The Chaos Blade

Talifernon roared. Raw magic, powered by hate and outrage, coated him. Alesha poured all of herself into her magic, immolating Talifernon with her magical fires. She lifted him off of the ground with the energy streaming out of her hand. Her other hand she clasped to the hole in her breast, trying to stem the flow of her lifeblood just long enough to see her course through to its bitter end.

Yamara and Bill stumbled onto the scene and stopped, watching in shock. Elvanshalee was several strides behind, but she made it in time to see Talifernon howling in agony as the fires ripped his flesh free from his bones. Around them all the forest withered. It shrank in upon itself in their vicinity, bark peeling from the trees and bows cracking and breaking. The saplings and sparse grass crumpled into ash.

Bill tried to rush forward, spotting Eric crumpled at the base of a tree, struggling to use his left hand to tie a bloody strip of cloth tightly around his upper right arm. Elvanshalee held him back. "Go no closer! Her magic will suck the life from you."

Bill noticed the surrounding forest for the first time then. To accentuate her statement a large tree close to her cracked loudly and fell slowly away from her. Other trees began to follow, all life and strength drained from them. He looked on helplessly, torn and visibly upset at being unable to do anything.

Talifernon's howls had been lessening. He gave a final cross between a whimper and growl. The magic overwhelmed him and he was hidden behind a fiery sheath of energy. Soundlessly, he exploded, overcome by Alesha's power. In the sudden silence that followed Alesha let her arm fall to the ground. She looked on for a moment, her strength spent. She smiled and relaxed, her body collapsing back to the ground.

Bill rushed to her, ignoring Elvanshalee's warnings. He hurried to Alesha's side, falling on the ground beside her and cradling her head in his hands. Bubbles of blood weakly formed at her lips and ran from her nose.

"Alesha, don't fall asleep!" Bill ordered her. "You can work miracles, heal yourself!"

Her eyes flickered open, glazed and unseeing. Bill shook her gently, speaking her name again. Her gaze strengthened briefly and she opened her mouth to speak. A weak coughing fit seized her, but her strength was such that it did not last long.

"Not strong 'nuff," she mouthed.

Bill looked over to Eric, who waved weakly to him. Satisfied that Eric was going to be okay, Bill bent back down to Alesha. "I've seen what you can do," he said to her. "Take what you need from me."

Alesha looked up at him. She was so very tired and it was so unfair for him to ask anything of her. She had finally beat Him. She had destroyed Talifernon and in doing so had beaten Bavorish. It was time for her to go and try to find Kelnozz in whatever afterlife Viconia offered.

Alesha's eyes began to close again. Bill shook her more fiercely, demanding of her that she wake. Yamara knelt beside them and stared at her for a moment. Then she looked up at Bill and judged him carefully for long precious seconds.

"Blood," Yamara said softly to him. "She needs your blood Bill, if you would bring her back let her drink of you."

Bill looked at Yamara, his eyes wide with fright. He glanced back down at Yamara and saw how shallow her breathing was. How glazed over and nearly closed her eyes were. How slack her face was growing. With no further thought to it he laid her head on the ground and yanked his K-Bar from his belt and slashed deeply across his wrist. He gave no thought to the pain or the consequences, only of his hope to bring her back. He pressed his wrist against her slack lips, letting the gently spurting liquid fill her mouth and mingle with her own.

Alesha felt the warmth. She felt it and felt her consciousness drawn towards it. She fought against it, trying to let the darkness that had nearly claimed her take her away from it all. She wanted to sleep, damn it! But the call of Bill's need spoke to her. She felt more then his offering of life to her, she felt his confused but powerful emotions pushing at her. Pulling at her. Keeping her from escaping. She latched on to his wrist and pulled on it, drinking deeply and ignoring the burning in her throat and in her chest.

Bill looked up at Yamara, surprised and frightened anew when Alesha clung to his wrist with her lips. Then her arms raised slowly and grasped him, holding him to her. She sucked more strongly, pulling his blood from him. He gasped at the burning sensation that shot up his arm, making him swoon dizzily. Her strength increased as rapidly as his began to fade.

Seeing Alesha's bleeding lessen and then stop, Yamara backed away hurriedly. She believed fully now that Alesha was on their side, but the memories the necromancy recalled in her chilled her to the bone. Brina had been turned into an undead beast forced to exist as Alesha was currently reviving herself, and many night time horrors in the city of her birth had preyed upon earthly victims in similar gruesome manners. She shivered and walked over to where Eric lay against the base of the tree.

Alone among the trees for over 20 yards in any direction, the tree Eric had unknowingly used to stop his demon induced flight was in full health. Elsewhere the vegetation was dried, cracked, and dead. Eric watched her approach, breathing shallowly and holding his badly lacerated arm with his other one. He too had blood running from his mouth and his nose.

Yamara took one look at him as she got closer and felt something on the verge of snapping within her. There was an icy hollow pit forming in her stomach. She hardened herself and took a deep breath. She had to continue on and she knew it. To turn back would mean admitting to the thing that she was struggling to ignore and overcome.

"How are you?" Yamara asked rhetorically as she stood in front of him.

Eric coughed, sending spasms of pain through his face. He grinned fiercely in spite of it. "You know how I am, Yamara."

Yamara nodded. His hips and legs lay at an unnatural angle to the rest of his body. His chest was slightly misshapen, and his arm leaked too much blood to recover from without immediate aid. Yamara looked away quickly, then cursed herself and looked back at him, her eyes unfathomable.

"She took the sword from me," Eric said, looking past Yamara's legs towards where Alesha lay. "I had to act. I saw the look in her eyes. I knew what had happened to her."

Yamara nodded. On a sudden whim that surprised her, she found herself kneeling quickly beside him and taking the strip of leather he had cut and torn from his sleeve and quickly tied it around his upper arm. She tugged roughly on it, making it as tight as possible to stem the flow of bleeding. She finished but stayed on her knees, looking at him.

"That should buy you a few more minutes," she said, her voice rougher then usual.

Eric smiled again. "Not sure if I should thank you for that or not," he whispered. Deep breaths hurt. Talking hurt. Coughing... well, coughing made him wish he was dead. Too many times he had known the joys of broken ribs in his life. "But thanks anyhow."

Yamara smiled. The man had courage, she could not fault him for that. To have faced Alesha down at such a critical moment was momentous. To have continued to face her in light of her demon attacking him gave more credence to him.

Eric weakly opened his hand and inched it towards her. Yamara raised her hand and started to reach it out towards him. She caught herself and let it drop before it reached him. Eric reached out with his and caught hers before she pulled it back. He held on to it lightly, looking at her. She took a nervous breath and let him.

"Humor me, I'm dying."

Yamara looked him in the eyes for a long moment then nodded. She could not help but wonder if Evart's final moments would have been similar. She clenched her teeth and fought an internal battle, refusing to succumb to the memories and feelings that battered at the gate to her mind's castle.

The sound of a twig snapping got Yamara's attention. She spun around and saw Alesha standing there. A further twist of her neck and she saw Bill lying on the ground. Surprisingly to her, he was not dead. Very pale and sickly looking, but still alive. She looked at Alesha anew and noticed that Alesha looked awfully sick and pale herself.

Eric clenched Yamara's hand tightly, suddenly afraid. He had seen Alesha turn. He knew she had been lost for a moment. Knew it in his heart and in his bones. But then Alesha had surprised him. She had destroyed Talifernon as he came for him. Had called him off of him, in fact, and then destroyed him. He did not know what to make of her and because of that he was frightened of her. He knew what she was capable of and death was no escape from her.

Alesha stopped when she finally reached them. She towered over the two, looking wan and deadly. Then she swooned and might have fallen had she not reached out to put an arm on the tree that had broken Eric's back. Eric and Yamara remained silent, waiting.

"I..." Alesha began then trailed off, tears coming to her eyes. She squared her shoulders after a second and tried again. "I'm sorry, Eric. I have nothing left in me to heal you. I can take away the pain, but that's all."

Eric narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Finally he shook his head, sending a spasm of pain through his neck and back until it reached the point where he felt nothing. "Without the pain I might not know I am still alive," he whispered.

Alesha nodded, fresh tears running down her face. She carefully lowered herself until she was kneeling beside Yamara.

"How is Bill?" Eric asked her, glancing over at his friend.

Alesha smiled while Yamara looked at him in amazement. Here he was taunting the reaper with each ragged breath and he was concerned about somebody else? Yamara shook her head in amazement at the similarity he kept reminding her of.

"He will be okay," Alesha said, her voice soft and caring. "He pulled me back and saved me. He would have given his life to save mine, but I could not let him. Just as you gave yours to try and save everyone else. He saved my life, you saved my soul."

"Nothing personal," Eric said, his whispers becoming slurred as spots began to dance in his vision. "just doing our jobs is all."

Fresh tears spilled from Alesha, running down her cheeks and dripping onto his arm. He showed no evidence of being aware of the hot liquid drops landing on him. He looked over at Yamara and smiled sleepily, his eyelids growing heavy. "It doesn't hurt anymore, I guess that means it's almost over."

The barbarians at the gates within her had finally brought a battering ram. Yamara felt the wall within her snap. The rushing waters caught her up and carried her with them, terrifying her with their unfamiliar feelings. She fought for breath and opened her mouth to speak. "No!" She spoke loudly and forcefully. Only barely noticed by her the ruby pendant on her chest seemed to flare with an inner warmth against the cool skin of her breasts.

Alesha looked at her, surprised. Eric wondered idly what she was on about now. Such an odd woman, he wished he would have had a chance to get to know her better.

"Don't let him die!" Yamara demanded, looking at him. "Use me if you have to... like you used Bill."

Alesha sighed. She was still so tired and what Yamara asked - no, demanded - would tax her severely. She was never very good at healing others, only hurting them. But she did owe Eric. Owed him more then anybody else, she supposed.

She put her hand on top of Yamara's and Eric's and closed her eyes, trying to will the power that she did not have to give one last spurt of energy. Unseen under her shirt, Yamara's amulet began to glow softly.

Chapter 25

Garrick had swung his hammer tirelessly, sending demons and orcs flying from him with every strike. He had waded through them, easily blocking or avoiding the more lethal attacks launched at him, ignoring the lesser attacks. Each scratch or bruise healed in moments, serving only to irritate him as he strove to reach his besieged friend.

In the end, the sheer numbers had prevented him from reaching Kelnozz in time. The dark elf was gone when he reached the spot he had fought from. Dragged away by the superior numbers. In his place was the slain bodies of countless enemies. Garrick had surveyed the scene briefly, challenging any of the attackers to come at him. Few had dared, adding to the pile of corpses.

Luingirth swooped down time and again, shredding and incinerating countless members of Darakor's army with each pass. Now they retreated, returning whence they came. Garrick gave chase at first, pounding any that he encountered into the ground. Soon he gave up, knowing that Kelnozz was gone.

Luingirth and Garrick had left then, searching about the countryside but finding nothing other then scattered bands of orcs retreating towards the Periphery and the Lost Lands beyond. Cursing none to quietly, Garrick knew where Kelnozz lay. Without being told, Luingirth adjusted his course, flying to the north and the west. Garrick regarded their heading solemnly.

Ahead lay, many leagues away still, lay Mezarbolle. The highest peak to the north and east of the city was a semi dormant volcanic peak, once the lair of Ancaruin. It was there, in what had been known as Dragon Mountain to the temporary occupation force, that Garrick and Luingirth would find Kelnozz. The question that plagued Garrick's mind was not if they could battle their way into the impregnable fortress, but whether or not once they did if they would find Kelnozz alive or dead.

"Fly, you scaly old wyrm, fly!" Garrick encouraged.

Luingirth's eyes narrowed at the insult, but other then that he ignored it. Much as he might hate to admit it, no living being mattered more to him then Kelnozz, they had been together all of their lives, inseparable for the first several hundred, in fact. Luingirth put what extra strength he dared muster into his wings, flying as swiftly as only he could.

Garrick shuddered and groaned on Luingirth's back, slumping in sudden surprise at the sensations rushing through him. Luingirth slowed, twisting his serpentine neck so that his head could look back on the former God of War. Garrick straightened up after a moment and saw the dragon regarding him with what he knew to be equal parts concern and annoyance.

"The law of death has been broken," Garrick decreed. "Ancaruin is risen."

Luingirth swung his head back around and quickly spiraled down to land atop a flat spot atop one of the border hills leading to the Periphery. Once safely on the ground Luingirth again swiveled his head around to behold the mountain of a man on his back.

"What of Kelnozz?"

Garrick shook his head. "I don't know."

Luingirth looked back to the northwest, using his heritage to see farther then the sharpest eyed eagle. Garrick stared that way as well, quiet and thoughtful. Quickly he reached the decision he needed to reach.

"Take us to Helmsmasher Isle, old friend," Garrick said, having reached a decision he did not care much for. "Whether Kelnozz is alive or dead, we can do nothing for him with Ancaruin arisen."

Luingirth stared in the distance for a long moment, seeing things no one else could see. "He yet lives."

"Nothing we can do about that, dragon. He's a sneaky bastard, if he can get out, he will."

Luingirth glanced back at Garrick, clearly undecided in his course of action. "He shall not be abandoned," the dragon growled.

"Go then!" Garrick snapped. "Waste your life and see the two of you die you stupid wyrm! There is more at stake here then you realize, Luingirth. Come with me to Helmsmasher Isle and we will go after him. He will be avenged, if naught else."

Luingirth snorted, dry air charged with static electricity washed over Garrick. Luingirth bristled angrily. For anyone else, to challenge and insult any dragon, let alone one as ancient and powerful as Luingirth, was madness in the extreme. For Garrick it was a daily affair, though his patience was running thin. "Look, if you take me there you'll have a chance to capture Alesha or that light elf wench or some other maiden."

Luingirth glared at him more fiercely. Then he glanced back briefly in the direction his friend and companion had been taken. He turned away from it with a hollow pang in his immense chest. "Let us be off."

"Ha! Now you're talking!" Garrick said, clapping the dragon on the back with his muscle-bound arm.

Chapter 26

Outside of the den of corruption and darkness that again served as Ancaruin's lair, Kelnozz paused to survey the landscape. He was high on the eastern face of the mountain, overlooking Mezarbolle a few miles to the southeast, and to the northeast, the Everthirst, an inland sea with such a heavy salt content that only the hardiest of creatures survived in it.

Far beyond the reaches of his vision, hidden within the middle of the Everthirst lay the Isle of the Gods. Elvish folklore told of an immense castle wrought of pure adamantium and within it each God of Viconia ruled a section so large that the whole of the Everthirst could not contain it, proof of it's divine existence.

At the moment, Kelnozz cared little for elvish folklore, the home of the Gods, or how filled with brine the Everthirst was. Ancaruin was returned to life, the first ever to do so on Viconia, yet he gave that no concern either. He gave thought only to the single fire that burned fiercely within him. Darakor. His enemy. The light elf whom he would slay. No rest nor peace would Kelnozz know until he achieved that goal. Seeing Jethallin again had pained him, for he had thought her long lost. It reminded him of an oath he had taken after Alesha had fallen to Bavorish's influence. The oath to let no one close to him until he could guarantee their safety. Jethallin had come along and been taken before that oath, but it still twisted something inside of Kelnozz. To know that she had suffered for so long at Narellin's hands burned him. To know that Darakor, his son, had slain her, his own mother, to further his own lust for power, fanned the flames of rage into an inferno.

He had even heard the words the treacherous elf had spoken. He had given Ancaruin his name. Darakor Risingmoon. His son.

Kelnozz was tempted to head back in through the narrow air shaft he had scaled to climb out. Sneak back in and finish the bastard off where he had started. He hesitated, poised on the brink of slipping back in, no thought or concern for his own safety in his mind. Kelnozz paused long enough that another thought came to his mind. Not one of caution or concern, but rather one of common sense. He had escaped, surely Darakor's guards would search for him. Skilled as he was, if he returned he would most likely never make it to Darakor. To achieve his goal he must escape first, then return. And, as always, he must warn the elves of Ancaruin, or his father's memory would be meaningless to him.

To that end Kelnozz heard a noise far below. Down the nearly vertical rock face more then 70 feet was the main tunnel entrance into the mountain. From it issued forth patrols of light elves, orcs, and robed figures Kelnozz did not recognize. They fanned out, searching the mountain and the surrounding lands. Kelnozz smiled bitterly. He had found his equipment in the same room that, long ago, Ancaruin had offered Alesha and later Narellin as a private study and a place to stay when they visited the dragon. Two additional elite light elven guardsmen lay dead outside the door, but inside he had found the items he sought. He had one final surprise left in his bag of tricks, a surprise that Darakor had never known about for he had never witnessed or understood it's use.

Kelnozz took a small ring out from his pouch. It was the ring that normally remained hidden upon his toe. It served a single purpose, to return him to Innowendyn. He had last used it 500 years past, ere Ancaruin had been defeated but not destroyed. It fit upon his finger naturally, magically sizing itself. He cast a last hateful glance at the mountain and then muttered the magical word that activated the ring. With no snap of impacting air, no burst of light, no puff of smoke, and no sign of transition, Kelnozz was gone. Gone from Dragon Mountain and gone from the Lost Lands.