Fable, p.30
Fable, page 30
The dark Elvenfae warrior ran upstairs, past the goblin dwellings which the dark elves hated, and upwards, until he reached the halls of the dark necro-mage and the dark lord’s quarters. He ran as fast as his weary body could manage until he thought he made it to Viltzin’s room, when suddenly Varzunnos walked out at the very same time, knocking the dark Elvenfae to the ground and stunning the worn-out creature for a few moments.
Varzunnos was about to bend down and pick him up to end his life when Viltzin walked out behind him, saw who it was, and stopped Varzunnos from making a mistake.
“Please, master, don’t. This is my personal outlander spy. I have Wyrm for the palace and I have Neiphlax for the outer regions. If he is here, then he may have some news.”
Varzunnos straightened up while Viltzin returned his constantly drooling tongue back into his overfilled mouth.
“Stand. Tell me what you saw,” the dark lord said.
Neiphlax crawled backward several paces before he got to his feet. His armor was getting extremely hot underneath, as the winged ones expelled a lot of energy flying in full form. But the dark Elvenfae lost their ability to change to sprites when the dark lord first created them before the first war, so they didn’t fly too much at all. He wiped the sweat from his pointed brows and ripped off the front panel of the twisted-looking metal, dropping it to the ground, as he swiftly answered, “Sorry, my lord, I came as fast as I could as they are approaching fast.”
“Who is approaching? And where?”
Varzunnos’ tone was not of anger but desperation. He knew exactly who was coming, and he thought they would be too weak to fight their way through the dark forests, but he was remembering very quickly that the bright ones never gave up. He still had flashbacks of his previous defeat. But they were without their king now and what good could some female queen and princess do. He was forgetting that a woman bested him the last time, Felvora, a face he dreaded to see again.
“My lord, I was twenty miles from the edges of Xarkynan and at first I thought they were rain clouds moving fast. But as they approached, the dust started swirling as well, until I could just make out thousands of Elvenfae and flying Fae in the air. Thousands more were galloping and running on the ground.” Neiphlax lowered his head and continued, “My lord, I think every single Fae from Faelynn is heading right toward us and they don’t look happy. I got here a day ahead as I know the terrain, but we have little time.”
Varzunnos was getting edgy. Not known for his compassion, he acknowledged Neiphlax, “You work directly for me now. I want you to lead my dark Elvenfae into attack and hit them head-on with as much force as possible. Now go, blow the horn, and start planning your attack. Viltzin, come with me, I have something I want you to do for me before you prepare the ground troops for attack.”
Both Viltzin and Neiphlax nodded, one departing swiftly while the other followed Varzunnos to the Tuatha treasures.
Varzunnos entered the treasure room where the power was flowing constantly from the three treasures. He walked up to the window which looked out over one side of the dark forest. He turned and explained his plan to Viltzin, “I have a spell which I couldn’t fully use when I fought the king, but with these treasures we will fulfill it. I want you to concentrate power over the whole area, blocking any window entrances with dark magic. This will also stop them changing to sprite form while in the area, making it nearly impossible to enter the castle. Meanwhile, I will transform the darkness of the trees into oaken goblins to fight the land attackers.”
Viltzin knew exactly what to do. He found a spell a long time ago that would stop a Fae from changing and now he was going to use it. Varzunnos was already pulling power from the treasures, reciting words from the ancient ones as he pointed and shouted them out over the forest. His eyes were closed as he concentrated the power. Greens, reds, and purple colors were scorching out of his hands and scouring the darkness of the woods. Viltzin, now at the other window of the room, did the same, only the spell was different to his master’s, with more greens, reds, and purples also scorching out of his hands. The darkness of Xarkynan was being lit up with an array of bright lights and explosions, as the clouds kept the evening sun at bay and the storms picked up. It looked like a war had already begun without an arrow fired or a sword swung.
On and on the barrage of power flooded out of the window and could be seen by the oncoming Fae. Varzunnos finally finished his spell and watched, while the light from Viltzin’s power continued. He could see the tops of trees swaying and moving as he smiled slightly.
Looking deeper down, he could make out the shapes and shadows of creatures lurking, screaming, as the power spawned them into new life.
Meanwhile, down in the forest, the oaks and elms swayed like they were in pain, twisting branches, leaves, and bark as humanoid creatures formed from the belly of each trunk. Hundreds of brown and black things were reaching out. First one arm, then another, and then a head would force its way out, and finally the legs, as they dropped onto the ground and screamed their way into the world.
Each one was different, made from wood save for most of their insides which were composed of the black tar of Xarkynan. They continued to sprout fingers of wood, veins of the same, and hideous heads with humanoid faces, of intertwined branches, sticks, and bark. They looked up at the lights in the castle from where their master watched on, then they spread out and began moving toward the oncoming onslaught of the Fae.
Viltzin had finished. He fell to the ground from exhaustion as Varzunnos reminded him of his task to assemble the ground force.
“There is no time for that! You can rest when it’s over or if you are dead, but now I need you functioning.” Varzunnos had not forgotten what Serena had said about Viltzin and he used him when he could but gave him mundane tasks to occupy him as well. “Once you are done, return to me, as the moon will rise this night and we will begin the sacrifice.”
Viltzin stood up, slithered backward, and replied, “Yes, my master, I will be back soon with the dark witch and your wing after those pathetic goblins suit up and march out. Would you like the dullahan summoned as well?”
Varzunnos looked at him, his eyes twitching angrily. What part of “get all the ground creatures ready” did that fool not understand, he thought, and without a word, as if Viltzin was supposed to have read his mind, he took off out into the halls and toward his awaiting pit of creatures.
Shaylee was leading the charge. She had done very well in such a short amount of time to get so many, with more on the way over the next day or so, as they would need their backup. There was no exact plan for what they were running into and the queen had been quite vocal in letting her feelings known about such a risky attack, but she was with her daughter and would fight with her until the end.
As they reached the outer sections of the dark forest, they all slowed down. Shaylee would now outline the plan of action to them all. They had covered that much distance in such a short amount of time because of the last of the treasures, which they had retrieved and brought with them. Having what the dark lord was looking for was extremely dangerous, and they knew that, but without it they would not stand a chance of defeating him and his dark armies.
Shaylee had filled the crystal up before they left as a backup to protect Serena and was relying on all three dryad mages to take the Tuatha treasure and defeat the dark lord. But there had been no word from Felvora, and Kalandrya was a way off still so there was no detailed plan, just some encouraging words from their princess.
“Everyone, thank you all. Every race has sent representatives to fight, and even some mystical sylphs and pixies have joined us. We have no other choice, and if we want to save our land, we must save Serena. Her son is the key, so we must sacrifice much to do this. Many of you won’t be coming home.”
Shaylee turned and cleared her throat, while wiping her eyes, before turning back and continuing without giving away her genuine feelings, “I know most of you. Those I don’t, I trust in you. Having the Seelie Court fighting against the Unseelie will be very tough, but those dark creatures who hate humans so much now hate us even more, so you will find them in the forests and take them out. The rest I take to the castle, in the air and on the ground. Now let’s spread our wings, lift our swords, and take down this evil once and for all.”
As Shaylee finished, she held Howling Tooth high in the air while everyone cheered on in chorus, lifting their weapons of choice and chanting, “Shay-lee, Shay-lee.”
On and on they yelled, the shouts dwindling slowly as they entered the dark forest. The Seelie Court members split off; they knew where the dark Unseelie dwelled and they weren’t about to let the dark lord conjure them up to defend the castle. As they left, some nochkz started moving, swiping down horses as they galloped through. They had uprooted from the edges of the forest and started attacking with their long branches.
Faiay’aar lifted the treasure and turned the remaining ones into stone, as the last moving tree advanced on Shaylee. The nochkz were the protectors of the outer sections of the forest and Shaylee could feel it behind her as she flew just above the treetops. Its branches grew swiftly to knock her down, but her quick thinking led to her showing Faiay’aar where it was in time for the dryad to turn it to stone along with the rest.
It was the only entrance into Xarkynan that they could go through, and she knew it was protected, but they had no other choice. They wouldn’t have much time before more would awaken, so they continued swiftly but remaining cautious. Shaylee had told all the flying Fae to change to sprites but only until they got to the forest, as being a sprite would make them easy targets for wraiths and for the dread collectors. Those creatures all used the power of a sprite to create dark magical powder out of their dried bones for witches and dark mages to use.
Deeper they delved, as the flying Fae observed from above and looked out for danger, alerting the grounded folk, while checking ahead for danger to themselves. They cut down any dark creature that approached them. Peaceful pixies were taking out smaller hobgoblins while gnomes were taking on goblins. Even Van Coinan was in his element. It was a sight that left Shaylee feeling proud but sad that her peaceful people had been pushed to that level of desperation. The Zeytars started it and Varzunnos thinks he will finish it, but my people are strong and desperate, she thought.
Shaylee was looking out for some Elvenfae warriors leading the charge on the ground when an arrow missed her right wing by an inch. She and the others attempted to change to sprites for the rest of the flight until they reached the castle, but the magic of the dark ones had reached the outer limits of the dark forest and they could not transform.
Desperate, Shaylee called out to all the winged ones flying, “Follow me, my people, we must soar higher. Their arrows cannot reach us above the clouds. It means our defenses on the ground will be weaker, but we have no choice.”
Moving ever so close to the edge of the outer castle realm, Shaylee had to hope that her people on the ground would be safe with her mother and the other half of the Elvenfae guards that were leading them through.
Higher and higher they flew, into the clouds, as the sun hid behind the horizon, revealing the beginning of the largest moon Faelynn had witnessed in many cycles. It was light orange in appearance, and Shaylee had a feeling this would be the night when the dark lord would try to use everything he had to wipe them all out.
As they continued to ascend, they were suddenly met with a full onslaught from the dark Elvenfae. The dark ones had planned to lead them up into the air, separating the ground and the air warriors so they could hit the two with full force.
Shaylee, desperate to save as many as she could, knew they were outnumbered three to one. She screamed at the top of her lungs, “Bring as many down as you can! Fight, but we descend, it’s time.”
As she finished her desperate cry, Shaylee clanged the first sword in front of her, followed by the sounds of two, then three until every single one of her people was fighting in mid-flight, trying to descend but watching their back along with their fellow Fae. Howling Tooth was getting a workout but none of them could sustain it for long as Shaylee’s Fae were tiring from being in the air so long.
Over and over, clang and spark, as Elvenfae and the dark ones began falling from the sky. Wings were sliced and heads were falling. The grounded ones could see the sparks and dodged fallen friends and enemies, all while fighting goblins and tree tarnaaks. Shaylee was feeling the effects already. While the guards were trying to protect her, she came up with an idea that could help the weary ones. “All you tired ones flee to the surface, and trade with the warriors on the ground. Do it in twenties, now go.”
There was no arguing. Those who heard the call or could escape for a moment did. Shaylee with a huge group tried a deflective arrow formation, giving some a chance to descend. In no time a new bunch had surfaced and twenty more descended, on and on, as they all slowly made it down and hovered in the dark clouds away from the arrows, off the ground but invisible enough to glide through the mist and get a rest for a moment out of sight.
The sky soon lit up as Varzunnos increased his power. The clouds were illuminated with lightning, far too dangerous and constant to stay in, and too bright. Shaylee took a dive as she descended from the clouds completely. Three dark Elvenfae met her, and she took the closest one’s head off as she zoomed to the side, slicing two wings of another, watching it scream as it fell to the ground as the last approached. Shaylee swung Howling Tooth enough to mesmerize the creature before slicing it in half.
Catching her breath for a moment, she heard a groan from behind her. Spinning around she was met with another one, though this one had a blade poking out of its neck. As the blade retracted and the body fell to the ground, twitching and screeching, Shaylee saw her savior, Marlifyn Strongholm, smiling slightly before he continued on, to fight others.
Shaylee pulled out her whistle and blew it. Only the bright Fae could hear it. As they continued fighting, they all understood what it meant—follow the sound.
The darkness had given them some respite but now the ever-increasing lightning storms illuminated the area through the power of the elemental treasures in the castle which was not far away. They didn’t have long.
Shaylee had no choice but to take it to the ground and try to recoup. They descended as swiftly as possible but had no time for recovery as the tarnaaks and goblins were everywhere. The only light in the dense woods was sporadic, which the dark goblins took advantage of, as they were born in darkness and dwelled in it. Shaylee could see their horrific reflective stares as they glowed through the lightning strikes.
She had her army with her on the ground now, attacking sword strike after strike, cutting and slicing. She was fatiguing, as were most of her warriors, but they would not let that defeat them. Faiay’aar had the treasure and was trying not to use it. She would be a target if they found it. So instead, she used her potions and enchanted amulet to look after the weaker ones. She wished her beloved sister Felvora and friend Kalandrya were with her, as the power of three dryads was extraordinarily strong. She knew Kalandrya was on her way, but as for Felvora … Well, she could not find her anywhere. She hoped she was alive.
Shaylee had slain yet another goblin. Her skill was second to none, and was enhanced by the coordinated help from her old teacher Marlifyn. But it wasn’t enough. Soon four horns rang out from the ranks of dark goblins. They had a massive area surrounded and were closing in. The tarnaaks, born of the oak, were elusive, able to look like trees before coming to life in humanoid form and attacking.
Shaylee’s army was outnumbered and outclassed, so the blades stopped clanging, the arrows stopped flying, and the sounds of despair and cries of defeat echoed throughout the groups. Shaylee could hear more horns deeper in the woods, then others, repeating throughout Xarkynan. It was over.
A large dark goblin was standing over her with its sticky black blade at her throat. She dropped her sword, which began a domino effect through the trees as other Elvenfae too dropped theirs.
“You’ve lost, Princess. You will make a fine meal.”
Shaylee was nearly sick as the creature slid its scaly black tongue along the bottom of her pale, mostly blood-soaked face. As its tongue climbed higher up her cheek, she could feel every bump of the vile meaty thing. By the time it reached her eye, she could barely stop herself from punching the creature deep in the throat and ripping its tongue out, but she endured it for Serena and her people.
In anger she spat out, “Get your vile thing off my face. I will have your tongue hanging from my dungeon wall before this is through.”
The goblin was shocked at her response for a moment, before its eyes widened, and it let out an enormous low bellow of laughter that seemed like it was coming from several creatures. Its head went back as it continued, as if this was the funniest thing it had ever heard.
Shaylee so desperately wanted to end the vile creature right there and then, and it was taking every fiber of her being not to try. But as the goblin continued its horrific laugh, which echoed into the deep of the woods, a huge red light appeared behind them, along with the noise of thousands of roars and cries.
The goblin stopped and looked, as did everyone else, to find Kalandrya with her staff high in the air, polluting the darkness with her light. She took out as many of the horrendous creatures as she could with a light enchantment that she had prepared and thrust out into the night with her staff. One after the other the goblins fell, being stunned as the magic took hold.
Shaylee quickly picked up her sword, thrust it into the belly of the oversharing goblin, and at the same time with her other hand cut its throat and ripped its tongue out as it cried out.
