Blood Isle

Part Two: An Unwelcome Visitor

The night air was a blanket of sultry air that threatened to smoother them all. Brenna had taken to wearing as little clothes as possible, as the heat was insufferable, and granted them no relief. She had waited, hoping for cooler night air, but it was not to be. Exhausted, from the day's march, and the unrelenting heat she excused herself and retired for the evening. Tonight was filled with messages sent to her through the forest around her. The enemy was on the move, though it was unclear which form their attack would take.

Brenna lay down, despite the cloying dampness of the air, everything clung to her making her feel more miserable. In the distance, an owl hooted, its cry echoed through the night air. After trying to sleep for a few hours she finally gave up and lit a tallow candle and decided to study a book that Denora had given her. It was a study of the Adumorda, she poured over their history, and made herself memorize every respect of it. Their magic was powerful and relied on the rending of life itself from its victim. A scream echoed through the air, another predator had chosen to attack their front line, the temptation of attacking the men had proven too much for it to handle.

Brenna's senses felt the arrival of a dark presence inside the tent with her. Brenna found herself suddenly standing barefoot in a village facing a cyclone about to destroy a fragile settlement. Her parents were resting in their house across the village, oblivious of the approaching danger. She knew this was a lie, but the dark power that threatened to overwhelm her was powerful. The air seemed to be hollow, somehow she knew she was fighting this battle alone. The twister struck the first abode, in an explosion of shattered wood fragments. Despite the fact she knew this was based on an untruth, the Neeri could feel her terror rise within her.

"You are nothing compared to this massive storm, run child, save yourself," a voice whispered in her ear. "You are so small and this storm is so large. There is nothing you can do to save your mother and father, save yourself."

She attempted to scream but felt her voice being stilled, even as the vision threatened to consume her. Brenna could feel her attacker's overconfidence, as her ties to the real world weakened. Within her was a flicker that defied the threatening darkness attacking her. If anything, it glowed all the brighter, this attack was upon her will to survive and was testing her. Without being told, she knew this was an Adumorda Priest.

"The secret to your survival lies within you Brenna. Draw closer to the light, can you feel it feeding you, therein lies the truth. That's right, you are the one light of Elliana, let it shine," the voice of Sarsa urged her.

"You are so tired, it is useless to resist. No you are mine now, you can not escape my grasp," the voice whispered with an exclamation of pain.

Brenna was so tired but continued to coax the flame feeding her, slowly her strength was increasing. She could feel her enemies hold upon her slip by the tiniest degree, giving her hope. The flickering light had grown to a small torch and was giving her warmth, feeding her lifeforce. The black mages hold upon her mind was slowly weakening, as the vision was wavering. Abruptly, her attacker fled, leaving her gasping for air; her loud coughing and gasping for breath had alerted the others, as King Donovan entered her tent with sword drawn.

"What happened? Are you alright?" King asked as he knelt at her side.

"I was sorely tested by a powerful Adumorda Priest, I feel so cold," Brenna stated gathering her bedroll around her.

''I believe you would feel better sitting by the fire with a nice hot mug of mulled tea to sip on," Sir Alfred said.

With the help of King Donovan and Sir Alfred, they guided Brenna to sit on a log close to the fire. Girard filled a mug with mulled wine and promptly handed it to the shivering Neeri. " The enemy has upped their game, and are desperate to destroy her by any means. This time, they came close to damn near succeeding," Girard stated.