“I do wish you would stop mind controlling him Efrundle” came a female voice.
“Well perhaps if he would actually let me in, I might” Efrundle sarcastically replied.
“So what is it I can help you with?” the lady said. Iris and the others were still stood around the corner out of view.
“I'm here to redeem that favour you owe me.”
“Oh dear...”
“Morton was banished as a traitor to Icethorpe, he cast a spell to keep himself alive but we must save him before it’s too late. I and some others have planned an expedition and we need you to take us to the dragons lair” Efrundle explained.
“What others?” she asked.
Iris put her head around the corner to try and see who the woman was. In the corner of the room, sat on a ragged old chair, was a middle-aged lady with snowy white hair.
“Come in, no need to be out there,” the lady said nicely. Iris walked in and stood beside Efrundle.
“My, you sure do look similar,” the lady said. “This is Iris, my sister” Efrundle said introducing her.
“Your… Sister?!” the lady asked in shock.
“Yes, this is the true heir to the legion.”
“Is there others?” the lady said.
Seth walked in first, the lady already knew him. Thorley then stood through and Efrundle explained that he was their sailor and guide for the sea.
“And there is one other,” Efrundle said, but no one appeared. Zelkith stood outside, he did not want to come through.
Iris walked through outside and looked at Zelkith. “What is the problem?” Iris asked. Zelkith just shook his head. “You'll have to move sooner or later” Iris tried to convince him. He reluctantly got up, Iris walked up ahead first.
The young lady shot out of her seat the moment Zelkith put his head around the door.
“But....You’re....” the lady said shocked.
“Hello Loona,” Zelkith said.
“You know her?” Iris questioned.
“Why aren't you dead?” the lady said in anger.
“Excuse me?!” Iris said surprised.
“Why on earth are you with these people, it's her isn't it?!” Loona looked at Iris with daggers in her eyes.
“Zelkith has been with me for an extremely long time” Iris argued.
“I knew it! I'm sorry Efrundle but this is one favour I cannot do!” she yelled and stormed out of the room.
“Loona wait you don't understand!” Zelkith shouted.
“What the hell is her problem?” Iris asked.
“I will talk to her” Efrundle suggested.
“No,” Zelkith said, “I must do this” he continued. Zelkith walked out of the room and followed her scent up the stairs into what looked like her bedroom.
“Why have you come here?” Loona asked.
“It was not my intention, I had no idea” Zelkith replied.
“Was it the same intention of never trying to find me, or even telling me you’re alive?!”
“It's complicated.”
“I can see it is! And you run off with a Dark Elf of all things!”
“You don't understand! Please just let me explain” Zelkith begged.
“... Hmph... Fine, but you better have a damn good explanation.”
“You still remember that day don't you?” Zelkith said. They both thought back to an event that happened so many years ago, not long before Iris was born.
The great wolves used to hunt in packs, just as other wolves did. Over time, two packs began a rivalry with each other.
They became known as the Neots and the Cassicks. Their leaders battled over land and territory and both claimed it was rightfully theirs. Both Loona and Zelkith fought in the civil war. Loona was the cub of the leader of the Cassicks. They were fair, white-haired and highly intelligent. Zelkith was the cub of the opposing pack, the Neots. They were much darker, almost black in colour and were more brawn than brains.
One day, on one of the worst battles that occurred in the history of the civil war, Loona and Zelkith got separated from their packs in combat. Fate would bring them together, as enemies. They spotted each other at the same time, snarled at each other and got ready to leap in to attack. Loona relaxed her body and stood up. Zelkith saw the opportunity and began to run toward her.
“Stop!” Loona ordered. For some unknown reason, Zelkith stopped in his tracks without a seconds thought.
“Why are we even fighting?” Loona asked.
“Because it’s our duty” Zelkith replied.
“But why is it our duty to kill each other. We used to live in peace together, is it wrong to wish for it once more.”
“I don't want to, but I agree. I am tired of fighting” Zelkith said as he cautiously sat next to Loona. They talked and debated for many hours about how and why they disagreed on the war, before they went separate ways, not as allies, but not enemies either.
They repeatedly met up in secret and spent much time with each other. The more the war raged on, and the more people they lost, the closer Loona and Zelkith became. From civil agreement turned friendship, and friendship turned to love. One day when they went to meet each other, they had a surprise for each other that neither of them expected. Their parents had followed them to their meeting point and made a statement of their own.
Loona and Zelkith openly admitted to their love for each other and both demanded their parents to restore the peace that once existed. Their parents took them away from each other by force and made sure they never saw each other again. It was at that moment that those inside the packs started to separate and live in isolation.
“Yes I remember that night very well, but what does that have to do with her,” Loona said.
“I spent many years searching for you. I managed to escape my father and tried to find out where they were hiding you.”
One night Zelkith finally managed to find out where they kept her, but he was weak and had not eaten for a long time. He needed to eat before he could attempt a rescue.
It was that night that he stumbled upon a deer carcass just sitting on a tree stump. He did not sense anyone nearby and did not question his luck and started to eat. While he ate something did not feel right, but by the time he had noticed a Dwarf stood behind him and a barrier was cast around Zelkith, which stopped him from moving.
From the nearby woods, several people wandered out. Among them, a female Wood Elf clutched a young Dark Elf baby barely a few days old. Beside her was a young human on one side, and a Dark Elf on the other.
“The Dark Elf paralysed me using some strange power in his eyes which I just discovered is Efrundle’s father. The young human performed a binding ritual on me with the young baby” Zelkith explained.
“The little girl, it's her isn't it?” Loona asked.
“Yes, her father is Biren and the founder of the Legion. It was because of her that I had to stop my search for you. By the time she was old enough for me to attempt a rescue; the great wolves had completely split from their packs. The more I thought about it, the more I felt ashamed for what had happened. As time went on I hoped you found someone to have cubs with and your family lived on. How is it possible that you are alive after this long?” Zelkith said.
Loona ignored Zelkith’s question and walked out of the room and back down the stairs. “I will take you to the Dragon’s lair, but once we are there you’re on your own,” Loona said.
“Very well,” Efrundle said, “we will leave as soon as you are ready.”
“There's nothing here I need, let's go,” Loona said.
Chapter 8
The six of them head out of the alleyway and back to the cottage. They picked up the provisions and food from the bags and then headed for their journey to Icethorpe.
Iris asked how Zelkith and Loona knew each other and he explained about how they met and how he became her remnant.
“I'm sorry...If I had known, I would have helped you...” Iris said. She felt awful that she was the reaso
n he could not try to save his love.
“Fate must have its reasons for what happened,” Zelkith said.
“But if she truly loved you, she could forgive you for what happened. It was not your fault”, Iris said.
“For some, pride is more important than your feelings of affection” Zelkith declared.
“But she put her pride on the line in front of both your parents and that was purely for you” Iris tried to understand.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Zelkith said. Iris did as he asked and they did not speak of it again.
They travelled for many hours along the woodlands and forest outside Alphaport. Their luck was on hand as the weather was fair for autumn. The sun was bright and there was a minute breeze. Dusk approached and they came out of the forest and into miles and miles of hills that were full of wild grass. The darkness loomed quickly and with no shelter, the group settled down for the night in the open grasslands.
Iris awoke in the dead of night, the stars shone brilliantly against the dark sky above. She glanced beside her to see Loona stroll off on her own intro the distance. Iris watched as she turned from a young lady into a bright white great wolf. Iris quietly got up and followed her. She trailed Loona into a nearby forest almost an hour walk away. Loona sat by a river on a large fallen branch and stared into the water. Iris tried to get close and broke several twigs under her foot. Loona looked around to see Iris.
“Oh, it's just you,” Loona said. She was not angry or spiteful like Iris was expecting, but seemed sad and lonely.
“I know you don't like me,” Iris said outright “but please don't let it get in the way of your love for Zelkith.”
“Why have you followed me here Iris?” Loona asked.
“When I was little when Zelkith used to think I was asleep. I would see him cry. Even though I was young, I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I used to always wonder why and now I finally understand. If there was any way I can ease his pain I would and now I see that it's you.”
“It can never be!” Loona said with anger “you could never understand! I have spent so many years grieving his death and even after what I did I tried to move on with my life. Just as things had started to settle down, he appears in my living room as a remnant to some little Dark Elf girl!”
“What’s so bad about being a remnant? Why do you hold onto pride that no longer matters? He still loves you with all his soul, and it has nothing to do with me.”
“I come here every day since I escaped my pack and that terrible war. It reminds me of the day we first met, the calm water trickling by. I used to come here to hope, hope he was still alive. As the years went on, I was told he was dead and so I started a new life as a human tradesman. I came here to mourn instead of hope.”
“But you do not need to grieve, or hope,” Iris explained, “he is but a short walk away, and he wants his love back. Put aside your pride and follow your heart. If you truly love him, you will leave here with me as a friend and give him the love he deserves from you” Iris said sternly. She turned around and walked back towards the group.
Iris walked alone, but Loona did not follow. Iris got about halfway back to the group when she heard Loona run toward her in the distance.
“I accept what you say, but I do it for his love, and not your friendship” Loona said. Iris just smiled and they walked back together in an awkward silence.
Loona went to lie down near Zelkith. Iris woke at dawn to the bright sunlight. Just across the field, she could see Zelkith and Loona sat beside each other in conversation.
Once everyone was ready again, they continued their journey to Icethorpe. They came from the fields and back onto a dirt road. Not far down was a fork in the road. The group stopped and looked around they did not know which way to go. They had two options. They could either take the short route over the mountain or go the long way around on the flat dirt road.
“Just how long is the path around?” Efrundle asked.
“Two maybe three weeks,” Loona said.
“We can't waste that much time, we go over the mountain,” Efrundle said.
Iris stared up at the mountain pass. The mountain road was barely visible and disappeared under the sharp rocks. The mountain was high enough to have snow on the top and the sky started to darken.
“Wait, do you hear that?” Zelkith said.
“Hear what?” Iris asked.
“Horses? And a carriage” Loona said.
“Of course!” Efrundle said, “they often have trade waggons come and return from Alphaport.”
The group hid in a nearby bush and waited for the waggon to get closer. When the carriage approached, they were in luck. It was a heavy duty waggon with six horses at the front. It had one driver who looked barely awake and behind was a single guard on horseback.
“It's as I thought, remember the plan?” Efrundle whispered, everyone nodded. Loona ran off in front of the waggon in her wolf form. The dozy driver suddenly rose to attention and slowed the cart down to a halt. Loona stood there calmly. She stared directly at the driver and slowly moved from side to side, trying to keep the distraction of the driver on her.
From the bushes, Efrundle whistled the attention of the guard, who turned and glanced over. The guard noticed the group and went to grab his sword. His eyes glowed orange and he was under Efrundle’s control. The guard let go of his sword and jumped down from his horse. He walked to the back of the waggon and pulled open the curtain. The waggon was empty, but the others waited on the other side of the road for the signal.
“Stay where you are!” came a hushed but angry male voice from behind Efrundle. The tip of a sword was pushed against Efrundle’s neck.
“Why has he stopped?” Seth said. The guard just stood there and did not move. Loona distracted the driver how she could. The driver began to stand up and he reached for a crossbow that was beside him. “Dammit!” Zelkith snarled when he noticed the driver reach for the crossbow.
Zelkith snuck back and started to sneak around to the front, towards the driver. Just as Zelkith had snuck away, Efrundle had walked out from the bushes with a cloaked man behind him. They saw the sword pressed against his neck. The person who was stood behind Efrundle was entirely cloaked but was of average height. His face was completely hidden under his hood.
The guard’s eyes returned to normal and he reached for his sword. Iris looked to the others in a panic. She did not know what to do, Zelkith had gone, but Thorley and Seth were still there. The three of them looked at each other and jumped out to protect Efrundle.
In the corner of her eye, Iris saw Zelkith leap up at the driver. They heard the snap of a crossbow followed by a whelp. The driver fell off the other side of the cart and the horses panicked. The horses bolted and crushed the driver under the wheels of the waggon.
Loona leapt into the carriage and turned into her human form. She attempted to regain control of the waggon as it rushed off into the distance.
Now free from control the guard slashed his sword at Efrundle and it smashed against an invisible barrier, which shattered the sword into several pieces. The cloaked man lifted his free arm towards the guard and a black ball of energy shot from his hand, straight through the guard’s chest.
Efrundle attempted to break free from the cloaked man’s grip, but the sword was pressed harder into his neck. The cloaked man then raised his free hand towards both Thorley and Seth, who fell to the ground with their hands around their throats.
“WHERE IS IT?” the cloaked man shouted aggressively.
“We have nothing!” Iris said. The moment she saw the guard’s sword crash against the invisible barrier she knew who the cloaked man was. It was the man who had attacked Mireylon and Roseflame at the volcano.
“Hand it over, or your brother will die!” the cloaked man yelled. She questioned in her head how he would have known their relationship. She reached inside her leather jacket, but the amulet was gone. She even looked inside the little pouch in a panic, but it was just the
cutting from Mr Pannett inside.
“It's...It's gone!” she said worriedly.
The cloaked man looked down at Efrundle “You have it!” he said triumphantly.
A blue spear then appeared and went through the cloaked man’s chest. The spear emanated from one of the handles of Limbo, which was around Efrundle’s waist. Efrundle’s fingers merely touched the handle, but it was enough.
Efrundle pushed the sword from his neck, spun around and pulled the spear from the cloaked man’s chest. He turned it into a gleaming blue sword and decapitated the cloaked man’s head. With a rattle, the head hit the floor followed by the body. Thorley and Seth let out a gasp of air as the grip around their throat was released.
Under a gust of wind the head of the cloaked man rolled back and revealed not a head, but a human skull. The head and body vanished into a cloud of dust. The dust gathered like a swarm of bees and it soon took the form of the cloaked man once more.
“What the hell is going on?” Thorley said stunned.
“It's being controlled somehow,” Efrundle said.
“Why can't you control it with your eyes?” Seth asked.
“That only works on living things.”
“Living things? How can we kill something that's already dead” Thorley said.
“You can never kill me! The amulet will be mine again and the whole world will cower in despair” the cloaked man said. Seth stood up and pulled out a wand from his side. Efrundle leapt out of the way and the cloaked man was engulfed in a fire a moment later. The fire stopped and the cloaked man had gone, there was nothing but a pile of dust on the floor and a ghostly phantom in its place.
“This is not over! The amulet will be mine again!” the phantom said. The phantom crashed into the floor and the dust spread onto the ground.
The group let out a sigh of relief, but the ground around them began to rumble. Out of the ground crawled four strange creatures. One of the creatures crawled out and Iris looked on in amazement at a creature she had never seen before.
The creature had a dragon like a snout with a snake’s tongue, which slithered in and out of its mouth. It had six legs, which were scaly and black and attached to a minuscule dragon-like body. On its back, it had scorpion’s stinger and two lumps on its back.
Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1) Page 9