Ekleipsis (20 page)

Hearing footsteps from the
Gottlo, Vandor’s hand released his sword, refusing to grip it any
longer. He watched it fall to the ground in disbelief. Vandor
screamed in pain as the disrupted arrow had buried itself within
his right shoulder. Vandor turned in Kayla’s direction. Unable to
stop moving forward, the force pushed him almost over, causing him
to stumble. The Gottlo was caught by surprise. It turned, swinging
its sword toward Vandor, more as a club than a blade. Vandor’s head
was met with the tremendous force of the flat portion of the blade,
jarring every member of his being. Vandor clasped to the ground as
if dead, but this gave the young Sealed the opening to pierce the
Gottlo’s heart.

The young man saw two
Gottlos upon horses striding toward Trachten, from whence Kayla
was. One had Kayla in front of him laden across the saddle. The
other screamed words unknown to him, in a seemingly animal dialect
which sent chills down the Sealed’s spine. The remaining Gottlos
turned and ran toward the others upon horseback. Burdened, the men
let them go without strength to follow.

The men fell to the ground,
dropping their swords, sitting and catching their breaths. Removing
their helmets, they bent over staring at the ground. The young one,
whom Vandor had rushed to help, moved slowly over to check for
signs of life. Had he lost this new friend before ever getting to
know him?
He’s alive!
he screamed within himself.

The men, including Vandor, were dirty,
covered in blood and sweat, mixed with tears and dust, their bodies
full of bruises. Although they would all live, what of the young
girl?

Rally in Geheim

In Trachten, the Gibborims,
the remaining sons of Galtare, along with Vikadore, divided the
armies of Darkness to cover the Land of Erde. With the loss of
Desgosto, then Abejoti, the brothers’ thoughts of tyranny against
the souls of Erde had only increased. There was not a soldier of
the Darkness which did not bare the mark, and that had not bowed a
knee in reverence to Jagare and his image.

The Gibborims, Gottlos, and
Ubils were all ready to move at the voice of Jagare. Their thirst
for blood drooled down their faces like ravenous wolves. Rubicund
towered above the armies, staring across the Land of Erde, able to
see for miles past Trachten. Concerning the inhabitants, there
seemed to be very few who the Dragon could not see; for he had long
moved about seeking whom he may devour.

§ § § §

Kirche had been cleared
out, with only a few yet remaining to make one last sweep, and
gather what may have been left of importance. Mere handfuls of
people still made their way through Signum, as they refused to
leave their belongings behind. Loaded down donkeys and wagons could
be seen moving throughout the city, with but a few of the Sealed
holding out for the stragglers. Their love of and refusal to depart
with their possessions had caused them to be left behind by Ciafus
and the Council of Kirche, along with many others who had chosen to
leave such belongings.

At the very hour, while the
souls of Signum arrived in Geheim, there were many among the Sealed
who protected their backs lest threats arose from Trachten. A good
number of the Sealed searched the grounds of Erde warning and
persuading men, women, and children to follow them to safety, from
the coming menace of the Darkness. There were many who followed,
those who mocked, and others who claimed they would be on their way
shortly.

§ § § §

Persuaded by Ashvar, the
majority of persons in Nesal had safely made their way into the
hidden parts of the Cadas Mountains, called Geheim. Met there by
persons of Ashvar’s own village, Breckenly, and villages from all
around Erde, there must have been thousands upon thousands of men,
women, and children arriving throughout the day. Seeing the
insignia of King Salvare upon the many Sealed present gave comfort
to the weary.

Sycress, Rayhold’s mother,
refused to follow, but was permitted to stay with the few who chose
to remain in Nesal. She wanted to linger there, in hopes that her
son Rayhold would return. Sycress feared if she were to leave Nesal
her son might be lost forever to the Darkness; for how would he
know where to reach the secret place of Geheim on his own? Though
she was not given the directions to Geheim, desiring to keep such
from the approaching armies of Jagare; yet she remained in hopes to
see her son once more.

The first thing Tindal and Sorie did
after arriving in Geheim, with the letter Vandor had left them in
hand, was to inquire if any had seen their son. They were told to
check the infirmary, for there were a few young men healing there.
They made their way around the maze of people, while Ashvar moved
to find Ciafus. Nau left his wife Amashai with his children Hisum
and Misal among the rest of the people mingling, as he followed
Ashvar. Eslar accompanied Tindal and Sorie in hopes to also find
MaZak, though she feared, if he were yet alive, he would have
returned to Nesal first.

Entering the infirmary,
their eyes examined each face present, within seconds, looking for
distinct details. There, toward the back, past more than twenty
cots, laid their son. Sorie gripped Tindal’s hand tightly, as they
made their way through the medical personnel. Eslar followed,
taking a second glance at every face, hoping she may see MaZak or
Dartego. She had asked for Ashvar to inquire of such, as he found
his way to Ciafus, hoping he would return with good
news.

As they reached Vandor, a
lump still remained upon his brow, with his right arm held tight
against his body with bandages. Sorie pushed past Tindal to her
son. She knelt, allowing the tears to seep from her eyes, reaching
out, placing her gentle hands upon her son’s face. “Oh, my precious
Vandor,” she softly wept, kissing his cheek. Her tears dropped to
his face, as he opened his eyes. Her heart leaped within her bosom,
as she tightly embraced him.
Oh thank you,
my God, for saving my son!

Tindal smiled, kneeling and
placing his hand upon his son’s arm, “It is good to see you, V.” A
part of him groaned to demand Vandor give answers for his
disobedience in leaving, and to question where and to what had he
been about. The law dwelt deep within Tindal, but, for this
precious moment of reunion, he refrained from allowing it to
speak.

Sorie asked her son, “Is Kayla
here?”

“No,” Vandor said quietly, with a
solemn look. “Are her parents here?”

“Tebad and Triamencia have stayed in
Nesal to search for Kayla. Do you know where she is? We may be able
to send them word,” Tindal questioned.

“We came upon a battle in Trachten…she
was taken by the Gottlos,” Vandor began to tell, but was broken off
by the arrival of his new friend.

A young fellow, with jet black hair
and similar build as Vandor, approached. “This is Arkadas. He and
others of the Sealed saved my life by bringing me here,” Vandor
proclaimed.

“Don’t be so modest Vandor. It was you
who risked your life to save mine, and helped us in the fight with
the Gottlos. I only wish we could have been able to save your
friend also,” claimed Arkadas, showing remorse, speaking of
Kayla.

Attention was drawn to the
young girl, in the bed across the aisle, as she began to moan and
shake drastically. She was strapped to the cot, across her
shoulders and thighs. It was to protect her from harming herself,
for she would spasm uncontrollably quite often. She remained in a
comatose state, yet continued to sweat profusely, running a very
high fever. The physicians had tried all that they knew, yet her
condition only worsened by the hour.

Into the infirmary walked
Ashvar, along with Ciafus and Nartod, the head physician of Kirche.
They made their way to the convulsing young lady. Kneeling beside
her, Ashvar bowed his head, placing his hands upon her arm and
forehead. For a moment there was only silence. Her convulsions
ceased. Her sweat began to dry and her fever drifted away, as she
appeared to begin to rest peacefully.

Ashvar looked up, as he
removed the rose blossom necklace, which had now turned black, from
around her neck. Crushing the amulet in his hand, he turned to
Ciafus, “She has been touched by the Darkness.”

Vandor reluctantly spoke, “She is
Cenobia, from Qualtes.” He did not want to tattle, but he knew he
must. “Rayhold gave her the necklace.”

He decided to tell them all
of that which he had once kept secret. He gave record of going to
Qualtes with Rayhold and Kayla, and while returning meeting the
Gottlo and seeing Rayhold work magic. He revealed the secret that
Kayla told him, of how her father also had one of the marked
daggers of the Wicked One. He explained his desire to search out
MaZak among Trachten, and how it led Kayla and him into the battle
wherewith he was wounded and Kayla was taken prisoner.

Ashvar, Ciafus, Nartod,
Arkadas, and his family listened intently to all Vandor had to tell
them. Some wished they had known such beforehand, but it was too
late to begrudge the young man when it was not done out of malice.
Vandor faulted himself with such guilt already.

Ensuring Vandor was mostly finished
with his story, Eslar could no longer contain her anxious heart,
“Have you seen MaZak or Dartego,” she questioned Ciafus.

Ciafus told Eslar what he
knew concerning Dartego. He told of Dartego’s accident, and his
arrival at Kirche by the aid of Labat and his sons. Ciafus
explained how Dartego had since passed away, yet gave warning
concerning the coming Ekleipsis with his final breath. Nartod had
done all that he could do, but Dartego had passed from this life to
the next.

“Grandmother,” Vandor said. “I met a
dwarf named Wiltzer, who carried grandfather’s sword.”

Vandor continued, giving every detail
he could remember about meeting Wiltzer and his wife Damaris. He
told them of their old emperor Oviss, their new emperor Penuh
Harap, and the place in which they lived, called Hozekan. Ashvar
and Ciafus looked as though they had heard the names before, but
they remained silent.

“Nartod,” called a man from the
entrance to the infirmary. Labat stood there with his two sons,
Falken and Ion. With them stood a ragged young girl, with tangled
auburn hair and heavy green eyes. Her clothes were tattered and
blood-stained, as she stood at a distance from Labat and his
sons.

“Kayla!” Vandor exclaimed excitedly,
but her face remained emotionless.

Leaving her, Labat moved forward to
speak to Nartod. “We found her wandering alone. She hasn’t said a
word, and she will not let anyone near her.”

Vandor tried to get up from
his cot. Unable to do so alone, Arkadas helped him to stand. Vandor
walked forward toward Kayla, as Ashvar followed. Vandor stood
before her, looking into her eyes, but she appeared to not
recognize or give him thought. He looked down at her hand, taking
notice she no longer wore the ring which he had given her. “Kayla,”
he spoke tenderly.

She stared at him oddly, taking notice
of Ashvar, then turned, walking out of the infirmary without a
word.

Vandor was hurt beyond measure. If the
thought of losing her were not enough, she was but found yet still
lost to him. His heart hurt and burned to reach out to her, to hold
her, to love her. The pain was more than a hundred arrows piercing
his shoulder.

Ashvar placed his hand upon Vandor’s
unharmed shoulder. “The Darkness has been upon this one Vandor, and
it may yet remain. Pray that God may grant us wisdom, and give
mercy unto Kayla.”

“She seems so different,”
replied Vandor, with words that failed to be but an unrecognizable
whisper of pain from the depth of his soul.

“Patience, Vandor. Your friend Kayla
may yet return,” Ashvar said to comfort him, before leaving the
infirmary himself.

Ashvar found Kayla sitting alone,
rocking with her arms holding her thighs against her chest, deep
within the shadows of the crevasse of a rock.

The eclipse came forth, which no eye
of Erde had ever seen. The armies of Jagare thirsted for it, the
inhabitants of Erde feared it, and the souls in Geheim prayed to
endure it.

Ekleipsis

The sign of which Judarius
spoke now rested over the skies of Erde. The new moon moved, ever
so softly, across the heavens, making its way to the forefront of
the sun. Did it desire to claim all light for itself, or simply
wish to withhold the sun’s rays from reaching Erde? There was none
who could stop it, for it moved upon the track whereby it was
set.

The mighty roar of Rubicund sounded
the call to the armies of Darkness to prepare for battle. The heks
began their chants, and the mark upon the hands of Jagare’s army
began to tingle beneath the flesh. The Gibborims and Gottlos freed
their minds, giving themselves over to the sound of the heks,
allowing the Ubils to indwell their beings. A union of Darkness and
wickedness, baring record of the total depravity of such brute
beast, brought forth unthinkable evil which Erde had never seen.
They went forth, spreading like a virus, to seize all of
Erde.