Kurlank dodged a sweep of the heavy branch and swung his blades swiftly at one of the many fruitful trees, cutting the tree right across the center, the fruitful form giving way to fall upon Karkor with its heavy form. The single-eyed giant dropped his wooden club and held his arms up to grab the tree, stopping it in motion as he held it up strongly, the single eye taking view upon Kurlank as the armored warrior swung his blades and severed the arms from the cursed one’s body. The heavy tree fell upon Karkor’s form, as it was no longer supported, and crushed him.
In the high chamber, Samana ran from Sinfus for her blade, the cursed form of the leader of the Council and ruler of Oomer leaping after her as she felt her grasp upon the sword and turned in swinging motion, twice, before Sinfus met her. Samana locked eyes with the cursed one, his golden eyes gleaming bright as she looked down. Her sword had cut halfway through his side and rested at the center of his ribs.
The cursed form of Sinfus bled openly upon the floor and Samana as he was surely slain. The first slash had come across his face, leaving his sharp teeth to show before Samana as she looked upon his cursed form as he began to grow limp. The need for blood was still in his form, even if Sinfus soul was no longer in the body. Before his face sealed away, the cursed one lunged savagely for Samana’s neck, his teeth digging into her neck, blood flowing from the wound.
As Samana felt the sharp touch of Sinfus’ teeth, she pulled her blade the rest of the way through his body, severing him in half. As Sinfus dug his teeth in, he felt his bottom half severed and loosened his teeth and fell to the floor.
Samana looked about the slain Sinfus as she felt blood running down her neck. She had slain the cursed creature, but at what cost?
Samana fell to her knees and looked ahead to the Mother as she began to stir. Samana smiled as she saw the Mother rise, and fell to the ground, as before her eyes she saw strange imagery coming into view; a tree on a wide plain, a shimmering sound echoing about as the day flashed from day to night on the plain of her view. Samana then blacked out and fell upon the floor in a pool of her own blood.
The Mother rose with her wounds and took place at the side of Samana. Ignoring the blood and death about the chamber, she looked over the wounds of the young heroine and felt that they were deadly as much blood had poured from Samana’s neck and continued its release from her body.
Hersei stood watching the battle from the tower side. Kurlank continued fighting as Sen took several sharp blows to his back and stood bleeding and stumbling from beneath the trees. Kurlank saw his companion wounded and fought through the horde to take place at his side as Hersei made the Keraij to pursue them, tearing his face open as he spoke triumphantly.
“You cannot go against my will! This is where you will die!”
As Hersei stood on the tower side, his words would have been true, if they were spoken to him, as this was surely the place where he was to die. The cursed one stood upon the green stone tower and felt a sharp pain shoot through him. Before he knew what happened or had time to question it, he was dead.
The Mother stood above on the balcony, leaning out with her hand cast out below. She had used what little strength she had to shoot a bolt of green lighting from her fingertip and through Hersei. She watched as his cursed form fell from his hold on the tower side, and then returned to the chamber, as Kurlank and Sen stood looking upon the Keraij. They had stopped their attack.
The cursed looked about the sky as the sun was dipping beyond the horizon. There was none of their kind that did not fear light. None to share their strength of mind with them, with this upon them, the cursed left the Order in a rushed flight to search out any cave or crevice that would harbor them as they could not bear to have the light upon them, once more.
Kurlank and Sen stood still as the Keraij fled, the armored warrior approaching the slain form of Hersei as he spoke. “He’s dead.”
Sen looked upon the cursed one and then spoke urgently as he looked to the wall top.
“That girl, we left her alone!’
As Sen rushed for the wall top, Kurlank followed, his voice booming out in echoing fashion as they made their way up the wall steps. “The Keraij were focused on us. I don’t think they cared to slay her.”
As the two were upon the wall, they found that the girl was no longer on the wall top.
Sen looked about urgently and spoke, feeling he had failed. “She’s not here. They must have taken her!”
As the two surveyed their surroundings, they found themselves coming upon the sight of the young girl as she produced herself from under a heap of dead Keraij and spoke. “You didn’t fail. I just decided it would be a good idea to hide.”
The two companions looked upon the young girl, Kurlank speaking in echoing manner as he looked upon her. “Good hiding spot. The Keraij are gone once more. We should hurry to the high chamber. I sense something…something wrong.”
The three made their way up the chamber speedily, as in the library entrance, Henk and Amen sat, the young girl looking from behind the counter of their hiding place as she spoke.
“I think they’re gone.”
The high chamber of the Mother was covered in blood and dead bodies. The Mother took place at the side of Samana, once more, and cradled her in hold as she lifted her veil and looked upon the young heroine with her green eyes, tears running down her face as she heard the patter of approach from the stairs, her eyes upon the bloodied Samana as she ran her fingers through her stripy hair of red and grey, the braids hanging about her head as the Mother sat in silence with her, her eyes upon the double-notched piercing in Samana’s ear; the symbol of a warrior of the Dawn Bringers.
Kurlank, Sen, and Mensh had made their way up the stairs, the armored warrior having carried the wounded Mensh up the last half of the great multitude of steps as she was injured.
The three entered the Mother’s chamber and took view upon the blood and death ridden scene as they soon found view upon the Mother, Mensh holding shock not only from the bloodied scene and wounds upon the Mother and Samana, but that of the Mother’s features as she was not scarred as all thought she was. She was beautiful.
Kurlank and Sen made their approach and stood looking upon the Mother as she held Samana, the Mother holding a hand to her ear as she took view upon the young one. She too had a double-notched piercing of the Dawn Bringers on her left ear.
The armored warrior stood firm as Mensh took place at his side, in silence, as all took view upon the scene. The Mother bore an unbearable resemblance to the young heroine of her hold. She looked as if she could have been the same person or of close relation. As the three stood before her, the question of relation was answered as she held Samana close and spoke.
“My Samana...my daughter.”
Copyright © 2015 by Christopher J. Haines.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Order of Events: The Council of Eight Page 27