Darque Wants (57 page)

              “The night of my birthday,” Lillian said.  “I went to go hunting and I overheard them.”

              “I didn't mean any of that,” Erik said apologetically.  “Your grandfather had too much wine and I was just agreeing with him to keep him calm.”

              “You shut your mouth,” Kirrowind snapped at Erik. 

              “You can't just run away,” Katrina said to Lillian.  “I was worried about you.”

              “I was, too” Kirrowind added.  “We have been traveling for days trying to find you.”

              “I'm sorry to have worried you, Father,” Lillian said apologetically, “but I found a place I truly belong.  These people accept me.  They let me hunt.  They don't force me to wear heavy dresses and put on a fake smile.  They actually care about me.”

              “They let you hunt?” Kirrowind asked.

              “They sure do,” Lillian said with a grin.

              “You can't stay here with these people,” Katrina suddenly said.  “I won't allow it.”

              “I'm a grown woman, Mother, you can't force me back to the Valley,” Lillian shouted.

              “She's right,” Kirrowind said putting his hand on Katrina's shoulder.  “Remember when you were her age and you left your home to come live with me in search of happiness.  Our daughter deserves the same.”

              Katrina became overwhelmed with emotion.  She knew that Kirrowind was right.  She could see in Lillian's eyes that she was happy.  They shined in a way that she had not seen since Lillian was a little girl.  She began sobbing and she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

              “Your father is right,” Katrina said between sobs.  “If you are happy here, then you should stay here.  Just know that I will always love you.”

              “I love you too, Mother,” Lillian said hugging her mother back.

              Kirrowind wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter.  Katrina felt sad that this was the last hug she would have with her daughter and that she may never get to see her daughter again.  Just as she began to accept that Lillian was grown up and making a new home for herself, she felt the ground beneath her feet begin to shake.

              Kirrowind felt the earth move beneath his feet and struggled to stay standing.  The shaking was violent and lasted for well over a minute.  When everything finally stopped moving, Kirrowind looked over and saw Katrina laying on the ground, curled into a ball.  He knew that she still had nightmares about the day her old home was engulfed in flame and another earthquake must have triggered those memories.  He reached down to help her back to her feet when the ground started shaking again.

              “We need to get somewhere safe,” Kirrowind shouted over the screams of the rest of the camp running and screaming.

              “Follow me,” said the boy that Lillian had been speaking to when they arrived.

              Without questioning, Kirrowind picked up Katrina and began running with her in his arms.  Lillian followed closely behind him with Erik on her heels.  The group ran through the camp following the strange boy until they reached a tent and they ducked inside, the ground shaking constantly the entire time.  They huddled in the tent and waited for the shaking to stop.

              “Who are you?” Kirrowind asked the boy.

              “My name is John, I'm friends with your daughter,” he replied.

              “A little more than friends, I would guess,” Kirrowind remarked noticing the way his daughter clung to John's arm.

              John remained quiet and Lillian blushed.  Erik kept a look out by the tent entrance and Katrina stayed curled in a ball with her hands over her head.  Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the shaking finally stopped.

              Erik was the first to leave the tent.  Kirrowind followed him out cautiously, ordering the others to stay inside until he was sure that it was safe.  When he stepped outside, he could barely see.  The sun was blocked out by all of the dirt and dust that was in the air after the mighty earthquake.  Blinking the dust out of his eyes, Kirrowind could see a dark canyon had formed in the earth.  He stepped carefully towards the area where the ground had been torn apart.  The crack in the ground started at the center of the camp and stretched towards the west for at least 100 paces and it was nearly 30 paces wide.  Kirrowind could not determine the depth, but from the darkness in the canyon and the violence of the earthquake that caused it, he assumed that it stretched deep into the heart of Wandersend. 

              Suddenly, a red light began to shine out of the darkness.  Kirrowind felt heat like fire coming out of the canyon.  He stared into the abyss to try to determine what was causing the light.  He heard something that sounded like a roar come forth that frightened him deep in his soul and he stepped back.

              “What's going on?” Erik asked seeing the strange activity.

              “I don't know, but I think we should step back,” Kirrowind replied backing away from the canyon.

              Erik followed his lead and started heading back towards the tent.  Kirrowind heard the roaring getting louder and the light got brighter.  Out of instinct, Kirrowind drew an arrow from his quiver and notched it into his bow, aiming it at the canyon.  He looked over at Erik and saw him pulling his sword from it's sheath.

              Kirrowind looked back at the canyon and saw something that scared him more than anything he had ever seen.  What appeared to be Tribals, but with a red glow around them and blank white eyes, began to rise form the canyon.  First, it was maybe ten, then there were a hundred.  Before Kirrowind could fully register what was happening, there were thousands of creatures rising from the canyon. 

              “What are those things?” Kirrowind heard someone say.

              He looked behind him and saw Lillian standing outside the tent, staring at the creatures. 

              “Get back inside,” Kirrowind ordered his daughter.

              Before Lillian could react, the creatures began to attack the camp.  The creatures began to swarm the campground, ripping people apart with their bare hands and teeth.  Guards tried to fight back but were quickly overwhelmed.  Kirrowind fired arrows into the crowd of creatures, killing them with one shot.  Unfortunately, there were far too many.

              The swarm started to move towards where Kirrowind and Erik stood.  Kirrowind fired at the swarm in an attempt to stop the creatures' advance.  Erik stood ready by Kirrowind's side with his sword. 

              “We need to get out of here,” Kirrowind said still firing arrows.  “There are too many of them.  Take my wife and daughter and run into the mountains.  Keep them safe.  I'll hold them off for as long as I can.”

              “No, you go,” Erik said beginning to kill off the first of the creatures that reached them.  “I'm a better warrior than you are, I can hold them off longer.  You go save your family.”

              “You're going to die here,” Kirrowind said shooting his last arrow and drawing his hunting knife.

              “Probably,” Erik said as he decapitated one of the creatures that was reaching for him, “but I will die a hero.”

              Kirrowind knew that he couldn't waste anymore time discussing things.  He stabbed one of the creatures in the throat and created an escape route for himself in the crowd.  Taking his gap, he rushed through and sprinted towards the tent.

              “Run! Run towards the mountains,” he shouted as he ran towards the tent.

              Lillian wasted no time.  She repeated the order into the tent and began running with John by her side.  Katrina, who had recovered at this point, was running but was beginning to fall behind.  Kirrowind scooped her up over his shoulder and carried her as he ran.

              The group made it into the mountains with the horde of creatures nipping at their heels.  Kirrowind watched with pride as his daughter fired off an arrow, while running, into the throat or eye of any creature that got too close.

              “Up here,” John said from the front of the pack pointing to a cliff.  John began to climb up the sheer cliff face, using the natural roughness of the rocks as hand holds.  Lillian followed him up the cliff.  Kirrowind gave Katrina a lift up and she began to climb and he followed directly behind her, slicing at any hands that grabbed at his ankles.

              When they reached the top of the cliff, Kirrowind looked down and saw that the creatures could not climb up.  He looked around and could see several other groups that had managed to escape onto other high spots around the area.  Kirrowind wandered around the top of the cliff, making sure that it was a safe spot to rest.               

              “Where is Erik?” Katrina asked when she finally caught her breath.

              “He didn't make it,” Kirrowind said sadly, putting an arm around his wife.  “He stayed behind to give us time to escape.”

              Katrina sobbed quietly at the loss of her old friend.  Kirrowind also felt a pang of sadness.  He never like Erik, but he respected that his wife cared for him and he respected that Erik did the honorable thing in his final moments.  His sacrifice was probably for Katrina's sake more than anything else, but it was still a noble deed.

              “Oh gods, it's Danielle,” Lillian suddenly said.

              Kirrowind followed Lillian's gaze and saw a woman lying still in the cleft of a nearby rock.  He walked over to where she laid and checked for her pulse.

              “She's still alive,” he announced.  “Is this another friend of yours?” he asked Lillian.

              “That is our Queen,” John said.  “Is she okay?”

              “I think she will be,” Kirrowind said as he carried her over to where everyone else was standing and laying her gently on the ground.

              Suddenly, the woman's eyes flickered open.  Kirrowind looked and saw her nearly black eyes and a chill ran down his spine.  Somehow in his heart he knew that this woman was connected to the earthquake and the creatures.  He sensed evil in those eyes.

              “What happened?” she asked as she sat up.

              “There was an earthquake,” John said, kneeling down next to Danielle.  “Some monsters rose up from a crack in the earth and starting killing everyone.  Only a few of us survived.”

              “This is all my fault,” Danielle said with a tear welling up in her eye.

              “What do you mean?” John asked.

              “I caused this.  When I was 16, when I disappeared, I was visited by a spirit.  This spirit told me that if I obeyed his commands then we would gain control of the Valley.  The spirit gave me power to control people.  That is how I was able to become Queen.  As time went on, my power grew.  All I had to do was lead the Outcasts where the spirit ordered me to go.  A few nights ago, the spirit told me to bring the Camp here to the foot of the mountains.  He told me to climb up to this mountain and utter a specific set of words.  The spirit told me that I would call forth the souls of generations past and they would be my army to take back the Valley.  The Ghouls were never supposed to attack Outcasts.  I wasn't strong enough.  I lost control.”  Danielle began to weep as she told her story.

              “The stories were true then,” Kirrowind said after hearing Danielle's story.

              “What do you mean?” John asked.

              “The Mystics of Oldwoods used to say that the Flatlands were cursed.  They told us that nobody should ever cross Eagle River or an evil spirit would seek vengeance.  I thought it was just a story, but it must be true.  The spirit that visited you, Danielle, we called Drakma or 'The Great Destroyer'.  He tricked you.  You were never going to be able to control those things.  He simply needed a worldly vessel to cast the enchantment.”

              “Wait,” Lillian said suddenly, “do you all hear that?”

              “No,” Katrina said.

              “Exactly,” Kirrowind said, understanding what his daughter meant.  “It's quiet.  The Ghouls aren't trying to get to us anymore.”