by JD Franx
Tacarion answered him as he returned Falcon’s wooden blades. “And he wanted to kill a guild council member. Which is the worse crime in Assani’s eyes, Councillor? I’m sorry for the charade, but we had to make sure that Rith brought no one loyal to Merethyl with him to this meeting. My assassins found two others out in the woods. We also had to be sure that you would not change your stance on Yrlissa’s death when pressured with your own. As I’m sure you’ve figured out for yourself, Dyryn is loyal to Yrlissa, all of us, to her memory at least. With her dead, we’ll do everything we can to avenge her, and if Merethyl is responsible then we will work to see her pay. I would hope to be present when your blade burrows into the back of her neck, Councillor.”
“You were here earlier,” Falcon said, shaking his head.
“The walls of this house are very thin. When I received Merethyl’s message months ago about wanting to know who was loyal to Yrlissa, I thought she had gone mad, but I didn’t believe she would ever kill her. That was my mistake. I won’t make another. Instead of voicing my thoughts to her at the time, I told her that my guild house would remain loyal to her no matter the situation, but my guild and I began working towards bringing an end to her deeds that same day. We have recruited from every guild house, including the one here in Kyll’Darhen. It is how I knew that you were meeting Ritharien here earlier. Come, we must go. My men with deal with the situation here. The other bodies are outside. As I said, Rith didn’t come alone.”
Tacarion led the way out of the basement tunnel before Falcon finally spoke. “What are your plans now, Tac?”
“We’ll continue to build support against the current council, secretly of course. You should return to Cethos before Merethyl realizes you could have been here. Be careful, Falcon. Merethyl is a puppet master; her strings are everywhere and they are very twisted and very long. When this is over, we will need you to sit at the head of the new council.”
“Fair enough, Tacarion. You and your men watch yourselves. And thank you for your loyalty to Yrlissa, even if it is just her memory.” The Elvehn commander nodded and gave a short bow before heading deeper into the Kyll’Darhen sewer system, leaving Falcon alone with his thoughts.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I woke to find Kasik standing watch while I slept in an unfamiliar bed chamber. He informed me that he had brought me here after dragging me from the clutches of the WraithLord’s grip. I have never seen nor felt such wounds as the marks it left on my chest. Kasik told me that he believes the silence rune forged into his greatsword, Still, saved my life as it partially nullified the WraithLord’s magic. It took only moments for the past few days to come crashing back. The fight with Talohna’s oldest WraithLord did not go well. The very moment it appeared, my lungs seemed paralysed as if there was no air in the ruined banquet hall of the long-abandoned HellisKor ruins. The creature moved so fast I had no time to react. Even with my shield spells active, its hand passed right through them and plunged into my chest. The mind-jarring pain caused by it grabbing my cruus was the last thing I remember.
With the power of the WraithLord’s binding crystal I had hoped to suppress Aravae’s pregnancy for the day of the Black Sun. The energy stored in such an artifact should have allowed me to activate a stasis spell for twelve hours. Such spells have been lost since the Cataclysm five thousand years ago. The power required to cast them no longer exists. The stasis spell is not lost; it is a secret passed on to ArchWizards only, even though none have ever successfully cast one. The power needed is too immense.
Regardless, we have failed, and we have wasted all the time that we could spare. The Black Sun is two months away and we must return to Corynth to prepare. Kasik has just told me that we are guests of the mayor of Ipea, a small village on the shores of Hero’s Bay a few days southwest of the ruins. We shall pay our respects for their hospitality and head home to tell my wife and fourteen-year-old daughter that we must pray to the gods in the hope that our child will not be born during the rays of the Black Sun.
GIDDEON ZIRAKUS, JOURNAL EXCERPT.
5005 PC.
NORTHERN YUSAT
Ember, Giddeon and the others left the morning after their decision to seek help from the DragonKin, travelling south from the forest camp they had made after Kael was taken. Thanks to Yrlissa, they knew the closest WraithLord would be found in the ruins of the long-abandoned BlackShade outpost. It took seven days to get there. They stopped for the night in the small town of Bender’s Pass, less than a mile from the ruins. They were quickly welcomed when the townsfolk discovered why the group of strangers where there.
The WraithLord at BlackShade outpost had been considered the town curse for some imaginary slight against only the gods knew what for hundreds of years. It took almost no time for Giddeon to learn that the town had lost numerous citizens to the creature. It was his job to protect people from such things, so he felt like he’d failed Bender’s Pass, but the country of Yusat did things differently. The concerns of a small town were not among the new King’s biggest worries. Giddeon had no clue there was a WraithLord in Blackshade until Yrlissa had told him so. Helping the town was just another reason to complete what they had come to do. They headed to the abandoned outpost first thing the next morning.
Once there, they used Yrlissa as bait to draw the WraithLord to a four sided paralysis glyph they had inscribed in the middle of the hallway in the outpost’s old barracks. The glyphs wouldn’t work on any form of undead; half the time they didn’t work on the living, but it was just a distraction. The intelligent, sentient being stopped before the inscriptions and stared at them long enough for Kasik to rush it from behind.
His silenced sword, Still, slid easily into the WraithLord’s rotted back, between its shoulder blades. With startling speed, Max stepped up beside him, grasping Still’s handle so they could use their combined strength to spin the WraithLord and pin it to the granite wall of the wide hallway. They drove Kasik’s sword-blade three feet into the granite, trapping the WraithLord face first. Secured to the wall, each warrior grabbed an enchanted, gloved hand and pulled it away from its body, holding both against the wall.
Giddeon and Saleece immediately began the incantations for the counter-binding spell used to destroy all WraithLords. The complicated spell took two minutes and demanded incredible concentration to cast, something they wouldn’t have time for without Max and Kasik struggling to keep the WraithLord pinned in place. Once they completed the spell, the dried, dead husk of the ancient body shrieked and fell to the floor, lifeless, after Kasik and Max tore Still free from the wall. Kasik reached inside the dry husk and retrieved the binding crystal used to create the creature so long ago.
The people of Bender’s Pass almost had to force Ember, Giddeon, and the others to stay for the celebration that night. The WraithLord had claimed numerous lives, especially over the last few years. In their eyes, the fear at what was believed to be the town curse had finally come to an end. With reluctance, they agreed to stay and celebrate with the townsfolk.
The only other WraithLord in common knowledge was the one in the HellisKor ruins, where Giddeon had nearly lost his life twenty years before. The creature had called HellisKor home for longer than any recorded history, and no one alive or dead knew how many lives it had taken. Many had tried to claim the bounty of its crystal and failed. It was a ten day ride from the BlackShade outpost to the rubble of the HellisKor castle. It was a fast-paced but ultimately boring trip through the country of Yusat and north to the border of the Free Lands. Upon arriving, they set up camp at the entrance to the crumbling ruins. The ancient Dwarven city had crumbled to dust long ago. The castle, the neighbouring monastery, and the graveyard were all that remained.
“You’re sure you can lay out that glyph, Yrlissa?,” Giddeon asked doubtfully. “There are only three priests alive that I know who are capable of doing it properly.”
“It’s a purification glyph, Giddeon, not dimensional travel. I’ve done it many times. Besides, we need it to ke
ep that cursed thing inside the ruins. If it gets out here we’ll all die, magic or not,” she replied, curtly, forcing more power into her hands as her magic scorched the intricate designs into the earth. Another half hour saw her finish, the result being that the entrance and surrounding area to the ruins were sanctified against the undead.
“You’re sure you’re okay with staying out here alone?” Max asked, as he entered the purification glyph, careful not to disturb the markings.
“I’ll be fine,” Ember said, smiling nervously. “I’ll stay inside the glyph and help if you need it. Yrlissa said she can sense this creature is stronger than the last one, otherwise I’d go with too. You be careful, Max. I mean it. You have a promise to fulfil.” He give her a quick hug.
“I remember. See you in a bit.”
The group entered what was left of the ancient castle with the intent to lay the paralysis glyphs in the long, wide hallway between the pillared entrance and the room which at one time had held the royal court and the throne. Though they were moving slowly and quietly, things quickly got out of hand.
The WraithLord discovered them immediately. Appearing behind them, it forced them to flee further into the castle. Yrlissa, Giddeon, and Saleece raced to the far side of the throne room while Kasik and Max separated to give themselves room to fight. They both engaged the WraithLord the moment it drifted into the room. Sparks flew through the air as flashing metal blades rang from the impact of striking the WraithLord’s magical gloves. They fought with a steady pace, never giving the creature a moment’s respite in the hopes of giving the three wizards time to cast the spell that would unbind the ancient horror.
Saleece and Giddeon began their spell the instant they reached the room’s far side. Yrlissa threw up a shield to protect them before running to help Max and Kasik. She crossed the throne room as a blast of air from the WraithLord’s magical glove slammed into Kasik’s chest, rocketing his body across the room and into the wall with enough force to crack the crumbling granite. He dropped to the floor unconscious, bleeding from his nose and ears. The WraithLord’s magic was completely unaffected by the silence rune forged into Still’s metal. The blade clattered at Max’s feet.
“Max,” Yrlissa shouted. “We have to get out of here, this WraithLord’s different. We-w-got…” Her words and her breath both cut short as she coughed in a desperate attempt to clear the oppressive magic of the creature’s spell. She dropped to her knees with her hands on her throat as the WraithLord ignored Max and glided across the floor towards the meal that waited helplessly on her hands and knees.
Max took a quick glance at Kasik. With him no longer able to fight, Max sheathed his Elloryan blades and bent over, picking Still up off the floor before charging the WraithLord with every ounce of strength he had. He rammed the six-foot-long blade into the phantom’s side just as it was about to drive its enchanted metal hand through Yrlissa’s chest. Unable to turn with Max wrapped around its body, the WraithLord flailed at him, trying its best to sink razor sharp talons into his flesh. He yelled as he passed Saleece and Giddeon, crashing through the throne room door into the next area of the castle, powering the creature with him.
“Run! Get out of here now,” he cried out, as a tremendous crash echoed from the other room.
Knowing they didn’t have time to finish their spell, Giddeon ran to Yrlissa and helped her to her feet. Saleece’s curiosity got the better of her. She peered through the door Max and the WraithLord disappeared through. The creature reappeared in the doorway and plunged its hand into her chest. The young wizardess grabbed its wrist with both her hands, crying out as if all the demons of hell were devouring her soul. Giddeon looked over his shoulder as his daughter was lifted two feet off the ground, the WraithLord syphoning both her power and her life from her flailing body.
“No! Saleece!” he screamed. There was no way to help his daughter.
Giddeon watched what he assumed would be his daughter’s last moments of life in complete terror. He jerked with shock as two metal blades exploded from the WraithLord’s chest. Saleece fell to the ground in a heap as Max shifted the WraithLord sideways and used his abnormal strength to drive both of his Orotaq blades and the WraithLord into the granite wall, just like he and Kasik had done with the first one two weeks earlier. Leaving it pinned to the wall, he pulled Kasik’s sword from the creature’s side and quickly dragged Saleece away by her collar.
“Come on,” he growled. “That won’t hold it for long. Get her the fuck out of here, Giddeon. I’ll get Kasik.” Giddeon picked up Saleece and carried her over his shoulder while Max took Yrlissa under her arm and went to get the unconscious Northman.
With Still in his right hand, Max released Yrlissa and knelt beside Kasik, pulling his unconscious form up onto his left shoulder. Using his sword arm, he lifted Yrlissa back to her feet, steadying her and pushing her forward, they followed after Giddeon. They were nearly out of the ruined castle when sizzling energy tore into Max’s back, making him stumble. Yrlissa spotted the WraithLord from the corner of her eye and cast a shield spell to protect them, but Kasik’s sword reduced its effects. She altered the release words and tried again from further away, just as another blistering attack left the WraithLord’s hands. The shield formed in front of the creature and its magic exploded on impact with her defensive barrier. The shockwave from the detonation tossed them through the air. Yrlissa tumbled out the door and onto the granite stairs, where Ember jumped ahead to drag her into the castle’s sanctified courtyard.
Max wasn’t as lucky. Crashing into the corner of the stone doorway, he landed with Kasik underneath him. He recovered, still on his back, just in time to block the creature’s next attack. Abandoning its magic after the explosion, the ringing of clashed steel echoed through the dilapidated ruins as the ancient WraithLord returned to using its enchanted claws. With no time to do anything else, Max rolled over Kasik and grabbed him by his armour in an attempt to drag him towards the door, all while trying to fend off the attacking WraithLord. The WraithLord’s metal claws snapped out, whistling at his head and again he got Still up in just enough time to deflect the attack.
Occupied with dragging Kasik and fending off strikes from the WraithLord’s left hand, Max never saw the other claw as it sliced through the air from the opposite direction. The enchanted talons slashed through his face as he pulled Kasik through the doorway and collapsed at the top of the stairs. Giddeon launched a series of small fireballs, hoping to drive the WraithLord back as Max struggled to his feet, still dragging Kasik with him. With blood pouring into his eyes, Max held tight to Kasik’s collar as he lunged off of the top stair and both men crashed onto the sanctified earth of the court yard. Yrlissa’s purity glyph saved them from further aggression.
The WraithLord floated down the stairs but couldn’t enter the courtyard’s holy ground. It drifted lazily and gently rocked back and forth as everyone stared at it wondering what it would do. Hoping for the best, Giddeon began to chant the spell that would dissolve the bound entities from the rotted corpse. A deep hollow laughter rolled out from under the WraithLord’s tattered black hood.
The voice that followed rasped across the hollow dimensions of the Nine Hells before it spewed into the air before them.
“Mortals… Do not return here. Covet what is not yours no longer.” It surged forward across the sanctified ground, stopping in front of Yrlissa. “Foolish Dyr, you of all should know better,” it whispered. It lunged for her chest with jagged claws. The click of contact with her armour rang in her ears as the creature disappeared in a cloud of dust long before Giddeon could finish the unbinding spell. He sighed a ragged breath of relief, grateful Yrlissa had been successful with the sanctity spell.
“Thank the gods,” Giddeon gasped, after realizing there was no reason to keep working the spell.
“It had nothing to do with the gods, you stupid son of a bitch,” Yrlissa snapped, grabbing Giddeon’s robes. “It’s a killer, Giddeon, why wouldn’t you say something? That creature
has fed on dozens, if not hundreds of wizards. We should be dead! It even held back the effects of the purification glyph long enough to breach it and almost kill me.”
“I... I... What are you talking about? Of course it’s a killer.”
“Assani’s bloody blades, Giddeon,” she cursed, as she bent down to help Saleece even though she was still woozy herself. “See if you can help Max. At least deaden his pain and make sure he’s not bleeding out,” she ordered, kneeling so she didn’t fall over from dizziness. “That wraith didn’t become a WraithLord because its master died, Giddeon. It killed its master. It’s a sy-killer. When a wraith kills its controlling wizard, it feeds on his or her power, absorbing it for itself. By doing so, it develops the ability to syphon magic the next time it kills. Every mystic it feeds on after its first kill just adds to its power, every non-magic user it kills adds their spark of life to its power. We never had a damned chance at killing it. This thing has walked these halls for aeons. We are gods-blessed lucky that it didn’t break the purity glyph. You... you both should have died twenty years ago...” She stared at Giddeon shaking her head. “You can’t imagine how lucky you are...”
Stunned and embarrassed, Giddeon stuttered, “I... I didn’t know. We don’t know much about them, Yrlissa. There’s no written knowledge about them and only a handful still exist. Talohna lost every piece of lore we had during the Cataclysm.”
“It doesn’t matter now. We have to get the fuck out of here. That glyph won’t hold for much longer. Stupid fool,” she mumbled under her breath as she finished a quick check of Saleece and looked to the others. Hunched on the ground with his hands over his face, Max cursed like a pirate as Giddeon tried to help. Kasik’s life force lit up her mystical senses even though he remained unconscious. She had to prioritize triage. Max and Kasik wouldn’t die without her help; they would only suffer. She refocused her attention on Giddeon’s daughter while the ArchWizard bent over Max and cast the short spell that would deaden his nerves, easing the agony that raced through his face.