Taliesor's Gift

Valasar picked up the sobbing young person. Together they rushed for the stairs, large chunks of debris shattering from the ceiling, the floor buckling beneath their feet like the deck of a sinking ship.

Valasar heard strange, cryptic incantations behind him and turned, scales hackled. Their stood the Necromancer, glowing with unearthly light and looking nearly solid. He clapped his hands together, and light darkness whispered towards them, wrapping them in its tendrils. Valasar suddenly felt light, their was a rushing feeling of movement, and-

They were someplace else. It was a great, octagonal chamber. Woods with gold and green leaves glinting in the last rays of the sun shed soft light. Birds chirped and he could hear the hum of insects all around them. Golden strands of grass rose to Valasar's hip. He was there, with the wounded soldier, with Sorn and Quinten, the twins, Heljah, Sorn's creature... and three others.

Their in front of them stood the Taliesor, and his granddaughter, and the soldier who had stood with them against Ireselan. He was smiling.

Tomas rushed to Valasar, who gently let his burden sit to the floor. The deceased put his ghostly arms around the younger wounded soldier, and together they cried and spoke. Valasar padded silently away, to give them some privacy.

Taliesor stepped forward, addressing Quinten. "I'm sorry I put you all through this, but I thank you. On behalf of our entire village, I thank you." He gave a heavy sigh. "We'd been stuck there, like that, for much too long. When you and your companions traversed the Gray World and broke the scepter, you freed us from our curse."

Quinten, wincing, nodded his head. "Where is this place?" He asked curtly.

Taliesor smiled, "I may have originally been a necromancer, but portal-magic was always a hobby of mine. I thought, after everything, the least I could do is get you and your friends out of danger. We are at the base of the mountains, and a days' journey should get you to the nearest city. I'm sorry I could not put you closer." Taliesor pulled out a scroll. "My work will be destroyed along with the rest of the town, but... if you would take this to an old friend of mine?"

Quinten took the scroll with a shrug.

Taliesor nodded. "I'm sorry I have nothing of more value, after all the trouble I've caused, to give you."

The little girl tugged on Valasar's tail, and he turned to her, kneeling down. "I enjoyed your warmth, little one." He said formally. "Go in peace to your ancestors."

She giggled, and put her small arms around his neck. Valasar was surprised to feel quite warm, solid arms, before she ran back to her grandfather.

Taliesor called to the dead young soldier, "It is time for us to go." Nodding, he gave one last fierce hug to his sibling and stepped away. Slowly, light enveloped the three spirits, until they were too bright to look at. Valasar shielded his eyes, and when he looked again, they were gone.

"May mother bring you home"

Quinten slowly opened his eyes. He could here noises but not quit understand what was being said At first he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. He shut his eyes and opened them again thinking that he was having a nightmare. No the nightmare was still there when he opened his eyes.

Sorn was slowly raising the scepter above his head. He herd Heljah scream something but he couldn’t understand what it was. Kol and Han moved closer to Sorn as if to take away the scepter.

CRACK!!!

The scepter broke, shattered. Fragments of wood and mettle fell to the floor around them.

"No!" he could here Ireselan screech.

He barley comprehended that the skeletons were gone. Ireselans men-at-arms rushed at Sorn, Heljah, Valasar, the twins, before they could draw near the ground gave a mighty shiver. Cracks appeared in the floor, and everyone stopped to steady themselves.

Quinten closed his eyes he could hear things crashing all around him but that didn’t concern him at the moment. He could feel... he didn’t know what else to call it but his life force. He had felt it go out of him when he had used his blood on the door. When Sorn had broken the staff he felt it start to come back into him slowly at first and now in a flood of energy. He heard someone cry out and opened his eyes in time to see a piece of stone falling on his head. Valasar caught it and used his momentum to sling the stone into Ireselans men-at-arms.

"We have to get out of here!" he heard Kol yell over the noise. Wait for it, wait for it.

"I'd rather stay a while, this is kind of fun!" yep that was Han for you.

Quinten tried to sit up but even though his energy was coming back he was still very weak. He turned his head to see his soundings. The tower kept giving huge shakes and new crakes kept appearing all over the stone walls. Ireselan was trying to get his men-at-arms to attack his comrades. Some of them where listening to him while most of the men-at-arms were heading to the door making a bottle neck. He looked next to him at the only man-at-arms that was not attacking them. He was staring at the prone figure of a man-at-arms that Sorn was turning over. The only expression that the young man-at-arms could be said to be wearing was deep and complete shock.

“Nnooooo!!” the scream was high and scrile ripped from the young men-at-arms throat. He pulled himself over to the fallen warrior dragging his useless leg behind him. The fallen man-at-arms had a deep wound in his chest and Quinten saw a bloody dagger next to the body. The young soldier pulled himself up and grabbed the dead mans cloths and started to sob.

Quinten saw Valasar turn to look at were the sound was coming from. At that moment a very unfortunate man at arms decided to attack the opening. He rushed in and probably would have been successful if he didn’t decided to go by the chair and young bones. The only warning that Valasar had was the crash of bone as the young girls remains were destroyed. Valasar turned to see where the new noise had come from and saw the man at arms standing in the ruined remains of the young girl. It seemed to Quinten that time slowed down for an instant. The long thin scales on the back of Valasar’s neck began to rise up. They came up just like when he was uncertain and embarrassed but their was something deferent this time. This time when they came to stand straight up they started to hit against each other making an eerie rattling sound.

Time slammed back into place as Valasar let out a bloodcurdling scream. He rushed at Ireselan and his remaining soldiers scattering them in every direction. Valasar than picked up one of the tables and threw it pinning one of the soldiers between it and the wall. This was the last straw and Ireselan’s remaining men at arms rushed the exit fighting each other and ireselan to be the first ones through. Quinten was sure that Valasar was about to follow when a mighty tremor ran threw the building and knocked him off his feet. Valasar looked up in a daze and slowly his crest came back down.

Suddenly the only thing that Quinten could see was Heljah’s concerned face. Their was a moment of confusion in her eyes and then Quinten bunched up as Heljah thrust her finger into his side.

“What do you think your doing taking a nap while everyone is working.” she hissed in his face.

“Theirs...” Quinten had to take a moment to swallow. “There is no time for that help me up we need to get out of here.”

Heljah turned to the twins who were busy looking over Sorn and the wounded and dead soldier. Kol was busy bandaging up Sorn hands while Han was keeping guard over everyone. The young guard was still crying into the older ones bloody shirt. Heljah put a hand under Quintens arm and started to host him up.

“We need to go can everyone move over there.” Heljah asked the twins group.

“We can all move.” Sorn answered through gritted teeth. “Except for ...” Sorn looked at the bloody body and quickly looked away. The tower gave another great shudder sending everyone spraling.

“Valasar come get this soldier out of hear.” Sorn yelled. “Han Kol help Quinten. Heljah take point.” As everyone ran into position Sorn knelt down next to the crying and dead soldier. “We are going to have to leave him... I’m sorry we need to go now.” Sorn than addressed the dead soldier. “Don’t worry Thomas all take care of your brother. May mother bring you home.”

Valasar bent down and picked up the young soldier who gave one last sobbing cry. Han and Kol helped Quinten up draping his arms around there shoulders.

“Man Quinten this is the second time today you bummed a ride of us. Its my turn next time.” Kol said as the beat up group headed to the door.