Long ago the people lived without darkness.  Everyone loved each other and there was no murder.  No one stole or cheated on their spouse or envied their neighbors.  The Lord of Darkness, of ultimate chaos hated the perfect world.  He growled in anger and frustration, causing the ground to shake violently.  The people were frightened, something they had never been before.  They believed that the Creator was mad at them.  The people could not understand what they had done to deserve the Creator’s anger.  The people hid, afraid to show their faces.  When the earthquake stopped, the people timidly came out of hiding, they saw the bodies of loved ones scattered across the earth, but the earth was no longer perfect.  Trees had been uprooted and the mountains themselves had split.  The frightened people buried their dead; there had never been so much grief. 

The grief soon turned to anger.  The people were angry with the creator for hurting them.  They refused to give him offerings and cursed his name.  The Creator looked down upon the people and wept.  The Lord of Darkness, Vandergal had turned his people against him.  He decided to leave the people to their own fate, since they no longer had faith in him.  Vandergal, the Lord of darkness was overjoyed at the Creator’s abandonment.  Now he could rule the earth.  First he sent a great sickness upon the people and many died.  The people still believed the creator was punishing them, they cursed his name, but he did not hear.  The Lord of Darkness caused evil after evil to take place; pretty soon the whole world was in chaos.  But after many years of despair, there came those who still had faith in the Creator.  They formed together and fought back at the evil forces.  Years later things began to look better.  But that had all taken place a thousand years before.  Now the Creator seemed to have come back to the people.  The sun began to shine bright once again and hope spread through the world.  But there also came a shadow that soon threatened the light.

 

 

They were called the Shadow Riders.  Made from the essence of the Lord of Darkness, they had no souls and were totally evil.  On his command they would once again move through the world to conquer it. 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1:  An undiscovered Heroine

 

 

 

            Adriana lifted the tray of food and made her way through the swinging doors.  Blasts of conversations welcomed her as she swerved through the crowd.  She finally came to her destination and set down the food for the guests.  A man smiled and flipped her a bronze coin.  She smiled back and made her way to the kitchen for more food.  Adriana’s mother was yelling orders to the cook.  Again Adriana was given another tray and she was off.

            This was the life Adriana lived.  She helped around the inn, which her mother and stepfather owned.  She was used to others calling her the innkeeper’s daughter.  She doubted if many people knew her real name.  Adriana wondered what if anything new would happen in her life as she placed a tray in front of some more guests.  They were too busy talking to really to take notice of her.  She was used to people never really paying attention to her.  She could be a wall for all they cared.  Adriana was very pretty, no one could doubt that, but she never talked.  Her life pretty much consisted of working.  When she wasn’t working she would daydream of a different life.  Ever since her mother had married Adriana’s stepfather she had been pretty much ignored.  She could barely remember her father who had dried when Adriana was three years old.  All she knew was that he had been an innkeeper and her mother had acquired the estate when he died.  It wasn’t that her mother didn’t care for her she was just too busy.  Marrying Kevin was supposed to help, but it seemed Adriana’s mother now worked harder then ever.  A voice shouted out from the kitchens.  Adriana sighed and picked up her pace.  She would have to ponder later; there was work to be done.  

 

 

            Miles and miles away something evil was lurking.  A dark shadow played across gray stonewalls as the wind howled outside.  A shape loomed into view, heavy footsteps echoed through the halls.  The black clad figure took out a key ring laden with many heavy keys and fit one in the lock.  The door creaked open and the figure stepped inside.  The door was closed and the figure sat on a great wooden chair and removed his hood.  The only light in the room bounced off the man’s bald head.  An earring glistened and the rings on each of his thick fingers glowed as well. The man shifted his large body nervously. He was not fat, but carried a certain bulk.  Strong biceps grew tense as a swirling black mist erupted from a corner of the room.  Slowly the mist shaped itself into a hazy, misshapen shape.  Hollow eyes seemed to study the man.  The big man shifted yet again.  The mist opened an invisible mouth and began to speak in a raspy tone.  “Emperor Rashnag.”  The thing greeted.  “I have orders.”  The voice seemed to echo through the chamber.  Rashnag shivered as if an icy blast had just hit him.  The thing moved closure to the Emperor.  “I will once again release my Shadow Riders into the night.”  It hissed.  “When I do, you shall once again gain the power you had years ago.  The figure flickered a little.  “Then you shall release me.”  The thing said.  “And once again the world will know darkness.”  It laughed, its laughter like dry leaves rustling in the wind.  The laughter died as the thing vanished.  The Emperor rose and shook his head hard.  A tingling sensation seemed to be growing through him. He began to feel stronger by the moment.  He grabbed a hold of a metal brace, he squeezed.  The brace crumbled like dust beneath his fingers.  Now it was Rashnag’s turn to laugh.  The world would once again know his wrath. 

 

 

            It was approaching evening and the traffic in the inn began to slow. Now it was time for the travelers to sit around and tell tales.  Adriana loved this part of the evening.  She would sit with the travelers and listen to their wondrous adventures.  Today an old man sitting by himself in a far corner of the inn caught her eye.  As she glided over with a drink for him, he smiled.  “Thank you young lady.”  He said.  “Would you like to hear a tale?”  Adriana grabbed a chair and listened as the old man began his story.  It went something like this:

 

 

Long ago when chaos was just settling a powerful young man came into power.  He promised the people that he would protect them and guide them through the troubled times ahead.  He did just that.  His name was Arminius.  He had long golden hair and bright green eyes.  It seemed that all the women in the village fell in love with him, but according to customs Arminius had to choose a bride of noble birth.  He finally found one and everyone was amazed by his choice.  For Arminius hadn’t chosen some dark-eyed beauty but a light-eyed plain girl.  Her name was Althea.  Soon they were wed and had children.  Two hundred years passes and there was peace, good kings ruled and died.  But peace cannot last forever and on the two hundred and first year of peace a man rode in from the west, with him was a large army.  The stranger with his army was able to overthrow the king.  The man who had led the army then declared himself Emperor and called himself ruler over the entire world.  This man seemed to have strange powers, and he reined for a hundred years.  In those one hundred years the Emperor never aged.  After a hundred years of suffering another man rose from the mist.  He called himself General Brimstone.  He gathered up an army of fifty thousand men.   He also gathered up all the most powerful sorcerers and sorceresses he could find.  He was able to defeat the Emperor, but could not restore peace.  The people were already far too corrupted.  The Dark Lord of the underworld seemed to have been beaten, but not completely. 

The old man took a deep breath.  Adriana stared at him in wonder.  She had heard the story many times, but never had she heard it told so well.  The old man looked at Adriana and sighed.  “He has again risen from his grave.”  Adriana looked at him shocked.  “Adriana!”  Her head snapped toward the direction of the voice.  Her mother was stomping toward her.  “Get in the kitchen and help Tammy clean up!”  She snapped.  Adriana turned to thank the man for the story, but he was gone.  She wondered how the old man had disappeared so fast.

 

 

Lord Ethan took a long chug of his wine.  It slid down his throat, warming him.  He sat down and studied the woman bowing before him.  She had long brown hair and large brown eyes.  Quite pretty he thought.  “What is it you ask?”  He demanded in a quiet but harsh voice.  “I am asking for my husband’s release.”  The woman told him.  “I’ll do anything you ask, but please let him go.”

 The Lord grinned.  “Warm my bed tonight and I shall see about releasing your husband.”  He said.  The woman looked up at Ethan, frightened.  Her brown eyes had the look of despair upon them.  “Very well.”  She whispered.  Lord Ethan prepared to rise and take the woman to his chambers when the doors to his throne room banged open.  He looked up.  Both his guards were knocked flat on their faces, their pikes shoved into their backs.  A large shaven haired man came striding toward Ethan.  “Who the hell are you?”  Lord Ethan spat.  “How dare you come barging in here!”  The man paid no attention to Ethan and caught him easily by the throat.  “The Lord of Darkness demands payment.”  The man said.  “No, please.”  Ethan said gasping for air.  The hand closed around his throat with a crunch.  The Lord began to spasm; soon he was dead, yet the hand continued to close around his neck.  The force brought Ethan’s head off with a pop.  The head rolled on the floor by the woman’s feet.  She screamed high and loud.  Emperor Rashnag began to laugh uncontrollably. 

 

 

Ignatius woke up with a start.  He was breathing fast.  The dream had seemed so real. He threw off the covers and jumped out of his bed.  He grabbed the water pitcher and splashed water on his face.  He dried his face off and tried to slow his breathing.  Just a dream.  He reminded himself.  He began to study the room he was in.  The blue curtains fluttered in the breeze.  The room was silent and dark.  Ignatius wondered what had caused the dream.  If any of the other knights knew he was frightened of a dream they would laugh at him.  Ignatius knew one person who wouldn’t laugh, and that was Krag, the old seer.  Throwing on his cloak, Ignatius bolted out the door.  The seer would be able to tell him what the dream meant.

 

 

A thousand miles away in the dead of the night black shapes scourged from the hills.  Black Griffins soured with their Shadow Riders, wings thundering in the soundless night. Griffins and riders seemed to materialize from the mountains.  The riders and their steeds thundered on, spitting up in all directions.  There seemed to be no end to the beating of wings.

 

 

It was a beautiful spring day and Adriana was stuck inside cleaning plates from tables.  Smoke drifted thickly through the air, but she was used to it.  The travelers always found excuses to light up their pipes.  The sudden sound of the door bursting open caught Adriana’s attention.  “Riders in the East!”  The figure in the door cried.  “They’ve destroyed Kastlenog!”  Several men in the room stood up abruptly.  The man in the doorway was breathing heavily, trying to regain his breath.  “It is rumored that the Riders have returned to reclaim the world!”  The several that had stood up began to talk amongst themselves.  “Impossible!”  One shouted.  “They’ve been gone for over 300 years!”  “We must warn the king!”  Another shouted.  “We must go to arms!”  Yet another man yelled.  The men rushed out the doors, some leaving their food untouched.

As if by some warning that half her customers had just left Adriana’s mother came running in from the kitchens.  “What is going on in here?”  She demanded.  “They are saying the Shadow Riders are back and have destroyed Kastlenog.”  Adriana replied.  “Utter nonsense!”  Adriana’s mother spat.  “I hope you’re sensible to not believe in such a rumor!”  “Of course not mother.”  Adriana said.  Her mother then turned and headed back into the kitchens.  Adriana couldn’t help but shiver.  Could the Shadow Riders be back for real?  If so what did it mean?  That night Adriana couldn’t sleep.  She had heard many more stories of riders raiding cities in the South and East.  She couldn’t help but believe that the stories were true.  Would they come to a small fishing village?  Again Adriana shivered.  In all the stories that had been told as a child, the Shadow Riders destroyed everything in their path.  No one was sate from them.  Adriana closed her eyes and tried to let sleep overcome her.  But she knew deep inside that something was terribly wrong. 

 

 

Ignatius rode swiftly on horseback.  He followed the other knights into the forests.  They were on their way to Borg to protect that castle and its rulers.  The Shadow Riders were once again on the loose.  Ignatius shivered, not in fear of the riders but of the seer’s reply.  When Ignatius had seen the old seer to tell him of his dream, the seer immediately went into a trance.  The words the seer had uttered still echoed in his mind.  “Old will renew itself, darkness will once again reign.  An Emperor of old will be reborn and life itself will be stopped.  Only one can stop the fate of the world, yet if the chosen is not found, all will be lost.  Ignatius didn’t doubt one bit that the Emperor of old that the seer was talking about was Rashnag.  But who could possible be the chosen one?  Before Ignatius could ponder anymore an unearthly scream echoed through the forest.  Black Griffins ridden upon by black clod warriors fell onto the knights.  They seemed to have come out from nowhere.  Ignatius turned his horse around to face his attacker.  The man’s hood fell back, revealing eyes that seemed a flame.  When Ignatius glanced again at the figure, he wasn’t sure it was a man.  But he had no time to wonder.  A sword clashed down against his own.  Ignatius swung his sword hard, forcing the rider’s sword from his hands.  The man screamed as Ignatius buried his sword into the man’s chest.  The rider crumpled and fell.  The screaming continued.  To Ignatius’s horror the screaming wasn’t coming from the man, but from the Griffin.  Fire squirted from the Griffin’s mouth, Ignatius was barely able to get out of the way.  He swung his sword once again and it sliced the Griffin’s head clean off.  The monster screamed one last time before it too, died.

Frantically Ignatius looked around.  The rest of his group was not doing well.  Half the knights were littered across the forest floor, which was now covered with blood.  Ignatius slashed down two more riders and their Griffin’s.  Then from his left side a rider attacked.  Time seemed to stand still as Ignatius was stabbed on his side.  Blackness engulfed his vision and he felt the horse rear.  He gripped on the reins with what strength he had.  He felt the wind whistle in his ears before he lost consciousness.

 

 

Adriana was washing laundry in the stream when she heard the sound of horse hooves.  Quickly she looked up and glanced around, but she saw nothing.  Then out of the trees ahead shot a black and white horse with a rider sliding off the saddle.  Adriana quickly jumped up to grab the horse.  It backed up and neighed when she grabbed the reins, but quieted at the sound of her voice.  Adriana looked at the man on the horse; he was very pale, his long dark hair streamed down, covering his face.  His left side was caked with blood; he seemed to be barely hanging onto life.  Adriana knew she had to get the man some help, and soon if he were to live.  She quickly led the horse to Mistress Anna, a skilled healer.

Adriana led the horse and rider to a small brown-bricked cottage.  The door opened and a gray haired man stumbled through.  “Out!”  A woman yelled waking him with a broom.  “I don’t need your so called eternal water!  How dare you insult an old woman like myself!”  The man hurried away from the old woman.  Mistress Anna glanced up and saw Adriana and the injured man.  “Oh dear!”  She cried.  “You two over there, help me carry this man in here!”  Two young men who had been standing and chatting quickly went to come help.  They grabbed the man carefully and took him into the cottage, Adriana followed closely behind.  The two men left, leaving Adriana, the man and Anna alone.  Anna began to examine the man’s wound.  “I can see he still breaths.”  She said.  “The wound is infected, hand me some solvent.”  Adriana handed her a large bowl of orange sticky cream.  “Start a fire my dear and get some rags heated up.”  Mistress Ann instructed again.  “Adriana knew where to find the firewood and crock pot, for she had helped Mistress Anna prepare many ingredients.  Adriana could tell the difference between many of the healing plants used.

Hours passed and Mistress Anna once again changed the stranger’s rags.  Adriana sat there stoking the man’s hand, as if she were comforting him.  “Shouldn’t you get back to the inn?  You mother may need your help.”  Anna said as she washed out the blood soaked rags.  “She can survive.”  Adriana suddenly snapped.  “The worst I’ll get is a scolding.”  Mistress Ann said nothing more. 

A glitter of light caught Adriana’s eye.  She looked to see a large medallion on the stranger’s chest.  “What’s this?”  Adriana asked.  Mistress Anna looked up at the medallion.  “What do the letters say?”  The old woman asked.  Adriana shook her head.  “I can’t read, you know that Mistress Anna.”  She said.  “Curse this old brain of mine, of course you can’t read!”  Anna said grabbing a hold of the medallion to read it.  “It says “Domini hastar e Rena, which translates to: Long live the King.”  Anna said.  “He must be a Knight of Progder.”  A mumbling sound startled Adrian.  The man began to stir.  “Hurry…must warn King…Shadow Riders are coming…they’ll burn Borg.”  He gasped.  “What do you mean?”  Adriana asked.  “He’s…” The man said, and then stopped, his breathing was slowing; he didn’t have enough strength to finish.  “Shadow Riders!”  Adriana exclaimed.

 

 

The light from the burning city flickered off the Emperor’s bald head.  His eyes glistened as he watched the city burn.  Screams pierced the night air.  A cruel smile played upon Rashnag’s lips.  Let the traitors burn.  “Your Excellency.”  The voice brought his thoughts back to his troops.  He turned his horse around.  A pack of horse was approaching him.  A man in rich red robes and a gold crown upon his head sat on a horse, flanked by three of the Emperor’s soldier’s.  “Ah King Boris, how kind of you to join me.”  The Emperor said.  “What have you done?”  The King demanded raising his bruised face.  “You’re not even supposed to be alive.” 

Emperor Rashnag laughed coldly.  “Unlike you I have been given a second chance.”

“Curse you!”  The King grumbled.

The Emperor frowned at the King’s words.  “Bow down to me, join me, it is the only way.”  “Never!”  King Boris replied.  “I’d rather die a thousands deaths then bow to you!”  With that he spat at the Emperor’s feet.  The Emperor stopped laughing.  “Fool, now you shall die as your people have!”  He growled as he dismounted from his horse.  “Stand him up.”  He commanded.  The men took the king form his horse and set him before the Emperor. 

Before anyone could blink Rashnag shoved his sword into the King’s stomach.  Blood squired as the sword was withdrawn.  The King gasped and fell to his knees, and then he toppled over.  Blood began to seep up around the ground, the Emperor stepped back to avoid getting any on his boots.  He then bent over and plucked the crown from the dead kings head and placed it on his own head.  A soldier approached Rashnag, a young woman in tow.  She stood tall, chin pointed upward.  Dirt lined her face, and her dress was torn.  Rashnag could see she had fought against her capturers.  The soldier bowed.  “May I present to you the King’s daughter?”  The soldier said.  The Emperor grinned.  “A pleasure.”  He said licking his lips.

 

 

            When Adriana rose and left that morning her mother didn’t stop her.  Adriana supposed Mistress Anna had spoken to her last night.  When Adriana arrived at Mistress Anna’s a middle-aged man was talking to her.  “Borg was burned to the ground last night, and their king was murdered!”  The man said.  “They say the Emperor himself is back and had his troops sack the city and kill the inhabitants!  He murdered the King then raped the King’s daughter, King Boris’s blood still dripping from his hands.”  Mistress Anna looked like she was going to be sick.  “Rumors I dare say.”  She said, but she didn’t looked convinced with her answer.  The man didn’t leave, he kept talking.  “You need to help us!  A great sorceress like yourself should be able to defeat the Emperor!”  He said.  Mistress Anna shook her head.  “I don’t have the powers I used to, I dare say I would be much help.”  Mistress Anna spotted Adriana and turned to her.  “Come in Adriana, your stranger’s fever broke last night.  “Is it true?”  Adriana exclaimed.  “Is the Emperor really alive again?” 

Mistress Anna sighed.  “I doubt he lives, but something in my old bones believes that something evil is stirring.  The old woman squatted down next to the man.  To Adriana’s surprise his eyes opened.

 

 

            Ignatius eyes searched the face above him.  Where was he?  Ignatius bolted upright and threw the cover from his body.  The woman that had been looking at him backed up.  A firm hand pressed on Ignatius’s shoulder.  He turned and to his surprise he was face to face with an old medicine woman.  “Calm down my son.”  The woman said.  “You are now safe.”

“But where am I?”  Ignatius wondered aloud. 

“You are in the town of Woodwind.”  The woman said.  “Your horse carried you here.” 

“But the riders, they’re back!”  Ignatius said,  “They attacked me and my men, we must leave before they come here!” 

“Sit!”   The old woman snapped.  Ignatius sat back down on the bed.  “There are no Shadow Riders here.”