Shadows of Desire Ch. 09

OF GODS AND MONSTERS

Twenty years earlier...

"Padair, the vampire army approaches."

"We have wards to keep them out, Artur. Do not fear. Our village is protected."

Artur sighed, fidgeting nervously where he stood just inside the doorway of the cottage that Padair shared with his family. "They ride with witches and necromancers. Padair, we can not hold them back, they will breach our boarders."

Padair sat down at the table where only last night his family had sat to enjoy a peaceful meal together. Drumming his fingers on the hard surface, he considered the position that he was in. "The Gods..." He began to speak but Artur cut him off.

"The Gods have turned away from us, Padair!" He shouted at the man. "The Fae and the elves will not come to our defense and our warriors are outnumbered. The only recourse we have now is to flee."

"And abandon our village?" Padair narrowed his eyes as he slammed his fist down on the table. "I will never surrender to those monsters and I will not run!"

"We can not fight them. Please, Padair, for the sake of our people, let us retreat into the forest. We can disappear before they break through the warding. Our first priority is to the protection of our people."

"No." Padair hissed between clenched teeth. "I will not abandon this village, our home. I will not allow them to drive us out! I will not!"

Artur sighed, turning away from Padair. "Then you sentenced us all to death." He said, sadly, as he left the cottage, shoulders slumped and all hope lost.

Ellarian met Artur outside the cottage where she had been waiting. "What say my father?" She asked, the look on her face hopeful.

"He wants to stay and fight." He said, his heart growing heavy with concern for his people. He knew that once the vampires broke through their warding spells it would all be over. They had no hope of winning a fight against them. The vampire's numbers were just too great.

The grave look on Ellarian's face told Artur that she understood the severity of the situation they were in. Their people would be slaughtered or enslaved. There was no way to avoid it now. "What of the Fae or the elves?" Ellarian asked. "Will they come to our aide?"

Artur shook his head. "They've abandoned us as surly as your father had abandoned them. And worse, I fear that your father's refusal to join with the Fae army has angered the Gods. Without their protection, we are naked."

"What can we do?" Ellarian was on the verge of tears. She could not allow her people to suffer and perish because of her father's pride and arrogance. When the Fae King had sent his messenger to Pickaway village seeking help from the Shee, Chief Padair had refused. He believed that their village was far enough from the fighting and so well secluded that the vampire army would never come after them as long as they pose no threat to King Desmond. He wanted to keep his people out of the fighting and refused to take a side. Now, his cowardice would be their downfall.

"We pray." Artur told her. "That is all we can do at this point. The vampire army comes, and we can not stop them."

***

The devastation was too much for Ellarian to bear. All around she saw her tribe, her kinsmen, falling beneath the blade of the vampire army. Women and children had been gathered and put into caged carts. Warriors fought, both men and women, but one by one they were cut down. Even their magic was no match for the magic of the witches and necromancers that fought for the vampire King. Ellarian knew that her people were doomed.

Her father had barricaded himself in his cottage, too overcome with guilt and fear to come out and fight along side his people. Disgusted with her father's cowardice, Ellarian took up a sword herself and fought as hard as she could, though she knew she could not defeat this enemy, she would at least go down fighting.

"Padair is dead!" Someone called out from amidst the chaos. "The chief is dead!" Ellarian's heart sank but she couldn't allow herself time to mourn. The vampires had indeed broken into Padair's cottage and Ellarian saw his corpse being drug from within and laid out in the center of the village for all to see. With him was his wife, Ellarian's step mother, and his three youngest children, all dead. Ellarian's entire family had been killed.

Standing in the center of the fray, Ellarian held her bloodied sword at her side and watched. She watched with a heavy heart as her village was being destroyed.

"My Lady." Asgall, the captain of the guard was at her side. "My Lady, we've lost this fight." He panted, out of breath and drenched in blood. "Let me take you someplace safe. It's time for us to make a retreat."

"No." Ellarian said somberly, tears spilling down her pale cheeks. "I will not flee and abandon my people."

"But, My Lady..."

Ellarian smiled at Asgall though her expression was far from happy. She looked forlorn, and defeated. All color drained from her face as she placed a hand on Asgall's shoulder. "You have fought well, Asgall, and have valiantly defended our tribe. The Gods are smiling down on you this day but, I can not allow this fight to continue."

"What do you propose to do?" Asgall asked her.

"I will go to the vampire King and attempt to persuade him to leave our village in peace. I can offer him gold and magic. Whatever he wants, just so he stops this senseless killing."

"Do you tink he will agree?" Asgall looked at Ellarian skeptically. He knew that her heart was in the right place but he did not think the vampire King would give up so easily.

"I do not know." Ellarian said, honestly. "But I have to try. For my people's sake if nothing else, I have to try."

***

Ellarian gave herself over to a guard. Dropping her sword she put her hands up in surrender and requested an audience with King Desmond of Basmorte. The guard scoffed at her, circling her like a vulture when Asgall stepped up to her side, glaring menacingly at the Guard.

"This is the daughter of our tribal chief and she seeks an audience with the King." He growled.

Again, the guard laughed. "The dead chief you mean."

"That does not negate the fact that she is his daughter and now, due to his death, the current chief of our tribe."

The guard disregarded Ellarian as he looked Asgall up and down, assessing the man's strength. "Does she wish to discuss your surrender?" The guard asked.

Ellarian frowned. "What I chose to discuss with the King is between him and I, and no concern of yours."

The guard straightened his shoulders and frowned as he looked down his nose at Ellarian. He then turned his attention back to Asgall. "Control your wench." He spat, "Or I'll control her for you."

"You will do no such thing!" Ellarian shrieked in shock and disgust. "And you will address me, not him." She tilted her head in Asgall's direction. "I know that your King does not view women as equals but, in our village it is not so and I am in charge here."

"Wrong." The guard sneered at her, the rage burning in his eyes. "King Desmond is in charge and all that matters is his word. I do not take orders from head strong bitches that do not their place!" The guard swung his arm before anyone had even realized what was happening and struck Ellarian hard across the face. She was immediately thrown to the ground, her lip bloodied and bruised.

Asgall swung into action then and jumped in front of the guard, sword in hand as he drove the blade through the guards chest. Blood spurted from the wound and the guard stumbled back, looking down at the sword sticking out of his chest in disbelief. He tried to speak but his cries were cut off as Asgall removed the sword and, in one swift motion, severed the vampire's head.

Asgall extended his hand and helped Ellarian to her feet. "Come, my Lady. Let us go and see this King now."

***

Getting to King Desmond was easier than either of them had thought. His royal guard had set up a tent just outside the village's borders. Ellarian and Asgall made their way towards the tent with Asgall leading the way. All around them was fighting, screaming, people laying on the ground, wounded and dying. Ellarian couldn't allow herself to be distracted though. Stopping to help one injured person could mean the death of ten or twenty more.

Already their numbers were dwindling. Young mother's escaped with their children to the forest to hide while every able bodied person stayed behind to fight. Not just guards or warriors. Farmers, teachers, fishers and others picked up whatever weapon they could find to defend their village. Many lives had been lost. People Ellarian knew, people she cared about, people she loved. She couldn't think about that now though. She had to stay on task. She had to put an end to this fighting.

As they reached the tent two guards stepped up to greet them. Neither were friendly or seemed overly pleased to see the two approach. Ellarian had expected as much. She didn't expect that they would just invite her in for tea. The two guards had their hands on the hilt of their swords, anticipating trouble. Ellarian held up her hands to show that she was unarmed and no threat to them or their King.

"State your purpose here." One of the guards barked at Ellarian and Asgall. The guard was tall and broad shouldered and Ellarian could see the muscular outline of his arms under his chain mail. The other guard was smaller. Shorter and thinner but muscular as well. These men were made for fighting and killing. It was probably all they lived for. Training and fighting, readying themselves for the day when they too would go into battle. Well, that day was here and the two guards looked as though they thrived amongst the blood shed and death. As far as Ellarian was concerned, they were animals and nothing more.

"I am Lady Ellarian of the Shee. Daughter of the chieftain and I come now in his name to speak with King Desmond. Will you let us pass?"

The first guard looked her over carefully, then he looked to Asgall and frowned. Asgall stood beside Ellarian, his sword in his hand, ready to defend her if need be. The first guard nodded to the second and the second disappeared inside the tent. A moment later he returned. Stepping to the side and holding the door flap open, he announced, "The King will see you now. Leave your weapons here."

Asgall opened his mouth to protest but Ellarian put up her hand to silence him. "Thank you." She said to the guard. "My companion will leave his sword with you. We have no other weapons."

Asgall frowned but did as Ellarian said and handed over his sword, though begrudgingly. He didn't feel right about going before the vampire King without some protection but he had to trust that Ellarian knew what she was doing. Once they were unarmed, the guard allowed them to enter the King's tent. Ellarian had expected the inside of the tent to be befitting of a King but what she saw when she went inside was more than she could have ever imagined.

The tent was more extravagant than any home in the entire village. The tent itself was crimson red with black tassels and gold embroidered designs throughout. It was beautiful, bright, and very regal though the outside was nothing compared to what lay within. An ornate rug covered the ground. That was the first thing that Ellarian noticed when she walked in. It seemed strange to her, to have something so beautiful covering the place where one walked. The servants must spend all of their time scrubbing the rug clean of mud and dirt, especially since none of the guards of the King took their boots off when entering.

The second thing that caught her eye was the amount of furnishings that that King traveled with. Again, it seemed unnecessary and impractical. The homes in Pickaway village were modestly furnished, having only what was needed for the residents to live comfortably, but the King's tent had more useless things than Ellarian had ever seen. The King certainly liked to pamper himself and of course it was nothing for him to demand all such furnishings be carried from place to place. He wasn't the one doing the heavy lifting or spending the time setting up his lavish lodgings. What should he care if his servants and slaves were worked nearly to death just for his own comfort?

It was sickening really. How could one man care so little for those who served him? How could he care so little for the others realms? The man was truly a monster and now, Ellarian stood in the presence of this monster, about to put her fate in his vile hands. The King stood behind a large, elaborately carved table, five guards surrounded the table as well. They were looking over maps, pointing out weaknesses in the Shee's defenses and planning out their next attack. Ellarian shuddered at what she was hearing. The King planned to wipe out her people entirely, then pillage what was left of their home in search of any magical artifacts or scrolls that could be found.

So, Ellarian thought as she listened to the King's plans. It is our magic that he is after. That made sense to her. Even his witches and necromancers magic was not enough to wipe out the elven realm but if they could wield the magic of the Shee, nothing could stop them. There was, however, one problem with that logic. The kind of magic that the King sought had long ago been abandoned by the Shee.

There was not a person among them who Ellarian knew that still practiced the dark arts needed to destroy or kill. Their magic was used to farm and grow life. Their magic was used to heal and commune with nature. They did have defensive wards around the village but the King's witches had taken them down easily enough. Ellarian sighed in frustration. What would the King do when he realized that there was no dark magic in the village to pilfer?

The King had completely ignored Ellarian and Asgall as he continued with his meeting but, when they had finished and he dismissed three of the guards, he finally looked up and addressed his two visitors.

"My guard tells me that you've come here to surrender. Unnecessary as it is, we've already won this battle. Still, I suppose I'll hear you out." The King walked to a large, beautifully sculpted oak chair with red velvet cushions, sat upon a small dais as though it were a throne. Moving his cloak to the side, he seated himself as elegantly as any King would. The two remaining guards moved to stand next to the King, one on either side of the chair. "So, my lady, what are your terms?"

"Your guard was misinformed, your majesty." Ellarian said as she stepped forward, head held high, and glared angrily at the King. Asgall stood at her side, silently taking stock of the room, the guards, and any weapons within his reach should he need to defend his chieftess. "I am not here to surrender but to plead with you for the lives of my people. We are a simple people, we live in peace here in the forest, and we have nothing of any value to you. Please, be merciful and leave us be. There is no benefit to killing us."

The King raised an eyebrow as he stroked his beard, considering what Ellarian was asking. "You say you have nothing of value, so you bring nothing to the table to barter with."

Ellarian let out a deep breath. "We have gold." She told him. "Not coin. It's in the form of jewelry. Pendants, bracelets, and rings. It could be sold, or melted down to make coins I suppose. Your welcome to it, all of it."

The King sighed, shaking his head. "I've no use for Gold, my Lady. I have plenty. What else do you have to barter with?"

Ellarian looked to Asgall who only shrugged. What could they offer? Corn, grain, live stock? She was certain that none of those things would interest the King. Her heart sunk as she realized that she had nothing to offer this man. Nothing that she was willing to give up. "I don't know what to offer." She said, sounding lost and hopeless. "We have medicine and food."

"All things that I could take for myself when I destroy your village." The King leaned forward in his chair and stared at Ellarian. His eyes bore into her almost as if he were looking into her very soul. "You obviously do not know how a negotiation works, my dear. If you want something from me you have to be willing to give up something in return. As it is you have failed to offer anything that I value."

"We don't have much." Ellarian told him. "I'm willing to give you whatever we have but we're a farming community. There's not much to offer other than our harvest or gold. I have nothing else to offer."

"No?" The King stood up and walked towards Ellarian. Asgall moved to stand between them but Ellarian put a hand on his arm. "It's alright, Asgall. He won't harm me."

The King smirked. "Are you so sure that I won't kill you?" He asked her, moving closer. He was so close now that he could reach out and touch Ellarian if he wished. Ellarian shivered at the chill of his breath. This man, this thing, before her was nothing more than a dead husk. She could feel it. She felt his unnatural nature and the ice in his blood. Worse though, his breath smelled of death. Old death and rot, mingled with the coppery scent of blood. He truly disgusted her to the point where she felt she may vomit if he came even an inch closer to her.

"I'm sure that you need me." Ellarian said, turning her face away from him. She grimaced as he laughed at her.

"And what is it that I could possibly need from you? You said yourself you have nothing. What is stopping me from slaughtering you and all of your people now?"

"I know what it is that you really seek." Ellarian told him as she took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I know what you've come here for and I also know that you will never find it in the village because it isn't something that can be touched, or read, or studied."

King Desmond reached out an arm and slipped a hand into Ellarian's hair, twisting a long lock around his fingers. "And, what is it that I seek?" He whispered.

Ellarian felt the bile rise in her mouth but she did the best she could to push it back down. If only she'd had her sword with her, she would have plunged it deep within the King's chest and then cut his heart out and burned his corpse. If only she could have rid the world of the monster that was now standing so close to her that she wanted to scream and claw at his face. "Power." She whispered in response to his question. Her voice quivered in fear, her body tensed, but she managed to turn and look at him. She stared directly into his cold, hard, eyes.

"You seek power through the old, dark, magic of my ancestors. A magic that we have not practiced in ages. You will not find scrolls or magic amulets to help you harness this power. There is only one source of such power in the entire village and only I know what and where it is."

"Tell me." The King demanded, his smile fading from his lips only to be replaced by a bitter frown.

Ellarian smiled, knowing she had the upper hand. "So, your majesty, are you ready to barter now?"

"Ellarian, what are you doing?" Asgall stared at her, not quite ready to believe that she would give up the secrets to their magic, even for the lives of her people.

"If this is only way to ensure that my people live then what choice do I have?" She looked at Asgall and he could see the defeat in her eyes. She had nothing left to bargain with, and the King clearly only had one goal in mind. Ellarian was right, he was after power. The kind of power that only the dark magic of their ancestors could give him.

"You can't do this." Asgall pleaded with her. "What he is asking of you is..."

"The only way to keep my people safe." Ellarian forced a smile as a single tear fell down her cheek. "I'm ready to make the sacrifice if it means our people will live. Asgall, I would do anything for them, for you. Anything, to keep you all safe."

"Enough of this!" Desmond growled. "If the two of you are here to play games with me, I'll have your heads. But, if you truly have something worthy to bring to the table I'll hear you out."