by J. M. Topp
Elymiah’s jaw flew open in realization of who stood before her. She dropped the torch and took a step back from the man.
‘You are…you are…’
‘Say it.’
‘Oredmere. But it cannot be,’ Elymiah said, touching her forehead.
‘Oh, but it is.’ The Ashen Knight shrugged and picked up the torch from off the floor. ‘I never really bothered to correct anyone. It’s not human worship I need. I established my Kingdom of Aivaterra and guarded my people from many tribulations.’
‘You prevented the wars from ever reaching Aivaterra,’ Elymiah said almost absentmindedly. ‘The prosperity of our kingdom was owed to you.’
‘I even allowed a religion to be made in my horse’s name. My horse’s flames died out long ago, yet they still worship it. It was said that the horse was to be reborn, but it never came to be. You Aivaterrans never truly learned its name.’
Elymiah clenched her fists and spoke through her teeth. The man before her could not be the god she had revered since childhood. ‘I’ve killed in your name. I followed a queen into an invasion because I thought that’s what you would want. I was cursed in your name and banished from my homeland. All that I have lived… Is it all a lie?’
‘No.’ The Ashen Knight shrugged again. ‘Not all of it. You saw life from a perspective that was given to you—not from one that you acquired for yourself. I am merely giving you the path to expand your vision.’
‘The daemon hunters?’
The Ashen Knight smiled and turned to Elymiah. ‘The Veledred, hunters of daemons, are part of the reason you are here. See these markings?’ The Ashen Knight pulled the ragged sleeves of his robe and scratched his grey skin. Elymiah noticed that his entire body was branded in tiny black spider-like symbols. Before Elymiah could ask what they meant, the Ashen Knight interrupted her. ‘The Hunting Grounds. It’s known as hell to some, and others simply call it purgatory, but the Hunting Grounds are a place of eternal death and rebirth.’
Elymiah had never heard of such a place.
‘You wake as if in a dream, and then the Hollow Feeders hunt you and run you down on undead mounts. They don’t stop until everyone on the grounds are dead again. Night after night, they do this, killing the souls of the damned, over and over again. Little by little, you begin to lose your sanity until you are a lifeless husk, staring at the cold red sun for all eternity.’ The Ashen Knight rubbed his shoulders. ‘Someone let them into the land of men. I was banished for the fault was laid at my feet.’
Elymiah thought of Gruizoch and the terrible daemons she had witnessed. The Ashen Knight nodded. ‘Gruizoch is an Apostle. If he were a Hollow Feeder, it would make things easier for all of us.’
‘I’ve met one,’ said Elymiah. ‘A Hollow Feeder.’
The Ashen Knight’s face froze. ‘You what?’
‘A rider atop a dead wolf with swords in its sides.’
‘To think, I am in awe of you, having survived an encounter with a Hollow Feeder as a human.’ The Ashen Knight smiled, but then his face turned to horror. ‘But that means we have less time than I thought. They will try to help you and pretend to befriend you. Trust them not, Elymiah. They intend only destruction.’ The man walked back into the staircase. ‘I need your help, Elymiah.’
‘I need something in return too.’ Elymiah took a step towards the Ashen Knight.
‘Ah, Robyn.’
‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know,’ Elymiah said.‘I want Robyn’s eyes and tongue restored. I want complete restoration for him from the plague.’
The Ashen Knight looked down at his boots and then back up at Elymiah. ‘Interesting request. I was expecting you to want to heal yourself.’
‘I want that too.’
‘Too many requests.’ The Ashen Knight shook his finger at Elymiah. ‘My power is no longer limitless. Much will be asked of you.’
‘I don’t care.’ Elymiah stood tall before the Ashen Knight. She was willing to do anything for Robyn. ‘If you want my soul, you can have it. I will do anything.’
‘Music to my ears, Elymiah.’
‘I’ll bet.’
The Ashen Knight glanced at Elymiah and then nodded slowly. ‘When the time comes I will ask something of you. You will be powerless to do anything but obey. Remember this…and be afraid.’
‘So specific.’
‘Would you prefer me to be more ambiguous?’ asked the Ashen Knight with a hideous laugh. With her left hand, Elymiah grabbed the Ashen Knight by the neck and slammed him to the ground. The Ashen Knight gasped for breath as air escaped his lungs. Bits of ash seeped from his mouth. He seemed more human than Elymiah could have ever guessed. His skin and his eyes were the only things that gave him away as anything but human.
‘I could crush your neck,’ Elymiah whispered.
The Ashen Knight choked but smiled at her. ‘That’s what I like about you, Elymiah. You are one of the few humans who are strong and with enough willpower to face the beast. The cure I am offering is not to make you more powerful, but to make others weaker. You are the right hand I am choosing.’
Elymiah’s eyes widened. ‘What are you saying?’
‘I will have my reign back. I will become a guardian spirit again. I want you beside me. You have more than proven yourself.’
Elymiah let go of the Ashen Knight and turned her back to him. His words were a heavy weight in her mind. This couldn’t be the one she had prayed to day after day for her entire life. Yet, something in the back of her mind knew that his words were real. That same something sighed with relief. Elymiah furrowed her brow and turned back to him.
‘I don’t care,’ Elymiah repeated. ‘I’ll be your bitch if you want. Just heal him.’
The Ashen Knight picked himself up. ‘My bitch? Now that is a tempting offer,’ he said with a nasty grin. ‘So be it. You will be healed the moment you set foot out of this keep. Robyn will be healed and restored. It will be almost as if it never happened.’
‘What do you mean almost?’ Elymiah raised an eyebrow at the Ashen Knight.
‘I can heal physical ailments, but the mind remembers. He will never forget. Remember, I said my power is no longer limitless.’ The Ashen Knight laughed like crumbling stone once more. ‘I have one more offer.’
‘What is it?’
‘I want you to join the ranks of the Veledred. I hate any daemon that walks on my beautiful Khahadran Kingdom, and I abhor the Apostles even more.’
‘You want me to join the daemon hunters?’ Elymiah chewed on her lip, contemplating the Ashen Knight’s words.
‘An event that was foretold long before the age of man is coming to pass. The Harmony of the Apostles will destroy this world and start a new one in its dead bones. The gods will have a blank slate to do whatever they wish. I have a certain love for mankind, elven-kind, and even some of the Old Breed. In return for the healing that I am giving you and your loved one, I ask only this of you: Hunt and kill everyone of the Harmony of the Apostles. Bring me their heads so I can mount them as trophies in the hall of the gods. I don’t want you as my bitch. I want you as my hero.’
Elymiah thought for a second. ‘What of the Hallowed Masters?’
‘Ah, you want revenge. You are certainly full of surprises, Elymiah.’
‘I want to kill them.’
‘So be it. Their corpses will be a worthy sacrifice to me.’
‘I will make it so.’ Elymiah nodded, taking the torch from the Ashen Knight’s hands.
‘Then it is done. Upon arrival to the Painted Basilisk, your lover will be healed, and all will be as it was.’
‘I suppose I should thank you?’ asked Elymiah.
‘Never. It would greatly offend me,’ the Ashen Knight said as he walked back to the staircase. The steps began to close over him like a tomb.
‘What are you going to do?’
Before the Ashen Knight entered the staircase, he turned to Elymiah. ‘I was branded and banished much like you were. All I can do now
is watch through my telosphere and work through my Veledred. I do have great hopes for you, Elymiah.’ The Ashen Knight turned back to the staircase. Before Elymiah realized, the Ashen Knight was no longer there—just the simple staircase.
Simply stone.
All was silent and dark, save for the flickering flames dancing atop the torch in her hands.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
A Fractured Fellowship
THE WINDS WERE once more turning from mild temperatures to their more frigid ones. Summer had lasted less than two months. Chilling winds were beginning to blow through Eldervale, effectively killing the crops from the fields surrounding Whitetree Mills. Mounds of dead corn lay in piles around the mills. The stench of rotten maize cast a scent over the village that made Ayda hate Whitetree Mills. She stared out the window of Theyllyn’s hut. She touched her elven ear and thought of her mother. A small measure of sadness crept into her mind. Ayda knew that she didn’t belong in Duren after the evils her mother had made her commit. Even so, she did miss the thought of a mother. Ayda forced the regret from her mind and touched her ear again. Rebecca stirred from her sleep and sat up from the small bed makings on the floor. She stretched and yawned and looked at Ayda.
‘Did you get some sleep, youngling?’ Rebecca said, rubbing her eye.
Ayda shook her head. ‘I had nightmares.’
Rebecca stood up from her blankets and put a thin cloak on. Theyllyn and Korhas were still asleep, judging by the synchronous snoring. Rebecca sat beside Ayda, and they both stared out Theyllyn’s hut into the dawning horizon. Finally, Ayda couldn’t hold the question back anymore.
‘Did you come from the land of the elves? From Felheim?’
Rebecca looked down at her lap and nodded.
‘Almost sixty years ago.’
‘What’s it like? The land of the elves.’
Rebecca turned to Ayda. ‘It’s beautiful, Ayda. The City of Alestaeyn stands as the glory of this age. Sprawling gardens and flowers line the walls despite the constant cold and bitter snows. Statues of our deities stand watch over the gates of the city. Weserith and Aivaterra are dull and boring in comparison. Long stone pathways stretch from tower to tower, and…’ Her voice trailed off. A single tear escaped from Rebecca’s eye, and she wiped it away, but not without Ayda noticing.
‘You were banned from your people,’ said Ayda.
Rebecca nodded. ‘It was supposed to be a simple mission: spy on the kingdoms of man and return. But I fell in love with Weserith. I then fell in love with a human.’
‘You fell in love with a man from Weserith?’
Rebecca snorted and laughed softly. ‘Not a man. She would kill me if I told this story, but I suppose it’s ok now,’ said Rebecca. ‘She was from Sarene. Her brother was some sort of merchant, and they would often travel to Weserith. When I saw her, time stood still. Her gaze made my heart stop beating. I nearly abandoned King Ayland the moment I saw her. No one could find me if I decided to hide. Plenty of people did try to kill me even in Weserith, but no one was ever successful.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘I helped her escape Weserith at the same time Bendrick helped King Ayland escape. I put a sack over her head so that no one would guess who she was to me. But then the Dark Army came. I tried to protect her, but there were too many of them. An arrow pierced her chest and neck.’ Rebecca paused and the swallowed hard. She looked down at her lap. ‘She died in my arms.’
Another tear fell from her eye, but this time Rebecca didn’t wipe it. Ayda stared at the elf. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No need, youngling. Her soul dances with the spirits. There is no reason to mourn any longer.’ Rebecca sniffed, wiped the tears from her eyes, and glanced at Ayda. ‘I haven’t told this story to anyone else. Please, bury it and never bring it up again.’
Ayda nodded and then cleared her throat. ‘So we’re going through the Titanite Mines. What’s down there?’
Rebecca closed her eyes. ‘They once were miners of the Titanite Mines—or so the legends say—but when the mines collapsed, they had nowhere to go but deeper into the mountain. They descended for miles upon miles and reached the center of the earth, careful to place torches to find their way back should they be rescued. The gods cursed them for digging so deep and made them blind, unable to see the torches that would guide them back. Then they went mad, killing and eating each other. They grew fur on their skin, and they crawled on all fours, their limbs becoming strong and long. They are known as the Keepers of the Abyss.’ Rebecca shivered as she brought up the memories. ‘I was trapped in those mountains for two months. There was no light and no friendly face. I thought I would die in those mountains. If we are going through them, I hope nothing is down there—not anymore.’ Rebecca stood and walked over to Theyllyn and Korhas to wake them. Ayda turned back towards the fog covered sunrise, and she stared at the distant shadow of the Whitecrown Mountains.
GRUIZOCH AND AYAGI were still intact when Ayda and Rebecca popped their heads into the cave. The Minotaur was snoring loudly and seemed to have been asleep the entire time. Ayagi, however, stared at the entrance with glowing yellow eyes. Rebecca had brought a few items for them to eat, but it seemed—judging by a carcass of a cow or large elk—that they had found something to feast on. Ayagi uncoiled himself as he saw Ayda and slithered to her. Ayda hugged his neck, and they left Whitetree Mills and travelled north. Korhas and Theyllyn had each brought their own horse, and they sat back on them, lazily riding along the road. Korhas would glance at the Minotaur every now and again, and it was clear that he was wary of him. The Minotaur tried to smile, but it only came off as baring of teeth. Once the beast realized that Korhas was reaching for his sword, he stopped smiling. The journey was met with uncharacteristic silence from Korhas and Theyllyn. Though Theyllyn would often smirk or roll his eyes, he didn’t comment. They rode ahead of the group, keeping a keen eye on the road ahead. Ayda was grateful for the silence. Hearing them talk wore her out.
Snowflakes and freezing winds blew stronger down the mountain path the further they traveled north. Before Ayda realized it, they were on a narrow dirt path with snow-covered pines guarding the sides of the roads. Ayda struggled to walk through the tufts of tundra. Ayagi slithered past Ayda, and she jumped on his back, riding the mythic serpent. Ayagi merely glanced at her and kept on slithering.
‘I hate snow,’ he hissed. Ayda shivered and nodded in agreement against his scales. Gruizoch stomped up behind them and knelt before Ayagi. He tapped his shoulder and then pointed at Ayda. The serpent craned his neck at the Minotaur and hissed but then glanced at Ayda. He thought for a moment, slithering along the road. Gruizoch’s breath came out as two clouds of fog from his nostrils, and his black nose twitched as he waited for Ayagi’s response.
‘Get on his back, Ayda. You would be warmer,’ said Ayagi, flicking his tongue at the Minotaur. Gruizoch held his hand out to Ayda. His hand was the same size as she was tall. Ayda jumped off Ayagi and climbed up Gruizoch’s arm. She landed on his wide shoulders, and Ayda realized that the Minotaur was right. Gruizoch’s brown and black fur enveloped Ayda, and his skin was fiery warm, despite the freezing temperatures. He smelt like leathery, sweaty rotted meat, but Ayda couldn’t pass up the feeling of warmth. Immediately, she let out a sigh of relief. Gruizoch couldn’t look up to Ayda, but he turned his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eyes. He nodded his horns up and down and continued to plow through the snows. Ayda glanced at Rebecca. She hadn’t said a word since they had started on the road to the Titanite Mines. Whatever she had encountered in that dark place had left a mark on her. Ayda prayed that they wouldn’t find whatever it was that had left such a mark on a legendary elf like that.
REBECCA WANDERED OFF the path going north and split off into a small valley that was completely hidden by fallen rock and thick brush. Theyllyn and Korhas turned their horses around and urged them down the narrow path. Rebecca unsheathed her dagger and sliced into branches and bark. Her blade mad
e short work of the obstruction, and they passed down into the small crevice of the mountain. They passed under a fallen log bigger than any tree Ayda had ever seen. Gruizoch doubled over as he walked underneath it. One of his horns marked the underside of the tree as he walked under it, scraping bark from it. The entrance to the Titanite Mines was no bigger than the door to Theyllyn’s hut in Whitetree Mills. The entrance—if it could be called that—was really nothing more than a large hole. Stones dotted the edges of the hole, but nothing else of note was to be seen—at least not to Ayda’s mind. Gruizoch’s ears perked up, and he began to sniff the crisp air. Rebecca stopped and turned around to him.
‘Do you smell something?’
Gruizoch looked at Rebecca, but kept his ears straight up in the air. His ears snapped back once, and he snorted, shaking his head like a cow. ‘Foul smells coming from within.’
Rebecca’s face began to flush, and she clenched her teeth. Gruizoch let Ayda down from his shoulders. It wasn’t as cold as it had been on the path, mainly because of the barrier from the wind. Rebecca turned to Ayda. ‘Stay close to me if you can, Ayda. Do not wander away from me.’
Ayda nodded and Rebecca turned to Ayagi. ‘You will go first. The markings on your forehead will light our way.’
‘I don’t respond to you, elf.’
Ayda glanced at Rebecca’s reddening face.
‘Ayagi,’ whispered Ayda, ‘do what she says.’
Ayagi flickered his tongue at Rebecca and turned into the cave. He slithered slowly into it. Rebecca glanced at Ayda. ‘After you, halfling.’
Ayda took in another deep breath and entered the cave. Ayagi glowed bright blue, enough for Ayda to see in the dark. She glanced back to make sure that she was being followed. Gruizoch was at the far back of the group. Ayda continued to follow Ayagi.
