Chapter 32
Gifts
“I am Revolaton. Fear me.”
The words rang in Sonya’s ears. What did he mean Dearekk was gone? He was Dearekk. A thousand questions ran through Sonya’s head in the span of a single second. Whoever this blue-eyed creature was, it seemed that it was not her friend.
The Seer suddenly flew forward, his hand’s raised and an expression of anger and fear on his features. “Be gone!” the fay bellowed. “Be gone from the body you are possessing!”
Shrinking away, Dearekk let out an inhuman hiss. But slowly, he began to stand, towering over the stunned Seer. “I am Revolaton,” he rumbled, “and this body is now mine.”
As the Seer took a faltering step back, Dearekk took a step forward. His glowing eyes raked across the room, and then froze when then landed Tiaem. The young dwarf girl’s eyes were closed and she seemed to be mouthing something; a prayer to the One.
Suddenly Dearekk let out a roar and lunged towards her. However, when his outstretched hands were inches from her neck, he let out an agonized shriek and he scrambled backwards as if burned. Words of an unknown language slipped out of his mouth like a chant.
Realizing what was happening, Sonya stood and pointed a finger at the half-elf. “In the name of the One, I command you to GET OUT OF HIM!” she said, her voice slowly rising to a shout.
With a screech, Dearekk fell convulsing to the ground. When his body went still, Sonya, the Seer and Nyx all ran towards him. Gently, Sonya shook his shoulder, praying that whatever was possessing her friend was gone. She let out a breath she did not know she had been holding when she found herself staring into a pair of grey eyes with elf green around the pupils.
“Wh…what happened?” Dearekk asked groggily as he sat up, holding his head.
The Seer didn’t skip a beat. “You were possessed,” he stated shortly. “Revolaton. Is it gone?”
“Yes.”
Sonya was certain she was the only one who noticed the hesitation that lasted a fraction of a second in Dearekk’s answer. Looking at him sideways, she noticed that he wouldn’t look her in the eyes.
Pushing through the crowd, Jehue and Risal stepped forward. “Care to explain that?” Risal snapped.
“You know as much as we do,” Nyx retorted angrily.
The dwarf girl shot the Seer a bitter look. “No,” she said resentfully. “I don’t believe we do. Seer, you have Knowledge and Sight. Surely you can tell us something about the events that just happened.”
Shaking his head, the Seer looked frustrated. “Something is blocking my Knowledge,” he replied in an even tone. “When I try to use my powers, it’s like walking into a stone wall.” Turning to face Risal, he spat, “Some things are meant to stay forgotten.”
Before Risal could reply, Jehue stepped in. “Today has been busy,” he did not seem angry, just tired. “I think our guests should rest. Risal, attend to your sister, I will be there in a moment.”
A look of astonishment passed over Risal’s face and she turned and ran to her little sister’s side. Taking Tiaem in her arms, the cleric rocked the younger dwarf in her arms, whispering words of comfort in her ears.
“I’m going to sleep,” Dearekk said slowly, before turning and walking away, Sonya following soon after him.
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Sonya did not dream that night. Her mind was graced with a peaceful bliss that she had not known in years. But a small hand that clasped over her mouth, waking her with a jolt, disturbed her rest.
“Shhh,” a young dwarf boy said when she started thrashing. “I’m here to help.”
Slowly, Sonya settled down. Looking over her visitor, she saw that he could not have been more than sixteen years old. He had reddish-brown hair that hung past his ears and a bristle of a beard was staring to grow around his chin. “Who are you?” Sonya asked quietly when he removed his hand from her mouth.
The dwarf boy shook his head. “That is not important,” he replied grabbing a torch off the wall. “Come, follow me. Quickly!”
Sonya trailed after the dwarf as he led her through hallways, backdoors, and secret passages. When they arrived at a tapestry, he suddenly stopped.
The tapestry was beautiful. It depicted scenes from the land above in vivid colors. There were grass fields, huge forests, and snowcapped mountains. Words in a language she did not know lined the bottom in gold lettering.
As the dwarf boy pushed the tapestry aside, he put his hand on the wall behind and murmured, “Evocent memoriam oblitus.” Instantly the wall began to glow a deep red color and a section slid away.
Noticing the strange look Sonya was giving him, the dwarf translated, “Evoke a memory forgotten.” He then turned and walked through the opening.
Sonya followed him down a flight of stone stairs into a hidden chamber. Light illuminated the room as the dwarf lowered his torch to the others. On a pedestal in the center of the chamber was a stone chest, solid with no way of opening it.
Once again, the dwarf boy walked over and placed his hand on the chest. As he murmured unintelligible words, a red light crept over the box, completely encasing it. Then the stone crumbled into dust.
The dwarf reached forward and grabbed something, then turned to her. “You lost your knife in the battle with the hydra, correct?”
Stunned, all Sonya could do was nod.
Holding his hands out, the dwarf revealed two knives, one in each hand. The blade was black with a metallic sheen and the blade looked as though it was dyed with blood; runes etched on crimson the blade.
“Take them,” the dwarf boy hissed when Sonya didn’t react. When she reached out and took them, he continued. “They are the Blades of Vermiculus. Otem is their name. These blades will never break and if you loose them, they will always be returned to you.”
“Who was Vermiculus?” Sonya asked quietly, her curiosity getting the better of her.
For a moment the dwarf boy seemed bitter. “That is a bloodstained story; a tale that no one as young as you should have to hear,” he said. “Take them.”
Sonya shook her head. “Why not give them to Dearekk?” she replied. “He is a leader and he is more deserving of such a gift.”
“No,” the dwarf boy said with finality. “The half-elf will always be torn between races. He will never understand the loyalty one has to one’s race. But you…you understand us. You understand what it’s like to fear for your people. Take the blades, they are as much of a curse as a gift.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Sonya reached out and took the knives. As soon as her hands wrapped around the hilt, a small sigh escaped the dwarf boy’s lips.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I have been bound to those blades for centuries and now I am free.”
A searing pain shot through Sonya’s hand and she dropped the dagger with a gasp. Looking at her hand she noticed a red scar twisting around her left index finger.
Suddenly the dwarf boy began to fade away. “You are bonded,” he said, his voice an echo on the wall. “Do not make the same mistakes that I did.”
“Who are you?” Sonya called out to the vanishing spirit. She squinted, trying to make out the now transparent creature.
The dwarf boy managed to say one word before he was gone.
“Vermiculus.”
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After Sonya rolled out of bed the next morning, a dwarf messenger told her that the council had made its decision and that she was to meet with the others at the pavilion. As quickly as she could, she threw on a pair of clothes and rushed out the door, eager to hear the dwarves’ verdict.
When she arrived, she realized that she was the last one there. With a sheepish smile on her face, the elf sat down between Dearekk and Nyx. The fay princess shot her an amused glance, but Dearekk didn’t even spare her a look.
Jehue cleared his throat. “The council has decided,” he began, his voice filling the pavilion. “A great favor was done when you defeated the hydra, one that we may never be able to repay. We are in your debt. However, it is not our place to break a vow sworn by our ancestors so long ago. We cannot simply ignore oaths sworn, especially when they were sworn for a reason. This council has agreed that we will not destroy the integrity of our people for a war that is not our own.”
All the companions stood at the same time.
“What?!” Sonya exclaimed. “You can’t do that!”
Raising an eyebrow, Jehue shot her a skeptical look. “And why can’t I?” he replied.
Still seething, Sonya stood toe-to-toe with the shorter dwarf man. “Because you owe us!” she spat. “And if you do not pay back that debt, you will be a cheat and a coward!”
Shouts of rang out as the entire council stood, arguing amongst themselves and yelling at Sonya. The whole pavilion seemed to rattle with the noise they were making.
“ENOUGH!”
The Seer’s shout silenced everyone. To put it truthfully, he looked beyond furious. “The dwarves have always been too proud,” he said in a loud, bitter voice. “They have been proud since before Zauluke was found, and they will be proud long after the Time of Kings has ended. Their pride will be their undoing.” Slowly, the white-haired fay turned to each and every council member. “I say let them be proud. Let them cling to their greatest flaw and let them fall to ruin. We have wasted too much time here already. Let us leave in the morning.”
The entire pavilion was silent. No one even dared to breath for a moment after the Seer had finished speaking. Then Nyx stepped forward. Her blue hair was braided up around her head and a lavender dress accented her iridescent wings. “Brother,” she said softly. “I remember when you were first chosen to Know. I still remember when you, a five-year-old child, walked forward and took our mother’s hand. I still remember her eyes glowing you screaming. I remember running to you as the color faded from your bright sapphire hair and your purple wings, leaving you grey and dull. I will never forget when they said it was too late for you; that you wouldn’t wake up from the unnatural sleep you fell into. And brother, I remember not giving up on you. I always believed that one day you would wake up and be all right. It was I who never stopped believing in you, and I will not stop believing in this race either.” Nyx stood a little bit taller. “I will stay behind with these people and believe in them. The dwarves are a stubborn race, but if anyone can rival them in their obstinacy, I can.”
For a moment, the Seer simply looked stunned. “Is…is that truly what you wish, Nyx?” he whispered, an expression of pain on his face; the pain of forgotten memories being remembered.
Nodding her head, the fay princess let out a brave smile. “It is,” she replied softly.
Suddenly Jehue realized that he seemed to have lost control of his meeting. Stepping forward, he said, “We will prepare a guide for you in the morning. Hopefully your trip out of Mortem will be more pleasant that your trip in. As a reward for your defeat of the hydra, your memories will not be erased.”
The Seer opened his mouth to speak, probably to say something snide about their “reward”, but he abruptly stopped. A gasp of pain rang across the pavilion as the Seer fell to his knees, his hands clasping his head.
“No…” he whimpered. “NO!”
Nyx rushed to her brother’s side, but his body was jerking spasmodically. Wildly, he jerked his head so his sightless eyes were gazing into his sister’s violet ones. “No! Th…the Asylum. Something’s h-happened. Th-there’s been a ja…jailbreak.”
Gasping in pain, the blind fay prince collapsed on the marble floor in a fit of screams and howls of agony.
(A/N Oooooooooo what’s going on in the Asylum? Who is Revolaton? Who is Vermiculus? Why does Stealthy_Ninja keep adding all these weird characters that I can’t keep track of? Who knows the answer to these question?! Oh wait…I do :D By the way, I am sooooooooo sorry this took me so long! I’m basically juggling soccer every day, band in the mornings, no study hall during school, homework every day, and writing. And believe me it kind of sucks. I’m trying to write as often as I can…but it’s just not working out very well. So once again, I’m SO sorry to all those who have been waiting for this chapter, and I’m so sorry that it’s probably not very good…Anywho, remember to vote, comment, fan, promote, whatever if you like it! I hit 4,000 reads which makes me an EXTREMLY happy girl :) Thanks for all your support!!)