Locked in the hall of Cardamon Castle, Queen Seseh sat on her throne. Seseh's skin sagged, her muscles and bone melted like wax and she defied her false Goddess. Below the throne was a puddle of mud. Her purple gown was no longer suitable. Her dress, her crown, her rings, and her bracelets were falling loose. The golem of clay sat nonetheless, defying Vanice. She wouldn't kneel and worship someone who flaunted her naked form, seduced those she wasn't in love with, and incited a war based on lies.
"I do not care if you use Ezekiel's solution or not. I shall sit and melt. After all, you only created me as a vessel." Said Seseh, forcing her words out. Every syllable dripped with anger.
"I know the truth, Vanice. You are weak and pathetic. The Goddess? My creator?" Seseh paused to let her insults sink in then continued, "The Nymph of the North is a false Goddess." She said to the empty hall where the birds scried about. Even they were dwindling.
"Yes, you heard me. Vanice is the Goddess of lies, so she is a lie."
Seseh watched as her chest swelled and emptied into a bubbling mass beneath her. Her eyes liquefied like water. Vanice, the monster inside Seseh, swelled with rage.
"Enough," Vanice shouted through her thrall. "You are my child, but you do not have to act like one!"
She looked like a sitting, rotting body. Melting. Like a decaying corpse, only much worse. Amazing Seseh could withstand it, much less against the Nymph's power. She was young and beautiful; now more reduced to a heaping mound of melting clay.
Vanice inhabited the putrid Seseh form, punishing her, and watching her liquefy. The woman she had made to be a beautiful queen to control was now reduced. The queen's hall smelled like Fonde's wet soil mixed with a worn body. What birds were left didn't help as they molted through the air. Dozens of fowl tried to fly away, out through the closed stained glass windows only to smack against them. They had abandoned her too. The life in the room was gone, giving it a dead smell.
The queen thrall wasn't going to give up her rebellious attitude toward Vanice. No more would she be controlled. She'd become a melted-ravaged face of goo and die in full darkness first. Vanice, the Nymph of the North, the elven witch, Valaria, mistress of fowl had become what she feared most. Nothing. NOTHING, the one word stood out above all words. It was a measure of the witch's undoing and she wanted recognition. She wanted prestige and wanted to rule Fonde Ssique.
Vanice needed a form to inhabit. She'd have to settle for that which was withering away.
The birds swirled inside the extravagant chamber in front of them, hitting walls and windows, darkening the room in a blight of feathered darkness.
'CAW' 'LET US GO!' they flapped leaving behind falling, drifting feathers.
'CAW' 'NOTHING! YOU ARE NOTHING!' Crows, ravens, and blackbirds alike flew into each other:
Pure chaos.
The room was a mess.
'CAW' 'Vanice is nothing and will always be nothing!' With every insult they made, it sent Vanice back to Hilltop. Some of Seseh's skin had been taken by the birds. A few pieces of uneaten flesh from her body lay in a messy clay-like heap in the middle of the floor.
A memory called Vanice back.
'CAW' 'We disown you!' they squawked.
She remembered the place she had once called home. Vanice and her parents had been eating dinner. Hilltop, an elven society she deeply hated.
****
'CAW' Vanice's memories continued, one of her mother, Liva Leot Rishon if she could even be called mother. An obese, disgusting elven woman. If they would sit down to dinner, she wasn't cooking and neither was her father, Snotra Waya Rishon. They smoked their wood norches and ate like tyrants devouring a small colony. The portions were small and not hardly enough to feed Vanice.
Snotra would call her ga-li-tso takht, which roughly translated as an elvish slang. It's a rude way of commenting on someone's weight. Vanice was by no means a hefty kid. She was thin and bony. She was a tall elvish soul in contrast to her rounder, more rotund parents. It was not uncommon for an elve with a thin yet hourglass physique to be the beauty or the talk of Hilltop Village.
Yet, Vanice lived in the lower class. Others talked down to her and she was hardly noticed by other elves. Snotra used the word to belittle and manipulate the young girl. Liva allowed him to do so. The words were an ugly description of her daughter. Snotra's words hurt her even though she knew them to be false.
"I am going to leave Hilltop Village! I intend to find a new life in the North!" Vanice said, banging her fists on the table.
"You have no right to speak to us like that, you pathetic ga-li-tso takht!" Snotra was the laziest elven louse that could spin a lie. He owned a few elves in his pocket from the village and had gotten away with some underhanded deeds because of those lies. Her mother was no different. If she was in trouble, nobody was coming to save her.
"You won't last half a week out there. As soon as you cross the threshold, you'll be back." Liva chuckled as she chewed on a piece of fat.
"You'll be crawling back, begging that we let you into our good graces."
Vanice laughed.
"If you leave now, I'll disown you, ga-li-tso takht!" Roared Snotra.
"How can you disown something that isn't yours?"
"...and what is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean that you were never real parents, to begin with. You never treated me with respect, love, patience, or kindness and you get away with everything. You try to manipulate me, sell my things behind my back. Things that I worked hard to earn. So go ahead, call me disgusting names and deny me all you want, but I am gone and I repeat. How can you disown something that does not belong to you!"
Vanice laughed again, stood up, and turned to leave the smoke-filled home.
"If you leave, I will tell Jezzaul about you and he will banish you. You'll leave and nobody will know who you are!" Snotra said with hate in his heart.
Vanice stopped for a moment, chuckled, and spoke before stepping out the door.
"Then tell them. One day I'll be something. A queen, perhaps. I'll be more than either of you ever will be because you're dead to me."
'CAW' 'VANICE!' The birds buzzed around her, bringing her back to reality--
They flew about her thrall in the Cardamon queen's hall.
"Open a window and let them free."
Seseh forced herself to move, sliding and squishing across the floor to one of the windows. All the way being pecked, bit, and mocked. They beat their wings against her disgusting form.
She opened the window and released them. The mass of birds rose into the night sky toward the North, out of reach of their former caregiver. A sacrifice by Vanice, freeing her subjects.
Vanice forced Seseh back onto her throne. Seseh could see the scars sinking across her arm and dissipating where claws had torn into her flesh.
The damage was simple; the rest of her form was not. Seseh crumbled into the throne like melted butter and she felt immense pain.
Vanice felt no pain, yet despised looking the way her thrall did. It disgusted her and all she had to do was use Ezekiel's mud potion again to repair Seseh's skin. She could make Seseh's flesh whole again.
"You can hold me like this for an eternity and I still will not serve you." Seseh chattered her teeth.
Vanice sneered at her melting form. Seseh's fit stomach became strange and sunken. She had become nothing more than a decaying, melted skeleton. Her arms seemed smaller, with her white bone knuckles and long, sharp, decaying nails.
Vanice spoke to her crumpled figure. "I will disown you if you continue with this disobedience."
She grinned and tapped Seseh's cracked, empty fingertips against the armrest.
"How can you disown something that does not belong to you?" Seseh replied with the familiar statement and it resonated deep in Vanice's mind.
It had been a pivotal question for her parents.
It still ran through Vanice's head as she sought power or answers. It rang the bell in her heart and reminded her of the truth.
The truth that Vanice, Valaria, Nymph of the North, was nothing more than a deformed serpent.
She was what she had always feared becoming. A nobody.
****
EDDIPUS WAS A WARRIOR.
In Hilltop Village he had delighted his younger brothers with his swordplay. Yet, the Master needed his talent elsewhere. His quest would send him to the state of Crenith - if anything, Eddipus and his cohort did it all in good form. Eddipus died, transcended, defeated the evil king, won the prize, and Yet he had lost a brother. He hated losing Val. That was enough to dissuade him from the quest at hand.
That, Eddipus couldn't do. He would never give up, he had never quit anything a day in his life.
Yet, when he saw what was in his hand, Adeve's cure, Eddipus knew he had to complete it.
He had lost his way and approached the Land of the Dead and a portal leading to Wilderness. Eddipus couldn't see the portal, however. Blindly, he stepped through. Wilderness. A land beyond lands. Wilderness. A realm unseable by mortal eyes.
Land of the Dead was near the North, near Hilltop Village at the other end of the barren landscape. He checked his heavy supply and made sure the vial for Adeve was secure in his bag. Teylavere, his beautiful sword, lay sheathed and he was ready.
He wandered past dead trees and followed dry banks. This place appeared far more desolate than he thought. A flock of birds flew. They past him to the North with cawing cries and were gone. Apart from the birds that had just flown past, there were no living creatures in the area.
The sun burned down from the sky on his tense and tired muscles. His long hair and beard, now caked with sweat blew in the breeze. He was glad to have this moment to himself to reflect and absorb all that he had seen. He took a moment to meditate. Yet even Eddipus admitted that he had become lost. What had started as a venture by means of a shortcut was now becoming a journey through the unknown. This was, after all, near the North. The North. A place where he had been violated. Eddipus shuddered at the dark, emotional thought. If he was going to do this, it had to be now. The last sunlight of the day had faded. No, it had completely been eaten by Wilderness. Eddipus noticed this as he became surrounded by blackness. Not the darkness of a moonless night, but something even darker.
A strange man stood nearby, watching Eddipus with an eerie expression. This was no ordinary man, but one that looked spiritually familiar to him. Eddipus had only ever encountered a being like this once.
"Greetings, King of the Dead," Eddipus said through clenched teeth.
"You have come to die," he said. "As I must."
"How did you know where I was?"
"Because I am omnipresent, Eddipus."
"I thought Dante had trapped you." Abbadoth's body was transparent as glass. He wore dark, burnt, and tattered robes and had a skeletal, lizard-like form. Eddipus looked into his crimson eyes.
"You are too late," Abbadoth said. His voice was like that of a creaking ship with a slight echo. "I have little time to play with you, Eddipus. The Master told me so."
"Again, I thought Dante had trapped you for good, Abbadoth. How can you be here?"
"He did. My true form is trapped in the chains of my own slave. I lay on my dais, small and dainty. Dante had made a mockery of my true form. He cursed me as a kisa."
"He made you a cat?" Eddipus laughed and dropped onto the dry sands. He sat down and wiped the sweat from his face. "How fitting. A feline predator."
"No, it's not funny. I am the king of Death, not a pet."
"You are not a pet? You are the Master's pet and you are your own slave."
"Your point?"
"You're the King of Death. So, Why aren't you dead?"
"I am only here in spirit. But, the Master gave me the freedom to do as I please if I can sway you to my side."
"Why?"
"It is a game between us. He wants me to test you. Since you happened upon Wilderness for a chance shortcut to Hilltop."
"You do not seem very powerful at the moment."
"Ah, but look at what I can give you." Abbadoth turned to a dead tree. He waved his hands and it became stacks of cooked Alcorn deer, ready to eat.
Eddipus walked over to the food and placed a hand on the pile. They were warm, cooked fresh even.
"I can give you sustenance. You are hungry, are you not? With all these adventures, it would be so easy."
Eddipus took his hand away from the roasted meat. His stomach growled at the smell of the food. He felt weary. "The Master says I can eat later." He smiled." "Because I cannot live on your fowl food. It would be a lie. I live by the Master's side. That is enough for me."
Determined, Abbadoth nodded, knowing how difficult the challenge would be to sway Eddipus.
Then the elve stood and walked. He looked for something familiar that would help him get back on track. Abbadoth followed him.
"Cardamon? This can not be right." Eddipus was now standing on the highest point of a dune. Yet he was farthest from the Westerian territory.
"I can give you Cardamon Castle," he said, "All you have to do is throw yourself off this dune and prove to me that you're worthy to rule. It would mean shelter. Guardsmen to look after your every whim. The queen is dying anyway."
"Again. You are the king of lies. Let's say I jump. Let's say I decide to injure myself. Who's to say you will honor your word? No. This is a blatant test."
"But all of Cardamon, of Southern Mountain Range and Fonde's splendour. All that I will give to you if you would give up this quest. You've lost, as I've said. Smash the remedy in the bottle."
Eddipus stopped, turned to face him, and looked deep into the eyes of the Death King,
"Away from me, Abbadoth! For I follow only one Master. I'll not be turned away from my quest."
Eddipus had enough. Abbadoth had become more of a nuisance than a real threat. He ran forward, jumped, and rolled down the hill.
"You cannot leave here alive," came the voice of Abbadoth from atop the dune.
Eddipus stood up and dusted himself off. His leg ached, but otherwise, he felt no effects from the fall. He took a deep breath and checked the bag to see if the vial for Adeve was still intact. Sure enough, everything was fine and Eddipus walked away from the dune and Abbadoth.
It was so hot, even at nightfall. Or was it nightfall? Eddipus couldn't tell the time in Wilderness.
Ahead... Could that be?
It was Abbadoth.
"It appears we're stuck together for the time being, so let's make the most of this situation," Abbadoth called out to him.
Eddipus kept walking toward him until he passed. It was getting darker by the second. Was there something sinister lurking in the darkness other than Abbadoth's pestering spirit?
He needed to find a waypoint. Yet, everything in Wilderness was covered in dry, bright yellow ashen sand. There were no stars or moon. Nothing. He stopped to breathe and turned to the horizon. That is if he could find the horizon.
If he didn't find anything soon, he'd have to stay the night. The night? What night? Sleep? out in the open in Wilderness with Abbadoth creeping about? He wished Val was with him. He could read a map. Yet, Wilderness couldn't be marked on any map. Val was also good at tracking, although Eddipus doubted he could track anything where he was.
Eddipus heard footsteps ahead of him.
"Oh good. Someone else." he said out loud. He sprinted toward the source.
"Eddipus!" a man's voice called out.
He slowed his pace.
"Who said that?!"
"Do not play dumb. It's me!"
As he approached the sound, the footfalls grew louder. Then they stopped. A man stood a few meters away on the empty sand.
"Like I said. We're stuck here together for now."
Eddipus stepped closer to him... "Oh, it's you again."
Abbadoth stood in front of him.
"Yes. ME! Smash the cure, Eddipus!"
"Go back home, kitty cat," taunted Eddipus.
"That isn't the way things work here. Isn't it obvious why the Master is allowing me to do this? The only reason you're lost is because you have proven yourself worthless to everyone. Even Val."
"That's not true. Val is a brother. He never thought I was worthless. He's just... lost. Like me."
"A brother?... and what did he do? Tell you to go wander off alone? Not exactly. He had a path he believed was righteous. The path of revenge and he ignored your counsel. That does not sound like a brother to me. You can go anywhere in this abyss and there's no place I will not find you."
Eddipus could feel the pit of bitterness within him, but he ignored it. How many times had he cried for Val? How many times had he cried for Hilda? Had that made him weak? No. Not in the eyes of the Master. Not in the eyes of people like Dante.
"So, Val left you. Left you to die out here alone. Your thoughts betray you." Abbadoth laughed. "Your mind isn't on Val. It's on a Vidian!" He chuckled again. "Ah, but who does this heart belong to?"
Abbadoth pondered.
"Priestess Hilda of the High Groves!" He shouted as he followed Eddipus. "Forget about her. Forget about Priestess Hilda. She let you go! Hilda was nothing more than a whore. She was a distraction. She was the spawn of Jezzaul and is like him. Hilda was the first one to use you, dispose of you, and forget you," he scoffed.
"What she said about her love is true. Keep Hilda's name out of your mouth, Abbadoth."
"Wrong!" he replied. "She knows what she is doing. If you do not let her go, I'll come after her. I'll send out millions of Death Wanderers, my Sheepherders of the Lifeless to drag her into my domain!"
Eddipus became even angrier. He clenched his fists. "Abbadoth... She isn't your whore! She wasn't her father. Jezzaul deceived her!"
Eddipus watched as Hilda sat on a small piece of land near them. She was a vision created by Abbadoth. Her radiant hair blew in the wind. Her face was framed with natural beauty. Her Vidian dangled at her chest. "Beautiful, isn't she Eddipus?"
He waved his hand in the direction of the apparition. "Now watch as my minions tear her apart." Tentacled creatures reached out and tore her clothes. Red, terrifying demon-like monsters rushed towards the screaming damsel.
Eddipus turned away from the image, yet only for a moment. He stared back in sadness. The grass of the elven village, Southern Mountain Range, and the Hallow all burst into flames. Fire surrounded as armored guardsmen and a spider creature rushed into Hilltop.
Eddipus's hands reached up to his head. He closed his eyes. Eddipus shouted for Abbadoth to stop. He waved a hand and the visual ceased. It was all an illusion. Eddipus saw the madness in Abbadoth's eyes.
"All those under my rule will perish. All worlds will be destroyed until there is only Abbadoth."
Around them was an endless sea of trees. It was the Forest of the Red. People were killed, burned, and buried. The remains of Man, elve, women, children, and livestock were all laid waste. All manner of death, destruction, despair, hopelessness, and defeat danced before Eddipus.
Abbadoth waved his hand again. The corrupted image dissolved into a haze.
Hilda had approached them. She stepped behind Abbadoth and knelt on the ground before him to worship him. Anger rose again in Eddipus. He closed his eyes.
"You see, Eddipus..." He stroked the side of Hilda's cheek. "Hilda is a --"
"Keep your forked tongue back, you lying devil, and take away this visage of my beloved!" His hand fell through Hilda's cheek and she disappeared into oblivion.
Eddipus tore himself away and stared straight up into the night sky. He looked down at his naked form lying beside a woman.
"Tell me, I pray thee. Who thy true lover is, and I will be yours, bound to you forever," a voice called out. It was Valaria's disguise. Onavive, the false blue Goddess. Eddipus pushed her away from him.
The sky above was a hazy mist that hung over his surroundings. He stood on the tower in the North. Eddipus ran to his clothes and was about to put them on when he heard Abbadoth's evil laugh.
He was back in Wilderness.
"Remember that night, Eddipus? Because I sure do." Abbadoth spoke, lying once again. He was never there.
Eddipus's eyes became blurry. It was like looking into deep water.
HE WAS IN DEEP WATER.
Falling, turning, drowning, dying in the Tannik. His body was too far out for Eddipus's spirit to reach.
His heart had stopped beating. The Death Wanderers flew near his corpse and stretched out their black tentacles. Echoing sounds like a whip faded as the Sheepherders of the lifeless reached for Eddipus's soul. Everything else was silent except the flowing--
"You think I'd lie to you, Eddipus? These are only memories of how you failed."
--He flew over his body and slashed his steel Teylavere at the Wanderers.
Eddipus fell, dragged through the water--
-- "Death shall have no sting for me!" he shouted back. "Not until my journey is over!" Abaddoth's weapon had an unadorned hilt wrapped with stained skin. Its marred blade held a dull, brown glow. It was a fancy weapon for Death. Abaddoth gained momentum as he snapped toward him. Eddipus took a defensive stance. He was so close to the elve, so close to the opening but fought against the blackness. Before either could blink, the portal had closed and Death was trapped once more. A horn trumpeted and he remembered--
"Yes, I had failed, but I still defeated you. I'll do it again. I am reminded that you are the King of death, the king of lies!"
Eddipus calmed himself and was back in Wilderness.
He opened his eyes and looked back at Abbadoth. He tried to think of a plan to stop the dead king.
Eddipus spoke without interruption. "I shall overcome this. You are not in control. Our universe, this realm, is infinite. We were never promised it would be easy. I suffer, I fail, I learn. It's that simple. Do your worst." He walked, step by step, not taking his eyes off of Abbadoth.
The darkness came into his field of vision and sucked away the light. He drew a final breath and walked straight through.
As Eddipus emerged from the shadows, he fell, faint from the dry heat.
****
Lisa and Tallik helped each other to stand. They were in front of Cardamon Castle with its tall spires and elegant belfries broken and decaying. The ground was littered with fallen guardsmen. Traces of ruin and devastation revealed signs of battle. Tallik walked up the hill to the palace, holding Lisa's hand as she followed him. Tallik stopped and called out to a guardsman standing at the entrance.
"May we be permitted into the castle?" He asked.
"Yes, of course! You are Tallik, are you not? The assassin for the royal family of Cardamon. You have free rein. That is if you join our cause against the queen."
"Cause against the queen?"
"Yes, She's skirted into the royal hall and locked the doors. Seseh's been keeping secrets from her people."
Tallik had started remembering everything. The way Queen Seseh was acting, her blue eyes, and the birds, so many birds. "Actually, we've come to speak with the queen. Lisa of the Red elven people want to make peace between Westerian and Hilltop. Please, help her up the steps. We have had a long and arduous journey."
The guardsman helped Lisa up the long, winding stone to the palace.
"I'm Lebanon, by the way."
"Why has our home suffered so?"
"A battle and I don't mean a small skirmish. Many men died. The Queen's guards had no choice but to bow to the Spiderlings and let them go. The lot were on Aracnia's side."
"Aracnia? Spiderlings?" Tallik thought for a moment when he heard the word Spiderling. "Were the Spiderlings spider-like?" Tallik asked Lebbanon as visions of Draik slain by a spider creature ran vivid through his mind.
"Their Westerian physique harbours massive spider creatures. They carry their forms like hay-stuffed dolls. It's downright macabre, yet Seseh fooled Aracnia and her family. As were we all."
"I can't go in there!" Tallik tore away from both the guardsman and Lisa. She looked at him with shock and confusion.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked.
"I'm sure it was this Aracnia who killed my brother-in-arms, my partner Draik. The reason I was so ill was because I fell on my head trying to jump from a disgusting, horrible monster! I leapt onto a nearby window and jumped to a midden pile." He paused to catch his breath. "I wandered around outside the castle until I reached the Forest of the Red but I was out of my mind. That's when I met you."
Lisa remembered when she tried to heal him. She remembered the vision he shared, the female spider-being that nearly chased her up a tree.
"The Spiderlings along with Aracnia left, sir. They decided to leave and headed North."
Tallik wasn't sure whether to be relieved that they had left Cardamon, or horrified that such creatures were still alive and roaming Fonde SSique.
Tallik swallowed. He wasn't weak. He survived elven contact (even fell in love with one), drowning, and head injury. He had escaped death eternal each time. For him, his inner demons, emotions, fears, and anxieties were simple. Yet, what Sister Lisa experienced seemed far more traumatizing.
He took a deep breath.
His heart beat fast and he felt his stomach tighten. Tallik tensed and walked over to Lisa and Lebanon. He knew horrid thoughts existed, but he would no longer allow them to rule his life. After all, how he found Cardamon was traumatizing and he survived. The day he first became an assassin for the Cardamon royals.
He happened to glance back at the town he came from, Cardda. It was a small village and not on any Fonde-made map. He could remember saving their lives. A memory called him back and he watched as smoke rose from an evening fire in the village--
Tallik was born under the sign of the Queen. He couldn't remember life before they stranded him near the Westerian borders. The sign of the Queen were a cluster of stars in the night sky near Cardda shaped like a scepter above a white raven.
Kidnapped and stranded, TetraHuldra hunted for the youth as if he were game. The borders outside Cardda and Cardamon in Westerian were the Tetra's hunting grounds.
Tallik ran through dense forests, fighting large snakes, slashing at them to escape.
The shape-shifting tree nymphs, TetraHuldra were after him. The pack killed his parents. This act haunted Tallik, but he continued running. His younger twin sister was also taken, yet they had torn her to pieces.
He swam through a lake and fought his way through numerous, poisonous leeches.
"Fresh meat!" He heard one of them shout and he pushed faster through the wooded area.
Smoke rose above the treetops. 'Follow the smoke.' He thought.
He plowed through the tree line.
Tallik found himself in a small, open clearing. With no thought other than to hide, he muscled up a thick tree trunk and stopped at the top to listen. Voices were coming. The TetraHuldra were approaching in their natural form. Westerian-like creatures with four grotesque fleshy scrag growing from their necks. Like fruit dangling, faces hung from their collars, branching into skin appendages.
"Where is the boy?"
"We have tracked him here?"
"This Westerian must die. He's a cunning hunt."
"Meat!" one called.
Tetra were brutal and only sometimes clever. Tallik was not sure where they got the idea that he'd pop out at the first sign of them calling "meat". He would not come down until he was sure it was safe. Tallik looked to the south, to the horizon where the smoke billowed.
"He'll come," One said. "If he knows what's good for him."
The Tetras growled at each other, making a deep rumble in their chests. Their teeth bared and glistened from the heat of the forest. They finally moved northward.
Tallik stayed in the tree. He watched the Huldra, waiting for the final one to leave.
He peered down from his perch, watching the forest floor as the Tetra's feet stamped away.
Tallik slid down the tree, hanging from his fingertips on a branch halfway. He peered through some foliage from where he swayed. He was sure they were gone far enough and let go of the branch. He rolled onto his shoulder and fell into the middle of a patch of flowers. Tallik rose quick to his feet, not making a sound. He made his way past a large tree and continued running toward the smoke.
It was a dense, thick area of woods and Tallik had no way of knowing which way he was going. He continued south. He walked through a small, clear patch of ground and finally saw the smoke. The wind blew in his face and he held his hands out, pushing away plant life.
He heard TetraHuldra voices from behind him. They had to be close.
The Huldra weren't going to stop him from reaching the fire, not when it was the only way to save himself. He had to risk it. He had to stop running.
The treeline opened up to a village, a cluster of huts, and a small great hall. The fire was ablaze in the center. It all looked abandoned. His heart beat in his chest as he looked about.
"Help!" He yelled, knocking on every door.
"Stop it! Go away or the TetraHuldra will come again!" A voice whispered from an open window in one of the huts.
"Than what can I do?"
"If it is shelter you seek, stranger. You may take refuge in the great hall of our people but be quick about it."
"Thank you," Tallik said. He turned away from the hut and ran to the hall. He pushed the door open and went inside, shutting the entrance. It was dim, save for the embers of a few torches. He could hear voices outside.
The Tetra had come.
"Give us the lad or we'll steal more of your food. We'll destroy more of your homes and eat more of your children!"
Tallik couldn't sit by and allow more innocence to be slaughtered by the TetraHuldra. He was low on energy, low on time, and low on ideas. However, his adrenaline was high.
He looked about the room. He had to find something. Tallik ran to a nearby wood chest and opened it. He saw a curved, ebony great sword and sheathed it to his side. He also saw studded red and black leather gloves, A sling with pouches, black leather grieves, and thick laced black leather boots.
He put on the armor and slung the sling over his shoulder. He made a quick exhale and fitted himself with the rest of the accouterments. He was ready enough to face them, as well as he could be.
He opened the great door to the hall. In the center were the Tetra, taunting the village with shouts.
"HEY! YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" Tallik yelled, charging the first TetraHuldra, swinging his blade. The sword was met by the huldra's scythe, which broke in two.
They clashed and the it ducked under Tallik's swing, using the broken edge of her blade to parry. He then struck her stomach, pulling her in, and driving the blade deeper.
The creature grimaced in pain.
"GIVE UP!" He shouted.
"Not so fast!" Another came running from behind.
"You're too slow. If you want to kill me." Tallik paused, ducked at the last second, and released his grip on the blade. "You'll have to be faster than that."
The Tetra swung and decapitated one of the many heads of the stuck TetraHuldra.
It screeched as the other collapsed from blood loss. Tallik drew his sword with ease from the body and now faced two more Tetra.
"What? You've been hunting me all this time and now you are stalling. Pathetic." Tallik said before charging forward and swinging his sword. He severed two heads from one of the TetraHuldra.
The other leapt onto his back and jammed a knife into Tallik's shoulder.
"You're no match for me! Die! DIE! DIE!"
Tallik grabbed the beast by one of its many necks, hurled it over his shoulder, and onto the ground. With a mighty swing of his new sword overhead, he dropped it down hard on the beast's chest. It lay twitching for a moment. Tallik took a step back pulling his sword out. He looked down at her, wiping away a little blood from his shoulder.
She was still alive.
"That's how a real hunter does it." He roared and brought the sword down on the writhing monster again, killing it.
He sensed a presence behind him and turned, pulling his sword, ready for anything.
As Tallik turned, he saw a hunched yet tall, bearded old man. He walked towards him, a slow, cautious village of people with crying, happy faces left their homes.
"Oh, thank you, kind stranger. They have been threatening Cardda for months now. We are only down to the bare essentials. Not enough to survive, yet now we can send out hunters to get food, and the women can gather and cook." Said the old man, clasping Tallik's forearm before letting go.
"I see you are a fellow warrior. It has been a long time since I've worn this armour. Please keep the sling and everything as a gift." He let go of him. "The name is Balthazar. I am but a humble leader of the tribe of Cardda and you are?"
"Tallik."
"Tallik, yes. Good fine name, sir. If you'd wish to relax. You can partake in what little we have. Cardda would be most grateful. Once you've rested and your shoulder healed sufficient, you should travel to Cardamon."
Tallik noticed how the old man's bald head glistened in the sun. His eyes were brown and his cheeks were cheerful.
"I thank you for your hospitality. I will stay for a while."
"Good. Ladies!" said Balthazar, clapping his hands twice. "Take him to a hut and bandage his shoulder." The women giggled, grabbed him by the arms, and led him to a thatched hut.
Inside, a small wood tub sat on one side of the room. A shelf stood on the wall with rag towels, bandages, and a scrubbing brush.
"How is your shoulder?"
"It's fine, thank you."
"Excellent! Let's see it." The girl seemed a little overly excited to pull his leather armor off.
Once they got it off Tallik, it revealed a bloodied hole in his shoulder.
"You're doing quite well. It looks like it will heal over time."
Four of the women walked to the shelf. They rummaged around and pulled out some herbs and oils.
"This will help expedite the healing process."
The ladies brought her the herbs and oils. She took a mortar and pestle and proceeded to crush the plants. She packed the dry medicine into the hole and proceeded to pour the oil over the leavings.
The scent was calming and it helped Tallik relax. He laid back, allowing her to massage the rest of the oil over his shoulder.
"When can I leave?" Tallik asked.
"After we've done with you. We'll need to bandage and bathe you. You also need to eat and drink something before your trip to Cardamon Castle."
The scent became more than relaxing, it was hypnotic. The pain in his shoulder began to subside.
"What did you do to me?" He asked.
She shushed "It's okay. Relax. Let us take care of you for the time being."
The other ladies gathered around him. One supporting Tallik and holding him with a gentle caress.
"Matron Judea?" one of the younger girls said.
Tallik saw that she carried something.
"Yes, child."
"Here are the bandages."
"Thank you, put them aside for now."
The young girl who held him, grooming his hair with her youthful, soft hands did so with delicate grace.
Tallik, overwhelmed by the smells became drowsy. He was in a hazy dreamlike state as they led him to the tub. They filled it with cooling liquid. Before he knew it, they had disrobed him and were helping Tallik into the water. One fetched a brush from the shelf, came back, and started scrubbing. One held his hand and thanked him for saving Cardda. He felt comfortable in their company. Tallik could not feel any other way. They were happy to be around him. Their smiles were genuine.
He noticed Matron Judea come to the side of the tub. She grabbed the brush from one of the girls and began to scrub his arm with care.
"Let me help." Said another, pouring a little oil into her hands. She rubbed them together and massaged them onto his neck and injured shoulder.
"Thank you, my ladies."
"It's our pleasure," replied Judea.
The matron stopped scrubbing and bent down, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Judea pulled back and smiled. "We give you genuine thanks, stranger."
His vision blurred, he blinked and drifted off to sleep.
"A man's valiant effort to lay down his life for others is valued. There are none greater. After that, it is a shame not to acknowledge his efforts." The voice of an older man woke Tallik.
It was a peaceful rest.
When he opened his eyes, he was sitting upright on a chair near a fire in the center of Cardda village. The old man patted his leg.
"Well, it looks as if our girls treated you well last night. Tallik, is it?" It was Balthazar.
He was sure he was naked and looked down reflexively. He sighed in relief, for he was wearing the leather trousers and boots from the wooden chest. Yet, he was shirtless, and a bandage wrapped around his shoulder.
"Yes, that's right." Tallik paused and looked over at him. "Thank you again for your hospitality."
"Do not mention it. You saved this village, as I said. We owe you a debt of gratitude."
"My pleasure. I had no choice, after all. They were going to kill me and had me cornered, to be honest."
"You look healed enough to walk. Cardamon is that way. Your new armour has been mended and can be brought to you."
"I appreciate that."
A woman brought him his top and sling. He smiled, seeing it was Matron Judea.
"Thanks again, Matron."
"Please, think nothing of it, Tallik."
He slipped the items on.
"There, a true assassin indeed, as I once was." He paused. "You'll soon be able to leave and go to Cardamon."
Balthazar pointed south to tall, white spires on a mountain. "Don't stop until you reach fields of purple poppies."
The old man bent with a knife in hand, cutting off a sliver of roasted meat resting atop the fire, and ate it. He swallowed and turned back to Tallik.
"But first, please partake in some sustenance before you go. Matron Judea's orders. If she says you should eat before leaving, I'd better get you to eat. If I can't convince you to, I'm sleeping outside if you catch my drift." He winked and laughed.
They brought him food and he ate well, looking up at the high steeples and spires.
He looked back at the strange fellow.
"May I have a shave before I go?"
"I am sure I can persuade Matron Judea to get a smooth stone and take care of it. Why?"
"To remind me of you, my funny friend. I want to get rid of this animal living on my head." Tallik chuckled.
"Well, in that case, we'd better get rid of it right away. It's always a nuisance. If it's in the way, your opponents can grab it in no time."
So they cut his hair, he donned his armour, and Tallik set off for Cardamon Castle--
It was the smell that brought him back. The smell of death and poppies. Dead guardsmen littered the scene and the towering figure of the castle loomed.
Lisa and Lebanon stood at the entrance.
"Are you ready to enter, sir?" the guardsman asked.
Tallik rubbed his bald head, remembering Balthazar and the people of Cardda. The former Cardamon assassin glanced towards the plume of smoke one last time. He was ready, he was more than ready and he walked forward toward the two. "Oh yes. Lead the way, guardsman. I'm ready for her. Thank you."
...and he didn't mean Queen Seseh.
"Right away, sir." He looked away, opening the two tall doors to the castle.
Tallik and Lisa stepped inside. The guardsman closed the doors behind them and Lebanon proceeded down the corridor. Tallik and Lisa's eyes widened as they entered. It was a beautiful structure that was now in ruin.
The white stone, scantlings, and highborn ceiling were all chipped and stained with blood and battle.
Castle Cardamon, Tallik's old home was decimated and brought down from its former glory. It was then that Tallik noticed Lebanon and the other guardsmen not baring the breastplates of Cardamon.
Tallik looked at him as Lebanon lead them. It was a total disregard, disrespect, and dishonor to the Cardamon royals and he wanted to know why.
"Guardsman. Where is your breastplate?" He asked the man.
"We no longer represent this castle, the royals, or our domineering queen."
Tallik was not only shocked by the answer, he was livid. He was furious.
"Aracnia and her men went on a skirmish. When they returned they either killed Cardamon loyalists or swayed them. They found that our ruler lied to them. Seseh kept secrets from the guardsmen. Instead of facing us. Instead of answering any grievances she locked herself away in the hall like a cowardess. So what do you expect?"
They stopped in front of a chained door. A guardsman stood watch.
"Evening Lebanon." he said.
"Evening Bramble."
"Who are they?"
"Tallik and Lisa wish to meet the queen."
"Why in all mighty Fonde would they want to go and see that hag!"
"They say she wants to make peace so that she doen't attack Hilltop."
"Not likely. I have no quams against the Red elven people, not after the mess Sesseh has made."
"Bramble, are we even sure thats Seseh anymore."
Tallik interjected. "Before I had left, I noticed eccentricities Queen Sese never would have had. I noticed her blue eyes."
"Blue eyes? Why thats rubbish. Seseh has Westerian brown."
"I noticed the eyes too. Blue as forget-me-nots." Lebanon replied.
"Well, I have no problem with you going in." he undid the heavy latch and let the chain fall to the floor.
"I wish we had these when Aracnia tried to gain entry." He shook the keys and placed them in a side pocket. "I and Lebanon found them on one of our fellow guardsmen in the dungeon. Seseh's stupid birds had pecked the poor soul clean. We were sure it was Cassius."
This shocked Tallik. Seseh's birds? What did that mean? He asked himself. He thought back to the ravens, crows, and blackbirds that blotted out the sun from the sky. Could they be what he spoke of?
Bramble opened the large, heavy oaken doors and escorted Tallik and Lisa in. He shut them immediately after the two entered. It was dim and a shadow of someone sat on a throne in the middle of the room. Tallik was taken aback by the sudden influx of putrid stink that permeated the area. It was like entering a sewage cistern. Yes, Tallik knew the smell well, it was the sweet and steaky yet rotten and mouldy smell of death.
Tallik went down on his knees and averted his gaze from the queen. His nose tingled in disgust. Lisa did the same and bent her knee in respect.
"Your Highness." Lisa paused and listened to the Queen's rasping breath. It was like listening to a skeleton breathing. It was hollow with a rattle. Not like dripping water, worse.
"If it pleases your majesty." She stood up and walked towards the being. "My name is Sister Lisa of the Hilltop." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Forgive my appearance, Your Highness."
"You're forgiven, elvenkind. I can not say much with the way I look right now."
DISGUSTING! The voice was frightening and filled her with dread. The queen gasped and moaned.
"Please, continue."
It was like listening to someone trying to talk with a mouth full of curds and whey. The room had been so polluted with vile stink that Lisa nearly vomited. She fought to gag.
The queen finally bent forward into a torchlight, revealing a mess of liquid skin and decay. Her flesh was a yellowish clay hue, her eyes white with dark rings around the lids. Her mouth stretched with a row of square teeth. Her countenance was riddled with cracks and creases.
Tallik stood and fell back, pulling his sword.
"What in the blazes?!"
Lisa did her best to ignore the queen's appearance. She had a job to do, she needed to make peace.
"Your majesty, please do not attack Hilltop. We would never poison the--."
Her next synonym was not her own.
"I SEE YOU... I SEE YOU CLEARLY!" Nyxith tore away from Lisa and slammed into the queen. Seseh's melted form fell back onto the throne, her eyes widening in shock. Nyxith was not finished yet. She knew who was hiding in the slosh.
"Valaria! I'll kill you!"
The queen's mouth twisted into a sickening width. A wet gurgle escaped from her throat. Her eyes bulged.
Lisa fell over, exhausted, and fainted. Tallik ran to her lifeless body and held her.
"I'm right here, my love. I'm right here."
"Valaria. Let it all come back to you. Remember the terrible things you did. The torture, the death, the pain. Remember Vinan, what you put me through, and remember my death!"
"Nyxith?" Answered Valaria.
"Yes! Nyxith! WELCOME TO YOUR DOOM!!"
Visions flashed before Valaria and Sesah was forced to share in her plight.
"This is how you hurt me. THIS IS YOUR CRIME!!" Visions of Nyxith's violent changes before her death flashed in Valaria's brain.
"For the death of Vinan and for what you've done to me, I sentence you to hang by the neck until death."
Nyxith took her time to relish Valaria's suffering. She wouldn't allow her to die right away. Nyxith's ire burned like fire as she felt Valaria's thrall fall more slack than it already was.
"FOR VINAN!" She screamed. "FOR ME!"
****
Rachel ran down the corridor.
The creatures followed, flapping their wings. They wouldn't slow their pace. Neither would she. Rachel ran to a door and found it locked. Fumbling for the key in her apron, she dropped it and clamored to grab the clavis, birds flying closer.
'CAW!' they called to her. Closer and closer, they came. Rachel had never panicked like this since Galith had groped her. Yet, neither had she run away from birds through a dilapidated corridor.
The key slid away from her and she jumped to grab it. Rachel stood and slid it into the lock, turned, and opened the door. She ran into the room and heard the birds fly past. She closed and locked the door behind her.
Rachel stood at the edge of a muddy pool. Clay-like liquid covered the walls and pillars. She entered further in shock at the disarray.
"Disgusting!" Rachel exclaimed. "What in Fonde have they done?"
It was the Queen's bath. Rachel became angered by the disregard for common Westerian decency. All that hard work now degenerated into a pile of rubbish and clutter.
She heard the clapping of wings. Two ravens had made it into the room before she closed the door and flapped past her head. They flew forward and out an open window. Rachel whirled around and searched. Her eyes widened as she made sure there were no other fowl. To her relief, there were no other birds in sight.
"I must leave Cardamon." Whispered Rachel.
The birds were a sign. They were leaving. It was time to unfold her wings and soar. Her beautiful orange-red robe, traditional to servant girls in Cardamon, clung to her. She walked across the room. The hem of her robe brushed across the muddy floor.
Rachel prided herself on the cleanliness of her robe and it only served to enrage her more that the trim had become a mop. She walked to a window overlooking the dry courtyard. Rachel stared at the birds, which now were flying North. She stood in silence. A warm breeze blew in. She felt the heat as it touched her cheek.
Rachel reached up and took off her hood. She turned her head toward a vanity and saw her brown hair in the mirror. She had left it pinned up. Her Westerian eyes were a brown amber. Her cheeks were white and her lips, red.
She looked very much like a painted portrait, beautiful and delicate. Yet warn and dirty. She heard footsteps in the corridor outside the door. She turned, walked to the entrance and reached for the door handle.
Before she could unlock it, the door began to open.
Rachel flinched.
A man stood in the doorway and smiled.
"Rachel?" He had dark brown hair, cropped short, like many Cardamon guardsmen. He had pale brown eyes and wore the armour of a guardsman, except for the lack of a royal breastplate.
Rachel recognized him as Lebanon. She heaved a sigh of relief. "It's you."
"Rachel, are you all right? You look sweaty. You must have been running." Said Lebanon, confusion written all over his face.
"Yes. It was the birds." Replied Rachel. "They annoyed me so much that I ran from the kitchen. They were pecking above me and broke through the ceiling."
"It's the queen's pets. I and Bramble ran into them pecking at Cassius's remains in the dungeon. Most of them are gone now."
"Where do you think they went?"
"Wherever they went, it seems they have the right idea and parted company with that useless, deceitful queen."
Rachel looked at Lebanon in surprise. "How could you say that?"
"We all say it. You don't know what the guardsmen know."
Rachel looked into the man's eyes. She saw kindness, but also anger as fierce as hers. His home was being torn apart too.
"You know what I mean, Rachel." Lebanon said, "You saw what has happened to the castle."
She wanted to deny it, to lose herself in the dust and clamor. When she left Alhcov to work with Cardamon and the royals, she had not foreseen their demise. Rachel was proud of the work she had done and hated the disorder that had befallen around her.
She looked down and saw the cracked floor. Rachel examined the room and saw clay slopped across every inch. She looked up at Lebanon again. "Yes, I do," she said dejectedly.
"Come with me, Rachel. I'll let you off wherever you need to go."
She took one last look around the place she had called home for years. Her gaze lingered on the vanity. She looked at her reflection and saw her brown locks and fair skin. She felt that she had once been beautiful, but saw an ugly version of herself covered in Cardamon's dust.
There were no more birds. She followed Lebanon through the castle until they reached the outer gates. Guardsman Bramble was waiting. Bramble helped Lebanon move the ruined frame and lowered it so Rachel could pass. He walked with her and guided a horse while Bramble walked beside him. Her head turned. Rachel's gaze fixed on a window where she swore she saw a melting blob of a woman. Could that be? Rachel became scared and confused. She had frozen like a pillar.
Once she shook it off, Rachel averted her eyes and was glad she wasn't going back. They had helped her onto the steed as she began riding westward.
"Will you return to Alchov?" Asked Lebanon.
"Why should she?" Asked Bramble. "It's overrun by the Rapha Raiders."
"She lived in Cardamon for years, but her first home was Alchov. Her husband and father live there." Replied Lebanon.
"Jacob, my love helped free me in the middle of the night," she said. "Away from Galith, who wanted to use me as his plaything. I came to work for Cardamon sometime after."
"Oh, I'm sorry?" Bramble continued. "Still, the question remains. Why would you go back and how would you get into Seaside without getting killed?
Rachel's head turned. She looked at Bramble, wondering how bad the state of her old home was. She smiled at him. "Because I love Jacob." She paused. "I need my man and I want to see my family safe again. There's more than one way to sneak into Seaside Alchov."
****
His vision blurred and Val appeared... or was it Hilda?.. Or Dante? No.
Eddipus's eyes cleared as he saw the Master in a glowing white light!
He turned away, covering his eyes as he sat up. His muscles tensed and his arms stung.
"Relax. Relax," he said like a calm thunder.
"Master?"
"Relax. Trust me, my faithful servant." Eddipus felt calm. All tension evaporated. There was peace within him. It was a quiet feeling of serenity.
He settled and moved to stand.
"Go home, my Eddipus. I must send you back to Wilderness. The portal you had stepped into."
"But why?"
"Do not question. You'll succeed, valiant one. This is only a respite."
"Respite?"
"Of sorts. You must face Abbadoth as a matter of your trials. Fear not, Eddipus for if you survived death." the Master paused and laughed. "Surely you can survive him again."
"Yes, Master."
"That is why I chose you, Eddipus."
He clapped a hand on his shoulder and Eddipus opened his eyes. He stood, back in the realm of Wilderness, looking for a way out into the Land of the Dead. The voice of the Master echoed through his head.
'As I returned you, brave servant. Be strong and know your quest. What you face is only a mirage of Abbadoth's former glory, a serpentine charade! Leave this Godless, lawless place! Defeat him and go home to Hilltop.'
"Look who's returned to the land of the living!" Eddipus turned to see the King of Death, Abbadoth standing before him. "Or should I say Land of the Dead?" he jeered. As always, you could count on Abbadoth for a good lie.
Eddipus snarled. "It matters not, Abbadoth, as we both know your time here is short."
Abbadoth turned and grabbed hold of Eddipus's throat. He shook him and laughed as the elve struggled.
"You're worthless! Like the Master. You think you've beaten me? I come back every time!" His grip on him was an illusion and Eddipus knew this. He strained against his arm and slipped free.
'Go!' commanded the Master's voice.
Eddipus retreated away from Abbadoth as he watched the king draw closer. Abbadoth tried to reach for him once again but this time Eddipus shoved his grip away. He was now forced to face the King of Death again.
He unsheathed Teylavere. In one fluid motion, Eddipus charged toward Abbadoth. He swung hard with his sword. Abbadoth snapped his fingers, causing a fiery brown blade to appear in his grasp.
The fight had begun.
****
Lisa didn't see Tallik standing over her until he picked her up.
He lifted Lisa and pressed his lips to hers. Tallik looked up and turned to see the skelital mass coming at them.
Queen Seseh's skin was dry, yellow and cracked with some parts dripping. Her eyes were white, her teeth protruded and her hair was a tangled mass like a birds nest. Her crown lay crooked and her gown hung loose.
She swerved around them. Tallik jumped out of the way from the moving pile of bones. He still held Lisa.
The sound of remaining separatist guardsmen yelling to be let in approached. They had the key now as given by Lebanon and Bramble.
Seseh's form shook. She glanced over at a closed window and hesitated before plowing her body through the stained glass. The guards opened the door and ran to the window.
"She's not getting out that easy. Quick, grab that rope!" They heaved a rope and slung it out the window. It coiled around her waist. Yet, as it tightened, the cord seemed to seep through her bone, muscle, and flesh. It left behind a disgusting gap that sealed itself moments after.
All three let out a gushing splat against the hard brick below. Seseh flattened as a gush of clay sprang up like a water fountain. The lead guardsman stood back in shock as he witnessed a simple-looking puddle of clay move. A slush of mud sprang up from the puddle like a small tidal wave. It swished and formed until only the top half of Seseh could be seen. The flat slosh below her moved forward. All the guardsmen could do was stand in shock--
"You can feel my control now. My touch is much stronger than before." Nyxith said, laughing.
She had taken possession of the elven witch and her thrall. Seseh looked down in awe. Half of her looked as if it were falling through a deep mud puddle. She was only at her waist, sloshing about.
"To the Hallow," Nyxith said and forced the melting thrall to move to the treeline--
Lisa was awake enough to stand. Tallik set her down and they walked over to the ruined window. They looked out with the guardsmen. The creature that was Seseh walked away and disappeared into the treeline.
"Lisa, your face!?"
"What's wrong with it?" Lisa replied.
"It looks like Nyxith has left you."
Lisa touched her cheek in dread.
"What does it look like?"
"It looks beautiful." Replied Tallik. He smiled and reached out, pulling her towards him. They kissed.
He pulled away. "I love you." Tallik said.
They left the queen's hall, hand in hand, through a long corridor. The sun was setting. It cast a beautiful orange glow through thin, long windows across the hallway.
"You are beautiful in this light and any other." He whispered in her ear as they walked on.
She blushed.
They made their way to a room. It was the queen's bath. In the middle of the chamber was a basin with white columns at all corners. A beautiful area if it were not for the dark, clay-like liquid that filled the pool. The substance covered the walls.
Tallik walked over to the edge and looked at the putrid mess.
"Who could live like this." He sneered and shook his head.
"The queen, obviously," Lisa responded with a sarcastic laugh.
"Not my queen... What we saw earlier was not my queen." He replied indignant.
Lisa went to Tallik and comforted him, squeezing his arm and giving him a gentle kiss.
"Well, look at that." Tallik turned and pointed to a vanity. "You said you wanted to know how you looked."
Tallik grabbed her hand and led her to the mirror. Lisa sat down on the padded stool in front of the long-looking glass. Tallik stood beside her. Lisa looked into the mirror at her reflection.
Nyxith had left behind a skeletal-like scar covering the left side of her face. The colour of her one beautiful blue right eye had returned. Yet, as Lisa looked closer, she noticed her left eye and hair were a bright white.
Tallik traced a finger alongside her cheek. "See. Beautiful."
"How!?" Lisa turned from the mirror. "Nyxith left these behind and now what am I?" She wept.
Tallek knelt and grabbed her cheeks so she'd focus on him.
"You're Sister Lisa. The same beautiful elven woman I met weeks ago." he pulled her close, his rough hands still on her as Tallik kissed her.
A clear jar on the vanity sat. Lisa turned back to the mirror. "Perfume?" She picked it up and sniffed the brown substance. "Eww, no."
"What is it?" Tallik asked.
"It smells like a wet dog rolled in clay." She set it back down.
He stood and walked into a separate dressing room. A velvety purple gown hung loose against the wall.
He came back, gown in hand, and held it open.
"Purple. A Westerian symbol of rebirth and renewal." he smiled warmly.
She slipped out of her torn furs as Tallik averted his glance.
"It's all right, you can look at me. I don't mind."
"I only want to be respectful."
She thanked him, stepped forward, and felt the fabric slide over her skin as he walked around her to fasten it.
"I accept this. I have changed. The scar Nyxith left behind will always be my own."
They walked out and into the corridor, past guardsmen who stopped frozen at the sight of Lisa. They were awestruck by the aura she emitted. She was so radiant as if the elven soul were a part of the Winds or Hovenlla itself.
They continued towards the front gates of the castle without much conversation. Out the gates, into the grounds, they encountered a few guardsmen and purple poppies.
Now it was time to go home. Now it was time to return to Hilltop.
Tana stood watching, waiting. The beautiful horse greeted her with a gentle neh as they approached.
"Hello, my friend," Lisa said, petting him. She reached into a small satchel on the horse. Lisa pulled out something that gleamed in the sunlight. She turned and stepped closer to Tallik.
Lisa looked up at him with love in her eyes as she reached around his neck. The elve then smiled, her white, elegant hair blowing like clouds in the breeze. She was silent for a moment and Tallik looked down at her.
"'Come with me, Tallik. To Hilltop.'" She paused. "Tana will take us. Come. Journey calls us now. My heart calls to you." she continued. "I love you. I will always love you."
"Yes. I'll go with you, Lisa. There's nothing for me here. I care so much for you."
"Than Take this, my love." He felt something slide down his neck and across his chest. He looked and saw a small silver cross with a purple ribbon on it. She pulled on the silver chain and clasped it.
"My Vidian, my heart will forever go with you. It's been blessed."
She walked over to the satchel and pulled out another chain and clasped it around her neck. She walked back to Tallik.
"Two hearts, one love. Linked together forever."
She stood up on her toes to reach him and kissed Tallik. He closed his eyes and embraced her.
She let go of him and they walked together to Tana. Tallik helped Lisa up and he proceeded behind her.
"To Hilltop?"
"To Hilltop." Lisa replied and she gave Tana a gentle squeeze with her legs.
He felt the pressure and trotted forward--
Nearby, Nyxith smiled, watching hidden from view behind a fallen log. She still inhabited the thrall and kept Valaria at bay. She began to turn. One slimy foot in front of the other.
"Please let me go." Valaria pleaded.
"Why don't we see what Seseh thinks." She continued walking.
"No."
"You have your answer."
"So, this is your plan? Possess me."
"You're going to pay for your actions," Nyxith replied.
"But what about Seseh? My thrall!"
She kept moving toward a tree line.
"She doesn't seem to be your thrall anymore."
She walked them out and past more trees. The heat from the sun hardened Seseh's skin, making it harder for Nyxith to move. They entered a forest with a path leading away.
"Where are you taking us?" Valaria asked.
Vines grew down and twisted overhead. Leaves scattered the area.
"As I said, I'm taking you back to where it all began."
"Where?" Answer me, you filthy animal!"
The wind whipped and blew over her shoulders, cooling her.
"To the tree you poisoned. The tree you had me, Fala poison."
"...and?" She asked nervously.
Valaria waited for the answer as they started to pass elven redwood trees and rock formations.
"And, as I said, you will be punished. So, to the Hallow we go, witch."
This was no longer a task of revenge. Fala of the Bird Lands wanted freedom. She wanted to move on without any ties to evil.
So, to the Hallow they went.
****
Abbadoth blocked as Eddipus parried.
Their blades moved with intensity. Eddipus slashed. Their swords locked together.
"This is what I live for!" Eddipus shouted.
Teylavere slipped from the sword lock and slashed down toward Abbadoth's hip. A cry rose from his lips. His entire body burned open as he screamed and burst in a brilliant blast of light. Abbadoth's spirit had been vanquished and he was gone.
Eddipus fell to the ground and let out a guttural, primordial scream. Blackness overtook him and he could hear the roar of Abbadoth in the distance as his voice faded.
A light appeared before his eyes. Eddipus looked about. He was in a familiar place. He stood on a mound near the Mental Chasm where Val sent him before. If he traveled south, he'd pass Angel's Raven Alehouse and enter Southern Mountain Range. From there, he would make it home to Hilltop Village.
Eddipus had a quest to complete. But first, he needed a rest. He set up his bedroll. It was only symbolic that he rested where he and his friend, Val once made camp. Eddipus lay on his stomach as he stared at the sun setting over the horizon. He shut his eyes and drifted away into a peaceful slumber.
****
The horse carrying Rachel trotted between Lebanon and Bramble. She looked ahead, towards the coming sunset, a wave of orange gleamed forth from the center of the horizon. The guardsmen stood at attention beside the horse. Rachel looked at them and smiled as her hand reached and patted the horse on its head.
Bramble lowered his arm and pointed to a large rock formation. He looked at Lebanon.
"There's a good a spot as any to rest the horse. The further we go, the closer we get to Alchov, and the closer we get, the more dangerous our journey will become."
Lebanon nodded but looked at Rachel with a worried expression.
"I've heard terrible stories of the Rapha Raiders."
Rachel dismounted and they guided the horse off the trail to the rocky outcropping. Bramble sat beside Rachel.
"Galith is a brute who ravishes woman and kills any who object. Yet, if I do nothing, nothing happens."
"We should eat something before continuing our journey," Lebanon said.
None argued that. Bramble sat on the ground as they ate their meal. He noticed that Rachel was very quiet as they ate, her mind focused on the task at hand. Lebanon finished eating. He looked at Rachel, who had a distant look in her eyes.
"We should continue further." Rachel nodded. She had hoped one of them would say that. For her only thought was Seaside Alchov. Her only thought was Jacob. Rachel couldn't wait to wrap her arms around him and embrace her husband. She had known that the journey would be difficult.
Rachel had known she'd have to face the Rapha Raiders again. Lebanon looked around the rock, "Looks to be good. The coast is clear."
Bramble looked at the path and nodded, "Then we should hurry."
She could feel Jacob. Rachel knew he was alive.
Bramble took her hand and helped her back up to the horse. They guided the steed to the path. Lebanon looked behind them. He nudged Bramble who looked back and saw two strangers trailing them. Bramble slowed his pace, allowing the horse to pass a few inches. He looked up at Rachel and whispered, "We're not out of danger."
Rachel's eyes widened, "You can't be serious."
Bramble kept his head forward and nodded. Bramble and Lebanon placed their hands to their side. They were ready to unsheath their swords at a moment's notice.
"They could be travelers."
Bramble's head nodded no, and he grimaced, "I'm not so sure. I've seen them twice before when we left Cardamon and they're pretty big."
Rachel looked over her shoulder.
Bramble patted Rachel's leg "Hey, don't look back!"But it was too late.
The two were following her movements with their eyes. Her heart dropped to her stomach.
She recognized them. "They're Rapha." She whispered.
"Lebanon." He slowed his pace and came back to Bramble.
"Their Rapha." Rachel repeated. "Watch their hands."
Lebanon and Bramble had enough playing around. Unsheathing their swords, they turned and ran toward the giants.
The Rapha looked startled but dismounted their horses and brought up their hands.
"Why are you following us?" Lebanon shouted. The guardsmen stood their ground. They noticed the two Rapha's hands begin to glow.
"Watch out!" Lebanon pushed Bramble to the ground out of the way of the Rapha's mighty blast as it shot from their palms.
"We've come for the girl!" one of the Rapha yelled in a low, guttural tone. "Lord Galith wants women for his hall."
"Well, he can have her!" Bramble shouted.
Rachel gasped. 'They wouldn't.' She thought.
"Over our dead bodies!" Lebanon spoke out, brandishing his blade.
"That's the idea, isn't it?" One Rapha yelled, a smile creeping across his face. They sprayed a barrage of brilliance from their hands as they dodged the attacks.
"This is going to be fun." The Rapha both laughed. Lebanon and Bramble ran with a warrior-like cry, brandishing swords in front of them. They didn't fight like regular men. They fought like lions in the wild. They fought like protective brothers.
"Take them!" One Rapha cried out. Lebanon and Bramble circled around them. They watched for the Rapha to send another blast their way.
They dodged the first one and the second. Yet, this third blast hit home, sending them to the ground. The Rapha laughed. They stood and came closer to the Rapha.
One sent another blast. Bramble spun and ricocheted it off his blade. It banked off and hit the ground. Both Rapha stopped smiling and started to back away. Lebanon and Bramble circled them once more, watching.
"You're not getting her." Bramble growled. They charged at them. Bramble sliced through one of their right arms. Its six-fingered appendage fell to the ground. He held his bleeding stump and screamed.
Bramble ducked under the yelling Rapha, causing him to roll over onto the path.
"Why you weasel!" The remaining Rapha stood and shot a beam from his hand. Bramble somersaulted and dodged it. Lebanon, meanwhile, ran and parried his blade at the Rapha's chest, slicing through him.
He roared and fell back, shooting beam after beam and missing everytime. Bramble came back to his feet. He held his sword out and ran, "It's over." He plunged his sword into the Rapha.
"We're taking Rachel to Alchov and will defeat your leader."
Both Rapha had fallen.
The two guardsmen, drenched in sweat breathed a sigh of relief.
"We need to get going," Bramble said, and they returned to the horse.
Amazed by the battle, Rachel settled on the horse. She knew that Bramble and Lebanon could protect her. Yet, she had been so concerned about Jacob's safety. She'd not thought of other Rapha patrolling the roads to Alchov.
Rachel saw the concern on Lebanon's face, "Don't worry." Rachel smiled, "We'll get there with both of your fine skills."
The sun had set and cast an orange glow over the landscape.
"We've got a few hours till we get to Alchov." Bramble said.
Rachel felt a chill run down her spine. Bramble glanced at her, "You're not afraid are you?"
"I'm not afraid."
"Good. I don't want to hear you say you're afraid. Not with the trouble we've gone through to get you to Alchov."
"I'm not afraid."
Bramble nodded.
She smiled. Rachel wasn't afraid. She knew the danger. It was her choice and she knew a way into Seaside. They rode through the night. There was no way they could defeat all the Rapha at once. Yet, she knew there was a chance for victory even if it were small.
For her, it was all worth the risk. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Jacob. He was alive and she knew it.
They were close to Alchov. Her home. Rachel pulled at her hood against the chill night air. The orange glow had long faded, replaced by a starry sky.
"Soon." She sighed...