Prologue.
I heard the flapping of my letterbox, but no sound to what had dropped to the mat.
As I went to find out what it was, I picked up the letter, opened it, and slipped my fingers inside the small envelope, and pull out a small white card.
The card written in black ink, in I knew to be in Old English I quickly read it.
I need your help come tomorrow,
Leeds castle 8 pm sharp.
Please come, and Come alone.
The portal of Rin.
I checked the envelope, but found it had nothing written on it and no stamp either.
I decided it was rubbish, and tossed it straight in to the bin in the hallway.
I walked back into the kitchen to finish my breakfast only to found the invitation card sitting next to my bowl of cereals.
I picked it up and tore it in to small pieces, and threw it into the kitchen, peddle bin.
I told myself, it must have stuck to my hand and I had not noticed.
I never gave it another though, until later that night.
I went off to bed and there it sat staring at me from my bedside cabinet it was all back in one piece, as if I had never torn it up at all.
I picked it up and took a closer look, I could see the fine lines were I had torn through it.
Totally mystified, I open my draw pull out my lighter and rushed to the window lit one corner of the card and then opened the window and threw it out, and watched has to fell to the ground burning.
Happy that it was now gone for good, I turned to get into bed only to find it back on my cabinet, back in one piece and just burnt around the edges, and still able to read it.
The next day I decided to go find out what the hell was going on.
When I arrived at the castle, I saw signs for the portal of Rin.
The signs led me to a cold dim torch lit room with a large table with a forest-landscaped valley of miniature tree, with unmarked miniature buildings with flowing rivers that looked almost real.
The table had six high backed chairs surrounding it I sat down at the table and studied the landscape the table covered in small miniatures of elves, orcs, and humans and beast, the likes I had ever never seen before.
The layout was so beautiful it astounded me.
Then I heard footsteps coming towards the room, as I watched five more people who I had never seen before entered the room, and proceeded to sit in the remaining chairs.
The people sat, as they played with their cards between their fingers.
Each of us were staring suspiciously at one another wondering if it had been one of us who had sent out the invitation cards.
‘Was it you?’ asked a women from across the table.
However, before I could reply a voice from the arched entrance spoke out.
‘It was me that called you all here.’
As every one at the table turned to see whom it was, who had spoken.
‘It was I the portals guardian who has summoned you here tonight, ladies and gentlemen.’
As the voice came into the dim light, all I could see was a dark hooded shadowy figure holding a long staff in is right hand.
‘Why are we here?’ spoke up a thin faced man at the head of the table.
With that, the hooded figurer lifted and slammed down the staff.
And the man vanished.
‘Please do not interrupt me again.’
The room became as still as a sky without clouds.
Fear flowed across the faces of all the people at the table.
‘Now let us proceed.’
‘I know you all have questions, and they will be answered all in good time.’
‘But first I need to test each of you; fore I can only take one of you with me.’
The hooded figure threw five dice on to the table.
‘Take one.’
I took the one nearest me and held it in my hand.
‘To hell with this.’ As one man stood up and threw his dice across the room. Then suddenly disappeared.
‘Any one else wish to leave.’
Another lifted is hand like a schoolboy asking to speak and was gone.
‘Anybody else.’ Said the hooded figure in not such a pleasant tone.
As I dropped my eyes in fear, I noticed what could only be the enemy troops across the table from me.
And the three people who had disappeared though now much, much smaller stood in the formations of the enemy troops and though there faces were small I could make out it was them, a cold shiver raced down my spine as there body’s where that of horrible beasts.
‘Three against three, I could not ask for better odds.’
I open my hand to look at the dice and the faces of the dice had weapons drawn upon them.
I closed my eyes, as I feared what could happen next.
As I stood shoulder to shoulder with elves and men with a group of small broad men to my front, I panicked and tried to run, but found I could not move.
I found myself suitably dressed in heavy shining armour with a sword in both hands I remembered I looked at the dice and saw two crossed swords I now knew why I had them.
I heard ‘Charge’ as the troops around me began to move and I found myself running along with them unable to stop as we ran down into the valley the enemy also charging towards us as we met at the bottom of the valley our weapons and shields clashed together with an almighty crash.
As body’s fell to the ground, with blood splattering across my face.
I felt the pain as my body hit against that of a beast, I fell to the ground and slide across until my body stopped as I looked up a beast soldier rose up above me and and brought down his axe.
He missed as a sword had pierced is neck and he fell where he stood with that a hand reach out to me.
‘Get up my good fellow do you not know you can not fight on your back.’
‘Get behind me, fight back to back.’
As a hideous creature tried to hack off my arm but was stopped by my armour I thrust out one of my swords into it eye as it fell.
Another tried to smash in my skull with a large hammer like weapon, but I hacked off its arm that fell to the ground still holding on to the hammer.
‘Now that is what I call skill my friend’ said the humanoid at my back.’ With that, a horn sounded and the enemy began to run back up the valley.
We had defended ourselves long enough to survive the first assault, as a second line came charging through the first.
Fresh evil had descended upon us without any let up from the first as I stood back in line; the beasts arrived screaming an unknown language.
As I took a firm footed stance against them, fear just took over and I slashed out at the beast before me and he fell down at my feet down down they fell as I thrust my two swords at the bodies of the beasts until they just stopped come any more, and then fell to my knees.
As I slowly turn my head I saw the man who had pull me up off the ground still standing he turned his head and smiled at me before his head dropped down on to his chest.
The spear that went through is body was all that was holding him up right, and his left arm was gone.
I closed my eyes and wept at his lose, even though I never even knew who or what he was.
‘Why do you weep?’
With my eyes now closed, I answered.
‘I lost a friend in battle against those evil hordes.
‘Fear not, he has not been lost, you can still save him, as this was only one possible out come of this battle.’
I opened my eyes to find myself back in the dimly lit room back at the castle.
‘You have been chosen, to come through the portal with me.’
I checked my body for injury’s, but found nothing I was confused.
‘Come, we have little time if you wish to change that soldiers fate.’
I rose from my seat and followed the hooded man, as he led me down some dark steps to another room, where I could see a pool of shimmering water in the shape of a triangle.
‘Step into the pool.’
I stepped into the pool of what look like water yet it did not feel wet in any way.
As I went under, it felt like I was falling slowly.
I could see the hooded man falling next to me, and he gave me a soft and friendly smile.
I became sleepy and closed my eyes yet again.
I woke to find myself in a small dimly lit room wearing strange clothes, and on a bed on the other side of the room I saw the hooded man sitting on the edge of his bed.
Chapter One
The Portal of Rin
‘Ah you are awake, let me take the time to introduce my self, I am whistler, the king of thief’s’
‘I hope the journey was not too arduous and the pool did not affect you too badly.’
I see you still have the swords with you, good, you will be needing them, there are many dangers here.’
‘You want to know why I brought you here.’
‘Well we needed an out-sider, some one not from this world, some one the Nasral cannot control.’
‘I must say you look splended in your new armour.’
‘Come let’s meet the others who will be going along with us on our journey.’
As you and whistler walked out of the room, and made your way down a wooden staircase, and entered into a strange room full of dark corners, lit only by candles you see a group of weird looking creature some you recognised as human but some you do not.
As you both enter the room, the room fell silent.
You could see an array of people standing by the bar none of which you had seen before except one, it was the man you lost in the battle, but he was every much alive.
Whistler leant over to whisper some thing in your ear.
‘Do not let him know that you have seen is death, he will not thank you for it.’
As you and whistler, approach the group.
‘Ah you have arrived at last, we be waiting hours.’
‘Be still your moaning Vorin, these things can not be rushed, the young warrior you see before you as come a long way.’
‘Greetings young warrior.’ As a tall human with a long white beard and the pinnacle part of is tall red hat that lent out to one side stepped forward.
‘I am Tanglewood the mighty wizard of the silver forest.’ ‘Welcome to Blackhaven.’
Another, who was very short in stature but was as broad in width as he was in height, with a long flowing grey beard that was tucked tightly in to is wide belt around is waist.
‘I am Vorin and has you are new here, I am what we call a Dwarf.’
‘You mean a pain in the arse don’t you.’ As a tall slim figure pushed Vorin out of the way.
‘Shut up you fool, what do you know of Dwarfs.’
‘I know enough never to trust a Dwarf that am sure of.’
‘You know nothing of the Dwarfs.’
‘I know you ran like cowards from the battle field of pennilth.’
‘But! We where out numbered six to one on that day.’
‘You still ran when you should have fought to the death.’
‘Bah rubbish.’ As the dwarf stepped out of the way, waving is arm up in protest against the elf, and then moved back into the group.
‘Calm down you two, you try my patients, is this any way to greet our guest.’ As Whistler frowned at them both.
At that moment another came forth.
‘Welcome young warrior.’ has she bow her head gently down in front of you, and waved her hand in a snake like curving motion in the air before you.
‘I am a Shadow walker, priestess of the path of silence, and I for one am glad you have come to help us in our hour of need.’
She then vanished before your eyes, and reappeared at the back of the group.
‘I should have told you young warrior these people before you are the leaders of the different Kingdoms of this world and have all suffered at the hands of the Nasral.’
‘Some more than most.’ As the man you saw died on the battlefield walked forward to greet you.’
‘They have slaughtered my people in there hundreds some are kept alive as slaves until they are of no use to them, then they kill them with out a thought.’
‘You maybe our only hope to help rid us of these evil beings that plague our lands and we asks much of you I know, but by your mere presents I know you have come to help.’
Then a flutter of tiny wings flapped through the crowd and hovered before you ‘I am Nim of Nee and I think your very brave.’ then giggled then smiled then flew away to one side.
‘Where’s me bug swat I can’t stand bugs, shouted Vorin.’
‘You will have to excuse him he is not happy unless he’s moaning about something said a large eye at the open window to your right.’
‘And where the hell have you been.’ bellowed Vorin.
‘ Am sorry Vorin, but I have been a sleep for a fifty years I was not expecting to wake for yet another we giants need our sleep you know.’
‘Ah yes.’ our last traveller to join us is Chip he’s a rock giant from the grey mountains.’ Spoke up whistler.
‘I will be with you all in a moment, just need a few minutes to reduce my size.’
‘Well hurry up, we need to get going if we are to reach the valley of sorrows before nightfall.’ Said Vorin.