Addiela was looking around at the corpses in restrained horror, slowly focusing on the task at hand, and then quickly snapped her head toward the movement. With a brief command, she sent the bear to confront the dwarves, almost surprising herself with her resolve.
Nethrida, however, struggled not to retch at the sight and smell of the dead. She was a little slow to pull herself back to reality and had not even noticed the opposition moving towards her, but as the bear lumbered past her she was brought back to the moment at hand and drew her sword. Holding the blade, recently dubbed Tarnished Glory high with both hands she murmured "For Gondor..." To herself and followed after the bear to engage the Dourhands
The Dourhand sentries shouted taunts at the two women, but seemed reluctant to cross into the field of corpses. Addie realized suddenly that the dwarves were scared of the corpses. Ever practical, she began to wonder if that could be used to their advantage. Looking around frantically, she took a closer look at one of the corpses..which suddenly opened its eyes.
At the same time, Nethrida was charging forward behind Addie's bear. She saw her opening as the sentries were understandably distracted by the approaching beast. For a moment, she thought she should run, flee while they tried to kill the bear and disappear into the hills. Was this really her fight? Elves and sorcerers and fell weapons...what was she doing here?
Her sword, Tarnished Glory, wavered as fear gripped her heart..then the bear gave a yelp, the dwarves wounding it lightly as it reared against them. Behind her, she heard Addie give a similar yelp, bonded as she was with the bear, and the warrior of Gondor finally rose inside her again. Coming at the sentries from their flank, with one massive swing she took the heads off two of the three in a spray of blood and for a moment even she was stunned.
With a war cry she flicked blood from the blade and turned towards her next foe. The remaining sentry, crying out in horror, suddenly realized the woman was far more dangerous than the bear, turning his guard towards her just in time for the bear to claw him to the ground with a roar.
Beyond Nethrida and the bear her in the field, Addiela's eyes widened as the corpse opened its eyes, but then, surprisingly, she tried to reason with the corpse of the slave. "Can you move...Do you want revenge?"
The corpse however did not seem to notice Addie's words as harsh commands echoed across the field...guttural, brutal commands in the language of Angmar. In response the smoking corpse began to force itself to its feet...in fact, all the dead began to stir in the field, rising as their masters commanded.
Addie drew back from the field as Nethrida was still staring at the two beheaded Dwarves, dumbfounded at the fury of her strike for several moments before pulling herself back to the moment at hand, to return to Addie.
As she trotted back to Addie, along with the well fed bear, Nethrida realized the field was now filled with hundreds of slowly rising corpses...and as Addie has already noticed, they do not seem very happy with either of them. The two glanced at one another, Nethrida whispering to her blonde companion, "Did anyone mention this in the plan?"
Addie just shook her head, and gripped her bear's neck. "We need to move, now.. toward the gate! Perhaps we can bring this fury on their former captors." The two women and the bear began moving towards the gate, but it was clear the mob of the dead, lumbering and stupid, was gaining speed like a wave.
Beyond the pair, just within the open gate they were running towards, Hawke howled and ran at one of the Angmarim Sorcerers facing him, who seemed surprised by his ferocity and took a step backwards. It did him little good as Hawke speedily covered the distance and sank his blade through the sorcerers' midsection, blood fountaining from his mouth before he could complete his spell.
Eduwiges smiled at Hawke's rage, having already guessed he was fierce and sneaky as she bashed another Angmarim with her sword hilt, knocking him to the ground as more were beginning to charge forward. A brutal kick to his throat dispatched that one as she looked back to see Xanderian, nocking and firing again and again as those Sorcerers' standing on the risers closest to their distant leader were collapsing like dominoes.
The Huntress rolled forward between Eduwiges and Hawke, and from one knee fired off a shot at Erech himself, who deflects it with a casual gesture and finally seemed to notice the assault. "Ahhh...the Kinslayer's Whelp....and look at the treats you bring me...a Rohan bitch...and little Gwallion all grown up.' He suddenly raised one eyebrow mockingly, making his facial branding even more prominent, "Good lord, Monk, do you bed ALL your fodder before sending them to die?"
Beside Xanderian, Eduwiges heard nothing but "Rohan Bitch" and snarled..then realized there were more red robes racing in from all directions. 'We cannot be trapped here!' she shouted to Hawke, who nodded, blocking another attack and shouldering a sorcerer into the water.
Eduwiges raised her horn and blew a mighty alarm, which for a moment caused the Sorcerers to pause, perhaps expecting reinforcements to come riding in against them, and then they continued to attack. Erech however locked eyes with Eduwiges as the horn blew...and smiled..."There you are little filly...so young, and so foolish. Did your mother not teach you better?.'
Before she could answer in a rage, the warrior of Rohan glanced across the courtyard and felt a moment's concern before stabbing another Sorcerer...things at the Spire seemed to be bogging down.
Ahmo was highest on the Spire, but has apparently faltered, seeming to be...not confused, but frustrated. She was wondering what the point of all this was, it all seemed so useless. She shook her head as if trying to clear it but it all seemed so absurd. Truly a waste of her time.
Both Lore and Ahmrun clearly noted she was struggling with something, and exchanged a glance between them as the pushed her up higher towards the Spike.
Vanallan also noted Ahmo seemed to have stopped climbing as he shot down the last of the Sorcerers that had once been working on the strange devices near the Spire. However, reaching back he discovered his quiver was somehow empty as a chill wind wrapped all around him, his mind growing sluggish and confused. Wide eyed he looked down to see his shafts scatted around his feet, wondering how he could have been so careless...and then a slowly spreading feeling of ice poured through his blood as a wispy, half transparent figure rising behind him plunged a dark knife into his side.
Gasping, Vandallan struggled to pull his longsword from its sheath, swinging at the ghastly figure with all of his strength. The attacking figure seemed to drift into smoke however, reforming behind the elf again, stabbing viciously. He managed to block the blade, steel on steel...but another foe was forming as the air grew colder, the archer finding it harder to breathe.
Blood was falling onto his leathers. "...And I just got these too.." he choked and coughed, spitting blood at the spectral form in the air. In defiance he shouted "We will guide men into the fourth age! You will not end me this day!" but the spectral form only laughed darkly.
Below him, Ahmrun realized that Ahmo was not going to climb further for some reason. and knew time was of the essence. Reaching up, he touched a point on her knee to cause a sharp pain to knock her out of her dream.
Ahmo winced and started down in horror. A Harad warrior was attacking her, a servant of shadow dared such a thing? Drawing her blade, she stabbed downward, the point sinking into Ahmrun's shoulder. He stifled a cry of pain and wobbled on Lore's shoulders, but despite his best efforts and those of Lore, the damage was done and all three went cascading down the spire to land in a heap back on the marble stairs. Above them, the Spike began to smoke menacingly. They were almost out of time and back to square one.
Beyond the gate, Addie was riding her Bear beside the running Nethrida, both desperately striving to reach the at least partial safety of the Gate and their friends, who they hoped were victorious by now. The gate was still a long way off as the first of the dead caught Nethrida's cloak, pulling her backwards. The woman screamed in alarm and Addie spun the bear around. The beast clawed at the corpse forcing it away, but the delay was costly. The wave of the undead surrounded them now, cutting them off from the gate. Dodging the bear, claws dripping black smoke, one of the zombies leapt for Addie's unprotected flank only to be sliced in two by Nethrida's greatsword as she cleaved forward, the Captain regaining more and more confidence as the battle continued.
However, she forgot that such a blow may not actually kill the undead, just inconvenience it and the creature wrapped its hands in her hair as it fell, the upper half of the zombie dragging its way toward her throat while pulling her down towards it. Spinning, Addie could see the circle of the dead closing around them, the bear howling pitifully.
On the ridge overlooking the Port, the ancient elf Enthen had been watching the battle, and groaning in dismay as things went from bad to worse, all the while noting something seemed...wrong. However whenever she tried to think what was bothering her, it seemed to elude her like a will of the wisp. She had been loath to get involved idly in case her power should be needed later, but saw that Addiela and Nethrida were doomed unless someone acted to help them...and no one else was doing that much better.
Casting her hand to the sky, she focused her will..and the clouds parted, silvery moonlight flooding the field of the dead...and the zombies began to burn. Moonlight glinting off the blades of the two women just made the effect more immediate as the undead fell away from the pair..all save the one wrapped in Nethrida's hair, who had now begun to burn but refused to release it's prey.
Addiela saw Neth struggling and asked desperately, "How attached to your hair are you?"
Nethrida grit her teeth and frowned, barely keeping the flaming zombie away and smelling her hair beginning to light. "Disposable if need be..." She groaned. Taking that as her cue Addie sliced Neth's hair with her dagger to free her of the corpse.
"Apologies.." she whispered as the two friends clung to one another in a nexus of moonlight...but the clouds were regrouping.
As the moonlight began to fade, Erech met Xanderian's eye, his voice surrounding her as her friends and lovers battled on. His mocking smile burned the huntress as she nocked another arrow.
"Sooner or later your concentration will stray and I will slay you, beast. My allies and I will defeat you and your foul Masters. We will avenge Cilyniton and destroy the Spike which drove her mad!" she screamed, though no one else could hear her. He just laughed.
"Will you, Kinslayer's Whelp? You and your allies? Let us test your confidence in these, your so called allies..." The Necromancer held his hands wide in the air, standing high on the podium and the air seemed to tremble in the port below....and everything happened at once.
Within the gate Eduwiges and Hawke were surrounded by fallen red robes as they guarded Xanderian, whose bow continued to keep the other Angmarim from unleashing their magic on the warriors below.The horsemistress spun to face another attacker as she heard Erech's voice echoing again in her mind..."Did your mother not teach you better how to behave in another's house, little girl?"
Her vision seemed to blur, and she suddenly realized she was making a horrible mistake, what she had thought was another Sorcerer of Angmar was in fact her own mother, hair in the intricate braids she always took so much pride in and that her papa loved so.
Her mother reached out to caress her face. "Eduwiges...you are too small for all this, put your father's sword away and come to dinner...' Eduwiges stared at her sword stupidly and shook her head and lowered her sword...it is much too heavy for her anyway.
Eduwige's mother gently reached out take the heavy sword from her..such a relief...as she moved to embrace her beloved daughter. "Come inside now, your new friends only want to get you in trouble. They are a terrible influence on a little girl."
The woman whispered, 'Mother?' as she worked to open her heavy armor..it was much too hot and it was getting dark, it was time for dinner. She began to take off her helm. No more playtime today.
Hawke looked over, shouting as he saw Eduwiges opening her armor, baring her throat to the blades of the Sorcerers her helm and sword both discarded. He rushed at them, swinging his blade as one deflected his attack and pushed him away.
As he prepared to charge to help his comrade again, Hawke heard Erech's voice in his mind...."Poor Gwaellion...you really have no clue yet, do you? Someone is here who can finally tell you the truth...that is what you have always wanted, yes?"
Filled with fear and rage at Erech's words, Hawke spun...and saw a woman, clearly a slave, staring at him strangely...a woman he barely recognized. "Mother?"
The woman spoke, her voice heavily accented from the menial classes of Gondor..."Gwaellion...what nonsense have they filled your head with, thinking you are some grand warrior...a prince's son? Stop being silly, those were just bed time stories I told you. I am your mother and I know my baby boy, you have been right all along, you are no grand someone. You are common clay, salt of the earth just like me. Don't let that elf witch fool you just because she finds your bed warm."
Hawke lowered his sword...his eyes wide with the horrible truth..he had been right all along, his betters had just been using him all this time.
At the spire, the Lady Ahmo was overcome with remorse and ennui. They could never manage this, they were fools to imagine they ever could. Xanderian was a fool, this should have been left to Lord Cirdan and his mighty fleet, not a bunch of adventurers. However the foolish huntress couldn't take the advice of her betters, and now this was all wasted.
Lore struggled to stop Ahmrun's bleeding..knowing she was going to fail, that she had asked him on this foolish mission and now he would die and it was all her fault. That cursed elf stabbed him and all was lost....and Ahmrun struggled to find the strength to rise. He could feel something was wrong, all wrong..but what was it. His vision was beginning to fade...
Vandallan slashed once more at the wraith attacking him, falling to one knee, looking down at his torn belly as his wound had already begun to fester blue and black...he was going to fall into darkness and no one would ever remember he was up here. He tried so hard, and no one would care and he would spend eternity in shadow...all for nothing. In the end, his death was meaningless after all.
Beyond the Gate, Nethrida and Addie clung to one another and Addie's bear, the undead still at bay by the moonlight as each heard a voice snap across the field.
Addie's mother was pointing at her from the front of a great host of riders. "Look there is my treacherous child. All those brave Riders who had come to save her and her friends..she has killed them...she is just as everyone always said...murderous. I insist justice is done upon her!
The proud woman strode over the fallen Riders..."There she is...arrest her...she must be stopped for her own good"
At hearing her mother's voice, Addie dropped the dagger, frozen in place; her face deathly pale. "No.. It.. it cannot be.."
Addie's dagger dropped to the ground, and Nethrida looked up and saw the noose awaiting her, a deep voice intoning "And the deserter is sentenced to DEATH".. Around her lay the bodies of those brave warriors of Gondor she had betrayed to their doom out of her own cowardice and desire for her lover's embrace rather then staying to fight. He had died from shame over what she had done and now she was captured, having been run down like a dog and dragged back for justice. As the Prince Imrahil read out her crimes she looked down. Her death was right, it was justice and she knew it.
On the ridge over the battle, outside that one frozen moment, Enthen pounded her temples in frustration summoning all her ancient wisdom and power to see through the veil and understand what was hidden...and then she knew, she knew what was happening, and her soul was terrified. This sudden realization was their only chance.
She reached out desperately to the most receptive mind below, the Lady Ahmo, but she had to see and understand it for herself or all was lost.."LOOK...LOOK AT THE SPIKE...REALLY LOOK AT IT AND SEE THE TRUTH!!!"
Trapped in that single frozen moment, Erech smiled down at Xanderian...."Just as I told you...they fail you...one...by one...and you are all alone. You are just as your Mother always said...a strange, twisted little girl with no sense of reality. You are not just a Kinslayer's Whelp...you call these your sisters, your brothers, your lovers, your friends and your folly and pride will slay them. Even mighty Xandilif will die underground beside that fool of a knight, facing a monster they cannot defeat, all for you. The Kinslayer is not your father..it is you, Lethril...it is you....and you will be MINE."
Xanderian met Erech's eyes, unafraid...but she was indeed standing alone once again. She slowly nocked an arrow...drawing her bow up and taking aim at the Necromancer.
"You cannot defeat us...you cannot defeat me...I have faith in those I love no matter how you bedevil them, and they will guide this shaft."
The arrow flew from the ancient bow just as Erech threw his ancient dagger downward at the huntress, the two weapons passing in the air.
The arrow she shot bit into the heavy marble of the tower, a few inches from the Necromancer's head as the aim went astray ...
...and the dagger of silver and onyx he threw took her cleanly in the throat.
Xanderian staggered backwards and fell, a pool of blood rapidly flooding the stone under her as her breathing grew shallow and her hand opened, releasing it's grip on Heartbreaker.
Her eyes stared unseeing, up at the moon.
A scream filled the port...and everything seemed to start moving again....
TO BE CONCLUDED
