“AJ,” a voice says softly into his ear cutting through the darkness, “AJ,” it growls lowly.
AJ opens his eyes slowly and squints in the darkness until his eyes focus and he sees a shape lying on the floor in front of him, “Justin?”
“Shhhh,” Justin says, “They’re watching us.”
“What?”
“The Pendragons. They knocked you out.”
“Where the hell are we?” AJ asks going to sit up and he feels a pull on his wrists and he begins pulling his arms apart.
“Don’t waste your energy it’s pointless,” Justin sighs, “They’re binded by some sort of dark magic.”
“Where are we?”
“I’m not sure,” Justin says scooting along the ground to get closer to AJ, “They stopped for a rest I think. You’re lucky you were knocked out. They carried you. They made me walk though.”
“What forest is this?”
“I’m not sure. It’s old though. I can smell it.”
“Which direction are we headed?”
“North.”
“Why haven’t they killed us yet?”
“I have no idea. I don’t see why they keep dragging us along.”
“The others?”
“Gone…I…I…”
“They’ll be ok,” AJ says as Justin nods and looks at the ground.
“I don’t like the feeling of this place. The air is too cold and the forest seems so sad. Something isn’t right.”
AJ nods, “We need to get out of here.”
“And how do we do that?”
“These ropes are binded by magic right?”
“Yes.”
“Can you still cut through them?”
“I’m not sure why?”
AJ floats off the ground slightly and brings his arms under his legs until they are in front of him again, “Bit them.”
“What?”
“Bite them.”
“I’ll bite you.”
“I don’t care I’ll heal. Once you get through them I’ll untie yours.”
Justin stares at AJ.
“Just do it,” AJ hisses as he closes his eyes.
“Alright,” Justin says and closes his eyes before biting down on the ropes that bind AJ’s wrists.
AJ could feel Justin front canines grow slightly as he bites down into the ropes and grazes the top of AJ’s skin. AJ could feel a few of the twines that made the rope break and his wrists begin to spread farther apart until he can finally pull his writs free from the loops. He rubs his wrists on instinct trying to get the blood circulating again before reaching down and untying the rope around his ankles.
“Justin let me see your hands,” he says as Justin raises his hands and AJ quickly unties them so Justin can untie his ankles himself.
“What now,” Justin asks standing up quickly and rubbing his wrists as well.
“Shit how do we get out outta here?”
Justin stares at AJ then looks up at the sky.
“I can’t carry that much weight no offense or anything,” AJ takes a deep breath and stares at the sky, “You have to trust me with this.”
Justin stares at AJ oddly as AJ places a hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t know this area so wherever we end up we end up ok.”
“Alright,” Justin says.
“Close your eyes,” AJ tells him as he closes his own eyes.
Teleportation was a dangerous gift to use with others and AJ knew it. Especially in an area that you didn’t know. They could end up anywhere within a fifty mile radius. Before AJ knew it both him and Justin were falling through the air and landing in a body of water with two loud splashes. AJ feels a hand pull him up above the water’s surface as he gasps for breath. Justin looks at him quickly and then monitions for him to follow him. The two head for the shore quickly with Justin in the lead.
Once they reach the shore Justin strides out of the water quickly and turns around in a circle taking in their surroundings. AJ walks up behind him and stares into the forest that surrounds the water. The water was a long stream that led into the darkness of the forests at both ends.
“Galandia forest,” Justin says softly, “the Dark woods.”
AJ looks around the area they are in and finally realizes how dark it was even in the night. He looks behind him and stares into the water…it was pitch black.
“They was a story they would tell me when I was younger about how creatures lurked in the Dark woods. They would tell us all about how they would come after us and eat us if we ever wandered off too far into our own woods.”
“Are the legends true?” AJ asks.
“I’m not sure. My grandfather swore he saw a creature lurking here one time when they used to live here in the Asna.”
“What are they?”
“We called them Powleras. They were supposed to be as tall as two men and as strong as ten. They lived alone and hunted in the dead of night for their food.”
“What should we do then?” AJ asks.
“Can you take us out of here?”
“Not right now. I used up too much energy just getting here.”
“Then we need to find our own way out,” Justin sighs, “We need to get out as quickly as possible.”
“So you believe the legends?”
“No I believe what I heard about the elves saying about this place.”
“What was that?”
“That any man who spends too long in these woods risks loosing their sanity.”
“Why is that?”
“Because once you go too far in it’s almost impossible to find your way out. Not even sunlight penetrates the treetops here. It’s forever shrouded in darkness.”
“Peachy,” AJ says as he follows close behind Justin who begins walking off into the darkness of the woods.
They had journeyed for what seemed like two miles to AJ, give or take a little, before Justin stops suddenly and quickly looks around his surroundings.
“Did you hear that?” he asks AJ.
“Hear what?” AJ asks before he hears a soft rumble to the right of him and turns his head quickly toward that direction.
“Don’t move,” Justin says to AJ.
“What is it?”
Justin keeps his eyes locked in the direction as a large figure begins to come from the darkness, “Oh God.”
The two of them keep their eyes locked in the same direction as the figure comes from behind the trees in front of them. Standing as tall as two men and still slouched over with a body as wide as AJ was tall stood a creature that they knew could kill them easily immortal or not.
“It’s a troll,” Justin says softly, “We need to get out of here. Back up very slowly.”
AJ instinctively holds his breath as he begins to back up slowly away from the troll as Justin follows closely behind him. They got a few feet away before Justin steps on a small twig and it snaps loudly almost echoing in the silence of AJ’s head. The troll’s head snaps up towards their direction and it screams loudly at them as its oval yellow eyes widen. It’s long teeth flash at them from its small mouth as it growls at them. AJ swore it was the most God-awful sound he had ever heard. Of course he didn’t hear it for long because as soon as that happened AJ turned on his heels and ran like a bat out of hell into the darkness Justin close behind.
They ran through the darkness the vampiric blood circulating through AJ’s veins as he jumped over fallen branches and Justin close behind. Before AJ knew it he felt a burst of wind beside him and AJ sees a large black dog passes him. The dog jumps over the branches gracefully before heading off into the darkness and AJ could tell it was Justin so he did his best to try and keep up with him.
AJ jumps up onto a tree branch and begins to jump from branch to branch quickly keeping his eyes locked on the ground to watch for Justin. AJ hears a loud howl form the ground and finally jumps down onto the ground before feeling it give way and he falls into darkness below him.
“Justin,” AJ says in the darkness, “Justin.”
AJ hears the scampering of claws on the hard stone behind him and he turns around as the large dog comes running at him. Slowly it turns into a jog and AJ stares as the dog slowly changes back into Justin shaking its head as it finally finishes its change.
“Where are we?” Justin asks.
“Mines,” AJ says staring around in the darkness.
“Mines? Like…”
“Dwarf mines,” AJ nods.
“How do we get out of here?” Justin asks looking up at the hole they had fallen through.
“I don’t think we want to go back up that way,” AJ says, “That troll isn’t the better of the choices.”
“I know,” Justin says, “So…”
“So we take our chances with the darkness,” AJ says turning toward the hallway that leads deeper into the mine.”
“Why is it so empty in here,” Justin asks walking beside AJ as they walk farther into the mine.
“I think the dwarfs left it,” AJ says.
“Why would they leave it?”
“Dwarfs are greedy,” AJ says, “Don’t tell Chris I said this, but they’re too greedy. They dig up the earth looking for their gems and gold, sometimes too deep, and then when they’re done…they leave.”
“They leave it like this,” Justin says looking around as they walk.
“Yes.”
“This is horrible,” Justin says, “Now how do we get out of here?”
“Can you smell any fresh air?”
“No,” Justin shakes his head no as well.
“I don’t like this,” AJ says.
“What was that?” Justin asks turning his head toward the right into the darkness, “Scampering.”
AJ turns his head and stares into the darkness before backing up and go back towards the way they came from.
“What are we doing now?” Justin asks.
“We take our chances with the troll.”
“What why?”
AJ stops and stares at Justin, “The dwarfs dug too deep into the ground sometimes and what they found down there was more dangerous then one lousy troll. Oh no the things they found were enough to make them desert their whole city,” he says before walking off again back toward the hole.
Justin looks back into the darkness and sees a small figure scurry across the ground in front of him. Two large white orbs stare at him from the darkness as he begins to back up behind AJ, “AJ…AJ…AJ” he says backing up.
“What?” AJ asks turning around and staring at him.
“What is that?” Justin asks his eyes till locked with the creatures.
AJ bends down and picks up a large rock beside him then hurls it at the creature. They hear a loud squeal from the darkness as the two orbs vanish and a scampering sound is heard running off into the darkness.
“What was that?” Justin asks.
“I don’t know and I never want to know,” AJ says, “No how the hell do we get back up?”
“Wait,” Justin says, “How far can you teleport?”
“I can teleport from London to Los Angeles, distance wise,” AJ says.
“Victorian.”
“What?”
“Teleport us to Victorian. Once we get there we can get help from Oleander right?”
AJ bites his bottom lip slightly and then nods, “I guess so.”
“Then you can do it?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well it’s better then being here,” Justin sighs.
“Ok,” AJ says walking over to Justin and putting a hand on his shoulder, “Here goes nothing,” he says closing his eyes as Justin does the same
AJ opens his eyes and looks around the darkness that surrounds him. Justin was nowhere to be found and it seemed that he was in nothing more then a black void.
“AJ,” a voice says from the darkness.
“Hello,” AJ says.
“AJ…”
“Whose there?” he asks turning around in circles.
“AJ help us,” the voice says.
“Quest?”
“Help us AJ.”
“Quest…Quest!” AJ yells turning around again, “Where are you?”
“Darkness AJ…There is darkness everywhere. Can’t see. Darkness everywhere.”
“Quest where are you?”
“Darkness…”
“Yes I understand darkness, but what else?”
“Darkness AJ darkness. Help us.”
“Quest please tell me where you are,” he says turning around in circles again, “Please.”
“Help us AJ. Help us. Can’t go on much longer…too much darkness. It’s cold so cold.”
“Quest?”
“Darkness AJ,” the voice says beginning to fade, “Help us AJ…”
“Quest. Quest come back. QUEST!” AJ yells into the darkness, ‘come back please come back,” he says softly, “Please,” he says one more time before closing his eyes again.
“AJ!” a voice yells and AJ snaps his eyes open to find Justin staring down at him, “What happened to you?”
“Darkness,” AJ says and realizes his teeth are chattering, “So cold. So cold.”
“Get him some blankets!” another voice yells.
“Have to help them,” AJ says as Justin stares down at him with worried eyes, “I heard her Justin. I heard her. I felt her.”
“Who?” Justin asks.
“She’s so scared. So scared.”
“Who AJ?”
“Darkness so much darkness,” he says as his teeth begin to chatter again.
“Where are those blankets!” Justin yells.
“They need help. She needs help.”
“AJ who?”
“Quest…Quest needs help…the darkness is getting closer,” AJ says before shutting his eyes again.
Justin looks up at Oleander who is standing in the corner staring down at AJ as another elf walks in carrying blankets then placing them on AJ.
Oleander stares at AJ then folds his arms over his chest, “When he wakes up tell me.”
Justin nods.
“And if he says anything else let me know.”
Justin nods again as Oleander looks down at the ground and walks back out of the room with the other elf following closely behind him.
AJ begins shivering slightly and Justin pulls the blankets tightly around him.
“What did you see AJ? What did you see?” Justin says hoping AJ can hear, but he knew that AJ was in a place where not even Quest could reach him now.
