The Spell of the Winterwolf - Chapter 1

I decided to put 1 chapter of my story on here every week. So here is the first one for this week : ) You will be able to find them all if you click the Label (on the side) that says "The Spell of the Winterwolf". Enjoy!

Lost Tales

The sun set with a groaning of light and all became darkness. The trees whistled in the wind and the silence became almost unbearable. Sweat and tears fell from Calmar’s forehead. The trees gathered in small sanctions, wondering at the mission of the nameless rider. Veseileus bore his master far into the night until at last he became exhausted beyond repair. The horse and his rider laid beneath the starless sky that night, with the darkness closing in around them. It was the beginning of an age, and Calmar wondered what this mysterious age would bring to him and all of his homeland, the Southern Falls. Beauty had always veiled it until the evil creature Tarole unleashed his greatest power, the Spell of the  Winterwolf. Masking the world in darkness, it became their greatest enemy. It turned the greatest warriors into ghosts of the past, barely alive, wishing for life again.  

A life-threatening mission had fallen into the fate of Calmar IV and it was his destiny to fulfil what was written long ago so that the people taken by the spell would be rescued from the Wandering Hills to the East.

In the book of ancient spells it was written:

When the Spell of the Winterwolf has been put on Yameaus, it will become a dark and fearful time. The first thing you must do is to send the son of the king of the Southern Falls, far North to the land of Maethorion, and ask of him to aid you. He will be able to help you. It is written that when he and a maiden willing to go, travel to Lithonion’s kingdom across the Western Sea, the spell will be able to be broken. You must ask Maethorion to go with the young maiden and ask for his help. He has powers that will free you from the Winterwolf’s grasp. No one knows exactly how he will stop the evil darkness, but we know that he can.

Calmar knew much of the deep magic that lay heavy upon the earth. But something told him that this was much different. Something much larger was at work here. He sat tall on the horse as he rode quickly through the woods. It was with reluctance that he left the Southern Falls, for he knew that his father was dying. Already his mother had died long ago; He did not want to lose his father without a farewell. Time was running short and life was on the brink of destruction. The Winterwolf had been cast over two years ago and it had made the world dark and dreary every day and nothing could cheer up the dark clouds that gathered above the earth. It had begun to change people’s minds and making them think differently than they had before.

He could remember his mother’s words echoing through his head.

There will always be evil within the world. A darkness shall always cower beneath the ground. But our destiny is to keep it from overcoming us and subduing us beyond all measure. Calmar spent many sleepless nights staring into the fire, wondering at the fate of all mankind. Veseileus also could sense the urgency of the journey and he stayed with his master beyond all fear. Calmar had been close to his horse since his mother left. A bond had formed, one that would take much to break.

He patted Veseileus’s back and mane. He snorted valiantly into the cold night air. Calmar looked about at the eerie night closing in about them. The darkness frightened neither of them, and together they braved the coldest, darkest nights known to men.

No one had ever entered the Damarion Woods since the spell had been put on it. It was a wood full of shape-shifters and darkness dwellers. Things moved within the woods that daylight would prove altogether hideous. Evil lurked behind every tree and beneath every shrub. The trees stayed the same however, watching as their once beautiful forest became overrun with foul and filthy creatures. They were sent by Tarole himself, who wanted nothing to be the same as before. The trees moaned at the awful sight and quivered in the dark. “Someday I will come back and save them all. They are beautiful trees and never again will they see this vile darkness,” Calmar whispered gently as they rode. Veseileus continued far on into the night barring his master to yet another place. Icicles hung dangerously from the trees and water dripped loudly to the ground, making a watery ascent.

The forest changed even his dreams. He had fitful and restless dreams. Memories flooded his mind. The image of a small boy began coming to him night after night. Veseileus sensed that something was wrong with his master, but there was nothing he could do. One night a vision came to Calmar. It was a small boy running in a field, laughing gently. Then a shadow came over the field and the boy was led somewhere beyond his vision and the flowers slowly wilted and the boy never returned. The vision was mysterious and dark and it seemed to have a purpose.

One night Calmar sat around the fire, thinking back on his life before the spell. He remembered the beauty that life had held once for him. Her name was Adanessa and she came from the land beyond the Sea. She was more beautiful than anyone he had ever beheld, and yet something about her remained a secret, untold to anyone.

On the cold and dark nights he would find her alone in a room above the castle, watching the stars go silently on. He came up behind and put his arm around her.
“You seem restless, Adanessa. Is there something you must tell me?”
“My destiny seems uncertain. But I am certain of one thing only, something that can never be taken from me,” she smiled.

Those days were beautiful and he wished them never to end. But all too shortly she was called by the evil spell and was taken suddenly from his grasp into the Lost Hills to the East. She wandered alone until the Winterwolf became a strong part of her and she became a wild woman.

The memory lived on strongly in his mind and many restless nights were spent dreaming of their life before the spell. Many nights had been spent looking out to sea. It seemed to call her very soul. It was a fortnight before the spell came and they were standing on the brink of the sea, talking softly together.
“Calmar, I know that some evil is growing beneath the shadows, in a place I cannot see. Someday I will not have you with me. I grieve to see that day in my mind, but fate cannot be hindered.” She reached within the folds of her delicate dress and brought out a beautiful stone on a silver chain. “This has been my constant hope in times of darkness. It will shine when all other lights fade. Lose not your hope upon this dreary earth. For where love is, there also life can be found.” She leaned and kissed him gently, letting her hands fall from his shoulders. “It is carved from the brightest star of the Universe and holds the light of the Sky.”
She had seemed so different that night than she ever had before. Something had changed in her.
“What is it Adanessa?”

She looked down at the soft green grass beneath their feet. “Calmar, I didn’t want to tell you, but I see that now it is important. I am not one of you. I am a Sea Elf. I have been born of the sea and that is why I so much like to stand here and watch it move. But I do not want you to worry about the rumors of the Spell of the Winterwolf, for it will affect me the same as it does you. As soon as we reach help, I will be restored to you.”
“You talk as if you knew it were coming!” Calmar exclaimed.
“Calmar, I have seen into the future. It remains in mystery for the most part, but it is a dark mystery. I can tell that it could only mean the unleashing of the Winterwolf. But I am not afraid, for when you find the cure, I will come back to you. I will, beyond all odds, be overcome by the spell.”

Fourteen days later Tarole cast the spell over Yameaus. It slowly began to change minds and turn the once beautiful forest into a mine of darkness and evil.

It was the very next day when he went to find her, that she had disappeared into the Lost Hills. Grief and disappointment had flooded his soul. Would nothing stay unaffected by the darkness of the spell?

“Are you able to cast spells?” he had asked her once.
“Yes I can,” she answered softly.
“Then why can you not cast a spell to save you from the grasp of this. I ask not for myself. I care not whether I torment under the weight of it, but I am fearful for you.”
“Calmar,” she touched his mouth. “Think not of me that way. I can undergo anything. Pray, do not worry yourself needlessly. See those stars? Your fate is hidden somewhere in them, and you will soon know your calling. I will show you one more thing before the darkness comes.” She lifted her hands to the sea and beautiful words came from her, “Yala onna en' alu.” Out of the water sprang many men. They were dressed in robes of beauty, but they were made of water. They rode on mighty steeds and together they broke the surface of the water. Suddenly they vanished and colorful creatures of all kinds began swimming about in the water. They had beautiful colors and they lit up the turf. Then they too vanished and all was silent.
Calmar looked over at her and smiled. “Thank you, Adanessa. I will hold you in my heart forever.” And together they stared out to sea, at one with nature.

Veseileus nudged his arm gently. Calmar was quickly aroused.
“What is it boy?” he looked at the horse who stood anxiously by his master’s side. Calmar heard something from the woods. He put his boots on and jumped astride Veseileus. They began riding quickly but Calmar could feel the presence of other creatures closing in around them. Suddenly the Wolves stepped into the clearing. The stench of evil clung heavily to them. The horse snorted into the cold air.

“What have we here?” The Wolf asked. “A Son of Man in the woods alone. Do you not know that no one has ventured in here for over five years?”
“Yes. I know that well. But darkness will not prevail over us!” he shouted. “For too long you have hid in these woods, expecting them to hide you from the light. But a day is coming when the shadow shall be overcome! Then you shall have your just reward.”
“And, may I ask you, how can you be so certain of this? Surely it does not look like you are in a winning position now. Or do you also have special powers?” He asked.
“No, it is just as you have said. I am nothing special. I am no warrior over death. But I am willing to take the price that death asks of me if it be for a higher cause. You will not always win. Someday you too will die.”
The Wolf circled him. “My Master, Tarole, has sent me to kill you. Do you know why? Let me tell you!” He screamed. “Because in the Book of Spells it is written that when the Spell of the Winterwolf has been set, it will be set through eternity if the Son of the King of the Southern Falls… dies. Is that clear? So let yourself be killed and you will let all of your loved ones, kin, and family suffer with this curse for all of eternity, never dying.”
“But it is also written that if the one who set the Spell is killed, the curse will immediately by shaken from the earth, you deceitful wretch!” Calmar drew his sword slowly.
The Wolf turned to his comrades. “Take him down.”

In the moments that followed, death could be felt in the air as claws and fangs met the fiery grasp of the sword. Veseileus fought with a vengeance, but the Wolves were too much for him. A searing sound shook the forest as their claws ripped Veseileus’s side, tearing the skin off his body. He crippled under the pain and yet he lifted his head and looked into Calmar’s eyes as if to say farewell; Then his head fell and he was no more. Calmar screamed into the night and lifted his sword, bringing it down upon the Wolves. Suddenly the Wolf jumped on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He could feel his breath in his face.
“You thought you would save your people. But your fate has told you different,” he growled.
Something flashed through Calmar’s mind. “Do not speak to me of fate! You know nothing of fate!” Calmar reached for his sword and ran it through the Wolf’s stomach. He watched as the blood spattered on the ground and covered him. Death had finally gripped his prey. The Wolf looked down at him one last time and let out a howl that shook the ground.