Knight of Endrell Book One: The Red Empire

Chapter Six

Chapter 6

A month had gone by since Kinai journeyed across the reach, in which time winter was making its debut. As the cold set in with an early shower of snowfall, an old acquaintance was stirring up trouble in Endrell. At the house of Durthuel, Kinai's youngest brother, Machaiah, whispered a portion of an old prophecy while twirling a spinning top on the floor. His tell-tale lips uttered these words,

"When dark lords rise to claim their prize,

Death shall follow, and will the great city swallow.

Once for wrath, twice for trade,

Here begins the first great raid.

Let worms beguile and sins confuse,

Learning too late, twas all a ruse."

One of the knights caught sight of the morth hawk perched upon the gate post of the fence in front of the temple while on his way inside; its relic purple and its body like black stone ridden with holes. Its appearance changed with the passing of the sunlight through the clouds, turning from healthy to sickly every time a ray of sunlight hit its body. The knight remembered what Eberrin told them about the sign of the morth hawk, and how its appearance changed in this way whenever there was wide spreading illness in the air, particularly when the coiled worm was bringing death into Endrell as it had done the first time. The knight went inside the temple and said to the others, "The worm has been revived. The morth hawk shows its sign."

Abominias let loose his coiled worm which he called "morsynth" into the ground to spread throughout the soil, traveling along the roads and street corners, moving only an inch forward every minute and was hardly visible. It was the same worm that infected Endrell the first time twenty-two years prior to now, before the city fell under Abomin's control, and this time released undetectable fumes into the air, every fourth day of the week, so that people were forced to inhale these substances unknowingly. 

This illness was a much stronger version of its former incarnation, increased to twice the potency, which would make the results abundantly more permanent this time, as the former did not infect everyone in Endrell and only lasted three years before subsiding. However, those who were infected before, never fully recovered from the effects of this sickness and many even embraced the deformed state of mind that it left behind. Worse yet, the remnants of the infectious organism was still in their bodies, further deteriorating their minds according to whether the people fought the madness or submitted to it. 

One night, one of Chorus’ students came back from Endrell with dismay written upon his face. “Grandfather, Grandfather!”

 “Yes,” Chorus said.

 “It has begun” said the student, and handed him a note. Chorus opened it and read it. His face slowly began to crumple, and then he looked up staring into space, his eyes unfocused.

Linga, perceiving his thoughts said, “Chorus, what is it?”

Kinai also curious asked, “What did he mean by; It has begun?”

Chorus took a deep breath:

Kinai, a long time ago, Abomin unleashed a devastating illness that brought great peril down upon the masses of Endrell. It attacked the very existence of the people clutching every part of their physicality until the face of the disease could be seen in their flesh. It caused them to hate one another while further sifting their minds until there was nothing left. They would in effect come to fear only Abomin and his subjects when the process was complete. Their minds were rendered so malleable that Abomin could persuade them to do most anything he asked of them, and, with enough pressure, he successfully instigated their surrender in the end. You remember that time, don't you? You weren't there to see the beginning but you most certainly witnessed the end.