"Normal speaking"
:Mindspeak: (either to avatar or other humans is how demons communicate)
Chapter Twenty-One
The day was as cold as the night and it seemed to never shine, the sun was blocked by towering peaks and this allowed an eerie silence to fall among the group, this caused more despair around them and allowed their hopes and to drown among the sorrows of reality that they would never find Kai.
Radar tried his best to keep the mood as lively as possible but the further they treaded into the gloom of the dark side of the mountain the harder it appeared just to keep thinking positive.
For Rei it seemed as it all hope was lost, his mind just kept on telling him to move on and keep on going with him even doing anything, the world around him was deader then he'd ever thought possible.
The land was barren, rocks pointed up into the sky, dark clouds surrounded them suffocating Tyson as the air became thinner, Max wondered further and further away from the group as he tried to find the water he so desperately needed.
Hilary could not keep her mind open to everything around her, she kept on searching for that link that Kai had built there from the short time they had known each other, she searched for to his face in her mind but only saw a blur, even the Fire Stone that lay against her breast seemed to become lukewarm.
Freefall lifted his head and searched the caves, demons liked caves, hiding and waiting for sometime to attack, ambushing was a specialty like Orcs.
Radar also seemed to look around as if expecting someone to jump onto them and steal everything around them.
Radar saw it first, the glint of steal, he moved towards it slowly and stopped dead as the stench of death hit him hard, everyone moved closer and stopped dead, they thought they'd never see a demon yet but here lay one dead, its skin was being eaten away but insets and its eyes were gauged out of its head, Max, Tyson and
Kenny all turned green and moved away.
"What kind of creatures would kill their own kind?" questioned Radar.
Tala picked up the dagger that had killed the demon by the hilt and scanned it…a looked of surprise and hate washed over his face.
"This is from Tuginda; a human killed this…thing"
"But a human cannot kill a demon with a steal dagger"
"Unless it was a demon" murmured Hilary.
"How would a demon kill a demon using a steal dagger?" asked Tyson
"He would put his energy into the dagger and use that against the other demon" answered Kenny.
Tala and Bryan stared at each other, was it possible that there were demons in Tuginda, the thought of their homes being overrun with bloodthirsty creatures made them visibly sick.
"Do you think he is close, the killer?" asked Kenny
Radar looked around and shook his feathery head, "He is dead, hanged himself over those few rocks, couldn't take the guilt".
"How do you know?" asked Tyson
"I can smell his flesh rotting"
"Oh"
The group moved towards where the dead demon was, he swinged on the pole and was dead to the world.
"Strange no one has seen him?"
"They do not bury those that commit suicide, it is against their nature, but they have been here, the demons, lots of them" said Radar as he looked around for a sign of a human being here.
"Freefall, something is not right, why would a demon kill another demon?"
"Maybe he stole from him, I don't know"
Hilary looked around, Radar was right, something wasn't right, holding on the Fire Stone she moved away from the group, over a few boulders and gasped, because what she saw she never expected.
"They camped here, see how everything is burnt, they had wounded here too, looks like they were moving further towards the edge of the mountains".
"But where are they going?"
"To the ocean, this is the fastest route to the beaches"
"I have a question" said Max measly.
"Yes Max what is your question?"
"You get different types of demons don't you, what are the ones that stayed here?"
"Warriors, born fighters, the demons are getting their armies ready for the wars that will come ahead"
"That's not what I meant, was that demon that we saw dead a warrior demon?"
"No, a scavenger, probably got into a fight over scarps…they feed off the dead"
"Do you think Kai was here?" asked Rei
"Don't know, we'd have to take a closer look at the camps"
"Then let's go"
The albino Halfling stared at the pool of water as he stood in the garden, the cool breeze washed over his face as he lifted his head and stared up into the stars.
Kai had been a resister to his magic and now he was no longer who he thought to be.
The Halfling puzzled Dalvar, he expected to be resisted yes but he did not realize what power resigned in the boys mind.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard on the cobblestones ground, Aldor had walked towards him, the warrior demon looked smart and refreshed from staying there.
:Humans have been sighted at the border: Aldor said without hesitation.
:They're looking for the Halfling, watch them closely, and make sure they don't get to close to the graveyard:
:There are gryphons with them:
:Don't lose them…make sure they are not hurt, we may need them later:
:Sir?:
:Just watch them, do not attack unless they get too close, understood?:
:yes sir:
Dalvar watched as Aldor left and he sighed, why was everything so complicated??
Kai closed his eyes and saw the tree that burnt with flames so great so powerful it scared him, a saw a dark sky and heard screams from all around.
Opening his eyes everything stopped, silence filled the air, he sat on his bed kneeling, he had been meditating on everything that had been happening, it had gone so fast he was still unsure if it all had even happened.
:have you made up your mind Kai?: asked Kaiser
:You mean use my demon powers against those that have scorned me?:
:No and yes, not all demons think the way others do, Dalvar does not wish to force you to change, only I can do that:
Kai felt could feel Kaiser's mind move around impatient on his decision, Kai asked what he thought he should do.
:Help them, do what they ask, and find the girl:
:Hilary?:
:She is close, I can feel the Fire Stone so close:
:Will she find me, who is with her?:
:Everyone, two gryphons, the demons will not allow them to come too close, steer them in another direction:
:So what am I supposed to do, go with Imrhien to Swart Island or go and find the other Guardians?:
:You can do both, tell Dalvar that you will only help if the Guardians are not harmed and brought with:
:You sure he'll allow that?:
:Positive, but you'll have to get to them first…their far to close to the graveyard and may not live:
:What do you mean, what graveyard:
:You ask me what graveyard…but Kai, the graveyard of the dead:
:The dead?:
:Kai, your friends are walking into a death trap:
:I have to help:
:And how are you going to get there exactly?:
Kai looked around and saw the balcony, standing on the ledge he breathed in and out, jumped…
…and flew…
Everyone needed time to get over what the saw in front of them, they had gone through the camp of where the demons had been and found nothing so they moved on.
"I don't like the look of this place, it makes my head hurt"
"And my belly"
"Its smells horrible"
The complaints came from Tyson, Max and Rei and they were all true, very true.
The ground was black and dead, everything seemed to be very much dead, gone, nothing left but skeletons.
Hilary held onto Freefall's neck as they walked on, and came to a cliff, a very steep cliff, there was a bridge that lead to the other side.
It was old and rickety, and swayed from side to side.
"We could fly across" said Radar
"No…the air here is dead, and I am too tired to fly"
"We'll have to cross then"
"Why is the bridge so wide?" asked Bryan
"For other creatures to go across, this bridge looks like it hasn't been used in a long time" answered Radar.
"Let's go" said Tyson.
They began, taking baby steps they held onto the sides, their feet touching the wooden planks that was now the ground.
As Tala moved onto the bridge behind Hilary it swayed, and creaking could be heard, Hilary glanced down and saw nothing but mist.
She gulped and moved on following Rei, never putting their full weight on the planks, they moved slowly.
Halfway across Freefall and Radar who had not yet crossed looked around, Radar heard it first, the sound of a bow being drawn.
"Don't move!" shouted Radar.
Everyone stopped, Hilary placed her foot next to the other on the same plank and heard the wood crack, demons were lining at the other end of the bridge, warriors.
The longer she stayed on the same spot the more the plank creaked and cracked.
Freefall hackles raised talons shown watched in horror as Hilary fell through the plank as finally it gave way under her weight.
"HILARY"
She was falling, that was all she could register, she was falling, she was going to die, this was it, the end.
She was never going to see Kai again…
Rei watched as Freefall jumped over the side and went after her, but he suddenly gasped as another body flew down seconds after Freefall has jumped.
Freefall came closed and closer to Hilary but he was too slow, something moved past him so fast, he gasped when he saw the black wings and human body...
Hilary was screaming, crying, her hands held out above her head for something to grab them to lift her back up.
And something did.
She looked up and she slowed down and saw Kai, concentrating as he carried her to the other side.
Dropping her on the floor she was crying, Kai bent down and hugged her, burying his face in her hair, he almost didn't make it.
Imrhien moved away from the line of defense and came up to Kai and the girl, she held out her sword at him he stood carrying the girl bridal style.
:We leave for Swart Island in two days, me and the humans:
Imrhien nodded and sheathed the swords giving the orders to head back.
Dalvar was not going to like this…
Ta-da!!!
What an exciting chapter, half written at school and half at home that so cool, I had this idea for this chpt for when they meet for weeks and now I'm so glad its happened!!
Thanx: SchoolBoredom, Luna-Chan – Psychodynamic, skyblue101, kaiaurion, Moonlight Serenity, sky d, Lioness Of the fire, Rael-Lirdu, Angelic Kitsune, DancerInTheDark101, nidhi, jellybean-kitty, Nameless Little Girl.