Continuing my series highlighting the six tales in my new fantasy anthology, The Dark Forest Within, here’s a look at the fourth story in a bit more detail: Wulfric’s Quest.

As the centrepiece of this anthology, Wulfric’s Quest is the longest of the tales (at 27,000 words). It’s a standalone novella that works well on its own, but it also can be interpreted as a sequel to Ravenseed. On the other hand, I might prefer to see it as being set in a parallel universe, one leap over from ours. I should add that by “sequel”, I mean a sequel to Ravenseed’s Dark Ages-set narrative, not the framing story in the present. However, no characters from Ravenseed appear in Wulfric’s Quest other than (possibly) those alluded to at a couple of points. I’m treading carefully here to avoid spoilers. At the same time, I must reiterate that reading Wulfric’s Quest before Ravenseed will not spoil the latter in any way.

The plot involves the titular Wulfric, a peasant farmer sent by his village on a perilous journey to track down the reclusive wizard Vulcyth. The villagers believe Vulcyth will be able to prevent a supernatural attack on their settlement, as foretold in a vision. Along the way, Wulfric is given shelter by Elise, wife of the knight Sir Roderick, who is presently away with the King fighting a war in the north. Elise and Wulfric experience a powerful mutual attraction that seems mysterious and magical, though both restrain themselves. Events take a turn for the peculiar when Sir Roderick turns up, and Elise says she’s never seen him before in her life, claiming he is an impostor. Sir Roderick insists he is the one and only Sir Roderick but claims to have never been married and that he doesn’t know Elise. Together, they journey into a forbidden forest, hoping to find Vulcyth and discover answers to the various mysteries. But an evil power conspires against them.

Of all the tales in this collection, I’m particularly proud of Wulfric’s Quest. Amid the darkness, danger, romantic longing, and mystery, it’s shot through with a melancholy undercurrent that draws tonal inspiration from Kazuo Ishiguro’s underrated novel The Buried Giant. Other tonal inspirations come from obvious sources (Arthurian mythology). At any rate, I hope you enjoy Wulfric’s Quest.

The Dark Forest Within is out now in ebook or paperback via Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). For Draft2Digital and its various outlets, you can pick up ebooks and paperback copies here.