Gelic ©2008 Tyrone Vincent Banks


We searched the valley for days, overturning the fallen trying to find him. The dented pieces of iron, the broken swords and bows were spread across the vast expanse. The horses were spared and taken back into the fort that he built. The weapons would be melted and fashioned into something more useful and less deadly. The horses would provide transportation or assist us in our agricultural needs. The bodies of the fallen were placed in a large pit and then burned – as was our custom. An honor normally reserved only for our heroes but performed nonetheless.

He came at our darkest hour. He was a large warrior adorned in tarnished battle armor. The condition of this armor conveyed the fact that he was accustomed to battle. The age of his garb would date back to an earlier period in our history. His eyes were kind and of a greenish hue that seemed to pierce through the darkness. His sword was large and very bright as if it was made of pure light. His sandals were covered in soot and made of an unknown material. His helmet would not leave his head, even as he slumbered.

He entered our village and placed his sword at the corner of the gate to show that he meant no harm to us. He said that he would help us rebuild our cities and dispose of our dead. He never asked for anything but a meal and a place to rest his tired body. He said that his name was Gelic and he was from a faraway land. Although a stranger; he seemed to be familiar to us. He seemed to grasp our customs quickly during his short stay with us. He enjoyed our food, music and our stories. He had many stories of his own that he would share around the meal fire.

He was with us for over thirty moon cycles and he was with us when the Megs returned. The Megs were a powerful race that tormented our people relentlessly. We don’t know from where they came and to where they’d return. They seemed to sprout out of the earth at a distance and we’d hear them approach as the ground shook and we ran for cover. They were clothed in a darkness that seemed to envelope their entire group. The first group approached on foot with their arrows prepared to fire as additional warriors arrived seconds later. The warriors on horseback circled the battlefields and it was as if the entire battlefield was saturated in the Meg invaders. Their leader, who was called Lauywn, would arrive by chariot at the end of the assembly wearing a dark armor composed of human skulls and various animal pelts. We would never see his face but his eyes glowed in a disgusting red color. His horses seemed to destroy the ground that they stomped on and you could hear the earth howl in pain as their hooves cut through the surface.

They’d approach the dilapidated gates and shout: “Galians! Open the gates so that we may plunder!”

We would comply and let them into our dwindling community where they’d have their way with the villagers and our supplies. But, on that day, when Gelic stood for us, the cycle was broken.

We opened the gate and they charged in. We stepped back but he stepped forward. The Megs’ horses reared at his presence and would proceed no further. The angry warriors dismounted and approached Gelic. The warriors were large but not larger than he. He stood his ground and did not blink as they approached.

They asked; “Who might you be?”

He replied; “You know.”

They mounted their steeds and departed from the village without uttering another word. We cheered and celebrated our savior, but he was humble and eager to get to work. He led a small detail into the wilderness and returned dragging a large bundle of downed trees into our gates. He worked for more than twenty moon cycles and he reconstructed and made our gates firm. He made certain that I understood what he was doing and taught me how to build a better fort. A large gate reinforced by large trees that were inserted several feet into the ground was constructed. The entry gate was bolted with three large pieces of timber and a large cover was constructed and placed over the entire village. That cover was soaked in water and another cover placed on the top sealed by mud.

We did not understand this strange contraption but it served us well when the Megs returned.

“Galians! Open the gates so that we may plunder!”

We all answered in unison; “No!”

The Megs were angry and they attacked. They pounded the walls relentlessly but to no avail. They launched their arrows over the walls but they would plunge into the roof and not into our hearts. They launched flaming arrows that were quenched by the water contained in the roof. They pounded the walls and built a siege wall around the village but there way was slippery and perilous. Many of them fell to their deaths as they tried to climb over the top. Within a long period of time the attack was quelled though we did not lift a finger and just stood still.

Gelic stood and walked over to his sword. He grasped it in his hand and walked towards the gate. He looked at me and he smiled. He announced to us; “I will always be with you!” The gate was opened and he walked outside.

I could feel the ground tremble and the sound of the hooves were like thunder. I peered through the gate, just over his shoulder and a cloud of dust approached. I could not count the massive onslaught that approached but I could see the horses, the chariots, the riders and the foot soldiers. The gates were closed as what I would estimate as more than five hundred arrows pierced the wood causing hundreds of thin beams of light to pour in.

I looked through a small opening created by one of their arrows and watched Gelic take on this massive assembly of troops. With each swipe of his sword at least ten would fall. The horsemen were thrown from their steeds as the animals refused to close in on Gelic. I could hear the sound of metal against metal and metal against flesh and bone. I could hear them fall to the ground.

Night fell as the battle raged. Gelic fought valiantly as the pale rays on moonlight cascaded off of his swift and powerful form.

This I saw and shared with no other.

Lauywn approached and circled Gelic as he stood still. He leaped into a close attack and Gelic fended him off with precision. As the battle raged the clash of steel was like thunder and heavy footsteps circled, countered and leapt into the air. Gelic raised his sword and struck downward, splitting his foe in half as a dark mist poured out of the two halves of his body. Lauywn roared in pain in a sound that resonated even after he lay in the ground defeated. Gelic plunged his sword into the earth and kneeled. The moon that seemed to focus on Gelic diminished and there was darkness.

The moon was dark and we could hear the horses galloping about aimlessly. We were afraid and we did not open the gate until the morning. We ventured outside and began to scavenge and search for our savior.

We searched and searched but he could not be found.

They asked me; “Who was he?”

I thought and I answered; “You know…”

The Megs were defeated and they have not returned.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 14.07.2008

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