Defiled

  "I did," Laelliandir responded as he brought back his reed and shuffled it under his cloak.

  Lonewolf was very much alive, but in a painful prison, unable to move or even look away. He was frozen in a stare. Not like this. I will not die like this! He could do nothing but watch his adversary gloat.

  "I'm not the same. Do you think I'd go against you with a sword, knowing you'd bring poison? No. I've been waiting for this a long time," Laelliandir said as he walked toward the fallen man. "After you killed my entire family, I spent my days in Lamisdoria. You had me on the run and estranged from my people," he explained as he squatted down to Lonewolf and tightened his bandages. "I met mortal tribesmen out there. They taught me about toxins and how to use them. And this particular poison will make you feel it. You can't move. You can't talk. You can't do anything except wait for your heart to stop. It will fill your body up with toxins an inch at a time. You'll feel it but won't be able to do a thing about it."

  This isn’t happening! Nothing was going the way Lonewolf had once envisioned. His world was crashing, and there was nothing he could do about it. After everything I have done, it ends like this? The sniveling white knight talking in my ear? Icaz, you sarding impatient dolt! It was not the end he wanted, but then again, he never had much of a chance at a good life, much less a good death.

  While Laelliandir worked on binding Lonewolf up, he thought about his mother, father, his siblings, Thane, and every single person in his acquaintance who Lonewolf murdered. "I am not the same person, Wolf. I would not wish the pain you are about to endure on anyone. But you more than any deserve it. It was your poison that supplied Casen. You killed my father and changed my uncle. You. All of this is you. Whatever that dragon does is on you. I am not regretful for handing you out such a morbid death. Let Xio be your judge in the afterlife." Laelliandir stood as he finished securing Lonewolf's binds to assure he would not bleed out and bowed his head as if to say a prayer.

  As Lonewolf stared down that winding road of ruin, he knew it was over. He would never find out what lay beyond the sealed gate. He would never know if there even was one. Throughout the entirety of his life, he wondered if he had accomplished anything at all. He thought the most disturbing part was that he would never know what would happen, but this thought was quickly followed by how he pointlessly left so many lives in devastation for a cause he'd never see. There was no absolution for Lonewolf. There was nothing left but the bittersweet taste of reflection and death.

  Chapter Eight

  A Realm of Darkness

  "Oh my," muttered Markus. He, Fern, and Albatros had arrived in time to behold the dragon defender pummeling the fields outside the city, ravaging the land, and everyone in his path. Down the beast would dive and unleash scorching fire upon the invaders. The fields of Tarrith were ablaze, and a chorus of aching screams filled the air. The three lingered at the edge of the forest, a fair distance from the onslaught on the field, but near Crusayla’s now besieged wall.

  "We’re too late." The helplessness in Albatros’s voice brought Fern and Markus both fear and denial.

  "Bella is in there!"

  "If she is, she won’t be for long, Markus. None here will survive that." Albatros’s outstretched hand pointed at the chaos ahead.

  "The sard, she won’t!" Markus yelled. He scoped the area, assuring himself the dragon’s attention remained on the Divoxian horde. "Come on!" He commanded his horse to charge toward the ruins of the city. Out from the forest line, Markus darted for the rubble of Crusayla, expecting Albatros and Fern to follow his lead. Fern did. He remained every bit as determined as his best friend to save Bella, and hopefully, Luminear. Albatros refused to budge.

  What have we allowed? Albatros asked himself. He had imagined the beast would be ruthless and beyond potent, but beholding this creature’s terrible magnificence left him hypnotized and in awe.

  The white guardian destroyed all in his path. It mattered not to him if the invading army ran away in panic. Whether they charged him or fled, his reaction would be the same. None would live. Ironically, it was not the army the dragon need worry about, but the two nearest to the black cliffs, who had gone undetected by the winged defender.

  Icaz and Luminear were the luckiest people in Crusayla. That was unfortunate as they were also the most dangerous people there. As the invisibility wore away, the two remained unscathed in front of the blackest part of the long dark mountain, which was now free for the taking.

  With the dragon’s exit, they beheld the cliffs, which were straight and narrow like a gate towering high above them. Icaz wasted no time escorting Luminear to the place where the dragon had slept.

  "It is time, love. This is it. Oh, yes. It’s time you show your worth. Do what you were born to do." Icaz’s tone was somber and not typical of him. He walked her before the mountain and stood behind while caressing the red medallion around her neck. "Concentrate. Deep! Just like before." Icaz instructed, but something happened to Luminear that neither of them expected.

  It was as if the power within her knew what to do and took control. Darkness devoured her eyes, making them solid black. This foreign entity took over, raising her arms high before the mountainside and using her voice to speak in tongues Icaz did not understand. This commanding force took possession of Luminear, driving her deep within her subconscious. As this presence chanted, the skies above grew darker, and a fierce wind took to the air. Icaz watched Luminear’s transformation as she seemingly changed the course of the weather. He was dumbfounded and lost, for once, having no words.

  As the winds whirled around and the moon’s light became shrouded behind darker clouds, Bella met Lonewolf in the streets of Crusayla for one last encounter. At the same time, the possessed Luminear continued to chant before the dark mountain, and in response, it trembled. A shadowy mist formed from the soil about the base of the cliff and spread, reacting to whatever this power within Luminear had conjured. Icaz was fixated on what would happen next.

  Under the tormented dark skies, the horrific winds thrashed about gaining strength by the moment. Luminear remained enchanted, her eyes a solid black as she commanded the jagged mountainside. With unbreakable concentration, she kept her gaze upon it and raised her long slender arms outward. She stretched out her sprawled fingers as she chanted to the dark cliffs. Lightning rippled from the sky and slammed nearby while the thunder roared in unison with the dragon’s shrieks.

  Her hair whipped around as Icaz gripped his hands upon her shoulders, and poked his head near her ear. Proud of her, he spoke, "Good. Wonderful job. Open it, lovey," Icaz hissed with a grin.

  Before Icaz’s twisted crackling little eyes, the side of the mountain shifted. It did not crumble, nor did it fall, but a massive chunk faded away as if it had never been there. A couple dozen feet high, and double that amount wide, the lower base of the black cliffs ceased to exist at all. As it faded, so did something else.

  Upon the fields of Tarrith, the great white beast turned its eye upon the mountainside and screeched in such horror that those nearest him bled from their ears. The mountain’s disposition gravely affected the dragon as he thrashed about on the ground, then he too faded away.

  From the far distance, Albatros watched the chaotic commotion. Just as the elven king had warned Laelliandir, undoing the ancient spell upon the mountainside would cause chaos, and the defender would also be unmade. As one, the gate’s seal and the dragon were an ancient magical presence forged to keep an ancient horror buried.

  It’s over. Albatros thought as he watched the defender disappear. However, that was not all he witnessed.

  Soldiers of the Divoxian armies yelled out in pain and screamed with the dragon. Many grabbed their heads while others fell upon the ground in reaction. Almost everyone seemed affected by some unseen happening, although a few dozen men and women here and there appeared to feel nothing and continued to run for their lives. Albatros observed the uncanny event in uneasy distress. Havoc infested the fields and kingdom. Albatros
suspected those he had ridden in with were now dead or would soon be. The thought of losing Laelliandir was especially hard to take, and he wanted to go in after them, but the voice of reason in his head would not follow these urges. If he were to be the sole survivor and witness of this catastrophe, then he must relay what he had seen. He had a duty to ride home and deliver a dire warning to his people. He would not sacrifice himself to this, but he waited a while longer for his allies even though he had no real hope of seeing them again.

  Within the city, Laelliandir had sentenced Lonewolf to die mere moments earlier, but with the mountainside opening dooming the dragon, he too experienced unimaginable darkness within him. Laelliandir dropped to the ground near Lonewolf as he lost control of his mind.

  The spell he was under caused an overwhelming sense of helplessness, much like the effects of Icaz’s medallion, but this spell would not let go. A shadow grew in the hearts and minds of the mortals, who now desired dark things. Their will power stripped away, and they yearned to serve the desire of something unspeakable.

  An ancient horror from within the darkest places in Murnia had returned demanding compliance from those under its spell. Those chosen would follow every wish and command of this entity. As thousands of men and women shifted internally, the dragon, who had seemed invincible only moments before, evaporated into a puff of smoke and dissolved within the air.

  ***

  Before Icaz’s eyes, the tangible mountainside vanished, leaving behind a gaping passage of darkness. Deep within the passage, a faint red glow beamed from the depths of the unknown world, captivating Icaz.

  Luminear’s body fell to the ground an instant after the deed was done and appeared lifeless, but Icaz was so caught up in what lay beyond he took no notice of Luminear any longer. The high winds and threatening storm from all around vanished within seconds. Yet, before Icaz took a single step forward to look within, he was interrupted. Through his back and out of his chest came Bella’s sword. She slammed him from behind and sent him tumbling forward.

  "Lumi!" Bella skidded through the soil and dropped to her knees as she took Luminear into her arms, shaking her to no avail. Icaz, to her astonishment, stood straight back up as if nothing happened. It was fortunate that Icaz didn’t seem to care about her or Luminear at that moment. "What did you do to her?" Bella readied her sword, but he focused all his attention on the darkness beyond the cliffs and walked towards it. The man was obsessed, and his obsession no longer included any other person.

  Bella chose not to pursue him and instead focused on her sister. Luminear had a pulse, but she was unresponsive. As she sought to revive her, foul sounds gripped Bella’s attention. Chilling ravenous shrieks, hisses, and howls bellowed from within the gaping maw.

  "What the-" she gasped. An orchestra of ghastly noises from the darkness grew nearer. Chills ran down Bella’s spine, and she didn’t have to know what they were to understand she and Luminear needed to be as far away as possible before this noisy throng surfaced. She put her arms around Luminear and tried dragging her away to safety. "C’mon Lumi, get up. I can’t carry you." She dropped to her knees and tried forcing her sister over her shoulder. Still, Luminear’s dead weight proved beyond onerous. "Please! You have to help me. We must leave. Now!"

  "Bella!" Not but a few moments later, help arrived in the form of Markus and Fern, who rushed to her side in evident alarm as they also heard the sounds emanating from the darkness.

  "Markus! Thank sarding Xio! Now, hurry. Help me with her!" Bella pleaded, to which the men obliged with haste. The three gathered around Luminear, attempting to place her over Markus’s shoulder when Bella glimpsed the red medallion wrapped around Luminear’s neck like a poisonous coil. She recognized this pendant well. "This sarding thing!" Bella ripped it off and threw it as far she could, out of sight.

  "What was that?" Fern asked anxiously. Bella glowered toward Icaz as she considered running him through with her sword once more. Between Luminear and the man walking toward the danger, she fought back her urge to seek answers and revenge. She focused on her sister.

  "Don’t care. That thing or the High King won’t be hurting any of us again. We need to hurry from whatever is making those noises." Bella urged her comrades while struggling to adjust Luminear over Markus’s shoulder. Once he had her secure, the three made their escape.

  "Come on. We have two horses tied up to fallen stone right outside of the city," Fern said. Markus and Bella followed behind him as they fled back down the street from where they had come.

  As they retreated, the group came upon Lonewolf and Laelliandir once more, but it did not take long to realize something was not right. Lonewolf was lying there dying just as Laelliandir had left him, but Laelliandir was mindlessly roaming the area.

  "Laelliandir! We have to get out of here," Bella shouted as they caught up with him. He looked at them, but his eyes were vacant. Like a zombie, he turned away and walked in random circles. "What are you doing? We have to go," she yelled. Fern and Markus wasted no time and continued down the road shouting for Laelliandir to follow.

  "We’re out of here!" Markus exclaimed. There was no time for patience. Behind them, within the darkened lands of the unsealed gate, noises only grew louder. Some screeched while others yelled.

  Bella ran to Laelliandir and jerked his shoulder to get his attention. He stared at her, but he did not recognize her or seem aware of anything that was going on. It was as if a virus had infected the people and had warped their minds. Laelliandir and those like him were nothing more than servants waiting for a command.

  "What’s wrong with you? Sarding come out of it," Bella demanded as she shook him. He responded by trying to walk through her like she wasn’t even there. "What’s happening here? I’m not leaving you like this." Bella grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him along with her after Markus, Fern, and Luminear, but he was strong, and his armor made him only heavier. He didn’t follow, instead walking toward the sounds and screaming. Bella pulled with as much strength as she could muster, but he fought her every bit of the way. "Stop this. Lae!" she screamed as she saw Markus and Fern slipping further from sight.

  "Bella. Move your arse," Markus yelled. "Leave him!" Bella gave in and turned back to Laelliandir. Somehow, she was both furious and on the verge of tears.

  "You sard. You’re gonna leave again? Gonna leave just as you always have," Bella cried out as she released her grip. He stopped and turned toward her, staring at her without comprehension. Bella looked on him in pity. She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew time was running out. She had to leave. "Just go!" She screamed and shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled back. "I told you not to do anything foolish. I told you not to get hurt. Look at you. What did you do, Lae? You left me again? I need you!" Laelliandir moved toward her with dead eyes, and Bella cried at the sight of him. "You sarding arse! Leave me alone!" She shoved him back again and again until he stumbled, turned, and walked away. "I’m sorry. I have to go," Bella whispered as she wiped tears from her eyes and collected herself to retreat.

  Leaving Laelliandir to his uncertain fate, the four made it out of the streets and through the rubble of the fallen gate to find the two horses. Throughout the fields of Tarrith, surviving Divoxian soldiers roamed aimlessly, just like Laelliandir.

  "What’s happened to them?" Fern asked as they lifted Luminear into Markus’s arms upon a horse.

  "We’re not staying here to find out," Bella said as she instructed Fern to climb up on the other horse behind her. "First chance we’ll get another horse. We have to get as far away from here as possible."

  "Where to?" Markus asked.

  Bella shook her head. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere far away. To the north."

  ***

  At the large, now open passage, Icaz stood waiting. Clueless and delirious, he listened and peered into the darkness where he could only see a faint reddish glow coming from the deep lower places long forgotten. He listened to a wide variety of high- and low-pitched gargli
ng, screeching, hissing and howling. The chorus of what Icaz imagined was dying pigs or twisted and tormented animals echoed from deep beyond and below the unsealed gate. The sounds both excited and terrified Icaz. He stood there for what must have been hours, listening, and waiting as the sounds came closer until he finally saw the source of the cacophony. A scene he could scarcely comprehend unfolded before his twitching eyes, and as it did, Icaz giggled in delight.

  Creatures, not quite four feet tall, emerged first. The short green, pink, and purplish lanky pulslings with withered flesh emerged by the hundreds. Undead and ghastly, their decaying flesh was consumed in blisters and boils. Their rotting bodies emitted grotesque smells. Some of them possessed little to no flesh, and only bones could be seen. By whatever means, these dead beings funneled into the Crusayla ruins with purpose, following one another in their awkward slow procession. They roamed by Icaz without care, slowly pacing forth. The stench of these undead was rank enough to have made Icaz vomit, had he been normal. However, he only experienced curiosity and astonishment, forgetting everything else.