Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling (25 page)

‘
Yes,’ she nodded. ‘Whatever we must do, I will be by your side however it comes to pass.’

Aeron
smiled at her lovingly and whispered, ‘I love you more than my life. You would have made a wonderful Queen for my kingdom in Ardhen.’

‘
You would have made me happy,’ she answered in turn.

They kissed each other gently, taking a moment to themselves because it was all that they had left to them. Neither expect
ed to survive the battle with a mage who could do this but dying was permissible if they could take him with them. When they parted, it was with complete acceptance of the dying to come if that was what was required. They were both at heart, idealists who believed in sacrificing themselves for the greater good, no matter how jaded each might sometimes profess to be.

‘
It is time, old friend,’ Aeron said firmly as he and Melia left behind their tender moment and returned to the business at hand. ‘Take us to the Mage and let us finish this.’

******

The Mage chose not to run.

It would have been so easy if flight
alone was enough to solve his dilemma but escape was never an option he could entertain. He saw determination of the  new arrivals to end the threat of him because they believed him responsible for the destruction of the krisador nest in this mountain. A part of him wished he had the power to wreak such havoc because it would have made things a great deal simpler.

So much
would have been changed if he had the strength enough for it. Unfortunately, what power he had when he arrived when Enphilim had bestowed upon him when the seraf mages first came to Avalyne had depleted considerably because of his creations. He was  being siphoned off slowly and surely, feeling his power and life draining from his body until nothing but a husk would remain where he stood. He would have died long before that.

And despite his doom, it was still not enough.

His creations too powerful for him. All he had managed to do since bringing them here was to prevent their awakening into the world and that had taken almost every ounce of strength he had to accomplish. He could not stop their ravenous hunger and they craved constantly. When they had first arrived, the feeding had been good.

He had more than enough power at his disposal to ensure that he and his charges were able to slip past the
krisadors and find sanctuary in one of the forgotten rooms of the abandoned city of the dwarfs. He had believed that the krisadors would never allow intrusion into their domain and so he would be safe from Balfure's forces should they chose to pursue him. He never realised that in making the decision, he was dooming all the krisadors in the mountain to death.

After all, his creations needed to feed.

Slowly but surely they drained the  krisadors who had no inkling of what was happening to them and thus had no way to combat it until it was too late. They continued as they always did, puzzled by their lack of energy but unable to reason out what was happening to them. They continued this way until one day they simply did not even have the strength to walk or to leave their nests to nourish themselves. They died where they had lain down in fatigue, aware that some malaise had overtaken them but not possessing enough understanding to know what that might have been.

With the passing of the
krisadors, their tendrils of hunger stretched beyond the mountain, seeking life in any shape or form. For a time, his creations were satiated by the goblins that dwelt on the foothills until the vile creatures, realising that something hungrier than them was on the hunt, fled. The goblins retreated beyond the reach of the creatures that were slowly killing them. After the departure of the goblins, the feeding became poor and with each day, the intense hunger drove his creations to escape more violently than they ever before, demanding birth into the world.

He had struggled for so many years to keep this from happening
but now he was finally beaten.

He lingered and waited because he sensed one amongst
the travellers who had the strength to take his place, to restrain the evil that was struggling for freedom in a battle he could not longer fight. If he could hold on for just a little longer until they arrived, then all would not be lost. There was a chance that the world would never discover what evil he had spawned in Tor Iolan that was now about to awaken unless he was replaced.

He just needed to hold on for a little longer….

******

Even before
Tamsyn told them that they were nearing their destination, Aeron of Eden Halas felt it most acutely. They had crossed the graveyard of dead krisadors, leaving behind the splendour of the main hall and moving deeper into the city. From cavernous passages, they now travelled within corridors of white marble polished and smooth despite the years of neglect.

It felt strangely disorientating and
Aeron was reminded why he disliked enclosed spaces so much. Elves thrived in the sunlight and the open air. This confinement took them away from the light of the world in which the elves thrived best. The threat that loomed all around him was so palpable now that Aeron was in danger of choking on it. He tried to dispel it from his senses because it could only cause harm but it refused to go away, clinging to him like stink to the skin.

‘
Prince?’ Melia took his arm as she saw him falter a little. ‘What is it?’

‘
We are close,’ his gaze fixated on the doorway at the end of the corridor.

‘
He is right,’ Tamsyn agreed staring at the doors whose wood had started to rot from age. ‘Edwyn is there. I can feel him.’

‘
Can he feel you?’ Melia asked as she unsheathed the dagger that Aeron had given her in place of her crossbow. She would have preferred her own weapon but it was useless without a fresh supply of bolts and Melia wanted to be capable of defending herself.

‘
Yes,’ the wizard nodded grimly; not about to hide this fact since it would become apparent the moment they crossed the threshold of the door. ‘He has been awaiting us.’

‘
Well,’ Aeron sighed heavily as he removed his bow from across his back and prepared himself to engage the enemy, ‘we should not disappoint him.’

Fearlessly, the elf strode forward, leaving Melia and
Tamsyn behind briefly before they hastened their pace to match his. Melia found herself walking alongside her Prince; ready to face whatever dangers awaited her. He offered her a little smile as they reached the door but no words were spoken for all they needed to say to each other had been done before this. Whatever lay behind that door, they would face together and as Aeron stared into Melia's eyes all too briefly, he knew that whatever happened, she would be at his side. The wizard stared at them both, offering them his own silent pledge to fight with them, whatever took place once they crossed the doorway.

Aeron
pushed the door open, causing it to creak loudly as fragments of wood crumbled underneath his palm when it swung inward. Aeron examined the fragments on his palm and realised that the wood was diseased. He had encountered trees that had been struck with blight and they withered like this. He wondered if Tamsyn’s friend was responsible for this too. Unfortunately, there no little time to ponder the question as the open door beckoned him and his party inside.

They had but taken two steps into the room before all three froze in horror.

For a few seconds, no one dared to speak. They could only stare at the grisly tableau before them. The skeletons of so many krisadors had been horrifying enough to behold but it paled in comparison to what they were faced with now. Melia’s hand flew to her mouth, feeling the pit of her stomach churn with sick. Aeron was forced to look away while Tamsyn could only stare, transfixed. He had seen this kind of imagery only once and that had been when he was forced to watch Syphia birthing one of her hellish spawn during the Primordial Wars.

The large room was filled with
large translucent pods filled with a viscous grey fluid. Dark veins pulsing with blood and black fluid ran across their mottled surface and dug into the ground as if the pods had been grown from the earth. Large tendrils crisscrossed the walls, with moisture oozing from the joints, making the inside of the room feel hot and humid. The room felt like the inside of some dark behemoths belly and the stench of rancid flesh had wafted past them the instant Aeron had pushed open the door.

That was not even the worst of it.

The worst of it was that within the pods, they could see the vague silhouette of a body trapped within the cocoon. Through thin membrane of skin, they could see fingers clawing at the walls from the inside, the prisoner within attempting to escape.   

“Oh Gods,” Melia uttered a strangled gasp because she knew that these poor creatures trapped in their cocoons were the missing River Daughters and one of them, one of them was her mother.

In the centre of this vile hatchery was its creator.

The
Mage named Edwyn stared at them with watery eyes that sat in hollow sockets. His cheeks were so sunken that his face was little more than a skull with a thin covering of skin. His hair was grey and long, pooling around him where he sat cross-legged on the grimy floor. His robes of amber were filthily dark until they appeared almost red. The outstretched arms held out reverently towards the cocoons surrounding him, were spindly with skin hanging from the bones. The veins that crisscrossed the caverns were coiled around his ankles, keeping him in place.

Melia thought of the
Mage she had seen in her dreams, the strong, handsome man of ebony skin that looked every bit the part of the powerful wizard. To see him in this condition was almost as horrifying as everything else they had found inside this room. For a moment, she almost felt pity for him, seeing him driven to this complete and utter ruin. Her sympathy withered when she remembered that inside one of those vile cocoons, was her mother.

The
Mage turned towards them, his milky eyes searching their faces as if he looking for something until his gaze settled on Tamsyn and his face lit with recognition. His shoulders slackened in relief as if he had been waiting for Tamsyn all this time and spoke with a voice that weak and exhausted.

‘
Tamysn, you have come.’

For more seconds than
Aeron could keep count, no one spoke.

‘
I knew you would not sleep forever,’ the Mage named Edwyn spoke, his ghost like face attempting to smile but to those present, it looked instead like a grimace of pain. ‘I knew you would find your way back to me.’

‘
I am so sorry Edwyn,’ Tamsyn whispered as approached his friend, trying to equate the proud, lively man he had known so long ago with this withered husk before him. ‘I took the coward’s way out and left you behind all alone. I should have not abandoned you or my responsibilities. It was our duty to help the new races on their feet. I left you to carry that burden alone. I will never forgive myself for allowing you to come to this.”

Aeron saw the
anguish in Tamsyn's eyes and the elf thought he had never seemed more vulnerable than at that moment. Tamsyn had always carried himself with an air of dignity and assurance. When times were at their darkest, it was the wizard that they looked to for comfort and guidance.  How easy it was to forget that he loved and mourned like they did. His pain at the moment was so naked upon his face that Aeron wanted to comfort his old friend, wanted to absolve him of the guilt he so obviously felt.

‘
I thought I could teach them but it was not enough! I thought the elves would help but they were so angry at us for bringing men and dwarfs into the world, they wanted nothing but to retreat behind the Veil!’ Edwyn cried out attempting to justify himself like the child who was caught pulling the wings of a fly. ‘I thought if I created something better than either, they could bridge the gap. Help all the races reach unity.’

He might as well have been Balfure
, Tamsyn thought sadly, having heard a similar speech when the Shadow Lord attempted to justify his fealty to Maelog. They were always so convinced that anything was permissible for the greater good.

‘
The Creator already had a plan for the Sacred Three,’ Tamsyn answered, trying to remind Edwyn what their mission had been to begin with. ‘Enphilim told us that. Now you have created something that has no place in that plan. Where do these creatures sit in the Creator’s design?’

The
Mage eyes dropped to the ground, shame overcoming his face because he knew that his creations did not have a place in the plan and worse yet, might destroy it completely because of what they were. ‘I did not mean to do this,’ he cried, trying to explain so they would understand that he had not meant for any of this. ‘They said they would help me! They said that they understood what I was trying to do! I sought to use them as a means to an end but did not realize that I was the one being used!’

As he spoke, his body seemed to tremble as if taking his attention from one act to accomplish another was weakening him even further. He seemed so frail that it was impossible to believe that this being was a
seraf of the Celestials Gods, sent to save Avalyne from Mael's darkness. How had that mission become so utterly twisted into this abomination?

‘
You made a bargain with Disciples!’ Tamsyn rebuked sharply. ‘How could you do that? How could you possibly imagine they had anything but their own interests in mind! Could you possibly be so naïve that you allowed yourself to be party to this abomination?’

‘
Because I was alone! I needed help!’ Edwyn spat back, his voice threatening to break at any moment at Tamsyn’s lack of understanding. ‘I thought if I used the River Daughters, creatures of purity, without any stain of darkness upon them that I could make my creation work.’

‘
Your creation!’ Melia burst out, having heard more than enough to be provoked into speaking. ‘My mother is one of those that you took! Which one is she? Which one of things did you put her?”

‘
Your mother?’ Edwyn turned to her shocked, as if it was the first time he had noticed she was there at all. ‘Which one is your mother?’

‘
Ninuie!’ Melia almost shouted in fury, unable to believe that somewhere in this disgusting collection of cocoons was her mother or rather what was left of her. Worse yet, this Mage had turned her into some kind of monsters and did not even know her name!

If seeing his
Tamsyn had not brought him to tears, then hearing the name of one of his victims surely did. The Mage started to sob loudly at the mention of Ninuie's name and for an instant Melia did not know how to react. She looked to Aeron for help but the elf was just as bewildered as she regarding his manner. For a moment, none of the company could say anything because they were robbed of all thought upon hearing the Mage vent tears of grief they did not understand.

‘
You are the child,’ he managed to declare through his sobs. ‘You were the child she spoke of.’

‘
She spoke of me?’ Melia took a step towards him but Aeron caught her arm to ensure she did not approach the Mage any closely. Despite the man's remorse, Aeron still did not trust that the seraf was a benign as he appeared. Weakened he might be but he was connected to these women and Aeron had no idea what effect that had on the Mage or how dangerous it made him.

‘
You and the man were all she
ever
spoke of,’ he said in a small voice. ‘In the beginning, she used to beg to be released so she could be returned to him. As the years followed, she stopped making the plea but I often heard her muttering their names. In the end, the names were all that were left of who she was.’

Melia blinked and tears ran down her cheeks as a result.
For so long, she thought she was dreaming but now she knew it was Ninuie reaching out to her, trying to make a connection despite the distance. She looked away from the Mage, not wishing him to see her anguish and took comfort in Aeron’s hand on her shoulder. She stared at the hatchery and saw that within their cocoons, the River Daughters were oblivious to their presence.

All they seemed aware of was the prison of flesh they were imprisoned within. Their hands were flailing s
luggishly through the noisome fluid, like flies trapped in amber, unable to break free of the membrane that kept them out of the world.

‘
Which one is she?’ Melia demanded when she finally turned to Edwyn, her eyes red with tears.

‘
She will not know you,’ Edwyn replied, his voice oddly disconnected as if he did not really see her and was addressing an apparition in his mind.

‘
Tell her!’ Aeron added his voice to the mix forcefully.

Edwyn
's eyes drifted across the floor of the chamber before coming to a rest upon a cocoon at the far end of the chamber. Melia's breath caught when he paused and nodded at her. Melia withdrew from Aeron’s comforting arm as she approached it.  It appeared no different than any of the other cocoons that were gestating within the room. She could see the faint outline of a body inside it, struggling to escape the prison of flesh. A wave of nausea welled up in the pit of Melia's stomach seeing the figure's hand clawing at its sheathe, trying to rip through the membrane that held her trapped.

Despite her revulsion, Melia placed her hand against the slick wall and recoiled inwardly at its warmth. She was reminded of an insect egg she had once seen and the connection almost made her gag in disgust.
Beneath the cocoon’s thin membrane, she felt the gelatinous fluidity of its contents. The figure inside became very still, sensing her presence. Suddenly, a fist struck the flimsy walls of the membrane, trying to break through in order to catch Melia's hand. The watch guard shrank back in fright and then wailed when she realised she had recoiled with disgust.

Aeron
was there to catch her when she back into him and his heart broke when she swung around and buried her face in his shoulder and began sobbing.   He could feel her body shuddering against his chest and wished more than anything that he could take the hurt away. However that was beyond his power to do. Instead, he felt angry for her. After searching so long, Melia’s reward for all her efforts was to be confronted by this creature that bore little resemblance to the woman who gave her life.

For that
agony alone, he would happily take his sword to the Mage.

‘
Tamsyn,’ Aeron spoke to his friend, having seen enough by now. ‘This cannot go on. These poor souls deserve peace. They cannot be allowed to exist in this way.’

The wizard drew a deep breath, meeting
Aeron's eyes and it was at that instant that the elf saw how difficult this was for him. The Mage Tamsyn had come in search of his friend, hoping to lead him to redemption but now it seemed that Tamsyn had greatly underestimated how far into madness Edwyn had descended.  The hope of bringing his friend back with them was withering before his eyes and the realisation that Edwyn might be beyond all hope was dawning on him.

“Tamsyn,” Aeron continued to speak. “I know you wish to save him but the evil I sensed approaching this mountain does not come from him. It comes from these creatures. We cannot allow them to leave Gahara.” 

‘No, we cannot.’ Tamsyn nodded in agreement and faced his old friend once again. ‘Edwyn, these beings you created out of the Water Wife servants must be released from their torment. What has been done to them cannot be undone and their torture continues so long as they live. Let them go, Edwyn, let them go to the Star, as they should. Do that and we will leave this place together. You will never be alone again I promise.’

The vague expression on
Edwyn's face seemed to clear at Tamsyn’s suggestion and he stared hard at his brother. For a brief instance, Aeron felt a flicker of hope at the possibility that Tamsyn’s heartfelt entreaty might have succeeded in convincing Edwyn to surrender without further conflict. However it vanished when Aeron saw the Mage's eyes sharpen into points of flint and he stood up, his body stiffening with anger.

‘
You did not come here to help me!’ Edwyn screamed, indignant with betrayal. ‘I thought you came here to take my place! I have been waiting so long for you to find me, to help me! Now you wish me to abandon my duty?’

‘
What duty?’ Tamsyn shouted back in bewilderment. ‘These women have been twisted into monstrous versions of themselves! You have destroyed them more completely than any being has ever destroyed another! Let them go! Let them know peace in the Stars. It is the least you can give them!’

‘
I am not keeping them alive!’ Edwyn screamed in fury. ‘They do not require that of me! They drain the life of anything they desire to feed upon. The only reason that they have not stolen your lives is because I have exerted what little strength I have left to keep them from killing you like they killed the krisadors.’

‘
Then what are you doing?’ Aeron asked, his own confusion rising. ‘If you are not keeping them alive and they have no need of you to be nourished, why then have you remained here?’

“SO THEY CANNOT LEAVE!” He bellowed.

Breathing hard, Edwyn continued to rant. “What they are cannot be unleashed into the world! I know what I have created and I have tried to undo it but the knowledge eludes me and so I remain here, keeping them and the world safe from each other.’

‘
If they are so dangerous, why not simply destroy them? Give them the release from this twisted existence that they deserve.’ Aeron demanded.

‘
Because he does not know if he is strong enough to kill them,’ Tamsyn answered softly, understanding at last why Edwyn had bound himself to his creations in this dark place at the edge of all things.

Edwyn
, blinded by the passion of his work had allied himself with the Disciples who hunted the River Daughters, one by one and brought them to Tor Iolan. At the fortress of Balfure's evil, Edwyn had put foolishly into effect his desire to create a master race, free of corruption, unaware that in his hubris, he had created abomination instead of purity. Too late did he realize that his creations may become the most dangerous creatures in Avalyne and tried to correct his mistake by spiriting them away from Tor Iolan when the opportunity presented itself.

He had brought them to
the Gahara Plateau, hoping that its distance from the world would see him forgotten by the Shadow lord. Despite Balfure's destruction, Edwyn was unable to reverse what he had done to the River Daughters and so they remained in their cocoons, butterflies that would never emerge into the sunlight. He had kept them trapped but even Tamsyn could see that he could manage no longer.

Edwyn
wanted Tamsyn to take his place but Tamsyn had no intention of prolonging the existence of these poor unfortunates. Aeron was correct. This had to end here.

‘
While they are trapped in this shell, they must be vulnerable,’ Aeron declared, ignoring Edwyn’s tirade. He was concerned with more practical matters as he studied the hatchery like a warrior preparing for battle. In essence they were, although Edwyn and Tamsyn did not know it yet. There was only one course to take and though it pained Aeron to do so because all these women had  been turned into instruments of destruction through no fault of their own. ‘Perhaps that is the way to destroy them.’

‘
Destroy them?’ Melia stared at him incredulously. ‘That is my mother in there!’