There's Someone At The Door

Another week goes by and not much writing being done. However, I am quite happy with these two pieces that I did for Thinking Ten.

The prompts for the two pieces were: Part 1 - Something Missing and Part 2 - Three Colours and Something Round. With any luck, I have incorporated these well.


There's Someone At The Door (Part 1)

“My God, what is that?” Eldnich asked, running up the stairs behind Ash’dan.

“I do not know,” he replied, “but I have sent for a messenger to find out.”

A few moments earlier, a massive crunch had been heard; the sound of metal slamming against wood. Ash’dan had checked the drawbridge, but there was nothing there. He had called his second-in-command to find the messenger and make some enquires.

“My Lord, he is nowhere to be found. Shall I continue to look for him?”

“No, stand down. I will find out for myself.”

Ash’dan, accompanied by the wizard Eldnich, made their way to the gatehouse. A sudden and deafening crash interrupted all thought. It came from the other side of the castle. Soldiers and guards will milling about; some in readiness for battle, others in fear.

“Eldnich, my friend, I do not know what this threat is – and a threat it must surely be. Would you be so kind as to protect us with your magic?”

“Sire, you know what this means – for me?”

“Yes, friend, I do. But what is more important: your life – or that of the dozens of men within these walls?”



There's Someone At The Door (Part 2)

Ash’dan stood atop the battlements, scouring the horizon. His red hair fluttered in the breeze like the blue and gold pennants that flew above the keep. Eldnich, the wizard, had gone below to rest a few hours before. Creating the Spell of Enclosure had worn him down; he was getting old and each time he dipped into the magic of the Ateru, he aged just that little bit more. Such was the curse of the Ateru.

Ash’dan stood down from the battlement, walked back along the ramparts and headed for the keep. He wanted to discuss some matters with Eldnich and then inspect the damage that the mysterious visitor had caused. He found the wizard’s door wide open, which was a surprise. Normally Eldnich was very demanding about his privacy but here was his room open for anybody to walk in. Ash’dan felt a rising fear. That fear turned to horror as he discovered the mutilated body of his sage friend, lying broken and battered on the floor beside his bed. Something had done this - not someone.

He raced down the stone steps to the grassy bailey, desperately searching for any signs of forced entry. What he found, to his disbelief – and then disgust – were similarly dismembered guards and soldiers. Something had come during the night as he stood watch over the castle. It was vital that he find the breech and remedy the problem before anything worse could happen. He discovered the large spherical rift beside the base of the keep; claw marks unmistakable in the stone structure. Whatever had come through was evidently not human at all.

Ash’dan quickly rounded up surviving troops to assist in the repair work when a thought struck him. With Eldnich dead, there was no way to lift the spell. They were locked inside – together...