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They were almost a day’s march from the outpost where the other half of this small band of rescuers waited and the foursome was struggling to keep their heads up. The news from the scouts in Osto had been disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. They had lost the element of surprise, but then, had they ever really had it? Samara could not have thought they would not come; she was far too clever for that. Now the four of them were forced to trek through a canyon, not a preferred route, but to take the highland would have been suicide... they’d be spotted in seconds if a scout from Samara’s camp came anywhere close.
Ild’ashi had to admit, she’d had grown spoiled in a land of sunlight, mother oaks, green things and blue sky. Horses were a luxury she’d grown to like as well, and she’d very much like to have her mount at the moment. She was starting to feel it, the depression of this place was setting in, felt the sky and ground closing in on her, she was going to be swallowed in Tenobrous and she knew it. Another problem was setting in; the Ranger was suffering insomnia and dreamt of rain and morning sun when she did sleep. Her skin had been crawling for hours now, and the Tenobrous born S’Hean had begun to suspect it wasn’t just the lack of sun and clean water.
“M’Lady?” Ash muttered, and tapped An’Thaya on the back, her fingers marking out an ancient battle language, one developed here in Tenobrous where comrades were sometimes close enough to touch, but could not see one another and could not speak lest they give away their position.
We are being watched and followed...
The sound of a single stone clattering down the shale face of the canyon to their left caught her attention, and bi-colored eyes darted to the rocks above. Another series of taps danced across her princess’s shoulder blades,
We are not alone...
Above them, behind stunted, shabby trees and the green-black shadows, the yellow pig-like eyes of an Uruk-hai flicked to another that crouched beside it. His thumb with its talon like nail dragged slowly across its throat in a universal symbol that someone was about to die. A shame for the one that had loosed the stone from its foundations that it meant him. A wickedly curved, crudely forged but deadly strong blade darted out, caught the careless one in the kidney while another massive, black-skinned hand covered its mouth to muffle the squealing as he twisted the blade. As the light dimmed from the other’s eyes, the death dealer caught it by its battle harness, and cast it down the face of the canyon, where it slammed into one of the elf-spawn, pinning it to the canyon floor.
A howl of glee went up, and as one, the massive warriors revealed themselves, drew their weapons, and charged the three standing travelers, their sole target the one with hair that shone like spun gold...Galain Alcarin.
Tay was jolted and thrown sideways as Ash went down beneath the dead beast. The dagger she had drawn flew from half-frozen fingers, landing with a clatter on the floor of the rocky canyon. Panic had seized her… they were as good as dead, horribly outnumbered and in foreign terrain.
“Galain!” Blocked from her husband by two massive Uruk-hai the Amazon shrieked in rage, one dagger releasing from its sheath at her hip, another from her boot as she brought up her leg and ground the heel into one of the creature’s groin. Peripherally she was aware of Adarin, panicked questions in her mind that she had no time to answer… and deeper down, the Crimson dragon awakening. The dagger and rose on her bicep was burning, emitting a soft glow in the green mists, and the new Blackthorn dragon on her lower back writhed painfully.
Not now… Not now… Uruk-hai… Black blood was already running freely down her wrists as she dispatched the first of her attackers, though a sudden pain in her scalp and boots leaving the safety of the ground sent off an alarm. Twisting, her crimson locks caught in the second beast’s grip, she kicked out at him viciously before carving at the arm holding her suspended. Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement… a flash of black hair and blood red eyes…
Samara…
There was music… a voice on one hand so sweet and pure it broke the heart, and on the other, dripped with lust and venom, chilling the soul. The presence of the Demoness clicked in An’Thaya’s head and her struggles turned frantic.
“No! No! You can’t have him! You BITCH!!!”
Galain’s own world was spinning. One moment hunched over as he thought about the disappointment over the lack of news and the frustration all were feeling. They simply had to find the children. The next moment he was spinning about, barely getting his weapon out to ward off heavy forms that bore him forward.
Gods! Don’t wait on me! he sent frantically, feeling Tay’s rage and anger and trying not to transmit his own panic too heavily to either she or Ghetsuhm. He was confused by what was happening and struck out wildly, exulting when one of his attackers screeched with pain. He was not so exultant when he saw how Tay was being held and he bellowed with anger, his mind going blank with rage. It hadn’t quite clicked with him yet.
Primal fear had taken over the Amazon, and it wasn’t for herself. Having her nephews taken by the Demoness was one thing… the thought of her sinking those claws into her husband sent Tay into hysterics. “Look out! Galain run!” Crimson scales shot out in s scattering of ruby glints across the Amazon’s skin, Agaru’s rage rising against the treatment her skinwalker was receiving at the hands of her attacker. Yet, before she could emerge, one massive gauntleted fist slammed into the side of the redheads face, taking her across the eye and slashing open the skin.
The world spun… and she struggled to stay awake, desperation pumping adrenaline through her veins. Galain…
The Uruk-hai grunted, then tossed the unconscious Amazon aside, advancing on Galain himself.
“Bring him to me,” Samara demanded in a sibilant hiss, “not you, finish what you started,” she pointed at An’Thaya, “Kill her.” The massive brute paused, nostrils flaring for a moment, beady eyes focused on the Elen as several of comrades moved to seize him. A leer didn’t do much to improve its looks as the black skinned beast turned and drew a knife, moving to do its Mistress’ bidding.
Shadow snarled and stepped in front of the stinking beast. “That’s my sister you bastard.” The forest elf lashed out with one booted foot, catching him square in the chest and sending him staggering backwards. Her eyes flickered briefly to Galain, then to Samara, causing her lip to curl up. Anger and hatred roared up inside her, turning the forest elf’s forest green eyes to black as she lashed out at the Uruk-hai.
The savageness that ran in her blood kicked in as she fought to defend the only thing that registered in her mind right then…family. Shadow forced the beast into a deadly waltz as she toyed with it in a demented game of cat and mouse. It took a minute for her to realize that the Uruk-hai had cut a slice across her cheek, the new warmth flowing freely down her copper cheek.
“Time to change partners…” She hissed as she shifted into shadow and stepped into the creature, ripping it apart from the inside out.
Ild’ashi’s world had turned black after a brilliant explosion of red and gold. The Uruk that had her pinned was slowly crushing the life from her, and she struggled to breathe, and only found herself gagging at the smell of the beast. Dark fingers clawed at the monster, and slipped across its dirty skin, its own blood making it slick and impossible to get a grip on. Panic flooded her veins with fear and newfound strength as the sounds of battle and terror managed to float through the rushing of her own pulse in her ears. Sweet Arminiea help me...
If the goddess heard, Ild’ashi couldn’t be certain, but one moment she was pinned, the next free. Bi-colored eyes flickered open as fresh air flooded her lungs, then went wide. Tenobrous was full of twisted horrors, and no world was without carrion eaters. Screaming shadows ripped free from the canyon walls and snatched up bleeding Uruk-hai, enfolded them in their darkness and pulled them away. Feeder tendrils sucked blood from the shale and sand floor of the canyon, then stretched out whisps of gray, seeking motionless, cooling bodies.
MOVE ASH...MOVE! She kept screaming, but her body refused to move. One shadow kept looming closer and from it, glowed a pair of noxious green eyes, surreal and translucent. These were not shadows like the elf that had just ripped the Uruk apart...these were something else...
Pain lanced up her leg, the first sensation that she could feel as ghostly darkness wrapped around her foot, then released her...her body was still too warm, too alive...and Ash gasped out a sigh of thanks to the gods. Fingers began scrabbling at the loose soil and gravel, and the Ranger’s legs finally began to twitch. Grunting in pain, Ash dragged herself to her feet and stumbled to An’Thaya, her longknife drawn in one hand and an uruk blade in the other.
“An’Thaya...M’Lady...You must get to your feet or Galain is lost forever...” Ash’s words were cut off by the roar of yet another Uruk, and anger shook the S’Hean’s body. “FILTHY ABOMINATIONS!” Agony screamed along her nerves, broken ribs caused her breath to catch in stitches and gasps...but the Ranger launched herself into the fight, using the pain to feed the adrenaline.
Shadow did not go unrecognized by Samara Mirage. Blood red eyes flared in rage at the sight of the female elf, remembering all to well her banishment from Whispin decades before. She hated her almost as much as she hated Ghetsuhm Riker Alcarin… almost as much as she hated An’Thaya D’Riel Alcarin. All three women had, at some stage of his life, managed to rip Y’Roden from her grasp.
The Amazon’s death would have been immensely satisfying… but Sam was going to have to settle for taking her husband. For the moment…
“Finish them off,” she snarled, a sickly green portal flaring open at her command. “Keep them back.” The Demoness moved closer to Galain, the intensity of her song rising, confusing bonds and hazing the mind.
“GALAIN!” her voice was almost a scream as she fought to fend off Uruk-hai, pushing down the overwhelming feeling that they were reproducing right in front of her face. Shadow snarled and slashed out again, vowing as each stinking body fell that she would carve the Demoness’ heart out. Another snarl escaped her and she retreated back to her companions out of necessity of keeping her head than giving up on trying to get through.
Galain never ran and he deliberately ignored Tay’s cry, refusing to just leave her or the others. Unfortunately that was precisely what Samara apparently wanted, as he stood now, wavering and confused, the Demoness’ song hazing his thoughts and blurring reality. He heard Shadow’s shout and for a moment his mind was cleared. The Elen started, realized he was being hemmed in and he raised his weapon again, striking viciously at the Uruk-hai advancing upon him. He wasn’t going with them without inflicting as much damage as possible. He stumbled as he stepped backward, dangerously close to the open portal and dove away.
“You’ll have to catch me!” he exclaimed, struggling to block out Samara’s mind-numbing song.
That isn’t as difficult as you would like to think, the saccharine sweet tone was a whisper that caressed Galain’s delicately pointed ears as she disappeared from his line of sight. A warm breath tickled across one ear tip, a low laugh creeping across the Elen’s senses. For every man, whether he admits it or not… deep down… wants to be caught…
A crack of lightening in the air above them drew the Demoness’ attention for a moment; reptilian slit eyes darting up to the rent that was tearing open in the darkness. A low hiss expelled upon her breath and she wrapped her arms around the blonde Elf, sinking sharp talons into the bared flesh of his chest. A scream of rage was lost in the sonic boom that accompanied the opening of a portal that had nothing to do with Samara, and she yanked her prize bodily through the sickly green vortex of her own making. The opening slammed shut, leaving a small troop of startled Uruk-hai staring after her.
He’d taken the waiting as long as he could. Rage flowed freely in his blood, narrowing his vision and numbing the cold that constantly ate at his soul. Whispers seemed to slide from shadows, calling him by his true name...Araxxxxmarrr...she’s ours...your Agaru, your bondmate.... Glowing topaz eyes seemed to overwhelm the green murk, and he’d risen from the fire, ignored Yarwin’s shouts for him to stay put, and in seconds, a mighty Black had leapt into the air, his claymore clattering to the stone as it fell from fingers turned talons. He’d not walk that path again; the path of Madness, and Agaru would not be theirs.
Onyx wings swirled the ever-drifting mists in the downdraft, the watch-fires flickered, sent sparks dancing after the dragon’s tail, then the gloom had ripped open, electric flickers illuminated the rift as the skies of Tenobrous both screamed defiance of the forced portal, and at the same time, invited the one who’d once walked the paths of night. This was no gentle working of Silver magic Callan worked; it was a raping of the elements in true Black Dragon form, but Tenobrous was an ever-shifting place, full of trickery and deceit. False exits beckoned the Emperor, temptations to undo past wrongs, to re-live the many games of lust and blood, caressing, sensual shadows curled around his body in this place between here and there, all of them appealing to the Black and Silver in him, but the Rage had his focus purely on the Crimson soul that was his beacon.
Directly over the canyon a rending scream of splitting air shook the shale walls; the Black appeared just as Samara’s portal slammed shut, trailing fingers of brilliant electricity crackling off his scales and striking the highest points of contact over the landscape. From above, the sound of the dragon’s firelung filling with oxygen announced their fate to the abandoned Uruk-hai, some of which tried to run, others intent on doing as much damage as they could before being incinerated. In seconds, a flowing gout of liquid white flame rolled out of Araxmarr’s jaws, then vanished in a wavering of dancing heat waves.
On the ground, those brave enough to stand and watch began to chuckle, albeit uneasily as the dragon’s flame was snuffed by the mists, but the laughter soon began to die as one by one, their eyes grew wide. They were burning from the inside out; their skin collapsing and smoking as flames began to chew holes in blackened, filthy flesh. Whisps of smoke lifted into the air, and through the haze of green and stench of Uruk, Callan Blackthorn dropped to the rock floor of the canyon, his half-Elven frame rising from the crouch he’d landed in.
“What the HELL happened here? Where is Galain? Agaru?” Topaz eyes narrowed as he snatched a remaining, smoldering, gasping Uruk by his topknot and jerked his body off the ground.
“WHERE IS THE ELF?”
The Uruk crumbled into a pile of ash, leaving Callan holding the hair and part of the scalp.
“Son of a bitch! That’s what I hate about that type of DragonFire.” He growled out and tossed the remains into the shadows, which immediately seemed to swallow the hair...literally, then grow still.
“So what the hell happened?” Callan rumbled out as he kicked aside Uruk weapons and other metallic items that hadn’t melted, then strode over to the injured, unconscious An’Thaya. “Skin-walkers...” The word was spat out, but his hands were tender as he picked the Amazon up. She was, after all, Agaru’s elf.
“Agaru?” Callan gently prodded their recently forged bond and breathed a sigh of relief that Agaru at least was fine, though An’Thaya’s swollen eye and broken bones would no doubt translate to the Crimson.
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