They had been travelling north for a few days. It was a tiring journey, but they didn’t mind as they had rested well in the southern kingdom. Terandriell was admiring the sheer beauty of the valley they were passing through. The roads they had travelled all the way south were harsh and off-track usually as to avoid detection, but time was of the essence now, so the main roads were taken.

This valley was lush in greenery with a small stream running down the left side of the track. The volume of fish in the creek was so vast Terandriell thought it must be joined to a lake or river somewhere nearby.

Wild deer and boar could be seen roaming the trees in the surrounding area but never ventured too close to the travelling group, curious but wary. The birds fluttered in the sky above, seemingly oblivious to everything going on. Terandriell whistled and one of the small robins glided down towards him and landed on his outstretched hand.

“How did you do that?” the Queen asked, amazed. She watched the small bird completely engrossed in Terandriell, tweeting its merry song.

“I guess I’m trustworthy,” he laughed, “give me your hand.” The Queen looked at him and then to the small bird and outstretched her now gloveless hand. He grasped her fingers with his to keep it flat and steady as they travelled onwards, still on horseback.

His other hand moved over, and the bird flapped its wings briefly and landed on the Queen’s hand. Its small feet tickled her as it twitched ever so slightly. She pulled her arm back from Terandriell so that the little bird was closer to her, running one of her fingers down its soft red fur coat. It was far lighter than she expected, she could barely feel the weight of the small creature paddling around her hand.

It tweeted in delight before taking a graceful leap and flying off to return to its family, they were patiently circling above for its return. The Queen’s foul mood of the morning had dissipated as quickly as it had flared. She began to wonder if that was the elves intent. Clever conniving little elf, she thought, a smug look on her face.

The bird sang its song, and then the family of them dispersed all heading in different directions north. She looked on at them curiously, her eyebrows narrowing. “I sent them to scout ahead for me,” he said, answering her invisible question. How did he have such power and control over nature, she wondered.

The group of them travelling was limited to the Queen’s guard, Terandriell, Arianna, Kira, Kara and Felgourn. The rest of the cavalry and the elves were enroute to stop Narid and whatever disaster was about to unleash.

They had stopped in a clearing not far from the main road to water the horses and rest for a moment. The valley was abundant in numerous flowers of every colour. Lilies and Lilacs blossomed fully in the glory of the midday sun. Tulips, Orchards and Marigolds were also smothered over the ground like a giant sheet protecting the grass below them.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” The Queen said to Arianna as they walked through the meadow. The flowers were just off the road, but they were beautiful and plentiful, almost surreal.

“They really are, almost like being back home,” she said, kneeling to look at them closer.

The Queen glided her fingers through one of the vibrant purple tulips. “What is your home like?”

Arianna paused for a moment, “darker.”

The Queen looked at her with a quizzical expression. “I expected your land to be much more beautiful than ours.”

“It is,” Arianna replied with hesitation, as she thought more in-depth about the question. “It is the most beautiful place in all of existence, but it is dark. The tree coverage smothers the sky, so it’s almost eternal darkness. Our eyesight allows us to see almost clear, and the flowers are stunning, much like this but with more variety of shapes, sizes and colours, the likes of which you have never seen.”

There was a pause between both parties as they admired the valley they were in, the sheer immense splendour before them. The Queen watched this beautiful weapon by her side, sniffing at a tiny purple tulip among a sea of yellow flowers. She looked young, but the way she acted and spoke of things, there was wisdom to Arianna. Aged beyond her own comprehension.

“I would like to see it one day,” she said, averting her gaze from the elf. “Do you think it is likely?”

Arianna looked at her, she knew her land well, if they could somehow make it past the everlasting storm, then she could easily show the Queen areas without detection. The only issue was the elves that believed in seclusion and many of which hated humankind. And if Urgost found out, gods, the things he may do.

“Perhaps,” She smiled, not wanting to let the Queen’s intrigue die. She began to feel a little homesick at the thought, a few weeks had passed since she left. She missed the hidden city, her friend Lianna and her stunning white marble temple. Even the small things too like the elven lanterns, so different, so unique. They hadn’t seen anything quite like it on the mainland.

A leathery gloved hand was placed on her shoulder, out of pity or reassurance Arianna wasn’t sure but was thankful for it either way.

“How far are we from the city?” Terandriell asked, startling the two women. How the hell did he always seem to sneak up unannounced?

His gaze was settled on the sky, watching black clouds approach quickly, too quickly for comfort. “About a day and a half, maybe two days.” The Queen followed his gaze, “looks like we are in for some bad weather.”

“Does that mean we must be somewhat near the temple then?” he asked, his voice slightly uneasy. Her eyes narrowed before she finally responded. “Yes, it’s around fifteen miles west of here.” Silence ensued as they walked through the bed of flowers around them. A few creatures ran past Terandriell’s feet, screeching or squeaking in what only he could perceive as terror.

“You two need to get back to the others now, something is coming.” She looked towards Terandriell who was now staring upwards to see the same little family of birds flying overhead, had they seen something and informed Terandriell? More and more birds were flapping their little wings as fast as possible, heading south or east, trying to outrun the storm.

The two of them watched Terandriell waiting for an explanation, an answer to why he now seemed afraid?

“Now!” he shouted. The sudden shout shocked Arianna into action, she grabbed the Queen’s arm before running back to the camp and quickly out of sight. Alone, Terandriell stood in the open plains as the sky above appeared to darken, unleashing a torrent of rain falling from the heavens.

There was silence. The animals had all but fled as they sensed what approached. The sound of scraping metal was the only thing that pierced the quiet around him as he slid his elegant blade from its sheath.

A low rumbling sound vibrated along the ground sending waves of sensations through his feet and up his body. The trees at the other end of the clearing were all but violently torn from the ground, as whatever it was approached at speed.

Terandriell let a brief spark of his magic push outwards, warning the last few remaining birds to speed up, to flee before the cloud approached. They darted upwards into the sky at an alarming pace. And there it was.

He could taste genuine fear in his mouth, for the first time in a long time. He swallowed, hard, trying to remove the growing bile. There was no escape from this creature. Emerging from the trees was a giant hulk of black metal, surrounded with a lingering stench of death, even from over three hundred meters away.

A minotaur three times the size of the ones he had already killed. Behind it another six of the size he was familiar with emerged. Two were garbed in the same thick black metal carrying great axes, and the other four wore no armour but carried an assortment of long swords and hammers.

He was an elf damn it, one of the legendary StormBlades. He should be able to survive this. He would survive this. He couldn’t let fear take over, not now.

Seven, Terandriell thought, I can kill them with my bow before they get near. But he had spoken too soon. Behind them appeared around three hundred small goblin grunts, they had razor-sharp teeth and large, dark green eyes. They seemed almost corpse-like with their dark flaky skin, they all carried small curved blades or crooked spears, rearing to charge and tear Terandriell apart.

The giant took a few steps forward and let out a laugh, or what appeared to be a laugh, it was more of a low grumble as it bared its massive fangs. “You are the one,” it said.

Terandriell was amazed that it could speak, he had expected more beast than lifeform, but there was an intelligence to the creature, somewhere behind that gaunt façade. The words coursed through his body like molten led.

“You are the one that killed two of my children.”

With the aid of magic, Terandriell projected his voice back. “This land is protected. Leave, go back from whence you came.”

This comment amused the beast, which laughed again. “Your crimes will be answered for human.”

Terandriell smirked, not wanting to correct the beast just yet. An advantage he would use soon enough, good.

“I am a god,” it bellowed. He rolled his eyes in response. “You cannot wish to stop me.” With that, it pointed its giant blade forward, like the rest of his armour it was deathly black, but twice the size of Terandriell. Its enormous arms lifted the monolith with ease as it spoke words in a language unbeknown to him, sending the grunts charging forward.

Terandriell began to feel uneasy as the overpowering stench of these beasts hit him, making him want to throw up. Doing his best to stifle his gags Terandriell inhaled a few times, focusing entirely on his breathing, calming his mind and soul and stood side face, waiting for the armada to hit.

A horn sounded off to his left. The beast growled angrily as a small retinue of knights appeared. The Queen’s knights, their yellow banners waving in the wind. She was sat upon her white stallion behind them with Jason and a few other guards. The rest stood proud in a wedge formation with their spears pointed forward, ready to charge.

The grunts veered right, howling their war cries as they sped towards the knights. Terandriell knew the grunts would be massacred, but it was all to buy time for the minotaurs that were now charging like thunder to avenge their fallen kin.

This ‘god’ would sacrifice his own people, just to buy time to avenge a few fallen. Maybe he didn’t care for the goblins, perhaps they were bred to fight and die only. It was the minotaurs that it genuinely cared about.

He drew his bow, aiming for one of the unarmoured ones and fired. The perfect white whistling arrow soared through the air… and missed. His aim was precise, he never failed. He drew another one, lining it up perfectly and firing in quick succession, and again it veered off. The god behind them was simply waving his finger around redirecting the arrows to either side. He dropped the bow to the side, knowing that it was useless and drew his weapon again.

“We’re with you Watcher,” said Kara as the four remaining elves appeared by his side. He hadn’t even heard them approach, the silent assassins.

“I’ll take the two armoured ones, you all deal with the others,” Terandriell ordered. The only sound was the scraping of metal as the elves withdrew their weapons, primed for killing.

They were no more than twenty meters away. Kara and Kira both threw small daggers at one of them, a dagger landing in each of its eyes as it turned into a cloud of thick black dust which drifted quickly to the west. The daggers fell seamlessly to the ground with a light tap, coated in a layer of black blood.

Terandriell hadn’t even noticed what happened until the blades were piercing the creature’s skulls.

The beasts lowered their horns, not impressed by their already fallen friends if their bellowing war cry was anything to judge by. Terandriell pulled the two armoured ones away from the group, sidestepping to draw them closer, rage flickering in their soulless eyes. With the elves speed and agility, the initial charge was easily dodged, and the minotaurs received a cut or stab in reply, pouring black blood down the shafts of their weapons.

Felgourn quickly dispatched his with the blade on the bottom of his staff. He had rolled out of the way as the beast reared its head, hoping to gore him. He quickly gained his footing, twirling his staff before piercing the bladed end directly into the back of the creature’s skull. It succumbed to the same dark mist as its brethren a moment before.

He marched onwards towards the god, already hidden amongst the shadow of the towering creature. He felt like a small dog staring off at a human, damned if he would back down from a fight though. Hundreds of years of training with sword and bow and magic. This creature could go back to hell, and Felgourn was determined to send it there. Aesha protect him.

“Felgourn, stop!” Terandriell shouted as he dodged one of the axes aiming to cleave him in half, the very ground at his feet vibrating from the impact. Felgourn ignored him and walked forward, his staff stretched out to his side, the bladed edge hidden behind his back. A small trail of dark blood ran down his robes where the end of the staff touched.

A horn sounded again as the cavalry unit spurred forward, their weapons raised, and spears outstretched as they obliterated the smaller goblin creatures. The had trampled and crushed around half of them before the horses were slowed and they had to fight more evenly, a few of them launching their unused spears forward into the crowd in front before switching to their sword.

Arianna was struggling to get the better of her own opponent. She was gradually becoming infuriated at it, her blade was covered in oozing black blood, but she just couldn’t manage to land the killing blow.

The beast was far nimbler than appearances led to believe. She kicked the creature’s right leg with all her might but only managed to push herself backwards a few feet, the stupid unmoving rock.

Grabbing a small dagger from her side, she launched it at the creature’s head which turned its hammer side face in a somewhat graceful manoeuvre, not falling for the same trick as its comrades. The dark metal revealed several runes written across the hammer. Remnants of an ancient language lost to this world.

It was all the distraction she needed, as the creature blocked the blade but also his view of Arianna as her sword sliced from the beasts kneecap up to its hip with all her might. The blood spluttered as she cut through one of its arteries.

The creature thudded to the ground with a roar of pain as its leg could no longer sustain its weight. She quickly decapitated it with one fluid motion, which should have sent his head thudding to the ground at her feet, but it simply vanished. The only sign of a fight was the blackened blood which now tainted the grass.

The thunderous footsteps of the giant continued as it strode towards them in a bitter rage, every step a threat.

Three. There were three left. Kara and Kira had their own difficulties. The twins had always relied on their speed rather than strength whenever they attacked. These beasts barely noticed the scraps and cuts they had received. Any other foe would have quickly fallen to their skill in combat, sturdy creatures.

Kara slid under the creature’s legs as it raised its weapon to strike before clambering onto the back of the beast and piercing her sword into its back. It roared in pain as it turned its body trying to grab her as Kira ran up to it and skewered her own blade through its mouth and up into its brain. It vanished like it was never there.

Terandriell stood, dodging, not having the chance to move on the offensive yet. The smaller of the two managed to strike Terandriell on the side of his armour. The blade was redirected by the magic shell Terandriell had created around him just before the fighting ensued.

Watching the Queen’s knights from the corner of his eye, they seemed to be doing a great job of dispatching the grunts. He let a slight smile tug at his lips. Arianna let out a soft roar as she charged into one of the armoured minotaurs, allowing Terandriell to take advantage of the momentary distraction as he knocked an arrow. He loosed it a second later as it soared straight through the armoured helm of the closest one. A piercing screech emanated from the large godlike creature as its minion, fell, dead.

Curious, he thought, they always swirled into mist except when killed by the bow. Strange indeed.

Felgourn charged, the stench of death lingering near.

“Mortals, what hope do you have against me.” His voice thundered as it hammered a massive fist on the ground in front of Felgourn, sinking deep into the earth.

The very ground exploded towards him, raising rock and muck into the air, he fought to keep his balance as best he could. The sheer sudden movement caught him unawares, and he crashed hard onto his back with a thud, his weapon falling out of his grasp.

A low grumble greeted him. Was that a laugh?

Rage flickered in Felgourn’s eyes as managed to find his feet in time before its giant weapon came crashing to the ground, it screamed again when Terandriell killed the last of the minotaurs. A dark, horrible noise that had them all covering their ears, trying to blot out the pain. Felgourn covered his ears as a small trickle of blood made its way down the side of his, not daring to wipe it away.

The beast stopped its incessant screeching as it straightened its back. It growled as it dropped its weapon, clanging on the ground before unleashing a blackness around itself.

Terandriell watched as the air around the god turned black, before shadowy tendrils came flying towards him and everyone else. The elves put a barrier around themselves, each individual barrier was battered and surrounded in the darkness that approached them. However, most of its attention was directed towards the evil mortal that killed its brethren.

It felt rage, a deep unending rage, it was going to kill. The others would die fast but this one, it would savour it. Its death would last months, years even as it slowly broke his mind and body over and over again. Then he would know how it felt, it would understand the impact of its actions.

Terandriell’s power was already fading, the relentless darkness, he was no match for it. His body was aching as he fell onto one knee, the barrier closing in around him. Fear once again clung to him. Fear for himself, even for the humans that didn’t have magic to stop this. He just hoped it had left them alone, they couldn’t escape whatever this was.

Maybe Urgost was right all along, perhaps they didn’t have any part to play in this. He should have stayed in his forge on their hidden island with no cares in the world. A dull yet comfortable life.

He swore he could feel the creature’s pain as the barrier around him became even tighter, its malice was beginning to pour through but also its enjoyment, it wanted this. It wanted him to beg. To beg for mercy. It was smiling.

Terandriell was now on both knees, his hands aimed upwards as if he were trying to use his physical strength to hold the shield in place when his magic failed. By the sweat gathering on his brow, it would be soon, too soon.

His life began passing before his eyes. He hadn’t accomplished much, but he was young, there should have been so much more time to accomplish things, to be remembered. Now it was all going to end, he forced a weak smile. He was ready for this. He knew the risks when they left Athaldris. A tear escaped him, not for his own life but the elves who were around him, even the human Queen and her men. He closed his eyes, letting his breath escape him. His last breath.

“Mine,” The beast cackled, sensing Terandriell’s near depletion. Between the Elder invading his every dream and the travelling, he had barely slept for weeks, nearly a month now. Perhaps death would be a blessing.

The shadow pulled back a little before pushing down with all its might. Seconds. There were seconds left. Terandriell felt a twinge in his chest and then nothing.

“Enough,” he shouted. The voice was not his own. His eyes snapped open. Who said that? He could feel the beast withdrawing, recoiling even. Was that surprise or fear it was feeling. As if sensing that it wasn’t a one-way connection any more, the creature severed the link between them. It let out a defying roar.

The mist around Terandriell faded so he could see clearly. Without moving a muscle, he was somehow standing on his feet. Trapped in a shell of his own body as something else guided him, his actions, his thoughts.

That well of power he could feel, the unending reserve of magic, oh he loved that, even if it wasn’t his.

“Gar’rok,” Terandriell stated, looking at the beast. Gar’rok hissed before unleashing every single piece of its power forward. Terandriell tried to move his arms, use magic, anything to shield himself but his body betrayed him, it wouldn’t respond to his commands. The darkness hit him but simply parted at either side, passing on beyond. He could feel a tug of a smile form on his lips, his body was now toying with this god, how was that even possible?

His hand lifted slowly upwards before stopping the darkness, pushing it back towards the creature. His body was being steered towards this pool of power deep inside him, it was fulfilling, an endless well that sated his every desire, it was eternal.

He was drawing power from what felt like the very depths of the earth itself. A growl and then nothing. Terandriell stared at Gar’rok through his cage, before his eyes darted to his right. He spotted Arianna for the briefest of moments, watching the fear glisten in her eyes. He could see her mutter his name, but he couldn’t hear it, couldn’t answer. He began to scream, trying everything to gain control, for someone to notice.

Quiet.

Was the word in his mind, but it wasn’t his own thought. Fear is what he felt, caged in his own body, trapped with another soul in charge, an endless unforgiving prison.

“What are you?” the grumbling voice of Gar’rok said.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he answered.

Taunting a god, well that’s just great. Terandriell thought.

Quiet. His body snapped.

~

Arianna had stood up after the soft assault on her shield. The beast had put enough power to keep her contained only, no more, no less. But now. Her heart skipped a beat as she was watching her friend. His body engulfed in some sort of white fire, alive. Beautiful and deadly at the same time. Somehow, he had enough power to stop this creature in its tracks, and he knew its name. How?

“Watcher?” she said, her voice frail, but he didn’t notice, he didn’t care. Panic began coursing through her body, what if another magical outburst happened? He could destroy everything in the surrounding area. She wanted to run, every fibre of her being told her to run. Run, run, run as far away as she could, as fast as possible. But she also wanted to stay, to try and help her friend. How likely that would be she didn’t know, she gulped.

“Terandriell!” she shouted, noting Kara and Kira watching closely, with similar expressions crossing their faces. The only one who hadn’t noticed seemed to be Felgourn, still set on trying to cut Gar’rok into pieces but his blade making no progress on the beast’s armament, barely able to draw blood as he hit blow after blow.

And then, Terandriell looked at her, those piercing brilliant white eyes that didn’t belong to her friend burrowed into her mind, before quickly turning his attention to the enemy towering in front of it. It all happened in no more than a heartbeat, a motion so swift she began to think she imagined it all.

She braved a glance to the other side of the battlefield, the goblin creatures had all been killed, but the Queen and her knights did not dare move closer. If anything, they had edged further away. Relief swept over her for them at least but was swallowed up whole as she looked back towards the inferno in front of her.

Gar’rok at sensing his impending defeat grabbed Felgourn harshly with his left fist and vanished into thin air, leaving only Felgourn’s staff falling to the ground with a light thud.

~

Come home. His body commanded him, and he knew who it was. The Elder had somehow taken control of him. Maybe that witch had been right after all. She had warned that he would try and take over, that he wasn’t to be trusted. The connection slipped, and he thudded to the ground, back in control. The white flames had gone just as quick as they had appeared.

“Watcher?” Arianna asked as she placed a hand on the small of his back. “Are you okay?” her voice shook slightly.

He seemed dazed. The warmth of her hand vibrated through his body, and he recoiled from her touch. He placed a hand on his forehead, his head fuzzy and in excruciating pain. “What happened?”

Arianna looked towards Kara and then to Kira, not knowing what to tell him.

Three elves.

“I don’t know.”

Arianna could hear the utter rage in his voice, but it was tainted with despair too. She went to place a hand on his shoulder again. He growled in response.

Three elves. He knew something was horribly wrong, why couldn’t he place it.

The Queen was approaching with a larger retinue than usual. She clearly wanted to know what just happened but was wary, wary of the power exchange she had witnessed. Terandriell was in no mood to face her, to answer questions he didn’t know the answer to.

Three elves, only three. Then it clicked.

“Where is Felgourn?” his face hardened, and he shivered remembering his own body being a cage and Felgourn…What happened to Felgourn.

The Queen and her men were almost here. Rage and anger battered his very core, accompanied by defeat and disappointment.

He was not about to leave his friend to die or be tortured by these creatures. Terandriell looked towards Arianna with an apologetic glare.

She instantly knew what was about to happen. “Don’t you dare.” She violently shook her head, her lips parting slightly.

He looked at her, at Kara, at Kira with his soft eyes. “I have to.” His own lips trembled at the words.

“No. Please, you don’t have to do this.” Kara began to plead. Kira was lost for words, standing silent at her sisters’ side.

He forced a shaky smile as Arianna lunged to grab him, her hand closing on nothing but air as he transformed himself into a hawk and he was gone a moment later.