Chapter 22 Rhianelle #2
“Don’t do this Lill—” The young male’s words are cut short as the dagger tears through his windpipe. His body falls to the ground in a soundless scream. One by one, they all fall.
I stand there, watching. My heart is in my throat.
Svenn is the last to go. His vengeful stare never wavers, even as the knife slides through his throat.
The guards haul their bodies and throw them into the depths of the pool. I listen to the ancient words in their mouths, trying to make sense of the chaos.
“You shall have no rest, you shall know no peace.”
After a tortuous while, I notice a ripple forming in the center of the pool. Bursts of energy erupt as the men rise from the water, the wounds on their necks completely healed. I finally understand this dark scenery. Forged through blood and death, this is the birth of monsters.
The Nightwalkers. The first of their kind.
The enchantress skips towards the five men. They are unchained and unbound, but they make no move to hurt her. A wicked smile forms on her lips. “You are mine. For the rest of eternity.”
She suddenly points to the black-robed man. “Now bring me his heart.”
“Wait. You—you promised to share them,” the wizard exclaims. The rest of his brethren start to panic.
“Leave no trace of them, my darlings,” she whispers her poison. The Nightwalkers begin hunting every sorcerer without mercy. Not even the women and children in the village are spared from this massacre.
When the five men emerge from the flames and destruction, she makes them dismember and kill one another over and over again. Flesh and bones sunder as the enchantress beats them to obedience. No matter what kind of horror she bestows upon them, they keep coming back to life.
What is the point of this never-ending pain? They will do whatever she demands. The truth sinks in when I gaze into the witch’s glittering eyes.
She enjoys tearing their dignity to shreds.
“Please. No more,” I mutter, shaking my head. My voice has gone hoarse from all the screaming. The vision continues to tug on my heartstrings until there is nothing left.
Blankets of smoke falls upon me, and I am suddenly in the middle of the woods, sitting around a campfire. Dozens of women wearing the skulls of dead animals dance around the five men, taunting them. Their manners are as cruel and beastly as the masks they wear.
My eyes snap shut over the sound of a violent whipping. They continue their torment until the Nightwalkers buckle to their knees.
One of the females turns to me. “Are you just going to watch?” the Eagle invites. She passes the barbed flog to my hand. “It’s your turn now, new friend.”
I ignore her and crouch in front of Svenn.
“Wake up,” I say, reaching my hand to shake him. His eyes are lifeless and unfocused. Silent tears track down my face.
Everything that was done to him was too cruel.
The Boar places a hand on my shoulder. “Come on. Let us have our fun.”
“No!” I shrug her off, stealing a piece of firewood. “Do not come any closer.”
I wave the torch to keep them at bay. The merriment halts and they all focus on me in a mixture of curiosity and confusion.
“You are one of us now,” the Hyena hisses.
“Never,” I say calmly.
“Now. Now. Play nice, little elfling,” a sweet melodious voice greets me from a woman wearing a stag’s skull mask. She removes the covering from her face. It’s a mockery of my house crest. The others seem to hold her with high regard, parting for her to pass through.
No, this is not respect.
They’re all afraid of this enchantress.
Her icy gaze lands on me. “Hello there, my new heir.”
I shiver at the caress in that tone. She inches closer and my heart almost stops.
“Come now. We have so many things to do.” She runs her fingers over my arm, coaxing me to follow her.
“Everything you’ve ever desired will be yours.
All those who defy you shall turn to dust. We shall create a prosperous kingdom of wealth and glory for your people.
I offer you this power, Queen of Elves.”
I recoil from her violating touch. “It is not yours to offer. You stole it. You killed them.” I steel my guts to face her.
She stares me down a moment longer. “How strange,” she muses, her red lips set in a saccharine smile.
“I’m not going to let you hurt him. Or any of them.” I slowly position myself between her and the Nightwalkers. “Stay away from us.”
“Or what?” She arches a perfect brow.
“Or I’ll end you,” I warn her.
She laughs musically. “You will inherit my will. Don’t you see? You can’t even save those pitiful beasts from before.”
Her sinister words hit low in my gut. “There’s no way for me to turn back time and help them in the past. But I can stop you now.”
Revulsion sparks in her face over my defiance. “I guess we’ll do this the fun way.” I feel her vicious threat on my skin, crawling like little spiders. It must be one of her tricks.
The light I borrowed from Lulu shields me from her malice.
Panic spreads through her pallid features when I turn on her. Perhaps no one has ever denied her before. Her eyes turn to slits, reassessing me once again.
“Tell me who you are,” I demand.
She makes a small noise of distaste at the question.
“I won’t ask again,” I say as the Un whisper her name to my ear.
“Lilith of Sellipar village. Born on the night of Jatuhh next to a gutter. The seventh daughter of a woodcutter and a courtesan. Your mother died of childbirth. You were raised by a cruel stepmother until you decided it was time to kill her. A wicked witch adopted you, but you murdered her in cold blood, along with your family.”
“How did you—” She pauses, her lips thinning into a single line. There’s no hiding the shock and terror she harbors over my simple words.
The women with the animal masks trade looks with one another. This seems to be new information to them. There are other things the Un urges for me to use to break Lilith’s spirit. But I can’t say them. Not even one such as her deserves that.
“I’m sorry for what was done to you in your life, Lilith. But I cannot let you hurt them any longer.” My voice does not waver this time.
Her fear quickly withers to rage.
“Shut up!” She hisses, bolting straight towards me. “I will rip your face!”
This is my domain, and she is a guest. With the light granted to me in the heart of Astefar, I place my hand on the ground. Lilith tries to take another step and fails.
“You can’t do this to me!” She let out a maddening shriek.
“I see you and your twisted soul,” I say in a clear and surprisingly calm voice. “You leave me no choice.”
Horror fills her eyes as the world around us warps and shifts at my behest. Mountains sprout at my calling, rivers and oceans flow forth with the wave of my hand. Thunder rolls in the sky and the earth cracks open. A coffin made of iron rises from the ground.
Lulu’s glow morphs into beautiful, monstrous incandescent beings. They begin devouring the witch, forcing her into her new prison.
“You will regret this!” She knocks on her container. I ignore her threats, her insults, and pleas.
They’re nothing but lies, The Un echo in my ear.
I throw the casket into a deep icy lake, watching in silence as it sinks to the bottom.
“Anyone else wish to meet the same fate as Lilith?” I ask her heirs. All one hundred thirteen women scatter away from me. They hide in the bushes and behind the trees, wary of my presence.
“Who are you?” One of them dares to ask me.
“I’m Rhianelle Wiolant.”