| Meanwhile, all the other N�maton find themselves suddenly in control of themselves. Rage boils deep within their hearts from so long ago until now. All have one great goal: revenge on Abaran�a and the doctor. Quickly, they ride, walk, struggle to the Cave, come from distance realms for vengeance. But they no longer are the lifeless packages of strength under the control of the doctor. They are returned to the same state as they were before entering the Cave of Anguish. Some are nearly children, some are withered and gray. All carry the curved red sword assigned to them. But, by the time the masses arrive, the trio of Ol�n, Delinia, and Venderick are gone. They ride with urgency to Kaiscond, to rejoin the rest of Tiercal�s army. They feel they can help and that they must hurry and help them even though they are but three warriors. Instead the ex-N�matons gathered around the cave, confused. They can see the body of Doctor Quandro, but there is no trace of Abaran�a except in a black dress left behind in one of her favorite haunts. Silently, they think about what this means� Not too far away from the cave a pair of fighters stumble onto the Stream Benigia trying to quench their voracious thirst. Unlike Delinia, they hadn�t let their steeds drink from the Stream Defunctious, so it took they several days longer than Delinia to reach it. Time in the Cave passes so much slower than the outside. Hakabree and Charango collapse in nearly the same spot as Delinia had� Venderick rides next to Delinia as they force their horses to go faster than they would like to, Ol�n leads the way, regretting that he cannot see Delinia, and yet knows it must be for the best. He doesn�t understand the feelings he now has for her. He knows it would never work out between them, no not ever. He finally manages to push the thoughts of her to the back of his mind and can focus on the perilous road ahead. No one thinks to look up and see the crow floating above them, watching and studying them. Delinia and Venderick keep making happy, brief glances at each other. Ol�n is too focused on the rough road ahead to survey the skies for a spy of Kaiso� Far away, in a dark dank chamber on a stone throne sits a fire, inhabited by a man. In the center of the room is a globe, showing the trio riding from the Cave. Their frantic journey is revealed to the inhabitants of the room. Next to the throne is a simple chair. In it sits a woman with black hair, pale skin and red lips. �Abaran�a?� �Yes my Lord?� �Is the man who destroyed your physical body riding there?� �Yes my Lord. That swine struck me after all the wonderful sensations I had given him. Yuck� The nerve of some people make me so sick that stupid good-for-nothing,� �HA-ha-ha! Abaran�a, you should be my jester, not my temptress, my way of feeling somewhat human again. This curse of being this fire, which shall never go out as long as Kaiscond stands, while not being able to feel� But oh well, all that I end up doing is trying to escape this anguish of what I am, how can I be everything I hate and want gone�� The flames flicker some, and then glow brighter than ever as the two watch the sphere� Hakabree and Charango wake up. They struggle the last stretch to the same pool where Delina had herself before. After their stomachs are full and sloshing about, they get up and are drawn to the cave. There is a strange array of men there, from youth to well past their prime. They all are dressed the same, in black flowing robes, many of them too big for the inhabitants. They each carry a curved, red sword of the death-riders. �My word, who are these men, are those not the swords of the N�ma� death-riders? How can that be when they disappear like the rest of them when they are slain, are that many now captured? Remember, what happened when Denervick slay that one Charango?� One of the used to be death-riders notices the two strange men standing there, not in black robes like the rest of them, two who didn�t used to be N�maton like they were. They seem familiar to him though, from a not too distant time in his long horrific life. They remind him of a battle that he as a N�maton was forced to partake in. He pauses on his journey to them, closes his eyes and that scene flashes through his mind... He pushes his horse faster, kicking furiously. He sees his victim trying to get away, but his horse stumbles, exhausted. Kino wishes his arm didn�t rise up to strike. But he found himself doing the doctor�s bidding, even though within he cried out and begged not to. The rider in front knows what is coming. He stops and turns around. Other death-riders encircle to support Kino. �No Ajoran� please no�� �Get out of here Ol�n! Take Hakabree and Charango with you! I�m doing this for you...� Ajoran hisses at the leader of the three riders watching the scene play out from a hill above. One of them gives a reluctant, small salute and they ride off, joining the few survivors of the great attack on the haven of the N�maton, leaving Ajoran to his fate. Kino�s forced gaze goes from the hilltop to the doomed man in front of him. He doesn�t even have his sword drawn anymore. His head is bowed, as tears stream down his face he also mutters incomprehensible words. Kino tries to beg the presence in his mind to spare him, make him another N�maton, not to kill him. But that did not seem the will of the throne of fire at the time. Kino rides closer and with one swift stroke removes his head. He glances up and sees a single rider on the hill ride away, having seen Ajoran slain and went off to rejoin the rest of the fragmented army� Delinia�s horse stumbles then falls over. Ol�n and Venderick quickly dismount and help her up. Upon a quick examination her horse has broken his leg, and it would be best to put it out of its misery rather than let it suffer on in agony. Delinia was not riding Fryon, however. Their paths have not crossed since he left her beside the Stream Benigia. She has no idea where he is. Still, it is hard for her to see the pain in her steed�s eyes. She cannot take it, she knows she shall see so much more, too much before too long. Before the other two can suggest that they will take care of it, she draws her sword. She closes her eyes as the breeze blows her hair around. Tears are in them when she opens them and deals the fateful blow, ending his pain in one stroke� �Ha! Nice work my faithful subject. You sure scared that horse. Nasty little fairy, you were actually good for something. Ha, but you cannot hear me, this is my look out onto the world, the world that cannot see me, shall never see me, unless they all wish to perish�� On that globe, the gaze goes from the fallen horse to where it stumbled. Hiding in the bushes is a little winged creature, dirty, hair matted, clothes soiled and worn. With a cross look, he shakes a fist� The gaze goes back to the carcass and Delinia�s laments of grief, pouring out in more than is deserved for even the finest horse�s death� Oka wished he could get that thought to leave his mind. What did it matter if he was half fairy? It could not bring him immortality, or anything besides great senses. Luckily those senses soon distracted him from the tangled network of thoughts within his mind. He could see black, ominous clouds swirling clouds. Even though they were over the horizon of most people, to him it was as if they were swirling overhead. A great chill came over him. He felt encased in ice, even though he was mere inches from the flames. But before he goes any closer, a strong arm pulls him back. �Don�t do that. You�re no good to Lynchuria if you are consumed in your own fire.� �Sorry Nas�nio. I just felt cold and wanted to warm up. I�m so tired that I guess I must not have judged the distance very well.� And that was true enough. He no longer felt buried in a glacier, but merely like swimming in an icy river. He knew something was wrong. Now he laid back and went to sleep, staring at the stars before he slipped away to a troubled dream, where fairies shot white fluffy clouds and turned them into black ghostlike monsters that circled around and laughed at him with the fairies� Delinia passes into a dream world. Her body collapses from Fryon�s back onto the ground, the dust by Abaran�a�s feet. She however, cannot sense any of this, as her consciousness is not with her body. Instead she still is looking into Abaran�a�s eyes, but instead of in that cylinder of illumination, they are in a dark chamber, radiated with light by their eyes, her green and the enchantress�s ice ones. Around her she hears awful laughter, from non other than the Lord of the Flames. �Ha-ha-ha-ha! If only you were here already, in both body and mind. But I�m sure your body will soon join your entrapped mind. Either way, what happens to the mind happens to the body. Unless you join me, come and be immortal with me, swear loyalty to me!� �No! Never!� She screams, both in that chamber and in that column of light. By this time Venderick is cradling her in his arms, but cannot revive her nearly lifeless body. He then shoots daggers at the mesmerizing evil in the road. She stands there, smug look on her face, gloating at the pain she�s causing. Meanwhile, Ol�n thinks about all that has happened since that day Hakabree brought someone new to join the tent, and he first looked into those gentle green eyes, pretending to be so tough, but underneath it wanting to trust, yet unwilling to. So much did she suffer because she rode off to save him after hardly knowing him. Besides her hero now was with her, saving her, doing all that was possible. And there is no way that he was worthy of the likes of a princess either, he should never even have been allowed to see her. "I�m worthless," he mutters to himself, tears streaming down his otherwise stoic face. Slowly, he draws his sword. "But at least let my dying act be glorious, though futile and hopeless." He turns his horse to face that evil enchantress and goes to a full-out run. Ol�n rides valiantly. But his charge stops short when suddenly Abaran�a screams, and a beam of white light shoots through her midsection� "Have you heard this one? Your father was a little drunk but decided he could ride back to camp by himself anyway. Well the rest of us about died from laughter when instead of mounting his steed he sat astride a saddle resting on the corral fence. Ha-ha! That was great!" Hakabree and Charango are leading the new army, talking with Ajors�n about his father, telling stories he never new, ones that were different than his last stand against the N�maton. But their joyous reverie is stopped short. Black clouds swirled over them. Everything turned cold, from their hands to their hearts. A shaft of light remained, not too far down the road and as fast as they could go, they were all drawn to it, not knowing that what was there was little better than the enveloping darkness� Tiercal turns to the East, where the sun should now be rising. Instead, there are black clouds stopping the rays of light from coming until the sun nearly reaches midday. Then the army travels the path to Kaiscond, hoping that the Forest Guardians are doing their job. "Don�t worry sir. I know Nas�nio will lead them fast and well. And Hakabree, Chanarango, Ol�n and Denervick will bravely fight and weaken the N�maton." "I know Chanoir. I know." Yet his mind is not comforted, he keeps having thoughts that he sill in the great Battle be forced to kill one of them, but they won�t really be them, and there�d be no way to ever know� Hakabree, Kino, Ajors�n, Charango and the others are so close to the light shaft. They keep pressing on, and catch a glimpse of other beams of light shooting out from the body of a lovely woman, from her midsection and then her forehead. Also heard are her dying words, "You stupid fairy� I thought you were�on�our�" But that�s it. She doesn�t finish her sentence, as she disintegrates in a bright flash of light. The black clouds now fade to gray. The gray clouds shrink and disappear, exposing a brilliant blue sky, along with the golden light of the sun. Soon, they also see three horses and three people two off their horses and the other puzzled with sword drawn still mounted. "Ol�n! But where is Denervick?" Hakabree�s question goes unanswered, as he�s in too much shock and stupefied. Hakabree runs to the two on the ground. He sees Delinia�s eyes closed. She looks much different than the Denervick she pretended to be. Her short hair is twisted up in a gracious bun. By this time Charango catches up to him, and she mutters something incomprehensible as he stands alongside. "Wow. She�s pretty� but if I didn�t know any better I�d swear that was Denervick." Ol�n finally recovers a little. He sheathes his weapon and climbs down. "You knew her as Denervick but her true name is Delinia." Hakabree and Charango look at each other. "But then who�s he?" Charango points at Venderick, cradling her in his arms. "He�s her love, captured by the evil Doctor. But what I wonder is what happened to that fairy." "Here am I." The previously tattered clothes have become glorious silken robes. Instead of being cross, he smiles. His eyes now shimmer in a blue-green swirl. His wings are ebony, yet emit light. "Piona my name is�" Oka suddenly sat upright and threw the blankets off. The chill was gone from his heart. In fact, he felt much warmer and happier than he ever had. It radiated from the inside out. Tears of joy clouded his vision. "Some great blow has been dealt against the evil lord." "Must have, or else you wouldn�t have stopped shivering." Aln�riki looks across the fire at him. "Well since you�re up anyway, you might as well take over watch now." He yawns. Oka nods. "I will." Tired, he leads back and falls asleep snoring. Oka stands up. Now that he�s on watch he needs to be alert. For several hours he listens to the forest. All he hears are leaves rustling and wolves chorusing the stars. Nothing strange is going on, even though they are so close to the evil city. He relaxes his grip on his bow a little. The sun must rise shortly. They must ride to the city as soon as possible. Just as he thinks that, the sun�s orange light glows at the horizon. "Rise and shine! Time to travel double-quick to Kaiscond�" |
| CHAPTER 4 |
| to be continued...... perhaps...Yes it is!!! |