The Chaos Blade

She looked back up at her, striking her again with the look of emptiness in her eyes. "I am nothing." She held up her hands, palms facing up, and offered them to her.

"My powers are gone," she continued after a moment. "I healed myself with Bill's life and now they are gone."

"How did it happen?" Yamara asked, her surprise matched only by her curiosity.

She shook her head numbly. "I don't know. I was so tired after it happened that I did not think about it. I lay down for a while, too empty to do anything, and only just woke up. I can not feel the energy around me. I could always pull it to me and use it, but now I can't find it. It's like it's not there anymore."

The dragon was close enough now that he could hear the wind whistling around it as it plunged towards them. She glanced up and saw the outline of it. She cursed the darkness and turned back to Alesha. "Figure it out later. If there is a later. For now lay low."

Alesha nodded slowly. The dragon looked to be right over them, but in reality it was probably at least a thousand feet in the air still. The darkness of the night continued to foil their attempts to identify the color and nature of the great winged beast.

"How we going to get rid of this fucker?" Bill asked out of nowhere. His tone was harsh and uncaring.

"I think it's Luingirth," Alesha said more quietly then normal. Had everyone else not been anxiously quiet, she might have gone unheard.

"Why do you think that?" Elvanshalee asked.

"If it was going to attack us, it would have come in differently. It's a very large dragon too, and Loo's one of the biggest ones around anymore."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense, the way the flyboys brought their F-16's in on attack runs, at least when they had to come in close."

The dragon flipped over and come straight down at them in a dive. The sudden acceleration caught them all off guard. Before they could react the plunging dragon had descended several hundred feet. With a great flapping of its wings it arrested its descent and sent all of them stumbling backwards from the force of the winds it generated. By the time the wind and dust cleared they all knew that had the dragon been there to cause trouble, they would all be dead. It was indeed Luingirth. Luingirth with Garrick astride him.

"What news?" Alesha asked, showing a sign of life for the first time.

Garrick, for the first time in a long time, showed no sign of his nearly irrepressible joy of life. "Kelnozz has been captured. Ancaruin lives again. War and darkness unknown to Viconia since the elven Kinslayer Wars will soon be upon us."

"Sounds bad," Bill muttered sarcastically. Garrick eyed him briefly then looked to Alesha.

"Kel lives, but he was taken to Ancaruin's lair near Mezarbolle."

Alesha nodded slowly. Thoughtfully. "Take me there."

Garrick looked at her more carefully. Then he laughed a short, harsh laugh. "You have been there. You know what its like. With all of us we stand no chance, even with your power, Luingirth, and myself."

Alesha turned away, a stricken look upon her face. Garrick looked at her oddly for a moment, then, his eyes squinting briefly, he laughed again, a dark and bitter laugh. "You're powerless! Ha! Now we would truly stand no chance!"

Bill bristled. He stepped in front of Alesha and glared up at Garrick, who towered over him in spite of the distance of 8 feet between the two of them. "Back the fuck off, man!"

"Do you know who I am?" Garrick roared at him, amazed at Bill's action.

Bill was upset. Not merely upset, but downright pissed off. He had seen Garrick treat Alesha with a familiarity and a lack of consideration that he and Eric had both seen before, in third world countries. It was only the power of Garrick's presence and his Mr. Olympia on steroids build that gave Bill pause. He glanced around and saw everybody was watching raptly. All eyes were on him. All except for Yamara's. Yamara stared at Garrick with her eyes wide open. Not only that, but her jaw muscles were clenched and she looked almost perplexed by what she saw.

Garrick turned his head to follow Bill's gaze. He already knew what Yamara was doing, but was biding his time in dealing with her. Now, apparently, was the time. He locked gazes with her and gave her a close lipped smile. Yamara gasped and took a stumbling step backwards. All the color drained from her face.

"Ask your friend," Garrick said, turning back to Bill. "She knows who I am now."

"Bill, relax, it's okay," Alesha said softly, her hand on Bill's shoulder. Bill was confused and embarrassed. Not one to normally shirk from being the center of attention, he suspected he was in way over his head. It was not the first time, but given the challenges facing him, it might be the last. Bill gave her a compassionate look and nodded to her, letting her know at a word from her he would jump back into the fire.

"He abandoned you," Garrick said, ignoring Bill and addressing Alesha again. "What did you do to deny him?"

"You disapprove of her refuting Bavorish, the God of Death and Chaos?" Elvanshalee asked, surprised.

Garrick spat out a hearty laugh at her question. "Far from it, lass! Far from it. I never cared much for the mother lover, remember? Or do even elves begin to forget their history?"

Elvanshalee blushed at the admonition. Bill and Yamara looked at her curiously. She glanced at them and quickly gave a brief history lesson taught to the youngest of children, "Garrick, Carson, and Celos came to Viconia thousands of years ago from another world, before even the Kinslayer wars. Bavorish was a man then, the wizard-king of Belurian. They battled through his armies and his defenses, coming at last to him. He called them out at the end, challenging them to single combat. Celos went first, the weakest of the three at melee combat. In a battle the shook the heavens and the earth, Bavorish cast him aside, mortally wounded. Then came Carson, the next most skilled at the art of hand to hand combat. Perhaps Bavorish was already weakened, or perhaps Carson was better. Whatever the case, Bavorish slipped on some of Celos' blood and in that slip Carson struck true, spilling his lifeblood."

"All four were then charged with becoming the first Gods of Viconia, with both Bavorish and Celos restored to full health before their life fled. The rule of life was put in place and so long as it remained unbroken, no God could ever be defeated, whether by mortal hand or not."

Garrick nodded. "Aye, that's the right of it. But the rule of life has been broken with Ancaruin's return."

"Then why do you speak so of her denial of Bavorish?" Elvanshalee asked him.

"Because it amuses me, elf!" Garrick berated her. "Because I wish to know what caused it. The fall of the elves came from being to curious, or did you forget about that as well?"

Elvanshalee bristled at his words but let them humble her just the same. After all, Garrick was only one step removed from being a God himself. Bill was scowling at his treatment of her, although a hidden part of him was amused because he did not care for her much himself and felt it was time she got a dose of her own medicine.

"I thought I beat him in beating Talifernon," Alesha said softly, addressing Garrick only and acting as though the rest of them were not there.

"Nay lass, he can not deny you your free will, but he can deny you that which he gave you. You turned from him and gave proof by destroying his pet, now he wishes to make you suffer from your decision."

"So all along I was still his creature and only now, by going back to who I was before can I be free of him?" Alesha asked bitterly.

Garrick gave her a sympathetic smile. "Not even now, child. You bear his mark, you can never be free of his whim. You can only fight against him or for him every day of your life."

Alesha closed her eyes and nodded. She turned and walked away slowly, shaking her head and hugging her arms about herself. None of it made any sense to her. If Bavorish determined whether she had power or not, then why was she still able to use her magic when she was in the Tavern, a place free from all outside influence? It baffled her, but it gave her hope. Hope was the only thing keeping her teetering on the brink of a dark and dangerous precipice.

"What doth we do?" Luingirth asked, watching the events with only the faintest of interest. The trials and challenges of humans and even elves rarely ever mattered to him. Especially when he had something far weightier on his mind.

"Innowendyn!" Elvanshalee said, coming suddenly to the realization of what they must do next. "We must seek out the island of the dark elves and tell them what passes! Without their aid Belurian, nay, all of Viconia, will fall!"

"Aye, lass, for once you see the truth. The kin slaying must begin anew, else all the world will be as wheat for the scythe," Garrick said grimly.

"I don't get it," Bill spoke up. "I thought when this happened last time it took an army of men, elves, and dwarves to stop it?"

"The strength of men is broken, they are disorganized and no greatness exists among them in this time. The time you speak of was the last of the great times for men in this age. My son and Carson's son led them and no suitable leader exists to pull them out of their pettiness," Garrick explained.

"Dwarves will fight, of that you can always be sure, but their number is too few and only the ones on Belurian can answer the call in time. They'll help, be certain, but Darakor seeks to finish what was begun before. Without our warning and our help, the elves will be lost."

"Not all men are scared and witless!" Kal said, raising his voice and stepping forward. "I can't imagine Alto would stand for this! Let me aid you!"

Everyone turned to look at him. None laughed, his sincerity was to great and the way he held himself spoke of both a quiet confidence and a basic level of ability. Garrick finally spoke up, "Nay, friend, stay here and defend the refugees. None of us doubts your desire or your abilities, but you have a different doom upon you then that which lies for them. Alto has other plans for you."

Kal gasped. He understood that Garrick was really Garrick, the figure of legend. He had momentarily put the thought aside as he made his offer to help, but now he realized what it was he was stepping in to. He nodded and stepped back a step. "If Alto wishes it to be so, then I trust his wisdom," he murmured.

"And Kelnozz, what of him?" Luingirth asked, staring intently at Garrick.

"We rescue him as best we can, when we can," Garrick responded, sending a frustrated look up at the dragon.

"You can not win this war without him," Alesha spoke a little more strongly as she came out of the darkness from where she had walked and pondered her lot in things.

"Damnit wench, don't you think I know of these things? Mayhaps instead there are things at play that you do not know of?" Garrick said, becoming exasperated.

Alesha gasped in surprise at his rebuttal. New possibilities flooded through her mind. Ideas that had previously not come to her. She had no idea what it was that he meant, but the potential that rang through her thoughts made her head swim with the heaviness of it all.

She nodded her acquiescence. "Let us be off! We waste time here!"

"Will they let a light elf find Innowendyn?" Elvanshalee asked, her manner unsure for the first time since any of them had met her.

"Let them try to stop us!" Garrick said with a fierce grin. Elvanshalee was concerned that they might try to do that very thing.

"Will you bear us to the isle of the elves, Luingirth?" Garrick asked, addressing the dragon with a near formality that was unusual for them. "We work towards returning Kelnozz, this is the only way."

Luingirth regarded him calmly for a moment. Then he nodded his gargantuan head and lowered himself so that they could climb aboard him.

Alesha's hand brushed against Bill's arm and she said softly to him, "You have been a dear man to me, Bill, but perhaps you should stay here to protect the survivors. We go to open war, you have proven to be no slouch with a sword, but I think swordplay will play a lesser role in the battles ahead."

Bill was touched and stung at the same time by her words. He shook his head. "No way, somebody has to keep an eye on Arnold there."

"Who?" Alesha asked, following Bill's smoldering glare towards Garrick. Then something clicked in her head and she laughed lightly, if for only a moment. The resemblance was minimal, if any, but he had reminded her of Earth. "Gods, Bill, has it been so long? I don't even remember movies or movie stars anymore."

"Come, we ride!" Garrick called out loudly. They hurried to climb astride Luingirth's back, ready to take yet another dragon flight from Helmsmasher Isle.

Chapter 30

Darakor idly rubbed his palms over the pommels of his two swords. Cirithallion had long been lifeless. It was still a very powerful weapon in the hands of a skilled swordsman, but the unholy essence that had driven it's prior owners to madness and death had long since deserted it. Ancaruin had returned, leaving Cirithallion nothing more then a powerful tool forged by a dwarf who turned out to be more skilled at his craft then was good for him.

The woman was dead, of course. She had told him what he needed to know, that the elves had set sail for Belurian, nigh all of them, with the intent of meeting and defeating the light elves. Kelnozz had been named heir to the throne, yet he did not lead the assault for the queen herself was with them.

Out of frustration at having missed them so narrowly, a day or two at the most, Darakor had ordered her children slain and eaten by demons before her very eyes. Then he had killed her himself, cutting her hands and feet off with Cirithallion and watching her as she bled to death. The pain was unquestionable, but never once did she cry out or beg for mercy. She hated him as fiercely as he had grown to hate her. Her hatred was justified, whereas he merely needed a place to vent his rage.

"Lord Darakor!" A light elven soldier came racing up to where he stood regarding the unstaring dead eyes of the dark skinned prisoner. "The elves return! They must have seen the fires!"

Darakor's eyes widened and a scornful smile spread across his face. "Let them come!" he said, striding quickly towards a nearby rocky outcropping where he could gain a better view of the surrounding lands towards the miles distant harbor. "How long till they reach us?"

"Any time, My Lord, our scouts that were sent to the harbors met them returning. Only 1 runner made it back to warn us."

Darakor grinned now, his taste for blood had not nearly been sated. Vengeance was yet to be his!

"Did Kelnozz lead them?" He asked, hopping up on the rocks and staring at the fields and forests that lay below the valley that Loralost was nestled in.

"The scout did not see him, Milord, but the queen was there astride her horse striking out with her own lance and sword!"

Darakor laughed at the vision the soldiers description provided him. He turned to the other elves and lizardmen under his command that had begun to gather at the spreading news. A few pockets of resistance still battled, but Loralost was theirs for the plundering. "Make ready to defend against our pathetic cousins! We will put an end to their ways once and for all, proving we are the elves that the Gods would have on this world!"

The elves cheered and ran off to ready some sort of meager defense. The lizardmen moved to aid them, though less enthusiastically. Still, a dead elf was better then a living one, they figured. Even more so if it was a dark elf!

*****

Riding at the head of the advance, Queen Galinia came within sight of the burning outskirts of Loralost only minutes after Darakor had received warning of their return. She fought back the wave of despair at the site of her once beautiful city's desolation, and instead felt it harden her heart and fill her with anger. She let loose a war cry from so deep within her that she knew not where it came from, nor that she had that much passion left in her. The dark elves beside and behind her echoed her, for it was their homes too.

Strategy and cunning aside, they charged forth. Relying upon conviction and their rage to see them through, they scarcely even noticed when the arrows began to thin their ranks. Several bounced off of the queen's finely crafted armor, slowing her not in the least. She lowered her lance and skewered two dark elves and a lizardman when they reached the hastily constructed barricade across the road. Her surviving riders with her easily cleared the barricade. Several turned, casting lance aside and drawing their swords to help strike the defenders asunder so that the barricade could be more effectively breached.

Not the queen. She spurred her horse forward, only dimly aware that two arrows had managed to find chinks in her armor. One stuck out of her right hip where the greave ended and the chain tunic under it offered less protection. Another, and this one she did notice, had made a deep cut across her chin as it passed in front of her. Her open faced helm had been no protection there.

Nevertheless she rode on, bearing down upon a light elf who stood with a long sword in each hand. By his stance she knew who he was, for he bore an uncanny resemblance to her nephew. She steadied her lance and aimed for him, counting upon the skill or her smiths and the strength of her magicians to provide her armor with strength to withstand anything that might come against her in this desperate assault.

"Darakor!"

Both Darakor and Queen Galinia felt their attention drawn to the source of the strangled cry of rage. Kelnozz emerged from behind a building, his blades and his body were covered in blood. From the nature of his movements, it was apparent none of it was his. Galinia saw him clearly and gasped in surprise. She tried to reign in her horse and to call out to him, but the swiftness of her steed had betrayed her.

Darakor took the tip of Galinia's now unguided lance in his left shoulder, punching him back and twisting him around. He lashed out with Cirithallion in his right hand, thrusting up and through the finely wrought breastplate of Queen Galinia as though it were made of boiled leather. She gasped and dropped her lance, clutching the reigns of her horse with her other hand desperately.

Her steed kept going, circling slightly at the strange pressure its rider was giving it now. It slowed, knowing she was having trouble holding on and trying to aid her. In moments the queen lost her strength and slid off the side of the horse, crashing to the ground. The horse nuzzled at her affectionately, trying to get her to rise and remount him. He bore the wounds of a few arrows as well, though nothing had struck deeply within him as yet.

Darakor moved his left arm experimentally and looked to his shoulder. His chain mail had warded off the blow, but the bruise he had received would be a long time in healing. A glance toward the queen told him she was down and would not likely challenge him again. Cirithallion had bit deeply, and in spite of its malevolent spirit being gone, it still channeled some of the life from its victim to its owner. The surge of healing he had received told him of the severity of the wound.

Darakor turned to see Kelnozz charging towards him. He was still several hundred yards distant, and as well more then a few of his minions were between them. He used the time to good effect, looking around for the most advantageous location from which he could fight against his mentor.

A cry of alarm went up from both armies up and down their ranks. Above, closing rapidly, came a dragon. Unaware that the light elves had come without the support of any dragons, the dark elves assumed it to be one of many that might turn the tide of the battle against them. Whereas the light elves knew it could only be an ally for their hated cousins, as they had none of their own in the sky at that time.