Ellas

Jalholm lay soaked in blood, his own blood, on a hard stone platform in the centre of a brightly candle lit dungeon, or torture chamber, as the two hulking Nargu that stood either side of him liked to refer to their domain.

His scrams had filled the air until seconds ago, when Grom and Largu had stepped back to admire their handiwork.

‘What’d think ‘en?’ said Grom, as he poked his clawed finger into the incision he’d just made in Jalholm’s abdomen, and wiggled it about, causing Jalholm to scream yet again.

‘What?, You want a badge or summat? More like a tear than a nice surgical cut like what I did on ‘is backside,’ Largu replied. ‘Look, I’ll show you ‘ow it’s done again!’ he said, as he picked up yet another very blunt and rusty blade from his filthy torture kit that was laid out next to Jalholm.

‘You’re just showin’ off now,’ Grom said. ‘ Let me do it. I’ll get it right this time… an he’ll squeal like a pig ‘e will, honest.’

Jalholm cried out as the tip of the knife cut into the flesh of his chest and was slowly pushed further into his body, twisting back and forth as it went.

Then suddenly his screams cut off and he lay still and silent.

Grom let go of the knife, leaving it protruding from Jalholm’s body.

‘You killed ‘im!’ Largu shrieked, as they looked at each other and then down to Jalholm’s still and silent form, terror filling both of their faces.

Largu recovered first, ripped the knife free, and began to beat down on Jalholm’s chest.

‘Got to get ‘im back!’ he screamed.

Grom joined in, each pounding down on Jalholm’s chest in turn with clenched fists, while Largu used his free hand to roughly shake Jalholm by the shoulder.

‘Shit! Shit,’ Largu cried, just as Jalholm opened his eyes and stared up at them.

Largu let out a huge sigh. ‘Thank the gods. You can stop now, dummy,’ he said, as he turned and smacked Grom in the face. ‘You bloody, pig shagging idiot… you nearly got us, me, ended! You know what he does when we bugger something up, an’ this one is ‘is pet! we’d never stop screaming!’

Grom, holding his bloody mouth, muttered, ‘But ‘e’s okay, in’ ‘e. So no need fer us to worry now. Just need to be more careful ‘ow we go from now on.’

‘We, we? You ain’t going near ‘im no more, you ain’t!,’ Largu bellowed. ‘An’ you’ve shit yerself, aint’ you… the bloody room stinks, it does. Go an’ clean yerself. We’ll take a break… ‘e aint goin’ nowhere now.’

Grom let out a tentative laugh, and they both turned to leave, just as Jalholm spoke, the first coherent words to leave his mouth since he was dragged from Dar’cen’s presence.

‘Do you enjoy your work?’ he asked, his voice clear and calm.

The two torturers turned, startled, or completely shocked might be a more accurate term, to look back at Jalholm.

‘I ask because your answers are important to me. So tell me, does your master compel you to such acts, do you do it out of fear… or is it that you enjoy such work?’

‘What?’ Grom said. ‘How—’

Largu cut him off by grabbing his shoulder and pulling him toward the chamber door, all the while with his gaze locked on Jalholm’s wide open eyes and the so very sad look upon his face.

‘Stop!’ Jalholm said, command filling the word, compelling them to both freeze on the spot.

‘Answer, both of you,’ he said, as before their eyes, Jalholm’s body dissolved into blue motes of sparkling dust, and then slowly coalesced into the form of a huge wolf standing right in front of the two frozen Nargu.

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‘How? Who… what are you?’ Largu cringed.

‘Your master has gone, never to return,’ Grall said, quietly, his voice bereft of all emotion. ‘Your truthful answer is important to me… but I am sad to say that I believe I already know what you both will answer.’

Moment later, the two executioners lying unmarked but dead on the chamber floor, Grall as wolf, prowled the dungeons freeing all the captives he found while ensnaring all Dar’cen’s servants with his Soothing.

He padded back to Dar’cen’s audience chamber, a hundred freed prisoners and dozens of captive soothed Nargu and human servant of the demon following him.

Lying on the floor at the foot of the dais where Dar’cen had sat lay Jalholm’s travelling stick.

‘Good,’ Grall said to himself. ‘Jalholm guessed true. Though had he taken it, it would not have returned him, given how Jalholm had sabotaged it.’

Turning, he spoke to those he had freed, and those that were now under his spell, ‘The demon has left our world. Now you must all join together to remove all vestiges of his reign. Some were forced to follow him, to do evil at his bidding… those are as much victims as are you. But those that freely revelled in his works must be routed out and imprisoned… not killed, not tortured, for that was his way. We are not of his elk!

'Follow me if you will, and together with friends, as friends, we will free our world of evil.’

###

Two days later, Grall with over a hundred freed prisoners and compelled servants of Dar’cen, some walking unaided, others helped along by their fellows, came in sight of a campsite.

Grall had been aware of the scouting parties that had shadowed them for the last few miles, but now he smiled inwardly. The end approaches, he thought.

A large group left the camp, some ahorse, others running, all whooping, laughing and smiling, as they came closer. Surrounding Grall’s bedraggled group, some of the newcomers set to helping the injured, while the rest shook hands, hugged and welcomed each and every one that had followed him, even the bewildered Smoothed prisoners.

Kane stood before Grall, a huge grin on his face, Jalholm, the true Jalholm, stood by his side.

‘You are well, Grall?’ Kane asked solemnly.

Grall smiled, his wolf smile. ‘I took no hurt, Kane. My mind was always elsewhere… with my people, reliving our most pleasant memories, and so truly, I took no hurt.’

‘Then how do I hug a wolf?’ Kane asked, a wide smile on his face, but even before he’d finished, Jalholm was on his knees, arms wide around Grall’s neck holding him tight, tears streaming down his face.

‘Thank you,’ he said, over and over into Grall’s thick fur.

‘Enough,’ Grall said, as his form dissolved causing Jalholm to almost fall forward. Then, slowly Grall reformed into the form of the Giant he had worn for so many years when he lived among the Roken.

Jalholm stood, wiping his eyes and laughing uncontrollably, as Kane stepped forward to take one of Grall’s hands in both of his. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘You have done this world a service that can never be repaid in full.’

‘Destroy him, Kane,’ Grall said. ‘End him, and all debts everywhere will be repaid.’

‘His end will come,; Kane said gravely.

The three then turned and, followed by all the others, walked to the camp.

‘Garam’s part in this is understood?’ Grall asked, as the man himself approached on foot, Step and Tarnia at his side, all with smiles plastered across their faces.

‘It is as—,’ Kane began, as Garam shouted, ‘Where’s the big dog gone, Grall?’ I much prefer him to the giant… far less intimidating.’

Grall ran forward and picked up Garam, swinging him around as if he held a child. ‘What you did was a hard thing, friend Garam. Hard indeed. I am glad you took no hurt from your deception.’

‘Na, piece of cake compared to what you did. You must have some big stones on you… but there again, all Roken do… well at least the males that is.

They both laughed, soon joined by all that heard.

A moment later, when the laughter had died down, Kan spoke.

‘We now have much to do. Some must follow him, while those that remain root out the corruption that he has instilled in Ellas. Time is of…’ his words trailed off as he glanced toward Jalholm and Jain, who stood side by side smiling at him knowingly.

‘It will take time to cleanse Ellas,’ Kane continued unperturbed, ‘and as much as my every fibre wishes to follow him immediately, as my two esteemed friends will explain to all and sundry I am sure, we have all the time we need to make Ellas whole again before we follow him.’

####

Many months later, a group stood together forming a large circle, all clasping hands, all except Kane at its centre who held his travelling rod with both hands, Carthia on one side gripped his arm tightly, as did Alex on his other side.

The group comprised of Kane, Alex, Carthis, Tomas, Jain, Jalholm, and Grall who now wore a male human form.

Step and Tarnia, who were now wed, and Garam remained to lead search for any remnants of Dar’cen’s influence, and to ensure that all learned of his downfall.

Earlier, they had all said their farewells. Kane had hugged and thanked Step and Tarnia, and spent more than a few moments with Garam applauding his so very believable deception. Away from the others they both laughed when Garam had loudly exclaimed, ‘It was easy, Boss, just played my normal self!'

‘Time?’ Kane said. ‘You are sure about the timing, Jalholm? We need to arrive before the earlier me is sent back to Ellas… a while earlier.’

Jalholm laughed, and Jain smiled knowingly.

‘Press the button, Kane. You have already done this… Alex can attest to when you are there… can’t you Alex?’

Alex nodded, Kane pressed down on the rod’s button, and Garam blurted, ‘Bloody Hell, I just can’t get used to seeing that! Glad I’m not with ‘em, think I would’ve wet myself.’