The Reborn King (Book Six) (7 page)

Felsafell took a moment to regard the thin spike before tossing it aside and leaping to his feet. As he raced over to aid his embattled comrades, the beast's body suddenly erupted in a blast of white hot flames. But there was no time to stop and watch this. The fight still raged on.

By now, Gewey was bleeding from several deep cuts to his arms and chest, though his foe's cloak was shredded and its blade broken in half. Nehrutu had severed the leg of one Vrykol, and was relentlessly driving the second one back.

Felsafell leapt skyward and landed just behind Gewey’s attacker. In a single blinding motion, he tore its head from its shoulders with his bare hands. In that same moment, Nehrutu took the head of the Vrykol he was battling. With barely a pause, his sword then decapitated the other one still struggling to rise from the ground.

Battle over, the three took a moment to survey the scene. Gewey then stripped off his shirt and began to clean his wounds.

“You have knowledge of that thing I fought?” asked Felsafell, looking back at what was now no more than a pile of smoldering ashes.

Gewey nodded and went on to tell him about Lee’s encounter. “This one wasn't quite as deformed as Lee described,” he concluded. “But everything else fits.”

Felsafell walked back to the ashes and picked up the small spike. “It would seem our enemy has found a way to control a corrupted half-man. This poor creature was not feral, as was the one Lee described to you. It possessed at least a semblance of a mind. I think the Vrykol were imposing their will on it somehow.”

“And it appears they wish to keep this new…
weapon
a secret,” added Nehrutu. His face twisted into a scowl. “From what I have learned of the Vrykol, they would not have fled otherwise.” He touched his side, remembering the wound he'd received from the enemy soldier while fighting one of the unwholesome beasts.

“The question is, how many of these
half-men do they have?” said Felsafell. “And what purpose will they serve?”

There was a long moment of silence.

“There is no way to answer these questions,” Nehrutu eventually said. “I suspect we will learn the truth soon enough. For now, we should keep going.”

Without another word they set off, though at a considerably slower pace than before. It was dusk by the time they arrived at the ancient
first born
city. After they'd built a fire, Felsafell strode toward the ruins. Gewey followed him. Nehrutu however, seemed content to remain by the fire and doze.

Felsafell ran his fingers over the broken buildings and ruined columns as he passed. His eyes were distant, as if staring into the depths of time.

“Did you know this place well?” Gewey asked.

Felsafell nodded. “I lived here briefly – before the madness took my people. Once this city extended for more than two miles in every direction. Now, only a few stones have not been reclaimed by the earth.” He looked at Gewey and gave a sad, half-smile. “One day, all that remains of my people will be forgotten; lost to the ravages of time.”

“You’ll still be here.”

He laughed softly. “I have no intention of living forever. Should we prevail, I will remain with Basanti for a time. But neither of us wishes to endure eternally. One day we will pass from this life and take our well-deserved rest. We are relics of a bygone era, and we must make way for those of this new age.” Seeing Gewey’s concern, he placed a hand on his shoulder. “It is the way of things. Everything has its time, then it must make room for whatever comes next. Were it not for the love I feel for Basanti, I would be content to end my stay in this world far sooner.”

“I think the world still needs you,” Gewey told him with deep sincerity. “If only to guide us when we go astray.”

This time Felsafell’s laugh was loud and hearty. “I would be a poor guide for the mortal world. I am far too old, and have seen too many horrors. My mind is filled with the phantoms of an immortal life. More than once it has nearly driven me insane. No, my young friend. Human and elf are not the children they once were. They no longer need the likes of me meddling in their affairs.”

Gewey sighed heavily. “I suppose if I were to have lived as long as you, I’d see the end as being a welcome respite.”

“The end? You more than anyone should know that this world is not all that exists. My departure from this life will only mean reuniting with my kin and eternity…true eternity with my love.” He squeezed Gewey’s shoulder. “But there are still pleasures I would enjoy here first. And I will not be denied at least a short time of peace with Basanti. I have seen much of this world - though not all of it yet – and I would see the rest with her by my side.”

He led Gewey through the ruins for a while, describing the city as it had been in his time. Felsafell painted a picture of a vibrant society that was dedicated to art and culture. Though they were not able to use the flow, or feel the heartbeat of the earth, they nonetheless felt a deep connection with the world and planned their cities to meld with the landscape – unlike humans, who later on imposed their own will upon land with the cities they built.

By the time they returned to the campfire, Gewey’s stomach was rumbling. He pulled out a piece of jerky and a scrap of bread. He offered some to Felsafell, but this was politely refused.

While trying to relax sufficiently to sleep for a while, Gewey became increasingly aware of how much his wounds were beginning to throb and ache. It seemed like many years since he'd been forced to heal naturally, and he did not like having to do this again one bit.

His mind drifted back to his recent fight with the Vrykol. His godlike strength was the only thing that had kept him alive during that, or at least, from becoming far more seriously wounded than he actually was. The vulnerability he currently felt was unnerving. It had been much the same when first setting out from home with Lee. He recalled his fight with the bandits on the night he'd first met Kaylia. Though much more experienced with weapons these days, without the
flow,
he was still little better than a human soldier. It was almost impossible to perceive himself in any other way.

The temptation to ignore Felsafell’s warnings and destroy their enemy with a massive ball of fire had been great. But had he done so, there would have been a grave risk of their purpose being discovered. After that, he would have found himself facing the Reborn King prematurely and overmatched. He sighed. Even if they did succeed in recovering the remaining god stones, there was still no guarantee that wouldn’t be the case anyway.

It seemed that each time he felt ready to face his destiny, there was something more to overcome first. What if the god stones weren’t enough? For a moment, the notion that he had made a mistake by not joining with Melek shot through his mind, but this was quickly dismissed.

There is no point in dwelling on things I have no control over
, he told himself, then allowed his eyes to close.
Besides, Melek was insane
.

Kaylia reached out through her newly acquired bond with the manor and grounds. Though considerably weaker when on the other side of the wall, she could still sense the presence of at least fifty elves – and their intent was clear. They were coming to kill her and her son.

Instinctively, she reached out to Gewey, but Aaliyah had been effective in preventing this. She briefly considered asking her to remove the block, but thought better of it. There was no telling what he was doing, and such a distraction could get him killed. Besides, the manor of Lord Theopolou was well protected. But there was something else. Something just beyond her senses.

“I feel it as well,” said Aaliyah.

They reached the crystal statue in front of the house and surveyed the wall and grounds. Linis and Basanti were busy gathering and organizing the staff. Those who could fight were being issued weapons.

“Can they overcome the defenses?” asked Aaliyah.

“Even the elves of your land would find that difficult,” Kaylia replied. A frightening thought then entered her mind.
Could these attackers be in league with the Dark Knight
? 
If so, then perhaps they had some weapon yet to be revealed.

Kaylia kept watch on the movements beyond the wall. The enemy was not attempting to take the manor yet; instead, they were making their way to the various outlaying houses. A cry of anguish fell from her mouth as their initial objective became obvious. They intended to slaughter the families in their own homes. They would not see them coming.  But there was no way to warn the people in time. The ground shook as Kaylia screamed a curse.

Linis came running up from the corner of the house. “We should go inside,” he told her. “It will be far easier to defend than the grounds.”

Kaylia gasped as the bond allowed her to hear the first elf home being attacked. The cries of the family tore at her like savage talons, causing her fall to her knees. It was over in seconds.

The wrath of vengeance now consumed her. They would all pay. And if the fools thought murdering their kin would give them an advantage, they would learn how mistaken they were. She would show them that the legends which surrounded the home of Theopolou were true. The ground trembled again, and this time a deep rumble reverberated off the walls. Her anger had become a part of the land itself. And its lust for justice would not be denied.

“Come,” said Aaliyah, taking her hand. “We should prepare.”

With one final glance at the front gate, she allowed herself to be led inside. Once all the doors were closed and sealed, she took Jayden to her chambers and laid him in his crib. Thankfully, her connection to her son was unaffected by Aaliyah’s block. She sent him loving reassurance, and in moments he was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the danger bearing down on them.

The house staff had prepared as best as they could and were gathered in the main hall just beyond the front door. Kaylia went to the top floor and climbed a narrow staircase leading to the roof. Linis and Aaliyah followed her, while Basanti joined the elves at ground level. Though unable to draw blood, she was perfectly willing to use her strength and speed to confuse the enemy.

Kaylia, Aaliyah and Linis stared over the grounds. Aaliyah began allowing the
flow
to rage through her.

“Your help is unneeded,” said Kaylia. Her voice dripped with malicious intent. “Once, during the first split, this house was assaulted by more than a thousand elves.” She turned her head to give Aaliyah a sinister grin. “They did not succeed.”

A series of resounding booms drew their attention to the main gate. The gleaming metal vibrated as it repeatedly came under assault from violent blows. Kaylia’s eyes narrowed with concentration. Soon, the gate began to glow a fiery red. This was followed by alarmed voices crying out as smoke began to rise.

A few moments later, the simultaneous thwack of dozens of bowstrings heralded a barrage of arrows sailing over the wall. Kaylia laughed out loud before creating a blast of wind to send them all falling harmlessly to the ground.

Several heads poked cautiously over the top of the wall. After briefly scanning the deserted grounds for a second or two, the attackers then leapt nimbly over, blades drawn. In response, Kaylia spread her arms wide and the earth instantly began to shake. From beneath the grass, hundreds of tiny crystal shards began pushing their way through to the surface. The sunlight captured their deadly beauty, giving them the appearance of stars in an emerald sky.

Linis and Aaliyah looked on with astonishment as Kaylia flicked her wrist and sent the crystals shooting forth, their razor-sharp edges slicing and ripping the flesh of the attackers to pieces before they had taken barely a few steps.

“You see?” Kaylia said. “We are safe here.” But no sooner were these words out of her mouth than she felt a disturbing presence approaching. Her face contorted into a furious scowl. 

“What is it?” asked Linis.

Kaylia held up her hand to silence him and closed her eyes. Screams of terror erupted from the other side of the gate, and in less than a minute at least a dozen more elves were desperately scrambling over the wall. But they were not attacking this time. They were fleeing. Not that this made any difference to Kaylia, who immediately sent them to their deaths with a renewed storm of the deadly crystals.

After a short time, their screams ceased and all was quiet.

“Vrykol,” muttered Kaylia.

“Are you saying that the Vrykol have driven off the elves?” asked Linis, incredulously.

“No,” she replied. “Something else did that. But the Vrykol are with them. And they did not drive our attackers off. They massacred them…all of them.”

Another loud boom sounded as the gate came under renewed attack. Again Kaylia focused the power of the
flow
to make it glow red with intense heat. But this time whoever…or whatever was trying to batter it down was not so easily deterred. A dozen more blows thudded relentlessly into the gate until, finally, it burst from its hinges and toppled inwards with a resounding crash.

More shards of crystal began appearing throughout the grounds, ready to bring death to any who dared enter. Then a wave of darkness washed over the earth, spreading all the way up to the very threshold of the manor.

All at once, Linis knew what they were up against.

“Cursed half-men,” he growled through clenched teeth. “Corrupted by the Reborn King.”

Kaylia recalled the tale and fear struck her heart. Even with Aaliyah alongside her, such foes might be impossible to vanquish.

The shadow continued swirling and spreading around the manor grounds until the house was isolated like a solitary pearl in an ocean of darkness. Then, slowly, the darkness receded. Standing just beyond the ruined gates were four pale figures – shirtless and bootless, clad only in a pair of dingy leather trousers. Their heads had been shaved clean, and their black, empty eyes were focused straight ahead.

Kaylia let fly with her lethal barrage of crystals, but the creatures did not even flinch as dozens of shards ripped through their flesh. They simply remained motionless while thin wisps of smoke issued from their wounds. Within seconds, these injuries were completely healed.

Aaliyah tried to send down a column of flame to consume them, but to her dismay, found that her connection to the
flow
was being blocked.

“What should we do?” asked Linis, trying hard to calm the tremor in his voice.

Before Kaylia could answer, twelve Vrykol filed through the gate and lined up behind the half-men. She could feel their foul gazes directly upon her.

“We are here for the mate of Darshan,” one of the Vrykol called out in a thin rasp. “She will come with us, or all here shall perish…including her offspring.”

Kaylia’s heart froze in her chest. She was unable to move or speak.

“Will you comply?” it pressed.

Aaliyah stepped forward. “And how do we know that you will keep your word?”

The Vrykol wheezed its gruesome laugh. “My word? I give you no word other than you will face certain death should you resist.”

Kaylia turned to Linis. “There is a hidden passage in the basement that leads outside the grounds,” she whispered, her voice was barely audible. “Therisa will know how to find it. Once I am gone, take Jayden to Valshara.”

“I will not just hand you over,” snapped Linis. “They will surely kill you.”

“They could kill me now if that was their plan,” she countered. Her hands were shaking and tears were welling in her eyes.

“Then take Jayden and flee through the passage yourself,” suggested Aaliyah. “We will keep them occupied long enough for you to escape.”

She took Aaliyah’s hand and shook her head. “No. I cannot risk that. If I flee they will only pursue us. I will not be able to outrun them with Jayden in my arms.”

“What is your answer!” demanded the Vrykol. 

The half-men took a step forward, their movement causing the air to stir.

Kaylia took a breath and banished all trace of fear from her eyes. “I will come with you.”

Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heels and went inside. Downstairs, she could hear Jayden cooing and Basanti humming softly to him. The moment she saw her son wrapped in his soft cotton blanket and being coddled by the Oracle, the tears she had been holding back burst forth and streamed down her cheeks. Basanti carefully handed Jayden over.

Kaylia kissed his forehead and for a moment considered flight. But she knew it was foolish.
This is for the best
, she told herself.
There is nothing else I can do.

While handing Jayden back to Basanti she could feel her heart breaking. Her body shook from the sobs she could no longer contain. Jayden stirred, sensing his mother’s grief.

“There, there,” comforted Basanti, her words meant for both mother and child. “All will be well. You shall see.” She smiled up at Kaylia. “Don’t weep my dear. You child will be safe. And soon…so shall you be. I will make certain of that.”

Kaylia stifled her tears and dried her eyes. Something in Basanti’s voice was unusually comforting. She felt her courage rising. Grasping desperately for any source of hope, she forced herself to believe the words. Yes. All
would
be well. It would
not
end like this.

With
level determination, she turned away and opened the door. Without glancing back, she strode down the front steps and past the crystal statue, stopping only when she was a few feet away from the half-men. They regarded her with emotionless black eyes before moving aside.

The Vrykol in the center hissed a whispered order, and in an instant Kaylia was surrounded by black cloaks.

“You have chosen wisely,” it said.

The stench of death caused her face to contort. “As long as you leave my son in peace, I will give you no trouble.”

“Your son is of no interest to us at present,” the Vrykol replied. “It is you we need. Should our master require him after Darshan is dead, it will be a simple matter to fetch him.”

When Darshan discovers what you have done
, she thought,
he will tear your spirit apart like wet parchment
.

“You have me now,” she snapped. “If you intend to take me, then lead on. Your words are empty and unwanted.”

Without reply, the Vrykol spun around and started toward the gate. Kaylia felt an icy hand pressing into the small of her back. She loathed to be touched by these creatures, so she quickly matched her captor's pace. Again she wanted to reach out for Gewey, but even without Aaliyah’s block, she could feel that the Vrykol would have prevented it.

“Do not bother,” said the Vrykol, anticipating her thoughts. “He will not hear you. By the time he learns of your fate, my master will have already placed his head on a pike.”

Rage boiled up from deep inside, but she forced it back and remained quiet. Basanti would come to her aid, she was sure of it. And then they would pay dearly for their folly.

* * * * *

Basanti watched from the window as Kaylia and the enemy disappeared beyond the shattered gates.

“What do you plan to do?” asked Linis.

“I plan to rescue her,” she replied flatly.

“How can we help?” asked Aaliyah. Her tone did not conceal her fury.

Basanti looked down at the baby in her arms. “Linis can help by taking Jayden to Valshara. He should be safe there until Kaylia returns.”

“You cannot hope to challenge the Vrykol
and
the half-men alone,” Linis protested. “I shall go with you.”

Basanti handed the baby to Linis and shook her head. There was a sad smile on her lips. “I will not be alone. Aaliyah will assist
me.” She met the other woman's eyes. “But only if you agree to do precisely as I say.”

After a long pause, Aaliyah nodded.

“But I still cannot understand how you hope to defeat so many,” Linis contended. “Even with Aaliyah’s help.”