooned them beneath the river bank and willed
the dense mat of roots to slowly recede from around the entrance. At first they
only felt small vibrations in the ground beneath them, but that was quickly
followed by movement at the entrance and a crack of light that appeared between
the roots and ivy. After spending the night bathed in the limited light of the
glow-worms, it took a while for their eyes to adjust to the daylight that
flooded their cave. Eventually the roots parted to create a slit that was big
enough for them to squeeze through.

Edgar took the first cautious step between the roots
and onto the dried up riverbed, closely followed by the Grey Man. Both men had
their swords drawn and ready to use in the event of an attack.

 
The old
riverbed was dry and hard underfoot. The loose rocks and gravel that had been
washed downstream in the past were now held together by moss and short grasses.
The ground in front of the doorway showed the desperate marks left by the
creatures during the night. The deep scratches and claw marks that scarred the ground
formed random furrows as if they had been ploughed on a farmer’s field.

Silently, Edgar and the Grey Man circled the riverbed,
watching and listening for any sign of a creature whilst the others waited
within the safety of the tree roots.

The two men watched the trees, looking for any sign of
movement, but there was nothing except for the sound of a gentle breeze
brushing through the canopy leaves.

Edgar signalled to the others.

One by one the children stepped out from their
hideaway and moved towards Edgar. Instinctively they also turned to look into
the trees.

Lady Flora was the last to leave. She moved out from
between the veil of roots and gently placed a hand on the largest of them,
holding it for a few seconds, before moving towards the others. If any of them
had watched Flora, they would have seen a faint shimmer of light drift from
beneath her hand that reflected and danced across the surface of the root,
before quickly fading.

Suddenly, in the empty air, a slow crack of a branch broke
the silence.

Edgar and the Grey Man turned to face the direction
the sound came from, their swords poised in front of them anticipating a
creature attack.

Everyone stood absolutely still, as if they were made
of stone. As they waited to see what had made the noise, fear gripped them,
causing adrenaline to charge through their veins.

Ahead of them Edgar scanned the forest.

Then he saw something. A very slight movement. He half
wondered if it had been his imagination, but as he watched an area on top of
the embankment further downstream, he saw it again.

A bush that was in fruit, kept moving slightly.

He watched as a grey coloured hand plucked at some of
the berries. Edgar pointed towards the bush and they slowly began to move
downstream.

As they got nearer they could make out what was picking
the fruit.

It was a human hand.

The four children stayed close to the adults. They
were so focused on the hand that they weren’t concentrating where they placed
their feet. As Peter moved forward, the toe of his shoe kicked a loose stone
that clattered across the riverbed to strike against a large boulder that
supported the ground above them. Hearing the noise, the hand stopped plucking
the berries. Edgar signalled for them to stop too.

Everyone waited.

Beside the berry bush, Edgar could see an unusual
shape that had the markings of army camouflage on it. Whoever was taking the
fruit was hiding beneath the camouflage material for safety, knowing what
dangers lurked in the forest.

‘Hello?’ said Edgar. He remembered how the world had
been when they left Parsley Bottom for the Underworld. He recalled the chaos
and destruction the creatures had created on the train from
Edinburgh
, as well as the deadly reception they themselves had
received in the forest the previous night. If that level of destruction had
continued whilst they were in the Underworld, any human survivor would naturally
be scared and confused.

‘We won’t hurt you,’ he added, trying to sound
reassuring.

On the embankment, the camouflage sheet moved slightly
and a pair of eyes peered out from beneath a hood. The skin around the eyes was
dirty and streaked from tears. At first there was a connection when the
survivor’s eyes locked onto another human being. For all they knew, that moment
could have been the first time that survivor had seen anyone alive for some
time.

But then the eyes looked down to the swords the two
men were holding and the connection was quickly broken, replaced by fear and
panic. The survivor turned away from them and began to run.

‘Wait!’ called Edgar, but it was too late. From where
they were in the riverbed, they couldn’t see over the embankment to where the
survivor had fled. Edgar stepped forward ready to move after him, but Lady
Flora placed a hand on his arm.

‘Leave him. Humans have an amazing instinct for
survival. You need to find Avalon,’ she said.

Edgar knew she was right.

They walked cautiously, keeping together as a group
and following the dried up riverbed as it cut between the forest and snaked
downhill. Lady Flora collected berries as they went, distributing them evenly
between them all. As the morning wore on, small trickles of water joined the
river from the hills above until they had collected to form a little stream
that cascaded over grey rocks. Edgar took the lead as they picked their way
down a steeper part of the forest, following the path of the water, but being
careful not to slip on the green algae that covered some of the stones. Mosses
and ferns grew happily beside the water, enjoying the humid atmosphere that the
spray created. As they moved further and further downhill, more streams joined
from the land above creating a violent river that gained speed as it tumbled
downhill. They didn’t encounter any more human survivors, and continued to keep
a careful eye on the sky, checking for any signs of the creatures.

Eventually the forest thinned and one side became
bordered by a lush green field. Now that they had come out from beneath the
canopy of trees, they could see further into the distance.

The Grey Man stood and looked over the rolling hills
and smiled to himself. He allowed a small tingle of happiness to well up inside
him, satisfied that he was back in the familiar landscape of his own country.

Further down the hill they could make out the roof
tops of a small village. To the left of them the river continued to increase in
force as it tumbled over a series of rocky steps, before flowing over a
shallower riverbed, where the water widened.

Finally they reached a row of quaint grey stone
cottages that were perched on a ledge above the river. The river swung to the
right and then left again where it opened out. Ahead was an old stone bridge
that would normally have taken cars over the river, but today it was silent. To
the right an old stone wall held back a row of cottages, whilst to the left, on
the brow of the hill stood a church. The river had become wider now and the
only way to continue forward was by jumping from stone to stone. They reached a
large group of boulders that provided them with enough height to allow them to
climb over a low wall and onto a footpath.

‘Let’s head to the church. From there we might be able
to find out where we are,’ said Edgar.

Moving away from the river, they leapt over a wall onto
the other side of the path then an embankment of grass which sloped upwards
towards the church.

They rounded the side of the church and tried the
first door, but it was locked. Moving towards the front they pushed on a large
wooden door recessed beneath a stone arch, but that was also locked.

‘Let’s see if we can find somewhere else,' said Edgar.
Despite what had happened in the world since the Moon Stealers had arrived, he
still felt loathed to break into a place of worship.

There was complete silence from his companions, who
had all turned away from Edgar and were looking towards a narrow road. The
church was elevated slightly in comparison to the road, allowing them to see
over a shallow wall that held the grass and gravestones back, and across to a
row of small stone buildings. Lodged within the wide glass window of a convenience
store on the other side of the road were the remains of a car, its front
completely swallowed by the building.

But there was something quite eerie about the place.

The strangest thing was the complete lack of people,
and with it, an absence of sound. Even the birds in the trees were silent and
watchful. Away from the gentle trickle of river water, the only thing they
could hear was the sound of air rushing through their nostrils and into their
lungs. The silence was uncomfortable and expectant, like someone was about to
jump out and scare them at any moment.

But, no one did.

Other cars were either parked neatly along the side of
the road, or abandoned at awkward angles in the side of walls, doorways, or the
backs of other cars.

They left the churchyard and climbed over the wall
towards the convenience store. Carefully, Edgar picked his way over the
shattered glass, some of which already had streaks of blood smeared along the
razor sharp edges.

Inside, the store was in darkness. The long tubular
strip lights that would normally have run the length of the shopping aisles
were hanging at awkward angles from the ceiling, whilst boxes of cereal and
aluminium cans were scattered across the floor, discarded from the shelves as a
result of chaos and panic. Edgar decided not to venture too far from the broken
window, not only for his own safety, but also because the light was limited the
further in he went. He picked up some food that was nearest to him: cereal
bars, packets of biscuits, a couple of unspoilt apples, oranges and carrots, as
well as bottled water from a refrigerator that had long since stopped working,
and took them back outside.

They returned to the grass in front of the church, lay
back and happily ate what they had, glad of the rest after their walk.

Edgar and the Grey Man sat with their swords close at
hand, ready to use should they need to. The silence still felt uncomfortable
and they couldn’t help but keep glancing at the sky, checking for any sign of
the creatures.