Quest of the Heart: Chapter One
Of Ghosts and Fiends in Twilight
The sun sank low on the darkening horizon
Grey mist hung adrift over the land thickening
A cold, brisk autumn wind held and embraced me
With my horse’s pace and that of my heart quickening
Onward I rode beneath the reddish purpling sky
A singular purpose burning in my soul
Stars faded in to guide and watch over me
My spirit consumed with love’s fire exacting its toll
Speeding farther into the gathering darkness
A blood red moon rose full above my desperate race
Lighting the way, an eerie beacon in the night
In my mind visions of my lovely Lady’s face
The past cried out, a raging torrent in my mind
I urged ‘Shadow Mane’ forward at the speed of death
Over moors and quagmires and through downs deep end
I would endure and find her lest I take my last breath
The Black Keep loomed up in the falling darkness
Distance now joined in a fierce battle with time
Dark storm clouds rolled in with a bone chilling rain
Thunder screamed to shake me, lightening spit to crack the sky
Shadow Mane flew, hooves barely touching the ground
The void was closing as we raced to the tower
My mind filled with thoughts of my Lady held captive
Her agony growing with each passing hour
The ground shook, but my will would not be shaken
As I headed for the tower, the Evil Lord’s liar
Held aloft by my Love and my memories of her
My beautiful sweet flower now imprisoned there
We approached the base of the sky-scraping keep
The rain pounded harder to beat us to the ground
But we held strong as we came up to the wall
Fierce bolts of lightening struck the earth all around
Weak and exhausted Shadow Mane stumbled and fell
My body was thrown but my mind held on fast
Striking the ground with bone cracking force and sound
When I opened my eyes I beheld ghosts of my past
Grey misty forms were circling around me
They had called me forth from death’s darkest dream
I wiped blood from my eyes; my head was split open
I was still alive and there was hope it did seem
The world spun around as I staggered to my feet
Racked with pain I fought to regain my bearing
What first came to focus was my Grandfather’s face
Gone ages ago, yet standing before me glaring
He motioned towards the tower and nodded his head
His mouth moved as speaking, yet no words could I hear
In my heart I knew what he would have me do
I must calm my anger and release all of my fear
The voice of wisdom resounded in my head
I saw the truth written on my Grandfather’s face
“Fight with proud determination of thy Father”
“Be guided in battle by thy Mother’s fair grace”
I drew up all of my strength and calmed my soul
Standing quiet and still in the pouring rain
He reached out his hand towards my shattered body
With a numbing rush of heat he released my pain
With that he slowly smiled and then turned around
A great spirit approached I could not see clear
My Grandfather received a long glowing object
He then turned about and approached very near
Through my heart he again gave council to me
“Behold, ‘Wolven Stave’ served at thy forefather’s side”
“With heart pure and true in a time of great need”
“Calleth upon ‘Luna’ thy white wolf spirit guide”
I beheld the staff as he presented to me
Bright blue Topaz atop solid oak of pure white
As I received Wolven Stave head bowed in reverence
The ghosts of my ancestors faded into the night
I found myself staring at the staff in my hand
As I stood alone before the cold, Black Keep
My Love’s name appeared along the length of the oak
“Gennifer,” carved in golden scroll long and deep
I approached the cruel lair of my Lady’s abductor
With renewed strength of heart in true love’s purpose
Now wielding the gift of my ancestral spirits
I went forth to lay siege to the Dark Lord’s fortress
The Dark Lord, the Evil One, my family’s bane
Countless years of war on our noble house he waged
As a child I was forbidden to speak his name
Vladius Draco, the Black Magi, the Dark Sage
‘Twas during the last battle of the Great War
These nine and twenty years past he was taken alive
His armies destroyed by my Father’s bravest knights
Imprisoned in the keep we all thought he had died
Nay, He called upon the Most Evil, Darkest One
For the price of his soul all Hell’s power bestowed
In the dead of the night he stole my Love from me
I am come to win her back and slay the wicked toad!
I set to climbing the face of the freezing stone
My ascension was agonizingly slow
My body weight seemed as to double in load
But in ratio my strength was made to grow
With the top of the tower just within reach
I heard something shriek and swoop down past my back
Turning my head I saw the loathsome stone creature
A gruesome gargoyle coming about to attack
With snarling ferocity he sped right towards me
Howling he came on, claws outstretched to rend and shred
With one final effort I reached the top of the wall
Swung ‘round and brought Wolven Stave down smashing his head
The strength of the blow felled me back off my feet
I tumbled down some stairs and crashed through a door
Rolling down to the edge of a great chasm
I lodged Wolven Stave on a stone in the floor
I hung by my fingers for what seemed to be hours
As I tried to figure what would be my next move
Then I heard the low, coarse rumble of a growl
Smoke rose up around me and a hot wind blew
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