The Chronicles of Starlyn

The Chronicles of Starlyn: Chapter 23

A/N: This is the last chapter of this short novel, or novella if you will. There will be one more thing I add, an epilogue, expect it soon (hopefully).

Chapter 23:

                Starlyn couldn’t resist the tears that streamed down her face clouding her vision. She did not know the human boy, nor the two wood elves that her sister murdered, but it did not matter. Everything she saw was cruel beyond anything she could ever imagine, and she couldn’t believe that her sister was the culprit.

                She couldn’t reach the others in time and their bodies lay lifeless upon the stone slab. Dragons, or rather draeyks as Shronan had called them, surrounded her in every direction, and she had to use all of her ability to survive. Her hammer shot forth in bursts to defend against two or three axes of the wretched creatures – making the weapons appear in a flurry of silver and gold. Every so often her balance would slip and she feared the next axe would have her head, but every time without fail a black glass arrow would flutter next to her helm and pierce the creature through the weak of its neck.

                Anaela’s archery skill on the battlefield was majestic. Every arrow matched a target without even one going astray. Many of them saved Starlyn’s life. The elves were outnumbered significantly, but their skill outmatched that of the draeyks. Behind Starlyn, Shronan Onderon tossed magic around like a toy with gleeful joy. He even went as far as to enchant a few of the elves weapons. Vil’ek’s scimitars glowed with a bright green flame that burned the creatures he hit, Anaela’s obsidian arrows were coated with green ice that slowed down and froze of few of their enemies, and Starlyn’s hammer flashed with lighting that shocked every enemy she came in contact with.

                Draeyks surrounded the elven army and even though they had more skill, the sheer quantity of the dragons was astonishing. Starlyn didn’t know if they would be able to stop her sister. She looked up after bashing the skull of another creature with her large hammer to see Arria dropping the hearts of the three she’d slain into a large black cauldron. A scream echoed through the wilderness that came from a woman strapped to a chair near Arria.

                “Mother,” Starlyn whispered.

                Nothing else mattered to Starlyn as she slashed at the creatures in front of her but reaching her mother before Arria turned her. As much as she hated to admit it, she’d rather see her mother die than turn into the horrid creature Arria had become. One life, even her mother’s, was not worth what the cost would be in the end. Starlyn pressed on, using her hammer in such a way that multiple enemies fell before her. She watched as elves around her fell, spilling their life’s blood, while she continued forward. Not every draeyk she struck fell dead at her feet, their hides were thick, but she caused enough damage to knock every one down onto the ground into the dirt.

                The once beautiful day turned gloom with the swirling of purple and silver magic that protruded from the cauldron by Arria. An essence of magic seemed to flow from it and into her mother. Starlyn pressed on - stubbornly setting aside the fact her mother may not survive the day. Clouds covered the brilliant rays of sun as the magic swirled - overcasting the battle. In a matter of moments the clouds turned from luscious white into shadowy black. No longer did it look like midday but night. Thunder crashed from cloud to cloud before hammering down upon the ground.

                Despite all that surrounded her, all Starlyn could see was her mother, sitting alone – scared, and screaming in the chair by Arria’s side. She used something she never felt before – rage – to push on and bash as many of the creatures as she could. Elves were supposed to be calm – serene – not enraged by anything, but what her sister was doing was… wrong. Starlyn no longer cared if she survived the day; all that mattered was stopping her sister from giving the madness she now held to their mother.