Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

hide how much the gesture meant to him, and half a hundred swords crashed back into their scabbards.
    'Sir Champion!'
    'Aye, Sire?'
    'Let's go.'
    Rupert headed the unicorn towards the inner gates. The Champion fell in beside him, and the guards followed close behind in tight formation. The huge oaken doors swung slowly open, and massed hoofbeats shook the thick stone walls as Rupert led his men through the Keep. And then the portcullis lifted, the drawbridge slammed down across the moat, and Rupert and his party rode out into the early-morning mists.
    Rupert shivered, and wrapped his cloak tightly about him. He'd been travelling all morning, but though the mists had finally cleared, the day grew no warmer. A dull, blood-red sun glowered down from the dark, overcast sky, ominous with the threat of thunder and sudden storm. A heavy frost had bleached the grass verges of the trail he followed, and the uneven ground was hard and unyielding beneath the unicorn's hooves. Stark leafless trees stood brooding to every side, and silvered cobwebs shrouded what little greenery remained. No animals moved among the trees, and no birds sang. The Forest lay still and silent in that bleak afternoon, and the dull muffled hoofbeats from Rupert's troop of guards seemed an unwelcome intrusion on the unnatural quiet.
    Rupert beat his fists together to get the blood moving, but the cold still gnawed at his fingers, despite his thick leather gloves. He'd long ago lost all feeling in his feet. It's barely autumn, he thought dazedly. It's never been this cold so early in the year. . . The bitter wind lashed his face, chafing his cheeks raw.
    Rupert felt a familiar chill growing in his bones, and knew that the wind had its beginnings in the endless night. The Darkwood's influence moved ahead of it, falling like a blight on land soon to be claimed by the darkness. Rupert started to shiver, and for a long time, he couldn't stop.
    The Champion suddenly put up a hand, and the column of guards came to a ragged halt. Rupert reined in his unicorn and stared quickly about him, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.
    'Why have we stopped, sir Champion?'
    'We're being watched, Sire.'
    Rupert frowned. 'I don't see anybody.'
    'They're here,' said the Champion softly. 'They're waiting for us.'
    For a long moment, nobody moved. The guards sat stiffly in their saddles, eyes testing the forest shadows, ears straining for the slightest noise. The gaunt, spectral trees crowded about them, guarding ancient secrets in an impenetrable gloom. The only sound was the whinnying and snorting of the restless horses, and the low murmur of the wind in the bare branches. And then Rupert felt his hackles slowly rise as he made out dim, furtive movements in the shadows ahead.
    There was a susurrus of steel against leather as the guards drew their swords. Demons , came the murmur, passing swiftly through the ranks, demons in the shadows . Rupert drew his sword, and swore under his breath as he realised his buckler was still securely fastened to his backpack. He fumbled at the straps, his eyes straining against the gloom ahead. Half a dozen lancers moved forward to flank him and the Champion, light gleaming on the deadly steel shafts. Rupert slipped on his buckler, glanced at the Champion, and then urged the unicorn forward. The troops moved with him, slowly gathering speed.
    Demons in the Forest. Demons by daylight. The Darkwood must be closer than we thought.
    Rupert shook his head quickly to clear it, and hefted his buckler to a more comfortable position. He realised he could barely feel the swordhilt with his numbed fingers, and tightened his grip. And then a single tiny figure darted out into the trail ahead, and raised both its hands in surrender.
    'We give up!' it called plaintively. 'Honest!'
    Rupert brought his unicorn to a sudden halt, the guards piling up behind him. A sudden suspicion entered his mind, and a broad grin spread slowly across his face as out on to the Forest trail stepped a great crowd of goblins. Their leader took one look at Rupert and winced visibly.
    'Oh, no. Not you again.'
    The other goblins peered shortsightedly at Rupert, and then crowded together in the middle of the trail, shaking in every limb. There was a general dropping of weapons, and several of the smaller goblins burst into tears.
    'Friends of yours?' asked the Champion.
    'Not exactly,' said Rupert. He gestured for the goblin leader to approach him, and the goblin did so