Shadowland

In three quick strides Quinten reached Ireselan. Against the dead he might not be any use with a rapier but Ireselan was most defiantly living, for now at least. Quinten effortlessly block a feeble stab made by Ireselan using his momentum he put his shoulder into Ireselans stomach causing Ireselan to double up he then brought his free hand up to catch Ireselans chin knocking him flat on his back putting the tip of his sword against the elf’s throat. The men-at-arms were so taken aback by the sudden attack that they hadn’t moved until Ireselan was flat on his back by that time Valasar had positioned himself right in front of Quinten repelling any thought of coming to the elf’s aid.

“Speak clearly or it is your death what do you mean the shadowlands? Where is the Halfling what has happened to Sorn?” Quinten stared down at Ireselan Pain and furry making his face a mask. Ireselan looked up at him a grimace on his face as if he wanted to spit again looking at the steal pressed against his throat he changed his mind.

“Your Halfling could be dead for all I know or care.” The point of Quintens sword pressed down harder on his neck and he hurriedly went on before it drew blood. “Or he could be somewhere in this god forsaken land or he might not even have come here. That spell could’ve missed him in the tower. If you look around I am also missing men.” He gave a small shrug indicating that he didn’t care as much as Quinten seemed. To him they were all expendable.

“So now’s the time to tell us where we are.”Heljah said coming up behind Quinten. She gave a menacing look at Ireselan sprawled out on the ground and then directed a question at Quinten. “How did you and Valasar get over here so fast?” Quinten gave a start he looked back at where he had been standing when they first arrived here. He had been so mad that he didn’t realize that he covered a good forty yards in three steeps. He noticed the twins had flanked Valasar they had what could only be called determined looks on their faces. The men-at-arms felt something from their eyes and unconsciously took a step back.

“That’s all a part of this place time is twisted and warped here.” Ireselan said from his back. “You could cover a mile in a minute or if the fates really hate you hours.”

“What do you mean how is that even possible?” Quinten was staring into Ireselans eyes trying to catch any lie.

“I don’t know how it works ok I just know about it.” Ireselan yelled from his back his eyes were wild. “This is the shadowland. A land where death is the only reality. You think that necromancer and his dead army was difficult that was nothing compared to where we are at now. Every great army of undead was called from here because this place has that many undead and to spare. And when we die here after our body becomes cold we will join them. The dead feel the living they will not stop until we are just like them.”

“How do you know this how do you know anything about this place or about Talisor?” Quinten demanded bewildered at this new information. How could they ever fight through an army of undead?

“The same way that I know that the only way out of here is by the spell that brought us here. And that won’t stay open forever judging by the scale of it; it will be closed in three hours trapping all of us here with the dead until we become undead ourselves.”Ireselan stared up at Quinten challengingly before turning his head to look down into the valley were the purple glow of the spell that brought them here was still visible in the gloom of this world. “If any of us want to escape the dead plan we have to get to the tower.”

Quinten looked down at the tower nestled in the valley. In three hours it would be closed there was no lie in Ireselans voice or eyes, and indeed if what he said was true then it would take all of them to get to the tower. Three hours to cross at least twenty miles over terrain where time changed and the undead tried to spill their blood over the black rocks of the twisted landscape. He looked down at Ireselan and then up at his men-at-arms did he dare trust a man that had been sent to kill him. What about Sorn if he was alive and in this world could he just leave him here knowing what fate awaited him. He had taken the job he had led them all here it was because of who he was that all of this was happening. It was his entire fault, everything, because he wanted to be different wanted to escape and now and now and now all his friends would die.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into the eyes of Han and his brother Kol. He just realized he had said the last part out loud when Han said in a solemn voice “It’s not your fault and we are not going to die.” Han looked for once in his life very serious. “We all wanted to come with you, remember, besides who else are we going to blame for getting us into trouble all the time.” He gave Quinten a smile and a wink letting him know he was teasing again.

“You can tell us everything latter much latter if you want” Kol put in. Quinten looked down at Heljah who had a light and a promise in her eye that their talk would be a lot sooner. “But for right now you’re the captain.” Kol continued “and you need to tell us what to do and just to let you know Sorn would have told us to get our butts out of this world as soon as possible.”

“Right.” Quinten said his voice sounding husky in his own ears. He turned his attention to Ireselan and made his voice hard and as cold as ice. “Much as I hate to admit it I’m not a murder and we are going to need every available hand to make it down there in time but I promise if anything happens to any of my men you will be the first to die”