Chapter 4

Gladus served a plate of hearty stew, with buttery soft rolls. She had also placed the apples that I had brought in a woven plate. She offered me a pint of mead, but I politely declined and requested some water instead.

“Mother, it’s not like I care or anything, but shouldn’t we wait for the other’s before we start eating?”

“Aye, normally we would, but this dinner was meant for we three only. Dunnit remind ya of old times? I remember when ya two were wee chicks, we would always insist that Cal have dinner before the lad went home.”

Gladus was right. I would often be forced to stay for dinner, after I spent the entire day being at Astoria’s mercy.

“Haha I don’t remember who was more insistent I stay, Astoria or you Gladus.”

“I was not!”

Gladus smiled but her expression soon turned to one of sorrow. Before I could ascertain why she had such a forlorn expression, there was a knock on the door and a group of men and women entered the Inn.

I recognised most of them from our interactions at festivals and during day to day trades. They were all fellow villagers, although they all held key and influential positions in the village.

The village head was at the lead and was accompanied by two men that I had never seen before. One of the men seemed to be dressed like a soldier and the other was wearing peculiar white robes and carrying an equally peculiar white staff. I could also tell that they weren’t from around these parts. Where they from a large town or maybe a city?

“Good evening Gladus, thank you for allowing us to use your Inn for this village meet.”

“No problem Eamonn, I hope ya don’t mind, but I want my lass and the lad to be present for this meeting. They both are of age and have a right to be involved.”

The village head gave Astoria and I a quick once over and nodded.

“Fair enough.”

All the men and women proceeded to take seats at the various tables except the village head and the unknown men, who stood in a centralised position. I looked toward Gladus to get some sort of explanation for what was going on, but she only gave me a weak reassuring smile and looked in the direction of the village head.

“Many of you have already been informed of this, but I called this meeting to discuss the reaction that our flourishing patch of land will give in relation to what has transpired.”

“Cut to the chase Eamonn, you storm my forge in the middle of sunday, with nothing more than howdya do and drag me here. What is going on?”

“I’m sorry Amos, but I’m afraid the severity of the situation called for a lack of courtesy. You see, these two gentlemen have brough news. News that the Caliginous Continent, are preparing an invasion.”

The curious and unsure atmosphere that exuded from those present, immediately transformed into one of shock, anger and even fear. The Caliginous Continent was halfway across the Stygian Sea. It was said that it would take at least a year to reach it by boat and that it housed all manner of dark and dangerous entities.

The reason the mere mention of the continent surfaced such a reaction from my fellow villagers, was because of what ensued just over 3 years ago.

A voyage had been commissioned by the royal family of our Verdant Continent. It’s aim was to reach the infamous Caliginous Contient, in an attempt to potentially open a trade route between our two nations. Something as politically and financially motivated as this, would normally have never even reached the confines of our small village. However, the same ships that were sent in search of greater riches and further good fortune for the aristocratic elite, returned quicker than expected.

Instead of returning to fanfare and a grand welcome. The ships docked as far away from the capital as was possible. They docked off the coast of the mountainous valleys that surrounded a collection of villages and small towns. Under the cover of darkness, the inhabitants disembarked and pillaged the surrounding areas for just about everything, especially young women and girls.

At first we thought it was a group of bandits or pirates that were using guerilla warfare in an attempt to take over our villages and towns, however we were wrong. These were not bandits or pirates, they weren’t even human. They were a group of goblin and orc.

They somehow managed to commandeer the ships and sail them back to the Verdant Continent. The known occupants of the Caliginous Continent were said to be primitive and incapable of building and sailing ships. The only unity they showed was with their own kind and there was even infighting when it came to that. So the fact that a horde of goblin and orc had managed to overthrow and sail fully specked and manned vessels, was paradigm shifting.

A request for assistance was sent to the capital, but due to the sheer distance and danger involved in traversing the continent on foot to deliver the message, it was going to be awhile before assistance arrived.

In the meantime, a defence force of local people from the neighbouring villages and towns was formed to fight the invaders. This force consisted of town/village guards, blacksmiths, farmers, merchants, you name it. My father and Astoria’s father, both volunteered to fight in this defence force. The townspeople and villagers fought valiantly to protect their homes and property, but the invader’s were just too strong.

There was a vast number of casualties and by the time real soldiers and The Order of the White Mage arrived, more than 2/3rds of the defence force was tragically killed in the fighting.

The incoming soldier’s and representatives of The Order of the White Mage managed to clean up the remnants of the invaders and the crisis was ultimately put to rest. However, a dark shadow was cast over the villages and towns that were most affected by this tragedy.

Our village in particular lost a large number of men. Women were widowed, children were orphaned, even entire villages were destroyed. Perhaps the worst news, particularly in relation to Astoria and I, was that our father’s were two of the casualties of this conflict.

I was barely 13 at the time. If it hadn’t been for the moral and emotional support I received from fellow grieving villagers, as well as Gladus and Astoria, I don’t know where I would be now.

Astoria was particularly close to her father, the impact of losing him for the 15 year old Astoria must have also been difficult. The unity and sense of community that arose from the grieving villagers and townspeople, was heartwarming.

A yearly festival was held on the anniversary of the final day of conflict. A festival that was used to commemorate the sacrifice of the people that gave everything so that we could live. It kept their memory alive and allowed people to grieve and celebrate the peace and calm that befell after the strife.

My mind returned from trekking through those dark times and the tension in the room broke, when the two city folk stepped forward. We all directed our attention toward them. I quickly glanced over at Astoria and saw her eyes emblazoned with hatred and determination.

Thoughts of which crop to grow and how to best maintain the farm, became fleeting and I focused my undivided attention on the threat of a large scale battle.