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            "We are nearly there.  I can smell the fragrance of mother earth and hear the sound of civilization.  Soon, we shall see what Lady Luck has in store for us," said Elyran Soke of the pirate vessel, Kato.  He ordered to his souls, "Be prepared for battle!"

***

            The general put down his pen, feeling a yawn come.  He opened his mouth.  Whoosh!  He froze at his death when the poison tipped arrow planted itself into his throat.  His pupils dilated, his eyes rolling back.  A woman threw back the tent cover and slit his throat, just to assure his death.  She took her dagger and carved a  snowflake on his forehead.  It had six points and its center filled with blood.  She wiped the blood from the dagger on her shirt and said, "The reign of dakness will not last forever.  I will be the one to make it fall."  She cast a glance at the letter and grabbed it, smilling.  Her eyes darkened as she read:

 

            "Snow is in the air.  Be wary for hail falls near.  Protect yourself.  The sea is a dangerous place. Good luck August B-----"

 

            Damn, she thought.  The name got smeared.  She took her knife and crossed an X on August B.  "I will find you August.  It is due time for us to have a one on one chat.  Even more so if you can tell me about Beast."

***

            Kato landed smoothely at the Chiren coast.  It captain walked down onto the pier.  The town was deserted, a hollowness in the air.  A wind blew by, tugging at Elyran's black head covering.  Solemnly, he said, "The army lies dormant here.  See the flags?  They're caked with soap.  Someone's been cleaning blood."  He paused then said, "Move out!"

            Elyran walked out into the town, his soul army silently floating behing him.  The souls were all from the hearts of innocent children, sucking out life as they past through the earth.  Plants died and people went into comas, only to shrivel up and die soon afterwards.  Animals dropped dead and birds flew away as far as their wings could carry them.  The souls were very beautiful, reflecting the very image of the cherubs of heaven.  Elyran held out his hand, stopping the movement of the army. 

            He scanned the area.  Before him stood the hospital.  Angrily, he whipped out his sword at the door, shattering the glass.  He ordered his soldiers to search the hospital for the dead.  When he passed the first few doors the soldiers would answer no.  When one finally said yes, he entered the small white cubicle.  There was a neatly made bed tucked into the corner and there was a window facing the sea.  As he looked out the window, the sea began pulling him in.  He could smell the salty waters and he could hear the constant crash of waves against the shore.  He turned his attention to the small black shadow beside the bed.

            "Do not worry, little one.  No harm will come to you while I am here.  There is no need to be frightened," Elyran said.

            The voice that answered struck him dumb.  It was strong, its aura emanating such great strength from such a young creature even though the words it spoke were with pain and uncertainty.  "They came...The ones in the white coats...They had guns and...They killed us all..There was so much blood and tears.  It was so much torture and they made sure we didn't die easily," she said quietly.

            Quietly, fiercely, barely loud enough to hear, Elyran swore.  "They will regret it..."

            "I..I don't remember my name," she said in distress.

            "Your name is Krean...Daughter of Samuel and Limen," he informed her.

            "Yes..I remember."  The girl grew more quiet, " My mother and father...They were here with me.."  She looked at Elyran hopefully.  "Do you think they're alright?"

            Elyran remained quiet.

            She understood.  There was something that bothered her though.  "If they aren't here, why am I here?  Was I bad?  Is there something wrong with me?  Don't they love me?"  She burst out sobbing.  "God oh god..."

            Suddenly, she looked at Elyran with question, trying to still her sniffling.  "Why are you here?"

            "If you would, I would like to recruit you to help me on my journey.. It will not be easy.  It may take years..."  He grew quiet.  "Even centuries."

            "I'll do anything to be able to see my parents!  Anything...Tell me what I have to do..." she said eagerly.

            " Please, do not be hasty.  Once we are bound, there is nothing you can do to take the bindings back.  Take your time to think on it."

            She did not look dissuaded.  Instead she asked him, "If I say no?"

            He turned.  Slowly, he said, "If you decline, then you will quickly become a demon or you may haunt this sad place with your ghost forever more.  You will never find peace and you will only be angry and confused.  You will lose yourself.  I cannot promise you anything but peace.  I can sustain this process for however long I live, if we are bound.  You see, I need your help and you need mine."

            She nodded.  "I understand.  I'll do it."

            "Are you sure?"

            "Yes.  I don't have much of a choice do I?"

            "Everyone has a choice.  It is just that not all of the choices are the right ones.  Not all choices are easy."

            "I'll do it."  He stuck out his hand to her.

            "Take it," he said. 

            "What for?" she asked him.

            "To bind us til I die or until I release you.  I do not want to get you into trouble." 

            She grabbed it and pulled herself up.  There was a blindingly bright blue light that washed away the shadow she was cloaked in.  It revealed a beautiful bluish face, fairy-like and angelic.  "What happened to me?"

            "This is your true form.  Talk to the soldier by the door.  He will tell you your duties now that you have joined my army."

            "Soldier?  I'm a soldier?  I don't want to kill anyone..."  He could she her visibly shrink from the idea.

            Elyran expected this.  "It is up to you.  It is not too late to change your mind..."

            "No!  I'll become a soldier if I have to.  I want to help you but...I don't even know your name..."

            Elyran turned to the door.  She looked disappointed but he said, "Elyran Soke, of the ship Kato.  I am its captain, and it appears that you have just joined my crew."  He walked to the door but she interrupted again.

            "Where are you going?"

            "Unfortunately, you were not the only one who died, Krean.  There are many others.  It would have been much better if none of you ever had to die this way but fate pulls cruel strings on...everyone.  I must go."

            Elyran finished recruiting at sunset, just as the red sun touched the waters.  He saw a rider moving quickly towards the small town.  "Return to ship quarters now!  Quickly!" he ordered.  The ghosts floated towards the ship rapidly.  Once they got on, their life sucking essence would be isolated.  Elyran waited at the end of pier.  He could tell the rider was crazy because the horse being ridden was very reluctant to enter the dead town.  It was a miracle the rider wasn't thrown off.  The rider drove the horse to a crazy halt barely a hair from Elyran's face. 

            "What is your business here?" Elyran asked the rider, unshaken.  The rider fumbled through bags and pulled out a sheet of parchment.  The horse, still frightened, tried once more to throw the rider off.  The paper flew so Elyran swiftly caught it.  He peered at it quickly.

            He said, "Whoever wrote this is quite wise and a bit philosophical, if I must say.  The seas do hold much danger.  As you can see, if you stay longer, you may have to die along with this dreary town.  And no...I am not this August that you seek."

            The rider threw off the helmet.  "How did you know?" she asked him.  "Where is he!  Tell me!"

            Elyran turned from her saying, "I am truly sorry that I cannot help you."

            He began walking up the ramp.  "Don't turn your back on me, Bloody Child!"

            He visibly winced yet when he turned to look at her, he smiled in a bittersweet way.  "I have never truly gotten used to the title.  I am sorry to offend you but I truly cannot help you.  There is nothing here but the remains of the dead.  Goodbye, Odek Amellite.  If we meet again, I hope I can help you then."

            He walked up onto the ship and left. 

            After the ship was no longer visible, she said, "I never told him my name... "  She left the town, trotting away from the blood red sun, a bit shaken but still adamant on finding August.

***

            A/N:  So?  How did you like it?  I’ve had this story on my comp for a while but I wasn’t sure if I should post it.  Please review!!!

A/N:  This is part of the story but from a different character’s view.  If I have time, I’ll write more and explain.  Read and REVIEW!!

Ch. 2   

            "Attention!  We are near the enemy fortress.  Make sure to have weapons on hand at all times.  We can risk no mistakes.  Captains, report to the general!  Soldiers, dismissed!"

            Zecal Laudure wiped the mud from her hands and walked to the general's tent.  She opened the flap and looked around.  There were a couple of others there too.  She was new to the army and so she was unable to place every name to every face other than the general's own.  She sat on the floor and began to clean her sword as the general droned on about war tactics and supplies. 

            It was strange to have a woman in the army but Captain Laudure was a great exception.  She was taller than most women and she was a great soldier.  She liked looking down at inferior men, even if those men were kings.  She had already gained her comrades' respect.  Earlier that day, she single-handedly killed five assasins going after General Kai.  It was swift and she left no blood.  She was rumored to have led the Kretans against the great imperial kingdom of Janae.  In the middle of battle, she disappeared only to reappear on the enemy side. 

            Needless to say, the Kretans lost heavily.  The Janaens won with few casualties and no deaths.

            A soldier said of her this, "She is like a war goddess who cannot make up her mind about who she wants to support so she tries to help them all and only causes more disarray.  She is good luck even for the weakest but when she deserts you, you have no chance."

            One foolishly said, "She is just a mortal woman.  The only difference is that if she were angry with you she wouldn't run after you with a knife, she would cut off your head with her sword."

            Laudure heard this and scoffed, alarming the man.  "It is not a mere housewife that you speak of.  I am your senior and you should respect me as so."  She was grungy and disheveled, looking like a frail girl but her looks belied the fierce determination in her eyes and the brilliant aura that surrounded her.

            The soldier, offended, blurted, "How dare you eavesdrop on me!"

            Laudure's eyes darkened as she looked at the foolish man.  "For your information, I was not eavesdropping on you.  In fact, you might find this information interesting.  I was listening to the enemy army approach.  I was going to let the general in on this but...I change my mind.  You can tell him.  Oh, and when you happen to see him, please give him my message:  The next time we meet, it will not be as friends.  I've done my duty here.  I believe I will sign on with the enemy.  This army will not have a chance of winning.  I will make sure of it.  Oh, one more thing for you.  I have a gift."  She spat in his ashened face.  "Think of it as a parting gift." 

            He turned quickly, seeing if anyone had heard them.  When he looked for Laudure, she was already gone.  He quickly found the general's tent.  Two guards looked at his drab appearance, waiting for his reason. 

            The soldier, knowing his death warrant had been signed the moment his colleague abandoned the army could barely make out the words, "Captain Laudure has betrayed us."  They showed no surprise other than their disturbed eyes and their quickness in pushing him through the tent flap.  General Kai had been working on war tactics when the soldier burst through his tent.  The soldier looked like someone had died.  The general was impatient.

            "Are you going to just stand there or do you have something to say?" he asked the trembling soldier.

            The soldier straightened and tried to say the words but his mouth froze. 

            "You may leave if you have nothing of importance to say."  He dismissed him and began putting his reading glasses back on but the soldier came clean.

            "She’s gone, sir.  Captain Laudure has deserted us..."

            The general did not look worried.  "Perhaps she went for a walk.  You know how women are."  He looked back down onto his war strategies.

            "No.  I don't think you understand sir....She left just a moment ago.  She told me to tell you that the next time you see her, you will not be friends.  She said we would lose against the Juto army.  She's joining their forces, sir."

            The general looked at the soldier squarely and said, "This is a joke, right?  Why would she desert us?  We've done her no wrong.  We've treated her fair enough.  What more could she ask for?"

            "Sir?  There's one more thing I forgot to mention."

            "What?"  From the way the soldier looked, the general could feel that it was bad news.

            "Before she left, she told me to tell you that she heard the enemy approach us.  I believe that they might be here very soon."

General Kai lost his composure, his face turning crimson red.

            "How could you let her get away?!  How?"  He stomped to the door and opened the flap.  He said to the guards this: "I'm quite positive you both have heard this conversation.  Gather the men.  We have no moments left to waste on idleness.  Go!"  In the near distance, General Kai could feel the rumble of the earth: his enemy was coming very quickly.

***

That day, General Kai and his men were slaughtered.  Their blood was so constantly flowing that it felt as if that day, the sky was raining blood.  The enemy had outnumbered them twenty to one.  No one had escaped.  As some soldiers died of their last breaths, they could swear that towards the setting sun, where the wind was now blowing, they could see the mirage-like sillouhette of a girl disappearing into the setting sun.  That day, Zecal disappeared, leaving behind no trace of her presence other than the blood of the sky that she had helped create. 

            A/N:  I know, it doesn’t really connect with the other story but you’ll understand once I get off my lazy butt to continue..

Chapter three.  Destruction

 

            "Brother!  Brother!  Come quick!"  Lumis looked up from his studies and smiled at his younger brother Jax.  Jax took Lumis by the hands and pulled him to the attraction in the central square of town.  He could see people cheering and hooting. 

            "Jax, what is it that you want to show me?  Can't it wait?"  Jax looked hurt so Lumis recovered from his flub by saying, “We can go now if you want." 

            Jax brightened and pointed to the scarlet flag billowing above the attraction.  From the design and fabric, Lumis could tell it was foreign.  There was gold and indigo twine on its border that surrounded the phoenix centerpiece. 

            It was an attraction of sorts, with jugglers and the like.  All of the performers spoke in strangely accented tongues.  When they stood, it was like they were floating. 

            The announcer got up from his red and white striped chair.  “We need a volunteer from the crowd, if we may.”    

            Jax raised his hand and waved it fervently, saying, “Me!  Me!  Me!  Me!”

            The announcer smiled warmly at Jax’s exuberance and waved his hand to Jax to come join him.  Lumis walked near to the stage reluctantly and set Jax down on the stage.  He saw the excitement and the sudden anxiousness in Jax’s features so he whispered, “Good luck,” hoping to encourage Jax.

            Jax nodded solemnly and then looked out at the young announcer.  She was a pretty girl draped in a maroon dress of silk.  Her hair was netted with gold threads and black beads, its design getting mixed with her coiled raven hair.  She took Jax’s eager hand and asked him to accompany her behind stage. 

            Lumis was a little worried but Jax came back out again, his body incarcerated in a dark cedar box.  Lumis shivered, the box reminding him very much of a casket for the dead.  He had heard of this trick before so watched in amusement as a frowning clown came out onto the stage.  He was dressed strangely in a black garb of frills and poofy polyester.  He wore no wig but had his hair slicked back with an oily substance.  The clown looked at Jax and out from nowhere, he brought out a sword.  The crowd gasped but Lumis only sighed.  It wasn’t that exciting.  He looked at Jax’s face and saw a strange peacefulness on the child that was almost unearthly.  He looked to the blade and its

handler curiously.  The picture of a morbid clown with a weapon just wasn’t logically right. 

            A turbulent mixture of horrified screams reached Lumis’s ears.  He stood up rigidly and looked around, searching with his senses for the source of the havoc.  There was racket coming from the east side of town, rumbling and unrepressed.  Lumis was only a scholar but even though he lived for scrolls and books, he instinctively knew that this was no ordinary occurrence.  His eyes widened, shock with wonder.  The warrior was riding atop a gallant horse, clothed in glimmering sheets of mail and blood.  The warrior held the severed head of an aged man in his right hand.  But Lumis was wrong.  The warrior pulled off her helmet, letting her blonde hair flow onto her shoulders. 

            Lumis knew that figure.  She was infamous for her skill in battle.  She was an elite.  He looked to the head and felt his stomach curdle.  He was never much one for gore.  He had never intended to become a soldier like her.  Lumis went to Jax anxiously.

            The boy’s eyes were clouded.  There was a strange ethereal sheen of warped joy, mesmerizing and disturbing.  Lumis attempted to reach him and pull him back to reality but something strange happened.  Jax’s body went into seizure.  His face was contorting and massive gobs of drool escaped from his tiny mouth.

            “Jax!  Jax!  What’s wrong?  Jax!!!!!”  Lumis pulled his brother up and cradled him in his arms.  “Please be okay.  Please be okay.”  Lumis looked at Jax’s eyes again and noticed how dilated they were.  “Poison?!”