Bryna and the group arrived back at the camp they’d laid out from the previous night and a few of them had suffered wounds, the first she tended to was Aallen, who had suffered a gash to the shoulder, and he was now looking quite pale from loss of blood, but he had managed to make it all the way back to camp, she had underestimated him. She untied the temporary dressing which was some tearaway from their clothes to help stop the bleeding, and noticed that some of the bleeding had stopped, she then delved into herself and sought out her healing power, pouring down her hand onto his shoulder. He felt a warm sensation as the bleeding stopped and although it hadn’t healed yet, the gash was more closed together now, and she had sped up the healing process. She then re dressed it in linen bandages, after adding some anticeptic herbs which stung him.
She then left him to treat the others, Kirsten had a cut on her leg, and interestingly Baird had managed to receive a burn on his arm although he was bio-boosted into that strange mutation the stone gave him. It was after that she finally went to Jaden and started examining his forehead.
“Christ someone’s cut right through your skull, that’s insane!” she exclaimed.
Jaden looked at Miles, glaring.
“But, some great healing work has been done on it, as it looks healed already, although I think you might end up having a scar,” she said tracing her finger down the horizontal line on his forehead.
“I think it is time for explanations,” announced Baird turning towards Miles.
“Jaden, since when can you cast lightning bolts out of your hands?” interrupted Bryna.
Then Jaden told them about the dream he had and how he had woken up, out of all of them this was probably the most shocking cause not many of them had ever entered the ethereal world and gasps were ommited when he announced he was a Blessed of Fauna, for it was a very rare and powerful gift.
Everyone went silent and made a seat around the fire.
“Miles...” Baird turned towards the burly man sat beside the fire drinking some form of alcohol from a container.
And then the group heard the story of what many people in Jaladhar had been wondering over for years, the story of Miles.
Miles grew up in a noble family as was to be a Lord himself one day at the passing of his father, but his parents were very secluded to themselves and other courtiers not actually wanting the responsibilities of a child but needing one to be their heir, so therefore he was brought up by his nanny. The only people aware of his gift of the Blessing of Githram of defence was his parents but in their absent mindedness didn’t say anything about it to others. His childhood was therefore one of seclusion in which he had a longing for the love of real parents.
At the age of sixteen he was sent to the capital of Gavendria to the palace University where he started studying magic and myth of all kinds, and in particular he became interested in Sharmarian myth and culture. He felt that philosophically they were more sound, he found the Gavendrians as a nation good, but greedy in power and more violent to achieve their goals. At the palace he made a group of friends, in which Shayam was one of them, and even the prince, they started practising foolish teenage magic’s such as communications which ghosts. At the age of twenty-two they came up with the ultimate dare. To have a communion with a demon, Miles was unwilling in this event, but his gift (which he had kept secret to his friends) in Defence guarded his from his actually presence in this so against their knowledge he was actually an observer.
After this communion, in which the prince was the main summoner, himself particularly never acted the same and the demon gave them all a vision in which they could finally stop the Sharmarian rivalry between the countries, the Ze’ikwraiths. It gave the human the ability to mutate into a formidable monster, and if they used it on the Gavendrian army, then Sharma wouldn’t have a chance against them. It was like a decease, but much worse, the infected became walking shells, in which their soul was no longer in control, but trapped, and with the help of a Ze’ikra’lord, could even mutate into a fighting weapon of brutality and destruction. Each person who was killed by one turned into one, and with that they could have control of the Sharma. Those were the beasts they had witnessed in the base.
Miles was totally disgusted by the idea, but now he knew that since that invocation his friends were never the same, particularly the prince, the demon had some sort of hold over them making them see this eventuality as morally right. Miles knew that if he tried to persuade them he would be killed, so he used his gift more then ever to hide his feelings, and started pouring over books to find some way to bring his friends out of it, which was when he found a prophesy in the library.
The prophesy predicted the events of the unleashing of the virus and the six Ze’ikra’lords trying to take control, but it also predicted a Sharmarian of dark image, and green eyes, who would be the seventh Ze’ikra’lord, he would also be a Blessed of other God’s, and he and his group would be one of the worlds only hopes against this.
At this time the war with Sharma was also happening which was when the prince had the idea to send one of their group down to act as a spy for the south of Sharma, for if they started at both ends they standed more a chance. Miles took that opportunity straight away and was given a special stone to communicate with the others, and joined the village of Jaladhar, all the time trying to think up a plan to try and save their country. It was two years ago when Shayam told him they needed a test subject for the procedure to become a Ze’ikra’lord, someone with a lot of anger and who could be easily manipulated to work for their goals with the help of hypnosis. It was then that Miles knew how the prophesy had to be forfilled by him, and he knew that he needed someone strong minded and a Blessed of Urcla of the Psyche to be able to evade the hypnosis, and for this he knew straight away, it was Jaden.
Miles finished and for a few seconds everyone sat around in silence, then Baird said in slight anger, “You should of told us!”
“I couldn’t, King Zoareth is a very powerful Blessed of Urcla of the Psyche, even with my Gift it was very hard to hide by plans and feelings from him, if anyone else but me knew then he would of found out and we wouldn’t have a Ze’ikra’lord on our side!” he answered.
“You let them cut a hole in Jadens head!” Kirsten snapped.
“I know,” Miles said with his head in his hands, “but could you see any other way?” he asked.
“So what’s going on with you lot and what was that thing you turned into?” Miles asked turning to Baird and Jacelyn.
It was then that the other group explained what had happened and Baird and Jay retold their stories about how they came across those crystals.
“I remember reading about those three crystals,” Miles answered, “They are the key to summoning the Fa’reel, the three guardian spirits, giving the possessor the ability to summon their form. The stones used to make the Ze’ikra’lords where made in their likeliness, but the demon never found the secret to make the stone fuse with the recipient, which is why the operation was needed,” he explained looking at Jadens scar, with a slight hint of guilt in his eye. “The stone was also made so that the Ze’ikra’lords could also transform into a similar being, but it is unknown whether that was successful, yet” Miles replied looking at Jaden.
“But I am not using whatever Miles has given me,” Jaden finished.
“Jaden, the Gavendrians plan to use the Ze’ikwraiths to attack Sharma, you need to help defend the country,” Miles answered.
“I don’t care! Its not a Gift, it is some horrible infection given to me by a demon!” Jaden snapped.
“Jaden, do you want to see your country dominated and controlled by Gavendria? They will reach south eventually you know, and even enter the Sharma. I am sorry Jaden, but what else could I do?”
Jaden remained silent, he didn’t know whether he should trust Miles again, although when it came to light in his story it seemed logical, he could not get over he had been kidknapped and his skull cut open due to him.
“It was one of my studies at the University.”
Jaden got up and walked to bed, he could already feel the effects of his new gifts, he felt presences and feelings all around him from the animal life and with everything that was going on, it was just all too much to take.
“I think the best thing we can do is firstly go back to Sharma and warn our towns people, and then I will go to Githriel to alert the King, I need to take Kieran there soon anyway so he can start his training, Miles you better come as well, to see what they are going to do to you,” Baird decreed, looking Miles in the eye, daring him to object. “And Jaden, should come as well.
They made their way back towards the village the next day although they knew it would take a day or two, they all seemed calm despite what they had been told, but it hadn’t quite sunk in. For now all they could do was to warn the people of Sharma and hope that now their plan had failed it would be stopped.
For the journey Miles was fairly isolated from the group, feeling much more a prisoner then one of them, Jaden and Bryna just ignored him, but did share a few words with him, not knowing whether to trust him or not and Kirsten glared at him with every opportunity. But now that it was all over there was a bit more a cheery atmosphere and a few laughs and jokes were made on the way, but for many of them they had never seen anything like they had in the last few days before, and at night some had nightmares over the hideousness of the Ze’ikwraiths which they had killed. In particular Kirsten was still caught up in her first kill which she could not get over, she had killed another man, and when Jace and Kieran both managed to catch a few rabbits on the way for food and she didn’t, she didn’t even care.
As the next day came and they knew they were going to reach the village the mood became cheerier as they would be back in Jalahar, before they found it boring, but now experiencing some of the outside world in the way they did, they now knew it for the haven it was.
On the journey Jaden came across a wounded squirrel, he could feel its pain so he went and found it laying next to a tree, it had been attacked by a bird, Bryna used some of her healing powers on its leg and Jaden nursed it throughout his journey, at first they could just communicate by feeling empathy with each other, but eventually Jaden could speak and it would understand and he would get replies, but it wasn’t in a language more a transmission of feelings and a few images. He started to learn about the way of squirrels through it and he also was managing to communicate with the horses, which were although more intelligent, were less socialised in their eagerness to communicate with him, but he did find out that they were happy in their treatment by the village, which made him happy.
They were nearing the village now and when they reached to around half a mile away, Jaden knew something was wrong, but he kept it to himself, half in denial, half not wanting to worry the others, although as they drew nearer Bryna could see from the look on his face something was wrong and then started to sense something herself, of which they were both silent to voice it.
The others started to realise something was wrong by the quietness and something about the atmosphere and as they reached the pathway that ran its way through the village they saw horrors so sickening that they at first couldn’t believe their eyes, trapped in a void of shock, disbelief and terror. Blood and corpses lay scattered all along the once serene village of Jaladhar, Jay was the first to find his father laying out on the main road, and started to shake him hysterically, as if somehow he could bring him back to life. Baird scanned the area in horror and Miles was frozen on the spot, the look on his face was beyond that which tears could build up. Giren ran towards his house after seeing one of his friends from the village, to find his parents.
Bryna and Kirsten ran down the road followed by Jaden who took a few moments to gather the will the move, Kirsten howled in a possessed rage when she found her parents on the road laying on top of each other, as Bryna gripped her shoulders trying to soothe her. Jaden come towards them but then stared ahead, Bryna noticed and followed suit, as they saw Meredith crawling along the floor towards them.
They ran towards her and scooped low to try and hoist her up, her face had lost its youthfulness and her torso was covered with blood, she lifted up her arm in great effort as a signal to let her stay on the ground.
“Monsters….” She gasped, breathing frantically, “killed all of us.”
Bryna lowered herself to have a look at her wound.
“No! It’s too late… I am going to die,” she gasped.
“No!” Bryna screamed in denial, her eyes gleaming with the welling of tears
“Please, get away from here, I can feel something taking over me, something is going to happen to us.”
Jaden stood there unable to move, unable to feel any emotion this distress and remorse that had gone through him was so overwhelming that he was emotionally and physically paralysed.
Meredith with one hand still clutching her wound reached into her pocket and revealed a stone, which she placed in Bryna’s hand, “Here, take this, you know what it is and you know the words, you must destroy the village, I know something is going to happen.”
Jaden finally managed to move to embrace Meredith, and Meredith returned both Jaden and Bryna’s embraces, placing her head between their and whispered, “Goodbye, my children…”
Her body suddenly became limp in their hands and he head rolled back as her eyes glazed over. Bryna turned and ran, unable to look at the corpse of her mother anymore. Jaden just stayed there with Meredith in his arms unable to move, but he could feel something within her body new, something to do with the new capability he had, not the natural one, the one which Miles gave him.
Kirsten was stood outside her house, with tears running down her face, thinking of the memories kept there, of her family, her friends, the whole village, she was in so much shock over what happened it couldn’t sink in and remorse couldn’t yet take place. She knew this was the end of Jaladhar, none of the survivors could live here again with everything that happened here, it was now tainted with inexplicable horrors, and the memories couldn’t hold.
“Kirsten…” said a familiar voice.
She turned around in a snap recognising the voice of here little sister Louise, and embraced her petit form in her hands, and then gripped her shoulders, touching her face and hair.
“Goddess, its you! You alive!” she exclaimed, her heart filled with new joy, the tunnel of remorse and horror was now filled with light at the end, her sister was alive!
“What happened?” Louise asked, her eyes staring into the distance.
“I don’t know yet, everyone is dead, but we’re alive, don’t worry I will take care of you now.”
Jaden was now stood walking back towards the centre of the village, he felt this presence everywhere, within this new force within his body, it was green, but not the green magic usually took form in, which was the green of the trees, plants and grass, the flora. This was a light green, it had no textures to it, just plain green, like an acid, he didn’t like it, but it seemed to be now calling to him within this street filled with dead bodies. He placed his way through hardly knowing that he was walking, he existence and senses meant nothing to him right now.
He then saw Kirsten in the distance in the pathway towards her house, past the gate, with blonde hair gleaming from Louise who she had her arms around, but something was wrong, he then came to a realisation and started to run.
“They are not dead,” Louise replied, blankly.
“Yes, I’m sorry there was nothing I could do, but I am here now,” Kirsten replied and then took her into her arms again.
“Kirsten!” interjected Jadens voice as she heard his footsteps running towards her.
Kirsten then felt Louise’s body spasm on her embrace and then a coarse voice escaped from her lips, “We are not dead!”
Kirsten reclined her arms from around her sisters body and stared in horror as she saw tentacles spout out of her back. Jaden intercepted, grabbing Kirsten behind from her shoulders and dragging her away. Kirsten refused to get up.
“What’s happened to my sister?! Louise!” she called reaching her arm out to her.
Jaden forced Kirsten up onto her feet, “Get away, that is not your sister anymore!”
They ran towards the main centre of town where they first entered and saw that everyone was stood there in a circle with their swords unleashed… and some of the dead bodies were moving.
They joined everyone and began to notice that these bodies, people of the village, some of them friends, or even family were mutating, they all had different forms, but they knew that they were Ze’ikwraiths from their encounter before. Kirsten stood there and watched her sister who had followed them, her body was wreathing and jilting as if her new form was exploding from within her, her hands became pincers, and her body furry, with a head that was small and pointy. Kirsten froze.
Miles stood there shaking unable to say anything or move, or even draw out his sword. Aallen was the first to be attacked in which he was aided by Baird in his defence. Jaden was still feeling a funny feeling within the power inside him of which was connected to these hideous beings.
“What are we to do?” asked Jacelyn, facing the Ze’ikwraith of what was once his father.
Miles finally pulled himself together and replied “Kill them.”
Kirsten turned towards him “we are not killing them, that one over there is my sister!”
“Once infected their soul is trapped within the body, they can never be human again, on command they will kill anyone or anything and have no control over themselves, they need to be set free,” Miles replied, his eyes glazed red.
Just then Giren and Bryna stared at Jaden as suddenly his eyes turned a luminous light green, and he jilted his arm so it was pointing outwards, and then all the Ze’ikwraiths froze on the spot.
“Miles! What have you done to me?” Jaden exclaimed, his eyes still flaring, holding the Ze’ikwraths on the spot.
“You have the power to control their minds…” Miles replied.
“Whatever it is, it is proving useful,” Baird pointed out, as he started to strike his sword at the frozen Ze’ikwraiths.
Kirsten strung an arrow onto her bow and aimed it towards the monstrous form that was once her sister, and a tear rolled down her cheek as she fired it directly into its eyes and it fell.
“You guys, think of something! I can’t keep this up for long!” Jaden exclaimed, still frozen on the spot and sweat rolling down his face.
Bryna pulled herself together and held the stone Meredith gave her in her hand “You lot, all run, I can get rid of them,” a new fire glowing in her eyes.
Kirsten turned towards her, “No way am I leaving you here!”
“I will survive, I know what I am doing!”
Baird and the rest of the group started to leave, except for Kirsten and Jacelyn.
Kirsten hugged Bryna and then joined the others, but Jacelyn still stayed on the spot his face wet with tears.
“What are you doing?” asked Baird.
“Someone else is trying to control them! I can’t keep this up much longer!” Jaden interjected.
“I want to stay here… goodbye” Jacelyn replied.
Giren paced to Jacelyn and grabbed him, “Don’t be an idiot!” And proceded to drag him away, Jacelyn didn’t have the strength to argue.
They ran up towards the hill, and it was just Bryna and Jaden alone surrounded by the Ze’ikwraiths, Bryna clasped the stone in her hands and started to speak the words Meredith had taught her to activate it. It was a very rare and expensive stone, owned by only a few and used for in case their village got struck with the plague or other terminal diseases, the infected survivors would take all their possessions and leave while their homes are destroyed to stop the virus spreading. She was going to use it on Jaladhar.
Jaden was losing this battle of wills, he could feel another force trying to control them aswell and bringing them all to a hault was draining him, he didn’t have much time left, he started shaking.
Bryna, with a tear running down her cheek finished the spell and grabbed Jaden by the arm and started guilding him at a run towards the hill, Jaden tried to keep his control going while running but it was already slowly wavering, some of the beings were looking around at each other confused, as they went through the bush the last clasp of his control faded and he could hear the roaring as some started chasing after them.
They where about halfway up the steeping hill when they heard the explosion and Jaladhar and its people were engulfed in flames, they neared the top to find the group there watching their village burn down. Jaden reached the top and then he couldn’t handle it anymore and fell to the floor like a timbered tree. Bryna stooped down to check on him and he was still breathing.
Kirsten finally had come to terms with the events and all the horrors of the day and fell to the floor screaming, beating her hands into the floor, her screams were almost hoarse, not of terror, but of anger and a bursting with pain. Eventually she sat herself down and reached for her knife.
She exposed her forearm and slashed the knife across it tearing a slit in her skin and the blood started trickling, “I swear if it’s the last thing I do I will kill the person responsible for this,” she decreed, her voice full of loathing. She made another slash on her forearm, “I swear it on my own blood.” Everyone stared in horror, unable to act for the aura she had created around herself right now was not one they could penetrate, she then screamed hysterically again and started to make more slashes with the knife, her whole arm was pouring with blood with was tricking onto the grass beneif her.
Bryna finally acted, grabbing the dagger from her had and then cradling her into her arms, and they shared their hysterical misery together.
Kirsten then stood up swifty and paced to Miles bringing her knife to his throat, “Give me one reason to not kill you.”
Miles stood there unmoving, tears of his own welling up, unable to defend himself in any way.
“Kirsten, don’t,” interjected Baird.
“Why didn’t you stop it!” she exclaimed, bringing the knife closer to his neck, the tip making a little nick on his neck.
“I didn’t know…”
“You stay away from me, don’t look at me, don’t come near me, don’t even try to speak to me, I don’t even want you breathing the same air as me, if it was up to me you would be dead” she then released the knife from his neck and turned around, “Your not worth it.”
Later that evening they were sat separately, some sharing their remorse, some solitary, they had made camp a few miles from the village and there was a fire going, Bryna managed to cook something, she did it to keep her mind off the events, but not much was eaten. She sat their bandaging Kirsten’s mutilated arm, Kirsten had sat in the same spot all evening, her face on of exquisite pain and tears were now still emerging. Bryna embraced her, of which she didn’t even seem to notice, in her hand she was clutching the purse Louise had sewn her.
Jaden sat nearby tearing an old shirt which had been ripped when he fell over, he tore out a strip and after straightening the edges slipped it under his dark shoulder lengh hair to his forehead, then tied it round the back, he looked in the reflection of his sword. It was unusual, but it covered up his scar, and would probably stop his hair getting in the way so much all the time, despite it was unusual cause he had never seen someone wear something like this before, he liked it and didn’t really care what other people would think.
He looked up to find Baird looking at him, he could tell that he didn’t really approve, cause Baird was always making teasing comments about his unusual style, but he nodded, “It will keep your identity as Ze’ikra’lord a bit more secret, while we travel, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of them.”
Some looked up at him in confusion.
“I know it is hard after the horrors of today but we need to think of other people, we need to travel north and warn people, especially the King.”
“Can’t we have time to mourn?!” exclaimed Giren.
“If they plan to unleash the virus to more people, the longer we take the more innocent people will die, and I know this may not sound comforting right now, but occupying yourself with things, helps you to deal with remorse.”
The group looked at each other resignedly, knowing he was right.
“Well we have nothing left, except for each other, and no where to go, and all that matters to me now is avenging Jaladhar,” Kirsten replied.
“Well then our new life starts out tomorrow, and don’t forget we have a Ze’ikra’lord here,” Baird replied, indicating Jaden, “the only thing that brings a halt to their plans, and I will do everything I can to protect that, whose with me?” he asked.
“I am,” Giren announced, getting to his feet.
“Me too,” said both Jacelyn and Kirsten in inuision.
“And me,” said Aallen.
Bryna and Jaden both agreed shortly afterwards.
Miles turned his face so it hit the firelight from where he had been sitting in the darkness drinking some kind of spirit from flask, “I am coming as well.”
