The Whispering (32 page)

“
Dalim, why are you here?  I heard you were in Pathen with Marilyn.”
I demand.

“
I was, but Colsea called me back,”
he answers. 
“Don’t worry, Marilyn is safe, she’s with her sister.”

All eyes
lock onto Tolan as he moves in a trance, stepping from the archway, letting the Junsper Stone lead him.  We watch expectantly, each of us holding our breaths as Tolan moves to the stone bench.  He takes the stone and places it in a hollow that after all these centuries has gone unnoticed.  Without moving from his spot, Tolan turns to face Lily.  When I look down at her, she, like Tolan is also in a trance.  Her eyes are like they were back at the Seating, completely green as the Earth Spirit.  She moves to Tolan without a glance or word to me and when I reach for her she evades me.

The tension grows thick and it continues to grow once Lily is at Tolan
’s side and he begins the summoning. 

I turn to Colsea
. 
“Uncle, give the signal, now!”

He turns to me and nod
s before turning inward and calling to his captains. 
“It is done, Tharin.  Brace yourself.  Kolinest is coming.”

“
No, uncle, he is already here.”

I watch as my uncle take hold of his sword, looking around him.  I breathe a sigh of relief knowing he is not the demon master.

The summoning begins to vibrate through Tolan and I can feel the air shift, the ground tremble and the trees around us begin to hum as if joining in on the calling.  And it is then I see the dagger shooting toward Julia.  I push her forward but the missile is intercepted by one of Alorn’s Shadika blades, shooting off to the side harmlessly.

I flash toward the bench to cover Tolan and Lily who are still in a trance.  Mellis comes out of the shadows taking Morlo down when he rushes through the archway.  I look back toward the balcony and see Dorlan and Kalis come up from below.  They still haven
’t opened the queen’s doors, so they’re climbing up the balcony.  They make their way quickly to the garden, weapons up.  Alorn moves to the middle of the grassy area and waits for his brother, who moves purposefully to meet him.

Julia
and Dalim stand side by side to face off with Aureinia and Kalis, until Julia sees Frank and Chris move from behind Aureinia.  As if paralyzed, her blades fall from her hands and she is shoved back by Colsea and Lodus.  Ziri pulls her further back as he steps up to face about twenty or more of Kolinest’s men.

Ziri turns to Julia
.  “Wake up, woman – I need you!”

Julia stares at Ziri like a lost kitten, nodding slowly.  She looks about and see
s the garden surrounded by the enemy.  As if remembering something, she reaches into her coat and pulls out three seeds.  Closing her fist and putting it close to her lips, she whispers something that I can’t make out and then throws the seeds behind her.  Instantly, the seeds take root and shoots emerge from the ground, continuing to rise into fully grown boab trees. 

From the middle tree, Minth steps forward and a small army of dryads fall beside her, bows in hands.  She turns from us and faces the woods, lifting her hands.  The pando trees slowly disappear and in their place
an image of the giant kavi forest appear.  From the high branches of the kavi trees a familiar call can be heard as Kulzo and his brothers swing through and land behind the dryads.  All is quiet for a moment, except for the sound of the rain and Tolan’s soft chanting.  And then, as if by an invisible signal, all hell breaks loose and the cry of war comes from both sides.  I catch a glimpse of Frank and Chris ducking into the Willow path left open since our first arrival.

Tazo
comes alive as I face the first attack by Harlu.  I place a shield more powerful than I have ever created around Tolan and Lily.  Lily.  I have to somehow give her back the gift; it may be our only chance.  I completely forgot about it when I saw what Harlu did to her.  And now, facing him, my anger returns.  I pull back my emotions, keeping a clear head as I move in to face him.

“
Ah, my dear brother-in-law, I am very unhappy with you,” he sneers.  “I didn’t get my invitation to the wedding.  I supposed someone forgot to have it delivered.”

“
No one forgot, Harlu, you just weren’t invited,” I say as I lean back to avoid a strike to the head. 

I move in only to step back again as a ball of fur flies in and slams into Harlu, blasting him past the archway and against the Oak wall. 

Kulzo lands on his feet with his hands on his hips.  “Where the hell was my invitation?  The girlie is like a daughter to me.”

I stare at him stunned. 
“Sorry, old friend, it was a last minute thing.”

I turn to see Alorn spin into a cyclic attack against his brother.  Dorlan deflects his attack and pushes to the left taking down two of Kolinest
’s warriors coming at Alorn’s back.  He is up in a stance when Alorn turns back to him unaware his brother just saved his life.

“
Alorn, your brother is innocent,”
I call to him.

Alorn reacts by straightening from his low stance, looking
confused.

“
Look out,”
I warn and he ducks in the nick of time, evading a blow from another attacker. 
“I’ll explain later.”

“
There is nothing to explain, Tharin.  He isn’t innocent, I know I was there.” 
He disconnects and after taking out his attacker, he goes after Dorlan who is fighting off another of Kolinest’s men.

I try to make my way over, but I am knocked down from behind.  I roll out into a low stance to come face to face with Harlu once again.  All around us dryads and Kavirs fight side by side against the growing army of Kolinest. 

“Tharin,”
calls Tolan. 
“It is time.”

I evade Harlu
’s attack and shoot out a Shadika blade, hitting him in the chest.  He goes flying back, but spins mid-air, landing on his feet.  He snarls at me as he pulls the knife out, shooting it back at me.  I quickly spin to the right, putting my hand out and catching my blade.  I set to charge him when from his left, Ziri rushes him and cold-cocks Harlu.

“
I can’t keep saving you from this guy, brother,” he smirks before moving on to another cluster of attackers.

I turn back to the bench and can see the summoning is almost over as the door appears, wavering until Tolan
is finished.  I move to cover him and Lily, turning to look at the scene before me.  Dalim and Julia have their hands full with Kalis, who seems to have them on their toes.  I look for my uncle to find him and Lodus fighting side by side, while Walem stands with Minth covering Lily and Tolan from the far end of the bench.  I don’t see Aureinia, but it doesn’t mean she isn’t near.

Mellis and Morlo are fighting within the woods, back
at the pando trees.  I watch as Morlo leaps up, diving at Mellis with his claws out, his aim perfect.  Mellis comes in running and at the last minute, hits the ground and slides under the orc.  He pulls his blades up, slicing his foe in two.  Mellis stays down as he catches his breath.

The fighting suddenly stops when a demonic
scream deafens all in the garden.  I turn to where it came from only to see Lodus let out another screams as he falls to his knee.  Kabba slowly emerges, tearing my uncle apart as he comes out of his host.  Both Dorlan and Alorn roar in reaction to their father’s death.  Forgetting their differences for the moment, they rush to the demon warden facing off with him.  Kabba makes the first move and the battle begins as the two brothers fight in sync as if choreographed.

I search out Ziri and find him with a wounded Kulzo fighting more of Kolinest
’s men as they continue to come from the balcony.  In the distance I hear a familiar battle call and know that Mareck and the Ogre Nation is in the midst of battle below.  Somewhere in the city streets I hear a solo wolf call and within seconds it is answered by other wolves, too many to count.

I pull my attention back when I hear Kalis and Julia cry out, frustrated and in pain.  I turn to find them both held off the ground by Dalim, who has each by the throat while Aureinia stand
s beside him laughing.  He slams them together and they drop at his feet where they lay motionless. Dalim looks at me, eyes black with hate and his lips in a demonic snarl.  He wavers before us and within seconds he transforms into...Ka.  No, not Ka, but his twin.  They were twins.  That’s how Ka was able to bind Kolinest to him and banish him to the UnderRealm; it’s the same with Tolan and me. 

The summoning crescendos to a high pitch creating lightning and thunder as if the pouring rain isn
’t enough.  As soon as Tolan says the final word, he raises his hands and lightning spears through them.  He throws his head back taking in the force of nature and closes his hands into fists, holding the bolts in place.  He remains standing, but his body is wracked with pain and his eyes light up as he stares blindly toward the heavens.  Before him the doorway to Eirrell solidifies and waits for Lily and the key.

I call out to her, but she doesn
’t hear me.  She is still in a trance and the noise doesn’t help.  Lily steps to the doorway with the key still around her neck.  Before I know it, Kolinest is at her side with his long blade placed at Lily’s heart.

“
Will you let her live for the sake of this realm, king?” he asks, pulling Lily closer.

I stare at him for moment, fighting the panic. 

“Do you threaten the queen of Velesi, Kolinest?  Do you think you can easily take her, her people and her throne?”

He chuckles
and shakes his head.  “Nice try, King of Velesi, I hold no threat to the queen, but am merely stopping this Halfling from taking what belongs to me.  My way home.”

The panic is now in my chest and I feel a rage burning in the pit of my stomach.

“Let her go,” I demand quietly.

“
Or what?  Nine of the people Ka chose to keep this realm intact are in the garden now.  I can take them out easily and you can easily stop me, but can you do it and still save your queen?”

I can feel the golden scabs of the wound caused by the hell fire
s begin to break.  The hate and anger the dragon spirit healed start to spill from a tear that once was a scar.

“
Choose, Tharin, King of Velesi, Ruler of the Realm, husband to Lilianethia,” he goads.  “What will it be, king?  The nine who will carry the home you love and its people, or your wife?  She has the ability to open any door to any realm you like and you will live your lives out together.  Ah, I can hear them laughing, can’t you?  Four little ones…no I see five, all adoring their mother, idolizing their father.  They are so precious, so beautiful and now…a possibility of never coming into existence.  Choose king.”

I grow deaf to what is happening around me.  I only hear him, Kolinest
, and his voice drives me to insanity.  I feel the scar rip wide open as I let loose my hate and rage; I pull in the energy from all around me.  I cast my eyes toward Gastah Point and with the will of the Lunar blood I call forth the energy rising from the bottom of the lake.  The lake I created out of anger as a child, the lake where the core energy of the realm flows from – from the Mother’s core.

I allow the energy in, but stop it from going through me, holding it within.  I use my hate to harness it and focus my attention on Kolinest and he sneers at me knowing I am at a point
where if I release the energy I will destroy everything, including the realm.  Too late I realize I have already made a choice.  I allowed him to take me to a point of no return.  And, it is that realization which further fuels my frustration and anger.  What have I done?

“
Tharin,”
she whispers gently.

“
Lily, I’m sorry, it’s too late.”
 

“
No, Tharin, it’s not too late,”
she insists. 
“You know why?”

“
Why, Lily?”
my anger eases.

“
One, because I love you,”
she says.

“
You mean there’s something more than the fact that you love me?”
The rage subsides a bit and the hate dissipates slowly.

“
Yes, there is,”
she whispers, and I feel her shyness come through.  I don’t release the energy at once, but let it flow through me gently; sending it back to lake.

“
And what’s that, jai’loa?”
I whisper back, the rage, the anger and the hate almost gone now.

“
I don’t want to die a virgin.”

That
does it.  I push the energy out slowly but forcefully and the noise returns.  Since being in my cocoon of rage, the number of Kolinest’s men has increased and I can see the strain on my small group taking its toll.  Dorlan and Kalis are now fighting alongside Alorn, Mellis, Ziri and Colsea.  Walem, Kulzo and Minth are holding their own, but the dwarf is hurt, the old valet has blood running down the side of his face and Minth is weakening each time a dryad falls.