The Storm Breaks
Nerini stood at the edge of camp, going over it one more time to make sure no one could be seen. As she was doing so, Maduran strode up, leading 20 hard men, whose faces all bore scars from previous battles. Nerini didn't take her eyes off the surroundings when they approached. Yet as they stopped 10 paces away from her, she spoke as if to herself. "I wonder why 20 good men who are supposed to be at their posts are here with my newly made second-in-command. If they are still here by the time I count to 20- one second for each of them, then some heads WILL be rolling. One." Maduran spoke hastily.
"Commander, these men volunteered personally to guard your back against the trollocs and Myrddraal when you are busy with the Dreadlord." Nerini didn't stop, or even slow down. "Nerini, they would trust you with their souls!" And yet again Nerini didn't even slow down. Maduran sighed. "Nerini, they respect you more than the creator himself." His commander faltered, then steadied. Maduran was getting tired of this. He grabbed Nerini roughly by the shoulders and spun her so she faced him. "Nerini. I love you, and if anything at all happened to you that I could've prevented, then I'd hate myself for eternity."
In the silence that followed, you could have heard a pin drop. It was also how Nerini heard the 300 or so shadowspawn that were approaching with speed that was not human. That was what snapped Nerini out of her stupor. "Fine! Go! We have 10 minutes until blood covers everything in this clearing, up to the tops of the trees themselves! GO!"
Maduran wasted no time in gloating over his victory. "Jimmy! Take 9 others and arrange yourselves as a fence to this ridge! The other 10, get out your bows! Paul! You head them!" Paul and Jimmy nodded and were soon situated at their assigned posts. Maduran walked up behind Nerini, grabbed her and spun her around gently. "Nerini… Just in case I don't survive, I just wanted to give you this." Leaning down, Maduran kissed Nerini deeply, despite her voilent protestings.
Nerini soon lost herself in the kiss, and regretted it when Maduran pulled away. Regret shone in his eyes too. Slapping herself mentally, Nerini reminded herself of what was heading right towards them. Grabbing her special whistle that was always around her neck, Nerini blew one long blast, followed by two short ones, signaling they had about four minutes until the Dreadlord and his followers arrived. She dropped down when several echoes met her. Grasping Deathsong by the hilt, she settled down to wait.
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Nerini didn't have to wait long. No longer than 3 minutes passed than when the first trollocs came bellowing into camp. After rooting the tents, they stopped, surprised that no one was there. Nerini chuckled quietly in the back of her mind. /So they didn't know a person got away after their last attack, did they? Good./ After about a fourth of the Lurks charged into camp, the shadowspawn found arrows numbering in the hundreds raining down upon them.
Yelling in surprise, sharp screams of the wounded, and groans from the dieing arose from the trollocs. Many dark clad shapes that were a pincushion of arrows still thrashed. All in all, only about an eigth of the former 150 trollocs survived. It was then Nerini spotted the Dreadlord.
He was standing unconcernedly at the edge of camp, content to wait so he could have a clear view of his enemy. He wore a dark green coat of silk, and from this distance looked to be some lord or other. Nerini snarled. Grabbing saidin was difficult, and the taint made Nerini want to sick up. But now she could see every blade of grass, every leaf on the trees. Hell, she could even see the tiny mail plates that made up trolloc armor! Nerini focused on the Dreadlord. Weaving spirit into a huge… wedge, she jammed it between him and saidin. Binding him in flows of air, she tied off both weaves. Turning to the battle she didn't remember having started, Nerini wove flows of fire and air. A bubble encased a third of the Myrddraal there, and fire erupted within each one. Each air bubble squeezed itself until it popped, and the Myrddraal.
The trollocs kept on fighting. Nerini cursed. Trust the shadowspawn to not have tied their trollocs to the Myrddraal! The Dreadlord must have been enough to keep them in line. Nerini could barely do one more weave. Grabbing Deathsong hard at the hilt, she wove a huge flow of fire. A bar of white lept from her hands, vanishing as soon as it touched a trolloc or Fade, only to reappear again to cut down more.
Nerini could not see, hear, or remember anything except that she must hold onto this weave. Sometimes, a trolloc or Myrddraal would be too tangled up with a human to tell the difference. The human went with the shadow creatures. Soon Nerini dropped the weave from exhaustion. Letting saidin go was more like pushing it away. She stood up, and her legs trembled. She firmed them unconsciously and turned around to go help her troops. She found herself face to face with a Fade. She had time for one startled yelp before a blade slashed through it's belly and cut up, effiectively splitting it in half. Maduran pulled his blade free and rushed over to her.
"Nerini! What's wrong?" Nerini looked at him through eyes slightly glazed. Maduran growled at her. "How can I help if you won't tell me?" She just shook her head.
"I cannot… channel any… more… I am… sorry…" Nerini finally let darkness take her and sank into oblivion.
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Okay, sorry that was so short but I have not had any time to work on it. Review! Oh, and I won't put up the next chapter until I have at least 10 reviews. Otherwise I'll discontinue the fic.
Nerini stood at the edge of camp, going over it one more time to make sure no one could be seen. As she was doing so, Maduran strode up, leading 20 hard men, whose faces all bore scars from previous battles. Nerini didn't take her eyes off the surroundings when they approached. Yet as they stopped 10 paces away from her, she spoke as if to herself. "I wonder why 20 good men who are supposed to be at their posts are here with my newly made second-in-command. If they are still here by the time I count to 20- one second for each of them, then some heads WILL be rolling. One." Maduran spoke hastily.
"Commander, these men volunteered personally to guard your back against the trollocs and Myrddraal when you are busy with the Dreadlord." Nerini didn't stop, or even slow down. "Nerini, they would trust you with their souls!" And yet again Nerini didn't even slow down. Maduran sighed. "Nerini, they respect you more than the creator himself." His commander faltered, then steadied. Maduran was getting tired of this. He grabbed Nerini roughly by the shoulders and spun her so she faced him. "Nerini. I love you, and if anything at all happened to you that I could've prevented, then I'd hate myself for eternity."
In the silence that followed, you could have heard a pin drop. It was also how Nerini heard the 300 or so shadowspawn that were approaching with speed that was not human. That was what snapped Nerini out of her stupor. "Fine! Go! We have 10 minutes until blood covers everything in this clearing, up to the tops of the trees themselves! GO!"
Maduran wasted no time in gloating over his victory. "Jimmy! Take 9 others and arrange yourselves as a fence to this ridge! The other 10, get out your bows! Paul! You head them!" Paul and Jimmy nodded and were soon situated at their assigned posts. Maduran walked up behind Nerini, grabbed her and spun her around gently. "Nerini… Just in case I don't survive, I just wanted to give you this." Leaning down, Maduran kissed Nerini deeply, despite her voilent protestings.
Nerini soon lost herself in the kiss, and regretted it when Maduran pulled away. Regret shone in his eyes too. Slapping herself mentally, Nerini reminded herself of what was heading right towards them. Grabbing her special whistle that was always around her neck, Nerini blew one long blast, followed by two short ones, signaling they had about four minutes until the Dreadlord and his followers arrived. She dropped down when several echoes met her. Grasping Deathsong by the hilt, she settled down to wait.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Nerini didn't have to wait long. No longer than 3 minutes passed than when the first trollocs came bellowing into camp. After rooting the tents, they stopped, surprised that no one was there. Nerini chuckled quietly in the back of her mind. /So they didn't know a person got away after their last attack, did they? Good./ After about a fourth of the Lurks charged into camp, the shadowspawn found arrows numbering in the hundreds raining down upon them.
Yelling in surprise, sharp screams of the wounded, and groans from the dieing arose from the trollocs. Many dark clad shapes that were a pincushion of arrows still thrashed. All in all, only about an eigth of the former 150 trollocs survived. It was then Nerini spotted the Dreadlord.
He was standing unconcernedly at the edge of camp, content to wait so he could have a clear view of his enemy. He wore a dark green coat of silk, and from this distance looked to be some lord or other. Nerini snarled. Grabbing saidin was difficult, and the taint made Nerini want to sick up. But now she could see every blade of grass, every leaf on the trees. Hell, she could even see the tiny mail plates that made up trolloc armor! Nerini focused on the Dreadlord. Weaving spirit into a huge… wedge, she jammed it between him and saidin. Binding him in flows of air, she tied off both weaves. Turning to the battle she didn't remember having started, Nerini wove flows of fire and air. A bubble encased a third of the Myrddraal there, and fire erupted within each one. Each air bubble squeezed itself until it popped, and the Myrddraal.
The trollocs kept on fighting. Nerini cursed. Trust the shadowspawn to not have tied their trollocs to the Myrddraal! The Dreadlord must have been enough to keep them in line. Nerini could barely do one more weave. Grabbing Deathsong hard at the hilt, she wove a huge flow of fire. A bar of white lept from her hands, vanishing as soon as it touched a trolloc or Fade, only to reappear again to cut down more.
Nerini could not see, hear, or remember anything except that she must hold onto this weave. Sometimes, a trolloc or Myrddraal would be too tangled up with a human to tell the difference. The human went with the shadow creatures. Soon Nerini dropped the weave from exhaustion. Letting saidin go was more like pushing it away. She stood up, and her legs trembled. She firmed them unconsciously and turned around to go help her troops. She found herself face to face with a Fade. She had time for one startled yelp before a blade slashed through it's belly and cut up, effiectively splitting it in half. Maduran pulled his blade free and rushed over to her.
"Nerini! What's wrong?" Nerini looked at him through eyes slightly glazed. Maduran growled at her. "How can I help if you won't tell me?" She just shook her head.
"I cannot… channel any… more… I am… sorry…" Nerini finally let darkness take her and sank into oblivion.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Okay, sorry that was so short but I have not had any time to work on it. Review! Oh, and I won't put up the next chapter until I have at least 10 reviews. Otherwise I'll discontinue the fic.