Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Six: A Gods Wrath

The storm had finally passed them by, late last night. Ever since, there had been a concerted effort to determine how badly they had been hit. It was not looking good. Everywhere Prince Donovan looked, he saw pieces of debris which was once part of their encampment. Various tents were torn or missing entirely. Their occupants and contents had been seemingly hurled at random to land in garish heaps, among the broken greenery around them.

"Brother, we're indeed fortunate the bulk of the storm passed by above us. Thus far, some twenty-nine are not accounted for, or lay dead. Still, it could have been much, much, worse," Changa said sadly, in anguish.

"Look," Girard shouted, pointing to a tall tree. The tree had gained an adornment, in the form of a horse, hanging from a shattered tree limb which had pierced its side. It was hard to concentrate on any one thing, as all about them had taken on a surreal aspect.

Prince Everin walked up to them, pointing back in the direction they had traveled to enter the valley. "You should come see this."

Donovan, Morgan, and the others, followed Prince Everin, upward to a ridge of the valley. They now stood in a wasteland of shattered trees. The forest, within which the narrow valley had been nestled, had been sheared off at the ground. Twisted and shredded piles of debris dotted the sides of a wide swath of destruction, which continued for some distance.

"I've never seen the likes of anything like this before. We must be blessed, to have survived the devil-winds which caused this. Had, we been camped up here instead, Bemenah would have gotten all of us," Sir Alfred said, puffing on his pipe.

"Only by the grace of Elliana, did we escape Bemenah's evil. The dark one grows more desperate, day by day," Aberith commented to one and all.

Morgan looked up and saw Celete walking towards them, obviously excited about something, from the look upon her face.

"I'm glad, you managed to survive the storm," Donovan said with a smile.

"Not from the lack of Bemenah trying, I assure you. Four Dreena, are unaccounted for. Lucky for us, we decided last night to camp some distance away; this time, old habits helped save us from suffering more losses. We found your horses, which had ran off, they are grazing peacefully in a meadow, about a half mile from here," Celete said, smiling.

"I will send some men, to gather them up. They are well-trained animals and should present no problem," Prince Everin commented and immediately strode over to five mounted heavy knights, who soon disappeared, following a wolf into the distance.

"We should finish searching for everyone and everything we can salvage from this mess. Bemenah has delayed us long enough. We need to continue on to the sanctuary, as soon as possible," Donovan said with a sigh. "I'm getting a headache."

Shortly past noon, everyone stood quietly, in front of three rows of mounds before them, made of fresh turned earth and stone. Thirty-one men had died from the storm. Two of them, had died of their injuries, no more than an hour ago.

Prince Everin stood silently for a moment with bowed head and raised it, looking at all of them. "We thank you, Great Mother, for this world you have given us. We ask you to accept our friends who have fallen, and through your tender mercy and love, may they be granted eternal peace. May your light illuminate every shadow, may our vengeance be complete," Prince Everin said solemnly.

It had now been six days since the storm. For each of the five previous days, the sun had shone down mercilessly, baking everyone and everything else beneath it. Today was promising to be more of the same. Not even a breeze presented itself, to alleviate their pain and suffering. Only the setting of the sun offered any relief, much to the joy of everyone involved.

"Everyone—stop!" a voice commanded.

Donovan noted Brenna was sitting upright in her saddle, with her head turned. She appeared to be listening to something, although the he could hear nothing, save for the sound of the horses.

Etony, suddenly turned her head in the same direction also.

"Someone over this hill, is being attacked and they are being slaughtered. We must help them," Brenna yelled, while motioning to them with her hand. The Neeri led them in a full gallop up the hillside, to a ridge which overlooked an immense meadow, surrounded by forest.

Donovan saw dark forms lying still in the grass. As many as thirty mounted figures, fought bravely, against a much larger force of Kang and Nyen. Above them, two riders upon gleaming golden winged mounts, were repeatedly diving toward the enemy, shooting at them with arrows.

"They will not last long, without help," Donovan reasoned. Above them, Nadu dove repeatedly at the enemy, as if on suicide runs. What the perky, small flying lizard lacked in size, he made up for in sheer courage.

Prince Everin led the charge across the meadow, where they slammed into the flank of the enemy force. Their attack caught their foes unawares, creating an enormous advantage. The mounted Nyen and Kang's position, began to collapse, before the superior numbers of the concerted charge.

Without pausing, Donovan charged a Kang wielding a hand axe. In a flurry of blows, the Kang sought to hammer his defenses down. The Kang slowed, providing an opening. Quickly, Prince Donovan thrust his blade deeply, into his opponent's burly chest. The Kang gave a cough and fell side-ways from his horse, while exhaling a spray of crimson.

Mounted archers and crossbowmen unleashed a withering attack upon the enemy riders. Screams filled the air, as many fell from their horses, with arrows and bolts sticking out of their bodies. Now, the entire enemy position was in disarray.

The sound of power being unleashed, filled the air, making Donovan search for its source. Brenna stood beside a woman, who was slowly managing to stand once more. She faced two individuals which were obviously Dark Binders, who were mounted upon coal black steeds.

The Neeri raised her staff and spoke words the princess could not hear. In the next moment, both the riders and their mounts were struck by something unseen, causing them to crash heavily onto the ground.

The stricken woman, managed to finally stand upright, beside Brenna. She was lean, with black hair which hung in long braided locks. With a wide white smile, she shouted something, while weaving her staff in the air. Small swirls of multi-colored light raced to impact a group of riders, charging at them. Each swirl unleashed a blossom of fire which engulfed the riders in a cloud of raging flames.

Brenna faced off once more against the two Dark Binders, who were in the process of dusting themselves off. Donovan noted her eyes now glowed silvery-blue in color, and knew from experience, what this meant. Her stance and manner spoke of growing confidence, as she took a step towards the dark mages.

"Long has your Master sought me! Your dark brothers and sisters have hunted me, since the foul one first discovered my existence. I still stand and each day my power is growing. Stay and perish or flee and live a while longer."

The air, beside Brenna gleamed for an instant and became Aberith, holding his staff. Gone was the peaceful, friendly look. It had instead been replaced by one prepared to do battle, with absolute confidence in his ability.

"Go back to the grave, whence you were summoned from. Both of you smell of maggots and moldering. Away, I say!" Aberith shouted.

"I believe an introduction is in order. I am Selt, and this is my sister Anarta. It seems you have us at a disadvantage. Do not think it will always be this way, Neeri," Selt hissed, while uttering two quick words. In an instant, Anarta and Selt vanished, leaving the field of battle to the victors.

Without the two Darkbinders, the enemy broke into headlong flight, in the face of an overwhelming attack. Quickly, they raced across the meadow into the trees. In a manner of a few minutes, Donovan could no longer see any sign of them.

Prince Donovan and many others dismounted to ensure the fallen enemy about them was truly dead. The sound of approaching footsteps caused him to look up and face the woman whom Brenna had defended. The stranger slowly approached, tentatively walking towards them. Her clothing was bright yellow and appeared to be made of a light shiny cloth. The leggings and matching doublet appeared much cooler than what Donovan now wore. Fine-stitched leather boots and a slight curved iron sword graced her presence.

Behind her were gathered the survivors of her party, men who were dressed in similar attire, in a variety of colors. Some had as dark a complexion as the one approaching, while others were many shades lighter. All of them held their hands open, with palms openly displayed in a nonthreatening manner, while smiling.

"My name is Zafoo. I am one of the four winds, shapers which lead my people, the Ayuni. My people and I thank you for saving us, we owe you a debt of life. If you had not arrived, we would have been killed by the strange ones. Why, would you risk your lives to save ours?" Zafoo asked, with great intensity.

"The strange ones are our sworn enemy. They wish to kill all which is good upon this land. You needed help and we were able to provide it," Donovan said calmly with a smile.

"The strange ones, sought to force us to their will, like beasts. This, they will never do, while any of us are able to draw a breath. Without freedom, there is no life. The strange ones, are now also, our enemy forever," Zafoo vowed, while slamming the heel of her staff into the ground.

"There are many strange ones, their numbers are beyond counting. They seek to make war upon all of us. If they win, there will be no one who is free. Darkness, will cover this land forever," Donovan said to Zafoo. She listened to him for a moment and nodded silently.

"Perhaps, it is time for our peoples to put aside our differences and join against the strange ones. It is plain to see, the enemy has been pursuing you for some time, for you are upon Chandrian soil. Fear not, we will help you tend to your wounded and dead." Prince Everin said calmly, with a gentle smile.

Zafoo looked at him quietly for a moment. "Yes, we were driven from our encampment, and were attempting to outmaneuver our pursuers to return home. We thank you for your kindness and understanding. I, shall think on this matter with my sisters and we shall see." Zafoo flashed them all a smile.

Approximately, three hours later, both of their parties were ready to part company. The Ayuni dead, were wrapped and tied to horses. For, it was the will of Zafoo, to make sure her people would be buried upon Ayuni soil. During this time, Brenna and others helped tend to the wounded.

"Till, next we meet, sister," Brenna said calmly, with a smile.

"May your journey be swift and safe," Zafoo replied with a grin.

In a thunder of hooves, both parties continued their separate ways. To Donovan, the decision to help had been a simple one. Time would tell if their gesture would bear fruit.

Prince Donovan rode up beside Prince Everin and both began to once more lead their expedition forward. The experience with the dreaded Ayuni, had been a positive one. Perhaps, the journey to the sanctuary would not be as dangerous as previously thought. For a moment, he almost believed it to be true, save for one stubborn fact which always managed to pop up—reality.

"Till next we meet, Sister? What did you mean?" Changa asked. He retrieved his water skin and took a long drink.

"I am not sure myself. Everywhere we turn, there seems to be danger, still we have managed to survive. The Great Mother, Elliana, has weaved a complex design, of which she only allows us to see mere glimpses," Brenna said with a smile.

"Our futures are held within a puzzle box and only Elliana has the Key," Donovan said. His comment brought on a round of laughter, yet he had never been more truthful.