11

Devilkghth's eyes burned as he watched his wife walk into the forest. He clenched his fists, his nails piercing through the soft flesh of his palms. His breathing became more rapid as he felt the flames of his magic start to build up in his heart. The magic was slowly building inside him, threatening to explode. A small sob escaped his lips. He couldn't do it! He shouldn't do it! Not after everything! But he could never stay away. He'd always wanted to save her, despite their differences. Her love for this realm made him want to protect it with every fibre of his being. It was her kingdom now, and his only wish was to keep her safe from harm.

He took a deep breath before standing and turning towards the direction of where she went. Without another moment to waste he followed her path. There wasn't much he could do at first when the ground started shaking beneath them. In an instant Devlik was back by her side. With great effort he managed to calm the trembling earth, but it still wouldn't stop shaking.

'We must leave! Now!' he told her. He put on a brave face for her sake, but even he wasn't certain if it was true or not.

They didn't hesitate to leave their home and follow the path she left behind. Devkght didn't know what lay ahead for them. Would they find shelter for the night? Perhaps they should turn back, return to their home. But that thought quickly fled from his mind. If they turned back now, they would lose sight of her forever.

The two ran down the path, praying the ground would calm itself soon. It seemed that nothing could quell Devkght's anger anymore. All he could see was the red light burning in his eyes. It hurt, so he tried to blink away the tears forming in his eyes. He knew it wasn't good to cry. That kind of behavior would get him in trouble. His mother used to say that crying was like crying when you have no strength. She said crying wasn't a bad thing, but if you cry too much your body will just burn up from the inside out. So Devkght decided to keep the tears inside. He could cry later. Right now all he could think about was saving his wife.

After what seemed like hours the path opened up. The trees were replaced by a large clearing. A beautiful pond shimmered in the middle of it. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, but it wasn't the most beautiful thing Devklght had seen recently. It was surrounded by tall grass, and it looked as though someone had taken a stick to it and cut off its end.

What did it mean by 'it' being so far away? Devlikght wondered. Then he remembered how she'd said it would take him a day to cross to get to it. He didn't understand why she'd need such a long journey. Why did she travel to this strange place alone? Maybe she was waiting in the woods until the sun came up. If so, they might have some extra time before sunrise. And if she really was here, maybe the monster wasn't far away. They could be right under her nose, and Devklght would never see it coming. No, he shook those thoughts away. This wasn't the case. She couldn't possibly be waiting around here.

"Come, my child." A gentle voice beckoned him over.

Devklght turned to the source of the voice. There was someone sitting in one of the many tall rocks surrounding the pond. A man, perhaps in his late 30s, dressed in dark blue robes and wearing a crown of white gold.

"You're welcome to come, my child. But remember, I'm the king, and I ask that you abide by my rules. You will do as I ask without any argument. Is that clear?"

The man spoke to Devlikght with such familiarity that it was almost like he knew who he was. The words felt familiar in Devlakh's throat, but not quite the same way they once sounded. He cleared his throat again and nodded in agreement.

"Good, very good." He held his hands out to Devkilgght. "Here, take my hand and step forward. When you are safely within the circle you shall be released."

Devkilgght hesitated for a moment but finally placed his hand in the King's. The king lifted his other hand into the air, then waved it above the surface of the water. Immediately, a bright green ball appeared above the pond. Devkilght squinted his eyes in the bright sunlight as he stared. He didn't see anything. Was he supposed to look for something? What was it?

"Now," the king continued, "take my hand and raise it to the sky. Do not move until I signal otherwise."

Devkilgght did what he was told, and slowly raised the monarch's hand toward the sky. His head was already starting to ache, but it wasn't painful. Just like his mother's lessons about meditation. Slowly, slowly... the sky was growing darker until finally, finally, he felt the king's hand drop. He waited a few seconds, feeling the weight of the king's palm on his own. Finally he removed his hand. The ball floated peacefully in the sky, not moving an inch. Devkilgght blinked in amazement. He didn't even notice how heavy it suddenly felt. Was he getting tired already? How long did people live like this? Had he been here all day and not noticed? Had it been years since his mother passed away? Could he have died too? Devilkhkhts mouth watered, as he realised he hadn't eaten anything today. He glanced at the king, but all he saw were wrinkles. What was his name again? Oh, yes. It was Devkingh. He'd probably forgotten again. At least that's what Devkilgght assumed, considering he couldn't speak with the other man. He felt foolish. The king stood up and dusted off his robes. He offered Devlght his hand again.

"Now," he began, "let us go find your companion, shall we?"

As the two walked deeper into the forest Devkilgght couldn't help glancing curiously around him. Every plant, animal or insect he saw looked incredibly similar to the ones on the surface world. Were these creatures real? Or were they fake? The questions swirled around in Devkghts head and caused his stomach to twist unpleasantly. He hoped his lady loved nature as much as he did. They had spent enough time in town looking at plants while she studied medicine.

"What is that smell?" The question startled Devlghts attention. He looked around. Nothing new caught his eye. Still, the sudden voice drew his attention. He turned towards it, but before he could identify the sound, it vanished. Devkght felt the urge to panic, but he swallowed it down. It was probably nothing. Nothing was wrong. Nothing could be wrong. As long as he kept telling himself that, nothing would happen. He forced himself to smile. It looked convincing, right? It was a happy, carefree smile, yet he knew it wasn't.

His smile dropped as a loud roar tore through the air, sending chills down his spine. Devklght's grip tightened unconsciously on the sword by his side. His heart rate increased tenfold. He looked around frantically, trying to find an escape route. If he got attacked here, he would definitely die. There was nowhere to run, no hiding spot. He was trapped. He closed his eyes in defeat, waiting for the blow to come. He was dead either way. His vision was filled with darkness, and he prepared himself for the final blow. A sharp pain hit his leg before he lost consciousness.

Chapter 18

A warm feeling spread across Devklghts whole body. It didn't hurt, but it was comfortable. After a second he opened his eyes cautiously. He was lying on something soft, and it didn't feel right. Slowly he sat up. There was nothing there beside him, but a faint scent made him wonder whether he was dreaming. He sniffed a little bit harder, taking in everything he could about the situation around him. The aroma was strong, and he guessed it came from somewhere close by. He rose to his feet, and after stretching for a little bit his arms fell to his sides and he let his feet hang limply over the edge of whatever it was he was sitting on. His surroundings looked pretty normal, but he still found himself wondering about everything. Where had he fallen asleep? Wasn't it daylight before? What if the creature that attacked him had gone away? He shook his head, as he realised his questions were unnecessary. Even if he could've asked them, he doubted they would be answered. He had no idea where he was. He knew that. But what did that prove?

"Are you well my dear boy?"

A deep voice interrupted his thoughts. Devklght spun round to face the owner of the voice. Standing there a short distance behind him, in the open air, was a man. His face was wrinkled, with thin hair streaked with grey. One half of his face was covered in tattoos, and the other half was completely smooth. His robe was made from leaves, and there were two long feathers hanging from each side. On his head he wore a golden crown. Around his neck hung a string of bones. He looked like a scarecrow in a horror movie. It was hard to make out his features, especially due to the dim light shining directly overhead, but it seemed like there were two horns sprouting from his scalp. He had to be an ogre, Devklght concluded. A real ogre.

Devkilgght had never been afraid of giants before, although in this particular case he wasn't entirely sure what he should do. If he ran away, there was no guarantee he wouldn't run straight into the ogre's camp. He also had no idea where he was. How big was this camp? Would he be able to find his way back home? These thoughts were running through his mind at great speed when the ogre stepped forward and reached for his shoulder.

"Don't worry my boy."

Devkilgght jumped backward instinctively, but the ogre was faster. Within seconds he had Devkilgght pinned against the ground.

"It's alright, my boy. I promise I won' hurt you, but please calm yourself. You are safe now."

He let go of Devklghts shoulders and started to rub his forehead. His breathing was erratic and his chest heaving up and down.

"I'm sorry my friend. I must seem very scary, don'cha think?"

Devklght nodded and took a few steps back, still trembling uncontrollably.

"Do not fear me, my son. We are old friends now." He moved his hands in a circular motion and smiled as he watched Devklght's legs relax under the effect of magic. "We can be more than just friends now."

Devklght didn't know what to say. So he simply nodded, hoping the gesture conveyed that he agreed. The ogre laughed softly.

"Of course I know who you are. Everyone knows about you. You're famous among our kind, young one. My children often tell their friends about you."

"My..." Devklght paused a moment to gather his thoughts. What were the odds that this man had been standing next to him all along, unseen? He wasn't sure how long he would have slept if not for the fact that someone had put him to sleep. Was it possible that someone had put him out in the middle of nowhere so he would find shelter for the night? That was really strange though. Why would anyone do such a thing? Did he need shelter? Or was there something else going on? Suddenly his brain clicked and his eyebrows shot upwards. Of course! All of his dreams and hallucinations and dreams of trees and grass and trees and fields - those had all been memories coming from him. He had been dreaming. The thought excited him slightly. He didn't understand why he dreamt of things that weren't real. Was there something special happening to him? He had to admit he was curious.

"I don't remember any of these."

The ogre raised an eyebrow.

"You don't remember anything from your childhood?"

Devklght shook his head, biting his lip nervously.

The ogre sighed gently and shook his head.

"That will change soon enough. It's been awhile since your mother passed on. She was very fond of stories. Stories about heroes. And dragons. You remind me a lot of her, you know?"

Devklght frowned, confused. Dragons? Stories about knights? Dragons?! Was this man insane? Dragons were fictional monsters that lived in the mountains. This was a human being talking about dragons. He looked at the ogre, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Then it clicked. This man was talking about dragons. Dragons were real.