"Evil Strides-the" by Julia W. Harme

                                         CHAPTER ONE

            The chubby stood frozen for at least a few minutes until the last word had faded into the darkness,

“Jack! Get here! We must ride and inform the king about the lost one!” he yelled on the top of his lungs and when the steady thud of hooves sounded from his left he turned around just in time to leap out of the way as Jack came galloping towards him,

“What is wrong with you!” the chubby man yelled. Jack stopped and turned the animal around,

“I—I am sorry Aaron. I—I cannot see! The—the sword! The light! The pain” Jack fell into silent sobs rubbing his blinded eyes. Aaron frowned, his best man was blind and the bloody lost one would know where he would be! Wonderful! Just bloody wonderful!

         Aaron jumped behind Jacks stubby mare, which was not of his liking. He liked the horses big and fast, though Jacks mare was faster than she looked. Jack was still weeping and mumbling about pain and light. Aaron couldn’t help himself and felt pity towards Jack; he gave him a small pat on the back before taking the mares reins and kicked her to a fast gallop across the waste lands.

            Shoran sat on a cliff staring down at the Sea of mist. He was humming a tuneless melody as he gazed down at the wavy sea. The wind gently blew on his face and he took a deep breath. Oh how much he had missed the feeling of a gentle wind on his face. The sun set lit the sky with different shades of red and blue. A loud cough startled him and he spun to face the person, who had coughed, sword in both hands, but there in front of him stood a woman,

“Shoran it is me, Maddy. It is long since we last met and I have heard rumours about you. I want to be your servant of the dark. I will murder anyone you want, anywhere and any time. Though, I do not posses any magic. Perhaps you could give it to me” the woman said bowing all the way to the ground almost touching his feet. Shoran smiled toothily and lifted his sword up,

“As you wish Maddy” he said and started to think of fire and earth. The sword started to shine red and then blue and then purple. Maddy could feel something wrapping her and going inside her. Suddenly she was floating ten feet in the air, but she wasn’t afraid. She trusted Shoran. She closed her eyes and could feel something in her, something new, something…strange. She opened her eyes again and noticed that she was on the ground again.

“I will call the female source Moréna. I will give you the power to give other women the source and the men the male source. I need you to get more followers. Men and women” Shoran said as politely as he could. Maddy bowed,

‘”yes my lord” she closed her eyes and there was a bright flash and she was gone. Shoran turned around to look at the sea. It was time to show the world what danger really meant.

                                    CHAPTER TWO

            A knock on a wooden door made a woman jump,

“Who is it?” she called out. No answer, “who is it!?” she called again. Yet again, there was no answer. The door flew open and a young woman about her age walked in

“Good evening Nancy I am Maddy. The lost one needs you. If you will join him and his followers you will receive Moréna. He needs you. You join him, we will win!”  She said. Nancy stared at the woman wide eyed,

“I will join the lost one. Give me the power and I will join. My life on that” she said and curtsied. How did she know what to say! Maddy smiled and yellow light enveloped the other woman,

“Welcome sister. The lost one awaits you” Maddy said and gave Nancy a kiss on he cheek. With that she was gone.

            “may I see that ribbon. No, the red one” Maddy said a mile or so away from Nancy’s house. The woman selling the ribbons smiled handing the red ribbon to Maddy,

“I have a request for you Eleanor. The lost one is in need for followers, and you seem to be a capable woman for that. As repayment you will be given Moréna. The lost one waits for you with warm arms. Go. Go to the mountains of mist” the woman stared at Maddy and curtsied,

“I will join the lost one when I will receive Moréna. I will go, I swear I will. My life on that” Eleanor said surprised by the words coming from her mouth, and yet, it seemed the right things to say.  Light surrounded her and she felt something in her head. Something new, something great and something…dangerous.

“Welcome sister. Go now” Maddy said and vanished into thin air.

                  A woman was running away from something and a handful of men were chasing her. The woman was having difficulty running with her long wine red dress. The woman turned to an alley and the soldiers followed,

“The lost one needs your service” she said as the men stopped in front of her swords raised, “he needs followers, men and women. I have found a bunch of women to be his followers but I still need men to Finnish of the work. You will be repaid with Oréna, the male source. Hear the lost ones call. Join him” Maddy smiled. Shoran will be so proud! The men dropped to their knees in front of her,

“We swear under the lost ones life that we will join him. If he dies we will avenge his death to everyone” they said together. They looked at each other bewildered. Maddy closed her eyes and let the male source flow out of her to surround the men,

“Welcome brothers! The lost one waits for you” Maddy disappeared in front of them.

Shoran stood waiting for the followers. One by one they came. At last Maddy came and bowed to him,

“I have counted the total of twenty-two women and twenty-two men and that equals forty-four followers” she said rising. Shoran smiled,

“Do not forget yourself. So that is twenty-three women” he said quietly and touched her cheek with a long finger, “My followers! We shall make a name for you! I shall divide you into groups and I will name you!” he took a deep breath and looked at a tall woman without any figure, “you. What is your name?” he asked her. She looked back at him with fierce blue eyes, yes she would be great

   “I am Cecil, my lord” she said with a curtsy.

“I shall make you the head of one group. Please come and stand by me” the woman did so and walked serenely beside him. Next he spotted a man with a general’s jacket,

“You, with the general’s jacket. Come beside me I will make you also a head of a group. What is your name?”

“I am Jonathan, my lord” he said with a low bow. As shoran named three more heads dark clouds started to form. Shoran frowned,

“Cecil you’re the head of the Dalavares..  Jonathan you are the head of the Dalvins. Maddy you are the head of Token. Lewis you are the head of Mangul and finally Fredric you are the head of Ganilé. Jordan, Cornelia, James, Patrick, Marel, Eleanor and Dean you are the Tokens. Peter, rosemary…” as they parted to their groups it started to rain again. Maddy looked down at her group.  Eleanor was starring at her coolly,

“How do you know the lost one?” she asked her. Maddy was surprised and lifted her eye brows,

“He is my old…lover” she said with a small secretive smile. Eleanor’s jaw fell open as Shoran came behind Maddy and gave a kiss on her neck. Maddy blushed as Shoran whispered something in her ear.

            Eleanor gaped at him. She didn’t know why she felt jealousy towards Maddy. Shoran gave her a small smile as if he knew what she was thinking,

“Do not worry Eleanor. There is always time” he said and turned back towards the cliff to examine everyone. Maddy smiled with a knowing expression on her beautiful face and seemed to be frowning at the same time. Lightning struck on a near by tree and fire started to form in spite of the rain,

“This is your first lesson. Use different techniques to make the fire disappear. And it wont go off just like that” shoran said gleefully. Eleanor turned to face Maddy,

“If you are the head, tell us what to do” she said briskly still staring at the beautiful Shoran.

            Jack was moaning in his sleep as Aaron was sitting beside his blind friend. The moon was shining and he was finding difficulties sleeping. Wolves started to howl in the silvery night and Jack jumped up,

“No! He is coming! Aaron! We need to go!” he screamed staring at the opposite direction where Aaron was sitting,

“Um, Jack? Im over here” he said tapping his finger on Jack’s shoulder. Jack gave a start and turned slowly,

“Oh yes. I knew that. I was just, um, doing…something” he mumbled. Aaron grinned and patted jack on the shoulder,

“Come on mate, let’s keep on going. If he is coming, then we do not want him to find us do we now?”

Getting onto their horses they kicked them into a gallop. The cool night air made goose bumps run down Aaron’s back as his stallion sped through the moonlight waste lands.