'His Will' (Ledgic)

‘His Will’

He had begun to appreciate the dull and gloom of Surwich. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or maybe it was the fact he was so far away from the twisted thorns of the land that raised him. It was another sleepless night for Ledgic Caan as he stood in the doorway of the house he had been told to reside in. He lifted his left hand to hold it in front of his face; he could barely see it through the darkness and thick fog. The sky seemed to be layered with the same mist at all hours of the day, and at night it became so heavy that not even the moonlight could pierce it.

He closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh, it wasn’t as if it made any difference. If he slept, he would travel to a place equally as dark. At least the darkness of Surwich didn’t speak to him; there were no whispers on the wind here. Just the distant sound of the wildlife and the light waves as they gently met the shoreline. He opened his eyes again and turned to look behind him, his eyes widened, as he noticed nothing but darkness. He turned once again to look forward and stumbled backwards at the sight of Kaden Caan stood before him.

‘Yer getting ‘arder n’ ‘arder to get ‘old of lad’ he said with a sneer. Ledgic steadied himself and watched as Iriden stepped out from behind the large frame of Kaden to stand beside him. Then, as he turned his head to the left he watched as Vanith stepped out to stand on the other side. ‘Y’must be getting used t’us now. Yer supposed t’be listenin’ t’wha’ we say’ said Kaden as his voice deepened and he lunged out to grab Ledgic by the throat.

‘Yer na’ real! None o’ ye are ‘ere!’ yelled Ledgic as he batted Kaden’s hand away. He reached down to take a hold of his daggers but was met with nothing but air. ‘I know wha’ yer like wit’ those daggers’ said Iriden with a smirk. ‘Na’ chance’.

Ledgic grunted and slowly lifted his arms and clenched his hands into fists. ‘Ding, ding ding!’ said Vanith with a quiet laugh. Ledgic launched himself forward and plunged his fist into Kaden’s stomach, causing his father to hunch over. Ledgic twisted himself round the large man and elbowed him in the back of the head, sending him to the floor. His head turned sharply to the left as Vanith’s fist connection with his jaw. Blood flicked through the air from Ledgic’s mouth as he turned and slammed a forceful punch straight against Vanith’s nose, sending him stumbling back.

Using the opportunity to dart away, Ledgic began running into the darkness behind his deceased clansmen. He stopped sharply as Iriden appeared before him, as if he could simply teleport from place to place. ‘Like I said, na’ chance’ he said quietly as he rammed the sole of his boot into Ledgic’s chest. Ledgic flew backwards and slammed into the now straightened Kaden. He let out a growl as he wrapped his arms tightly around Ledgic and squeezed.

‘Now tha’ we’ve got ye comfortable…’ said Vanith as he climbed up from the floor. Iriden walked past him to stand in front of Ledgic, watching with a grin as he struggled to free himself from Kaden’s grip. ‘Don’ waste yer time Led, y’ain’ got any chance’ he said as he lifted a hand to rest it on Ledgic’s cheek. Ledgic stopped struggling and simply looked at Iriden with confusion.

‘I’m sorry I ran an’ left ye t’tha’ sorta life. But I’m ‘ere now, an’ y’need t’know tha’ yer livin’ a lie. S’wha’ I did, Led, pretended I were somethin’ else… tha’ I were differen’ from th’rest. I weren’, nobody tha’s ever stepped outta tha’ village is anythin’ more n’ scum’. Iriden spoke with a kindness that Ledgic had obviously never heard before.

‘Everythin’ tha’ ‘appened t’ye in the village were planned, Led. Everyone were in on it, ‘cept tha’ lovely lil’ lass ye wanted’ said Vanith with a smirk as he stepped beside Iriden. ‘We ‘ad t’make ye break, once ye ‘ad… well, y’woulda been th’clan leader na’ matter yer age’

Ledgic looked between Iriden and Vanith sharply as Iriden took his hand away. Kaden released his grip and let Ledgic stand on his own. He lifted a hand to rest it on Ledgic’s shoulder and gripped it. ‘A Caan is sa’ much more n’ ye ever thought, son. ‘cause all ye ever got t’know wha’ th’pain we ‘ad t’give ye. We ‘ad na’ choice’.

Ledgic lifted a hand to his face and covered his eyes. What the hell was he supposed to make of all this? He knew that this the shadow entering his mind and screwing with his thoughts… but what was he supposed to think now?

‘Ye need t’go back t’Duskwood an’ rebuild tha’ village, an’ ye need t’do it quickly. Wit’ th’shadow finally wakin’ up… ye’ve gotta be wha’ ye were meant t’be’ said Iriden as he folded his arms. ‘But y’know tha’ th’people aroun’ ye will never let ye do tha’. Annie, Vale, Eothan an’ Omanos… y’need t’get rid of ‘em, if yer ever gonna be free’ said Vanith.

He knew their words were rubbish but they weren’t making his blood boil. How far had the shadow gone now? How many more of these dreams would it take before he simply twisted? He began to shake violently and gripped his face tightly.

‘SHUT UP’ he yelled.

‘Yer a blood soaked Caan already! All y’need t’do is this one thin’! If they all die yer free t’jes let go an’ live!’ shouted Kaden as he gripped Ledgic’s shoulder tightly.

‘It ain’ like any of ‘em are doin’ ye any good is it? Vale’s doin’ a dance on yer ‘eart, Annie’s a’ready fecked other blokes an’ ‘urt ye, Eothan’s tried t’smack ye fer shi’ wit’ Vale an’ Om’ follows ye aroun’ like a lost dog. Don’ ye wan’ some freedom, eh? No worries, no feelin’s an’ no attachments’ said Iriden with a smirk as Ledgic lifted his head. He slowly took the hand from his face and stared into the eyes of Iriden.

‘Cut their feckin’ ‘eads off’ said Iriden in a slithering voice, the same snake like tone the cultist in Hyjal had used. Ledgic closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.

‘This ain’ real, none o’ this is real. They’re all dead… I’m alive, wha’ they think never mattered befer, it doesn’t matter now. Th’shadow can feck wit’ me all it likes… it can… try t’break me, I won’ break! I never break! I’m Ledgic feckin’ Caan, I’m… Ledgic… I’m nothin’ but a blood soaked scumbag I… could kill them… end all the pain? I could… could I? No… yes… it’d be simple, easy… it’d….’ Ledgic’s own voice seemed to bounce around his mind, slamming off his skull and travelling through his entire being. He could kill them, perhaps the shadow had the right idea, killing them would free him of everything that brought him to his knees. Then he’d be free to do as he wished, to whom he wished. He’d be every bit the Caan he had been raised to be, twisting through the thorns of Duskwood in the night, ripping apart anyone he found.

‘Caans kill, ye’ve killed. Be wha’ ye were meant t’be!’ came the voice of Kaden as Ledgic shot up in bed, sweat covering his face.

---

He leant forward as his chest heaved in and out, his breathing deep but quiet. He clenched his hands tightly around the blanket and shuddered slightly as he felt Annie’s arms wrap around him. ‘Led’ she said quietly as she held him tightly.

Now he feared himself, the game had entirely changed.