El-Vador's Travels (61 page)

His
leg numb from the assault, El-Vador brought up his palms and sent
strands of dark energy roping out to entangle and devour his
opposition. The blackness met its kin and greedily sucked it up,
causing the figures to become chalk-like and disintegrate which
bought a few seconds for the Elf to rise.

Another
shadowy figure drove at him, arcing in punch after punch with its
spear-like arms. El-Vador ducked and weaved before latching onto the
creature with another snaking arm of his power.

The
killing blow that would have come faded into powdery dust that
settled amongst the plains in moments, affording the Elf a second
brief respite from the assault.

Yet
another figure approached and El-Vador lashed out with a foot,
tripping the creature and leaving it prone to a final burst of power.

'El-Vador!'
Aliana appeared before him out of the shadows. She bore a small knife
that was coated in darkness. 'I woke to the sound of fighting, what
manner of darkness is this?.'

The
Elf looked up. 'I suspect it is related to Salvarius in some way.' he
replied, recovering his blade and searching through the night for
further attackers. A cloud of smoke covered the horizon so thick that
even El-Vador's eyes could not pierce it.

'Anacletus!'
he called, 'Are you there?'

A
strained voice came from the smoke. 'There are still others out here,
Elf. You are welcome to join me at any time.'

El-Vador
bounded into the dark, sword singing and tearing at any black shape.
Aliana followed in the Elf's wake, keeping his charge from exposing
his flanks and back. Darkness swept from her fingers and wrapped its
tendrils through the creatures before they could twist around and
find her.

Anacletus
appeared from the depths of the smoke as it slowly settled, his cloak
torn and battered. 'You may cease your searching, Elf. Whatever those
dark creatures were, they are no more.'

'A
present from Salvarius.' El-Vador replied, not trusting Anacletus and
staring out into the lessening smoke for further attacks. Aside from
the chalky remnants staining the barrens, he saw nothing. It was then
that he noticed the state of his reluctant companion.

'We
cannot delay any further, Elf. You must track down Salvarius
immediately.'

'Why
are you shaking?' El-Vador asked, staring at the man as he tried to
cease the clear quivering of his hands.

'I
merely expended too much power in dealing with these creatures, it is
nothing for you to be concerned about.'

'You
are lying to me, Anacletus, it is written plainly upon your face.'

The
assassin scowled at him, clearly expressing his distaste for the
apparent weakness being exposed. 'I had an encounter with a force,
the expenditure of my power threatens to draw me into some kind of
purgatory that takes me a great length of time to escape.'

El-Vador
had no expected such a forthright explanation from the man, an
admission of vulnerability that left him entirely at his mercy. 'So
you cannot use your powers for any length lest this thing take hold
of you again?'

Anacletus
nodded.

'Then
it is up to me to deal with Sarvacts.'

'So
it would seem, Elf. Make sure that you do, I will aid you in what
little way I can.'

Anacletus
eyed the conscious Pixie with distaste as they made their way back to
the camp. He motioned to the flat expanse as if it were a map. 'Move
with all haste in that direction, I can feel his power emanating from
the ruins yonder. Your senses are sharp enough that you will not miss
him in this dusty plain.'

El-Vador
nodded. 'Do not let Aliana out of your sight once again, not unless
you plan to destroy Salvarius yourself.'

For
once Anacletus did not mock or respond to the Elf's words, instead
fixing him with a look of appraisal.

El-Vador
studied horizon, trying to sense the same power that the assassin had
somehow detected. He couldn't feel anything.

'You
will know it when it is closer, Elf.' Anacletus replied to his
unspoken thought.

'I
will trust you this final time.' the Elf replied, pointing at him as
he cleaned his sword of the dark substance that spattered it. 'If you
betray me, I will find you.'

Anacletus
nodded in recognition of this and El-Vador ceased speaking to the man
after that final threat, focusing instead on making sure his blade
was clean and sharp. He fully intended to cleave the head of
Salvarius with it, regardless of whatever machinations unfolded.

He
was many things, but he was not a monster. A monster does not
question, a monster does not relent or repent in any manner, it lacks
the empathy to care. It simply destroys.

'
Y
ou
have failed me yet again!' Salvarius roared.

She
took a steadying breath before she turned to face him, trying not to
wince at the sound of his voice. She kept her expression calm, hiding
her racing heart. 'I tried my utmost master, but the one who pursues
us had aid unseen.'

Her
answer stopped him. Shock softened his features, but only for a
moment. He pointed toward the wagon's floor. 'What do you mean by aid
unseen?.'

'I
sensed other powers as they struck my final trap, he who follows did
not do this alone. The twin walks with him, to draw one we must have
the other.'

'This
is intolerable Mina!' he raged at her, his gauntlets clawing at an
unseen foe as if he could rend him from afar with his very will.
'There must be something left that you can do, something that you
haven't thought of?'

'We
cannot beat them from afar by strength of arms alone, master.' She
beckoned him closer. 'But there are other ways of obtaining that
which we desire.' Mina smiled casually. 'My power may be waning, but
the closer she becomes the easier it is to set things against that
which follows.'

'How
will you obtain her if not from strength of arms?'

'Is
it not obvious?' Mina pointed.

'Enough
with your games. Tell me what it is you plan do and make it quick.'

'Deception,
master. Deception.' She held his eyes and detailed her plan, joining
Salvarius in a dark smile at her own ingenuity.

The
smile faded, and so did hers in accordance with her master's
expression. Something was wrong, she could still sense that much.
'What troubles you, master?'

'I'm
sorry, Mina.' Salvarius replied, his tone softer and hoarse from the
shouting of before. 'I should not have been angry with you for trying
your best.'

This
humble admission took her aback. Gone was the raging and commanding
figure of before and in its place was a slumped figure that seemed
altogether tired and conflicted.

'You
were right to be disappointed with my efforts, master.' she replied,
closing the distance between them and tentatively placing her arms
about him. 'I have not serviced you as I should have, you are within
your rights to punish me for this.'

'It
has been a difficult transition, Mina. To go from a simple Captain of
the guard to commanding an entire burrow is a task far beyond any
previous appointment. I understand now why Harg was so temperamental,
the stress is intolerable at the best of times. I find myself far too
quick to anger, more so than ever before.'

'The
anger is a good thing, master.' Mina replied soothingly, running her
hands down his armoured body. 'It shows the strength of your
conviction, it shows that you are a man that requires nothing less
than perfection from those around him. You have earned this position
through your anger, and your anger will aid you in completing the
task.

Salvarius
was silent for a time, musing over the words that Mina had just
spoken. She hoped that he would come to a conclusion of conviction,
they couldn't afford a crisis of confidence so close to completing
their task.

'You're
right, Mina,' he said after much thought. 'It was one thing that Harg
taught me, that a leader cannot afford to look weak in front of his
charges. You are my charge, I cannot allow myself to look weak in
front of you either.'

There
was resolution in his words, as if he had come to terms with his role
in the short space of time that they had spoken. Mina smiled as she
disengaged, she wouldn't have to kill him after all.

He
felt her approach before he saw it, El-Vador knew that Aliana had
abandoned Anacletus for some reason. He ceased walking and stared
back at her as she made her way toward him on foot, uncertain of what
to expect.

She
stood there for a moment, staring at him. 'I just wanted to say
goodbye properly, in case you don't come back.'

El-Vador
nodded, uncertain as to how to proceed. 'Thank you, goodbye.'

Her
face fell.

'I'm
sorry, I'm not very good at goodbyes.'

She
closed the distance between them and slipped her hand into his. 'This
is a goodbye, not a farewell. I fully expect to see you once you
return.'

The
Elf stared at her hand. 'What of Anacletus?'

'I
told him I wished to speak to you alone, he acquiesced to my wishes.'

'I
doubt that he will leave you from his sight for long. Not after all
that has happened.'

They
continued walking then, hand in hand and observing the barrens before
them.

Aliana
stopped. 'I shouldn't go any further. I feel the tug of the mistress
that the Orc spoke of.'

'Then
we shall stay here for a time, and that shall be our goodbye.'

She
squeezed his hand, then looked up into his face. 'How do you plan on
saying goodbye to me, El-Vador of the mountains?'

El-Vador
shook his head. 'I do not know. I can only wish you safety and plan
on returning once my task is complete.'

Aliana's
gaze met his openly, with no guile or hidden intent. She raised his
hand to her lips and kissed it. 'Stay safe for me, and I shall stay
safe for you.'

The
Elf returned the gesture, not knowing what else to do. Her skin felt
soft to the touch of his lips, and part of him yearned to do more. He
would not with the thought of Anacletus potentially watching on in
some hidden place.

'Anacletus
said that if you did not attack Salvarius, he would hunt you down. Is
this still your plan?'

He
pulled back, and looked her full in the face. 'I know that I must do
this, I will not baulk from the task ahead. If he does not keep you
safe then he shall be the hunted one.'

They
parted then, and the Pixie slowly walked back from whence she came,
into the depths of the barrens that swallowed her up. El-Vador stood
wondering for a time if the difficulty of every returning step was
because of the curse laid upon her or who she left behind.

Regrets
are for fools, for none can know for certain what branches the past
may have spread outward to.

A
liana
felt the tug as she struggled to step away from the Elf and the
general direction that she was being beckoned toward. She looked back
and he had already decided to leave, distancing himself from her with
quick strides and leaving her alone. She wondered if Anacletus had
been watching their goodbye, and if the assassin had got any sort of
voyeuristic pleasure out of it.

She
searched the flat land ahead of her but could see no dark figure or
anything that would indicate the passing of her supposed guardian.
Had he abandoned her once again for even more pressing matters?

Until
this mysterious mistress had drawn her to the place which El-Vador
travelled, Salvarius's plan could not be fulfilled, which gave
El-Vador ample time to put an end to it for all time.

All
she had to do was stay out of the way.

She
worked her way back along the barrens, trying to ignore the scorching
mid-day heat of the place and assure herself that Anacletus would
reappear to guard her. She wondered idly if all of the world she had
seen would eventually be eroded away into this nothingness that lay
before her. So it would be with the stories of Salvarius, and how he
sought her, and how El-Vador destroyed him. Their efforts would be
forgotten, much like the reign of terror that Salvarius would unleash
should he come to power.

She
thought of the Elf for a time, how he constantly lived in the moment
and had not concerned himself with the future until she had brought
it up. Perhaps the present was all that truly mattered, the legacy of
their action or inaction may be immaterial over vast expanses of time
but it certainly meant everything in the here and now.

Aliana
pondered as to where it was Anacletus had vanished to, he had seemed
to just phase out in a flurry of smoke and concealment. Was the
assassin watching over her as he had inferred or had he simply deemed
other matters more important to attend to?

It
wasn't as if she couldn't handle herself in the long-term, she had
been doing it for some time now with much success. The subtle tug
that implored her to venture back into the heart of the barrens sent
a pang of warning through her heart. The closer she got to the source
of that beckoning the harder it grew to resist, even as she felt the
initial surge of it weaken she knew the hooks of whatever power had
been cast out had dug deeply into her.

The
sound of footsteps that belonged to neither the Elf or Anacletus made
he freeze, something was following her and had been waiting for
El-Vador to be out of sight. There was no pretence of stealth from
the pursuant, it was clearly aware that she was alone and unguarded.
A darkness flew past her, then came around again as she flinched. She
cursed herself for her own inaction but inexplicably found a great
resistance well up in her when she tried to move.

She
spun eventually, much too slowly for her liking, and felt the sting
of something piercing her arm. Aliana slapped the tip of it away,
only succeeding in bloodying her fingers on what looked to be a dark
blade-like protrusion. She was too slow, much too slow. How had this
thing dampened her own sense of survival? Fire burned through her
flesh and her arm immediately went numb in response. She staggered
back several steps, unfurling her wings and then dimly remembering
their damage as a faint throb upon her back, then she twisted and
fell onto the hard floor of the barrens.