Chapter Sixteen: Lord Delryn
Southern de'Arnise lands, 7 Hammer, 1370 DR
Without warning, the vampire jumped through the air, drawing two thin black dirks from her boots. Keldorn issued a quick prayer, and Nalia saw the magical protection from evil surround both he and Anomen.
Carsomyr flashed through the air- there was a shiver of magic as the black blades turned the holy avenger aside. The vampire kicked out with her foot, but Keldorn narrowed his eyes and thrashed again with the powerful sword.
The vampire moved back, wary of the sword.
Anomen, meanwhile, was chanting prayers solemnly, his hammer by his side. Having finished the spell, he sent a blast of pure golden light from his hand, striking the vampire directly in the chest. She screamed.
Keldorn swung again with his sword, moving as fast as Nalia remembered. He had killed dragons with those fast, finely honed swings… there was no trace of fear in his eyes, no trace of worry, only a grim determination to defeat the evil of the vampire.
A loud prayer could be heard, coming from Anomen. Holding his hammer above his head, he summoned the magic of Helm, and daylight brimmed into the temple. The vampire hissed, and leapt away from the light, her skin sizzling and smoking. Vainly, she tried to attack again, but Keldorn swung his sword. It hit her directly in the side, and the magical energy bound within the sword lanced through the creature of evil.
Velissa turned to face Nalia, You cannot have these with you all the time, Nalia… I will come for you when you are weak, and you shall fall as easily as you would have fallen today!
Swiftly, the vampire started to melt into mist. Keldorn called, "Anomen, stop her! Use a prayer or something! By Torm, stop her!"
Anomen tried frantically to cast a prayer in time, but with a cruel, icy laugh echoing through the chamber, the dark mist-shape of the vampire soared through the passageways, escaping them.
There was silence for a moment, then Nalia saw with weak eyes Anomen rushing forward to her. Kneeling beside her, he chanted a series of powerful healing spells on her, and Nalia felt her strength returning. Sighing, she stood her legs still slightly shaky. Anomen supported her with his armoured arm. "Nalia, that creature was powerful… I have not seen a vampire like her before…"
Keldorn spoke, "And nor will you again, Anomen, or at least you had best hope not. I recognise her from the documents of my Order. She is one of the most ancient vampires, from a time when Amn was part of the Shoon Empire, ruled by an almighty lich… Nalia, you did well to resist her for as long as you did…"
Nalia muttered, "Not well enough… I think she has killed Andrew and Cernick… or at least done something terrible to them. Quickly, come this way…"
And, hobbling alongside Anomen, she guided them towards the distant altar- somehow, they had moved far away from it during the course of the battle. As they drew closer, Nalia could see Andrew chained to the marble, along with Cernick- both were unconcious. Above them, lying in a sacrificial position, was the young lady Nalia had been told was being tortured.
Anomen cursed, and said, "Keldorn, you support Nalia. I have to heal these people…"
And so saying, he walked closer, snapping off the chains that bound Andrew and Cernick. He chanted multiple healing spells, and Nalia watched with relief as the priest of Chauntea and her Captain of the Guard gradually regained consciousness, their eyelids fluttering as if fighting against exhaustion.
Without pausing, Anomen stood over the woman bound the altar. She was bleeding heavily, and her breath was coming in short, sharp bursts. Nalia didn't think she had long to live. But Anomen placed his hands on either side of her head, and turned his gaze upwards, imploring, "Helm, save her… Helm, bring your power upon her brow, and heal the wounds received in battling evil…"
There were two childish laughs. "He's a silly billy, isn't he, brother?"
From the shadows, the two children stepped. The boy smiled. "Yes he is, sister. He doesn't realise that healing will not work… she is going to die, sister…"
The girl giggled, "Yes, and then she will become one of us…"
Both glared at Nalia. "You scared off the mistress… the mistress of mistress will not be pleased… but it is not time for us to make them pay, is it, brother?"
"No, sister, it is not."
"Should we go, brother? The mistress will want us."
"Yes, sister… let us go…"
They laughed together, and then, just like the vampire, they melted into mist, and escaped through the tunnel. Keldorn stared after them, his face pale. "By the good gods, who could be evil enough to turn innocent children into vampires? Such evil… such debauchery!"
Anomen bowed his head, and removed his hands from the woman's head. "It is no use then. If those creatures have done something like this to her, then there is no way I can help her. Damn them."
Whispering, Nalia said, "Helm cannot help her… perhaps another god can."
Keldorn's head snapped up. "Nalia, Anomen
cannot just switch faiths like that, Kathryn may have been a friend of ours,
but she will not risk Helm's wrath by stealing one of his most powerful
faithful."
Nalia spoke faintly, "I wasn't talking
about Anomen…"
Frowning in puzzlement, Nalia took a step towards the altar, and lay her hands on the woman's stomach. Not fully knowing what to do next, Nalia fixed her eyes on the wounds before her. It had occurred to her, that if Kathryn could aid her escape, then she could aid this woman now.
"Kathryn! Hear my cry, and bless me with your power! Hear me, hear me! Hear me! Your powers are needed in my lands; your music needs must thrill through my veins! My lady of All Song, I beg you, send me your power now!"
She heard Anomen's intake of breath, and Nalia turned to look at the doorway, which was bathed in a light pink glow. Within the pink glow, stood Kathryn, looking as beautiful as she had done in real life, but even more so, if that was possible. Her white hair floated behind her as she walked, and her pink and purple dress shimmered with tiny stars of magic. Her bare feet touched the floor, and where they touched, gleaming multi-coloured light was created.
Her milky-white arms moved slowly as she
walked, walked with an ethereal grace and charm… walked with an innate feeling
of music. Bright eyes of blue stared
at them all with compassion and love, and she said, "Great things have been
done here today… great things… the victory of music over pain, and the
resurgence… of love…"
There was a choked sob, and Nalia turned
to face Anomen, who was kneeling before Kathryn, tears coursing down his
cheeks. The goddess move slowly towards the knight, and gently placed her hand
on his forehead.
"Anomen, my love… you hurt daily… your soul pangs for the touch of my lips upon yours, yet you try and hide me from yourself. So many times I tried to contact you in your sleep, but your heart kept closed, your love turned to stone… your music crushed and buried…"
Anomen shook his head, "Never crushed, Kathryn, never!"
The goddess shook her head slightly, and a single golden tear fell from her face to the floor. Where is struck, golden light started to dance, humming with harmonic vibrations that made Nalia's teeth itch with the power.
"It is as good as crushed, Anomen… all I asked was for you to remain true to our love, and you haven't. Your soul has hardened of late, more so than it was…"
The knight leapt to his feet in a fury. "You asked me to remain true to our love? Kathryn, you left me! You left me for mere power! You told me our love would last forever and look where it is now! Gone!"
Kathryn shook her head, "No. Anomen… I did not
leave your for power, I left you for love. I was given the chance to become a
powerful force for good in the Realms, I was given a chance to help the people
of all the nations fight against despair and evil, against corruption and
terror…"
Anomen nodded, "So you left me behind,
on this sorry rock, our love dashed and broken like ashes and dust!"
Pink light flashed to red, and the goddess made a single gesture. With more golden tears making their slow way down her pale face, Kathryn watched as slowly a red flower formed out of thin air. Nalia frowned. A flower?
The misty, humming voice of Kathryn murmured, and it sounded sad, filled with regret… and love. "My dearest… I remember that day, in the Graveyard… the sun was shining bright, on a new day, when all was seeming right and true, and from a collection of rough black briar, you pulled out this single flower… red, you said, to match our love and passion…" She paused, and still the tears continued to fall. "You see Anomen, I kept it… I kept it in the heavens, and in my stronghold, hundreds of them grow… hundreds, Anomen, so that all gods and their servants may know the strength of our love and commitment that stretches even beyond mortality."
The knight gaped. "My love… I… I am sorry… my love, forgive me, forgive me please? I swear, I will not allow my love to be crushed ever again, ever… that I promise. Even if death's fell grip threatens, I will not turn from you, ever…"
Kathryn sighed. "Anomen, our love will last an eternity, but even now I can see a path for you, even now I know that there will come a time when that promise will be broken. But know this Anomen, and herein is the strength of our love- I do not mind. When you die, your soul can exist forever within our love…"
Anomen nodded, his own tears falling. "I love you, Kathryn."
The goddess smiled. "I know, dearest…"
There was a long silence, with the two looking straight into their eyes. Nalia waited for as long as she could, and then said, "Kathryn… there is a woman here who needs your healing…"
Kathryn smiled. "I know, and she shall be one of my faithful because I heal her. In this way, from pain and torture, comes the music of a new beginning, beautiful in its infinite splendour…"
And the goddess walked, energy floating around her, towards the black altar, and placed her shining hands on the woman's forehead, and called, "Loviatar! Begone from this woman, I send you reeling, Mistress of Pain and Torment! Begone, for it is my will that this woman is my servant, and it is my will that this temple will be mine! For the family of Velissa is mine, so the temple of Velissa shall be mine! Your servant is a relic, and ancient relic with no bearing on my servants, so begone! I cast you out, I bid you gone!"
Above the altar, a massive dark shape appeared, forming into a woman's face. Nalia quailed, seeing the likeness of Loviatar before her. The dark goddess sneered, "I am not weak, Kathryn! You cannot drive me out! Feel the power of pain!"
Blackness flashed around Kathryn.
Nalia flinched at the immense power being unleashed. She watched with held breath as Kathryn was torn at by the blackness. But even when surrounded by the slicing power of pain itself, all Kathryn did was laugh.
Loviatar shrieked, "Stop that, Harpist! Music is no match for pain!"
Kathryn giggled, "Poor Loviatar, are you pissed off?"
The Goddess of Pain and Torment narrowed her eyes, and then roared, "Bah! This is not over, Kathryn! This is not over!"
And with that, the image of Loviatar faded away.
Kathryn, still giggling, unleashed her full power.
Nalia was swept back by a great wind that sang with the thrumming notes of music. The black marble turned to pure white, with flecks of purple and gold, the bloodstains vanished, replaced by plants of red flowers that shimmered with glittering dust…
Everything was different.
Nalia faced the altar, and saw, instead of the nine-tailed whip of Loviatar, the golden harp of Kathryn, but this time, the golden harp was superseded by a brilliant red flower with sharp thorns.
Finally stopping her giggling, Kathryn turned to face them, her voice grave. "My friends, a war is beginning. Amn will be bathed in the blood of good and evil alike. The music will fade against the cacophony of chaos and loss. Remain strong. Do not despair, for I will be with you, and my power shall move each of you along your own path of individual music. Stand firm, my friends… the true test of strength is yet to come."