Master, Spirit
Rowan’s Heart Tormented Souls - Part 1
Deep within the Ballyboley, the spirit’s wailing cries, Chill of his breath, and touch of death, the heart of Rowan lies. The tale, if true, is a tragic tale of love and loss. Rowan and Keira, both young and gentle
souls, fell in love the first time their eyes met. Keira was promised to another and so was forbidden to see Rowan, but they continued to secretly meet.
Late one afternoon, they met as
usual in a small clearing by the forest bordering their village.
So engrossed in one another,
they didn’t notice the sun beginning to set and chill tendrils of night emanating from the forest. From those dark woods three men silently emerged, bringing the shadows with them. blow to Rowan’s head knocked him to the ground.
A sharp
As blackness descended, he heard Keira
screaming. Through blurred vision he saw his love being carried into the forest by their assailants. He staggered to his feet and shouted for help, but to no avail. Not a single villager came.
Pulling his courage around him, Rowan pressed after them. The dense canopy of trees closed in
around him as he entered the mist shrouded woods. Rowan stopped, unable to get his bearings in the gloom. “Keira!” He shouted into the night, the sound of his voice dampened by the fog. A scream pierced the darkness ahead of him. resolve never faltered.
His heart pounded as fear rose within, but his
Rowan rushed forward, branches clutching at him and roots entangling
his feet to slow him down.
He came to the edge of a grove enshrouded with dense fog.
As the fog parted, twisted vines
spiraled up to hold him fast. Shadowed figures held Keira in the center of the grove. “Keira!” He cried.
She looked his way with pleading pain filled eyes.
But the more he struggled to
get free, the tighter the vines ensnared him.
Rowan caught a glint of steel in one man’s hand as a dagger was plunged into Keira’s heart. Then they let her fall like a ragdoll to the leaf strewn earth.
“Noooo!”
Rowan’s face, and he fell to his knees as the vines released him.
Tears streamed down
No one knows what happened then. It is said that Rowan, filled with rage, slaughtered the men with his bare hands.
He took the lifeless body of his love in his arms, and with a broken
heart, walked deep into the dark woods.
Like so many other unfortunate souls who ventured
into Ballyboley forest, Rowan was never seen again.
To this day, villagers near the edge of the forest hear echoes of Keira’s screams as a spectral form rushes through the trees before vanishing into the gloom. ---
Centuries later… “Why is this story important to the Ordo?” You wonder as the unearthly quiet of the forest is broken by a dried piece of wood beneath your feet and a brisk wind
lifts your hair. Plumes of breath come from your mouth as an echoing sigh is heard behind you. Do you dare turn around?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - UnBound Games - 2014 Illus. & Design: Greg “Lahzarel” Krywusha Story: Becky Tilly