Chapter 8

A spear appeared out of nowhere and pierced the rider's head from the back. He let out a scream and turned into a green smoke, along with the spear. Lux got to Diana, and looked around. Now that the riders were gone, she could not see a thing. It was pitch dark. She felt the Lunari move under her hands, but could not even tell where her head was. The pain in her chest reappeared all of a sudden, and the young mage felt something burn her skin, crawling from her heart. She looked at her skin and stared, horrified, as the dark veins spread towards her shoulders and stomach. A green glimmer caught her attention. Through her tears, she could see someone walk towards them. Another spirit? It had the same green color as the riders. It was only when the figure was in front of her that Lux recognized Kalista, the Spear of Vengeance.

The undead woman got close, a spear in her hand. "We have been searching for you." she said with her unnatural voice that seemed to belong to several people at once. The same voices Lux had heard before. Thanks to the light coming from the spirit's body, Lux could have a look at Diana. Blood was streaming from a large cut going from the shoulder to the hip. She was still weakly moving. "You have to help her, Kalista." Lux begged battling her own pain "I know we're not supposed to be here, but I'll explain everything to you. You gotta help us. She's dying!" She struggled to take the armor off Diana and opened her shirt. She put her hand on the cut and pressed as hard as she could.

Kalista looked down at Diana and said "She's living this world. We are no healer."

"We have to stop the blood loss!" Lux said, almost ignoring Kalista's useless comment. "Don't you have something to bandage her?"

The spirit crouched and looked at Lux who suddenly felt uncomfortable. Kalista kept silent.

Lux glanced at her, and only realized now that the pain in her chest had gone. Her heart was beating so fast it should have exploded. "Aren't there herbs here, or something to appease the pain?" she asked

"The only living thing in this place is death. Everything growing here is poison.".

Lux's hands were full of blood, as the was pressing against the cut to reduce the bleeding. She could not cover the whole wound though. "Then light a fire here. We can't move"

Not paying attention to her curt tone, Kalista used a small device to light a fire, using the branches of a dead bush.

Lux put Diana's dagger within the flames, and waited for the blade to heat. The Lunari's face was extremely pale, and her eyes were whiter than ever. Lux wanted to cry, but the circumstances did not allow her to give in to her emotions. When the blade was red, Lux took the knife and asked Kalista to hold the Lunari. "It's gonna hurt" the mage said, but Diana could barely hear her. She pressed the blade on the injury. Diana quivered, but not a sound came came from her lips. When it was done, Lux tried to find something to stitch up the cut, but she had no wire, nor needle. Diana was unconscious, and Kalista stood up. Lux wondered why the spirit was staring at her like this.

"We know why you are here, and we will satisfy your need." the Lady of Vengeance said "You need to be quick if you want to make it on time."

"How do you know?" Lux asked. "I heard your voice inside my head, when I needed to find the tunnel."

"You have been linked to our world, and we listen to requests from the world of the living. We were not aware of Fiddlesticks' plans until now. You are slowly becoming like us, a cursed spirit brought back from the dead by the madness of a few beings. We will help you defeat those who betrayed you. Your do not have much time left. Soon they will accomplish the ritual, and you will be overcome by the dark power. We have to move forth."

Lux looked at her. Kalista's story was a legend, just like the Shadow Isles. The young woman turned her gaze to Diana. Her eyes were still completely black, and her skin was as pale as the Lunari's.

"What about her?" she asked Kalista. "I can't leave her here. What if something happens?"

The specter looked towards a small dead tree. "Bring your companion to the roots of this tree" she said. The mage obeyed and dragged Diana where Kalista asked. Kalista put her hand on the trunk and the wood started moving by itself, forming a cocoon around the Lunari. The undead whispered something Lux could not understand. "She will remain here. If she dies, we haven ensured that her spirit will not become a servant of death." Lux stared at the trunk, holding back her fear.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked Kalista as they were walking downhill.

"We do not help, we serve one's vengeance. We heard your wish, deep within your heart."

"What wish?" Lux snapped her "I have no wish of vengeance!".

"You have been betrayed by the scarecrow, and we feel your need of revenge on him, even if you do not know it yourself. Furthermore, creating an immortal creature using a dark ritual is something we must not allow."

Lux shivered, certain that the spirit could read her mind, since she hadn't given any information about the ritual. They reached a giant crack which was tearing the land. Lux stopped at the edge, wondering where they were going, and how they were going to cross. Kalista answered her silent question "We must go down. I feel a dark power coming from beneath the surface. Your time is close to its end, so we must hurry." The Lady of Vengeance led the young mage to a steep path going down along the wall. While walking behind the spirit, Lux was lost in her thoughts. Soraka had talked about an item, but Lux hadn't seen any in Fiddlesticks' hands. She started sweating: what if Soraka was wrong, and all that was for nothing? She drove this thought away. She had to remain focused.

They walked for hours. Kalista explained to Lux that this crack led to an underground city which was known to be the place where the first and most powerful spirits of the Shadow Isles were born. "Where are they now?" Lux asked.

"Consumed by their own desire, and their power was drained by some specters whose ambitions were greater.

"What are the most dangerous spirits here?"

"You already know them: Hecarim and Mordekaiser, traitors who trigger death and chaos where ever whey go."

Lux felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Was an alliance between Fiddlesticks, Hecarim and Mordekaiser possible?

Note: We're getting close to the end of the story (already). I hope you're still enjoing it.