L5

Sect five: the path least chosen
By Richard LeBlanc

Julia stood motionless as the old hand moved closer to her exposed neck. In a blur of motion she leaped away and cowered - expecting to be attacked by vile spells creatures or the like. But no such thing happened. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw the girl she had met above holding a stick with an old severed hand on it.

"You should have seen the look on your face," the little girl giggled as she danced her way over to a table. Julia did her best to regain her composure.

"Does a witch live here?" she asked. The girl thought for a moment and then nodded. "Are - you that witch?" she asked. Again the girl contemplated the question and then completely lost interest and started playing with the old withered hand.

"Why do you want to know?" the girl asked - not looking over at her.

"I need her help," she answered.

"But witches are scary - right?" the girl asked curiously looking over at her.

"Are you the witch?" Julia asked. The girl sighed and put the hand down on the table.

"Maybe - or maybe I'm just a kid. I don't know - do you?" she replied - a serious look of confusion on her face. Julia sighed and slowly got up.

"The village elder - he said that you might be able to help me," Julia began.

"Elder? Oh you mean the young one! He's nice," the girl replied with a smile.

"He said that an old witch lived here. I was expecting someone - well - a little older," Julia admitted. The girl quietly laughed and looked up at the smoke singed, dusty covered roof.

"I am old. I have seen the rise of the five great cities. And one by one - I saw them fall. I tried to help but it was too late. They hate me. They blame me. But - I am sure you know what that is about right?" the girl asked calmly.

"What do you mean?" Julia hesitantly asked.

"I can see your great - great - great - grandmother in your eyes. I knew all of them - all except your mother. She kept to herself," the girl commented. She hopped up and skipped over to a bookshelf.

"I never knew my family," Julia began.

"I know - they died at Temal. Terrible how such a thing could have happened," the girl commented as she took a book and began to thumb through the pages. "Oh - I was going to make myself a yummy - you want?" she asked.

"Uhm - later perhaps. What - what did happen? How did that city fall?" Julia asked.

"One by one the seals were shattered. Little by little their power grew. Each of the great cities fell prey to the demon host - until only Temal was left. The final seal," the girl stated as she scurried over to a large black cauldron.

"But - the place was huge. It was like," Julia began but was at a loss for words.

"The large warded marble walls - the towering golden spires - priests - mages - seasoned warriors unlike any in the land. Yet - one black-hand - undid all the wonder that was Temal," the girl stated. Julia silently fumed and walked over to the table to sit down.

"A black-hand? They were betrayed? By who?" Julia asked. The girl stood on her tiptoes and looked into the empty pot.

"I'm out of yummy. That's not good," she said. She then looked over at Julia and smiled. "Some - say that it was one of your clan," she stated. Julia couldn't tell if the girl was being serious or if she was rambling. "When each of the great cities fell - your family was forced to retreat to the next city - and so on and so on. Until they reached Temal," she added seriously.

"But why would they do that?" Julia hesitantly asked.

"I never said they did. I just said that some people did. Some people - say that the might of the demon host - when the fall of Temal happened was so powerful that it was shattered by their will alone - but that sounds a wee bit far fetched to me. Are you sure you don't want me to make you a yummy? They are very tasty," she asked.

"No thank you," Julia replied - noticing some of the oddities that floated in some of the countless jars on the surrounding shelves. "Do - you know - who it was?" Julia asked. The girl looked up at the roof and gave the matter serious contemplation.

"No idea," she answered flatly.

"Oh," Julia replied.

"But - those who fought and fell there might. The ghosts of that place know much - if you can sift through the drivel and babbling," the girl remarked rolling her eyes. She skipped over and sat down beside Julia. "You are real pretty," she added.

"Thank you," Julia answered.

"You need help?" the girl asked.

"Yeah. The elder told me that I had to do something with the seals - fight demons and the like. But I know nothing of magic - or demons or any of that," Julia admitted. The girl nodded. She got up and skipped over to where a small bowl was.

"It sounds scary at first - especially demons. But then again they are scary. It is like an young cleric once told me - the answer to all questions - lie above," the girl continued - gazing up at the smoke and dust covered dome-like roof.

"You mean - like faith?" she asked. The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to where she was sitting.

"No silly - I mean up - look up," the girl clarified. Julia looked up at the roof but could see nothing but smoke, dirt and dust.

"What am I supposed to see?" Julia asked. The girl then looked up at the roof and focused her eyes.

"Guess it has been a while since I cleaned the place up," the girl admitted. She raised a hand up and began to move an extended finger in a circular motion. The girl then stopped and sighed.

"What was that supposed to do?" Julia asked.

"Stretch out my arm muscles - I cramp up sometimes," she answered. Julia wanted to hit her head against the table but chose not to. The girl then touched a finger to her palm and then blew against her hand. Julia watched as a small dot of light appeared and floated slowly up towards the roof. "I am forgetting something," the girl muttered. The light touched the roof - all of the soot - dirt and dust instantly released and fell down to the floor coating everything and everyone.

Julia looked at the layers of filth and dirt that seemed to cover her entire body. She coughed up some dust and looked over at the girl that was completely clean. The girl then snapped her fingers.

"Oh yeah - that 's it. Watch out for the dirt and stuff. It will make a real mess," she added.

"Thanks - a lot?" Julia began as something shiny on the roof caught her attention. She slowly looked up and saw an intricate scene carved and painted into the roof of the room. It depicted a mighty war. Five kingdoms - each looked to be as grand as Temal if not more so - and five broken circles that went around each of the kingdoms.

"Something else isn't it? Been here for as long as I remember. Changes too. When the five seals were tin tact - those circles were whole - and the castles weren't damaged. And - oh - that's new too. You're up there - look," the girl stated - pointing to a small image of a girl standing in a ruined village.

"That was my home - they died because of me," Julia remembered.

"That ways heavily on you. You have a good heart," the girl commented. With a wave of her hand the filth that was covering Julia was gone. "To make right - what was made wrong - the five seals must be made as one. The five that seek to prevent their healing - must be cast back into the shadows," the girl stated. Pointing to various images that were on the picture above.

"But how can I do that?" Julia asked.

"The seals - will heal on their own once the daemon champions are felled. To fell them - you need only to believe in the power that is in your heart. When the time comes - you will know - what must be done," the girl said with a wink.

"That - isn't overly helpful," Julia pointed out.

"All demons are different. Not all of them can be defeated the same way. Find the demon's strength - learn his weakness - then strike," the girl reassured. Unfortunately - the answer did anything but.

"Fine - so I go to Temal and," she began. The girl jumped up and shook her hands.

"No! Not Temal! You must walk in the path of the demon host. As they fell so must they be restored," the girl interrupted. She pointed to one kingdom that appeared to be in a dessert. "It was from there that they struck first. The war lasted almost twenty years before your ancestors were forced to flee. It is called - Gemma," the girl stated as she moved her finger over to point to the kingdom that was seemingly north. "From there - the path of terror went to the steep shores of Torann," she continued as she moved her finger in the path the demon host walked. "The third - was the kingdom of Triar. Where once lush forests grew - now only death and decay," the girl added as her finger moved to the next city. "The second last to fall - was Gernome. The battle there was said to have been too close to call. Your mother - in her judgement chose to order the retreat. Few headed the call. They stayed - and died. The last - was Temal," she concluded as she pointed to where the ruins of Temal were.

"What happens if I get the order mixed up?" Julia asked.

"Don't," the girl replied adamantly. Julia sighed and looked up at the picture on the roof.

"Gemma - in the desert - then cliffs of Torann - then the ruins of Triar - then to Gernome," Julia recounted. The girl nodded and clapped her hands happily.

"Then - and only then - when the other seals have been restored - to Temal," the girl added. Julia sighed and looked at the happy girl that was once again playing with the old withered hand.

"You can tell me no more?" she asked. The girl thought for a moment and nodded.

"Of whispered truths - that seem like lies - of broken heart - the spirit dies," the girl poetically stated. Julia tried to fish any useful hints from the rhyme but could find none.

"That sounds - different - but what does it mean?" she asked.

"I don't know - but two others you will encounter on your journey will. Who they are - I do not know. Where you will meet them - I do not know," the girl replied - now focusing more attention on the old withered hand.

"Thanks - I think," Julia stated as she began to walk away. Just then the girl suddenly appeared before Julia - pointing the old withered hand at her.

"This is important - none must know who you are. If you tell anyone - your quest will most certainly fail," she warned. In the blink of an eye - the child was gone. Julia looked around but there was no sign of the child being there. She looked up at the roof and saw that it was once again crusted with dirt - smoke stains soot and dust. She shook her head and quickly exited the room.

Moments later - she was above ground and her wolf companion headed her way.

"That was weird," she said to herself - patting the wolf on the head. "Did I imagine all of it or did it really happen?" she asked. The wolf lowered himself to the ground to let her on. She rolled her eyes as she climbed on. "A little slower this time," she requested. The wolf effortlessly got up and began to walk. "We need to get to the ruins of Gemma. If what I heard from the elder was correct - it should be on the other side of the Dragon's Spine Mountains," she stated. The wolf nodded and raced away.

Mere minutes later - the wolf slowed down and began to walk through the thinning forests up the inclining slope. Julia looked back and saw how tiny the ancient ruins were from where they were. She then looked at the mountains that were before them.

"Can you get over these?" she asked. The wolf nodded and to leap from rock to rock - moving up with incredible speed and agility. Julia looked over her shoulder and almost gasped. It was almost as if they were flying up the mountain. Just then the wolf did a final leap and landed on a flat plateau.

Julia looked around at the disturbing markings that were on the flat surfaces. All around them were polished clean piles of bones. She was going to say something when the wolf began to growl. She quickly got off and tried to see what it was that was upsetting the wolf. It was then that she began to hear it.

Almost a chattering noise that was coming up from everywhere. It was then that she realized what the markings were and what the sounds were coming from.

"Goblins," she muttered. as if on cue - hundreds of scrawny looking green skinned began to pop up from the cracks in the plateau and from behind the rocks.

To be continued...