Chapter 17

The dead awaken

Aliha walked into death the bitter cold of the river greeting her, she gathered souls as a little girl would gather berries or fruits., using the second largest bell on her bandolier to bind them to her will. She smiled at the abundance of the spirits just ready t o be reanimated into shadow and dead hands. She exited death a few moments later and brushed the frost of f her hair and shoulders and smiled evilly at the shadow hands surrounding her, apparently there were not enough bodies around for them to inhabit, but there were a few dead hands scattered maybe five, she had ten shadow hands the equivalent of thirty dead hands. She then set about calling on her wolves…

Kyril watched this from a branch nearby, he made a shrill cry interrupting her casting, she sighed and turned around,

"What do you want?" She asked angrily

"My payment,' He hissed and she nodded throwing him a small bag, he snatched it out of the air and opened it slightly, then nodded.

"Good," He said softly.

"And if you even need a hand, or claw for that matter," He said

"Just give me a call," and with that he flew off to catch up with Araya, Hannah, Arielle, and Kibeth.

Arielle as a red tailed hawk sat there on a branch not far from where Kyril was perched, if she could have cried she would have.

"Traitor," She hissed both angry and hurt; she flapped her wings and rose into the sky to catch up with Kyril.

Aliha stood there for a moment, just a moment the continued with her casting bringing the wolves back to her, built of darkness and fire they howled and waited for an order from their master.

"Go with the Shadow hands," She said to them and they nodded and ran swiftly through the trees after the army of the dead that Aliha had created. She stood watching them exit then she was surrounded in darkness and fire, soon enough she emerged from the vortex of terror as a black dragon with red markings on her claws, maw and feet, looking as if they were always wet with fresh blood. She roared and flapped her mighty wings rising into the sky and searching for her prey.

Kibeth stopped suddenly sending Hannah slamming into her neck,

"Ouch! You could have warned me first!" She said rubbing her head.

"Sorry, Dead Hands, Shadow hands and something else it's foggy. Their coming" She said almost in a trance like state. Araya who had just caught up with them nodded,

"Ill have to abandon this Charter skin, so I can make a diamond of protection." She said and unraveled the skin momentarily surrounded by an aura she jumped down and rubbed her eyes,
"I hate doing that, I always see spots," She said with a forced laugh. She drew her sword and called the cardinal marks, making a diamond on the ground that surrounded the four of them. Araya shifted to a grey gryphon with a black band across her eyes and paced the ground waiting for the attack. Shadow Hands poured upon them dark shapes made of mere shadows, they met the protective shield and sparks flew into the air and shrill cries of the creatures echoed through the forest. Hannah covered her ears as did Araya (with her wing) and Arielle. Kibeth being a horse just whinnied angrily. Then next wave was dead hands, but before the sparks there was the smell, the stench of decayed flesh rolling over on them, Hannah vomited and Araya gagged as did Arielle. Kibeth turned around in disgust,
"Uhh Arielle…..the diamond isn't holding!" She exclaimed and Arielle drew her sword just as it dissipated. She screamed and ran into the chaos slashing at anything within arms reach, but suddenly the dead hands and shadow hands collapsed to the ground, shadow hands returning to death and Dead hands quavering between life and death. Aliha swooped down and with claws outstretched snatched Hannah and Araya off the ground and flew off into the afternoon sky. Arielle looked up and watched the creature fly off and cursed silently for her stupidity.

"I should've known, it was only a distraction." She hissed and kicked a corpse lying near, dust flew into the air and she sneezed.

She re-sheathed her sword and walked around roaming to a tree she drew her sword and slashed wildly at the great oak, taking out all her anger and frustration on that tree. Kibeth trotted over and nudged her,

"There is nothing you could've done" She said softly,

Arielle's hook her head,

"It was my job to protect her, mine and mine alone. I let her down. I let Araya down. I let the whole old kingdom down." She said and let out a cry of rage slamming her sword into the ground and falling to her knees just the sword keeping her up. Kibeth shook her head and pulled the book on Charter magic from the saddlebag and dropped it in Arielle's sight.

"You can still save her," Kibeth said and Arielle stood up and nodded wiping a tear from her eye.
"I know what I must do." She said grimly.