Under the Shadow of Darkness: Book 1 of the Apprentice Series Read Free

to find. The death trails were open.”
    “I see,” Nes’egrinon said pensively.
    “But Nes’egrinon, honestly, I did not expect them here. I wonder if they followed us.”
    “Huh.”
    Muolithnon stood and pulled his vest tight then addressed his apprentice, “Kerlith. Come. Let us see how your training holds up.”
    Kerlith grinned at Bel and rolled the stone medallion hanging from his neck with his thumb and index finger as small red flames danced around it. Bel stepped out of their path and placed questioning eyes on Nes’egrinon.
    The aged mage struggled from his chair, retrieved his tall staff and hobbled to the door. “Ghouls, huh? And in my forest no less. Let’s have a look see, I suppose.” Stepping through the single entry to his one room shack, he turned to Bel and said, “Now you stay put. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to you yet. Don’t want you getting killed before I’ve had a chance to tell you how this is all going to go.”
    Bel closed the door behind them and thought about latching it but then reconsidered. He went to the lone window and peered out into the blackness as Kerlith stepped out from behind the spell of protection and walked out into the clearing.
    Kerlith stood in the middle of the front yard of the hovel, Muolithnon and Nes’egrinon a few paces behind him but they could barely see each other. It was too dark.
    Rustling and movement was all around Kerlith. He removed the stone from his neck and gripping it firmly in his hand, held it far above his head and cried out, “” The ground rumbled softly as small objects pushed up out of the earth. The ground was covered with them, small jagged crystals beaming a variety of different colored lights: blues, pinks and purples. The glowing ground exposed the ghouls, more than ten of them, maybe more than twenty, and momentarily disoriented them. Then they advanced on Kerlith from all angles.
    The old wizard said, “Well now look at that. Ghouls. And right here, off my front doorstep.”
    Muolithnon held the side of his head and Kerlith heard, “Remember your training. Don’t panic.”
    Kerlith allowed several of the ghouls to approach. They smiled as they placed their hands on him. One of them shallowly whispered, “Blood. We need blood.”
    Some ghouls pushed and pulled, yanking each other out of the way, trying to be the first to taste blood. Kerlith extended his arms, his eyes clenched down tight, him mumbling words, pushing out from deep in his belly, reaching deep down within himself and pushing outward. A few ghouls touched Kerlith then immediately withdrew their burnt and blackened hands and retreated a few paces.
    One cried out as his hand withered, “Why? Why do you hurt us?” He tucked the mottled appendage into the folds of his clothing.
    Kerlith proclaimed, “Leave this place. Return to your home.”
    Many of the ghouls murmured to each other, contemplating whether they should heed the words of the single young man when they numbered so many. A group of them began walking toward the apprentice en masse. Kerlith looked back at Muolithnon who nodded then turned to Nes’egrinon and said, “Obstinate, aren’t they? Shall we teach them a lesson?”
    “Maybe,” the wizard grunted. “You first. I’ll stay here and watch for now.”
    The young-looking mage stepped off the front porch and as his foot struck the grass, stepping out from behind the spell of protection on the hovel, the heads of many ghouls suddenly snapped toward him. Other ghouls erupted from the surrounding woods. Then a larger one, shirtless and scarred, ripped through the pack of them and screamed, “Mage!” The cheering ghouls stampeded towards Kerlith and his master while Bel nervously stroked his short staff on the other side of the window.
    Muolithnon joined his apprentice as the ghouls enveloped them. The shirtless one howled, “MAGE BLOOD!” and launched himself in the air at Muolithnon, swinging a thick tree branch, striking