Chapter 11

"It's over, Dreadlord." I said, pointing Shear at him. "You know that without your Silent Prophets you cannot complete the cataclysm you have planned for this world." He was standing in front of a large machine, the likes of which I had never seen before.

"Wrong, dear boy." The Dreadlord smiled a smile full of malice. "The black lightning has already been sent out, and its power supply is in place. Would you like to see it?" With a wave of his hand he exposed part of a giant machine's innards. In a central core was Mavin, who gazed through sightless eyes. Energy surged out of his body in a constant stream. He was still alive, but he couldn't last much longer. In a similar compartment was what remained of Kael-Surd, lying dead and drained of all of his once great power; somehow, that wasn't reassuring. In a separate, not yet activated compartment was Vi, still clutching Rainer.

The Dreadlord looked sorrowfully at Radian. "Ah, Aran, why have you thrown your lot in with this rebel? Here I was thinking that you would be my most trusted lieutenant."

Radian was visibly shaking. It is not easy to throw off in the space of two minutes a loyalty that has been kept for years.

I felt the energy drain from me. I suddenly became powerless. Talon Dreadlord laughed. "Did you really think that you would get a chance to even come within arms reach of me? My power is stronger then any you can think of. I overcame this fool." He gestured towards Mavin. "However, I believe in fair play. If you can kill me, you win. If I can kill you, I win."

"You're wrong, Dreadlord!" I yelled. "Eventually, light will banish darkness from existence."

He eyed me passively. "So you have come so far, and still you understand nothing. What are darkness and light? Can you define them? They can merely be defined in contrast to one another. So without one there can be no other. The world is made up of light and darkness; eliminate one, and the other will cease to exist; at least in the way we think about it".

With that he stepped backwards through a portal, and disappeared as a final word passed to our ears.

"If you wish to take me up on my challenge, you must first stop my apocalypse."

I turned towards the machine. On it was a huge map. Strange lights and flashes went through it. "I have never seen anything like this before." I said, turning helplessly to Radian. "Do you know it?"

"Know it?" Radian responded. "I helped build it. There should be an emergency shutoff switch somewhere, but it's inside the machine. It was originally supposed to be powered by the Silent Prophets, but now we have our friend s inside."

"Vi!" I yelled. "Can you hear me?"

There was a muffled reply. "yes. Can you get me out of here?"

"Okay Vi." Radian took over. "Inside your compartment do you see a trapdoor in the wall?"

"Yes, its there, but it's blocked with black lightning."

"Okay." He stretched out his hands. "Stay back from the opening." His hands seemed to pulse with darkness for a moment, and I heard something shift inside the machine. "How about now?"

"It's gone." Vi's voice sounded a little scared. "Do I go through the opening?"

"Yes." Radian was patient. I could hear Vi moving around in the machine and it was driving me frantic with worry. Suppose she got hurt?

There was a slight yelp from in the colossal machine. "There is a pair of Krul in here, and their guarding something."

"The cutoff switch." Radian muttered. "Do you have a weapon?"

"Yes, but there's no room in here to swing a sword. I also have a knife of Arc's, will that do?"

"Yes it'll do just fine." Radian said calmly. "You know how to throw it, I presume?"

"Vi is the best knife thrower in the world." I said confidently.

"Okay." Radian exuded calmness and confidence. "One of the krul has a red skull instead of the usual black color. Aim for his left eye socket and throw."

We heard a muffled clink, and the sound of a strangled cry. "The other krul ran straight into a bolt of black lightning. What do I do now?"

"Above and to your right there should be a strange keyhole. Can you pick a lock?"

"Of course. How do you think I stole the Coronet Diamond from the guardhouse in Delain?"

"if you pick the lock, it should stop the machine and free yourself and our friends…" He paused. "You stole the Coronet Diamond?"

"You know, I really don't think this is the time for this." I interrupted. I had been looking at the strange map. It changed frequently, and large red circles began spreading from different parts of the land.

"Radian," I called with a feeling of dread, "I think you need to look at this."

I had figured it out: every red circle on the map was a place where the giant black lightning had struck when it had been sent out from the machine. Hundreds of innocents… all dead by the Dreadlord's diabolical scheme. As I watched it covered the cities of Mel-Hale and Mel-Arno, and grew ever closer to Elanor and Kadara. Then Kadara was wiped out, and that left Elanor, Mel-Minas, Cadoria, and Delain. The black lightning circles grew slowly and surely towards the cities.

"Vi, hurry!" I yelled.

"Almost there…" Vi grunted.

Mel-Minas and Cadoria were wiped out.

"One last tumbler…"

Delain was wiped out.

"I'm done!" Vi yelled triumphantly.

I stared. The circles had spread across the ocean and had been almost at the nearby country of Cuerones and Nerubainia. All that was left of Elanor was the western edge, the edge that touched the sea.

An entire nation wiped out by the darkness that had been initiated by the Dreadlord.

"It's not your fault." Radian said to me and Vi as we stared at the map of destruction.

"Your right." I said through teeth that were grinding with anger. The hot, blinding rage of the moment had given way to a slow, cold fury. "It's that bastard of a demon Dreadlord who did this. And I'm going to kill him." I looked at my companions: Vi Nora, the assassin and warrior; Radian Caster, my brother and the Night Wraith; Mavin, the first class mage.

"Mavin," I said in a surprisingly steady voice. "Go to what's left of Elanor and get a ship ready for us. When we return I want to leave this land and never return. Vi, you are going with him. No arguing, just do it."

Surprisingly, Vi did not argue. She simply wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. "I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you Vi." I said. That was enough. We knew that we loved each other, and there would never be any reason for suspicion.

I watched as the wizard and swordswoman rode off towards my hometown.

"And now, Night Angel?" Radian said with a sad smile on his face. "We know what we have to do."

"Yes indeed, Night Wraith." I said with a grim smile of my own. "We go to kill the Dreadlord."

"Together."

"Just like old times."

We turned towards the oscillating portal of darkness, and stepped through.