FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (40 page)

     A long moment of silence ensued. Finally, Clover placed Elementhar Soltude’s copy of the Vanguard Manuscript into her backpack.

     “Features _ yours of these are similar to a soldier we met in Fort Eastguard whose name was Serene Genox,” said Ray, changing the subject.

     “Cousin _ Serene is mine of this, and unfortunately, I have not seen her in six years. Doing _ how is she of this
?
” asked Clover.

     First, Ray assured Clover that her cousin was fine. Then he proceeded to describe the battle at Fort Eastguard. He also described Serene’s injuries and once again assured Clover that her cousin was fine. The conversation only made Clover feel worse, instead of better. Ray had regretted bringing up the topic, but he figured that she would have wanted to know. In the end, Clover concluded that what was done was, unfortunately, done; and since Serene was not seriously harmed, she saw no reason to race off to Fort Eastguard after her cousin.

     Another long moment of silence ensued. This time, Clover was the first to speak.

.

     “Follow _ I shall do of this with you to Monune Grand. Request _ one of this do I have. Train _ do of this to me in the fire element,” said Clover.

     “Companionship _ yours of this is welcome with us. Train _ however, if I were to do of this to you, it would mean a breach of the Law of Elementhar Conduct,” answered Ray.

     “Dying _ Elementhars are of this, and not only the Water Elementhars, but the Earth Elementhars and the Wind Elementhars as well; so there is a dire need for Elementhars to master more than two elements if we are to survive and defeat demonkind. Situation _ based on ours of this now, it would not be a breach of the law,” insisted Clover.

     Clover’s last statement caught Ray by surprise. What did she mean when she said that the Earth Elementhars and the Wind Elementhars were dying as well
?

     “Explain
!
” demanded Ray.

     “Demonkind _ of them, they are growing stronger than before, and more organised, somehow. Killed _ many more Ordered Elementhars were of this in recent years than they were a decade ago. Dwindled _ our numbers have severely been of this since you left Free Falls 15 years ago, Ray,” explained Clover.

     Ray was silent for a long time. He was reminded of something his mentor had told him 15 years ago. But he had forgotten about it over time. He was so obsessed with seeking vengeance that he forgot about the war against demonkind, which was the Elementhars’ sworn duty. If what Clover said was true, then there was a bigger problem at hand. And Ray’s focus would have to go beyond seeking vengeance for his order.

     “True _ if what you say is of this, I shall agree to your request,” said Ray finally.

     The next morning the quartet set out on their journey in a south-westerly direction. The gusting wind made the journey a little unpleasant as dust and dried leaves were sent flying into their faces.  Ray walked steadily on, but in his mind a swirl of thoughts was occurring. He never knew the motive behind the massacre of his order, and from what Clover had told him, the Water Elementhars faced a similar fate as well. He somehow felt that the entire Grand Order was being targeted and eliminated slowly, very slowly. Many things remained unknown
!
Who is trying to eliminate the Ordered Elementhars
?
  Why would he or they want to do so
?
  What have the Ordered Elementhars done to trigger this
?
There was some sort of conspiracy going on, but he was at a lost as to what it was or who was behind it.

     Clover walked with squinted eyes in an attempt to keep dust out of them. Her mind was swirling with thoughts as well. She had chosen to follow Ray, if he would accept her. But she knew that this choice had consequences. Ray was an outcast, unofficially. And since he was going to force his ultimatum on the High Council, they would be sure to cast him out officially. And she knew that she would be cast out alongside him. She would no longer be accepted by her order. Her brother and sister Elementhars would treat her like as if she had never existed.

     The other choice for Clover was an easier path. Return to Monune Sapphire with her updated copy of the Vanguard Manuscript. With the updated knowledge and skills, the Water Elementhars could be at their full potential again. But this choice would not solve two problems. The first problem was that Ordered Elementhars were getting killed at a far higher rate than usual, and this would not change even if the Water Elementhars were back at their full potential, for even the Earth Elementhars and Winds Elementhars were getting killed at a very high rate. The second problem was that whoever it was who was responsible for the massacre of Ray’s order and the sabotage of her order would not be dealt with. And this meant that Ordered Elementhars would continue to be sabotaged, or even massacred, in the future.

     In summary, the choice of Clover following Ray offered a bleaker future but with a glimmer of hope, whereas staying with the Grand Order offered a brighter future in the short term but with no hope at all in the long term. In truth, there was only one real choice for her and that was to follow Ray.

     Lance made long strides against the howling wind. He too had thoughts of his own. The events of the past few days had confused him. The Elementhars’ ways were strange to him, but he was beginning to understand them. The mentality of soldiers was another thing altogether. The ones whom he had met were not like his grandfather. The soldiers at Fort Eastguard were cold and ruthless. Then there was the issue of war, a stupid and meaningless act to which humans engaged themselves in, and although they knew of the stupidity of it, they could not help themselves in avoiding it.

     Elementhars and soldiers, so different and yet so alike
!
The ultimate paradox, these two ways, and perhaps, the ultimate irony as well. Lance knew that Elementhars were isolationists, preferring to keep to their monunes or to their lonely travels. Soldiers, he realised, were the complete opposite, preferring to congregate, socialise and be part of a larger community. Elementhars lived modest lives, and tried not to draw any attention to themselves. Soldiers tended to parade around. They tended to make their authority felt, regardless of whether they have such authority or not. Yet both were protectors of society, in their own way. Elementhars protected societies from demons whereas soldiers protected their society from other societies. Elementhars killed to protect, as did the soldiers. So how could these two walks of life be so different and yet, so similar
?

     Spirit walked alongside Lance. So another human had joined his pack. This new human seemed different, smelled different too. The new human had a slightly passive demeanour, so she must be a female. He knew she was a fighter
!
He had seen her fight
!
But were her powers adequate
?
  She controlled water. But can water be deadlier than his fangs
?
  Maybe, maybe not
?
But since Ray had accepted her, so would he. Anyway, the bigger the pack, the easier the hunt.

     A sudden thunderous sound of galloping horses forced the quartet to move aside from the forest road. Moments later, a stream of Fallsian cavalrymen galloped past them, escorting a black carriage. Clover’s eyes opened wide momentarily as she saw the Royal Symbol on the carriage door. Several moments later, the cavalry stream and the carriage had past well clear of them.

     Suddenly, the sound of explosions reach their ears. About 300 paces ahead, two huge tree trunks collapse onto the road, trapping the galloping horses and the black carriage between them. Shouts of command reverberated through the air, as the twelve cavalrymen try to form a protective circle around the carriage. Suddenly, a cavalryman falls to the ground, blood spraying forth from his neck where a star-shaped metal object had embedded itself. The remaining cavalrymen raise their shields in cautious defence. Waves of star-shaped metal objects and flying daggers cut through the air and strike into the circle of cavalrymen. Several moments later, another cavalryman falls to the ground dead. The ten remaining cavalrymen try to close the gaps created by their fallen comrades. The glass windows of the black carriage shatter as several of the spinning metal objects crash into them. The two carriage drivers raise their shields and draw their swords. A spinning metal object cuts into the cheek bone of one of the drivers, causing him to fall off the carriage and break his neck.

     Ray, Clover, Lance and Spirit race forward to the scene of the attack. Approximately 100 paces away, Ray stops them from advancing further and leads them to hide behind some bushes.

     “Stay _ Lance, you are to do of this here, and hide. Interfere _ you are not to do of this of the battle, do you understand
?
” commands Ray.

     “Fight _ but, master, I can and want to do of this,” objects Lance.

     “Fight _ no, you are too young to do of this and besides, you are lacking the sufficient skills and experience, so you will stay and hide
!
” stresses Ray.

     “Stay _ I will do of this, master; and hide as well,” says Lance dejectedly.

     Clover turns to speak to Ray

     “Interfere _ of this, I intend to do of the attack, even though I should not as it breaches the Law of Elementhar Administration
.
Elementhars _ we are of them and that is a royal carriage, so it is none of our business to interfere in government matters, but my cousin Serene could be amongst the cavalrymen,” she says.

     “Elementhar _ we are of them and by right, shall not interfere in this matter, however, the attackers are of the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan and they are also my business. Capture _ try to do of this to at least one of them, for I need to interrogate him,” explains Ray.

     “Understand _ I do of this, Ray,” acknowledges Clover.

     A final wave of spinning metal objects strike into the circle of cavalrymen. There are now only seven of them left alive. In a blink of an eye, approximately 30 assassins jump out of the surrounding trees or spring forth from the adjacent bushes. The cavalrymen charge forward on their horses and engage the assassins in battle.

     A few moments later, one of the assassins throws a chain, tangles it around a cavalryman’s neck and pulls him off his horse. Several assassins close in and stab this cavalryman to death. Another cavalryman charges toward the assassins. He gets knocked off his horse by an assassin swinging from a tree. This cavalryman meets his end the same way his comrade did, stabbed to death. One of the cavalrymen screams out in pain as a small packet of pepper powder is thrown at his eyes, blinding and disorientating him. The assassins then pull him down from the back and stab him right through his breastplate.

     Clover gets very concerned. The cavalrymen are getting killed before she, Ray and Spirit can get there to help them. She hopes that her cousin is not one of them.

     The remaining assassins, numbering approximately 20, converge on the carriage after finishing off the last of the cavalrymen. Ray signals Clover and Spirit to attack. The assassins surround the carriage and with a sudden burst of aggression, force the carriage doors open and thrust their swords inside.

     But something is wrong. The carriage is empty
!
The wide-eyed looks of surprise on the assassins’ faces suddenly turn into expressions of pain as a blade cut at their legs from under the carriage. A warrior wearing a shiny silver armour and a crowned battle helm rolls out from under the carriage and engages the assassins in battle. He slides forward, parries an assassin’s blade to the side and slashes the assassin’s sword wrist. This assassin cries out in pain. Then suddenly, a Heat Burst slams into the back of an assassin who tries to stab the warrior from behind. As the warrior turns around to engage another assassin in battle, a trident made of solid ice impales yet another assassin from the back, killing that assassin instantly. The warrior manages to slash yet one more assassin across the torso. And as one of the surviving assassin tries to cut him, a Heat Burst slams into the side of this assassin’s face, killing him instantly.

     Some of the injured assassins run off into the forest. Eight assassins now remain, with four still facing the warrior and the remaining four turning to face Ray, Clover and Spirit. Spirit sprints forward at one assassin and at the last possible moment, leaps sideways straight into the throat of the adjacent assassin. Clover pulls her left arm back as though she was holding a spear. As she does so, an ice trident appears in her hand. Then she swings her left arm in a throwing motion and the trident soars through the air and embeds itself deeply into an assassin’s body. Ray sends a Heat Burst soaring through the air and slams it right through the assassin’s sword and into his chest. This assassin falls backwards as though he has been slammed by a heavy log. Seeing an opening, Clover runs over to be by the side of the warrior. Then they stand back to back, facing their foes.