The Obsidian Arrow

The Obsidian Arrow: Chapter 27

She continued through the forest in a brisk pace now nearly running. Soon she would reach her designation and even Searon De’Athaniel would stumble in her presence. She was eager to wipe his smug look from his face. No matter what anybody else thought, she knew despite all of his accomplishments, he was still human. He was a mere human, and so he would fall. She was the mistress of the undead and all would bow before her, including Searon. The wizard would probably have to die, his stubbornness was too great, but she would leave that to the warlock. He seemed to hold bitter feelings for his past friend.

The forest surrounding her was cast in a blur of green. Fall was approaching and so there were leafs changing colors in the trees. Most were yellows that before today would add to the beauty of that woman, but she was no longer an issue. She wore entirely too much yellow to be pleasant. She was an autumn at heart, but now her heart was gone. Arria smiled at that thought once more but she quickly emptied her mind to darkness. It was darkness where she felt the most comfortable.

It was dark now with stars beginning to appear. She couldn’t see many through the thick trees but those that were seen were stunning in her eyes. Every time she stared at the stars she was reminded of her sister. Her sister had been born under the stars when Arria was young. Arria was only a hundred years old but she smiled with pride that night. It wasn’t but five years later that her father had fallen victim to a raid as he patrolled the lands. Starlyn had never known her father and Arria found that sad. It was that fact that bonded the two. Arria was her older sister and helped her along through the years. There were no siblings as close as Arria and Starlyn and a lot envied the two. It was saddening to Arria that she could not convince Starlyn to aid her in saving mother. Still, no matter what the outcome, Arria could not, would not, kill her sister.

She stepped from the forest into a clearing. It was not a meadow but a village, or had been. Destruction was everywhere. The draeyks were seldom organized with their destruction. Arria walked forward onto the dirt path through the village. Rubble was scattered everywhere without organization of any kind. Grass and vines overgrew buildings that had not been touched in a long time. Homes were burnt to the ground. Some were of only ash because they had been wood but others that were brick were smashed in and burnt black. Bodies covered the ground everywhere in the same locations where they had died. The dead were not moved because there had not been a human to come to the town. She wondered if Searon had come into the village to try and save anybody but she cast it aside. He would have probably known better. It would have been certain death to try and save anybody. The draeyk force was too large.

There was no flesh on the bodies anymore but decay had not reached them. By the look of the bones, scavengers probably met these poor souls. Ravens, crows, and vultures would have been the first to find the bodies. Often they soared along with the draeyks to claim any victims they would not eat themselves. Some of these humans probably were eaten by the reptilian creatures. It disgusted even Arria to have that knowledge. Human hearts were another story but the flesh of a human was disgusting. The hearts gave power and knowledge and besides that they were the tastiest of any animal.

She walked through the village quickly looking for any signs of a struggle but there was little. Near a barracks there were the skeletons of a few draeyks with long snouts but not nearly as many as the humans still clasping swords and hammers. It was a futile defense though the amount of draeyks did surprise Arria slightly. These men had a proper trainer for defense. It had to be Searon. Nobody else could have trained with such skill to face a creature so horrifying to these humans. Where would a weapons trainer live? There were only two options: the closest to the barracks as they could, or the furthest. With the signs of destruction surrounding the village it seemed unlikely a warrior could escape unscathed, even one as powerful as Searon. Besides if Searon lived close he would have joined the circle of warriors at the barracks and would have been more successful. He had a family and so he would have picked a spot outside of the village.

Arria continued walking past the destruction and rubble to the edge of the village. A small path left the village at the east of the city that was nearly covered in forest growth. Large footsteps with four claws led towards the path but none seemed to return. She smiled slightly before dashing forward.

Excitement clouded her mind now that she was so close. Blackberry vines broke with each thrust of her leg forward making her glad she wore the armor. Without those prickly vines would tear at her flesh unpleasantly. She held the hilt of her flamberge tightly as she dashed forward through the thick vines. Some grew as high as her face but she did not attempt to slice them away for the weight of her flamberge would only slow her down. Scrapes appeared on her face from the bushes but she didn’t care. She was so close now. It was so far away from the city but she knew it had to be the one. If not, she would continue looking. She would never give up. She would have Searon within her grasp.

Finally she saw what she was looking for. A lone cabin surrounded by ferns and prickly green bushes sat atop a small hill. It was burnt to the ground with only a few objects within. A desk sat in the main room half burnt to the ground and two beds were still intact though burnt and black in color. Arria rushed inside to look and found the skeletons of several draeyks but there were no human bodies. She sighed deeply letting out a breath she had not known she was holding. Here it was. She had found it. This was where Searon had once lived. There was little left.

Who had this man been? What was his weakness? There wasn’t much to go off of. Something caught her eye outside and so she stepped over the burnt stubble of a wall outside. Her heart raced but she took long deep breaths to soothe it. A large stone stood alone that didn’t seem to match anything surrounding it. There were no burn marks on it nor on the ground surrounding it. Instead there were bushes of magnolia surrounding it and roses growing in front. She quietly walked up to it and noticed the stone was engraved.

Here lies:

Victoria & Kellen

Beloved Wife & Son

She could smell smoke in the distance as it filled the air. The smell held more than wood but flesh mixed with it as well. She continued to stare at the grave.

“Excellent.” Arria whispered smiling.