The Bad Seed Page 9

  Feeling sure that his new army would carry out this plan flawlessly, he made preparations to summon his brother. Together they would prepare this world to be devoured by The Remissum. They would help him regain full strength to rule over the worlds as it should have been. With his army of barkers terrorizing the realms and preparing to go to Casterton to find the group of refugees, Dori'naur made his way back to the Morely farm, to that spot in the garden where he first entered this world was. The ash circle still imprinted on the ground where the mighty tree had once stood.

  "Your time is now my brother. Heed my call and join me," Dori'naur said in a low voice.

  Once he was in the garden, he took a staff with strange markings on it and traced a large triangle around the outside of the ash circle. Dori'naur stood at the northern tip of the triangle, stamped the staff into the ground, igniting the markings into flames. He closed his eyes, stretched forth his hands and started a demonic chant, "Trask nar, del'nor. Trask nor, Vari'te no."

  The flames of the triangle turned a sickening shade of green. Lightning crashed through the skies, thunder rolling in the distance. Dori'naur's eyes were ablaze with green fire now. With a booming shout, "TELLO DRI'NOR RAUKO'!" A blinding light flooded the garden.

  A rather large, hulking figure stood in the center of the triangle. He was in front of Dori'naur with a hood draped over his face, heavy leather armor adorned with deadly spikes upon his shoulders and legs. A mighty war bow was strapped to his back and razor-sharp fist blades on each hand. This new fearsome figure raised his head, pulled back his hood to reveal a skinless face, of only bone and chain. Inside the eye sockets glowed the same fiery embers that glowed inside of Dori'naur's eyes.

  "Welcome, Brother. We have work to do," Dori’naur told him.

  A sneer came across the second demon's face. Hard to tell without skin, but his fangs gave the appearance of smiling. He lifted his arms and turned his hands down toward the ground. "Join me, my children. I am in need of your services once more." The other tips of the triangle began to glow, and an eerie green smoke rose around. Standing inside the smoke were two monstrous hellhounds. "I have awakened!" The hounds moved to either side of their master. "I am Rauko' the Hunter! Disciple of The Remissum!"

  Dori'naur smiled and said, "Let it begin."

  The demon brothers returned to Castle Whitehold. Dori'naur told Rauko' of the information concerning King Gabriel and the refugee army forming in Casterton. "This information can prove vital. The humans want to hide from us, they plan to defeat us," Dori'naur told him. "They planned for this before, Brother. The elves are scattered, what is left of them. They will not be a threat," he assured.

  Rauko' was not convinced that this was all they needed to know. "I will take a group of your minions back to this place called Weelinn. I will leave no stone untouched and will drain all information from the puny humans." Dori'naur knew his brother would complete this task with ease, "Yes, this is the will of The Remissum. As you do this, I will send the rest to Casterton to start the demise of the former King of Whitehold!"

  Now with the Brethren on Amundiss, their work to break this world would truly begin. They were the servants to The Remissum, a cruel and nefarious being hell-bent on revenge. He was Craotonus, the God cast out from the heavens because of his greed and attempts of malice on the other Gods.

  He christened himself with the name The Remissum or “the unforgiven” meaning he shall never enter the heavens as a God again. He is destined to live out eternity as a demon.

  After the War of the Gods, The Remissum was weakened very badly. He and his minions of evil lay dormant for centuries waiting for him to regain enough strength to wage war upon the Gods once more. He was to consume the innocence of the worlds that the Gods created to regain full power.

  The Brethren prepared the worlds by totally decimating—to the point of surrender by the people. As the Remissum consumed the poor souls of the worlds they conquered, he became more powerful. His mission was that if he could not enter the heavens as a God, he would enter it as a conqueror. They needed to find the vessel and destroy the Champion of Light, or risk the champion reaching full power and sending The Remissum back to hell where he would be forced to over again, or worse, face eternal death. It has taken three thousand years to reach this point, and failure was not an option.

  Rauko' took an army of the barkers Dori'naur had created into Weelinn. He and his hellhounds were powerful and no match for the remaining people inside the city. Rauko' sent the barkers in groups; one group was to round up all the females appearing to be with child. A second group stormed Benzoete's tower, capturing the elves inside. Some elves escaped to the lower chambers to try and hide from the chaos, yet Rauko' still sent his hellhounds in to grab themselves a little snack.

  The beasts were enormous. The first was a red male with a bad drooling problem. Rauko' called him, Varg; and a female that was nearly as large, with fur a lovely shade of green and smelled of rotting meat left in the sun for days; her name was Shaaux.

  The hounds tore into the city, pouncing on the unsuspecting citizens, tearing them to shreds. A city watchman came to help, and successfully he buried his spear into the hind leg of Varg. Shaaux turned on the man locking her powerful jaws upon his upper torso while Varg took hold of his lower half. A human tug of war ensued until Shaaux bit down and severed the man in half. The beasts continued to wreak havoc until called back by their master.

  The barkers finally had corralled all the women and all the elves that were a part of Benzoete's house and Rauko’ assembled them before him in the great square of the city. He stepped forward and announced, "My name is Rauko', the Hunter. I will ask one question and one question only to each of you. Give me what I want, and no one suffers. Refuse my request, and you become my pets next meal."

  The first of the citizens was shoved before the demon. "Where is the Vessel of Light?" he asked.

  Trembling the man responded, "I do not know, my lord! I am but a simple merchant. Have mercy upon us!"

  With a lightning quick thrust, Rauko' pierced the man through the chest with his fist blades, picking him off the ground and tossed him to the hellhounds. "Next one!" he shouted. One by one they are asked the same question and if they responded with the wrong answer, or they refused to respond at all, they shared the same fate.

  That is until they came to Maddisin, a young elven woman who worked for the high wizard order. She fell to her knees before Rauko', "My Lord, I know where they need to be. Please spare us and the information is yours."

  Rauko' stepped forward, helped her to her feet, then ran a finger down her cheek and asked his question.

  "They search for a place of myth called, the Valley of Ice Shadows,” Maddisin continued. “It holds a tomb of the first elders. Inside the tomb is the key to defeating you. They are on their way to the city of Casteron now. I do not know why and that is the truth, I swear it by the Goddess."

  Rauko' looked to the people and said, "Now was that hard? All you had to do is cooperate. I told you if you answer my question correctly, you would not suffer."

  Maddisin let out a sigh of relief and turned with a smile to her family. As the demon turned to walk away, he looked to his army, "Kill them all, leave no one alive, but kill them quickly, as to not suffer. When you are finished, place the bodies at the front gates as a reminder to always do as you are told." With that, he laughed and walk away.

  "You said if we tell you what we know, we would not die!" Maddisin yelled to the dark one.

  Rauko' stopped and said over his shoulder, "No, my dear. I said no one would suffer. I will allow you to die swiftly." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The Hounds and all barkers rushed in; one could hear the carnage of the good people of Weelinn being destroyed for miles away. The Brethren already knew of the refugee army needing to find George Morely and King Gabriel in Casterton, and now they know why.

  Rauko' was even deadlier than Dori'naur, if that is possible. I hoped my father and King Gabriel
could find this Valley and learn how to destroy these demons fast. If these two are just the servants, I could not imagine their master. The world would surely turn dark for eternity.

  19

  Clash at Casterton

  With the information gained from Weelinn and their spies, the demon brothers gave orders to their army to kill all the refugees hiding at Casterton, gather any information they could on the vessel of light, and return when victorious. Dori'naur and Rauko' had wreaked havoc across the realms. The search for Natallia was riddled with bloodshed and bodies from one city to the next, as The Remissum fed on the souls of the innocents. Chaos and carnage abounded to flush out the Champion of Light. How much more could this world take? How could these people stand to wait until the Champion is into his eighteenth season?

  Gabriel, George, and Antoine trained any that wanted to fight for the Light. A word was sent from the scouts who had seen that the army of barkers was headed to Casterton.

  Gabriel prepared the refugee army for battle, "We will fight until life's breath has left us! We will fight until the Gods call us to the afterlife! We will fight until this evil is gone from our world and all is returned to proper place! These men were once our friends, our neighbors, and our family, yet you cannot think of them that way any longer. They will not know you. All they know is death, destruction, and chaos! Do not waiver from this or you will not survive!"

  Elizabeth and the other women took the children and supplies and left for their next destination to wait for the survivors of this battle. Elizabeth, in her own right, had turned into a very honorable leader, taking charge of the remaining women and children, helping to keep them safe and on the move when needed. Every child she helped along the way, she saw Zachery's face, and wished he was with her. A mother's love is a bond not easily broken. She channeled that spirit into helping the others.

  A horn sounded from the front lines signaling that the barkers were here. Antoine took his band of ragtag refugees to flank the right side while George lead his team through the left side along the tree line. Gabriel stood like a statue on the front, hand at the ready on the hilt of his sword Fuascailte.

  When the barkers came close, he gave the order, "Fire!" Elos and Benzoete were positioned at either side of the main gates, arms stretched forth, magically calling down fire from the heavens. As the rain of fire slowed the evil army, Antoine and George moved their units in while Gabriel drew his blessed sword and gave the order to move in and help the others.

  The demonic army had no remorse for themselves or the men they were sent to fight. All they knew was bloodshed. Mindless killers. On their hands, claws had formed, the tree bark that now covered their bodies, acting as living armor. As the blades found their mark and sliced the barkers, they would heal as fast as the cut formed. The easiest way to defeat them was from behind and hope to land the blade just right across the neck to sever the head from the body because when the head is removed from the body it is turned into ash. However, this was no easy task. Usually, it took one man to last long enough in combat to allow another to land the killing blow.

  The sounds of metal clashing rang throughout the hills of Casterton. The smell of burning flesh from the wizard fire was unbearable, choking their men. The refugee army was being pushed back.

  Antoine urged Gabriel to pull back. "You have to run! You must make it back! We will hold them off, giving you time to escape and find the others."

  For Gabriel, time slowed down to a stop. He looked over his shoulder and saw his men valiantly fighting. Fighting and dying. These men were willing to lay down their lives for the good of others, for the belief in their king.

  "NO! I will not leave my people to die as I run! We will fight as one and die as one!" Gabriel shouted as he ran headlong into the army, slashing with all his might causing Fuascailte to start to glow. His first swing connected and split one of the barkers completely in half.

  Seeing this brought memories back for Benzoete of his mother’s unselfish sacrifice to save him and the other elves in the first War of the Gods. Benzoete motioned to Elos, "Concentrate fire around the king, push back as many as we can!"

  The men saw their king rush in, fearlessly fighting for them and heard his mighty battle cry. Seeing this caused a rush of second wind filled their souls with a fever of honor; their blood boiled. As the refugees pushed back the demon army a figure appeared at the edge of the trees. A hooded man with a bow who then proved his accuracy was amazing. His arrows hit each and every one of their marks, piercing the skulls of the barkers, stopping them in their tracks. The refugees were winning! The demons were now on the defensive. One by one their bodies were turned to ash.

  A roar of cheers arose from the refugee army. "The barkers are running!" one shouted.

  "All hail King Gabriel!" another yelled out.

  As the last of the barkers retreated to Castle Whitehold, back to their masters, the stranger came up to the group. "Thank the Gods, I thought I would never find you," he said as he removed his hood.

  Antoine stepped between the stranger and Gabriel, "And you are?"

  The stranger smiled and said, "My name is Saduj Proditor. I am from the southern realm of Black Falls Mountain, just outside of Mordit City. I came to aid in the fight, for my people found a way to stop the minions."

  As they settled down to care for the wounded and prepare to meet Elizabeth the next morning, the stranger told them of the method used to make the special arrows he used to kill the barkers with one shot.

  "My people are Gods fearing people, so when the demon's minions came into Mordit City looking for the Vessel of Light we knew that something had to be done. Our priests prayed and were shown a special metal that is blessed by the Old Gods themselves. We harvested all we could find and made weapons. My aim is the best in all the realms, so I made my arrows, others made swords, and others daggers to protect their families. I came looking for you hoping to end this once and for all."

  Gabriel took one of the arrows to examine the tip. "What makes this steel so special?" he asked.

  Saduj then replied, "The rock where we gathered the steel from is the site where one of the Old Gods stood and chose the original elders of the new home, Eska'Taurn. Three new elders were appointed and asked to set out for a new way. Those who did not wish to leave journeyed to Eska'Taurn, where they would live out their days. At least that is what we are to believe, for elves were here centuries before man."

  Benzoete leaned forward in his chair, rubbing the sides of his head with the first two fingers of his hands, "I do recall my mother speaking of a place in the southern realms where this call was made. Alas, I do not remember her saying it was a place called Mordit City."

  "Maybe you remember the elven name of Terra'Fayoak,” Saduj laughed. “When man moved in after the elves abandoned it the name was changed."

  Benzoete sat straight up. "Yes, yes, that was the name. I was testing your authenticity. Well done my boy! We have to be careful letting people we know nothing about into our inner circle."

  Gabriel stood and stretched forth a hand to Saduj. "Welcome, we need all the trained men we can find, and with this new steel on your arrows, we hold an advantage."

  Antoine still seemed skeptical, "I'll have the men gather the arrows before we leave tomorrow; we will need as many as we can locate."

  The next morning the refugees packed up and headed north the meet with Elizabeth and the others. They would try to find the Tomb of the Elders, but no one could foresee how long that will take or what perils lay ahead of them along the way. Their journey would take them far into the northern realms, places no man has seen in centuries.

  The path was laid out for Benzoete in the Book of the Ancients and he hoped to gather more information as they went along. No one has ever made it back from a journey to the Tombs the same way they left. That is, if they came back at all. What secrets are hidden within, once the tombs were found?

  20

  Antoine Seeks Answers

  The next s
top was a small town by the name of Billows. When the battle at Casterton started, Elizabeth and the other women headed north ahead of the men. They stopped at Billows to set up camp and ready themselves to care for the wounded that made it through the fight alive.

  "We have to be ready for anything, ready to help where we’re needed," Elizabeth told the others.

  As the wounded warriors made their way to their new base camp, Antoine rode up beside Benzoete. "I have a question that has consumed me ever since this started. If you can kindly answer it for me."

  Benzoete turned to him and gave a nod. "If I can answer, I will gladly shed light upon the subject."

  Antoine stopped his horse and looked to the wizard with tears in his eyes. "Why is my family cursed with this? Why has my sister been given the burden of carrying the Champion? What have we done to deserve this horror?"

  The good elf placed a hand on Antoine's shoulder. "My boy this is not a curse. I will give you full details of what I know after we settle in at Billows. Know this, you and your sister have been destined for this since birth and the reason your parents fought so hard to save you from the orc attack. Now, come let us find the others. I can see the entrance to Billows just ahead." The two rode on as the others were filing into the town.

  Elizabeth ran out to meet George with Launa tagging along behind her. "Every time we are separated, I had always wondered if this is the last time, I will see your face. I do not know how much more of this I can take."

  George took her into his arms. "Even if we are apart, know this. I will always be with you. I gave you my heart many years ago because I knew you would take care of it. Now, with this threat upon us, I would not have it any other way. I fight to ensure the safety of you and Launa. When we are reunited with Zachery, we will fight as a family for it is the right thing to do. We must keep the Light shining throughout Amundiss." The two shared a kiss when George felt a tug at his armor.