"DRUIDS BANE" A Tundrawolf Story

DRUIDS-BANE 'Free'

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     Judoc approached the village with Morcant on his left and Haerviu on his right. The new acolytes followed directly behind them walking in a line ready to obey any order Judoc would convey to them through his mind. Judoc hid their group of slave warriors in the forest just outside the cleared plain surrounding the village so they would not be seen as the eight Black Druids approached. The newly formed Dark Star (as Arthfael called the group of five) were eager to attack the village using the spell of compulsion. They had started calling themselves the Druids-Bane taking the name their enemies had given them. Arthfael nor any of his original acolytes cared for the name being Druids themselves but these five had no association with Druids in their previous lives. They only knew they desired sacrificing and killing the Druids they had fought against the most. Out of all the enemies they had put on the bloody altar table so far they received more power from the life force of the Druids.

     Judoc did not care for the five men that followed them. He did not trust them and was constantly looking over his shoulder when they were around. The men had been cold blooded murderers and thieves before Arthfael took them in under his wing. Their hearts were black even before they were introduced to the Black Magick. But they feared the four original acolytes and Arthfael most of all. Just for good measure Judoc would turn from time to time and send them a mind blast that brought the five evil men to their knees. Though the men were in the process of loosing their hair and gaining the slick gray skin, as their powers grew all five of them together were no match for Judoc.

     Arthfael had a real talent for assigning  duties to their newly compelled slaves. He would walk through a new batch of enchanted people yelling out in his coarse voice, "This one for the warriors! This is a workhorse! These are for the cook pots!" Every once in a while he would stop and look a man or woman up and down and whisper, "This one for the table."  And on very rare occasions, "Brothers, meet thine new acolyte!" Judoc and the other three original acolytes did not have the power to view the life force within a slave like Arthfael and it was growing to be a testy subject amongst the five. They knew Arthfael to be keeping some of the dark spells he had gleaned from the scrolls to himself in order to remain more powerful. 

     Warriors from around the village watched as the group of eight hooded men approached. They came out of their turf covered huts built of logs carrying weapons to meet the strangers before they walked into the village. They were immediately enslaved and turned to walk with the eight as they made their way through the village putting every man, woman and child under their spell. It did not take long and they had another five hundred people to stand with their warriors. As their men came out of the forest to mingle with the new group of slaves the Black Druids immediately put them all to work. While Morcant and Haerviu saw to the loading of one of the longships with their altar table and supplies Judoc assigned each Druids-Bane a work crew and a section of wall to build around the village. They got to work quickly for their was a lot to do and little time to do it in as the snow started coming down heavier again.

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     After almost five days of waiting Arthfael and Drest finally spied the army of Meath marching down the coastal road. The snow was falling so hard they could barely see them but they could certainly sense them through the Black Magick. Arthfael knew his father to be there because he could feel his influence but he could not feel him in his mind. This was the closest he had been to his father in several turns. A thin tendril of fear went down his back as he realized he was still afraid of the man and how his powers in the Good Magick had grown. His powers had grown too and he would put an end to the fear of his father soon enough.