The Travelers

[Joshuas Journal]

Do you have the need for adventure?
Then THIS is the story for you!......

Share in the excitement of an epic journey... The Voice of Power has spoken, and Shadowlark of Moondale knows he must obey. He has always relied on the power of his own magic to get him through any situation... but the mighty Shadowlark of Moondale is about to discover a power, and a God, far more potent then any mere magic...

Deep within the Wyrm Forest our tale begins with two unlikely companions, thrown together by sheer chance... or is there something greater at work here, guiding... directing... protecting our would-be adventurers?

Follow along as Shadowlark and Jerua follow the Voice of Power wherever it leads. Through Wyrm Forest, across the Kintash River, and north to the walled city of Kiffa. And that is only the beginning... from there the true adventure begins!

If you want a riveting story saturated with christian doctrine and the character of God Almighty... set in a magical land filled with elves, dwarves, humans, and all manner of creatures... a land where adventure is all in a day's work... a land where the Voice of Power is making Himself known... "The Travelers" is for you! So gather up your traveling gear and pick up a sturdy walking stick... And let the journey begin!

In Christ Jesus,
~ Joshua

 

[Joshuas Journal]

The Travelers


Chapter 1 - The Encounter

The small bauble glowed feintly as it hung suspended in the air, sprinkling the stone
room in a soft golden glow. The otherwise dark stone walls flickered in the light it gave
off, creating dancing shadows. The magical sphere seemed to surge with one final force
of energy before growking cold and dark... falling back into the hand of the awaiting
wizard. The old man hid it quickly in one of the many hidden pouches concealed in his
dark blue robes. Standing in the sudden darkness, he let out a tired sigh and snapped his
fingers. Instantly the room was filled with a magical artificial light.

"Ironic," whispered the mage in the darkness, "how light can seem spring from the
root of darkness."

Suddenly the silence in the stone room was broken by a loud reverebating screech.

"Dragon..." breathed the wizard with an air of contempt; his only reaction for some
time. After a few minutes of standing motionless in his underground hideaway the
wizard began to tug thoughtfully at his long, shaggy grey beard.

Shadowlark of Moondale hated- no... he despised dragons. All dragons. Every
dragon. No exceptions. To him they were nothing more than winged serpents.
Nevermind their cunning and craftiness... the only difference between the scaly, sneaky,
coniving creatures and a snake was a dragon's fire breathing abilities, as far as he was
concerned. "May they all be quenched", he said outloud as he strode purposefully from
the empty chamber he'd been standing in, which he called his "inner sanctuary". He kept
this room empty for good reason. The effects of the great magic he used in this room
would have destroyed, or atleast melted, anything within sight. But not all of Shadow's
powers had this this effect... only the searching and mind wars which he was known for
would be so damaging.

As he stepped into the adjoining chamber, the magical light went out of the empty
"spell proof" chamber and reignited instantly in the room to which he stepped. The
wizard's deep grey robes fluttered about his feet, seeming to float across the uneven stone
floor. This room, unlike the last, was clutered with all manner of magical devices and
tools. Charms, amulets, powders, potions, crystals... all sorts of tinkets were scattered
about this dusty room. Two large round tables sat side by side in the center of the room;
one covered with parchments and scrolls, the other countless small crystals strewn about
it's rough wooden surface. One entire wall was completely taken up with shelves running
the length of the room. Small bottles, big bottles, bowls, and other containers held every
potion imaginable. A large rack stood on the opposite wall, covered in roots and plants,
leaves and stems... all in different stages of drying to be used in future spells and magical
concoctions.
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp There was only two archways out of the room; one leading back from where he
had just come, and another in a corner. Yet a shimmering black surface melted away into
the stone wall in another corner, giving the appearance of a portal.

Shadowlark carefully selected a few items that he might need when he teleported
himself out of his hidden sanctuary, and out into the world above. To any average
listener, the screech heard just moments before would have sounded just like any other
dragon screech. But to Shadowlark of Moondale, the screech carried a far more
dangerous meaning. He recognized the screech for what it truly was; the screech of a lore
dragon... very dangerous indeed.

Known for their magical abilities and their endless knowledge of lore, these creatures
were by far one of the most feared of all dragons. They were known to frequently use
their abilities to snare their victims into a deadly game of trick questions.

Shadowlark of Moondale, however, kept a calm demeanor. He knew that he was in
no immediate danger. The hidden underground sanctuary that he called home could in no
way be penetrated from the outside. The only way anyone or anything could possibly
gain access to his underground system of stone tunnels would be if that someone were
wearing a signature amulate. Any such amulate would allow the wearer to pass through
the magical field protecting the tunnels, as long as the user could cast the spell to
transport himself below ground using his own magic. And being the only one possessing
such an amulate, Shadowlark knew he was perfectly safe inside his magical hideaway.

But he would not allow a dragon, even a lore dragon, to come so close to his
hideaway without a fight. Mages and dragons were mortal enemies... and neither one
would pass up a chance to cause the other harm.

Deciding to use his scrying powers to locate his adversary, he chose a tiny green
crystal from the pile on one of the tables, and held it in both hands firmly. Closing his
eyes, he began to focus his abilities to scan the entire area above his home. The creature
was close.

With a whirl of his hand and a flick of his wrist above his head, a dusty glimmer
suddenly enveloped the old wizard, hiding him from view. Appearing in a green grassy
clearing above his underground hideaway, the wizard blinked in the bright sunlight. He
had just enough time to turn around and see the huge blue-green scaly head emerging
from the nearby trees.

"So, Wizard...," bellowed the male dragon in a deep reverbrating voice. "I see you
are confident enough of your abilities to challenge me face to face." Only the dragon's
blue-green sparkling head was protruding from the trees, but Shadowlark knew how large
such a dragon would be.

The wizard's only answer was a flaming fire ball aimed directly at the dragon's head.
The dragon merely shook his head in contempt of such an easy spell and stepped
completely into the clearing. Just as the fire ball neared its target, the dragon dramaticaly
raised a clawed hand and sent his own fireball on a collision course with that of the
wizard's.

The explosion from the collision was enourmous when the two flaming balls
collided. The wizard was momentarily hidden from view by the flash of the explosion.
When the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 2 - Through the Wyrm Forest

Sprinting through the forest was always easy for Jerua. Her long legs never failed to
fling her farther and faster through the wooded hills of her home. Nestled on the edge of
the Kintash mountains, her village sat high above the territory of Moondale in the
lowlands below. But the view from above was never good enough for Jerua, and so she
made a habit of wandering off down to the forests of the lowlands whenever she had
opportunity.

Today the weather was unusualy warm and sunny; not a cloud in the sky. She loved
the way the sunlight sprinkled down through the trees and bathed the forest floor in
showers of brilliance. She imagined she was a mighty Elven warrior of the old lands as
she ran... pretending to dodge imaginary arrows shot from the bows of imaginary
enemies.

She ran with lightning speed through the forest, dodging this way and that to avoid
fallen limbs and leaping over low places. She blended quite easily into her surroundings,
even at such a fast sprint. Her tanned leather boots made no sound on the mossy ground,
and her long hair waved behind her like the tail of a deer. She was truly part of the forest.

Up ahead she could barely see the light of a clearing. Her mother would never
approve of Jerua being in the lowlands, much less sprinting through the Wyrm Forest.
Besides the human towns that lay near the forest, it was well known that dragons of all
sorts lived in the tunnels and caverns hidden deep in the forest. And they certainly
wouldn't pass up such a tasty meal as a young Elven girl. But Jerua wasn't worried. Her
speed had never failed her before, nor had she ever seen a dragon in the forest.

As she drew closer to the clearing ahead, she increased her speed, hoping to spend a
few minutes in the warm sun, resting comfortably on the grassy floor of a secluded
clearing.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 3 - A Caravan

The caravan moved along slowly through the weeds along the bank. The horses'
hooves sunk into the fine sand near the river, making the pace even slower than it would
have been. Darkness would be coming soon- not a comforting thought considering that
the Wyrm Forest was easily only a day or so's march. The tales that had been told about
that place were enough to make even the toughest traveller cringe at the mention of it.
No... night would not be a comforting time for any of these travellers. Atleast not while
they were anywhere in the vacinity of the Wyrm Forest.

Near the front of the caravan, Enik guided his horse easily amongst the weeds
covering the river's edge. The Kintash river had always been Enik's favorite part of the
long trip to Kiffa, the walled city of Moondale. Enik had worked as a soldier for hire for
merchant caravans making the trip to Kiffa for as long as he could remember. Even as a
boy he could easily remember riding the long trek on a mule next to his father's horse.
But that was a long time ago, and his father's sword now hung at his side. Fifteen men
were now under his leadership- all soldier's for hire. They would get paid at the end of
the trip, not a moment before they reached the cedar gates of Kiffa. That is... supposing
they make it to Kiffa without being robbed by bandits or any number of terrible
possibilities. Safe passage was Enik's job, and he took it very seriously.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 4 - Hide And Go Seek

Momentarily blinded by the magical explosion, the huge dragon blinked- furriously
trying to catch sight of the wizard. But the wizard was nowhere to be seen.

"Ye magic is strong, but ye mind is weak, lizard."

The dragon knew the wizard was near, though he could not see him. But he also
knew that as long as the wizard remained invisible, he could not summon the power to
hurl another spell.

"You hide like a little girl, mage. If my mind is weak, as you say it is, why not come
and chat nicely with me... 'Tis a beautiful day for a chat, don't you think, wizard? And
why do you throw your voice to sound as if you are standing where you are not?"

The elemental spell of invisibility would hide Shadowlark from the creature's view,
but it would not protect him from a lucky shot in the dark if the dragon chose to make
one. And even worse, the mage knew how well dragon's could hear. The tiniest
movement would immediately alert the dragon to his location.

Invoking his powers, Shadowlark raised his arms high above him, and the invisibility
spell broke just as he delivered another powerfull spell in the direction of the dragon.
Caught off guard by the Mage's sudden reappearance, the dragon screeched loudly-
making trees shake for miles. But the dragon's reaction was not quick enough to avoid
the thousands of tiny ice shards that shot forth from the sky, raining down upon the huge
beast. Most of the razorsharp ice shards bounced off his rouch shiny scales, but several
found their mark between his scales, making movement excrutiatingly painful.

"Ye should not be here, wyrm. Yer day has come and gone, and ye press yer luck by
assuming you can defeat me. Yer kind should have been obliberated in the old wars, but
with any luck you will not make it to the next war!"

Shadowlark raised his arms high in the air, summoning the forces of elemental magic
to obey his command. He was almost ready to send a bolt of lightning at the dragon so
powerful that almost nothing would be left. But just before he focused the energy at his
target... he heard someone gasp behind him. Spinning around, the spell was instantly
broken before he could put it to use.

The wizard, expecting another dragon had snuck up behind him, was prepared to
evade quickly. But the slender Elven girl he saw standing with her mouth agape at the
edge of the clearing certainly was no dragon. But she was, however, in danger.

Shadowlark spun back around to prepare his lightning bolt once more to put an end
to his enemy. But when he looked, no dragon was to be seen. No doubt the wyrm had
taken advantage of his one opportunity to escape while the wizard was distracted. Only
tiny pieces of razor sharp ice shards remained, melting quickly in the warm sunbathed
grass of the clearing.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 5 - Making Camp

Enik knew that the safest place to make camp for the night would be in the open,
where they could not be taken by surprise by any would-be robbers or bandits. But he
also knew how important it was to stay within sight of the river. The flatlands east of the
river would surely contain many dry open places for a camp, but leaving the river was not
an option. Too many times Enik had seen foolish men leave the river here, only to have
their bodies found the next morning. Moondale was very much a human province, but
humongus trolls frequented the flat areas east of the river looking for just such a band of
travelers to muraud and kill. Enik was not prepared to take the chance of running across
a band of bloodthirsty trolls just to camp in a drier place for the night. No... the caravan
would be much safer near the banks of the river. Not completely safe, but much safer
none-the-less.

With just enough sunlight left to make camp, Enik called a halt. The merchants were
travel weary, and welcomed the halt. They too knew how close they were to the Wyrm
Forest, but their first thoughts were for the supplies and goods they carried with them to
Kiffa. A city the size of Kiffa needed alot of goods and supplies from the outside in order
to survive. And the merchants who ran the Kintash River route bringing those goods and
supplies were paid well for their troubles. And they did not look lightly on the idea of
being robbed, or worse.

The merchants tied their horses all together near a grove of trees not far from the
river bank. There was plenty of grass for the horses to feed off of, and bed down in for
the night. They would also serve as a wake-up-call in the event that bandits attempted to
sneak up on the riverside camp.

The merchants themselves made camp right on the river's edge. With several large
fires blazing along the line of the bank, the river glowed with a brilliant redish tint.
Merchant travelers unrolled sleeping skins and began cooking stews and such in smaller
fires for the nightly meal. It was cool near the river, but the fires put out more than
enough heat to chase away the chills of everyone in the camp.

Enik's group of fifteen men however, spent the night in a slightly different fashion.
Four groups of three men each were sent to various spots surrounding the riverside camp.
Each wore a sword at his side, and several had crossbows and other various weapons as
well. They would bed down for the night alright, but only two of the men in each group
would sleep at any one time. The third man would be constantly on watch for any
dangers that the night might bring with it, be they animal, man, or something else.

Enik's own group consisted of himself and the only two men alive that he would trust
his life too. Redin was tall, like Enik. His name came from the long red hair that flowed
down from his head. His beard and mustache were firery as well. He was strong, in both
body and mind. And he wielded his sword with a fiercness that gave Enik a certain
comfort. He could not think of a better man to have at your side when crossing dangerous
territory than Redin.

Donavan was also well built, though not as tall as either Enik or Redin. But what he
lacked in height, he more than made up for in spirit. He was the only man Enik had ever
known to take on an entire band of trolls and survive. His short white hair made him
stand out in a crowd, as he usualy did anyway. And the crossbow slung across his back
was no play toy. Enik had seen it in action many times, and knew its deadly
consequences well.

Enik, Redin, and Donavan would not bed down for the night. Three more days, and
the caravan would reach the walled city of Kiffa. Enik had heard rumors of bandits in the
area they were camped in, and so all three of them had decided it would be much better to
reach Kiffa alive and tired than to die in a surprise attack from bandits in their sleep. The
three had decided to patrol the outer areas of the camp all night, keeping each other
awake if need be.

And so the three tied up their horses along with the herd, and checked their weapons
before heading out to walk among the trees not far from the riverbank. Enik's other three
man groups were all aware that Enik, Redin, and Donavan would be slinking around the
outskirts of the camp all night, checking in with each group now and then.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon as the three men walked towards a grove
of trees a distance from the river.

"Think we'll see morning?" Donavan asked in his usual spirited style.

Redin just looked at Enik, shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Enik smiled at the sun as it dipped below the horizon. "Get a good glimpse... not a
one of us is promised tomorrow. And today just drifted away."

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 6 - Surprise, Surprise

Amazed at the scene that unfolded before her, Jerua stopped dead in her tracks, her
mouth hanging open. A dragon. And a wizard. Together. And they were fighting with
magic! And when the wizard in the dark grey robes turned toward her she nearly fell over
from fear. Behind him she watched as the enormous dragon had lifted himself quickly
into the sky and suddenly disapeared from sight. The wizard didn't seem pleased that the
dragon had left.

Turning back toward her and sighing he said, "Ye know not what ye just
accomplished, girl. Ye just saved the life of a lore dragon."

He arched his eyebrows at her, as if waiting to see what explanation she had for
herself. But Jerua was still in shock over her encounter, and also a bit fearful of what this
wizard might do to her. She had heard stories of ancient wizards, both good and evil,
who still roamed distant lands to this very day. But she never expected to find one in the
forest below her village!

"Ye just going to stand there waiting for him to come back? I suggest ye flee back to
where ye came from before he decides to have an elf snack," the wizard said with a sneer
and a chuckle.

Finally she mustered the ability to speak again. "I... I um... I didn't mean to scare him
away like that."

"Scare him away?" The wizard arched an eyebrow and his eyes got wide looking at
her. "You think you scared him away? HAHA!"

Just then a cold mist seemed to settle over the entire clearing. The wizard fell to his
hands and knees, as if in pain. He did not move, and Jerua feared the dragon had come
back to wreak revenge on the old wizard.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 7 - A Vision

Gripped by the vision, Shadowlark simply tried to hold on to reality, knowing all the
while his attempt would prove useless. When the visions came, there was no stopping
them. It would take him where it wanted, without any regard to his own wishes.

He found himself standing in the midst of three stone pillars about the height of a
dwarfling. They were rough, but the tops had been hollowed out to hold a bit of grease
which was on fire. He looked out around the stones and saw only darkness, while the
small area inside the three stones were lit with the soft glow coming from the three flames
atop the stones.

"She is the one...." a soft voice spoke from the shadows around him. "She is the
first, old one, and she will accompany you on your journey."

Shadowlark hated these visions. They only guided him step by step, but never
revealed the entire picture. If only he knew where the visions would lead him, he would
be much more comfortable following their directions! But it seemed they were only a
light unto his feet, showing him just enough for him to see where to place his next step.

Suddenly the lights in the three stones went out, and Shadowlark found himself once
again in the clearing of Wyrm Forest in the province of Moondale. Looking up at the
Elven girl, he shook his head. Why must all these visions seem ludicrous, he thought to
himself. Why couldn't they be simple, ordinary messages that made sense!

Shadowlark rose to his feet, dusting off his robes. "Ye are to come with me," he said
to the young Elven girl without looking at her.

"Huh?" Surely, she thought, he did not just tell her she had to come with him. She
thought it would have been more normal if he had simply blasted her into oblivion with
his magic. Go with him?

He glanced up at her under his shaggy grey eyebrows, piercing her with his cold
steely blue eyes. "The Voice tells me ye are to come with me, ye are the one, the first,
whatever that means... And that you will accompany me. You would do well to heed the
Voice."

"Ummm..... I think I better be going now. My parents..-"

"I assume ye live on the mountain there, aye? In the village of Kintith. Nae... do not
worry about your parents any longer girl. It seems the Power has a far more important
task for you than anyone in your village could ever imagine. Ye must come with me, the
Voice demands it."

"I... um.... but..."

"Come child, the sun sets even as we speak. Darkness will be on this land before we
know it. Do you want to stand here and wait for the creatures that lurk this dark forest by
night? Ye need not look for them, if that is yer wish. They will certainly find you."

Jerua wondered what she had gotten herself into. All she wanted to do was run along
the forest floor and chase the sunshine that sparkled through the tree tops. But now,
suddenly a dragon-fighting wizard is telling her that some "voice" wants her to go with
him? Don't worry about her parents? What kind of a crazy wizard is this? But before
she knew it, the wizard had waved a hand in her direction... and the forest seemed to melt
away around her.

"What have I gotten myself into..." And suddenly, the clearing was empty.

 

[Joshuas Journal]

Chapter 8 - Keeping Watch

Redin stepped on a twig, making Donavan jump. Enik looked back at them both
from up ahead, shaking his head at them as if they were mischevious little children.
Three times already, Enik had heard the far off howling of jackals. The jackals did not
worry him, but he knew that wherever jackals were found, other larger predators were not
far off.

The men were exhausted and sleepy. Enik wished the sun would rise soon, though
he knew it was barely midnight now. It seemed so peaceful among the trees near the
river. The three men stood at the edge of the trees and looked east across the Plains of
Passage, as they were called. It was easy to get lost in the seemingly peaceful view as the
moons glowed blue and red above the plain in the darkness, and a soft wind moving the
tree branches above them, blowing in from the plains. But all three of them knew the
dangers that lurked there. And they also knew there were dangers there that none of them
had ever seen. The Plains of Passage certainly were not used as any sort of passage that
they knew of, except for those who wished to pass quickly into the next life. Neither of
the three men had that wish just now.

"Tis a deep darkness tonight, Enik. I wish for all the treasures of Kiffa that we were
asleep within the confines of that city's walls. It is too peaceful tonight for my taste. I
feel that something lurkes beyond the shadows and every tree." Redin shook his head and
sighed wearily. "Tis a deep darkness tonight, Enik"

Enik nodded. It was indeed to quiet and peaceful for his taste as well. The
merchants all slept soundly. As far as they were concerned, Enik and his men could take
care of any bandits. And it was also well known among the travelling merchants that
dark creatures of the night, like those which dwelt in the Wyrm Forest, would be too
fearful of the bright fires that were burning on the riverbank to come near. Enik knew
otherwise. The evil that lurked in these parts did not fear the simple light of a man-made
fire, no matter how brightly it burned. It would take a much stronger magic to ward off
such creatures.

Someone could be heard behind them approaching the edge of the plains where they
stood. It was one of Enik's men, Eshar.

The man approached Enik. "Enik, the darkness is heavy tonight. The men are
whispering about something in the trees, in the air, in the very darkness. Several of them
say they have seen the shadows on the trees looking at them, as if they were alive."

Donavan glanced at Enik. "The darkness of these parts often plays tricks on the
minds of the weak. But tonight, I must say, it is playing the same tricks on my mind as
well."

Enik put a hand on Eshar's shoulder. "Tell the men we are barely three day's travel
from Kiffa. Tell them to keep their eyes open, but also to imagine themselves sitting
around a table loaded with meats and wines in Karberts's Inn once we make it to Kiffa.
Reassure them, Eshar."

Eshar nodded. "I just wish someone could reassure ME." But the man turned to do
as Enik had asked, and disappeared in the direction of the river. The men were loyal to
Enik, and he knew it.

The three men turned back at the same time towards the plains, as the sound of
howling could be heard coming from the east. It was not jackals.

"Wolves?", Donavan asked Enik.

Enik shook his head. "I wish it were, for I don't know what makes a sound like that.
Be thankful it is out there, and not here, whatever it may be."

 

[WhitBit]

Shoo-ee, Mr. Josh, you have outdone yourself! I'd waited to read your story until I could sit down and read it all at once, and I've been SPELLBOUND ever since chapter one...

You should be published.

If you aren't planning on putting the rest up on the board (I REALLY want to read the rest, but I don't know if it's even finished yet), and if it IS finished, PLEASE email it to me!!

I absolutely love it Geez, I've always wanted to be able to write like that...