‘Arrows do that,’ Aeron remarked wryly.
‘Thank you,’ Melia swallowed thickly, seeing the flames burning in the place where they had been. ‘I do not think I would have moved fast enough to escape.’
‘Does that mean that you have finally decided to accept the aid of Prince of Halas?’ He asked, scanning the area to see if Syphia was resuming her attack.
‘I am considering it,’ she replied. ‘If we survive this, I will make proper recompense. For now, did Arianne escape?’
Aeron stole a glance past the column and saw that Arianne was no longer cowering under the stone altar. She, was hurrying towards Dare but the danger was far from over.
‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘But Syphia’s attention does not linger too far from her,’ he replied seeing the creature seeking out the Queen again. However, instead of pursuing Arianne, Syphia had a new target to fix her attention upon.
The King.
*******
Celene, like Dare and the others had been attempting to reach Arianne when the onslaught of Berserkers and shape shifters derailed that plan. She found herself fighting back to back with her husband as they had not done since Astorath. Syphia had given the Berserkers somewhere to go after the fall of Abraxes and it appeared now that she commanded their loyalty as fiercely as Balfure had. They were filing into the courtyard in seemingly endless numbers until they were fighting for every inch of ground they made towards Arianne.
Ronen was blocking the blade coming down upon him and held the Berserker in a deathly grip before he kicked out his leg, landing the ball of his foot on his opponent’s stomach and causing him to buckle. Pulling back his sword, he swung hard, shattering the enemy’s blade and taking the creature’s head with it. The Berserkers had no time to scream as it fell before Ronen was once more defending a blade thrust in his direction. The Lord of Gislaine lashed out with his sword, tearing the weapon away from the foul being’s hands and completed the battle when he ran it through.
Suddenly he saw something that made him pause. A group of shape shifters, their black bodies changing shape with each step they took forward, was closing in on Tamsyn. At this moment, the only reason they had been spared the wrath of the Primordial was because the magii was using every bit of magic he could to fight her. However, it appeared Syphia’s shifters planned to ambush Tamsyn and distract the magii long enough for Syphia to gain the advantage.
‘Celene!’ He called to his wife. ‘We must help Tamsyn.’
Celene followed his gaze and realised what he was staring at and agreed immediately. Nodding at him in answer, she rushed forward, her sword leading her charged as her blade drove straight into the body of a Berserker in her path. She did not halt her grisly advance until the blade met air on the other side of his back.
‘What are you waiting for?’ She glanced at her husband with a little smile. ‘Do I have to save the wizard myself?’
**********
Dare saw Arianne finally free to leave that damn altar after the Berserkers seeking to recapture her had been put down and offered silent thanks to Aeron and the watch guard Melia for allowing her to do it. His own efforts to reach her had been hampered by the weight of all the Berserkers that were determined to slay a king on this day. It was a pleasure he was going to deny them as he fought valiantly the numbers rallied against him. Aware that he would become their target almost as soon as they had seen him, Dare had sense enough to distribute the forces at hand wisely.
Beside him, Kyou was swinging his own blade; each arch was soon followed by a sharp and agonized scream indicating that the dwarf lord had made his mark. Kyou’s handling of the weapon was next to superb and he was able to defend himself against sword and fork. The Berserkers that he felled lay on the ground unmoving, their black blood running into the dirt around their ruined bodies. The dwarf’s size did little to hamper his ability to fight the formidable Berserkers because the dwarves not only knew how to make the greatest weapons in Avalyne but they were schooled thoroughly in how to use them.
A Berserkers had slammed his thick skull against Dare’s forehead and sent the king stumbling backwards. The savage enemy came at him with a mace, attempting to crush his skull with a single blow. Dare slipped beyond his reach when he prepared to bring down the weapon upon the king. Dare managed to get behind him and was there to meet the Berserkers snarling in outrage at his escape, with the point of his blade when he sent it through the creature’s neck. The enemy dropped his weapon and clutched the sword, trying to drag Dare forward. Wasting no time, Dare slid the dagger in his other hand through the monster’s flesh and tore open his insides, ending any further effort on his part.
‘DARE!’
Dare spun around to the sound of Aeron’ terrified scream and saw Syphia coming straight for him.
The beast opened her mouth and spewed forth a wall of fire that the king barely avoided when he jumped clear. Hot flames consumed the Berserkers standing near him and screams of agony filled the air as well as the unpalatable stench of roasting flesh. Dare had just landed when he saw a shadow over him and realized that it was Syphia’s spindly but barbed leg about to smash down on him. The king scrambled to his feet and ran forward, trying to escape the reach when another ball of flame stopped him in his steps. Back tracking, he did not have time to react to the tail that came at him.
Arianne watched in horror as Dare was swept off his feet and flung half way across the floor. He landed badly and did not get up again as Syphia approached him. Even Aeron and Melia’s efforts to hinder her progress towards the king did not effect the Primordial since she was now standing over Dare. Her jaw widened and her mouth smoked with green fire as she drew breath in readiness for another fiery assault.
‘You will do no more harm!’ Tamsyn who had managed to escape the shape shifters intending to distract him to Ronen and Celene who were battling them, even in the midst of this confrontation between himself and the Primordial.
‘And what will you do magii?’ Syphia demanded malevolently. ‘Do you think you are fast enough to stop me from incinerating this mortal? Try me Magii and see which of us is wrong.’
Tamsyn faltered because it was true. He could fight this creature but could he act before Syphia exhaled the breath waiting inside her body? He was not sure and he could not take the chance. Avalyne was now at peace because the races had rallied around this King. Without Dare, Avalyne would fall to chaos once more and might never recover.
‘This cannot end the way you want,’ Tamsyn said coldly.
‘It will end the way I choose,’ Syphia hissed, her eyes flashing an ever deeper red ‘Give me the woman and I will leave him be.’
‘No,’ Tamsyn retorted. ‘Never.’
‘Then watch as Carleon’s king dies and out of the chaos I will still give them a new king, a king who is not only of him but also of Antion. Not only will the world of men follow him but when I dispatch Lylea, he will be High King of the elves too.’
‘NO!’ Arianne screamed from where she was. ‘YOU WILL NOT HARM NO ONE! NOT ANYMORE!’
Arianne saw her beloved Dare lying on the ground, blood running from his forehead and knew that he could be dead, today. She had given up her immortality to be with him and though she accepted that those years would be only as long as a single mortal span of life, she was not prepared to lose him now. Not before any of the dreams that they had built in their years apart were given shape.
This foul relic of the Primordial had already destroyed Tully and for all they knew, might have killed Keira too. She was not going to allow it to destroy any more lives. Not Dare’s or her mothers and certainly not Avalyne. No more was she going to stand by and let this creature take away all that she loved, beginning with her baby and now its father.
Arianne stepped forward, ignoring Celene’s cries to desist and placed herself before Dare and Syphia. Her child, whether or not he knew it, would protect his parents even from the womb.
‘This ends now Syphia,’ Arianne glared at him with a s
tare that could have burned him dead if it was allowed. ‘You will cause no more mischief to any of my kin.’
‘Empty threats do not become you Queen,’ Syphia declared shortly. ‘You will come with me or I will kill your precious King.’
‘You will kill no one.’ She said icily and closed her eyes before chanting words of her own, words as ancient as the world itself. ‘Not me, not my husband or my son!’
She was the Queen.
She was an also an elf, with human in her past but there was a Celestial in her lineage and that blood ran through Arianne’s veins. She never called upon him for help because it was not the way of elves to call upon those who had made them immortal only to fight their war. However, this evil before her was one Enphilim knew well and she needed his aid as she had never needed it before. Her mother had told her to reach into herself, to bring forth the power she had inside her when the needs was great.
‘Your blood is more than just human or elf. Your grandfather was sired by a god and that too runs through your veins. You will do well to remember that.’
The needs was never as great as it was now and as she made her demand, felt something shift inside her brain. For a moment, she could feel the waters of the Brittle Sea pressing against the undersea walls of rock that surrounded Sanhael. She called upon Enphilim who gave his son a sword made from the heavens.
Arianne hoped he was listening to her now.
‘What are you doing?’ Syphia demanded as she heard Arianne chanting ancient words that predated even the ones her shifters had spoken to resurrect Mael.
Arianne did not listen. She continued to invoke the ancient words of calling and only when the cavern began to shake, did they know what she was doing. The rock began to heave around her and the cracks miniscule when she had arrived began to widen, allowing more and more water to seep through.
‘STOP THIS!’ Syphia bellowed, leaving Dare and approaching Arianne.
‘Kill her if you dare,’ Tamsyn challenged the Primordial viciously. He recognised the words and he willed his own power into her, giving her the help he she needed to reach the Celestial he served, to gain a boon to fight this evil from the ancient times.
Behind him, Dare started to stir. The reverberations in the rock had travelled through his skin from the ground and roused him abruptly out of his dark sleep. His head throbbed as he sat up but whatever disorientation he felt was driven away when he saw his wife standing before Syphia, uttering words that were so old even he had difficult understanding them.
However, their effect was obvious. Chunks of rock were breaking free through the cave, water was spilling from the ocean in columns of white froth. The Berserkers and the shifters were starting to see the danger and had were lowering their swords, trying to decide what to do.
The sword. Take up the Sword.
Dare did not know who spoke to him for his voice unfamiliar but the prompt was enough. He looked about and saw the sword that had been left neglected on the floor all this time. The beautiful ornate sword that made Narthaine seem plain in comparison. Ignoring the pain to his limbs when he attempted to stand, he felt his body infused with rage and determination, propelled by a singular purpose as he stood up and ran towards Arianne. Syphia was so busy spouting threats that he did not see Dare take up the blade and hurl it like a spear.
When she realised her mistake, Syphia made a desperate attempt to evade the blade that had brought her to ruin at Antion’s hands. Antion’s sword, forged from the stuff of stars, sank deep into the creature’s belly. The beast threw back his head and uttered a roar of agony, fire bellowing out of her mouth as she expressed her pain. Dare closed the distance between himself and Syphia as Arianne continued to chant, oblivious to everything but what she needed to do.
The creature was gripped in pain and attempting to retreat when Dare skidded beneath its belly and retrieved the sword. He slashed again at Syphia’s bleeding torso and rolled out from underneath the beast as its weight forced it to the ground, avoiding being crushed. The king stood up and rounded the beast’s body, standing before Syphia’s elongated neck.
Syphia was mustering all her strength to reduce him to a cinder when a phalanx of arrows and crossbow bolts struck her hide. While it did not penetrate, it served the purpose of allowing Dare to deliver the final blow. Not since he killed Balfure, had a blade been swung with such purpose. The sword slashed through Syphia’s neck, severing her head from her body and silencing her screams of outrage.
Syphia’s collapse coincided with an explosion of sound all around them. The cavern began to crumble with the ocean pouring into the city. What shifters and Berserkers were left were now fleeing in blind panic, trying to seek refuge in the high ground. Dare, still holding Antion’s sword in his hand, turned to his wife. He found her in Tamsyn’s arm, having fainted from the invocation of such powerful forces.
‘Arianne!’ Dare hurried to her side.
‘She is alright,’ Tamsyn quickly explained as the king swept his wife into his arms. ‘The strain was too much for her.’
‘We have to get out of here!’ Kyou shouted as the deluge rose about them.
‘Everyone!’ Ronen shouted, leading the others towards the caverns leading back to the Frozen Mountains. ‘Let’s go!’
As the company made their way through the city, more and more of the cavern began to crumble. Great chunks of stone smashed against the ground until it was raining fragments of debris over their heads. Dare clung to Arianne, protecting them both with his body while Tamsyn kept behind them, ensuring that the King and Queen were safe from any other threat. He watched briefly as the water swirled around Syphia’s body, turning it a shade of crimson when it was stained by the dead beast’s blood. This time, there was no resurrection for the last Primordial.
Syphia’s days of mischief upon the world were finally done.
**********
The company came to a pause when they were a good distance away from the city of Sanhael. Tamsyn had brought down a wall and sealed the rest of the caves to the rising tide behind them. There was no telling how many Berserkers or Shifters had escaped the city. However their terror at avoiding the water had sent them scurrying for the heights of the city, instead of escaping the cavern ensuring a good many had drowned with Sanhael.
Although it would be a few hours before they reached the outside world again, for the moment, the danger was passed and time could be afforded for all the company to catch their breaths and rejoice at being united. They journeyed far, fighting terrible odds and even more terrible enemies to reach this point. Tamsyn felt that they deserved a rest while they addressed their wounds and made themselves fit to continue their journey. Although none had been injured badly, there were enough wounds to ensure that some measure of healing was required for all members of the company.
‘Rian,’ Dare whispered as he lay Arianne down on the ground beneath his cloak. She had not stirred since they departed Sanhael and despite assurances from Tamsyn that she was well, he had to see it for himself.
Arianne’s eyelids fluttered at the sound of her name and her sapphire eyes rested upon him as they opened. ‘Dare,’ she said softly, her hand resting upon his cheek. ‘You are alive.’
‘I would not leave you,’ he almost cried at the sound of her voice in his ears. Her hand drifted to his cheek and he held it there, his heart swelling from her touch. ‘I promised you a lifetime and that is what we will have.’
‘Our baby is safe,’ she swallowed, unrestrained with her tears. ‘I kept him safe for us.’
‘I know,’ Dare took her into his arms and held her tight. ‘When he is born, I will tell him of how brave his mother was of what she did to ensure that he was born in the light. I love you Rian.’ He parted from her and their lips met in a soft and lingering kiss. ‘I have never loved you more then this moment.’
And they held each other for a long time, forgetting the world and the others because for that one moment they were neither king or queen, elf or man, just two ha
lves of the same heart reunited.
EPILOGUE
THE LITTLE PRINCE
Despite their escape from the Frozen Mountains and the successful rescue of Arianne and Celene, there was no celebration when they finally headed home.
Even though Arianne and her companions were safe, it was difficult to forget who would not be returning home at all. That Tully Furnsby would be denied a proper burial like his wife seven years ago, weighed heavily upon Dare’s conscience. It would be a regret that would follow him all his days and remind him how much he owed the couple who had lost everything to help him. Arianne tried to comfort him but she too felt the same sorrow. She was mourning the loss of a friendship of seven years that was an illusion from the start, just a way for Syphia to gain their trust.
The griffin upon which Arianne and Dare rode was willing to return them quickly to Sandrine Keep and Arianne was grateful for this. After everything she had been through, she wanted to enjoy what was left of her pregnancy in the comfort and safety of her home, with her husband close by. Dare could not deny her that request and in truth, he would feel safer once she was within the safety of Carleon once again. They did not know how many Berserkers and shifters had escaped Sanhael but if there were about, they may try to avenge Syphia’s loss on Arianne.
Celene and Ronen decided not to head directly to Sandrine, choosing instead to visit Angarad on their way home. Yalen had not met Ronen yet and Celene thought it was time that he met her family. Furthermore, she had not seen her father since she led Angarad’s forces across the Burning Plain towards Astorath. She longed to see him and her brothers again, to spend a few weeks in Wyndfyre before it was time to return to Gislaine. Ronen was so grateful that she alive and well that he would have denied her nothing and the king was happy to spare him while he visited with his Angarad family.
While the griffin offered to bear the watch guard back to safer lands, Melia declined for she had no intention of leaving Serinda behind and offered to take the horses back to safer land for Celene and Arianne who felt similarly above leaving their horses behind. Thus Aeron offered to accompany the watch guard back to Angarad despite the lady’s protestations that she was more than capable of handling herself.
Avalyne Series 01: The Queen of Carleon Page 30