Part 10 – The Casque

“I’m glad we’re traveling during the evening-time, otherwise we’d have long since melted,” Nanda said.

“We don’t have to travel any farther, we’re here,” Telaan said as he looked around. There was nothing more than a bunch of rocks until he moved closer and they dissolved as though someone had thrown acid on them.

“Well, damn,” Xavier said under his breath.

“Hum, impressive,” Telaan said as he led the way into the darkened area. There were candles imbedded into the stone wall and as he moved forward, they automatically lit.

Nanda turned in a circle and said as the stones reappeared at the entrance, “No wonder no one has ever found this.”

“It’s Shadow magique, my love, not something to be overly impressed by, but it does serve its purpose, and it will serve ours, so I’ll be happy to use it. This opening is quite a ways from the fortress, we will need to rest for the non-evening time before we complete our task.”

“Do you think that’ll be safe?” Nanda asked.

“Eris knew our restrictions when she sent us here. I’m sure it was her hope we’d be forced to rush to get here because of Kerrin, but she wouldn’t know he could rest without the coffin, so we will not do this tired. I insist it be done once we have rested,” Telaan said.

“How will we know when we get close?” Lessa asked?

“I have the way embedded in my memory; I’ll know when we reach the point where we can rest.”

Telaan led the way in silence, holding Nanda’s hand. He really wished she’d stayed at the inn, but when he looked at her and she smiled at him, his heart filled with love; he was glad for this last chance to spend as much time with her as possible. He was a selfish bastard.

They continued to walk, the path changing and diverging as it followed an underground stream, the only water they’d seen in this spirit-forsaken county. No wonder the Shadow Spirits lived here, no one else would ever want to.

They reached a large open area he knew would lead to the entrance to Eris bedroom as the passageway had been steadily moving upwards for the past half hour,

“Dawn-time has arrived, I’m afraid. I can continue in this place, but I won’t be able to do much more than put one foot in front of the other,” Kerrin said as they entered the area.

“That won’t be a problem. This is where we stop for the non-evening-time. The entrance is just around the next bend.”

As they settled into one corner of the area, Xavier said, “No need for a fire here, it’s definitely warm enough.”

Lessa waved her hand, and suddenly everyone had food and Kerrin a glass of blood.

Xavier looked up startled, “Damn, woman, warn someone before you go doing that. And how the hell did you do that?”

Lessa looked at him and shrugged. “I have no idea how I did it. I just thought we should eat before we rest. It’s been a long evening-time and I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hungry.”

“Well, I’ve never seen anyone just conjure a group meal directly into the person’s hands. Damn, you’re scary, you know that. I’m glad you’re on our side,” he continued as he dug into the food.

Once everyone had eaten, Lessa once again waved her hand and all the plates disappeared. “You’re enjoying your new power, aren’t you, little one?” Xavier asked with a smile.

“Yes, in fact I am. It’s nice to know I’m not helpless any more.”

“You were never helpless, my love, you’ve always had great strength when you needed it,” Kerrin said.

“Is that why Lornus was able to kill me so easily?”

“No, Lornus killed you because you trusted him, not because you were powerless.” Kerrin answered as he put his arm around her and drew her to him. Leaning back against the wall, he eased Lessa down so she was sleeping on his lap.

Everyone else followed suit, soon the group was asleep.


It was two hours to dusk-time when Telaan awoke. He looked around and found everyone soundly asleep. Kerrin wouldn’t rise as long as the sun was up, and he doubted the others would either. The plan had been to wait until full evening-time and then they would all go in together. Or at least, that’s what he’d led them to believe the plan was. The plan had actually been exactly what he was doing. He was going in alone.

Many Times of Change had taught him stealth. He rose and moved from the area by slightly levitating from the ground. He made no sound walking because he did not walk. As he suspected, the wall once again opened as he passed through, only this time to his surprise, it didn’t close behind him. He moved back towards it, but still, it remained opened.

It didn’t matter, he’d have the casque and then he could bring it to Adrostos before the others woke. One short turn brought him to a door. Reaching for the handle, he opened it only to find the back of a tapestry in his path. Emerging from behind it, he stopped and looked around the room. Nothing. He hated to do it, but he knew he was going to have to let the Shadow back into his soul, he certainly hoped he’d be able to remove it one more time. Perhaps he should have waited for the others, but no, he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t subject them to his state when he was gripped by the Shadow.

He was almost across the room when a light flashed beside him and Pele appeared. “Ah, big brother, I knew you’d trip my ward when you showed up.”

“How did you get here?”

“I just teleported in, didn’t you see?”

“Yes, but how, only those who serve Medea can teleport here. Oh, yes, I see. Does Eris know you’ve turned sides?”

“That weak ass bitch? No she’s too blind to know, and too stupid to ever figure it out.”

“You believe Eris is stupid?”

“As a brick.”

Eris was many things, but stupid was not one of them. Suddenly Telaan had a very bad feeling about everything, and he understood now why Eris had sent him and the others rather than coming herself. She could have come, after seeing her private entrance, he understood that. But he also knew she was fully aware of her daughter’s treachery and had used her to destroy the others. Or perhaps she’d sent Telaan to destroy Pele. Whatever her plan, she’d set it in motion and played them all to perfection.

He was just happy he’d left the others behind.

A noise distracted them from their stare-down and he was gripped by a dehabiliting fear as Pele leapt across the room and grabbed Nanda by the arm.

“No!” He lunged for them, but stopped short as a long katana appeared in Pele’s hand and quickly found its way to Nanda’s beautiful white neck. A small trickle of blood formed under the blade where Pele pressed.

“The casque, brother, now or I take her head.”

“Why can’t you get it the same way I can?”

“Because there’s something different in the wording of your mark than mine.”

“You are not Child of the Shadow?”

“No, I’m Spawn of the Shadow. That does not entitle me to the same privileges you have.”

“Ah, so Eris has never trusted you?”

“Not since I killed my father, no.”  She shook her head. “I didn’t realize it was a test.”

“I see, if you’d kill your father without hesitation, then you’d also kill Eris the same way. When did she change the wording on your mark?”

“That night. I wasn’t aware of it until recently.”

A movement behind Pele caught his eye and he saw Xavier slowly approaching Pele from behind. Talking, I have to keep her talking.

“Ah, so perhaps Eris is not so stupid after all.”

“Fear is not intelligence. Any animal understands fear.”

Xavier was behind Pele, almost ready to strike. Magique would do him no good here, but he was bigger and stronger, if he could take her unaware, then he’d have a chance. Kerrin appeared behind Xavier, but the sun hadn’t set and he couldn’t move with the strength and power of his kind.

 “To hell with this,” Pele said grabbing the blade with both hands and pulled back and across at the same time. Blood flowed without hesitation from Nanda’s neck. Xavier landed on top of Pele, loosening her grip on Nanda as he grabbed the sword and tossed it across the room.

“No!” Telaan cried as he fell to his knees. He became consumed with the pain Nanda felt as the blade sliced through her neck, their connection tying him to her death. He fought blacking out from the pain through sheer determination, but he couldn’t move; he could only watch, helpless, as his reason to live crumpled to the hard marble floor.

He glared at Pele. She smiled at him despite the fact Xavier and Kerrin had her pinned to the floor. “Good-bye big brother. We will get another chance.” And she disappeared in the same flash of light she’d entered with.

Suddenly the room was full of activity, but Telaan could register none, all he felt was anger burning in him and the onset of the Shadow filling him. Words flowed around him, but his understanding of them was quickly fading.

“No! Nanda! We must get her to my father.”

“No, little one, it’d do no good. We can’t reach your father within the appropriate timeframe and she has already lost too much blood. Pele’s blade was sharp and she filled it with the force of hatred.”

The cloud penetrated Telaan’s vision, and he knew nothing but the power of the Shadow. He turned from Nanda, determined that her death would not be in vain. He looked around the room and found it. A small hole in the wall where the casque was kept. He pulled it from its resting place and turned. Still blinded by the red cloud of rage that surrounded him, he felt the casque being removed from his hands, soon followed by the soft quiet voice of the Chandra Elf.

Slowly, ever so slowly in the wake of the man’s words the cloud of hate disappeared and he found himself once more huddled and shivering on the floor. Pain of loss absorbed him as he looked at Nanda surrounded by her friends. Hatred for what he was consumed him. He didn’t even have the strength to be by her side as she died.

Part 11 The Kiseren Tear