Vengeance
had slowed her flight through the sky and, as the night deepened, began to
descend. Soon, she and Renee were sailing just above the treetops of a forest
that spread north from a spur of mountains. Still far on the horizon, the
glimmer that Vengeance had called Illeth Moran shone brighter than any star.
Vengeance
began to zigzag above the treetops, peering about with Renee’s eyes, hunting
for something. As when they had been beneath the sea, Renee could hear
Vengeance’s mutterings as she hunted. Renee presumed that another Seraph’s Fury
was nearby. She eased her mind forward, coming as close to that of Vengeance as
she dared. As always, rage pulsed from the strange being, but was focused in
its search.
Suddenly,
a wave of hot anger slammed into Renee’s mind, buffeting her about. For a
moment, she thought that Vengeance had discovered her watching, but soon
realised that the anger had not come from Vengeance. It had come from nearby,
in the forest. Vengeance stopped, looking about. Then, with a smirk of
satisfaction, she headed for the source of the rage.
She
alighted in a small forest clearing. At the centre of the clearly was a large
boulder that had been scorched black by fire, and had shattered; split down the
middle. No grass grew around the rock, and the earth that was laid bare was
thin, like silt. Vengeance stalked her way around the rock, careful not to step
on the silty soil. She held Renee’s hand out over the stone, fingers
outstretched. The air directly above the schism in the rock was icy cold, yet
the air everywhere else was warm.
Angels bled here,
murmured Vengeance.
“Angels?”
asked Renee.
Angel is the Northern name for a
Seraph. Many bled here, and probably died here. Their Furies should be here
somewhere.
She
glanced around the clearing, finally taking in the contents of the shadows.
Four large skeletons in shattered, burned armour sat propped up against trees.
One was missing its skull, which was cradled in the lap of another.
“Who
are they?”
Vengeance
pointed to them each in turn, Sextus,
Quintus, Septus, and Decimus. Four
brothers killed by a fifth.
“The
same one who slew Octavius?”
Yes. There
was a hint of resentment in Vengeance’s voice.
“Who
was he?”
He was known as the Bealdor. Vengeance
paused, In an older tongue, Bealdor meant
master. He was something beyond the Seraph, and became their final reckoning.
Renee
was intrigued, “Did he kill all the Seraph?”
There were rumours that one escaped
the Bealdor. He was only whispered of, however, and was known as Nihilus.
“Nihilus?”
Like all the Seraph, he was named in
Erelisian. His name means Nothing.
Renee
was about to speak when the crack of twig caused Vengeance to wheel about,
disorienting Renee. Something was moving through the trees, just outside the
clearing. Every now and then Renee caught a glimpse of grey and white between
the tree trunks. Vengeance raised a hand, following the path of the movement
with a finger. Renee felt the rage with Vengeance boiling, filling her entire
body. Soon, it was as though Renee was caught in a red haze.
Vengeance
screamed, and a blast of light shot from her finger, shooting across the
clearing and scything through the trees. Ancient pines creaked as the fell, cut
down by the light. Vengeance stopped screaming, and the air with filled with
the hiss of boiling resin as smoke rose from the trunks of the forest giants.
There was a flash of grey material directly across the clearing, and Vengeance
took aim once more, light shooting from her finger once more.
A
huge figure burst from the trees. He stood easily eight feet tall, and was
nearly half that across his immense shoulders. Dark tattoos covered his tanned,
scarred skin, and lank brown hair hung down over his eyes. He was dressed in
tattered hunter’s clothing, and a large sword was strapped across his back. As
the light reached him, he raised a hand and deflected it, directing it
harmlessly to the crowd.
His
voice was calm and mellow as he asked, “Who are you, and why are you here?”
No comments:
Post a Comment