His eyes were still frozen in that state of shock, but in the pause his lips finally moved. 'I'm sorry.'
'You need to go.' Aliana replied, mocking the sullen tone the Elf had thrown at her. 'You are a terrible weight to drag through the air, but it had to be done. I have saved your life twice and cared for you when others would have left you to die.'
El-Vador nodded.
'You are the last link to my past in the snowy wastes of our home. Unless I kept you alive there would be nothing left from that place, just a very frightened woman all alone, slowly being drawn to a fate she cannot prevent.'
The Elf stood, setting his sword aside and facing her. Aliana imagined, for a moment, that he would come and take her into his arms, but he made no further movement.
'I have been alone for much of my life, Aliana. My father was always at war or working hard in the woods and my mother required constant care between her visions. I had few friends by the time the occupation came about. After that my life was nothing but hatred for the Orcs.'
A chill ran down Aliana's spine. Their stories were the same, almost exactly the same. 'There were too few of us left to really be called a community, and seclusion was the most important part of our lives. Then the Orcs came, but where with your people they had something tangible to possess, with my people there was nothing to be gained save wanton slaughter.'
He faced her, his eyes piercing her own. 'You and I have a bond. We are linked by a chain not of our forging, but created by all that has befallen us. Our families are dead and buried but through our reaction it has brought us together. We have each other, and I believe that means we are not alone.'
Aliana's tears ceased. 'I'm glad that I found you, El-Vador of the mountains.'
'The feeling is mutual, Aliana also of the mountains.' El-Vador gave her a half smile. 'But there is much yet for us both to do.'
'Yes.' Aliana reached a hand toward him, then let it drop. 'There will be a time to come.'
'A time to come.'
'Do what you must do, El-Vador. That time can wait.'
'I believe you when you say that.' El-Vador replied. 'Just stay safe, the world is a dangerous place.'
'I have seen enough of it to know that is true.' Aliana glanced down, hiding a smile. 'I just hope that when our tasks are done that it will be a better one for both of us.'
LXIX
Promises. What use are promises to one such as I? All I have are these frail nothings that promise the world around me without ever knowing just how vast the implications of their words are.
The Elf came instantly awake and reached for his sword. It had not been a loud sound, but it had been out of place with the rest aural sphere of the barrens. He slid into a ready crouch and scanned the area for any intruders, igniting his sight in the pre-morning gloom.
Anacletus had risen, standing over Aliana's prostate form and staring into the dark as if trying to discern the same thing.
A seething mass of dark forms swarmed toward them, almost indistinguishable from the night itself. It was almost as if the horizon itself had come alive and was attacking their fragile camp. They were vaguely human in form, sporting pointed edges for weaponry that El-Vador had no doubt would impale him upon impact as well as any steel.
He leapt over the remnants of the fire and stood with his back to Anacletus, both of them protecting Aliana who still did not rise.
He struck out with his blade and cleaved one creature in half with the slash, sending it to the floor in a pool of darkness from which it did not rise. He caught another in the back as it went for Anacletus, who was peppering his foes with a barrage of smoke and daggers.
From the shadows rose even more of the forms, rushing toward him and reaching out with their oddly-shaped appendages. El-Vador dodged left, letting the blade in his right hand trail. The edge scored a line through the shadow, but it spun away before he could shift his wrist and make the slice fatal.
He noticed that Anacletus had been drawn away from his back by several attackers and now he found the same divide and conquer strategy being used against him.
His foes danced around the embers of the fire, just out of reach from his blade and taunting him with multiple darts toward him, each of them potentially fatal.
A shadow lunged. El-Vador twisted, spinning inside its thrust and risking exposure to the others congregating for the kill. He sank his blade into the side of the thing and found himself hurled away by the force of its reaction, saving him from a number of stabbing blows from its compatriots.
He sprang upright and twisted, avoiding another stab from the darkness and kicking it clear of him with his boot. As if learning the move from his actions, two more shadows landed kicks upon El-Vador's leg and sent him tumbling to the dusty floor of the barrens once more.
His leg numb from the assault, El-Vador brought up his palms and sent strands of dark energy roping out to entangle and devour his opposition. The blackness met its kin and greedily sucked it up, causing the figures to become chalk-like and disintegrate which bought a few seconds for the Elf to rise.
Another shadowy figure drove at him, arcing in punch after punch with its spear-like arms. El-Vador ducked and weaved before latching onto the creature with another snaking arm of his power.
The killing blow that would have come faded into powdery dust that settled amongst the plains in moments, affording the Elf a second brief respite from the assault.
Yet another figure approached and El-Vador lashed out with a foot, tripping the creature and leaving it prone to a final burst of power.
'El-Vador!' Aliana appeared before him out of the shadows. She bore a small knife that was coated in darkness. 'I woke to the sound of fighting, what manner of darkness is this?.'
The Elf looked up. 'I suspect it is related to Salvarius in some way.' he replied, recovering his blade and searching through the night for further attackers. A cloud of smoke covered the horizon so thick that even El-Vador's eyes could not pierce it.
'Anacletus!' he called, 'Are you there?'
A strained voice came from the smoke. 'There are still others out here, Elf. You are welcome to join me at any time.'
El-Vador bounded into the dark, sword singing and tearing at any black shape. Aliana followed in the Elf's wake, keeping his charge from exposing his flanks and back. Darkness swept from her fingers and wrapped its tendrils through the creatures before they could twist around and find her.
Anacletus appeared from the depths of the smoke as it slowly settled, his cloak torn and battered. 'You may cease your searching, Elf. Whatever those dark creatures were, they are no more.'
'A present from Salvarius.' El-Vador replied, not trusting Anacletus and staring out into the lessening smoke for further attacks. Aside from the chalky remnants staining the barrens, he saw nothing. It was then that he noticed the state of his reluctant companion.
'We cannot delay any further, Elf. You must track down Salvarius immediately.'
'Why are you shaking?' El-Vador asked, staring at the man as he tried to cease the clear quivering of his hands.
'I merely expended too much power in dealing with these creatures, it is nothing for you to be concerned about.'
'You are lying to me, Anacletus, it is written plainly upon your face.'
The assassin scowled at him, clearly expressing his distaste for the apparent weakness being exposed. 'I had an encounter with a force, the expenditure of my power threatens to draw me into some kind of purgatory that takes me a great length of time to escape.'
El-Vador had no expected such a forthright explanation from the man, an admission of vulnerability that left him entirely at his mercy. 'So you cannot use your powers for any length lest this thing take hold of you again?'
Anacletus nodded.
'Then it is up to me to deal with Sarvacts.'
'So it would seem, Elf. Make sure that you do, I will aid you in what little way I can.'
Anacletus eyed the conscious Pixie with distaste as they made their
way back to the camp. He motioned to the flat expanse as if it were a map. 'Move with all haste in that direction, I can feel his power emanating from the ruins yonder. Your senses are sharp enough that you will not miss him in this dusty plain.'
El-Vador nodded. 'Do not let Aliana out of your sight once again, not unless you plan to destroy Salvarius yourself.'
For once Anacletus did not mock or respond to the Elf's words, instead fixing him with a look of appraisal.
El-Vador studied horizon, trying to sense the same power that the assassin had somehow detected. He couldn't feel anything.
'You will know it when it is closer, Elf.' Anacletus replied to his unspoken thought.
'I will trust you this final time.' the Elf replied, pointing at him as he cleaned his sword of the dark substance that spattered it. 'If you betray me, I will find you.'
Anacletus nodded in recognition of this and El-Vador ceased speaking to the man after that final threat, focusing instead on making sure his blade was clean and sharp. He fully intended to cleave the head of Salvarius with it, regardless of whatever machinations unfolded.
LXX
He was many things, but he was not a monster. A monster does not question, a monster does not relent or repent in any manner, it lacks the empathy to care. It simply destroys.
'You have failed me yet again!' Salvarius roared.
She took a steadying breath before she turned to face him, trying not to wince at the sound of his voice. She kept her expression calm, hiding her racing heart. 'I tried my utmost master, but the one who pursues us had aid unseen.'
Her answer stopped him. Shock softened his features, but only for a moment. He pointed toward the wagon's floor. 'What do you mean by aid unseen?.'
'I sensed other powers as they struck my final trap, he who follows did not do this alone. The twin walks with him, to draw one we must have the other.'
'This is intolerable Mina!' he raged at her, his gauntlets clawing at an unseen foe as if he could rend him from afar with his very will. 'There must be something left that you can do, something that you haven't thought of?'
'We cannot beat them from afar by strength of arms alone, master.' She beckoned him closer. 'But there are other ways of obtaining that which we desire.' Mina smiled casually. 'My power may be waning, but the closer she becomes the easier it is to set things against that which follows.'
'How will you obtain her if not from strength of arms?'
'Is it not obvious?' Mina pointed.
'Enough with your games. Tell me what it is you plan do and make it quick.'
'Deception, master. Deception.' She held his eyes and detailed her plan, joining Salvarius in a dark smile at her own ingenuity.
The smile faded, and so did hers in accordance with her master's expression. Something was wrong, she could still sense that much. 'What troubles you, master?'
'I'm sorry, Mina.' Salvarius replied, his tone softer and hoarse from the shouting of before. 'I should not have been angry with you for trying your best.'
This humble admission took her aback. Gone was the raging and commanding figure of before and in its place was a slumped figure that seemed altogether tired and conflicted.
'You were right to be disappointed with my efforts, master.' she replied, closing the distance between them and tentatively placing her arms about him. 'I have not serviced you as I should have, you are within your rights to punish me for this.'
'It has been a difficult transition, Mina. To go from a simple Captain of the guard to commanding an entire burrow is a task far beyond any previous appointment. I understand now why Harg was so temperamental, the stress is intolerable at the best of times. I find myself far too quick to anger, more so than ever before.'
'The anger is a good thing, master.' Mina replied soothingly, running her hands down his armoured body. 'It shows the strength of your conviction, it shows that you are a man that requires nothing less than perfection from those around him. You have earned this position through your anger, and your anger will aid you in completing the task.
Salvarius was silent for a time, musing over the words that Mina had just spoken. She hoped that he would come to a conclusion of conviction, they couldn't afford a crisis of confidence so close to completing their task.
'You're right, Mina,' he said after much thought. 'It was one thing that Harg taught me, that a leader cannot afford to look weak in front of his charges. You are my charge, I cannot allow myself to look weak in front of you either.'
There was resolution in his words, as if he had come to terms with his role in the short space of time that they had spoken. Mina smiled as she disengaged, she wouldn't have to kill him after all.
He felt her approach before he saw it, El-Vador knew that Aliana had abandoned Anacletus for some reason. He ceased walking and stared back at her as she made her way toward him on foot, uncertain of what to expect.
She stood there for a moment, staring at him. 'I just wanted to say goodbye properly, in case you don't come back.'
El-Vador nodded, uncertain as to how to proceed. 'Thank you, goodbye.'
Her face fell.
'I'm sorry, I'm not very good at goodbyes.'
She closed the distance between them and slipped her hand into his. 'This is a goodbye, not a farewell. I fully expect to see you once you return.'
The Elf stared at her hand. 'What of Anacletus?'
'I told him I wished to speak to you alone, he acquiesced to my wishes.'
'I doubt that he will leave you from his sight for long. Not after all that has happened.'
They continued walking then, hand in hand and observing the barrens before them.
Aliana stopped. 'I shouldn't go any further. I feel the tug of the mistress that the Orc spoke of.'
'Then we shall stay here for a time, and that shall be our goodbye.'
She squeezed his hand, then looked up into his face. 'How do you plan on saying goodbye to me, El-Vador of the mountains?'
El-Vador shook his head. 'I do not know. I can only wish you safety and plan on returning once my task is complete.'
Aliana's gaze met his openly, with no guile or hidden intent. She raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. 'Stay safe for me, and I shall stay safe for you.'
The Elf returned the gesture, not knowing what else to do. Her skin felt soft to the touch of his lips, and part of him yearned to do more. He would not with the thought of Anacletus potentially watching on in some hidden place.
'Anacletus said that if you did not attack Salvarius, he would hunt you down. Is this still your plan?'
He pulled back, and looked her full in the face. 'I know that I must do this, I will not baulk from the task ahead. If he does not keep you safe then he shall be the hunted one.'
They parted then, and the Pixie slowly walked back from whence she came, into the depths of the barrens that swallowed her up. El-Vador stood wondering for a time if the difficulty of every returning step was because of the curse laid upon her or who she left behind.
LXXI
Regrets are for fools, for none can know for certain what branches the past may have spread outward to.
Aliana felt the tug as she struggled to step away from the Elf and the general direction that she was being beckoned toward. She looked back and he had already decided to leave, distancing himself from her with quick strides and leaving her alone. She wondered if Anacletus had been watching their goodbye, and if the assassin had got any sort of voyeuristic pleasure out of it.
She searched the flat land ahead of her but could see no dark figure or anything that would indicate the passing of her supposed guardian. Had he abandoned her once again for even more pressing matters?
Until this mysterious mistress had drawn her to the place which El-Vador travelled, Salvarius's plan could not be fulfilled, which gave El-Vador ample time to put an end to it for all time.
All she had to do was stay out of the way.
She worked her way back along the barrens, trying to ignore the
scorching mid-day heat of the place and assure herself that Anacletus would reappear to guard her. She wondered idly if all of the world she had seen would eventually be eroded away into this nothingness that lay before her. So it would be with the stories of Salvarius, and how he sought her, and how El-Vador destroyed him. Their efforts would be forgotten, much like the reign of terror that Salvarius would unleash should he come to power.
She thought of the Elf for a time, how he constantly lived in the moment and had not concerned himself with the future until she had brought it up. Perhaps the present was all that truly mattered, the legacy of their action or inaction may be immaterial over vast expanses of time but it certainly meant everything in the here and now.
Aliana pondered as to where it was Anacletus had vanished to, he had seemed to just phase out in a flurry of smoke and concealment. Was the assassin watching over her as he had inferred or had he simply deemed other matters more important to attend to?
It wasn't as if she couldn't handle herself in the long-term, she had been doing it for some time now with much success. The subtle tug that implored her to venture back into the heart of the barrens sent a pang of warning through her heart. The closer she got to the source of that beckoning the harder it grew to resist, even as she felt the initial surge of it weaken she knew the hooks of whatever power had been cast out had dug deeply into her.
The sound of footsteps that belonged to neither the Elf or Anacletus made he freeze, something was following her and had been waiting for El-Vador to be out of sight. There was no pretence of stealth from the pursuant, it was clearly aware that she was alone and unguarded. A darkness flew past her, then came around again as she flinched. She cursed herself for her own inaction but inexplicably found a great resistance well up in her when she tried to move.
El-Vador's Travels Page 44