Knights End

by Brad Clark

  After taking in a deep breath and letting it out, she was able to control her emotions. She pointed down the tunnel towards the darkness. “They are down there and not far away. The fat one you call Lord Martin has a certain pungent scent that I can easily follow. It is very strong, and he clearly went down this tunnel.”

  Conner sniffed, trying to pick up the scent.

  This caused Marila to smile. “You Humans have many capabilities, but your eyesight and sense of smell are weak!”

  Glaerion suddenly looked sharply down the tunnel. “We have to hurry.”

  “Why?” Conner asked, but Glaerion already had started trotting down the tunnel, his dagger out lighting their way. Conner sprinted a few steps to catch up. “What is it?”

  “I know why the Deceiver left so quickly. He lost his power when his Human body was killed, but now he’s regaining his strength. I can feel a new draw of power from the Web of Magic. It is weak but growing. We have to hurry before he regains his full strength. He still has part of the Ark of Life, and I won’t be able to stand up to him if he regains the strength that he lost.”

  “I can stand up to him,” Conner said. “He can’t hurt me with his spells!”

  “No, not directly. He can still affect the world around you, and that can hurt you.”

  “What’s our plan, then?” Marila asked, walking with quick, long strides while Conner and Glaerion trotted.

  “Kill him before he kills us,” Glaerion said, flashing a rare smile.

  Marila led them with her nose. The tunnel had been naturally cut by a stream that had once flowed through the mountain, cutting the softer dirt and rocks away, and leaving a tunnel wide enough for two people to walk comfortably side-by-side. The floor of the tunnel wasn’t smooth, but it was even enough to walk on without tripping or slipping. Glaerion’s dagger gave them plenty of light to guide their way, although neither he nor Marila needed the light to see. Conner, however, would have been lost without the light. The deeper they went into the tunnels, the wetter they were. Dampness could be felt, and there was a musty scent that hung in the air. Water dripped down the sides of the tunnels and puddled in their path, or flowed back through porous stones. It was deathly silent, other then the occasional sound of their feet splashing through puddles, or the pattering of their wet boots on the hard, rocky ground.

  “Are you sure they went this way?” Conner asked after what seemed an hour. It had only been a few minutes, but his anxiousness and emotions made it feel like it was longer. Although he had not spoken very loudly, his voice echoed through the tunnels.

  Glaerion whispered back with irritation clearly in his voice, “Yes, and he’ll hear us coming if you can’t talk in a quieter voice!”

  “The scent is clear and strong,” Marila whispered, trying to make sure she wasn’t too loud. “I think they are close. Let me scout ahead in the darkness. If he sees your light, he’ll be prepared for us. We need the element of surprise.”

  Glaerion reluctantly nodded. He did not like Marila going ahead of them, but it was a sound strategy. Silently, he and Conner followed from a distance. She didn’t go too far ahead, staying just outside of the range of the light of his dagger.

  After not a dozen steps, she lifted a hand and waved it. Glaerion sheathed his dagger, and the tunnel became instantly darker than night. Conner could not see his hands in front of his face.

  “Take the back of my shirt,” Glaerion whispered to Conner. “I’ll lead you the rest of the way.”

  Conner walked carefully, setting his feet down slowly and testing the ground before putting his full weight down. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to trip and make unnecessary noise. He also kept one hand out and let his fingers run along the side of the tunnel to help guide him. It was uncomfortable for him to walk without being able to see. With each step, he thought he would run right into a solid wall.

  Glaerion moved to his right, which Conner thought would cause him to run into the side of the tunnel, but they reached a junction with another tunnel. Conner released his grip on Glaerion’s shirt because there was light ahead and he could now see down the tunnel. About a hundred feet ahead of them was a small cavern or another tunnel that was being lit by a bright yellow light. The light leaked out into the tunnel giving him enough light to see his way. Marila was crouched low at the entrance to the cavern, but she made sure that she could not be seen. She waved for Glaerion and Conner to come forward.

  As Conner approached, he saw that it was a small natural cavern. A small rock in the center of the cavern was giving off plenty of light to fill the cavern. There were not any sounds coming from the cavern, so Conner was beginning to think that the cavern was empty, and they had reached a dead end. This he looked to his round and his heart jumped at the sight of Elissa. She was sitting on the ground with her back against the far wall of the cavern. She had her legs pulled up to her chest but spread wide so her pregnant belly wouldn’t get squeezed. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, and her head was bowed with her long, blonde hair hanging down to the ground.

  Both Marila and Glaerion tried to stop him, but he dodged their grasps and ran into the cavern, shouting her name. She looked up at him with a face stained with tears. She let out a sob and tried to stand up, but with her pregnant belly, she could not easily get up. His heart broke as he saw her struggle, and when he reached her, he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. Shedding his own tears of joy, he pulled her close and tight. She sobbed and tried to talk, but nothing coherent came out.

  “Get away from her! It’s him!”

  Conner snapped his head to the left to see Lord Martin standing alone atop a rocky ledge. Between them was a pool of water that filled almost half of the cavern. His clothes were wet as he had swum through the water. His eyes were wide with fear, and his jowls shook as he continued to yell at him to get away from Elissa.

  He looked down at Elissa, who was still holding him tightly. “Elissa?” he said softly.

  She looked up at him with her green eyes, that were still full of tears. Her lips curled into the smile that had melted his heart since the first day they had met. “It is me,” she said. “Believe me, it is me. Something is wrong with him. Lord Martin is not himself. He dragged me down here, and I tried to leave, but he was too strong.”

  “He’s over there,” Conner said. He believed her, but if Lord Martin was really trying to stop her from leaving, why was he on the other side of the cavern away from the door?

  “He ran over there right as you arrived. He wants you to think that I am the Deceiver, but it is him. I am sure that it is the Deceiver.” She pulled out of his embrace and pointed a hand at him. “Kill him! Glaerion! You have the Spear! Kill him before he gets stronger!”

  Glaerion and Marila stood in the opening, looking from Elissa to Lord Martin. Glaerion gripped the spear with both hands and pointed it at Lord Martin.

  “Glaerion?” Conner asked.

  Glaerion moved the spear to point at Elissa. “I can feel that someone nearby is touching the Web of Magic, but I cannot tell which one it is. The feelings aren’t that precise.”

  Marila, crouched low and touched the ground. “I can feel the Deceiver. He is here, for certain.”

  A cold fear went up Conner’s spine. Elissa looked and acted just like he would have expected her to act. She was sweet but had a tough side, and she was showing that right now.

  “Conner,” Elissa said firmly, but with a quiet voice. “He has the Ark of Life in his hand.”

  He looked over at Lord Martin, who wiped sweat from his forehead, even though it was cold. His right hand was balled into a fist as if he were holding something in his palm.

  “Lord Martin!” Conner called out. “What is in your hand?”

  Lord Martin’s eyes went wide, and his face went white. He looked down at his hand and opened it up. A black gem was there. He let out a shriek and jumped back, dropping it onto the ground at his feet. “That is not mine!” he cried out.

  Glaer
ion hefted the Spear of Salvation up to his shoulder and prepared to launch it.

  Conner turned to face Lord Martin and kept Elissa behind him, protecting her with his body.

  Marila moved towards the center of the cavern where the stone was giving off light. She sniffed, and then looked around.

  “There is a trail, here,” Marila said. “A trail of magic. Neither one of them can cast spells, right? So the trail will lead back to the one who cast the spell!”

  Marila sniffed again and took a step towards Conner and Elissa. She tilted her head and wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something.

  Conner suddenly found himself falling forward. Something had pushed him in the back with enough force that he lost his balance and he hit the ground hard. He turned to see Elissa, her eyes no longer green but jet black. She held out a hand as strange words came off her lips. An instant later the black gem that had been on the ground was flying through the air. Before anyone else could react, she caught the gem with her right hand and let out an audible sigh.

  Marila jumped at her, but a fuzzy wave of air struck her, sending her hard to the ground, dazed.

  “I thought I killed you once,” Elissa's voice said, but the words were clearly not coming from her.

  Conner was on his backside, looking up at her. It was her voice, but no longer her eyes. His world fell apart around him, and he was sure his heart stopped beating. He gasped for air, as the realization of what was happening hit him.

  “No,” cried out.

  Elissa/Deceiver smiled at him and said, “I thought I was far enough away to regain my powers without being interrupted, but it seems that you three are a bit more tenacious than I thought.”

  Glaerion pointed the Spear of Salvation at Elissa, and the tip of the spear started to sparkle and snap. He let out a cry as the shaft sent a spike of electricity into him. He could not help but to drop the Spear. He jumped away, waving his hand in pain. He had felt this same pain once before when he had first tried to pick up the Ark of Life underneath South Karmon’s castle. The Spear of Salvation’s power was activated by the Deceiver’s presence, and when activated, the ancient artifact could not be held by an Elf.

  “What’s the problem?” the Deceiver asked. “Something wrong with your weapon? If you thought it was going to kill me, you are wrong. Nothing can kill me. Sure, you can kill my body, but I will just jump to someone else. Maybe someone stronger than the last one, although the Taran Centurion was a pretty strong man. This body, though, is weak.”

  Glaerion reached down to try and pick up the Spear of Salvation again but just getting his hand near the shaft sent a spike of electricity through his arm. Marila jumped back to the Spear and reached down to pick it up herself. With her eyes on Elissa, she took the shaft of the Spear in each hand and lifted it up. The tip continued to sparkle and pop as she pointed it at Elissa.

  “He might not be able to kill you with it, but I can,” Marila growled.

  The Deceiver shook his head slowly and clucked his tongue inside his mouth. “I thought I had trained my slaves better. Your death will be slow this time, and I will be sure that it is done by my hand.”

  The Deceiver lifted a hand and thrust it at Marila. Another fuzzy wave of air struck her, sending her backward. The Spear flew out of her hands and bounced away from her. He looked at Glaerion and smiled just before he thrust a hand at him. He tried to dodge the wave of air, but it still caught him and sent him flying against the far wall. His head struck the wall, and he lay on the ground dazed and confused.

  Conner watched from the ground, his mind unable to process what was happening around him. Marila and Glaerion had both been hurt. They were on the ground and moving, but not very well. Lord Martin was cowering against the far wall, his whimpering loud enough for him to hear. Elissa stood nearby, the black gem of the Ark of Life in her right hand, and her face snarling in anger. He closed his eyes, wishing that what he was seeing was not true, but he knew it was.

  “I have almost fully taken over this body,” The Deceiver said. “Maybe if you were a little quicker, you could have come here when I struggled to cast a simple light spell. But, as your friends can attest to, I am ready to fight. I will go back up to the surface, find this Human mage of yours, and rip him apart. You think that you can make a replacement for this gem? Well, you cannot. You will be sadly disappointed when your Hargon tries to use a spell that is too powerful for him, and the magic will consume him. I understand it is an excruciating process to die that way.”

  “Elissa,” Conner said, shaking his head, still not believing what was happening. “She is too strong for you. She will fight you!”

  The Deceiver tossed his head back and laughed. “Elissa is no more. All that remains of her is the shell. Your tears actually make me sad. I did not understand the attachment that you Humans have towards one another, but as I’ve now taken over a second of your bodies, I am beginning to understand. It is a shame, though, for it is a weakness that will be your downfall. The more you care for one another, the weaker you become.”

  Conner’s tears made him angry. His heart was broken, but his body still worked. He pushed himself to his feet and drew his swords.

  The Deceiver laughed. “Kill me! Yes, kill me! Slay your beloved wife, and she will die, but I will live. You can never kill me. I will move from one body to another, and each time I will regain my power. In fact, I will go into your body, next. You look pretty strong and durable, unlike this frail body.”

  Conner took an angry step forward, but he knew that he could not attack Elissa’s body.

  “The Spear,” Glaerion called out. “It’s the only way!”

  “Oh, shut up,” the Deceiver said. He lifted a hand and sent another wave of fuzzy air over to Glaerion. He was lifted up and struck hard against the wall. He dropped to the ground and did not move.

  Conner looked back at the Spear of Salvation, which lay on the ground five steps from him.

  “Go ahead,” the Deceiver said. “Stab me with it. Kill this body. I will just move on.”

  Elissa suddenly let out a cry and dropped hard to her knees. Her eyes cleared revealing the bright green that he had fallen in love with. “Conner!” Elissa cried out.

  Conner rushed forward and dropped to his knees right on front of her.

  “He is so strong!” She said, trying to hold back tears. “I am trying to fight, but I am failing. I can feel his evil, and it is tearing me up from the inside.”

  “Fight it! You can fight him!”

  She shook her head. “No, I cannot.” She put her hands on his cheeks and pulled him close. “I know what he is going to do. I can hear his thoughts, or feel his thoughts, or something! I don’t know, I don’t understand. It is so confusing. But he is going to kill all of you, but he was waiting until he has fully taken me over. That will be soon. Any minute. I don’t have long! Listen to me! You have to use the Spear of Salvation. He knows it will do more than just kill me. It will send him back to his own realm, and he won’t be able to jump to another body.”

  Conner shook his head, trying to hold back his tears. “No! I cannot do that.”

  She smiled at him. “You have to. You are the only one that can. Glaerion cannot hold the Spear. Marila is hurt. Lord Martin is catatonic. He can’t hurt you, either. Everyone else he can use his magic on, but he can’t do that to you. You must do it!”

  He continued to shake his head. “You are the love of my life. I could never do that!”

  “If you don’t, the world will end. If the Deceiver wins, it won’t be worth living in this world anyway. No one person is more important than everyone else. Myllia knew that, which is why she let her unborn child be sacrificed. It is my turn to give myself up for the world.”

  “It is not just one of you. Our child!”

  “Yes, our child. I can feel him inside of me, and he is giving me the strength to fight the Deceiver. If not for him, I would have been taken over a long time ago.”

  “He?”

  “
Yes, he. He is strong, just like his father, and he uses that strength not only for himself but to give strength to others. He is doing that for me.” She let out a cry and grabbed at her belly. “The Deceiver is fighting him inside me. It will not be long before I do not have the strength to fight him. I love you. I will love you forever, and I know that when I am with the One God in his realm, I will still be with you!”

  Conner leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.

  With more force than he could have imagined, she pushed him away. Black, evil eyes looked back at him.

  Conner let his instincts take over. If he thought about it, or if he let his heart control him, he would have failed. He knew he could not fail in this. He pushed the Deceiver back, catching him off guard, and he stumbled far enough away that he could get to the Spear of Salvation. He picked it up, feeling its hard, cold shaft in his hands. He pointed it at the Deceiver, and the tip crackled and popped. A tingling feeling came through the shaft and into his hands, filling his body with the fortitude to do what was right.

  He let out a scream of anger and frustration as he charged forward. The Deceiver’s eyes went wide. Waves of fuzzy air, fireballs, and lightning were all cast at him in the seconds that it took him to cover the distance between them. All the magic just passed through him, not harming him or affecting him at all.

  There was no more thinking about what he had to do. There was this one and only chance to end this war, and he had to take it. He could not think about losing his wife or his child. If he did, then he would flinch and hesitate, giving the Deceiver the chance to survive. His screams echoed through the chamber, and up the tunnels. The entire castle came to a sudden stop as he reached the Deceiver and the tip of the Spear went into Elissa’s chest. He continued to run, pushing her body towards the wall, where he came to a sudden stop. A flash of light exploded from the wound, and there were more popping sounds.

  Her eyes flashed green again, and her lips slowly mouthed the words, I love you.

  He dropped to the ground wailing in emotional pain. He knew that he had done the only thing that he could have done, but it still hurt him to the core.