Lost Souls

by John Van Stry

  "Okay, follow me!" I growled and took off for the keep.

  As cats, we were able to charge as fast as a mounted Elf or Human, this was a great advantage; though fighting anyone in armor was best done in human form with blades and our own armor. Arrows flew around us as we charged the wall; I noticed the keep hadn't changed much, and that the wooden walls surrounding it had been repaired. Fortunately, they weren't any higher than they were the last time.

  I jumped as I hit the wall, claws digging into the wood as I ran up the side catching the archer who was about to shoot me just before he drew his bowstring back. To either side of me Shreans were cresting the top. Many more weren't able to make it up however and slid back down to the ground waiting for the Mages to make an opening.

  They weren't long in waiting when a section of the new wall collapsed in a loud explosion. By now, I and the others atop the wall had shifted to human form and were attacking the rest of the defenders with our swords in hand. The fighting was furious, the defenders were mostly Orcs and Goblins, and so neither side would give the other quarter.

  I fought my way along the walkway towards the tower, killing several of the archers that had been stationed up on the wall. After the first one, the others had all dropped their bows and drawn their short swords to fight us, but the next three that I faced had no real skill at arms compared to what a shrean fighter normally possesses, and I made short work of them.

  Once I felt the danger from the archers up on the wall was no longer an issue, I jumped down into the courtyard. Looking around I called again for my squad as I started for the tower. A group of Orcs rushed to intercept me then, as more of my team made their way towards me and we started linking up and took on the orcs. These were better fighters than the ones on the wall had been; in fact, they were better than the average Orc and they were fighting rather fiercely, it made sense that the best ones would be assigned here to protect the tower. I heard another explosion then and briefly noticed the top of a building collapsing onto a section of the wall still holding some of the remaining archers.

  We were outnumbered probably three to one, but it didn’t matter to me in the slightest, as for the first time since I’d started this quest it all came roaring back to me. I knew who I was, I knew what I could do, and I did it. I laughed out loud at the wild joy of it all, the heat of it, the excitement, even the fear, as it all filled me. The look of sudden fear on the orc I was facing as I laughed only lasted a moment as I ran him through the neck, severing his spine and dropping him. I jumped over his body with another laugh to engage the two behind him as the raw power of fight seized my soul.

  I cut them down as fast as I could get to them, or they to me. My blades moved in a blur of precision and death as I made my way through them to the tower. I slashed bellies, arms, and throats. I stabbed chests, shoulders, eyes. I cut off hands, arms, even heads.

  Clint caught up with me as I made it to the door of the keep, the guards there were of a bit sterner stuff, but they still died under our blades.

  "Back!" Yelled Tam.

  Clint and I got out of the way and she did something that left her panting hard, but the door just melted away.

  "Go!" she waved catching her breath as Clint and I moved inside, the rest bringing up behind us in the tight corridor. The defenders inside were well armed and armored human mercenaries. All of them looked surprised at the sudden loss of the door as we both charged them. They drew their weapons and attacked us as we closed, but neither Clint nor I were going to give them half a chance. I could feel the blood singing in my veins, the fire of the fight flowing wild through my body as I gutted the first one without even stopping and taking the head off the next, then jumping onto his falling body as I lunged into the one behind him. I kicked the one next to me in the knee, ruining his attack on Clint who then ran him through and engaged the one next to the man I was already killing, my sword finding the gap above his breastplate.

  The next one was ready for me, and he tried to fence and block, using his shield to stop me from overwhelming him like I had the man before him. He was so busy trying to protect his throat that he missed my changing of targets, as I took his foot off, the expensive blade's magicked edge easily parting his greaves. I hacked his head off as he toppled forward surprised when he lost balance, not even aware that he had lost the foot.

  The next man showed real fear as I closed and attacked him, his fear making him hesitate. A quick sword thrust and I easily pierced his breastplate with the point as I put my weight into the attack, killing him instantly.

  I stopped at the foot of the stairs covered in blood; I knew we had to go up here. Clint stood next to me panting, Tam and another were with me, the rest of my squad were now dealing with the other human mercenaries in the room that the four of us had just bypassed. I turned back to the stairs confident that they could handle it.

  "How far up?" Clint asked concerned as we started on the stairs.

  "Four more," I said and dashed up to the next level. This one held two more of the mercenaries. Officers from the looks of them. I laughed as they swore, and charged me, attacking. I smiled evilly at them as I engaged; this was what I had been born for, what I lived for, for so many years; fighting and conquest. They were better than the men downstairs, but it didn't matter how good they were, I was better and they died before the realization ever hit them that they were doomed the moment they had crossed swords with me. I heard a gasp of surprise from Tam behind me as I cleaved the second one from head to navel through his helm.

  Clint and I quickly cleared the rooms; there was no one else on this floor, and none in the short hall that led to the stairway to the next level.

  "Three more," I growled, and as we started up there was a loud explosion and the ceiling collapsed. I looked back, Clint, Tam, and Sensu had all made it with me, but the rest of the group hadn't caught up with us yet. Now it would be a while.

  "Uh-oh," Tam said, "That wasn't a trap, that spell was just cast."

  "Interesting," I said, but I kept moving up the stairs.

  "At least now they can't get away from us," Clint growled.

  "And we get them all to ourselves," I said smiling and charged up to the next landing.

  Our welcome here was a large party of orcs. This level of the tower was one large room, with the staircase entering along the north wall, our exit to the next floor was against the south wall.

  They all attacked en masse, but only about five of them could engage us at a time. I killed the one directly in front of me as I came up the stairs, with my sword coming up from underneath his shield and his breastplate. Then I hacked the leg of the one standing to his right, causing him to fall forward. Clint made quick work of him and I gained the floor, and stepping southward, I drove my sword through the helmet of the one stepping forward to fill the gap before he could even ready himself for the fight.

  Clint took the floor to my left, between the wall and me, and started to fight with the orcs there, while Sensu attacked the legs of those on my right, from his lower position on the stairs, which left me with only the two in front of me. I hacked the sword arm off of one, while I split the shield of the other, then driving forward with both points forward, taking the one under the chin, and the other in the shoulder. I then crossed blades, ripping the shoulder open, as I ripped the other's throat out and brought that blade across to take the wounded one in the ear as he tried to retreat into the wall of Orcs behind him, killing him.

  The press of their bodies as they tried to attack us wasn't helping them, and the next one tripped over the dead body in front of him, and I simply hacked his head off, then fought back an attacker on my right who tried to brave Sensu's leg attacks, and had failed miserably, Sensu pulling him down and finishing him off with a dagger.

  I was starting in on the next one when Tam called out and cast a spell that rooted the remainder of them to the floor. After that it was a slaughter as the three of us moved forward, dispatching each of the orcs, one at a time, one af
ter another, working our way across the room. They cursed us and several of them threw their weapons, but when your feet are locked in place and your opponents are not only better than you are, but have longer swords and arms, you have little choice left.

  Still, they fought like the cornered rats that they were, and while easier for us, the fight was still dangerous and slow as their dead bodies cluttered the floor.

  When I killed the last of them, I stopped a moment and looked down at myself, I was literally dripping blood and gore, and some of that blood was mine now. I could feel the burn of a number of gashes on my arms and one along my side where my armor was rent. I looked at the others, Clint was better off than I was, but not by much. Sensu was mostly untouched and Tam looked almost pristine. Magic users, I almost laughed to myself, the only people I knew who could keep the blood off of themselves in a battle, and who would actually waste the effort to do so.

  "Keep moving," I panted and took us all to the next stair.

  "Down!" Tam called and we all flattened as the walls blew in, in a number of places, the rock flying over our heads in a deadly hail of slung stones.

  "Everyone?" I asked.

  "I'll live," Clint said.

  "Me too," Sensu groaned getting up and looking a lot bloodier than before.

  "Tam?"

  "Give me a minute." She groaned, holding her hand to a nasty gash on her head.

  "We don't have a minute I suspect." I got to my feet and helped her up. "Two more floors, let’s go."

  She nodded and pulled herself together, following us up the stairs, mumbling something under her breath.

  The next floor had two orcs on it, in the first room when we entered, both were too full of fear to put up much of a fight and I killed them quickly. After that we started down the hallway, passing a couple of empty rooms before we came to a door.

  "Wait," Tam said, "There's a magic user on the other side of it. Give me a moment."

  She did something then and touched my back.

  "Okay, be careful."

  I nodded and kicked the door in.

  The Tower

  The first thing she did was start on scrying for him. She knew he was near; she should be able to use that to find him. She started out to the south where the king’s army was and swept from side to side, moving further out each time, she'd finally made it to the west side of the tower when suddenly she found the entire area blocked to her scrying.

  It was him, it had to be. Who else could it be?

  "Guards!" She called putting a little power behind her voice, "To your posts! We're about to be attacked!"

  She heard the alarm raised below as her words carried throughout the tower. She could almost feel her father's surprise at the sudden change of events. She knew he hadn't expected this for another day or two at least. Oh well, that wasn't her concern, she went over to seal the door into her chamber, then locked the one that led upstairs to the cells in which he and the princess were now locked. It wouldn't look good for them to find him in a cell that he could easily open so the Orc guarding it had locked him in this morning; at this point, he was sealed in as well as the princess, and would not be free until someone released him.

  She prepared her own escape, it wouldn't do for them to catch her here, but she had to stay until the last minute, to make it look good. She smiled to herself, maybe a little more than the last minute. Jareth would certainly be leading the charge. Cutting him off from the rest shouldn't be too difficult. Her father had made her swear that no matter what happened, that Jareth would not pass up from this room and go up to the cells. He was afraid of Jareth, she could tell, and she enjoyed his fear while making her promise to him. She couldn’t understand why he made her swear it as a separate oath, from the one he’d made her swear to be the vessel of his revenge. Of course back then she’d not have been willing to swear to stop anyone by any means necessary, even her life if need be, and this was now the most major issue of his plans. If Jareth wasn’t stopped in this room, there was no telling what he might do to her father who was now defenseless in that cell. He was the last wild card in this game.

  She laid out her spells and waited, hoarding her strength for the right moments. She saw the charge across the field, the swarming of the wall, and then its breach. She watched as the Mages on the hillside threw spells at her tower, deflecting several and even sending one back, smiling as the Mage was thrown off of his feet from the back blast. The other one wisely chose to cast his spells elsewhere after that.

  She saw Jareth enter the compound with the others and watched as he slaughtered her Orcs with contemptuous ease. He and the commander both were wreaking havoc as they cut their way to her tower. She knew the Orcs were not that good really, they weren’t supposed to be, but the fighters in the tower were some of her best. He’d find his going once inside to be far harder she was sure. She followed him as they entered the tower amazed at how easily he dealt with the guards on the first floor, pushing past them quickly and dispatching several with apparent ease, his swords working in a coordinated blur.

  She waited until he moved further in and then caused the ceiling to collapse to cut him off from his men, but unable to get him completely alone. She knew she should have collapsed it on him directly and killed him, her father would be furious with her she knew. But she just couldn’t bring herself to kill him so anonymously, she wanted him to see her as he died, she wanted him to know who killed him and why. She wanted to taste her revenge. She wanted to gloat. After this, she knew she would surely be her father’s daughter.

  "Damn," she swore as he and the three with him cut a swath through her Orc on the next floor. Or rather as he cut a swath. Even the queen’s commander wasn't able to keep up with Jareth as he attacked with a vengeance. She'd heard the others talk long ago about his skills, but had never seen it. She had to admit to being impressed, she'd never seen such skill at arms before.

  She swore again, when the Mage among them paralyzed her remaining fighters with an interesting use of a mud spell. As they made for the stairs she tried once more to get him totally alone, casting two heavy blast spells outside the tower to try and catch the others in the shards of the rocks, but the other Mage sensed it and warned them.

  She sighed and started work on her last line of defense then, casting her spells around herself and on the doorway. He'd be in first, but none would be able to follow until she was done with him. Then she would leave, and the rest of them could play out he father's little game, but at least she would have had her own satisfaction.

  A moment later, the door crashed in and he dove into the room, rolling up to his feet missing two of the traps she had set for him. She turned to him and raised her hands prepared to fry him where he stood as her hood fell back. She smiled as his eyes came and met hers.

  "Alini!" He gasped and the look in his eyes stopped her dead.

  He stood there a moment, frozen in the act of throwing one of his swords at her.

  Then as she suddenly moved again the moment broke and he seemed to understand, but he didn't attack, instead he dropped his swords and dove behind her workbench as she blew a hole in the ground where he had just been standing.

  She cursed herself, she cursed her god, she cursed her father, she cursed the world; she couldn't kill him. All these years and all this time, and she couldn't kill him.

  He had been standing there, just standing there, struck dumb by the sight of her, and she couldn't kill him!

  Alini's Workshop - The Tower

  I kicked the door in and dove into the room, I came up before the Mage inside prepared to strike and suddenly their hood fell back exposing their face, or rather her face.

  "Alini!" I gasped. It was her! I wanted to grab her, kiss her, and hug her tight. She paused a moment and I knew what she was about to do, but I couldn't kill her. Dropping my swords I dove for cover behind a heavy stone table just as the room was filled with the sound of a large blast.

  "Alini!" I called out from behind the table, "Wh
at are you doing?"

  "Trying to kill you, Jareth," came the strangled reply. "Why can't I do it?"

  I shook my head not believing what I had just heard; this was Alini, my one true love! "What?" I looked around and shifted forms; I needed better hearing to determine where she was in the room. "Why do you want to kill me? I love you!"

  "If you love me, why did you write me that letter? Why were you with her?" She said, the last word coming out as a growl.

  I could tell she hadn't moved an inch from where she was, but what could I do? I couldn't kill her.

  "I wrote you and asked you to come to me, because I had been exiled and could not return to get you. When you didn't come, I lost all hope!" I growled back at her, "and just who the hell is 'her'?"

  "Lelani, who else? They said you were courting her, all the time I though you were courting me..." she sobbed, "And the letter said you never wanted to see me again, that you blamed me for ruining your life."

  I growled angrily and jumped up on the table.

  "Alini, look at me!"

  She stopped sobbing and did, seeing him in his natural form, strong and dangerous, as he had been that first time she'd seen him. He hadn't changed much, and the blood covering his fur just further emphasized the power of him that had drawn her then and still drew her now.

  "Your father arranged it to look like I was seeing Lelani. I never was. I thought I was exiled for seeing you, and when you never came I thought you had just been helping your father get me out of the way. Remember our vow? I never forsook you, Alini."

  "You lie!" she cried and threw a spell at me. I stood my ground and the fur on the side of my face stood up as the wall next to me cracked.

  "I want you as my mate still," I said softly, "Is that what all of this is about? You thought if you took Lelani I'd come to save her?" I shook my head, "Lelani is a friend, I came because the queen sent for me. But I went and looked for you before I even started to look for her."