by Logan Petty
“Nara, how did you find us?” He asked as his curiosity got the better of him.
She looked up from her untouched apple, worry clear on her face. “Sibilach found me wandering the mountains. Aerabis let me go. I thought I had been clever, but I led him straight to you! Sibilach, she helped me evade his hounds for a time, but they know where we are. She told me…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes darted around the room.
Fearful of what she might say next, Sawain got up from where he sat and moved to her side. He placed an arm around her shoulder and held her close. “It’s going to be alright, Nara. Whatever she told you, don’t let it get to you. Sibilach is a gifted guide, but even she can be… off at times.”
Nara stared forward, biting her lip. Sawain wondered if she suspected he could be the traitor, the way she distanced herself. He shook his head more to himself than to anyone else. These rumors of spies and traitors helped nothing but to sow distrust. He stood up again from his spot beside Naralei and strode outside for a semblance of fresh air.
A woman hummed a haunting melody somewhere above him. The song led him to the top of the tower. More accurately, it took him to where the tower connected with the cave ceiling. Sibilach sat on a wide ledge, her feet dangling over the edge. Her ghostly blue eyes settled on Sawain as he walked closer. She finished her tune as he took a seat beside her. After a moment of silence, she spoke. “It has been some time since the two of us sat alone and talked, young Swerdbrekker.”
“Why are you here, Sibilach?”
She grinned, revealing her sharp teeth. “Now now, is that any way to address an old friend?”
Sawain chuckled, “Friend? Ally most certainly, but how can I call you a friend when I know nothing about you?”
“Ah, but you know I am an ally. That is not nothing.”
Sawain shook his head as he let out a sigh. “Why are you and the Chandlers spreading these rumors of a traitor in our midst? If you know there is one, why not just go ahead and call them out? This discord you’ve wrought will only slow us down.”
Sibilach’s eyes moved from Sawain to a point far in the distance. “It is not so simple, Swerdbrekker. Could I but peer into your minds, it would be easy to find the traitor. As it stands, the Grey King’s influence is too strong here. Your minds are shrouded in powerful darkness. All but two.”
“Me and Naralei? Is that why you told us the secret? But why are we not affected?”
Sibilach raised her palms outward in uncertainty. “Perhaps it is because you are god-touched by powerful adversaries of Tharixos. Perhaps it is something else. Whatever the reason, your minds shine like beacons in the darkness. The two of you are our hope.”
Sawain scratched his head. “But how is Naralei God-touched? When could it have happened?”
Sibilach shook her head. “That I do not know. The gods are far more powerful than I and only grant me glimpses into their designs when it benefits them. Much they tell me, but so little may I reveal. And yet, never will they allow me to interfere, only guide. ‘Tis my punishment.”
“For what?”
She cackled, "I have a question for you, nosy boy! Now that you know of a traitor in your midst, how will you handle it?"
Sawain thought on the question a moment. "I suppose I would like to find out who it is so I can detain the culprit and deliver justice."
"And what form of justice is befitting a friend who has fought and bled for you even now?"
Sawain did not answer. Sibilach cooed softly as she offered one for him. "Perhaps mercy is the greatest judgment a true hero can dole out."
He glanced at her. "Is that what you are hoping for?"
Sibilach’s visage slipped into a nostalgic smile as she sat silent for a moment. “It is getting late, my young friend. You sit upon the eve of battle. Best thing for you now is rest.”
Sawain sighed as he pulled himself to his feet. He hesitated a moment as Sibilach began to hum. He listened to the hauntingly familiar tune before he started back down. “You know, Sibilach, sometimes the gods dictate our fate and other times they expect us to reach out and reshape history. That’s what heroes do, right? Maybe you should stop punishing yourself.”
The hummed song stopped as Sawain walked away. As he reached the door to the room the others were in, he thought he could hear soft weeping.
***
Sleep fell upon everyone not long after dinner, with a few falling asleep mid-meal. Even Sawain could not resist the draw of slumber for long. He settled into a cushion and closed his eyes a moment. When he opened them, the room sat empty. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils. Hundreds of screams rose up from outside. He rushed out into the open city and beheld a terrifying sight.
A horde of monstrosities swarmed Glittervein Gulch, putting any living creature it touched to the sword. Blood flowed through the streets, spilling onto the smoldering embers of wreckage. The ranks of the dead swelled as a billowing cloud of smoke filled the expanse. Then he saw them.
Two glowing orbs of fire blinked into existence, slightly obscured within the cloud. A toothy grin made of shadows appeared below them. He knew those eyes intimately.
“Tharixos.”
The fiery eyes winced at that name. “Look what you’ve done now, boy. So much suffering because you persist in this foolishness. Gaze around you at the salvation I bring. Though they insist on baptism in blood, they still rise again.”
Sawain clenched his fists. “You’re mad, Tharixos! Torment me all you want! I know these illusions are lies!”
The cloud rumbled out a deep chuckle as the eyes closed and it began to dissipate. “Are they illusions, boy?”
Sawain’s heart froze in his chest as he stood on the precipice of the tower, still looking out over the battle. His mind flooded with fear as he saw his friends on a large raised area amidst the chaos. He reached for Giltglim, which still hung by his side as he charged down the tower ramp. He crashed headlong into the wall of undead, slashing and stabbing as he pushed onward. Blades bounced off his enchanted armor as his sword blazed a path to his allies. The goblins he passed who still lived formed a barrier of spears around him on either side, allowing him to focus on the foes ahead. Jets of flame tore through the hordes of the dead nearby. Sawain directed his onslaught toward the point of origin.
Kyra’s robes clung to her frame in tatters, her blood soaking them. She gritted her teeth and groaned with fervent effort as she raised her arms. An inferno erupted from her outstretched palms and incinerated everything in its path.
Sawain fought his way to her side. “What happened? Why didn’t you wake me?” He yelled over the tumult.
She looked at him, her eyes full of desperation. “We couldn’t find you.”
“What?” he hissed as he cut down a charging corpse.
Kyra threw her arms up in the air; the splatters of blood formed a wavering shield of arcane energy that crumbled under a barrage of arrows. She screamed as one of the bolts struck her leg. “I… can’t fight them anymore…. I’m sorry….” Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body fell limp.
Sawain caught her with one arm and hoisted her over his shoulder. She was remarkably light, more so than she likely should be.
Eldingbál barreled through the mass of enemies, throwing their bodies in every direction. Sawain noticed the scores of wounds on his body as he called out. “Eld! Over here!” The drake perked at his friend’s voice. He spewed a cone of sparks that drove the dead away momentarily as he slithered to Sawain’s side.
The Swerdbrekker mounted the drake and placed Kyra in front of him, holding her limp form in one arm while slashing at the foes with his other. “Get us to the others, Eld!”
The drake complied and charged forward, bowling over anything that tried to stop him. They fought onward until they reached a hill in the middle of the city that would have made a lovely market place if not for the swarms of walking dead murdering the populace. Mari, Timbrell, Banthan, and Naralei fought alongside their drakes, roughl
y a dozen chandlers, and fewer goblins. They managed to hold the hill, but barely as the enemy forces crashed against their defenses.
Banthan shook his head as Sawain rode up. “What a day to go sleepwalking, boss!”
“Where are the others?”
Naralei winced as an arrow grazed her shoulder. “Magina and Jatharr went to the armory to get help, but that was a while ago.”
Sawain jumped down from his drake and muttered to him in a low voice, “Take care of her, Eld.”
Mari launched an arrow from a goblin bow into the face of an oncoming zombie as she backed up toward Sawain.
He took the signal and grabbed his totem instinctively. “Everyone, on me. Now!”
The ghosts complied as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The noise of battle softened as he willed his heartbeat to stabilize. The rush of blood in his veins drowned out the screams of the dying. He pictured his friends, their faces looking to him. He knew he could save them. “FIRE OF TURIN! CLEANSE ALL!”
An explosion of electric light tore from Sawain. The totem in his hand glowed like molten steel as the divine energy surged outward, turning the horde of undead to ash. The wave of energy filled the cavern, killing anything meant to be dead and searing shut the wounds of the living.
Sawain fell to his knees and gasped for air as his body seized from the overwhelming blast of energy. Fire rippled through his muscles as he convulsed on the ground. He tried to scream, but could not open his clenched jaw. The others surrounded him as a slow clapping sound filled his ears. He managed to turn his head as Aerabis and his troll companions climbed to the top of the hill.
“Nice fireworks, Swerdbrekker. But alas, here we are again. That army of the dead was on loan from a very powerful client and you went and turned them to dust. That’s coming out of your pocket, not mine.”
Naralei roared as she brandished Aerabis’s saw, pointing it at his heart. “Today you die, troll!” She barreled forward, followed closely behind by Banthan and Mari. Timbrell brandished his instrument and let loose an encouraging cadence.
The other trolls formed a wall between Aerabis and his assailants. Their weapons clashed, sending the smaller combatants sprawling.
Naralei soared backwards, hitting the ground hard. The saw slipped from her grasp on impact and skidded on the rocky ground. A large female troll bore down on Naralei, her axe pressed to her throat. She grinned as she pressed hard on the elf’s chest. “I look forward to crushing you for what you did to my friend!”
Nara grit her teeth as she gasped for air. “You… speak common…?”
The she-troll growled as she raised her axe to strike. That moment, Naralei shifted with the change in weight, tipping the troll backward enough to free her hand. A dagger pierced the troll’s thigh, causing her to howl in pain. A flurry of arrows announced the chandlers’ contribution to the fight. Naralei broke from her captor’s grasp and scrambled for Aerabis’s saw. Before she could reach it, the troll’s hand found the back of her head and forced her face hard into the rocky ground.
Banthan lay on his back, groaning in pain as one of the trolls kicked him so hard he skidded to a stop five feet away. Mari struggled in the grasp of another one of Aerabis’s kin, unable to break free. The drakes fought valiantly against the other trolls, but soon began to waver. Timbrell cowered beside Sawain’s crumpled form as the other enemies advanced.
“C’mon laddie, ye have to get up! We need you!”
The remaining goblin fighters formed a phalanx between Sawain and the trolls that held out for about ten seconds before the brutish assailants shattered their defenses.
The electric seizure that held Sawain to the ground weakened as rage coursed through his veins. He forced his numb limbs to move as he slowly picked himself up from the ground. “AERABIS!”
The troll captain snickered at Sawain. “What, no witty banter today? Seems I struck a nerve.”
Sawain tensed his muscles, trying to regain feeling as he limped forward, Giltglim in hand. “You’ll pay for this atrocity!”
Aerabis laughed again as he picked up the saw that lay inches from Naralei’s grasp. He dusted it off and gave it a few test swings. “Sure, I’ll pay, as soon as I cash in your bounty!”
The two charged each other, blades clashing. Sawain toppled backward, unable to use his full strength.
Aerabis laughed as he stalked forward. “What’s the matter, Swerdbrekker? Seems the rumors are true! Yer not much to look at right after a brush with the divine, eh? Too bad. Ah well, it’s payday!”
A high-pitched whistle pierced the air as a shining bolt of light streaked from the far cliffs to the hilltop where they fought. The bolt hit the ground hard near the trolls and exploded in a cloud of dust, rocks, and fire. The wounded trolls scrambled for cover as another whistle announced a second missile. Sawain caught a glimpse of a dwarven woman wearing some sort of large metallic suit of armor. He heard Magina’s voice over the explosions as the trolls fled her volley of explosives. “That’s right! Run, you sorry sacks of Goblin dung! Get out of my mountain and stay out!”
Aerabis turned toward the chaos and gave Sawain a chance to stagger to his feet. Before Aerabis could return his attention to his foe, Sawain sank Giltglim deep into his hip. The troll roared in agony and backhanded Sawain as hard as he could. The young hero crashed hard to the ground, all of his rage and most of his senses leaving him forcibly.
Aerabis winced as he ripped Giltglim out of his body, the blood flowing freely. He stood over Sawain and pressed the sword tip to his chest. “That’s it. I’m definitely turning you in dead.” A dagger shaped as a leaf sliced through the air and planted itself in the side of Aerabis’s neck. He gasped and dropped Giltglim, staggering back as his other hand clasped the knife. A hooded figure dashed between Sawain and Aerabis.
“You’ll not take your prize today, bounty hunter!” The familiar feminine voice reached Sawain’s dazed ears. He recognized it.
Another explosion shook the earth around them as one of Magina’s missiles impacted right behind Aerabis. The concussion scattered the three combatants. In the confusion, Aerabis called out in a gurgling rasp. “FALL BACK! FALL BACK!”
The remaining enemies who had stayed to fight quickly obeyed. Amidst the explosions and clouds of dust, Aerabis and his broken forces retreated into the far tunnels from whence they came, leaving Glittervein Gulch. The girl who saved Sawain sat up, coughing violently. The explosion had set her cloak ablaze. In a panic, she tore it off and flung it from her. The mask the Chandler wore ripped from her face as well. Sawain sat up slowly, staring at her in disbelief. As the dust cleared, she gasped, realizing her mistake. She jumped up and turned to flee, but instead came face to face with Banthan.
“It can’t be… Loraleth?”
Chapter Seven:
Banthan stepped toward his sister and reached out for her cheek. “You… You’re alive!”
She slapped his hand away, stepping back. Anger flared in her eyes as she tried to fix her tattered mask. “No thanks to you.”
Sawain pulled himself from the ground and limped closer. He placed a hand on Loraleth’s shoulder and instantly felt a jolt of pain shoot through his wrist as he flipped upside down and crashed onto his back.
Loraleth loomed over him, disgust painted on her features. “Don’t touch me again, Swerdbrekker. Just because I’m sworn to protect you doesn’t mean I have to forgive you.”
He struggled to sit up. “Loraleth…”
“Save it,” she barked as she picked up her singed cloak. “This is not the time for tearful reunions. Aerabis took Naralei and Mari in the chaos.”
Fear buzzed in Sawain’s skull as he searched the battlefield. Only a few goblins, the drakes, Timbrell, an unconscious Kyra, and a devastated Banthan remained on the hill. The other Chandlers had vanished already and he could not find neither Mari nor Naralei.
Magina jogged up the hill, still in her unusual armor. It resembled something more akin to a cushioned chair inside a huma
noid shaped suit of metal bars and plating than armor, and Magina rode strapped into it. The contraption made her taller than anyone else in the party. She saluted Sawain with one of the suit’s large metal arms.
“Good to see there are some survivors. Sorry if I shook you up with the Dwarf Fire.”
Sawain pulled himself up from the ground again as he checked for broken bones. “Where’s Jatharr?”
A moment of hesitation from Magina delivered the bad news better than any words could. “We were jumped at the ridge. Those trolls hit us by surprise on our way to the armory. We tried to fight them off, but I was knocked out in the fighting. When I woke up, they were all gone. They must have taken him, knowing he’s one of your closest allies.”
“I see…,” Sawain sighed as he stared at nothing in particular. “That makes three of our people taken captive. And this is the second time for Nara.”
Banthan snapped out of his stupor suddenly with a jolt. He stalked over to Sawain, his voice low and his visage more serious than Sawain had ever seen before. “We have to get her back right now. There’s no telling what Aerabis will do to her.”
“I know that, Banth, but we can’t just rush in without a plan.”
“Well, why not?” Banthan asked, raising a hand to accent his question. “I mean, they’re injured and their forces are scattered!”
“Yeah, and so are ours!” Sawain shouted. “Look around you! Kyra is out cold, the rest of us can barely stand, and our allies are all but decimated after this attack! What do you think will happen if we march now?”
“I’m not that tired! Let me go on my own! I’ll catch up to them, kill them, and get our friends back.”
“No,” the Swerdbrekker said in a dismissive tone. “No one goes alone.”
“Why not? You don’t think I’m capable?” Banthan protested.
Sawain turned away from him. “I’ve spoken on the matter, so let it go, Banth.”
Banthan stepped in front of Sawain, hands out. “Don’t you walk away from me, Man-elf!”
