Chapter 1 - A dangerous undertaking

“And you are sure she is gone?” Evander blinked nervously into the dark. The sky was full of clouds, preventing the moonlight from illuminating the small rocky path up to the backside of the steep hill to the castle.
“She leaves the castle every year the day before Walpurgis night for three days to celebrate the dark powers.” His best friend Theo frowned. “Don’t go. It’s too dangerous. We will find another way.”
Evander wanted to give in to Theo's conciliations, but he knew the words were nothing more. Pacifications to prevent him from breaking into the castle to steal the sorceress book of magic. To find a way to save their people from sending more young men to war, including himself and his friend. “If I don’t return, do not come for me. Survive your time fighting, come back and live a full and happy life with Priscilla.”
“I will not let you go alone.”
Evander sighed again. He had expected Theo to make this hard. He gave his friend a long look, hardening himself for what he had to do. Then, he swung his right at Theo, knocking him down with one punch. Better a few days of headache than the dangers awaiting him in the spine-chilling castle.
Evander set for the hike through the shrubberies into the back gardens of the castle where he planned to sneak into a small rear-door he had found on the single one map of the castle in his father’s library.
While walking, he wondered over his villages bad luck once more. Maple Crest was a beautiful spot although secluded. Woods, a creek, fields and mountains. Enough deer to hunt, fish to catch and acres to farm on. Perfect except for the beastly witch in the castle, towering on a steep hill always in sight wherever one might wander in their valley. And, as of late, the lunatic warlord, who came twice a year to request five young men from his father the chieftain of Maple Crest.
Evander had seen friends sent away like sheep to slaughter for a cruel man who threatened to otherwise burn down their houses and kill their women and children. In the old times, their lord would reside in the castle and protect them. But the witch had killed him and since then shown no interest in her subjects at all. They didn’t even have a means to communicate with her. In their hardship, they had sent her letters with gifts and pleas. All unanswered.
In a few weeks, the warlord would come again and this time, it was his and Theo’s time to go with him. Therefore, Evander had forged the plan to steal the witches spell book to learn to do magic and banish their enemy once and for all.
His eyes wandered through the darkness and he shivered. All of this sounded much easier in the security of his father’s library with a warm fire in front of them. But now it was too late to turn back. One last time, Evander looked back to the few remaining lit windows in the village, before he entered the gardens of the beastly witch.
Now that he thought of it, he knew very little about her. Only, that she had come to marry the lord in the castle when she was still a girl. The lord had been quite popular with the people from the village as he left them to their own ways as long as they paid the tribute owed to him.
Only as recently as three years ago, the beastly witch had killed him and presented his father and the villagers with his head as evidence. The gruesome proof of her determination had been delivered in a tapestry by seven black ravens together with a letter that she expected the tributes from the farmers to continue while no one was to disturb her freedom.
Shortly after, the warlord had taken opportunity of their situation and started to recruit their young men with force. The beastly witch had done nothing to protect them. Evander felt hatred rising in his chest. His older brother Jonathan had been among the first young men to be snatched by the warlord.
The anger and hatred gave him determination for his dangerous deed. Soon enough, he found the rear-door and cracked the old rusty lock with ease. Obviously, the beastly witch didn’t expect her subjects to act up.
Inside, it was even darker than in the cloudy night outside. Evander lit up the lamp he had brought with him but dimmed it until it was no more, than a weak ray of light, just bright enough to prevent him from walking into any obstacles.
The castle wasn’t as creepy as he had expected. First of all, it was surprisingly clean and well taken care of. Instead of displays of war and fighting, as the one the head had been delivered in, the tapestries on the stonewalls showed mostly landscapes at different times of the year. When Evander entered the hall, there cosy rugs were covering the floor.
He had memorized the plan of the castle and headed for a door on the right of the hall. As expected, he found himself in the library. The room was impressive. Vast shelves contained uncountable volumes bound in leather and fabric. He was in awe with all the books and instantly felt the desire to read and learn from them. To master the wisdom of magic. As his father had put it several times, an absolutely inappropriate wish for the son of a chieftain.
Evander’s throat went dry, when his eyes fell on a high desk situated to see out of a huge stained-glass window. The book on it laid open in the light of a single candle. Quickly, he took a look around, but there was no one to be seen. Who left their home with a candle burning?
Slowly he approached the desk until he stood directly in front of it. There were notes scribbled on the sides of the pages in clean, even letters. Evander’s caution was overcome by the precious object that held more worth for him than gold or treasure. His hands reached to turn the page, but before he could touch the old parchment, he was struck from behind. A cry of pain and surprise escaped his lips. He wanted to voice help, but firstly the pain was too overwhelming and secondly, who should come for him? He had made very sure to incapacitate Theo.
Lying helplessly on the floor an empty armour holding out a heavy sword bent over him. He tried to see the face behind the visor and realized with horror that the helmet was empty. Occupied by no living being. The last thing his tortured mind was able to think was that this was the end. Then, a second strike hit him and his mind slipped into darkness.