Chapter 18:
[Arria’s POV]
Arria dashed through the battlefield to the back ranks where she inspected her surroundings. It was an obvious loss as it always had been expected to be. The air was dry causing her throat to itch and the smell of vinegar, vomit, pine, and honey lingered in the air. She felt weak under her armor with all the battered blows bruising her obsidian silk skin. Her teeth clenched as she clutched her inner thigh in that vibrated in excruciating pain. It was strange to her that she was bested by a human but it also gave her strength. She now knew what the human held as a weakness and it could be used to his advantage. He was a brilliant captain and warrior she had noticed but when Anaela’s life had been place on the line he became frantic.
The draeyks and daerions were strong in numbers but their skill lacked that of the humans and elves combined. It is not the time… but soon it will be. Her voice triumphed in her mind and a bitter smile came across her face. All around her draeyks and daerions fell one at a time but none gave up and each fought with such intensity as if their life depended on it. It had depended on it of course because if they couldn’t prove their worth than it was no use in Arria keeping them around, and they knew it too.
“Retreat.” She whispered to a commanding draeyk officer standing beside her.
The creature nodded and screeched out in a slithering tone, “Rrrretrrreattt!”
She glanced back towards the battlefield and saw Searon staring at her with an icy glare. He held Arria up in his arms close to his chest but he didn’t look at her. His steel eyes melted into Arria’s with a warning clear on his unshaven face. Now it’s personal human… just the way I like it.
The elves and humans didn’t stop slicing the creatures down as they retreated out the gate but even after the losses there were still hundreds of them. Thousands to come, Arria thought. There was a war to come but they hadn’t brought out the high cavalry yet. Instead they took a different approach by destroying the king. If enough of the leaders fell the rest would be lost on how to react. Arria licked her lips tasting blood that dripped from her face and sneered.
Smoke danced around the city as it burned but it wasn’t enough to satisfy Arria’s taste. She unbuckled a pouch from her sash full of black coarse powder and chanted a few words before tossing it into the air. The black sparkles drifted in the air collecting onto trees that were houses to the elves and caught aflame. It caused enough of a distraction for her to disappear through the crowd and out the city along with the rest of the draeyks and daerions.
The clattering of footsteps echoed into her mind even though she tried to concentrate on her next plan. It was now time to face the dark wizard and inform him of her progress. He would still be forming an army of nacropis’s to add to the raids against the elven capital. She didn’t like to serve but she knew that it wouldn’t last for too long. The dark wizard did have a few good ideas starting with the necromancers. Soon they would be hers to command when she had an opportune moment to drive a dagger through the heart of the dark wizard.
Her body felt so alive with each kill that she made that it made it hard to stop. The most pleasure for her though was the killing of an elf. It fed her soul to strike and elf down and settled her rage and revenge for a time. Nothing would make her happier than having her sister in chains lain before her. She would turn her sister to see the dark and true path to freedom.
She looked around her to the tulip fields and a smile erupted upon her face. With her right hand she tore her last bag of soft powder from her pouch and blew it into the wind. It settled upon the flowers burning them to a crisp replacing the honeyed aroma with stale burnt. She rushed to her black panther that awaited her and jumped on top of the animal caressing its neck. The panther rushed forward through the rest of the meadow until they disappeared together through the trees. The draeyks didn’t have creatures to ride but they were quick much like their lizard cousins. However, the daerions rode on large reptile beasts with large heads and scale manes that ended in long spiked tails. They galloped low to the ground nearly half the height of a horse on all fours, gray in color, digging their four penetrating claws into the ground.
Still the odd reptile beasts were not as strong or quick as Arria’s panther which quickly took the lead. They were a hundred and fifty leagues away from the camp where Zergiel was and it would take a while to reach. It didn’t stop her from pushing the creatures forward though. There would be no rest until they arrived safely.
After a few days of traveling the creatures behind Arria were worn out and complaining. If there was one thing that she didn’t like it was complaints. There were even words questioning her leadership that really boiled her blood. The words were seldom but slithers of whispers by the time she walked around the creatures but she still knew they were there.
“Do you have a problem with how hard I’m pushing you forward?” Arria asked with seemingly serenity.
“Nooooo wiiiseee oooneee.” A draeyk slithered. Its teeth barred in a snarl afterwards as if biting back its tongue.
She turned around from the disgusting creature to face the rest who all openly stared at her now. Her left eyebrow arched as she glanced at each one of them. They seemed to cower in fear and it pleased her.
“Does anyone have a problem with our deadline?” She challenged.
“Yeeesssss. Yoooouu pusssh toooo haaarrd. Weee neeeed reeessst.” A pale draeyk slithered like a snake stepping forward.
Arria exhaled with regret as she looked at the creature. She had rather hoped it wasn’t that one that had spoken up because it was her captain for the draeyks. It wore gold thigh and shin pads instead of the black iron that the rest had worn, showing the creatures its importance. She dared not call the creatures he or she because she did not know what they were. In fact she thought they were a combined creature with both genders. It was exactly what they were.
“That is too bad captain.” Her mind fell short of its name as she never cared to remember any of the foul creatures besides titles. “I rather hoped you would be the one to strive the rest under your command, but if it’s second thoughts you have…”
“Weee neeeed reeesst. Ooonnlly oonneee daaaay.” The creature spoke again.
“What we need are creatures with strength, not weaknesses, to bring us to victory.” She spoke softly.
She stepped forward until she was mere inches from the creature. A flash of worry seeped through its eyes that were barely slits of black in yellow. Arria slid a dagger from her armor licked it with her long pointed tongue. In a flash her left hand was around the creature’s neck and she lifted it into the air as it snarled. From the corner of her eyes she noticed the other creatures stumble as if they would attempt to rescue their leader. In the flash of an eye she slit the creature’s neck and ripped its head off tossing it to the ground.
Shrieks cried out that mixed with the sound of the rolling head against soil. Three draeyks rushed forward pulling out their weapons. Two held axes and the other held a mace and they charged at her. She unsheathed her flamberge from its scabbard and held it in front of her with one hand while taunting the creatures with her other. Without a second thought the three creatures rushed at her and she blocked the two axes first before the mace knocked her back. Her teeth gritted now and she lunged forward dropping the two with axes in seconds. The last draeyk holding a mace dropped it eagerly and dropped to its knees staring up at her.
With a smile she approached the creature still holding her flamberge. The draeyk shivered and if its scales could hold goose bumps she imagined that it would have them scattered across its body. She glanced around and noticed that all the other creatures were staring at her waiting to see her next move. A smirk came across her face as she lunged forward to decapitate the creature and watched as its head tumbled to the ground and body plunged forward.
“Does anybody else have any problems with our pace?” She snapped.
Every creature surrounding her shook their head and prepared to continue traveling. She walked back over to her panther rising on it and watched as all the creatures did the same. A slight breeze whispered across her face tossing her snow white hair into her eyes. The scent in the air was a displeasing one of dead skin and burnt hair that tickled her nostrils. It wasn’t as foul of a scent as musky bitter cucumbers that the draeyks gave off.
“Mistress.” A chilling voice spoke almost spiderlike.
Arria turned around to find hundreds of black cloaked men standing in front of her. The group of them all wore hoods and their bodies couldn’t be defined with the loose cloaks. One stood out in front and she assumed he was the one that had spoken.
“Who are you?” She asked.
He curtsied low and gently shifted his hood back revealing his pale white face almost as white as Arria’s snow hair. There was thick facial hair in the form of a goatee that was charcoal in color on his face. A sneer looked misplaced on his face and a scar traveled from his nose to his upper lip. He held a dagger in his hand that’s form was similar to her flamberge.
“We are the Ethenchi, or souls of the dark.”
“What is it that you seek?” Arria asked.
“We come to serve.” He said.
Arria watched in disbelief as each lowered their robes and she noticed the figures of men, women, and children of all different colors from the darkest of blacks and the brightest of whites. Some were tall and some were short but all held an aura around them of power. It seemed they held magic inside of them that was stitched with the dark.
“Where do you come from?” She asked curiously.
“We come from across the sea, in a land far away full of corruption. We seek new land to corrupt.”
Arria bit her lip excitedly, “My master will be pleased with you.”
Morning of the sixth day they had safely arrived to Kazna’renth. Arria had a fever but continued to push the creatures forward as well as the newly founded Ethenchi. Cold sweat beaded across her forehead as she clutched onto her left thigh. She could no longer feel her leg but pain was overwhelming up her other one now. The creatures she traveled with seem oblivious to her pain but she collected that the Ethenchi had noticed though hadn’t said a word.
The welcome was as expected without a cheer or sound but eerie silence as they marched in. Quickly she dismissed the creatures and Ethenchi and made her way to the large black tent by herself. Crows rested upon perches and spears imbedded into the ground in front of the tent. Some picked at decapitated human heads that were impaled through spears decorated around the tent. A smile welcomed her face as she lowered herself from the panther and she petted the kind beast before ushering it off. Her steps came slow as she drug her injured leg forward towards the entrance of the tent.
She coughed a few times before clearing her throat with the intention to speak.
“Come in.” A raspy voice spoke.
Quietly she entered the tent and saw Zergiel sitting in his obsidian crafted chair. A woman in chains and half naked body was at his feet. Besides the slave he was alone and looked eager for the news. He frowned when she continued to walk towards him with her limp.
“Did the attack go according to planned?” He asked.
“Yes master. I did hope to kill the strongest elven archer, but her human lover proved to be stronger than I thought.”
“Hmm, that is interesting. He can’t be- no, I destroyed that village.” He shifted in his seat with doubt in his face for only an instant before his gaze turned cold. “Come closer.”
Reluctantly she stepped forward and watched as he held his zylek out touching her wounds. She cringed in pain from the energy pulsing through her body giving an almost electric feeling through her veins. Finally once the pain stopped she felt that her wounds were healed. Her heart beat furiously now at being drained from energy and she sat down on the ground in front of Zergiel. She placed her legs crossed in front of her as she stared up at her leader.
“The army of Nacropis’ isn’t ready yet. We have damaged them and soon we will dominate them.”
“Yes master.”
“Now rest my lovely. There is still much to be done… and you need your rest.”
“Of course master.” She spoke before leaving the tent walking with a normal pace now.