by James Hunt
"They can only be killed by magic. It is the same for their progenitor. But... this human was somehow different. Something is wrong about it" Another matter suddenly stole Tamain's attention.
"Magic?! Kelria!" He whined and grabbed his temples. "My friends won't be able to stop it. I have to find them! They're in danger!" He thrust his hand high above him and summoned a swirling sphere of air above his head. The Harpy took a step back in bewilderment, but licked her lips as that look of desire intensified in her eyes.
"Call for me when you find it. My name is Eola." Eola said.
"Tamain." He replied as his sphere built up sufficient charge. "Of the Discarded." With a high pitched whoosh of rushing wind he was sucked up into the sky at an alarming speed. She watched his form turn to a small dot in the sky as he flew away.
"Tamain," Eola licked her lips. "Of the Discovered..." she cooed to herself and turned to attend to her daughters.
* * * * *
Kelria had to rely on Rollis for guidance. They had been running hard for some breathless moments. Despite favoring ground transportation he was far better at tracking than she was. It was her opinion that taking to the trees would be better to track a flying creature, but thus far Rollis hadn't failed.
"Fuck." He cursed in his abrasive growl as he pulled up on a lone, blood covered arrow. He collected it and looked frantically from tree to tree. "I can't find it now, I was locked onto the arrow." He spat and paced back and forth in frustration. Something made a sound, and he hushed Kelria to listen. Kelria tried to do what she had been taught, and listened to the forest. The normal sounds drowned away and she heard... nothing. Nothing but Rollis's angry pacing. But once that was pushed away to the rest of the background she heard a heavy woosh of air, it was rhythmic, like the beating of large bat wings. She concentrated on it, and felt confident in its direction.
"I've got it! This way!" she said, elated, and took off running. Rollis followed with bow at the ready. Kelria wasn't sure what to do once she found it, but she was certain this sound was it. It wasn't far away, and it was flying in a straight line, as if it had a purpose or somewhere to be.
Something shot past her head. Kelria rolled into a tumble and looked back where it went. An arrow of Lunarin make struck Rollis in the shoulder and threw him back with a grunt. A slender form flew right over her from behind, and Kelria saw the glint of twin steel blades drawn to engage Rollis.
"Look out!" she shouted. The form pulled up short, startled, and a foot slammed into her gut tossing her backwards and stealing her breath. She didn't know who it was, but she knew Rollis was in terrible danger.
Rollis tore the arrow from his shoulder with a cry of pain and a brief spray of blood. His own knife came up to deflect the first slash for his head, but the second thrust caught his gut in the side. Had it not been for his air-shield magic both strikes would have killed him outright. But that wouldn't last much longer the way this fight was going. His assailant was an Lunarin woman with twin tattoos of vines on her shoulders and a long brown braid of hair behind her. It was all the detail he could take in before she threw her forehead into his face and shattered his nose. Rollis fell backwards. This fight was now over, he knew it.
The lady knight spun in place and he saw that steel coming for his neck just as the white dots of pain cleared enough for his eyes to work properly. He brought his knife up in time to block it and it skidded off the short steel, but cut half of his ear off on its way by. That jolt of cold pain finally woke him from his shock and he roared. He stabbed out with his knife and dug it into her thigh. Using it as a hand-hold he grabbed it and pulled himself up, slamming his head into her chin and knocking them both to the ground. He was going to take this bitch with him to the afterlife.
Dazed, but not disarmed she staggered backwards and swung out reactively. Rollis sidestepped and threw his fist into her chin again and knocked her further back. This time she was ready for it and rolled with it, spinning into a crouch and sweeping his legs out from under him. She was on him in an instant, her legs pinning his side to the ground. She had his knife in her hands and she was slamming it into his chest. He caught her wrists before it made him, with only the tip uncomfortably pressing into his chest right above his heart. There they locked and held, fighting for dominance through brute strength, snarling at each other as they threw their whole bodies into their arms to win the battle of strength with Rollis's life as the prize.
"Shoot her" he growled through gritted teeth as his face pulsed with the blood of exertion. Ordinarily he was content to let a fair fight play out, but it was her eyes that had changed this. He saw the coldness of a killer - indiscriminate, unyielding, incoercible, death. But also therein was the purest of hate that twists the soul and poisons the mind and makes one's killer grin from ear to ear as they make their kill.
She was grinning from ear to ear.
"Shoot her!" he screamed again. He was losing the battle, and the blade was cutting into his flesh. Blood pooled at its tip, and the pain was stealing more of his strength away. Confused as to why this bitch wasn't dead with a arrow in her temple, he took his eyes off that hideous grin for a moment and found Kelria standing beside them with his bow. Recognition was in her eyes, she knew this woman, and she wouldn't shoot.
'But there is a darkness in her that wants to tear us apart.' He remembered Corella's words. Rollis laughed madly as the blade dug deeper and bit into a rib.
Kelria winced, knowing full well the pain of a blade through the heart. Her shock shattered. Her body drew back in one fluid, determined motion, and her trembling ceased.
Revenge had cooled her.
Kelria pulled back the arrow. Another flying form distracted her. And that breathless moment where time slowed for her happened for the second time today.
Kalek glided through the air feet first with his swords drawn out beside him, and the edges of his cloak held in his hands to slow his descent. When she glimpsed him, the cold hatred in her heart didn't care. That dream had been dispelled by the knife through her ribs. But it was the white gleam of his teeth that made her look again. She had never seen him make such a face. This chivalrous gentleman of knights had always been kind, compassionate, and even tempered. She had never thought he could be angry. It wasn't anger actually, it was Wrath.
Kalek collided boot first into Iala's head. She was sent tumbling across the ground with a grunt of pain, the first she had made this entire battle. Rollis's gasp of relief was cut short by the sharp twang of Kelria's bowstring. Kalek was a quick flash of gleaming steel as one blade deflected the arrow harmlessly away, and the other sliced through the bowstring as he strode by.
Kelria fell on her haunches. Shocked, and uncertain as to what had just happened. She didn't know why she loosed the shot. She didn't know why she shot at him. All she could do was stare at the ruined weapon on the ground.
Kalek was atop his mother with one leg pinning her arm to the ground, one sword edge on her wrist, and the other pressing that razor edge to her throat.
"Kalek, what are you doing?" Iala scolded him coldly. She was furious with him. But she had never seen him angry before either, and it gave her serious pause. This Kalek was an uncertainty.
"You disobeyed your Queen," Kalek growled, his face a grotesque contortion of unrestrained anger. "...traitor..." He seethed quietly through gritted teeth, and the blade pressed into her jugular drawing a thin line of blood. "He is one of The Discarded."
The uncomfortable silence around them was palpable. Iala had nothing more to say. There was no innocent explanation to give, no confounding spin to weave, and no way to wrest herself free, she knew her son better than that. The girl was just as useless, she had done something foolish she could not take back, and what remained of her honor wouldn't let her run away or assist Iala in overpowering her reckless son. A soft gust of wind blew over the area.
"Enough Kalek," Tamain's voice called out as he staggered wearily into view. "Enough...it's settled." Kalek's snarling countenance r
eluctantly dissolved. He withdrew slowly, and rose. Yet he did not sheath his weapons.
"Iala," Kalek said discourteously. "Tamain of the Discarded." He introduced the Zecairin tending to his comrade's injuries. Rollis had crawled away and tucked himself beside a fallen log. But the blood trail he had left behind was severe.
"Let me," Kalek offered when he saw the poor state Rollis was in and the pallor of Tamain's face. Having seen this Zecairin at his best, he could tell that Tamain was running low. He wondered what they could have faced to have drained him so. The tone in which he said it however discouraged argument, and Tamain was in no mood to argue. Kalek sheathed his weapons and set to mending Rollis's wounds as Tamain approached Kelria and collected the broken bow. She wouldn't meet his gaze. She stared at the ground wide-eyed and vacant. He lifted a hand to touch her cheek, to try and sooth the turmoil of emotions waging war within her. But she turned away from it, and when she looked up there was cold murder in her eyes. Something Tamain recognized had finally broken free to the surface. She couldn't look at him for long.
"I am sorry, my beautiful mouse." He spoke softly. His magic carried those words on the wind and made sure only her ears heard them. "I was insensitive to what they did to you. I should have been more gentle and given you more time to heal."
Kelria pulled her knees to her chest. Her cold, stoic stare was betrayed by the tears that were escaping despite her efforts. Tamain wanted to say more, but he feared he would break her if he continued. So he let her go with one last thought. "I will be here when you need me, and when you are ready. Go with them. Struggle, and make it right. They are not your enemies anymore. "
Tamain came to stand before Iala as she picked herself up. The woman shifted her pose, taking an aggressive stance ready to throw the first blow.
"They were tracking a freshly born Denaos" he said using the Lunarin word for Demon-spawn. "Thanks to you, it got away, and that plague has been released upon this world." Iala scoffed.
"You cannot shame me with a child's story." Iala snorted.
"It is true." Kelria said. Tamain raised an eyebrow and glanced back her way before returning to Iala.
"You have made your anger into a weapon." Tamain said looking down his nose at her haughtily. "Unfortunately a weapon made thus can never be sheathed, it rules its master and leads one down a path of brutality or madness. It is one of the reasons why our two people continue to commit atrocities upon each other. I will not be ruled by a weapon, nor will I let one of mine be so. Until Kelria of Lunar expresses her wishes to leave The Discarded, she is still one of mine. If you encourage her anger again... I will ask your Queen to intervene on my behalf. I believe she has sent you to deliver a favorable response to my request to an alliance, no? Otherwise you would not be here, you would be spying on that Monastery she is so preoccupied with. Should I report to her that you sabotaged those efforts before they were given their fair trial?"
Iala was speechless. She had expected threats upon her person, vows of revenge, or boastful posturing. But this Zecairin was... odd. She looked him over again. Tamain was a simple man dressed in dark clothes for concealment in shadows, and no weapons. Foolish. His skill at camouflage was perfect - she hadn't detected his presence, but he was also a coward for not assisting his friend until help had already arrived. He was a fool indeed, one that ruled through theatrics and intimidation. She looked to Kalek, he was listening to everything they were saying, but he was preoccupied reattaching an ear. Tactically unsound. This whole situation was some sort of maddening farce. She closed her eyes and settled her nerves. Her toned arms came to fold over her chest and she calmed.
"I saw a Zek chasing one of my own, and I reacted poorly." She conceded.
"Apology accepted." Tamain said wearily. Iala balked, taken aback. "Now if you fools are finished, we have a demon to kill."
*****
"My lady has grown cold hearted," Kalek whispered to Iala in Lunarin as they ran along at a brisk pace behind the others. Rollis led the way with his crudely restrung bow, and Kelria guided him in the direction the creature went. Tamain, however, brought up the rear and was barely able to keep up with them. He was still mentally exhausted from channeling excessive amounts of magic saving the Harpai woman. But his instructions had been understood; if this was a demon spawn, he was their only weapon against it and he needed to be ready. So he lagged behind, and rested his senses.
Iala clenched her jaw and did not respond. Kalek thought that perhaps it was the embarrassment of earlier, or his own defiance against her, or the fact she was traveling with two Zecairins and a traitor, but she hadn't said a word since their joint venture began. Kalek glanced behind him to find Tamain still there. He could tell by his vacant gaze that Tamain was off in daydream land.
"Before today, I think. I first noticed it after the princess returned with Father." Kalek added.
"How do you expect me to accept a declaration of war against our own people?" Iala hissed back at him angrily. Kalek had no immediate answer, he had suspected her feelings, but had hoped not to have to have this argument.
"How did you expect me to accept the orders to end Kelria's life?" Kalek countered calmly. "A Knight follows orders. Even such orders that he does not see the reasoning in. Yet despite my feelings about it, you had a justified reason for it. You did not want her to suffer alone in this land after we were gone." Kalek added. Iala almost stopped running when she looked at him in confusion. She had been set up and was just now realizing it.
"You will make a fine Captain," She sighed in exasperation. "I concede."
"My lady is most gracious." Kalek smiled.
Tamain glanced up from the back of their heels to regard each of the Lunarin elves in turn. His bloodshot eyes and perpetual scowl were more due to the burning headache than his mood or the consideration he was giving these two and their secret conversation.
The group burst through the tree line and into some outlying farmsteads. The squealing of terrified hogs drew their attention and Rollis made a straight line for the disturbance. They closed in, and much to their reluctant delight, they found their winged prey as it took flight from the hog pen it had been feasting in.
Iala froze in shock when she saw as there was no denying the legendary horror that it was. The monster had grown. Its leathery wings were massive and twice as long as it was tall. A long barbed tail swished about with half a skewered carcass still attached. Its gangly arms ended in claws longer than most knives. Its head was humanoid but with a slightly elongated maw full of fangs. But it was the skin coloring that showed it for what it was; it was covered in reddish skin, blackened by a splotchy leathery hide. She had secretly hopped this had been a fool's quest, or at best a Zecairin trap. Instead she stood frozen in panic. Rollis shot it out of the air with two arrows through its wings right at the shoulder muscles. It shrieked and plummeted to the ground.
"I'm not ready." Tamain instructed, exasperated, his voice weighted with weariness. "Leaf Knights! Use elements on your weapons and keep it down!" Iala was bristled out of her shock at being commanded by a Zecairin, but she could not argue his tactics and Kalek was already well ahead of her with two flaming swords at his sides. She drew her own blades, charged them with cold magic, and followed him. But pulled up short when she spotted Kelria joining the fight with her own knife.
"No!" Iala commanded. "Support him!" She pointed at Rollis. "If it gets past us, then engage it." She gave as concession. Kelria followed her orders.
Kalek was upon it a moment later, slicing off bits of wings and limbs. But it had grown, and now matched him in size. Its regenerative ability was quickly regrowing limbs and flesh faster than Kalek could cut them off despite the charred wounds. The Lunarin knight was losing the fight as it scored a nasty wound on his forearm, and then followed up by shredding big chunks from his shoulders. His own muscles did not work so well after being rent and severed, and Kalek collapsed to his knees. Despite the pain, he set himself to healing just as Iala took over the batt
le.
Truly a master of her art, her body twisted acrobatically through the air to dodge the monster's blows as she scored her own gruesome hits. Bits of the creature flew through the air and splattered the landscape. But for every blob of gore that landed another had regrown in its place before the former had dissolved into an acrid pool of yellow goo. The charred flesh where Kalek's blades had scored their hits were regenerating more slowly, but not enough to tip the fight in their favor. An arrow streaked between them to puncture an eye, blinding the creature. Iala was grateful for the support, despite its questionable source, and committed herself completely to the joint task. She worked off of the incapacitation Rollis provided, and severed legs and arms from its blinded side, until the arrow fell away, dissolved by its own blood.
Frustrated at a stalemated fight, the creature roared, and from its mouth spewed more of the dark yellow acid. Iala back-flipped out of the way, but not before getting her legs coated in the caustic slime. It burned through her leather leggings and sizzled her skin quickly and she shrieked. In proper riposte, she threw a blade at its head and plugged the spewing mouth with her own steel. It did little but to diffuse the spray to the sides, and Kalek had to scramble to avoid getting covered. But the damage had been done, and Iala was now out of the fight. The acid had burned the flesh off her shins and she had to stop to work healing magic on them before she could stand again.
