Eluan Falls: A Whisper of Fate

by Dane G. Kroll

  Many people in the palace huddled together in available rooms. They did not know what kind of attack was coming, and they wanted to be prepared.

  Nikali rushed to the window nearest him to look at the city below. There was no sign of an invasion.

  “What is happening?” Nikali asked. Nobody would stop to answer him.

  Nikali took a drink of his goblet and then reached out to the people of the city. He used his arcan to connect to the emotions that were coursing through the streets. Fear was at the forefront. He reached out farther. Cassandra’s sharing of power was working. Nikali was beginning to feel like his old self again. Powerful.

  Then he found it. Nikali couldn’t help but smile.

  Cassandra approached Nikali. She wanted to know what was going on as well.

  “Get the Red Cast,” said Nikali. “My mother has been kidnapped.”

  Seres readied his sword. He let it rest in his hand as he adjusted to the weight. The sword was meant for decoration, but it could still kill a man with proper use.

  Brynn held onto his knife tightly. It already had the blood of Seres’ guards smeared across the blade. He wiped it clean against the rags he called a shirt.

  “Your blood is the only trophy I want,” said Brynn. His Eluan speech was broken, but Seres could understand it well enough.

  “Then come and get it,” said Seres.

  Brynn charged forward. Seres swiped his sword from left to right. Brynn deflected the attack and shifted to the right. Seres kept the motion of the sword going. Brynn could not move forward with a direct attack.

  Seres stayed on the defensive. He had the upper hand with his range capabilities. He could stall until help arrived. The stories of Tcher soldiers were merely that, stories.

  Then Brynn contorted. The Tcher warrior arched backward and swung his upper body underneath Seres’ sword. Seres had gotten caught in a rhythm and was not ready for the new attack.

  Brynn dove under the sword then fell to the ground to avoid the immediate strike. His blade cut across Seres’ ankles. The Eluan senator staggered from the blow.

  Seres drove the sword down to the ground, but Brynn rolled out of the way. The sword crashed into the dirt. Then Brynn rolled back into the blade with full force.

  The display sword shattered against Brynn’s weight. Pieces of metal scattered across the ground. Seres pulled back with nothing left but his hilt and the nub of his blade.

  Brynn got back to his feet. Blood trickled down the side of his chest from metal fragments that splintered during his attack. He did not feel a thing.

  Seres stood at the ready. He still had a piece of his sword left. The blade was only a few inches now. That was all he needed to slay his opponent.

  Brynn attacked.

  Nikali and his band of arcan users rode through the city. They pushed their horses as fast as they could. The streets were relatively clear. Most of the citizens had flocked to safety as soon as the alarm was announced.

  Trac lead Ellen’s carriage through the streets of Eluan. He planned on making his escape through the Talons. It was the heaviest congested area of the city. He and his hostage could disappear easily.

  The three Tcher soldiers had been studying the city for months. After the attack on the Capitol they remained hidden in the quarters of the royal class. The area was evacuated, and very few people came around.

  When word came down that Aldrin the Ageless was dead, Brynn vowed vengeance. He did not want to leave until they had their chance to slay the man responsible for Aldrin’s death, Francesco de Seres.

  Their patience paid off. When the opportunity arose they took it. It also gave Trac an easy escape. He could use Ellen as a bargaining chip. Brynn could have his vengeance. Trac wanted nothing more than to be free.

  The carriage crashed into the market area of the Talons. Trac held no regard for the vendors or the people still on the streets. Those that were unconscious or too lazy to get off the street were run over.

  There was an exit to the city in the Talons. It was rarely closed, and lightly guarded. It was small and meant for traders. No invading force could use it successfully to get into the city. But it was perfect for one man making his escape.

  Guards were starting to emerge in the streets around Trac. The former Tcher soldier urged the horses to move faster. The carriage tousled behind him. He made a quick right down an alley. The next street over had no guards yet, and it was less crowded. He could move faster there.

  The carriage slammed into the building as it made its turn through an alleyway. Ellen was thrown about inside. The Eluan guards would have to hesitate to find him. It gave Trac a few more minutes.

  Cuts and scratches were on both men. Seres and Brynn circled each other. Neither could get a final blow on the other. Blood pooled on the ground beneath their feet.

  “I expected more from a Tcher soldier,” Seres said.

  Goaded by Seres, Brynn rushed back into the fight. He tackled into Seres. Seres held his ground. He drove the remains of his sword into Brynn’s shoulder blade. Brynn faltered but did not go down. He held his grip around Seres. Brynn’s blade cut across Seres’ thigh. Seres lost his footing and collapsed to the ground.

  Brynn fell with him. They tumbled to the ground. Seres flipped to his stomach to get back to his feet, but Brynn was on top of him.

  The Tcher warrior pinned Seres to the ground. He slammed his hand against the back of Seres’ head. Brynn stretched out Seres’ neck to reveal the scar on the back cut across the top of his spine.

  The scar was given to Seres during a Tcher rebellion years ago. Seres was captured and they tried to execute him, but the blade was dull. It did not cut fully through his skin and bone. Seres was spared, and then the Eluan army turned back the tide of the Tcher rebellion, and Seres’ life was saved.

  “I learned about you,” said Brynn. “We should have killed you years ago. You should be dead. Instead, you bear the mantle of The End of Ages. I will finish the job my brothers failed to do. I will take your head like you took our master’s.”

  The path was clear for Trac. The roads around this section of the Talons were usually clear. He could speed through the rest of the city and make it to the gates before the guards caught up to him. He relished in his plan that he had noticed people rarely came that way.

  Then the horses spooked. They came to an abrupt stop. It threw Trac out of his seat. He held tightly to the carriage to not be thrown off. The carriage almost tipped to the side, but, unluckily for Trac, it was stopped by the pole in the center of the street. It was the flag pole that donned no flag.

  Trac demanded the horses move forward, but the horses were no longer listening. They fought to break free from the carriage. The carriage was starting to get pulled back in the direction they had come.

  Trac jumped for the side of the carriage before the horses got too far away from his escape route. He climbed down and hung on to the railing on the side of the carriage and hurried toward the carriage door.

  Ellen was huddled in the corner of the cabin. She screamed again as soon as Trac opened the door. He held a knife in one hand and reached out with his other to grab Ellen’s ankle.

  He pulled Ellen toward the carriage exit. She screamed and held on to what she could to not go with her capture, but she was not strong enough.

  Trac jumped off the carriage still holding onto Ellen’s foot. As the carriage continued to retreat Ellen was pulled from its confines and slammed hard onto the ground.

  Trac did not give her a chance to catch her breath. He brought Ellen to her feet and put the knife against her neck.

  “Move!” Trac yelled.

  Ellen stumbled as she tried to walk along side Trac. Trac was looking in every direction. He swung his body with Ellen’s in a complete circle to see what his next plan of action was going to be.

  The area was mostly clear. Only one building had a number of bums lying outside on the street. The ground was discolored red from their spilled drinks and spilled blood.
The men and women stared at Trac, but they did not make a move. They looked more curious than concerned about the situation.

  “Stay away!” Trac yelled. “I will kill her and all of you if you come near me!”

  “Let me go,” Ellen begged.

  “Shut up,” said Trac.

  The horses were gone. Trac was on his own for his escape. The gates were still over a mile away. He debated cutting his losses and killing Ellen right there. He would move faster alone, but then he would have no leverage. He was outnumbered. He needed more than his one blade.

  But his decision was too late. Eluan guards started to approach the area. They were seen on every street. Trac did another loop to check over the area. He was cornered. There was nowhere to go.

  Hesitantly, Trac waited for the guards to come forward, but the movement never came. The Eluan guards kept their distance. They stayed at the end of the block at each corner. Trac could not go anywhere, but the Eluan guards were not coming to him. They were at a standstill.

  The Tcher soldier became so focused on the Eluan guards he did not notice the slow movements of the people outside the brothel. They began to stumble forward with big grinning red smiles.

  Across the city, Seres could feel Brynn’s blade pressed up against the scar on the back of his neck. Blood began to trickle across his skin. Seres did not cry out in pain. He was all too familiar with this sensation.

  Seres fought to break free from Brynn’s hold. Brynn had Seres pinned down by his chest. Seres flailed his arms to gain momentum to move, but it did him no good.

  The knife cut deeper into the back of Seres’ neck.

  Seres scraped his hands across the ground. His right hand sliced against the fragments of his former sword. Without another thought Seres grabbed the remains of the blade and swung his arm up toward Brynn.

  The blade cut into Brynn’s kidney. Brynn reeled back in pain. He dropped his knife and fell off of Seres.

  Seres forced himself to his knees. He crawled over to Brynn, who was writhing in pain. He had two blades sticking out of his body now.

  Seres reached out and grabbed the handle of his sword still in Brynn’s shoulder blade. He pulled it out and stabbed it back into Brynn several more times.

  Seres’ attack continued until Brynn was no longer moving.

  Finally, Seres fell back. He looked at his latest Tcher victim through blood covered eyes. Nothing was going to get in his way. He was the End of Ages.

  The Eluan guards dared not approach Trac or the oncoming mob of arcan abusers that were swarming the area.

  Trac swung his knife wildly to keep his new attackers at bay. None of the mob seemed concerned. They stared at him with glazed over eyes. Red drool seeped out of their mouths.

  “Get back!” Trac yelled.

  Ellen was too afraid to move. Even with the knife away from her throat she did not want to run into the blood lusting crowd.

  “Do not touch them,” was shouted out to the crowd. “They are mine.”

  Trac and Ellen looked out. They saw Nikali and his team. The seven royal arcan users stood together within the perimeter the Eluan guards had formed.

  All eyes were on the Emperor Present. Nikali walked forward toward the unruly mob. As he walked ahead the street dwellers parted ways. They allowed a path for Nikali to approach Trac and his mother.

  Nikali pushed the mob back. He reached out with his thoughts and forced them to step away. Cassandra aided from the distance. She sensed the Blood Beauties watching them. Ever since the Blood Beauties tried to infiltrate her mind she could always feel them lurking in the distance. They were always waiting to strike at her one more time.

  “The mice feed on honey. The grass will not grow,” said Nikali.

  “Shut up,” said Trac. “Get me out of here or she dies.”

  “Nikali,” begged Ellen. “Please, help me.”

  Nikali smiled.

  “I am not dying here,” declared Trac.

  “I was not talking to you,” said Nikali. He turned to the gang around him. “I suggest you return to your corner.”

  “Leave us,” said the street dwellers in unison.

  “No,” said Nikali. “They belong to me.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “This is my Empire!” Nikali shouted.

  “Not for long,” said the mob. “We have what you want.”

  Nikali fumed. He stared out at the brothel. He knew the Blood Beauties were watching.

  “You have nothing that I need,” growled Nikali.

  Suddenly, Trac screamed out in pain. He dropped his knife and reached for his eyes.

  “I can’t see!” he screamed.

  He covered his eyes with his hands to comfort them, but that did nothing. Trac fell to his knees. Blood and pus seeped through his fingers as his eyes began to melt inside his skull.

  Nikali continued his attack on Trac for the entire world to see. He raised Trac into the air. The man dangled several feet above the crowd. He was being lifted by his neck. His head and body swung freely.

  “What do I possibly need?!” Nikali shouted.

  Trac’s skin started to burn away. In a matter of seconds he became a charred mess. Then his skin began to flake off. Muscle tissue and tendons were revealed. Trac’s screaming continued.

  “Do you feel it yet?” Nikali asked.

  The mob was growing unsettled. Nikali had connected their feelings with the Tcher terrorist. They could feel his burns race through their bodies. Trac’s pain was theirs. Their screams grew louder than Trac’s.

  Nikali dropped Trac to the ground.

  The mangled man could not stop screaming. The dirt and debris of the earth scrapped against his unprotected body. No matter what he did pain coursed through his veins.

  “Take him!” Nikali yelled. “Then your pain will be gone.”

  The mob lunged for their prey. As long as Trac was alive they would feel his suffering.

  Every strike that Trac was given was felt in the mob attacking him, but they did not stop. They ripped at his body. They crushed his bones. They were unruly and mad with pain.

  Then it was over. Trac was dead. Numbness washed over the arcan connection between the Tcher soldier and the street dwellers. The mob could finally fall into peace again.

  Nikali held his ground. Ellen scurried over to the protection of her son. He did not bother to acknowledge her.

  The mob turned to look at Nikali and Ellen. Then they grabbed Trac’s body and dragged it away toward the brothel. The fight was over.

  Nikali turned away as well. He walked back to Cassandra and his group. He left Ellen where she was. Quickly, she ran for the nearest set of guards. They would tend to her.

  “Leave the Capitol,” Nikali finally said to his mother. “I don’t want to see you here tomorrow. Go back to Myrus, and stay out of my way.”

  Ellen remained quiet. She stayed huddled within the safety of the Eluan guards. She didn’t respond to Nikali’s orders, but she understood. Nikali could feel it in her heart. The Capitol was no longer what Ellen remembered it as. It was not her home anymore.

  Cassandra embraced Nikali when he approached. He could feel her power enter him. He was feeling rejuvenated.

  “Those who defy us will die,” said Cassandra.

  “Eluan belongs to me,” said Nikali.

  They kissed one more time as Nikali felt more powerful than ever.

  Chapter 10

  The innkeeper never once asked for more money from Darden, Grifith, or Abigail. The three of them were forever welcomed in his Inn and Tavern. His granddaughter once again ran around the yard fearless as a child should be.

  The other guests at the inn still weren’t sure what to make of the situation they had witnessed at the dining hall. A few questions arose, but eventually the other guests moved on with their travels and put the thoughts out of their mind for the time being.

  Darden spent most of their next few days at the inn enjoying its few specialties, which mostly consisted of a st
ale blend of Tamor Blood, burnt pork, and more nuts than even Darden could tolerate.

  Grifith used his time to help Abigail remember her time better before they found her on the beach at New Salid. Mostly, he would talk about his life in the hopes that something he said would jog her memory about her own past. Typically, Abigail just sat by him and smiled while she listened to him ramble on.

  Then one morning, Abigail woke up before the others. They had been at the inn for weeks now. It had been peaceful. Despite not being able to recall her recent history, Abigail felt like her time at the inn was much needed.

  She stepped out the front door to collect some water for the day from the local well. The innkeeper insisted she didn’t have to do it, but Abigail was more than happy to help. Often times the little girl would join her and the two ladies would enjoy a nice walk through the country.

  This day, Abigail was greeted by five strangers standing timidly outside the inn. Upon first sight of Abigail the small group startled to attention.

  Abigail stood up straighter. She had no real idea how to present herself for such an audience. Her hand stayed on the open door to the inn behind her. If she needed to she could run back inside and lock the door behind her.

  “Are you Farrah?” asked one man who stepped forward. As he got closer, Abigail could tell he had the Tcher Touch. Hives covered the left side of his face and stretched down his neck to underneath his clothes.

  “Yes,” said Abigail.

  With her confirmation, the man got down on his knees. The others did the same. They were there at her mercy.

  “Please, help us,” begged the man. “We heard what you did for the girl here. Please, heal us, Farrah. We beg of you.”

  Abigail was speechless for a moment. The little girl must have told others what Abigail had done for her.

  “We do not have much,” said the man. “But we will give you whatever we have, whatever you want. Please.”

  Abigail looked over the five people on their knees. They each held in their hand the most valuable possession they owned: light bags of coins, a goat, bushels of rice, and an old Myrus jasmine sculpted dagger.