“I don’t know,” replied Alandra, “an earthquake? This is a dormant volcano, you know.” She then turned to Christian, and said, “It’s alright, I’m sure that it’s nothing. Go now, get some rest, the war will be over soon, and you will see your daughter at that time. For now, just know that she is safe, and so are you.”
“Thank you, my Lady,” said Christian as he left for his dwellings with Mariam, who was also very ill and weak, as were most of the refugees.
Once he was out of sight, Alandra turned to Sadja, and said, “I don’t think that was an earthquake, we should find Malthius and check it out.”
Sadja nodded as they left to find their fellow Keeper.
Back at the hill, Kalorah continues to gaze off towards the capital in search of a sign from the Dragonkin. Suddenly, she hears the faint sound of air being displaced by the flapping wings of a nearby drake. She looks up as the beast glides into view, and lands to several yards in front of her. As the beast settles, a young Drykan dismounts the drake, and nervously approaches the Angel. Kalorah watches as the young Drykan, almost a child, stops and bows to her, almost as if he did not know what else to do.
Seeing that the boy clearly did not know what to say, Kalorah spoke, “Young man of the Dragonkin, rise to your feet, and look into my eyes so that I may speak to you properly.”
The Drykan nervously swallowed as he looked up towards the Queen. After a second of hesitation, he spoke, “I come to you… um, with… with a message from the… the risen Lord, our King, Lorkath. He wishes to… um, know your… he has requested your… your…”
“It’s alright,” said Kalorah with a smile, “it is only me that you speak to, and you need not fear me. Please continue, deliver your master’s message.”
The teen cleared his throat again and continued, “My Lord Lorkath has requested your demands, and in return, he saw reveal his. That’s it, that’s all it says.”
Kalorah stares at the young boy, then walks over to him, and softly places her hand on his cheek. As it moves across him scaly cheek, she says, “So, the risen King of the Dragonkin has requests my demands. Instead of coming to me himself, he sends a young boy to deliver his message. Well, young man, I have a response for your master’s message. You can tell him that I do not wish to negotiate any terms or make peace, for the time for peace has long since passed. I, however, will not have you deliver my response with words. Instead, what you see with your eyes.”
The White Queen lowered her hand as she stares into the Drykan’s eyes. Her eyes start to slowly illuminate in white smoke. The boy’s body starts to quiver as he feels a great power around him. He quickly covers his ears as the piercing sound of thunder penetrates his body, which continues to quiver in fear… then he looks up. The barren landscape behind the White Queen starts to blur, and the mirrored image sets ablaze, just like the conjured wall that the Keeper of the Staff created prior to the fall of the capital. As the conjured wall starts to break apart and fall in ashes, it slowly reveals the great combined army of the Kain and Ela behind it. At the front of the massive army stands the King of Kain, the captain of the Kain’s Guard, and the mighty warrior Angel, as well as the leaders of the Golden Army. As the wall completely dissipates, a body pushed its way through the soldiers, and reveals himself to be Nathian. As he walks to the front of the charge, he quickly releases a poisoned arrow. It torpedoes towards the young Drykan’s head, but steers to the right and brazes his ear. It then travels straight into the skull of the unaware drake, dropping the beast dead almost instantly. Nathian immediately readies another arrow, and directs the bow towards the teen.
Kalorah quickly spun around and raised her hand to the Lieutenant, and says, “NO! We will not kill this one. This is not his war, and he is only following the orders of a mad King. Let him go.”
Nathian reluctantly lowers his bow as the terrified Drykan boy turns, and stumbles as he runs off back towards the capital.
Kalorah watches as he soon disappears. She knows that she doesn’t have much time before the Generals send the first wave of fire-breathing drakes towards her army. She quickly collects herself and turns to Glammdreing.
“We must not waste any time, we need to strike now while we have the element of surprise,” said the White Queen as she turned to the captain of the Guard. “Ayden, you and your charge must make for those camps on the outskirts of the city. Free the people that are held captive within them. Once they are freed make your way to the otter gates. Go now!”
Ayden obeyed the Angel and motioned for the Kain’s Guard and the Trueborn Army to follow him. He then turned and mounted his stallion and galloped off towards the camps. A massive eruption of hoof beats shook the ground as ten thousand strong thundered towards the camp following the captain. Daane and Nathian also mounted their Trueborns and galloped off with the captain.
Dathian, Ethan, and Biix were at the end of the line, but could hear the many hooves pounding the earth ahead of them.
“Are you ready?!” exclaimed Dathian with a certain amount of excitement in his voice.
“Hell yes!” screamed Biix as he mounted his saber.
Dathian mounted Cheyanne, as she impatiently pawed the dirt.
Ethan stood frozen for a moment, as he reflected back on Greenglen, and the ones he lost. A new hatred he has never known before violently rushed through his veins as he stared into the distance. Dathian rode up next to him, and just nodded as if to say, come on man, let’s go. Ethan was ready, and calmer than ever as he took Talliel’s reins in one hand, and grabbed the saddle horn as he helped himself up onto her back. He nodded back at Dathian as the three of them readied for the moment to gallop off.
Kalorah then turned to Nexia and Luthar and said, “Stay behind and make sure that there is not an attack from the south or the west. Once you are certain that the outlining wall is secured, make your way to the city gates.”
Luthar nodded as Nexia replied, “Yes, my Queen. We are with you.”
Kalorah nodded and said, “Good, now Krendweil, you are your Skyborns are to accompany Glammdreing and myself to the skies. Make sure to remain behind us a good distance before you make your attack. The Generals will most likely send a wave of drakes first. Glammdreing and I will meet them head on and try to stop them before they reach the rest of the army. You shall only engage once most of the beasts have fallen. Once they do, send your fleet into the city, and take out their outer defenses.”
Krendweil replied, “Yes, my Queen, we shall not let you down.”
With these words, the army of the Skyborns took flight, and hovered in the air behind the Queen.
Glammdreing turned to Kalorah, and asked, “Are you ready?”
Kalorah turned and stared off towards the capital as she replied, “When is anyone ready? At what moment do you say, ‘this is it’?”
Glammdreing turned to the Queen and softened his tone, as he said, “Now… is when you know.”
Kalorah continued to stare off towards the capital as her face transformed back to its formal confidant self. She whispered out loud, “Now is the time… now is when we reveal our true strength… now is when we shall have our revenge. Please, my friend, don’t fail us.”
Back in the Black City, the Angel of Shadow, Teeca the Cursed, slowly walks up the endless stairs. Her bare feet are covered in ash from the Realm of Shadow, in which upon destroying it, she absorbed its power. Her skin is just as pale as the Shade Lord now, and her black tattoos are forever burned in her skin. Her former purple silks are now dark and tattered. Her dress is torn and ripped all over, revealing her snowy white skin beneath. Her hair is matted and layered with filth. Her crafted claw on her right hand pulsates with incredible power, and begs to be released. Every nightmare cycles before her consciousness, and few things feel warm or safe now… though there is one… the one she must share with the Shade. She reaches the half way point, but stops as a familiar voice enters her mind.
“Welcome, Angel of the Forest, to the former glory of the Dragonkin,
” said the shadowy resemblance of Savannah’s voice.
Teeca stops to listen. She should be shocked by the voice’s origin, but for some reason, she is not, as if she already knew. Instead, she reveals her ghostly wings, and began to rise into the air. She continues to rise, until she is level with the Black City’s pinnacle. Though still far away, she can see the outline of Savannah standing alone at the top of the stairs, though she is not the same. Her skin looks void of moisture, and her eyes were black as tar. She wears nothing but a thin red nightgown, and her hair rests freely against her back.
“Do you recognize me, Angel?” asked Savannah with a hissing malice in her voice.
Teeca showed no expression, as she replied in a dull voice, “I recognize both… the body… and the one that harbors it. You do not fool me, Archimus, for I can smell your foul stench from here.”
Savannah smiled, as she said, “Not unlike your own, from what I can tell. You have given yourself to the darkness, and you will soon be mine, just like this one. Don’t worry, she didn’t suffer… not like he did. Would you like me to tell you how he screamed as his body singed away like dried timber, or how the smell of burning flesh lingered in my nostrils for days?”
“You know not to whom you speak, demon,” replied Teeca, “for I am no mere mortal. You are wrong in assuming I have given myself to the darkness, for I am merely borrowing it.”
Savannah laughs as she holds up her hand, and looks at the ring, and says, “You know, when I took the girl, I had no idea she was bejeweled with such a thing. A fine gift, for a fine… how did you put it… demon. I must say thank you, for without your kindness, I would have never been given such a gift. It’s funny, I wonder if you knew that when you gave her your ring, that it would end up being used to kill you!”
Archimus, using Savannah’s body, then used her ring of power, and released a powerful spell, which sent a giant, shadowy and snake-like dragon made of smoke and fire racing towards the Angel, quickly growing in size and speed. As the conjured magical dragon rushes towards her, Teeca raises her clawed hand, and conjures her own shadowy minion, sending a black saber running towards the dragon. As they met in the middle, they consumed each other, releasing a terrible shockwave that rattled the world for miles. Savannah’s body was thrown back as Teeca prepared to release another minion of death. Enraged, Archimus then rose out of Savannah’s body, and regained his physical form. Savannah was still entranced by her dreams, and her body laid still and motionless. Archimus, however, stands tall and terrifying as he reveals his death-filled scythe. The amount of power displayed by the Angel surprised him, and fear began to slowly crawl its way in. Deep down, where no one can see, there is the slight resemblance of acceptance… acceptance of his upcoming fate… but he will not give in that easily. If it was a fight the Angel wanted, then he would not disappoint, for his main objective was only just arriving to the Eves of Brethiel. His Shade Army, led by the risen Overlords of old, were preparing to raid the Great Forest, and kill all who reside within.
West of the enraged Angel, at the edge of the Great Forest, the Runemasters Ella and Syphra stand front and center, facing the Plains. Behind them stands a line of Runemasters… all waiting. For what? They don’t truly understand, and fear it, but their mission is simple, do whatever it takes to keep the dangers from entering the forest, and reaching Brethiel and beyond. They stand alone against the darkness, for the Golden Army wasn’t there, and instead, fights another man’s war.
Suddenly, a thick fog begins to form on the Plains, and moves in towards the forest. Syphra uses his Shadestone necklace to detect the presence of evil, since Ella broke hers using it on the Lord of the Shades. It started to change colors, signaling that evil has arrived.
He looks at Ella, and says with worried eyes, “It is time that we meet this evil, once and for all, are you sure you are ready?”
She stares into the growing and unnatural fog, and replied, “That is the question, isn’t it? We are asked all our lives if we are ready. Sometimes we are, and sometimes we aren’t. But do we get to choose? At this very moment, I would like to presume I would choose to be ready. However, my choices are not of my own, no more than yours are to you, yet here we are, all the same. Ready or not ready… they are still coming.”
Off in the distance, veiled behind the fog, two figures begin to take shape. Then, two black horses walk out from within the fog, but they are not of the living. Each steed appears to have been dead for years, with only patches of dried skin covering their withered and decrepit muscles, wreathed around the bones they walk on. Upon their backs sit two plated men, with faces covered by helmets full of malice. The two beings continue to walk out of the fog as Ella and the other Runemasters look on in horror at what follows. Behind the two armored beings, countless shades begin to appear in many different forms, from wolves, to small children. They all share their shadowy presence, and are blinded by bridled obedience. Many turn into to hundreds, then into thousands, then tens of thousands, until counting became impractical and pointless.
“So, let me answer you correctly,” said Ella as all feeling left her face, “no, I am not.”
Back at the hill, Kalorah and Glammdreing have taken to the skies, and watch as the Kain’s Guard thundered towards the southern camps. Ayden and Daane led the way with the full might of the Kain behind them, and following them, was Dathian atop the White Mare. Biix rode to his left, and Ethan on his right. As they gallop towards the camps, Cheyanne’s eyes start to illuminate in a mystifying blue light. As they do, the eyes of all the Trueborns around her also blazed in the same blue light, softly trailing behind them. Daane looked around him with pride as he witnessed the awakening of the Trueborn’s might, like a blazing stampede of hope and courage. He then took out his sword and aimed it towards the capital, followed by a thunderous war cry.
Daane then yelled to his army around him, “Be brave this day, for it is OUR day, and OUR time to show our true might, and take BACK THAT WHICH IS OURS! We will NOT FAIL THIS DAY!”
The army of Kain erupted into a vociferous roar in response to the King’s cries.
Kalorah and Glammdreing then fly towards the city, just before stopping several hundred yards before it. They hover in the air as the thunderous red clouds above them continued to swirl and grow in power. They watch on as a thick cloud of blurred shapes rise from within the fallen capital, and take flight in the darkened sky. The enemy grows in size and clarity as they slowly swarm towards the Angels as more and more drakes depart from throughout the city. Glammdreing looks to Kalorah as she simply closes her eyes once more. She holds out her staff as the army of drakes approach them with intensifying speed. Their numbers are triple of what originally attacked a month prior. Glammdreing grows worried as the flock of fire-breathing and iron-skinned beasts race towards them, growing closer with every flap of their menacing wings. He can hear their faint screams growing louder and more distinct as they approach.
Suddenly, Kalorah opens her eyes, once again revealing the white fire within, and as they blaze with intensity, the sky above her starts to burn bright red. Glammdreing has never seen such power from the White Queen, and watches on with awe as her feathered wings ignite in brilliant white flames. Glammdreing then turns his attention to the skies above as crackling crumbles of fire began to fall from the clouds, crashing down towards the attacking drakes. As the fire hits, it breaks apart into many more, singing their wings. It was as if the clouds were raining fire, leaving no inch of the sky not torched. Glammdreing watches as nearly every drake falls to the world below them. Noticing a few stragglers, the warrior Angel quickly flies towards them and unsheathes his mighty golden sword, as well as his shield. He flies from beast to beast with incredible agility and grace, slaying every last attacker. After they are slain, he hovers in the flame-torched sky holding his shield in one hand, and his sword in the other. Behind him is Kalorah, also hovering in the air with her staff held firm in hand. The white fire in her wings dissipate, as well as her eye
s. From a distance behind her, many Griffin warriors start to come into focus as they approach.
Daane motions for the Kain to stop as he tightly pulls back on his reins, bringing his Trueborn to a sudden stop. Ayden and Nathian also stop alongside their King.
He then yells, “Reform the line! Quickly… form the line!”
Dathian, Biix, and Ethan have made it to the front, and move to the side of them as the Guard quickly forms a line, moving single file as they get into formation. Several hundred yards to the north, they see a collection of ground soldiers, also assembled into formation in front of the concentration camps. They are poorly geared since their primary duty was to serve as jailors of the captured Kain. They are at the bottom of the ranks within the Dragonkin army.
“There can’t be more than a few hundred of them,” said Ayden, “we will have no problem getting past.”
“Steady yourself brother,” Daane replied, “there is still a great battle ahead of us after we release the prisoners. We must plan our attack carefully, so we can…”
“Oh, careful my ass!” yelled Ayden as he kicked the side of his stallion, and stampeded with all speed towards the Drykans.
Nathian looks at Daane and laughs as he follows in suit, galloping after Ayden. Ethan and Biix both look at Dathian as if to say, ‘Let’s Go!’ Dathian can’t help but smile as he yells for Cheyanne to charge, followed closely by the others.
“So much for a plan,” said Daane. “Men of Kain, leave NONE of these monsters alive! FORWARD!!!”
The King and the rest of the Kain’s army thundered towards the Drykan with intense ferocity. The Drykans appear completely unprepared, but yet, they do not move, even when they are clearly outnumbered. Something was off, for two of them are holding onto a thick chain coming from the ground. They look nervous and anxious, and waited for the exact moment. Ayden, followed closely by Nathian and the teens, with Daane and the rest a short way behind. They quickly close the gap, with none of them suspecting a trap. The two Drykans wait until they crossed the approved threshold, then, at the same time, pulled the chains, and as they did, they triggered some sort of implosion as the ground between them and the charging Kain began to break and crack. Ayden noticed first, but before he could figure out what was happening, the ground beneath his feet started to give in. He kicked his horse hard in the side to gain as much speed as possible. Nathian and Ethan, who were the closest, noticed what was going on, and followed in suit. The ground caved in along a line, creating a deep and treacherous trench. Cheyanne reacted and jumped into the air to avoid falling, but Biix was the last to arrive. He was too close to stop, but too far away to make it across.
The Reclaiming: The Keepers Saga: Volume Two Page 33