by Lloyd Baron
Maybe it is for the best.
36
SAVING a LIFE
Tak’arshi screams as the dog-like beast leaps over him, raking at his head with sharp claws. The sudden movement of the monster had turned the Dark Clan’s legs into a wobbly mush unable to support his own weight. It has saved his life for the moment.
The creature tumbles in the dirt and loses its footing, rolling forwards to land on its back. It wriggles and thrashes its tail in an attempt to right itself. Fia uses this as a distraction to rush in and grab Tak’arshi, hauling him to his feet and half dragging him away.
Derry’n drops down his axe and hefts his second hammer into his hand, blades cannot cut it but maybe a blunt strike can harm it. He rushes forwards and drops into a crouch, ducking under the tail with its rows of sharp spines, leaps to his right and then rolls forwards, bringing both hammer heads down into the exposed underside of the beast.
It shrieks with the pain and lashes out with all of its limbs. A claw catches him on the shoulder and he drops back, crawling away from the crazed lizard. With a frustrated bellow the thing manages to get back onto its feet. It looks directly at Derry’n and its tongue lolls out in anticipation of tasting his blood. The Beast Master swallows and hurriedly regains his feet, feeling the strange sensation of wind around his ankles.
“Derry’n, get away from it now!” Danlynn cries. He is on his knees, holding onto the cut across his face. “It’s going to jump again.”
With a single bark it launches itself at the stocky man, but he jumps at the same time, straight up into the sky. He flips like an acrobat and lands gracefully behind the lizard. He gapes at what he has just done for a moment before fleeing towards his friends.
“How did you…?” Danlynn asks but there is no time for an answer as the monster begins to shriek and scream out in pain.
It lowers its head between its front legs and begins trembling; all the while it howls and roars. The tail constantly strikes the floor, sending dust billowing into the air. The cloud engulfs the scene but not before the back of the beast splits open. All sound ceases, and the rhythm of its tail beating down ends. Everything goes still.
“What’s it doing?” Tarfleam yells as he pulls Tye to his feet. The man still shakes and mumbles words pleading for forgiveness. “What is it anyway? Can we kill it?”
Tak’arshi glances at Tye and then at the slowly thinning dust cloud. They would know soon enough what has happened to the thing in there, but the question has knocked some sense back into his incoherent mind. He rushes over to Tye and grabs him by the shoulders. He can hear the violence and fear in his voice, but he does not care. A single clear thought passes into his mind and he shakes his head to dispel it. Why do emotions make you feel so many things at the wrong moments?
“Tye, you can stop it. You used holy magic, a lost art. It will tear that thing into pieces.” He stares into the man’s eyes but all he sees is despair and loss. He is not sure why he does what he does next, but it works—and strangely makes him feel better. He slaps Tye across the face, hard.
Tarfleam steps in but says nothing; he just glares back and forth. Tye lifts his hand to his stinging cheek and blinks through the pain. The thoughts rushing his mind and the sound of his own insane whisperings cease and he lifts his eyes to meet Tak’arshi’s. “Do not touch me again, Dark Clan!” he says through gritted teeth. “What do you want me to do?”
Tak’arshi turns back to the cloud and is shocked to discover that it has thinned enough for them to see through it. On the floor is the beast, its head lowered to the ground, mouth open and tongue hanging out into the dirt. Its tail does not move and its belly touches the ground. All along its back is a huge gash which oozes dark blood. It is clearly dead.
Fia bounds over to it, ignoring the call from Chaz to stay with them. He stops a few feet away and studies it. Finally he kicks out with his boot heel and crushes the thing’s jaw. To everyone’s surprise, it cracks and then snaps off as if made of rotten wood. Fia jumps back and turns his confused face towards Tak’arshi.
“What happened to it?” he asks, turning back to the corpse.
It is Derry’n who answers. “It’s still alive. I can feel it. It’s... It’s...” His eyes snap open and he runs forwards, knocking Tarfleam out of the way as he crosses the distance between them and Fia. A shadow drops from the sky. Huge wings uncurl from the back of the dragon as it dives towards the big man.
Derry’n jumps arms out to grab Fia. The black monster beats its wings back and opens its teeth-lined jaw. They collide. Fia is pushed aside but Derry’n is not fast enough. The snapping jaw misses him though the force of the beasts snout into his back sends him cart-wheeling into the air. He lands with a thud and stops moving. The gloom circles around and flies at him, dragging its claws through the dirt.
Tye lets out a scream and thrusts his hand towards the beast. “Death hollow,” he roars and a blinding flash of white light spills into the world. The beast screams and takes to the sky, beating its wings hard and fast to escape.
The light ends abruptly and Tye slumps down, all his energy sapped. The healer rushes past him and drops down beside Derry’n. He lays a hand on the man’s brow and summons the power of the woman in the star. The light sinks into the man and he opens his eyes with a painful gasp.
“It’s alright, young man,” the healer says. “There was little damage, but you will be tired for a while. Oh,” he mutters to himself as he reaches over his shoulder. Sparkly light glitters across his fingers and he whispers words of healing. The light passes from him into the group as they watch. They all shudder at the same time as their wounds close and knit together.
“Did it run away?” Tarfleam asks anxiously. “Did it?”
“I think Tye hurt it badly, and it has gone to recover. I think we will see it again.” Tak’arshi turns away from them and crouches beside Tye. “Many people have died under your hand today. This is war, and in war the innocent sometimes die. The men you killed were not innocent. They had come here to kill us all—to kill everyone you hold dear and love. They were willing to die for their Baron Lokkie and did not query his reasons for coming to this sacred place.
“This goes for all of you, now. I cannot as yet control myself and cannot be relied upon for magical support. I was willing, with Fia, to be the only one who would need to take lives, but I see that that is not the right way anymore. You will all need to fight and kill if we are to win this war and save this world. Sometimes the innocent suffer so that they can be saved.
“This does not mean you are bad people. It means that you are heroes born into this and forced to do the will of the world. We have to move quickly now. That thing will return and when it does I would imagine it’ll be bigger still. Now we should find the girls an—-”
Lightning flashes through the clear sky with an enormous clap of thunder so loud everyone drops to a crouch covering their ears. It strikes the main dome of the shrine, which explodes outwards, showering them with small stones and glass.
From the hole created a figure flies out, lightning energy crackling across her skin and into the air. She turns a circle and surveys the scene below her. She hangs there for a few moments before slowly lowering herself towards the group.
“It’s Riochald!” Chaz says as she stands. “Come to help a little too late!” The bitterness is all too strong in her tone. She still holds a grudge against the woman for healing Tak’arshi and for punching her in the face. “You are too late, Riochald! We dealt with it all.” The floating woman stops and looks around again. Her face darkens and disgust fills her features.
“Get away from her!” someone screams from the shrine. They all turn to see Darwin’t racing towards them, waving his arms frantically and screaming over and over the same words. “It’s not Riochald! It’s not Riochald! It’s not Riochald!”
Tak’arshi turns back to the woman and he lets out a sudden scream. Everyone turns as one to see what had frightened him so. They all take a step bac
k; Tarfleam turns and flees altogether, and draw their weapons.
Riochald is no more herself. Black tendrils sprout from all over her body, snaking around her form and into the air like monstrous arms. Her face is a mask of black liquid with only one dark eye staring out at them. Her skin seems to move and crawl across her as the darkness slithers through her blood. She is completely lost to them now.
She is given over to the darkness.
“Riochald!” Fia breathes as he lowers the tip of his blade, “what have you done?
“She has done nothing but let me in. For too long I have been waiting. Now I get my chance to have revenge.”
“Who are you?” the big man screams in rage. “Let her go!”
The darkness floating around Riochald shimmers for a moment, but then it wraps around her tightly like a shroud. “He knows who I am.” The one eye turns to stare at Darwin’t. It is full of accusation and hate.
Darwin’t’s mouth gapes open and he shakes his head in disbelief. It cannot be. Why? How? If it is truly him then what is doing with Riochald? and why does he want to hurt them?
“Darwin’t.” Danlynn whispers. “It can’t be . It sounds like him but it can’t be.”
A tear slips down his cheek as he steps closer, passing the others to stand directly in front of the hideous mass of oil. “Damilayas?” he asks his voice cracking. Too much is happening all at once and he cannot cope anymore. The tears keep flowing. “I don’t understand.”
“I was not dead when you laid me to rest.”
Danlynn drops to his knees and begins to sob. Chaz lowers herself down beside him, but she does not drop her weapons points.
“The venom of the beast in the lagoon—it turns out does not kill but make it impossible to move. My heart and breath stopped but my mind was kept alive. It was only when I was laid in the hall here did I begin to die. I could have been saved. But you two just cried like you are doing now, and let me slowly die. Do you know what it was like? Seeing you and not being able to speak, to ask for your help.”
Darwin’t shakes his head. “We didn’t know.”
“No. You did not. Then she came to me. I felt her power straight away, a power to heal. But I was too far gone for that now. Yet I still had my own gifts. I always kept them from you, never knowing if you would think me a freak if you found out. I could make dead things move like puppets.” Damilayas laughs at some remembered memories and for a moment is distracted.
Tak’arshi takes a step back and drops down to where Tye is slumped half asleep. “Can you cast?” He asks in a whisper.
Tye shakes his head as a reply.
“I could lend you some of my power. It will hurt you to transfer it but then you will be able to attack it.”
Tye turns his stare on the Dark Clan and frowns. “You mean to kill Riochald?”
“I do not believe there is another way. Riochald is lost to us, and this soul wrapped in darkness is clearly insane. We have to stop it. It holds all of her summoning power, enough to destroy everything.” He stops talking as the phantom continues its story.
“She touched my skin and I felt it. She was looking inside me, using magic to explore my dead body. I do not even think she knew she was doing it, but I used it. I made my dead hand grasp her wrist and I pushed my will into her. But she panicked and something dragged me into her aura. I tainted it black and I have stayed there since. Waiting for a moment when Riochald would lose control and let me in.”
Darwin’t stands and spits on the ground before the swirling darkness. “You used her rape, you bastard! You waited for her to return here and you let her remember. Didn’t you?” The last is shouted.
Damilayas bursts into hysterical laughter. “No... Riochald did that all by herself. The morning after the rape she knew the truth and buried it deep inside her. I touched her mind then, though I was not strong enough to push through. So I held onto the memories until the right moment. I did not know it would take so long but...”
“Shut your fucking mouth!” Fia roars. “You filthy rotten bastard, I will kill you.” He raises his weapon but stops when Riochald’s face pushes through the oil. She smiles pleasantly but her eyes are still black.
“What’s the matter? Can you not bring it upon yourself to kill the woman you are in love with?” Riochald laughs. “You are weak and useless. I would never love you. I need a real man. One who could be rough with me like Master Toshin was.” She licks her lips seductively.
“Get out of her!” Danlynn mutters, steeling himself. “Leave her. Or we will be forced to kill you both.”
Riochald sinks back behind the mask and Damilayas’s voice returns. “I think I would like to see that. Ready?”
The darkness sweeps back like a cloak and a wave of energy hits them, knocking them to the dirt. Damilayas’s phantom floats high into the air, dragging Riochald with it, and settles above the shrine. It stares down at them with pure hatred as it begins to summons.
Tak’arshi flings a ball of darkness into the sky, but it breaks down as it reaches Riochald. He shouts his frustration and turns to the others. They all look so shocked and helpless. His heart lurches but he manages to grab it in time and force his shuddering breath back into his lungs. This is no time to be weak.
“We have no choice now. She will kill us all and she will destroy the world in the process. We have to be strong. We have to do this for Riochald.”
They nod numbly. The tears drying and determination to save their friend by killing her settles in. They have to do this, they all know it.
Tak’arshi turns to Tye who wobbles to his feet. “I will transfer my power to Tye. It will take some time for him to be able to use it as I will lead a force to distract the phantom. Once he is ready he will hit her with everything he can. It should destroy the phantom. Danlynn, you must use your powers now. Hit her from all sides. Use anything, just keep her busy. Derry’n, if you can call anything to keep her eyes busy, birds maybe. Try, but if you can’t then take Danlynn’s bow and just keep firing.
“Fia and Chaz, I think you should keep moving around the shrine. Call to her, try to make her look at you, but do not stop moving. We don’t know what she is going to do.”
“Don’t call it ‘she’,” Fia mutters. “It is a thing up there. It is not Riochald.”
Tak’arshi nods once. “Tarfleam I need you to—”
“Tarfleam ran away,” the healer blurts in mid sentence. “But I will help any way I can. I could put on a light show, perhaps?”
“You could do better than that,” Tak’arshi replies. “You could use healing on it. As much as you can. White magic could even hurt it.”
“Of course.”
“Be strong,” he repeats. “Now go!”
They stare at each other for a moment before breaking and heading off in different directions around the shrine.
“What should I do?” Darwin’t asks. “I want to help her.”
“I will need you to be the transfer conduit. My power is dark, and Tye’s is holy. It will kill him if I tried to give Mana to him like this. I need you to pass it between us.”
“How?”
“Just stand there. I will do everything. I must warn you both that this is going to hurt. I will start now.”
He touches Darwin’t’s neck, and the man howls with the pain.
Riochald watches from the back of her mind. Damilayas has left an eye uncovered so that she can see her friends die. Hate bubbles within her, but it only feeds his power. She is helpless and frightened. Strangely she fears for the big warrior more than the others. She does not know why. He bugs her with his belief that he is better than her and the way he looks at her like she is nothing. So why then did he get so upset?
She settles back to watch the battle, hoping that they kill her fast, because she knows that if they do not, they will all die. She can feel the grand summons of wind and earth building. It will hit them soon, and no-one will survive.
Derry’n sits behind a wall and clenches his eyes clos
ed. He focuses on the small bundle of fur in his mind where he keeps his link to Kloek. The cat is sleeping, of all things. He shouts into its mind and it wakes with a start.
“My boy, why so loud? You... Oh my, you feel terrible! What has happened?”
“Tye destroyed the army, but now Riochald is on the rampage. She is being held by a phantom and we cannot save her. The only thing we can do is end her suffering.”
“The poor child! What can I do to help?”
“I need to contact the birds from the woods. I need to know how.”
“You already know how. Finding them is what you do not know. But that is easy. Think of the trees and the birds within them and then sweep them until you feel in your mind, like you do with me, their voices.”
“Will they listen?”
“I think they will. All creatures know of Beast Masters. They are like gods. I will guide you through—”
An explosion overhead cuts off the link and Derry’n dives away from the wall. Rubble crashes down where he had been sitting. He glances into the sky and sees Riochald staring at him. She cocks her head to the side and smiles. Lightning arcs from her fingers and into the ground before him. He back flips into the air, landing on one of the bonding stones. She lashes out again. Before the lightning leaves her a blast of fire hits the shield and she turns away.
“Thank you, Danlynn,” he mutters as he runs from the open and back into cover.
He drops to his knees and closes his eyes. His mind rushes from him and flies over the meadow, littered with the dead, and into the great wood. He instantly feels the life within and he reaches out.
They hear him.
Danlynn watches her strike down with lightning and knows he has to do something. Whoever she is attacking cannot defend themselves with magic and will die quickly. She readies herself for another strike and he lashes out, drawing an arrow with a weak fireball. It fizzes into her shield harmlessly but it distracts her away from her target. Unfortunately she now stares directly at him. He summons more fire but does not let it go. Lightning crashes down at him from all sides, but he blasts out a shield of heat. The power does not reach him, though it drains a huge amount of his energy.