Marcus woke to the snarls of a sleeping beast and the moon and stars shining brightly down upon the landscape around him.
The Black Shuck lay lazily with its arms out stretched on top of Marcus' legs. He was pinned and slowly burning. His legs felt like they were on fire. He tried to softly squirm out from under it, but it was no use. Even the most delicate movement was returned with a supple growl.
By the looks of the landscape, he thought he may be in the Companions territory, not far off from the Scourge. He could see the silhouette of Northern Mountains from where they rested, and he heard the screech of an owl nearby hunting it's prey.
Why the beast had let him live was troubling. It could only mean one thing; The Earth Builder wanted him for himself. He twisted and squirmed fruitlessly one last time. Though surprisingly he stayed calm. He wasn't afraid of the Earth Builder. He had ended him once, he could end him again. What troubled him more was leaving Avos behind to fend for himself.
It's no use human. Marcus heard the thought in his head. He was startled when he looked over at the beast who was now staring straight at him. It lifted its legs and let Marcus sit up and back away up against the nearest tree. Marcus rubbed his legs, he was surprised his skin was still intact, only a surface burn.
The Black Shuck stood up on all fours and began slowly walking around Marcus and the tree. This close to Marcus, the Black Shuck could communicate more readily in the common tongue, at least telepathically. You know what's coming? You know who wants to see you?
"I do," answered Marcus.
Then we wait. It paused for a moment. Was he waiting for Marcus to respond? His mind turned to the battle. He remembered how easily the City Defender's had taken out the Soulless once they knew how to defeat them. He had felt a sense of hope before the Shuck took him, a sense that everything was going to be ok, that they would be able to defeat the Soulless, get the scrolls and see Avos resurrected in time to defeat the Earth Builder. He had thought the Light was shining on their faces.
Don't get your hopes up, you fool! The Shuck stopped in front of Marcus and barred its teeth. Do you really think that the first to rise would be the last? The strongest? The undead Earth Builder is still weak. They were merely my pawns, a distraction. Pity they all burned, but that won't happen again.
"You can read my thoughts?"
The Black Shuck stepped up closer to Marcus. It put its face right up to his, laughed a growl and opened his jaws in a mocking grin. It snapped its jaws with a loud crack which made Marcus jump back and slam his head against the trunk of the tree. Marcus tried to stand and move away but the hit had made him dizzy. The Shuck grabbed hold of his Marcus's ankle with his teeth before he got too far and began to pull him through the dirt.
Come, he's awake. The Shuck twisted his head around and bit at the side of his back. It looked like there was a pocket sliced right into his burning hide which bulged with it's contents.
Suddenly, the air in front of the beast became distorted. A large oval shape began to appear in midair. It danced like waves in a shaken tub. Marcus recognized what it was; a portal. He hadn't seen one since before the Shattering, while he was still Primordial. Now he knew how the Soulless had gotten to Bolster ahead of the Earth Builder. The Black Shuck had gotten his paws on a Portal Stone. They must have made some sort of deal. What was the Black Shuck getting out of it?
The beast walked through it, pulling Marcus with him. Marcus felt like his skin was being pulled off his body. An enormous amount of pressure seized his skull. Just as it felt like his head was going to burst, they were through and standing at the mouth of The Scourge.
Marcus felt ill at ease. He looked toward the cliff face that most likely held the Earth Builder's lair. He was right. He noticed an entrance carved into the face of the cliff. A cave. A woman stood in its centre, marking their approach. Was that Lucinde? He knew then that it was, but how much she had changed wasn't yet apparent.
The closer he was dragged to the cave entrance, the less he saw in her eyes. Oh Lucinde! He felt empathy towards his oldest friend. Immortality must have taken its toll on her. Promises of reunions with lost loved ones was most likely what triggered her to help El'Athan. Though now that she had been Usurped, there really was no hope he'd ever speak to the real Lucinde again. The Shuck flung him at her feet.
"There he is. The harbinger of justice? Or of pain?" Was that a smile on Lucinde's face as she addressed him? "Marcus, Marcus, Marcus. You've been busy." She stood and stared him down with her hands on her hips. Her long hair was french braided in three sections and then intertwined together across her shoulder, down to her waist. Her lips were blood red. Her eyes empty. Her matching crimson dress was loose and showed more skin than he had seen on her in generations. She wore a pair of black riding boots up to her knees.
"I could say the same about you, Lucin..." THWACK. Lucinde stomped Marcus square in the jaw with her boot before he could name her.
"I no longer go by that useless name. I will always be the Wind Shaper, just as you will always be the Rain Maker." And she stomped him again for what she believed to be good measure.
"Not always, not forever." Marcus responded under his breath.
"We shall see."
That was it. That was their big plan; to keep themselves alive so no other initiate could be resurrected. So in the meantime, the Great Dark could build his army of Soulless and no Primordial's could be made to stop it.
Lucinde turned and entered the cave. The Shuck grabbed hold of Marcus again and followed behind her. It took only moments to reach the place where El'Athan was at rest. He was seated in a throne made of rock and minerals, most likely crafted by his Primordial magic. He was waiting for them all to come to him.
"So we shall," El'Athan continued, "but first, old friend, tell me what you know of the Spirit Walker."
"The Spirit Walker?" Marcus was buying time. Of course he knew what had happened to her, though most thought she was long dead. Though anyone could find information about the previous Spirit Walker, her name, birth date, life accomplishments, Primordial actions, all of it was recorded in the archives. Perhaps the one thing that would be left out was information about her death, or rather, her faked death.
Marcus looked to Lucinde, was this a test? She must know. Though he continued, "Everyone knows what happened to Yrsa, she was consumed by the Great Dark."
"Liar!" Lucinde shouted. "You know as well as I what became of Yrsa, those blasted Elves took her!"
"Marcus," El'Athan interjected, "come now. I was hoping you would co-operate. You don't want to make the remainder of your long life a living hell, now do you? Who is her initiate?"
That Marcus did not know. Only Yrsa herself would have become aware of her own initiate when he or she was born. She alone would have had dreams or waking premonitions of her initiate. If she were dead, only another Primordial would be able to track her down.
Marcus realized that the undead Earth Builder must no longer have all the powers a true Primordial was raised with. His empty soul must have absorbed them.
Lucinde knew that Yrsa and Marcus had been close for a time, but that was before the Shattering. They had connected through dreams over the years but Yrsa had never spoke of an initiate to him. So that is what he told them. They were not pleased.
They vowed to make certain he was not holding back any information. They claimed to have an eternity to make him suffer. They laughed at him like he was the fool. Marcus stayed silent, ignorant, yet internally complacent. He blocked his mind from them and hopefully the Black Shuck as well. For though it was true, Yrsa had not once mentioned her initiate in all his years as Chancellor, he still believed he may know who it was they sought.
He believed he concealed something even greater. Elise. He knew then and there that she was the key. A Spirit Anchor. Yes! Why had he not put the pieces together before now? He immediately closed off his mind of all thoughts of her, her name, her image, anything. He looked at the Black Shuck, he did not seem to be aware of his revelation. He began to feel the Light shine on his face once again. He vowed that he would do whatever it took to see Avos succeed him, no matter what the cost.
Then everything went black.