Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

wavered uncertainly as the glowing silver tide came sweeping forward, dark shadows that had once been men floating half-digested within the creature's bulk. Some of the shadows were no larger than children. That thought gave him the answer, and Rupert grinned fiercely as he pulled from inside his jerkin the cloth doll he'd found abandoned back in the miner's house. He dipped the doll's head in the oil, stood up, and then touched the candle to the doll's head. It burned steadily, glowing gold and crimson against
    the dark. Rupert looked up. The creature was almost upon him, filling the tunnel from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. Its deep sonorous grunts had taken on a hellish unnerving rhythm that seemed to shudder through his bones. Rupert threw the burning doll into the oil, and then turned and ran for the surface.
    Intense heat scorched his back as the oil caught, and the tunnel was suddenly full of light. And then the creature screamed shrilly, so loud that Rupert stumbled to a halt, his hands clapped to his ears. He stared back down the tunnel and saw the creature burning, brighter than the brightest lamp. It writhed and heaved as the fire coursed through it, consuming the creature from within. It tried to retreat back down the tunnel, but the fire followed, and the flames grew brighter still, until Rupert could hardly see for the blinding glare. He turned and ran for the surface again, driven away by the searing heat, and then a vast explosion picked him up and threw him down the tunnel, and all the light was gone.
    For a time, he lay still on the packed earth of the tunnel floor, just glad to be alive. His head ached, and his ears rang from the explosion, but otherwise he seemed largely unhurt. He rose painfully to his feet, half choking on the thick, evil-smelling smoke that filled the narrow tunnel, and slowly he made his way back through the darkness, and out into the night. The waiting guards cheered as he stumbled out of the main entrance, and Rupert raised a hand tiredly in response and then sat down quickly before he fell down.
    The guards laughed, cheered him again, and then moved away to start preparations for the journey back to Coppertown. Rupert leaned back against the entrance wall, and let the tiredness take him. He felt he'd earned a rest, at least for a while. The Champion came and stood over him.
    'I take it the creature burned, Sire.'
    'Yes,' said Rupert. 'It burned.'
    'Do you think it's dead?'
    'They say fire purifies . . . No, sir Champion, it's not dead. We've just hurt it, and driven it back, back into the depths, into the dark and secret places of the earth from which it came.'
    Rupert rose slowly to his feet, stared briefly into the mine entrance and then turned his back on it. The cold wind blowing was clear and fresh, dispelling the stench of corruption and decay like a passing memory.
    'You didn't have to stay and light the oil,' said the Champion slowly. 'That was well and bravely done, Sire.'
    Rupert shrugged uncomfortably. 'You did pretty well yourself, sir Champion.'
    'I did my duty, nothing more.'
    Rupert thought of the Champion's fear of the mine, but said nothing.
    'A pity we couldn't save any of the townspeople,' said the Champion.
    'It was already too late when we got here,' said Rupert. 'There was nothing we could have done. Not much of a homecoming for you, was it?'
    The Champion watched the guards mill back and forth, his face as impassive as ever. 'Forest Castle is my home, Sire, and always has been. What are your orders for the mine?'
    'Have the guards bring down the tunnel roof again, sir Champion; I want that entrance completely blocked. I doubt it'll stop the creature getting out, but it should stop it enticing any more victims down into the mine.'
    The Champion nodded, and moved away to give the orders to the guards. Rupert watched him go, and let his hand rest on the pommel of the rainbow sword. Now the blade has proved itself worthless as a weapon against the dark, his mission to summon the High Warlock became more important than ever.
    The wind seemed suddenly colder. Rupert stared up at the new moon; already it seemed tinged with blue, like the first hint of leprosy.

Chapter 4
    ALLIES
    Princess Julia paced impatiently back and forth in the Court's narrow antechamber, bored out of her mind. King John had sent for her half an hour ago, but despite all her shouting and kicking, the double doors leading to the Great hall remained securely locked. Julia threw