Finn reached up and touched the unicorn’s horn, and he was surprised by its texture.
“Vartan, the horn feels warm,” Finn giggled.
The unicorn turned to Vartan and cocked its head to the side.
It is not your presence that I fear, human. Leave this place as soon as you can. It is not safe here for any of us, said a voice in his mind.
Vartan jumped back and looked around in confusion, only to find no other presence in sight.
Did a unicorn just talk to me? Am I losing my mind? thought Vartan.
Of course I spoke to you. We should not be meeting like this. The time isn't right. Are you not aware-
Suddenly, and without warning, it turned its body sharply and stared deep into the darkness.
Vartan whispered, 'What's wrong?'
The beast's voice reverberated in his head.
Run!
The unicorn snorted and galloped away at full speed until its white glow could no longer be seen.
Vartan caught a quick glint of moonlight through the blanket of trees, reflecting off a metallic object flying through the air with penetrating speed. There was no time to waste on thinking. As if time itself had slowed to a crawl, he leapt backwards and shoved Finn out of the path of the unknown missile slicing its way through the icy air.
Vartan landed heavily on top of his brother, who yelped in pain at the weight suddenly crushing him. Finn's voice shrieked, 'I’m scared!'
There was a loud thud as the weapon embedded itself in the trunk of an oak tree, only a body length away from where the boys lay. Vartan looked up and saw what appeared to be a plain dagger, but just as it came into focus, it quickly dissolved into nothing.
Vartan blurted involuntarily, 'Dark magic…'
A voice whispered from within the darkness. 'Fools!'
Suddenly, something darted between the trees, like a moving shadow.
“Who are you? Tell us what you want with us!” growled Vartan angrily into the darkness.
There was a moment of uneasiness as the boys found their feet. Not a sound could be heard aside from their lungs expelling air. The night became noticeably cooler, and a chill found its way up their spines as their hot breaths formed mist in the air.
“Brother, I want to go home now,” cried Finn.
“Stay still and don’t move a muscle!” hissed Vartan, pushing his brother back onto the muddy forest floor and once again readying his bow. His slow steps crunched the twigs on the forest floor beneath his weight.
“You shouldn’t be here!” reverberated a dark voice that sounded as if it came from all around them.
Suddenly, Vartan realised what had found them. They had truly ventured too far into the forest this time.
Shadow demons, he thought.
His father had warned him about the Forces of Darkness that preyed on innocents in the woods and had no compassion, not even for children. They could move wherever no light shone, and they used the shadows as portals to their realms.
Vartan heard the sound of leaves rustling all around, and spun on his heel when he heard rough movement behind him.
“He’s toying with us,” he said, as he turned in all directions, desperately seeking any signs of movement to give away the being’s presence.
Finn ran toward the darkness with his sword drawn, slashing wildly at the shadows. His tears shone in the moonlight as he screamed, “I’m not afraid of you!”
“Finn, no!” cried Vartan.
A shifting figure of darkness slithered out from behind a tree, jerking Finn to a sudden stop mid-jump as it grabbed hold of his frail neck, making it appear that he was suspended in the dark air.
“Pathetic creatures! You think you can attack me and live to tell the tale?” The demon twisted and threw Finn like a toy doll against the trunk of the oak tree beside them. The sharp and sickening sound of bones snapping filled the air, as the young boy’s body gave way to the rock-hard surface that he hit with full force. Vartan froze, his body like a statue as he watched helplessly. His brother’s now-lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Vartan's eyes narrowed and his body shook. “No! Why did you do that? He was just a boy!'
It seemed a fire began to build inside his body, as though his chest burned with real flames. He felt small sparks of energy surge from his chest and his body felt more alive than ever before. He screamed so ferociously in his overpowering fury that he lost his voice. As he released the arrow from its confinement, both Vartan and the bow flickered with a dark blue light, enchanting the arrow with lightning shards that ripped their way into the air around it. It was only then, as the dark woods were forced into light, that Vartan had his first true view of the demon. Its skin rippled and flowed so rapidly that Vartan’s eyes struggled to find its features.
The arrow immediately found its target, and exploded with immense power as it struck the centre of the demon. The resulting explosion set the surrounding trees alight like giant candles, removing all shadow and darkness from around them. With no means of escape, the demon howled with pain as it slowly dissolved, piece by piece, into nothingness.
It dragged its decaying body along the ground toward Vartan. A loud hiss erupted from the demon as it dropped into the forest floor.
“Just die!” cried Vartan, dropping to his knees beside his brother’s broken body.
Using his last ounce of strength, he dragged Finn’s body away from the oak. Moments later, a burning branch landed heavily in its place. Vartan’s vision blurred as his anger gave way to his grief. Tears of pain blanketed his eyes, and he sobbed uselessly. Suddenly he was completely overcome with weakness, so physically drained, that he collapsed onto the dirty forest floor next to his little brother. He couldn’t move a muscle in reaction even as the faint but crescendo of galloping hooves reached his ears.
“There they are! Down by the burning trees! We’ve found them!” yelled Leon to the horsemen trailing behind him.
“Wha… What has happened? No! Finn!” cried Leon desperately, his voice wavering.
Vartan parted his lips and he whispered weakly, “Father, I couldn’t save him. I failed him… I… Demon… sorry…”
Strong arms lifted his body off the ground as if he was as light as a feather. Vartan finally closed his eyes and drifted away into sleep's deep embrace.
Vartan found himself standing in a well-lit cavern. He brought his hands to his face and his spine tingled. Something did not feel right. It was as if he hovered above the ground in a dream of some kind.
“Where am I? Have I died and gone to the realm of the gods?” he asked. His voice echoed through the endless underground tunnels laden with a kaleidoscope of crystals and diamonds.
He squinted as the blurry figure of a man appeared, standing atop a mound in the cavern floor. “Far from it. More importantly, child, what you should be asking yourself is, ‘ Who am I?’” The image of the man flickered as it spoke. “You are not yet trained in the ancient arts of magic, Vartan, and you are far too young to have cast the spell of Sky’s Wrath without the proper training to control it. Many paths lay before you, and there are many challenges which you alone must overcome before we meet again.'
“Magic, training, paths-what are you talking about? Finn — my little brother — I failed to save his life, and it’s all my fault!” cried Vartan.
“You really do not know, then? Who you are? Why you are here? That is an interesting conundrum. Your brother chose his own path, Vartan, but you should ease your conscience with the knowledge that he has passed into the afterlife and will be born again.'
“Born again? What does that mean?” asked Vartan desperately.
“That was his fate, and you are fortunate to remain in a position to choose your own. It is with the luck of the gods that you will wake again, as the amount of magic that you unleashed could dispatch the uninitiated from Marithia — or from any other world, for that matter. When the time is right, we will meet again. Until that time, we will watch you from afar. We will have much more to discuss then.'
“Who are you? What are you? How will I know who you are when we meet again?” asked Vartan.
The figure let out an immense laugh that sent a few stalactites smashing into the ground. “You are not the
