I was distracted from the battle that was about to begin by the growing attention that was directed our way from those I could only assume were loyal to Lord Haygan. My perception skill was interrupted as I was trying to identify who and what level the people focusing on our group was by primal roars that began emanating from the Water Arena.

Blayney and Haygan, freed of the restraints Belisama had placed on them during the early phases of testing, both having survived the crushing pressures, acted, rushing forward and barreling towards each other. A single-minded intensity and ferocity, fury and killing intent shared between them. The desire to kill obvious and their only emotion.

This was not going to be a battle that allowed surrender. Both were intent on killing the other, no quarter would be given.

Haygan appeared to have the advantage. His sleek form sliced through the water; his serpent form more aerodynamic. He was perfectly formed for water combat. Sinewy muscles, fins, and sleek scales allowing an economy of motion that was both efficient and deadly.

Blayney’s hybrid form propelled him forward just as swiftly, but his upper half, the half still in horse form offset the aerodynamic nature of motion. He simply wasn’t designed to take advantage of the current and was less efficient in this shape.

What his form did allow was a multitude of additional weapons. Weapons that he could bring to bear when attacking in close quarters. Where Haygan had to rely on fangs and his body coils to subjugate and paralyze his opponent, injecting poison with each bite and tearing at the armored and scaled body of Blayney for damage.

Blayney had claws and teeth that could tear, rend, and slash. Further, his tail was long enough and powerful enough to be used as a truncheon. He couldn’t coil around his victim as Haygan could, but he could batter and deflect attacks efficiently. Spikes that had replaced fins at the end of the tail allowed for even greater damage as the tail was capable of creating great open wounds as well as force blunt trauma.

Blayney's merged form, what appeared to be a disadvantage, instead allowed him to emphasize the deadly nature each shape possessed. His body really was ideal for combat, and the medium, the water only increased that efficiency.

The two men’s fighting style was drastically different. Haygan fought more eel-like, using teeth and fangs to tear flesh asunder. He would often aim for the meatier sections of Blayney. Flanks, stomach, and neck, and when his teeth connected, large chunks of flesh would be torn and ripped away as he sought to wind his body around Blayney to gain leverage and containment.

Haygan was fast. Striking and retreating instantly. Often too quick to see where he was aiming with each strike until after he had acted. And he used his body as both shield and control. Constantly twisting and coiling to deflect strikes or attempting to encase his opponent in a mountain of muscle. Muscles that could restrain his victim and allow him to bite and tear at will.

Blayney fought more like an alligator, often grappling. His teeth, claws, and tail would work in a synchronized whole that brought synergy to his fighting style. Instead of tearing out great chunks of flesh, he aimed for vital or pressure points on Lord Haygan’s body. If he was able to gain purchase, once he had latched on, he would begin rolling attempting to disorientate his opponent, the two of them leaking rivers of blood and flesh as they contended with each other.

It was hard to tell which fighting style was more effective. Blayney seemed to be at a serious disadvantage. His grapple and roll technique often allowed Haygan to employ his body and tail effectively to coil around and constrict. But the Sidhe were creatures of nature. Both men were powers in their own right. And Kelpies were masters of motion and battle in those domains of water, air, and field.

Further, all Sidhe had an innate healing ability. Each tear or rend of flesh. Each wound that gushed blood and viscera, healed almost instantly. Great horrific wounds that would have killed any mortal person would close leaving no evidence of the great gashes and heavy damage that was being inflicted.

Flesh would fill in, an eye that hard been burst regrown, a front leg that had been bitten off and swallowed made whole. The transitive nature of the battle, the sheer amount of damage that each of them were capable of withstanding was exponentially increased because they could heal such ferocious wounds they were forced to endure, instantly.

They weren’t indestructible. The wounds, blood, and viscera were proof of that. But their healing abilities were so high, that they might as well have been.

I wasn’t sure if the reason they could heal so effectively had to do with some special variable in the arena, or if this was simply a racial trait for Kelpies. Or if the men were simply that powerful.

There had been hints during Alys’ murder investigation that she would have survived her horrific butchering, and that it was only the removal of her head that had finally resulted in her death. I was beginning to realize that all Sidhe were just that hard to kill. It stood to reason, the Sidhe were considered immortal unless killed. That immortality had to come with a viable maintenance program.

If that were the case, just how powerful was Belenos Aura? I’d killed four men the first time I had used it, and those deaths had seemed instant. Perhaps, I wondered, if that wasn't the case. If their Sidhe healing factor had built and rebuilt their bodies as the Aura continued to burn each new iteration. Flesh made whole, burnt and destroyed in a cycle of healing and destruction too fast for me to perceive. If that were the case it made their deaths even more gruesome.

"How will they be able to declare a winner, if they just keep re-healing and repairing every wound," I asked Una.

"The wounds may appear to heal completely, but they don’t. There is a cumulative process that is involved. The first time they heal, perhaps 99 percent of the wounds, flesh, and blood are restored. Each subsequent wound, each time repairs are made, that percentage decreases.

"It’s really a battle of attrition. Whoever takes less damage. The one that can sustain and ignore wounds longer while healing, will win."

"Una," Irvin said frantically grabbing our attention away from the challenge arena.

He had noticed those Kelpie that I had identified earlier, the ones paying more attention to those around me than the battle in front of them, had begun to make their move. It was subtle, a shift in body placement, a step closer to our position, but it was obvious for those that knew the signs. They were surrounding our group.

"Una?" I asked, unsure of what I or my people should do if an actual attack was made.

"Blayney has entrusted the children with you, Your Highness," she said answering my unspoken question. "Protect them. Irvin, Isolde, Shaela, and I will deal with any who might attack." With that said, the four of them transformed from their humanoid form to Kelpie. Claws extended and positions taken.

Each moving to protect one of the four quadrants, while Una remained stationed in the lead, the others ready to give support whoever might need additional aid. The children strategically placed to the rear.

I signaled for Cedric, Lohne, and Uron to stand ready, but not to attack unless attacked.

“Caraid. Keep an eye on our rear flank. Just in case someone attempts to grab the children from behind while the rest are distracted or engaged in battle.”

That fact that we were aware of their movements and ready to respond seemed to give those who would interfere with the ongoing challenge pause. I noticed, as I watched as my perception allowed me to analyze the actions of others, that my emotions seemed to recede, calmness and anticipation blending into a hyper-awareness. My logic and patience, as the standoff stretched on, seemed to become more focused.

An icy conviction that I would protect those children that had been entrusted into my care grew. I wasn’t sure if this cool logical state would persist if it was part of the Cyronax abilities my newly awakened bloodline had gifted me. Or if, once the battle was begun, the Beleros heat and passion I had come to rely on would assert itself.

I actually enjoyed this almost fugue state. It allowed me to be more methodical, more rational in my decision process. It did leave me wondering if some of my past actions, my impetuous nature may have had to do with the passion and fires of my Beleros heritage.

Granted there was immaturity and cockiness to a lot of my actions, but those behaviors had really not been apropos for my personality. I was more likely to observe and plan. Slow to act. Methodical, normally. My recent actions of blundering in, fire blazing, had been surprising.

Effective.

But not how I envisioned myself responding in most circumstances. The dichotomy between my expectations and my actions may be related to bloodline and hormones. I was in a new body. A body that was just entering adulthood, with all the raging hormones and drives a virile young man was cursed with.

Recently my emotions would have ruled my actions, I would have immediately wanted to blast my aura, initiate battle, and impose my will on the unfolding situation. Logically that made no sense, this was not my battle. Blayney and Una had specifically detailed why they were the ones that needed to confront and solve the issues Herd Lord Haygan had created.

They didn’t need to be rescued or protected. They weren’t children to be coddled. They were Sidhe, probably hundreds of years older than me, considering they had an adult son that had Ascended, and although I had found them in dire straits, that had been due to betrayal, not ability.

My role had been explicitly stated before we approached the Kelpie village. Protect the children. And although I could and would expand that role to include protecting my people, ours was more a support role in this confrontation. If I or mine were not to participate in the imminent battle, then we would remain wary bystanders, we would not be caught flat-footed and unaware.

I would honor those requests from the Kelpie, and trust they were knowledgeable and responsible enough to have charted the correct path for them and their people.

It might have been different if I was planning on staying, or if I were Kelpie. But this colony of individuals would not accept a ruling Ranked Seelie. No matter their form, they were enlightened, intelligent individuals. And I could not impose my will or beliefs on their society.

[Factions loyal to Herd Lord Haygan have decided to act in support of his policies. You have sworn to protect the Kelpie children, Alma and Briano.

Note. Other Kelpie Children may be harmed by accident. You can choose to extend your protection to include those children

Protect All Kelpie Children (11 of 11) YES/NO]

I didn’t even consider declining this quest. No matter my form, Sidhe or Human, children from both my lives were precious, they were to be cherished. You couldn’t protect them from everything. But certainly, you could try. And to be harmed or killed accidentally by friends, neighbors, or parents was fundamentally wrong. The pain children harmed or killed by warring sides was unacceptable.

Their innocence and naivety called to me, unfettered by faction or bias, demonstrated just recently as they dared and egged each other to touch the arena during the lightning trial proved they hadn’t been exposed to or become inured to the horrors that life had to offer yet. They still trusted and had faith in the community and their elders that they would be protected and cherished, and I did not want to see that trust destroyed.

"Cedric, Uron," I yelled grabbing their attention, "help gather the children. Let’s not allow this idiocy to spread and claim the innocent."

My directive meant abandoning key and strategic fields of opportunity. Position and placement by two of my strongest that they had painstakingly maneuvered in order to have a clear line of sight. Lohne moved towards me, ushering those children she encountered as she made her way, protecting them as they moved with her unaware that they may be in danger. Cedric managed to snag two children, but it was Uron that was instrumental in gathering and collecting the rest.

I’d trained with him, but during the battle in Lord Kel’s hall, I’d been too busy to see him in real action. Watching him move was eye-opening. He had been going easy on me during training, because his ability to move was daunting. His movements were so fast that he appeared to blink from location to location. I made a mental note to have words with him about our training regime. He was doing me no favors by not using his full abilities. My enemies would have no such compunction.

One child after another was collected and deposited near me, as he continued this bit of sleight of hand and misdirection. Of course, that wasn’t what was really going on, nothing so simple as a Magician’s sleight of hand trick. His agility must be his primary stat and it was probable that he had a skill or two that allowed him to enhance that agility when needed. It was only after the last child had been marshaled, that he returned to his original position, once more strategically placed to give aid where needed.

Our decision to gather the children drew the attention of those civilians that had been unaware that the real machinations to decide today's challenge were not happening in the arena. I’m not sure exactly what Haygan had planned, but if I had to guess, he’d ordered his people to kidnap and hold as surety Blayney's family. They would be used to demand his surrender and parole if it became necessary.

Lord Haygan was devoid of all honor it would seem. And those that would support him, supported his corruption.

Kidnapping seemed to be a common theme in this world. It was the third time I’d encountered the tactic, and honestly, it was becoming tiresome. It had failed every time it had been attempted, and you would think that people that lived for as long as the Sidhe had, would have devised more effective strategies.

Kidnapping those involved was one thing, but to include children in those plans was reprehensible.

Still, I held firm to my promise given to both Blayney and Una. I wouldn't attack, release my aura, or signal for my people to engage until we were attacked or those under my protection were threatened. I trusted that the two had a reason for and knew what they were doing, and if my trust was unfounded and both were slaughtered, I would protect the children, as wards of my House as I’d promised.

The attack, when it came, was a frenzied free for all. A half dozen Kelpie, none of them coordinating their attacks or working together, simply surged forward. Irvin was the first to actually be confronted. Another male Kelpie had leaped, shapeshifting as he acted to deliver first strike. Irvin’s response was immediate, his on shapeshift seamless, rearing back and pawing the air as fangs glistened and claws were extended. The sight of the two powerful and majestic instruments of battle was exhilarating.

If you’d ever seen a fight for supremacy between two stallions, males engaged in a mating ritual for the attention of a suitable female, you'd understand the ferocious and cataclysmic nature of this battle.

Screams of pain and anger. Teeth and heads lunging to gnash and bite. Rearing and tearing at each other’s abdomen, neck, or flank.

Irvin may have been the first to be engaged in battle, but the rest soon responded, choosing opponents from those that had made their intent obvious.

The Kelpie children that had, at first, resisted and complained when they’d been gathered together, adopted herd instinct and began to cluster together. Swarming and jockeying for position behind me. They recognized, instinctively that we would see them safe. Most of them transformed into horse form, but a few, including Alma and Briano, seemed content to remain in their humanoid shape.

The chaotic give and take of battle did not detract from the surreal qualities of the experience. Watching horses, mounts and animals on Earth, people with intelligence, language, and civilization on Talahm devolve into a frenzied blood lust was confusing. I had a problem reconciling their outward appearance, the gentle nature of horses, with the ferocity they exhibited.

On Earth, men were the only animal to make war. Sure, animals killed. But they didn’t kill indiscriminately. They killed for food, to survive, to protect their young. It appeared the gift of intelligence also included the curse of war. No matter the species or race.

The two sides seemed well-matched. Neither has an obvious advantage despite the almost triple numerical advantage Haygan’s men possessed. Either by design or serendipity, the individual fights progressed in such a manner that the children were never in any danger.

But the stalemate couldn’t last.

Wounds that healed instantly, took longer. Blood that flowed stained the ground and a metallic miasma of smell and taste permeated the air with every breath. One of theirs was the first to fall, unable to rise after a vicious slash to the neck had severed his jugular, almost decapitating him in the process.

Then another. Moans and cries of despair joined the screams of rage as those civilians that had moved to safety reacted to loved ones being felled. A scythe of death and destruction harvesting the chaff and wheat of their lives.

Inevitable, one of our people succumbed. A slight miscalculation, desperation the other side took advantage of. I’m not sure exactly how she was injured, or who claimed the killing blow. The battle was too chaotic to allow me to monitor each individual fight.

There is no great nobility in death. It is often a painful messy process. A last desperate grasping for air as the individual experiences fear, anger, and despair. Shit and piss being splattered to join the flow of blood as the body voids, a final indignity before identity is lost. Shaela did not fold gracefully, surrounded by family and friends. She died in the midst of battle. Covered in blood, shit, and piss as the excrements and open bowels of those that had been slain added to the disorder and ugliness that was war.

Her death had an immediate effect on Isolde. The two women had been inseparable since they’d been freed. They were a part of Blayney’s group, but separate. Grouped by species, related by circumstance more than anything. They were Kelpie and needed the comfort of that familiarity. But they relied on each other, supported each other, came together at night to cry and soothe each other's fears and to soothe and protect themselves from their nightmares.

Not sisters, but family.

And Shaela’s death was just one more chink in the fortress that was Isolde’s psyche. An additional injury that combined with the cumulative pain and despair that had been her life for the past months and years of slavery and abuse broke the tenuous hold on sanity that she’d managed to grasp.

And as her sanity broke. As she knelt keening in pain, cradling the head of the only person she truly loved against her breast. As she sobbed great racking wails of grief and despair. She reminded those gathered that while Kelpie might be well-suited to physical combat, they were creatures of the fey, and possessed magic as well.

[SHIELD!] Caraid screamed.

[HURRY!]

I had no idea why he was so concerned, but I acted. Conjuring my shield, I imbued it with as much of my magic as possible. And then I mutated it. My shield had always been a fire construct. A projection of Beleros and His gifts. But I had a dual bloodline and heritage now. And although I didn’t know if I could, because my Spell Menu was still denied me, I didn’t know I couldn’t. I just did.

Will, intent, and word. All that is required to cast a spell, to use magic.

And so, I willed my shield to mutate.

To grow.

And to make use of my Cyronax heritage.

Fire and Ice do not mix. I didn’t attempt to force the disparate forces to blend. I didn’t want a great puddle of water or steam. Instead, I layered the shield. Fire, ice, fire, ice. Thin sheets of energy compressed and formed to ignore the contrasting elements. A paradox of form and function. Stronger together than separate. The fire to protect against energy and psychic attacks. The ice to protect against physical.

I completed the construction of the shield just in time. I had trusted Caraid and acted, trusting that his reasoning was sound, but I had no idea what he saw that I hadn’t. Until all battle ceased. All combatants drew back in horror, attention focused on Isolde.

Perhaps it is because most of their magic is associated with their ability to shift shape, that people forget the Kelpie have another more potent magic. Belisama answered the prayers of those first Kelpies. Those innocent creatures that had been created as peace-brokers with physical transformations, evolving their bodies to be more suited for combat. But in Her anger, She also gave them something else. Something that was feared much more than claws, fangs, or poison.

She gave them the ability to expend their life force in a curse. To suicide and use the resultant explosion of magic and life energy to fuel retribution that could fester and grow. Impacting not only those that the Kelpie targeted but a widening and insidious projection of hate and anger that infested that target and would spread. Until all family members, any that shared ties of blood were also infected with that curse.

A curse that blighted growth. Levels and Ranks were immediately affected. But slowly so too was the ability to propagate. The family would wither and die out as no more children would be born.

The curse was indiscriminate. Those targeted would be infected, and the casual connections that made up the family would inevitably be tainted. There was no way to remove the curse. No prayer to Belisama to spare those suffering. The only remedy. The only solution was for the individual infected to suicide. To expend their life energy to counter the spread of the curse.

As the Kelpie that had attacked watched. Isolde acted. Her magical aura growing. Angry shades of red, black, and blue reaching out to engulf those that would kill. And in her insanity. In her grief, she released her curse. A titanic explosion of magic and life that was laser-focused to exclude those she would protect while dealing justice to those that would slay the only person she loved.

Her grief would not allow Shaela’s sacrifice to go unanswered. And she gave up her own life to follow Shaela into death.