Tag: fantasy series

Downwards into Darkness

Chris Hall35 Comments

deep dark cavern by manuverse on deviantart

Tarron had already disappeared when Sinead turned to wave farewell. She sighed and continued along the new path. It led downwards into darkness.

She held the Crystal aloft to light her way along the smooth-sided tunnel. Her other hand gripped her sword. Water dripped from the ceiling and ran down the walls in tiny rivulets; beyond that there was no sound apart from her footsteps.

She pressed on, senses alert to any sound or movement. Somewhere she would find the Key. The Prophesy Book offered only the instruction to ‘forge ahead’. Tarron had put her on the right path and all she could do was follow it.

The air thickened. Dust filled the tunnel, dimming the Crystal’s light. The blade of her sword started to glow, warning her of danger. But it came too late. Feeling a sharp blow to the back of her head, Sinead crumpled to the ground.

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Forging Ahead

Chris Hall27 Comments

a passage with in a cave

A figure appeared from behind the cave. It was Tarron, the elderly elf. ‘I fear the Sisters have become too powerful since the overthrow of the Oppressors,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry. This was not foreseen. They are now unwilling to relinquish their control and are intent on preventing you from taking the next step.’

‘They’ve taken Moonsprite.’

Tarron  inclined his head. ‘Fear not. They would never dare harm a unicorn. While your paths must diverge once more, you will be reunited.’

‘The Orb and the Chalice have gone too.’

‘That which is required will be returned, but now you must continue on your own path, Sinead.’ He held out the Prophesy Book.

As she took it, the book fell open at a new final chapter. ‘Forge Ahead’.

‘The Freedom Key is still required and you must find it.’ Tarron pointed to a path. ‘The Deep Mines are close. Now go.’

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Sinead Alone

Chris Hall29 Comments

a photo of an empty beach

Sinead relaxed at last, curled up in her cloak in the warm cave to which Eileran had brought them. Moonsprite stood dozing peacefully, her beautiful white mane carefully combed out by another of the Sisters. Eileran had brought food and the two Sisters had withdrawn, urging them to rest.

After so many weeks of uncertainty, everything was falling into place, just as had been foretold in the Prophesy Book. There were only two final challenges to face, and they were now amongst friends. Moonsprite whinnied softly in her sleep as Sinead slipped into peaceful slumber.

Sinead awoke with a start. The Crystal was pulsating. She freed it from her jerkin as she leapt to her feet. Its light flooded the cave. Moonsprite had gone. Sinead hurried to the cave mouth and looked out. The pale pre-dawn light revealed nothing but an empty beach and dark waves lapping on the shore.

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The Sisterhood’s Welcome

Chris Hall21 Comments

figures in a dark landscape

Sinead felt the muscles in Moonsprite’s neck tense as she buried her fingers in her unicorn’s silvery mane. Her right hand was already clenched around the hilt of her sword. As the circle of torch-bearers closed in around them, Sinead felt the Crystal pulsate inside her jerkin.

A tall stately figure emerged from the circle, dark hair flowing to her waist. The woman stepped forward. Her eyes met Sinead’s, gazing into them steadily. Then she nodded and bowed her head.

The woman turned to the members of the circle, holding her torch aloft. ‘It is she!’ Her clear voice announced. Her eyes flashed in the torchlight.

Turning to Sinead, she spoke more softly. ‘I am Eileran. The Sisterhood welcomes you.’ She held out her hand. ‘Come, you must rest. When the sun rises again, we must summon the Dwarf of the Deep Mines. Without his skills all will be lost.’

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Torches in the Darkness

Chris Hall36 Comments

Two torches shining in the darkness with water in the backgrond

Moonsprite took off at a gallop, her silver hooves beating out the passage of time. The late afternoon shadows were lengthening more quickly than Sinead would have ever anticipated. Her unicorn sped on into the sunset’s orange glare. They were aware of nothing but the dazzling sunset and the need to complete their journey before the day ended.

Sinead tasted the tang of salt in the air and felt the freshening breeze on her face. Moonsprite’s pace was slower, her progress hampered by the deepening sand under her pounding hooves. Flecks of foam appeared her flanks as she desperately pressed on.

The flaming sky turned purple as the last lip of the sun disappeared below the horizon in a final orange flare. Moonsprite’s steps faltered in the soft sand and Sinead slid from her back.

Torches borne by shadowy figures flared around them, moving ever closer in the velvet darkness.

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The Race to the End of the World

Chris Hall27 Comments

Black and grey image of tree trunks

Sinead opened her eyes. Charred tree stumps and scorched earth were all that remained of the beautiful forest. The centaur had gone, the forest creatures, too. Safe, she hoped. Had the Crystal of Nor caused that? But why?

She knew that the Crystal was an agent of protection. A relic from before the time of the Oppressors. It had fallen to her to carry it with her; not to question its purpose.

Sinead reached into Moonsprite’s saddle bag from where it still glowed. She held it aloft. It brightened, pulsating like a heartbeat, pointing a finger of light on the path ahead.

The bridge arched upwards, climbing more steeply than before. The distance remaining, impossible to tell. The sun, now a great orange globe, was beginning its descent. Moonsprite shook her silvery mane and stamped her hooves. It would be a race against time to reach the end before sunset.

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The Crystal Awakes

Chris Hall35 Comments

sinead's final quest - the light from the crysal of nor on lunasonline

‘Come rest awhile, my lady.’ The handsome creature bowed his head, softly pawing the ground with a bronzed hoof. ‘Come for an hour, a day, a year. Taste our fruits, bathe in our streams.’ He ran his tongue over his lips. ‘Lie on a soft bed of leaves and listen to the music of the forest.’

The centaur advanced to the edge of the bridge and gazed down at Sinead with long-lashed amber eyes. ‘Walk with me,’ he whispered. His eyes fell on Moonsprite. ‘Come, pretty creature.’ His words dripped like honey.

Arching her neck, Moonsprite snorted loudly. A searing shaft of light rose like a spear from her saddlebag. Sinead wheeled around and flung it open.

The Crystal of Nor burned with diamond intensity. Sinead leapt away from it, burying her face in Moonsprite’s mane. The centaur let out a deafening roar as the forest was engulfed in darkness.

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Centaur Forest

Chris Hall37 Comments

A centaur emerging from a forest

The sweet scent of meadow flowers filled the air. From her vantage point, mounted on Moonsprite’s back, Sinead allowed her eyes to wander over the welcoming landscape. Her unicorn stepped softly now, filling her nostrils with the captivating fragrance and shaking her silver mane.

Floral notes from a lute and a pipe filled the warm, scented air and suddenly the woodland came alive. Birds swooped among the trees and small furry creatures scampered over the forest floor. Sinead longed to cast off her boots and run barefoot with them.

She leant over Moonsprite’s neck indicating that they should stop. The unicorn came to a halt, turning her head towards the far edge of the clearing where a magnificent centaur, with the upper body of a beautiful bronzed youth, appeared.

Following her gaze, Sinead slid from Moonsprite’s back. The bronzed youth raised his hand in greeting as he advanced towards them.

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Crossing the Bridge

Chris Hall25 Comments

a picture of a foggy pathway

Sinead wrapped her arms around Moonsprite’s neck, resting her cheek on her unicorn’s silver mane. Moonsprite cantered swiftly through thick shrouds of morning mist. Beneath her hooves was the shimmering Bridge to the End of the World, suspended in a ghostly void.

Images tugged and twisted in Sinead’s mind as Moonsprite pressed onward. Ghostly faces formed from the fog. She cowered beneath a vision of Last of the Oppressors. It reached for her and she tried to scream, but no sound came. Its huge arm swiped at her. Moonsprite veered, breaking into a gallop, sparks flying from her hooves. The monster Sinead had once destroyed melted into the mist.

The day wore on. Beams of sunlight pooled around them. Green tendrils sprouted along their path, flowers bloomed and sweet perfume filled the air. A lush woodland paradise unfurled beside the bridge; temptation beyond the imagination. Moonsprite slowed to a walk.

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The Bridge to the End of the World

Chris Hall16 Comments

Sinead's Final Quest - the bridge to the end of the world

Sinead shivered in the pre-dawn blackness. Moonsprite stamped her hooves on the cold stone of the castle battlements. They waited, as Tarron had commanded.

As the lip of the sun appeared on the horizon, Tarron raised his staff. Out of the darkness, a golden pathway shimmered into view. The eyes of the elderly elf fixed unwaveringly on the pathway as he spoke. ‘The Bridge to the Edge of the World appears only on this, the longest day of the year. You must travel swiftly. Do not look over the edge. Do not stop for anything.’

Tarron whispered in Moonsprite’s ear and the silver unicorn lowered her neck. She whinnied gently, encouraging her mistress to mount.

‘Go now,’ Tarron commanded. ‘Remember, you have only until nightfall.’

Moonsprite sprang onto the Bridge and set off at a canter. Sinead glanced over her shoulder. Tarron stood, staff raised, a ghostly Hound beside him.

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