| "We begin marching now!" Dharin bellowed to the sky. If they could move quickly over what used to be Serfahlen they could make it across the black plains before night fell. Felanya and Corridan sneered at the urgency behind the order to begin moving. Neither had been a member of the convoy when the last attack like this had occurred. As far as Dharin knew, both were playing with groups of children, or sleeping in their beds while Jenya and Mal'aran struggled against masses of putrid, rotting beasts. They had fought mounds of decomposing, quivering flesh, lacking form. The randomly placed eyes rolled without focusing, and a noxious, hissing fluid seeped from open wounds upon the monstrosity's skin. They had also been forced to face a towering, foul-smelling fiend with tattered leathery wings. The attacks had begun just before the convoy was set to march to the Kaerfahl Mounts. One of the servants had been found in the same condition as Shorin, and less than an hour later terrible things found in the nightmares of children were drawn to the blood. Jenya would have lost his life that day if Mal'aran had not knocked him ten feet backwards with a blast of Cair’leih. He had slight scars on his stomach where the energies had hit him the hardest, but he still had his head. That was the first day he had ever seen Mal'aran worry, but more surprising she had been worrying about him. Now Jenya and Dharin both worried that Rheim, or some other Taer'shal sympathizer had found some of the Rift Beasts and given them tastes of Shorin's blood. If this were the case, unless they moved fast, the convoy, Cleansers and servants alike would be completely wiped out by bloodthirsty monsters. Perhaps he only imagined it, but Dharin would have sworn that he heard awful shrieks far in the distance. If they moved quickly enough, and left everything that had Shorin's blood on it then the dim-witted abominations should be fooled long enough for the convoy to reach its destination. Dharin remained outside his cart, trotting alongside it to ensure that nobody was left. Satisfied that every person was in his, or her place, Dharin swung himself into his cart and took a seat on the floor. He looked around the cart. Much of the world looked different through eyes full of fear. There was silence for a long time, save for the creaking of the multitude of wheels. "You heard it too," Jenya muttered. His amber eyes were full of rage. Dharin nodded. "They are still circling, I don't think they can quite latch onto the scent." He stared at the walls. Jenya had covered them years ago with all the things Dharin had sketched or painted. There was a sketch of Mal'aran, completed while Dharin was still training in the Bastion, before he had ever met the Mage. "I wish I could shred Rheim," Jenya spat. He was certain that the cowardly Dheral had dragged his son into this mess of a world. He knew that he could have kept his son from most of the hurts of this reality, if it hadn't been for whomever using the child he barely knew - but still cared for fiercely - as bait for a massive attack. "You would regret it," Dharin reasoned. "And I would have to hold you back, order you away, and you would probably never forgive me." Jenya ignored Dharin's attempt at humor. "I will kill whomever is responsible," he was swearing vengeance. He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to rage and destroy his surroundings. He was forced to cease his brooding, however. A sharp shriek pierced the air, and Jenya's eyes flew to Dharin. "One of them has found us." The carts lurched, stopped. The servants had been told what to do if one of the Rift Beasts managed to find them - stop and hide. Dharin and Jenya raced outside and were immediately joined by Kelnai and Mal'aran. Dharin saw Mal'aran whisper something in Kelnai's ear, and the red-haired woman sprinted to her cart, doubtless to find safety for Shorin. It was Corridan and Felanya's duty to keep shields around the servants. There was no certainty to what Lyahr, Varesh and Dalnek would be doing. This thought occurred to Mal'aran, and she began to go search for them to give them something to do. Her search was short. As she ran among the carts she saw them walking slowly towards her. Their eyes were full of menace, and she stopped suddenly. "We're under attack," she began to explain, and turn to rejoin Dharin and Jenya. She was unable to move her limbs. She looked to her wrists, held in the awkward position of unrealized intent. The air around her shimmered, tinted deep sapphire blue. Dalnek grinned that crooked grin. "And it's about time," he stepped closer to Mal'aran, ignoring the sharp rocks embedded in the long blackened ground beneath his feet. He put a hand on her chin, and smiled at the fear in her eyes. He focused on her for an instant, and then snapped his focus to Varesh. "Dharin, Jenya." Varesh grinned broadly. A noxious odor reeked from behind his large, yellowed teeth. He began raising his voice to Magi Song even as he ran towards where Dharin and Jenya stood, weapons readied and their backs to Mal'aran. Lyahr stepped forward, whispering into Dalnek's ear. Dalnek grinned in response, and flicked his index finger. He began to weave through the carts, heading to where the servants had been instructed to hide. Lyahr took Mal'aran into his arms without effort and followed the red-orange haired Mage. The awful shrieking in the distance had stopped. Mal'aran hung limp in Lyahr's arms. She felt dizzy and weak. The combination of extreme fatigue and overwhelming fear was overloading her long-weakening system. Lyahr whispered a foreign word into her ear and pain raced through her body, keeping her awake. It took so much effort to force her eyes to focus on Dalnek's back. He patted Felanya on the shoulder then turned to face Mal'aran. He nodded to Lyahr and Mal'aran was set on her feet, still held immobile by bonds of sapphire tinted air. Her agony-flooded mind finally took in the scene before her. Corridan stood several feet away, arms and voice raised to the cloudless skies. His obsidian hair stirred in the slight breeze, and before him all the servants lay in pieces. She could see bits of Tearahn's Tracker uniform, but nothing could be seen of Sha'en or Lalreth. Blood seeped into the black ground, and the limbs from which the liquid dripped still twitched. A strangled groan escaped Mal'aran's lips. Her body struggled to contort, but Lyahr had effectively immobilized and silenced the sobbing Mage. She could neither turn her head away, nor place a hand on the stomach that wanted to empty itself of a breakfast it did not contain. Her eyes could not move far enough to allow her gaze to escape the carnage. Everything, save the group of Magi, was covered in blood. She heard Felanya laughing hysterically, toying with one of the twitching limbs. Corridan fell silent, his work finished. He watched Felanya for an instant; her long aquamarine hair shook and swayed as she picked up an arm. The fingers were covered in bejeweled rings. Corridan squinted and retrieved a leg from the soaked earth. The two looked at each other, and perverse grins split their faces. They began dueling, but using the severed limbs as weapons was awkward. They had not yet had time to stiffen and the joints caused the extremities to flop about. Lyahr cleared his throat and shook his head at the two. They dropped their toys and stood by his side, still snickering. "That's really immature," Varesh commented. He was walking slowly forward as if hindered by great weights. His arms were held out to his sides, his palms turned to the heavens. Dharin and Jenya were being pulled behind him. Their limbs did not move, and their heels dug into the ground, but slowly the thick violet and milky white air surrounding them edged them closer. Felanya rolled her eyes, and began to reprimand Varesh but fell short. "Where is the fourth?" Dalnek looked at the three present. Mal'aran had tears streaming down her face, shimmering and thickening as they fell. Jenya seemed completely calm and composed. His eyes betrayed absolutely no feeling whatsoever, but his ear was cocked to the wind as if he listened to a soft voice. Dharin trembled slightly, whether from fear or rage was hard to determine. He kept his eyes closed and his jaw set. Dalnek shrugged. "She is inconsequential. These are the three we need," he smiled broadly. "Wha-" Mal'aran began to form a question, but fell silent as the thick ring around her torso tightened, sending fire through her improperly healed ribs. Dalnek understood her intent nonetheless. "What are we going to do with you?" He asked mockingly. "Save you from yourself. You are predictable, and thus weak. There is so little you understand." He stepped closer to the Mage, and touched a knuckle to her cheek, catching one of her glittering tears. "You are going to die soon, and you believe that by running from what you are, you can save your worthless skin. You have been dying since the day you were accidentally born." "Enough!" Jenya shouted. "She already knows how foolish and worthless she is! We hear that rot out of her mouth all the time," his amber eyes glittered, and he clenched his fists. "It doesn't become any more interesting out of yours." Dharin hissed in disapproval. "Shut up, Dharin! I am so tired of all of you. Your power struggles and suppositions are turning this world into a hell. This false hope, false god, all of it reeks of fear and uncertainty. Why-" Dalnek raised an eyebrow. "Be quiet. We have no severe need of you." "Dalnek," Felanya sighed. "We should probably move." She changed the subject, fearing that soon Varesh would attempt witty banter and bore their charges to death. "In what? We can't take the carts; there are no servants or horses to drive them. Besides, I'm not in any hurry." His grin turned smug. Jenya began to speak as his temper flared, but Lyahr shot him a warning glance, and assumed when Jenya fell silent that he was the cause for silence. Amazingly oblivious, the five sinister Magi were facing Jenya, Dharin and the still weeping Mal'aran. Dharin was keeping his eyes closed because he could smell all the blood and did not want or need to see where it came from. Mal'aran's eyes were too flooded with thick tears to focus on anything, so it was only Jenya who saw, for an instant, a red haired woman walking barefoot across the blackened plains. On her shoulder rested his son's head, she was carrying the child east, hopefully to cross the sea to Varikelle. A tear squeezed itself from his eye, and a short prayer for the safety of his son - and the object of his affection - ran through his mind. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes away from Kelnai's fading form in order to not draw any attention to her. "Maybe I am," Felanya countered. "Perhaps I have better things to do than menial work for you four." She turned to the right so that she faced north, and her voice rose quickly and sharply. "Blast it," Varesh swore. "Not those creatures again, what is your obsession? I refuse to touch one of them again, your pet almost took my hand." "If I had known you better, I would have let her," Felanya muttered, scanning the skies for the great winged Beasts of Serfahlen. After the Taer'shal had destroyed the city, Rift Beasts chose the black plains as breeding and nesting grounds. "We'll make it to Shivralliah more quickly this way," she reasoned, turning to Corridan, Lyahr and Dalnek for approval. Once each had nodded, she sent the call again and waited for her favorite four pets to land and set their massive forms to the will of her companions. |