Grandel Isle: The Queen’s Protector

The Darkness reaches out in its misty black form. It pushes through the portal and slides over the warm barrier. Its form shifts and churns as it looks for a weakness. It thinks of the barren wasteland in which it is trapped. There are no plants. Only charred blackened rocks. All the structures that once stood here have been destroyed from years of neglect and destruction. A few damaged grime stone columns and statues are all that remain. In front of the sunlit portal is a shadowy dark platform. Sitting in the center suppressing the beams of light is a statue of the Darkness, in one of its many sinister forms. The only other light is from the crackling fires and the constant flashes of lightning.

The beings that once had flourished here had christened it the Darkness. It has been known by many names through its endless life span. The Mist, Evil, Devil, and God are only a few. The entity is none of these and yet is like each in some way. It doesn’t remember the beginning of its never ending life. Only that it has always had one basic need, food and like all living things it does what it must to insure its survival.

The Darkness feels its pathetic Enchained behind it. When she first arrived she had three that were willing to help it. The ones that didn’t accept their fate were bound with chains. After month of being tortured by their own and the Darkness drinking the negative energy that collected around them. When they were changed mind and body. The physical chains were then removed, but they were never freed. Invisible chain bound them forever to the Darkness. They watch it closely with their lifeless black eyes, fearing that the Darkness’s unwanted attention will turn on them. After years of being harvested, their dark leathery bodies are all that’s left of whom they once were. There are so few of its Enchained that are still capable of feeling anything. Their only purpose is to serve the Darkness, in the hope that they’ll be spared.

The Darkness lets out a tortured scream. It can smell fresh food, but knows it’ll have to settle for the stale unappetizing food behind it.

“There has to be away through,” it hisses as it pushes against the repulsive barrier. “I must get through. I must feed.” In its fury, it slams itself against the golden barrier and feels it give ever so slightly. It turns to face its feeble servants and steps forward in the form of a tall dark haired woman. She has a small grin of satisfaction on her pale narrow face. Her chance has come again.

“The barrier is weakening. Their Queen is dying. They will need to go to Earth, and retrieve the new Queen soon. Shortly after they find the new Protector, they will send the box. Then, we can find her. We will need to move quickly. You,” she says with a low growl. She points at two cowering slaves on her left, with one of her long black claws. “Get ready to move. I must have the delectable negative energy that flourishes on Earth. I am starving.”

Her Enchained recoil under her sinister gaze. A thin stream of ice cold mist as black as her eyes comes from the end of her finger and encircles the two slaves in front of the group. They shiver as the mist washes over them.

“I need this new Queen after she acknowledges who she really is, and I need her alive.” Another louder growl escapes her.

They fall to their boney knees and grovel at her feet.

“Yes, my mistress,” they cry in crackling voices. “We will find her and we will not let any harm come to this one.”

She walks to an altar made of the bones of her enemies. The Darkness pulls out one of her long black claws, which quickly regenerate. She drops the old claw into a small black container that has symbols and writing around it. They’ve been written in blood. She adds a drop of melted flesh from the last Enchained she fed upon and a pinch of crushed bone from the last body that her bound slaves dragged home. Before sealing the container, she adds a mysterious burgundy liquid.

She shakes it vigorously then throws it into a nearby fire. The fire brightens as the revolting contents burn. A thin black smoke rises from the fire. She reaches out and seems to caress the smoke.

Her creation will carry the two Enchained to Earth. Unfortunately, for the Darkness, the black smoke is not strong enough to carry her to Earth.

“Find the Queen’s transport box, use it to find her. Utilize her father to get to her,” she says to the black smoke, and it seems to bow in agreement to its mission. The smoke moves toward the two bound slaves engulfing them. As they dissolve into the smoke they shriek in fear. The Darkness steps closer. She shivers with delight sensing an underline of pain.

“Quickly, leave,” she says her voice thick with longing.

The Darkness watches her creation glide through the portal. She forces her attention back to the glowing barrier, and bursting back into her misty form she starts probing it again. She doesn’t know how much longer she can survive if she doesn’t get to the new Queen first. If the Darkness can consume the new Queen, not only will the barrier be gone, but she’ll have a direct doorway to Earth.

How wonderful it’ll be on Earth!

Humans are so deliciously thoughtless and cruel. Blocking out their brilliant sun will be easy. They have done half of her work themselves.

First, she must consume all the negative energy from those who are in pain. Then, she’ll go after the tasty cruel ones. She’ll be strong enough then to start blocking out Earth’s life-giving sunlight. What plant life they themselves have not killed will start to die, and she’ll drink in the withering plants pain.

Oh, the lovely fear and despair will start then! How delicious that’ll be! The more she eats, the stronger she’ll become, and one day the Earth will die. Then with her new strength and Enchained she can have her revenge for all her years of torment. The hateful people of Grandel Isle will suffer. She’ll also be able to get back the three that escaped from this world. The ones that left their bodies behind, the ones whose bones make her alter. A shiver of pleasure ripples through her.

She looks through the portal and sees a young man sitting at the border of the Outer-lands. The Darkness feels something deep inside her stir, something unfamiliar. She doesn’t understand what it is. She only knows she doesn’t like him. She looks closer trying to figure it out.

He’s tall and muscular with sharp features. His golden hair is long and hides most of his face from her. She looks past him, and sees two more young men coming. The one closest to the golden haired boy, is short and pale with soft round features. She bypasses him with no concern. The last one is also tall and muscular like the first, but leaner and he has darker features. She can sense the angry and turmoil within him. Now, he’d be a tasty meal, she thinks.

Slowly, the three come together. She must move swiftly. These three are going to be trouble. She thinks.