Fourth of Frostmaire
The killing blow never came. As the beast shifted its attention towards the mages harassing it, it went still, its nostrils flaring again as if it were sensing a new presence. Brimur felt it a moment later, a strange shift in the air. The creature slowly turned its massive head, and a deep growl emerged from its throat. Brimur could sense its wariness, and he hesitantly turned to find this new threat. At first he saw nothing, then the first of Belkai’s reinforcements crested a hill to enter the valley. Brimur felt a smile creep onto his face. He recognised more Brilhardem, as well as Narandir elves, and now he understood. Belkai was the last to come into view, with Davos by her side. There was something different about her, Brimur realised. She felt different, as if there was a cloak of energy over her. Sanlim had sensed it as well and lifted its head into the air to face the newcomer. The armies were forgotten as it recognised the new threat.
“What the hell is that?” Davos shifted nervously in his saddle. He could feel his horse beginning to pull, and it took an elven spell to get it to stand firm.
“An agent of Falkar,” Belkai answered, tilting her head as she studied the creature. “It’s not from this land.”
Davos nodded. “Kane said that there were other continents, far bigger than ours.”
“You’re lucky we don’t live there.” Belkai took an unsteady breath. “This isn’t a fight armies can win.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Buy you time,” Belkai said as she looked down into the valley. “Get everyone out of there. I don’t know if I can kill it, but this is the Brilhardem’s fight.”
Davos wasn’t sure about that, but he knew better than to argue. He rode after the others to spread the word. Belkai turned her mind to Brimur, and quickly found him facing the creature. Gather everyone. This is our fight.
“What are you?” Belkai whispered. The beast continued to stare at her, as if some other force was holding it back. It dawned on her too late as the armies began to leave the valley, leaving the Brilhardem standing alone as they moved into a curving line around the creature. This was Delorax’s plan; bring the mages together and destroy them with the beast. We won’t go that easily, she silently swore. She dismounted and the horse instantly fled. Belkai ignored it as she planted her feet and looked up at the towering beast. She could sense its defences that had stopped Brimur’s attack. Even now the mages had begun lashing Sanlim with bursts of energy as they tried to find a weak point. Well, there was more than one form of magic at play here. Following an unspoken command, the dark clouds above dissolved into dozens of shades that shot downwards to attack Sanlim from above. To Belkai’s shock, more tendrils erupted from Sanlim’s body and began swatting the shades out of the sky. It shouldn’t have been possible, and Belkai wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
She closed her eyes and let her mind run over Sanlim’s barrier. She found no weakness, but felt her fear grow as it bent down to strike at the Brilhardem. She forced herself to focus. She’d once described magic to Davos as a raging river. You couldn’t control all of it, you had to learn to take a portion and manipulate that. The key was to find the source of the beast’s power and sever that link. An impossible task, perhaps, but she had little choice. She shut out the fear of her fellow mages as they fled from the creature’s assault, desperately searching for the source. No time for this. She had to try a different approach. She felt a burning in her veins and embraced it, letting it consume her until it was finally too much to bear. She focused on Sanlim, and unleashed the fury of the fire within.
There was no visible effect at first. The fires of Belamin burned within Sanlim’s head, raging against the confines of its skull for several long moments before its head finally erupted in a massive fireball that roared high into the sky. Chunks of flesh and bone crashed across the valley as the long body shuddered and collapsed to the earth. Belkai fell to her knees and gasped for breath, struggling to stay conscious. She felt as if she had been cast into a vat of boiling oil, but with immense concentration she was able to force that feeling away. She blinked away tears as she looked down on the blood-soaked valley. Somehow, she managed to smile through the remaining pain.
“Your move, Delorax.”
***
It would take days to gather all the bodies. Castilan said a prayer for mercy as he placed a shattered body at the end of a short line, the twelfth dead Brilhardem that he had found. He stood and looked over to where Belkai and Brimur were consulting, both of them staying calm despite the concern that he felt emanating from them. He shook his head and sighed. It had been a bloodbath from the beginning. He trusted Brimur, and he knew Belkai had a pure heart, but he couldn’t shake the thought that so many lives had been lost because Belkai wouldn’t let go of her pride. No, that wasn’t fair. His relationship with Belkai may have ended abruptly and without tying up any loose ends, but he didn’t bear her any ill will. She was doing what she thought was right. He had to respect that, even as he feared for his own family to the north.
Castilan turned as he heard footsteps approaching. He gave Valliers a nod, which the general begrudgingly returned.
“This was not a victory that I’d wish for,” Valliers said, looking up at the remains of Sanlim. Castilan didn’t answer, and Valliers frowned. “I shouldn’t doubt your people, Castilan. They fought well.”
“We always do,” Castilan told him. “As did your men. That lieutenant, Mieur. He deserves some attention.”
“I’ll remember that,” Valliers promised. He raised an eyebrow as he looked past Castilan. “A friend of yours?”
Castilan turned, and felt his heart drop a little as Belkai came towards them. She was as beautiful as the last time he’d seen her, just days after she had ended their relationship. She had a few new scars, a wearier look to her eye, but she still radiated the same passion. He smiled despite himself.
“Castilan, I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said as she drew close. He bowed his head, and she rolled her eyes. “I don’t wear a crown.”
“You might as well, Lord of Narandir,” he said with a smirk. “Can I introduce you to General Valliers of the Lustrian army?”
“A pleasure, General,” Belkai said, and gave a bow despite the lack of respect she felt between the two men. Castilan felt some of the old emotions returning, and pushed them away. “I am sorry for your losses here.”
“Thank you.” Valliers glanced at Castilan, then excused himself.
“Are you okay?” Belkai asked quietly once he was gone. Castilan nodded. “Your family?”
So it was like that. Castilan wasn’t surprised. “They are well. But when I heard that the Citadel was attacked, I had to help.”
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“You always thought that the best defence was to go on the attack,” Belkai acknowledged. “Thank you. I know it’s not easy to leave the ones you love.”
“No, it’s not.” Castilan looked over the battlefield. “What was all of this for, Belkai?”
She studied him for a moment before answering. “For freedom, Castilan. You always believed that we should be free from the Arcane’s control. I didn’t ask for this fight, but it seems that it was fated to be.”
“So what happens now?”
“I don’t know,” Belkai admitted. “War rages across the kingdoms. But Delorax’s goal has always been Narandir. This was just meant as a distraction.”
“A way to draw you out?” Castilan asked. Belkai turned to look him in the eye. He was captivated by the new fire that he saw in them. What changed you?
“Maybe.” She smiled through her weariness. “But we have his attention. I can promise you that.”
Her face darkened, and Castilan swallowed nervously. “Things have…changed, Castilan. I can tell what you’ve been thinking.”
She smiled softly at his sudden nervousness. “I would have apologised for what happened, but you never returned from Lustria. When I learned of your family, I thought it best to stay away.”
Castilan nodded. “I know. The past is gone, Belkai. I enjoyed our time, but I have a family. I don’t ask to go back.”
“And I have a husband. He saved me.” Her smile broadened at the mention of Davos. “You should find your way home, Castilan. Your family will need you.”
“I won’t -”
They both froze at the sensation. Every Brilhardem went rigid, and the surviving Watchers instinctively summoned their most powerful weapons. The Ikari saw their comrades’ tension and gathered around them ready to defend them against the new threat.
“Belkai?” Castilan’s voice shook. “What is that?”
She just shook her head. She didn’t recognise the energy that seemed to run through the air. Even the Watchers, accustomed to hunting down lethal supernatural forces, were clearly fearful as they sensed some sort of Arcane presence.
“Brimur!” Belkai called out. The elf slowly made his way towards them, a sword in hand. “What is this?”
“I don’t know,” Brimur replied. “Your shades?”
“They’ve fled.”
And that made her even more fearful. What had frightened beings of such power? She turned in a circle, watching as everyone in sight moved cautiously, even the non-magical amongst them recognising that something was coming. Davos, where are you?
There was an ear-splitting crack, then columns of purple lightning struck the ground, sending dirt and bodies flying wherever they hit. People scattered in every direction as they tried to avoid the impacts. The earth shook and rumbled, and Belkai swore as a bolt of lightning struck only yards away. Three more converged, slammed into the ground, and sped towards them like a tornado.
“Move!” she screamed, and leaped to the side. The ground was torn apart as the lightning column approached, and the three of them were showered by rocks before another blast hit and threw them apart. Belkai hit the ground hard, crying out as something slashed through her side. She felt warm blood running from her, and turned her head to see Castilan sprawled beside her, his lifeless eyes looking towards her as steam rose from his bloodied chest. She pulled herself towards him, but a moment later his body disappeared in a blast of golden light. Belkai screamed as the world went upside down and the horizon flooded purple, then red, and in a horrifying moment she realised what hell she had unleashed.
***
The Regal Dandelion was a surprisingly nice tavern in the heart of Torleight overlooking the river. While the interior was nice enough with fur carpets and a warm fire, Shontelle most enjoyed serving guests on the well-appointed deck that hung over the water. Here the breeze was a soft touch on the skin, the smell of the water a delight to her senses. She had only been serving here for two days, but she was already a favourite of the regulars as she moved across the floor with a grace and joy that could only be shown by those who had survived horror and chosen to make the most of what life they had left. She was clothed in a light brown dress that complimented her figure and may have explained the extra round of drinks that the table had just ordered. She handed out the mugs with a smile and turned away, unable to hide her smile at the looks that she’d received. She stopped when she felt a tremor and turned to see if anyone else had noticed. They paid no attention to her now that she’d left them, but there was a pleasure boat rocking in the usually calm water of the river. The tremor came again, and purple lightning flashed across the sky. She found herself rooted to the spot, the tray falling from her hands with a clatter, as a powerful wind tipped the boat over like it was a child’s toy. Shontelle took an instinctive step back as the water below the deck churned. She didn’t make it inside.
The wind disappeared for a moment, then with a resounding roar the earth seemed to buck beneath her feet. The ground fell away across the river, the eastern side of the city swallowed up as the river gushed into the gaping hole. Shontelle screamed as a second later, a shower of dirt, wood, and flesh erupted from the crater as boulders the size of houses rose into the air. A rushing sound made Shontelle tear her eyes away in time to see the wave just before it smashed into the deck, throwing her and the diners into the river in a shower of wooden splinters. Shontelle didn’t know how to swim, and for a panicked moment she thought that she was drowning until she found herself bursting through the waves. She gulped down air, freezing when she saw one of the diners floating by with a piece of bloodied wood sticking out of his face. She grabbed hold of a plank and fought off her panic as she floated towards the cratered eastern bank. In seconds she was there, falling to the new lake below. In the sky above, purple lightning still flashed and screams echoed from the hundreds of wounded as the earth erupted.
***
Belkai stared at Castilan’s face, seemingly peaceful in death even with his lower half torn away. She blinked, slowly coming back to reality. She was sprawled on her stomach on the rocky ground, and a sudden pain in her side reminded her of her blood loss. She coughed dust from her mouth and slowly rolled over, gasping at the agony that flooded her body. Above her storm clouds laced with purple veins roiled. She pressed a hand to her wound and forced herself to sit up and look. A piece of debris must have cut her open, though thankfully it had missed her major organs. Her jerkin was shredded, and she tore off a strip to tie it around the wound. It was better than nothing. She stood, and almost instantly collapsed, gaining her balance at the last second. She looked down and swore again when she saw the gash on her left leg.
“Davos!” Her scream came without thought. She was answered by a pained moan, and she slowly turned, her heart racing as she expected the worst. Brimur lay before her, his chest shredded where he had absorbed one of the lightning blasts. He gritted his teeth, and Belkai could feel the agony that he was trying to overcome.
“Somebody help me!”
She fell to her knees beside her mentor, her hand clasped tight on her own wound.
“Belkai...” Brimur’s voice was shaking, and Belkai shook her head as tears carved their way down her dirt-covered face.
“Save your strength,” she whispered, and forced a weak smile.
“Castilan?”
“He’s gone,” Belkai told him. There was no use lying to him. He nodded, and she could see the emotional pain written on his face. She looked up as Arak and Barilax rushed to their side. “I need a healer.”
Barilax turned and ran to find someone, while Arak fell to his knees and put a hand on Brimur’s shoulder. The elf summoned his strength and reached out to put a bloody hand on Belkai’s cheek. She put a hand over his and kept a weak smile on her face. She could feel his heart slowing. No amount of her magic could heal these wounds.
“Gather whoever remains,” Brimur said, his voice strained. Arak kept his eyes on Belkai. “Keep them safe.”
“I will,” she promised. “Brimur, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t do that.” Brimur shook his head, really just two tiny movements that made his face twist with pain. “Fight the fight, Belkai. Lead the children. They were always to be yours.”
Belkai looked to Arak in shock, and he nodded. “We will follow.”
Brimur groaned. “Salatia...”
“She will honour you, my friend,” Arak said, and ran a hand over Brimur’s forehead. He looked at Belkai and shook his head. “He is gone.”
Belkai didn’t move, staring into Brimur’s lifeless eyes. She still held his hand against her cheek. “I know.”
She felt familiar hands rest on her, and let Davos finally pull her away and lay her head in his lap. He ran a hand through her hair, and she felt his tears fall on her skin.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
He kept stroking her hair as she fell asleep, his eyes surveying the carnage. Shattered bodies were spread as far as the eye could see, but his eyes kept coming back to the north, where the plains of Lustria had been replaced by jungle as far as the eye could see.