Chapter 11: The Day after War
Lightning rumbled angrily overhead, and the sky lashed out at Ellinia with torrential rain. It slowly flooded the field, churning into a red bloody mess. All around town, the trees shook violently in the wind, which howled through the trees.
Men from Ellinia were rushing out through the storm and into the plains, looking for any signs of survival among the bloody mess. There were indeed some who were lying helplessly among the piles of dead creatures, crying out for help. Those fortunate enough to be spotted would be quickly helped up and brought to Ellinia. Some were greatly injured, and could not stand up. So the men would bring large sheets, and use it as a make-shift stretcher to carry the men off.
"Leiguin! Take charge of the clerics back at Ellinia! Heal the wounded men as quickly as possible!" Hines shouted through the rain. Giving a quick nod, Leiguin ran off. Around him, he saw more injured men being rushed off towards Ellinia.
He saw Elmithir being carried back, and he caught up to the men who were carrying him. He was conscious, but in pain. His skin was peeling, and it burned as the rain poured on his raw flesh. "Quick, get him to Arwen's house! I will look for you later on." Leiguin said, and he continued on his way back to Ellinia, directing the men on where to lay the injured.
All the mortally wounded were taken into the houses, and there they were laid on comfortable beds, and the fairies treated to their wounds. But there were still many injured men, and the rest were laid on thin cloth sheets along the outer wooden platforms. A cleric wound tends to each one, and quickly cast a healing chant on him, before moving to the next. But the winds picked up, and the rain blew in, soaking the men who lay along the walkways. Yet still, the clerics continued with their work, and Leiguin help them where he could.
Heera could hear the men running about around her, helping the wounded back to Ellinia, their shoes sloshing through the muddy grounds. A group of men came up to her, for they had heard her calling for help earlier. But then they saw Kiltan's cold face, lying motionlessly on the ground, with the red bloody waters swirling around his body. Heera was bent silently over him, hugging him tightly and resting her lips on his cheek. Her hands trembled and she sobbed silently.
Bull walked up to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "We knew that there would be casualties. Let us be glad that he died for a great cause. His name will live forever in legends, a great hero of the Second War of Victoria. We will lay him in the Tomb of the Elders. Sadly, he was not the only one to fall. Darlond was also struck down by the Barlog. He will rest besides Kiltan in the tomb. Come; let these men take away their bodies."
Bull helped her up, as they laid his body on a thick wooden slab, and four men lifted him up and began to slowly head off towards Ellinia. Heera looked on as he and Darlond were marched off slowly. But then, she suddenly rushed forward, and grabbed hold of the men who was carrying Kiltan. "Stop! He is not dead! Look, he is still breathing!" She cried out. Indeed, the men looked closely, and they saw a light breathing. But it was ever so mild, that his chest barely lifted as he took in a breath. Bull rushed up, and pressed his ear to Kiltan's chest. "He is alive, but barely! His heart is hardly beating, and his skin is numb and cold. Hurry, bring him to he House of Hines!"
Heera caught up to Darlond, and she quickly felt his chest. "He is also alive! Quick, bring him with Kiltan to Hines!" She told the men. Hearing this, they began to run through the fields towards Ellinia. Bull called Hines and told him of this. Calling together the remaining of the heroes, he raised his staff, and disappeared in a flash of blue light.
"Lay them here!" Hines shouted out to the men, as they brought Kiltan and Darlond in, and rested them on the table. Hines looked over the two, and he too saw little signs of life in them. Their skin was pale and shriveled, like a cold mummified corpse. Heera leaned over Kiltan and touched his cheek. It was cold like ice, and she quickly withdrew her hand, for the chill pricked at her fingers like needles.
"What is wrong with them? This is unlike the injuries of any other men." Heera slowly spoke, and she saw that Hines too was puzzled. The Dark Lord came up and looked closely at their bodies. There were many scratches and cuts over their bodies, but near their lower chest, there was a dark gash that tore through their amour. "I believe it was the attack of the Barlog that struck them down. It is unlike any other wound, for when it attacks, its evil seeps into them, and then it slowly consumes their body. Quick, remove their armor!"
As their armor was unbuckled, Hines could now clearly see the wound that the Barlog inflicted. It was a deep black scar, scratched across their chest. The wound seemed to pulsate slowly, and it was growing outwards, like a horrible black growth. His skin seemed to rot away before their eyes. "The evil power of the Barlog is spilling into their veins and eating their flesh. Against such a terrible force, even I know of no cure." Hines spoke softly, and then he slowly sat in the corner, and his head was bowed.
"No! There has to be a cure for this!" Heera screamed, and she tried to grab a hold of Kiltan. But Bull held her back. "Do not touch him! We do not know of this evil curse that is flowing through him, or what it might do." And he led her to a chair, where she sat and cried. And for a while, her sobs were all that could be heard, for the elders all sat in silence and deep thought.
"If we do not act soon, the wound may kill them. I will call for Sabatrima, he should know of the herbal remedies that might help slow down the infection." Helena said, and she headed out of the house.
"I may not know of a cure for this evil power, but I believe I do know of someone who does. But I highly doubt that she will help us." Hines said softly. "Malady, the evil witch who attacked with the forces of the Barlog, might hold the answers to this. She knows of its evil ways, and I believe she will know how to cure this. Though many came to attack Ellinia, she is not so reckless as to throw her full force at us. There are more that still remain in the forest." Bull immediately spoke up. "That is insane! That outcast woman of evil sorcery, who betrayed us all by practicing in the dark arts, and you expect us to ask her for aid?" Hines looked up calmly at Bull. "What more choices do we have?"
"What do we owe her that will persuade her to help us? Even if we threaten her with death, she will simply laugh in our face. She has made many clones of herself that hide all over the forest, and we cannot find them all. Kill one, and many more will fill her place." The Dark Lord said.
"If she helps us, we will break her free of her evil prison. She was corrupted not by her own will, but by the influences of the Barlog when it met her during the pillage of Ellinia in the First War of Victoria. I do not doubt that she wishes to be free from its evil clutches, but she cannot escape it. The only way to cast out the evil force in her mind would be to destroy the Barlog itself." Hines said.
"It is what we have to do. If not, this war will simply be another fruitless battle, much like the First War. Both men and beast were weakened, and they slowly built up their forces to face their enemies again. We cannot give the Barlog another chance to strike us down. This time, we must destroy the Barlog forever. But we cannot do it with the loss of two great men. Tell that to Malady, and we can only hope that she trusts us. This is a dangerous task, but if it succeeds, then we will gain a powerful ally on our side. So who will go and seek out the witch?" And as Hines voice slowly died down, there was dead silence in the room.
"I will go, even if it cost me my life. I will not stay here and watch Kiltan and Darlond die." And with that, she picked up her bow, and swiftly headed to the door. But before she could leave, Helena entered, with Sabatrima following her. "Come back, there is no need for hasty action. You cannot go alone, we still have much to discuss." Hines said, and so she came and sat besides Helena, while Sabatrima walked over to the limp bodies of Kiltan and Darlond, and his face was grim.
He looked closely at the wound. It continued to grow outwards, and nearly covered his stomach. After a moment, Sabatrima spoke up in a deep, raspy voice. "This is not good. I have not seen such things in my life before! I will see what I can do, but I do not guarantee you anything." And so, he sat down and began rummaging through a small leather bag that he was carrying. As he did this, Hines began to further discuss the grave matter with the other elders and heroes. At this time, Leiguin enter the room, soaking wet from the rain, and exhausted.
"Most of the men are ok. Their wounds are healing well, while others are resting under the watchful eye of the fairies." He said. Hines looked pleased, yet his face was still concerned with the matter of setting out to the lair of Malady. "Come Leiguin, you too should know of this." Hines said, and beckoned Leiguin to sit with them. As Leiguin passed the cold bodies of Kiltan and Darlond, he gasped in shock. But the gentle voice of Hines calmed him down, and he peeled his eyes away from them and sat together with the elders.
"Unfortunately, none of the elders can come with you. We have to handle matters in the city. So if you go, only your small group will be able to go. If you wish, you may seek out any others who wish to accompany you, but only if they are willing and fit to face the Malady, for I do not wish to see any more deaths in this battle. If things do not go our way, then you will have to fight your way out, and they must be capable of this. So, who among you will go on this journey?" Hines said. And almost immediately, all the seven remaining heroes stood up. Heera and Ignatius, the two archers, Lazarus and Benovan the warriors, Leiguin and Amelia the mages and Cassandra the bandit, would all go.
Hines nodded, and together with the other elders, he cast his final blessings on them, and then bid them farewell. Bull and Helena followed the group out the house, and down the central tree. All around them, they could still see the wounded lying around, unable to rest in the heavy wind and rain. Diluted blood and rainwater trickled down from the platforms, washed away in the rain. As the group continued to descend, they passed the western side, and now there was a large opening where one of the trees used to stand. The ladders that used to link the other trees to it now hung loosely and rattled in the wind. Far below, the great tree lay silently on the plains; the houses that were built into it now smashed into nothing more then broken shards of wood.
"How do we know where to find the Malady's?" Benovan asked, just as they reached the ground, and began to walk off to the south. Heera replied, "When they attacked, I saw them rising up from the forest. I can roughly remember where it was, so that should be where they are hiding. I have heard stories from some reckless adventurers had gone into the deep parts of the jungle, and a few have stumbled across some of the hideouts of the Malady's, and some have managed to escape before being spotted. When I asked where they had seen these hideouts, they all pointed me to a deep part of the forest, to the eastern corners of the southern roadway. It might take some time to find them, but time we do not have. Hurry, we must make haste!" And so Cassandra blessed them all with the hastiness of thieves, and they ran lightly over the plains, and into the forest.
No longer were they surrounded by the lush magical greenery of the Ellinia forest. The southern road was covered by the many dead bodies of the tauromacis, and the trees that once lined the roadway now lay smashed on the ground. As the lightning flashed about overhead, the trees cast long shadows that slowly faded into darkness. High above them, the loud splatter of rain on the canopy echoed in the dark woods. Leiguin raised his staff, and it shone with holy light. Slowly, they stepped off the roadway, and entered the forest.
No one knew how long they walked. They could not tell the time, for in here, sunlight never shone Darkness dwelled silently in these lands, and consumed all who entered. But now, it was cast aside as the powerful light of Leiguin shone through the forest. They walked silently together, staying within the light that Leiguin held. All around them was darkness, and nothing could be seen in the gloom. Overhead, the pattering of raindrops and stopped, and all was now silent. Looking to the ground where the light shone, Heera could see no grass, but instead it was simply bare ground, hard and rough.
Quietly, Leiguin spoke. "Are we still going in the right direction? I tried my best to keep straight, but I do not know where we are now." And so, the group stopped, and all was silent. "I believe we are close, which is if we were walking in the correct direction." Heera replied. "Come on, we must press forward." And so, they continued walking.
Even though they could not see anything around them, they could still feel a watchful glaze looking at them through the darkness. Heera pulled out an arrow and held it loosely in her bow, but she did not dare to shoot. Leiguin gave a small shout as he tripped forward, and his staff fell from his hand. Quickly, he picked it back up and hobbled back to the group, and shone the light at what he had tripped over. They looked grimly as they saw the rotten corpse of a man. His skin was shriveled up and stretched over his boney hands. He lay outstretched over the ground, his mouth wide open in a silent scream, his sword still lying at his side. "We are close to the lair of Malady." Heera said, turning her eyes away from the sight before her.
And at that moment, a shrill laugh broke through the deep gloom, and the group of people immediately drew their weapons and faced outwards in a circle. But they could not tell where the laugh came from, for it seemed to echo through the forest, surrounding them in its evil mocking cry. "Malady, we know it is you! Come out, we wish to speak!" Leiguin shouted.
"What do you wish to speak of? What do you have to say that will stop me from killing you? You are no longer in the safety of your pathetic tree house. Now, you are in my domain." And from the deep shadows, Malady appeared. The light barely shone on her face, and all they could see was her wrinkled chin, hooded by a tall hat. More rustles came from the sides, and slowly, more Malady's came out, and they surrounded the group. The light from Leiguin's staff began to dim, as the dark grip of Malady tightened on his magical powers.
"We have come here to make a deal with you. You know of the ways of the Barlog, and now we seek your help to heal our wounded. Two of our great men have been struck by the Barlog. If you help us, we will help you too, for if they are well again, they will come with us, and we will march forward to the Sanctuary of the beast, and we will slay the Barlog, and his evil hold on you will be gone. So, what you do say?" Leiguin spoke. For a moment, she stared silently back at him from under her hat. Then, she slowly began to laugh, a deep raspy cackle.
"What makes you think I want to go back to human life? It was you people who cast me aside, treated me as an outcast. Why should I trust you?" She croaked. Her voice was cold, and it chilled to their bones. "And now, you will not leave." She said, and she began to walk up to them.
But Heera stepped forward before she could come closer. "Is this what you really wish? Do you intend to stay here forever, feasting on the dead bodies of a lone wanderer, being the puppet of the Barlog? When it defeats all men, what care will it show for you? Have you forgotten all your feelings of mortal life, not tied down by the burdens of darkness? If you wish, you can take my life, for I will have no life without the one I love. Do you not remember this feeling, of happiness and joy in your heart? Not all is evil in this world."
The Malady stopped, and she looked up at Heera. And for once, she could see her in the eyes. But they were not clouded with evil as she had believed, instead they were scarred with pain and suffering. "My husband was slain by the Barlog in the First War. I wished to destroy that terrible beast, but I was only a young mage, and I could do little. So I practiced in the dark arts, hoping it will give me power and strength to face it in battle. Little did I know that through this practice that I intended to use against it would be turned against me, and the Barlog would use it to control me. I hide here in hope that it will not come into my mind any longer, but I cannot escape it. Its thoughts cloud my mind, and I have no freedom. If you slay the Barlog, I too will die, for it is a part of me now. I would have died nearly a century ago, but the Barlog has given me prolonged life, so that I may be twisted to do its bidding. But it does not know of the will of men. I seek vengeance for my husband, and so I will help you, even if I have to die."
"And so if you are to die, you will die victorious. Come, we have little time to spare." Heera said. And so, with her broom in one hand, she followed the group, and they began to head back to Ellinia. Around her, the other Malady's stood silently and watched. They knew their time was over, but their will would be fulfilled, and so they faded back into the darkness, and never were seen again.
The Malady knew her way through the forest, and she led them towards Ellinia. Old and weak she seemed, but she walked with great speed and stamina. Soon, they saw light ahead of them, and they came out into the Ellinia plains. The rain had stopped, and they realized it was night. Ellinia was glowing with magical light once again, and men were busy fixing damages to the town. Over the plains below, the many dead bodies were still littered on the ground. They were to be cleared in the morning. There were too many bodies to be burned, and so they would drag them off to the eastern cliffs and toss them into the sea. And all the men who had died would be buried in a large grave along the western plains.
The Malady looked at the town in its splendor, and for a moment she stopped to gaze upon it. "I have forgotten this sight. When I saw the city this morning, the influence of the Barlog was in my mind, and it told me to kill every single human. But now, I do not hear him. Its will is weakened, and it is hurt. It mopes silently in its sanctuary, mending its wounds, but it is angered, and wishes to strike again. It is relentless, and will attack till it gets what it wants. But until that time arises again, my mind is cleared, and I am not burdened by it. Come, we must hurry."
So, the group stepped through the fields of carcasses. From high above the trees, there came a warning shout. Quickly, many men came out to the platforms and drew their bows. As the group continued to approach, a man shouted out, "Who approaches the city of Ellinia?" And Leiguin replied, "It is us, the group who was sent out earlier this day to seek the help of Malady. We have returned with her. All is well." The men lowered their bows, and the group entered Ellinia.
The Malady walked at the front of the group. As she approached the central tree, she stopped and looked around her again. She saw the injured, now trying to get up. There were young men who were mending the damaged houses. And the western tree, lying across the plains, struck down by the Barlog. Nothing could be done about it, for the tree had died, and would forever lie there as a symbol of the power of the Barlog, but also as a reminder of the Second War of Victoria, and of the victorious men. Ropes were being tossed between the two trees that stood besides the fallen tree, and the men were starting to construct a new bridge across it.
The sound of hammering and loud chattering slowly died down, as people stopped their work and looked at the small group below, with the witch standing with them. Malady looked up at them, and they no longer felt an evil aura about her. Leiguin looked at all the people, and he raised his hands in a sign that she came peacefully. Slowly, the men returned to their work, but ever so often, they would cast a quick glance at her. Few could trust that their enemy would return again, but this time to aid them.
They began to ascend the central tree. As they walked up higher above the uppermost branches of the other trees, Malady looked out to the west, and she saw the Great Tree of Victoria. It was dark and shadowed in the night. It still stood as the entrances to the Sanctuary of the Barlog. "So, do you intend to march up to that tree, its stronghold, and destroy the Barlog that lurks within the dark caverns beneath?" She asked the group.
"We have not yet discussed this matter. But it is certain that by any possible means, we have to destroy the Barlog now, before it is given the chance to rise again." Leiguin replied. Turning her head away from the tree, she continued upwards, and reached the uppermost platform. Before her was the shining white House of Hines.
"It was the father of Hines, Haldur, who cast me out of Ellinia. The Barlog had always willed me to seek revenge on him by killing his son. But no, its will no longer lingers in my mind, and now I can see clearly for the first time in many years. If he will accept me willingly, then I will lend you all the help that you need." Malady said. And so, she walked forward, and entered the magical house.