Manorborn: The Battles Between

Chapter 3

At the table, Ashel had ceased his gagging and straining and now knelt on the grass, chest heaving as he gasped for breath. He glared fiery hatred at Jaryd as he did so, eyes burning as they regarded the youth sitting at the table across from him.

But the heir was unfazed by the glare sent his way by the panting counselour.

Jaryd's eyes held the other's wth steady certainty as he spoke, his voice calm, controlled as he did so.

"Now, Ashel, for I will no more call you "counselour", now will you speak the truth before use here."

He held up a hand as Ashel began to speak.

"Ware, servant of your master. Speak truth, or you shall once again be subjected to what you experience before."

"I will speak truth, whelp, child of that cursed manor." The voice was dark, menacing and cold; something almost sibilant on the listeners' ears. The former counselour's face twisted in hate and twisted desire. What had been before was clearly no more; the man known as Ashel was either no more, or had totally given himself to Darkness, for the thing before was barely a man, more a twisted caricature of one, though no visible change had come over him. It was the darkness of his soul and spirit that all could see; the rot of a soul given to evil.

"Truth? Faugh! Truth is a thing easily manipulated and twisted, a thought or idea, a whispered word, a touch of innuendo, and truth becomes a nothing, a tool to be used as one would. That is what truth is."

He paced the table as he spoke, a black gleam in his eyes, malice and corruption in his smile as he locked eyes with those to whom he spoke. His fingers clawed as he moved, gesturing and gesticulating towards the various men gathered before him, then falling full on the now pale Lord Malvix as a gloating tone bubbled from his twisted lips.

"What, noble lord? Do you pale as you realize how easily you fell to my words? Oh, how simple it was to touch that desire you had within you, that craving for fertile land your people could claim as their own. It was barely a struggle to convince you to fight against one you held as friend."

Sidling up to the wary lord, Ashel smirked triumphantly.

"Perhaps all I did was open that dark place inside you; that part you keep locked away that is full of greed, envy, and secret desire."

He reached for the lord's shoulder, but Malvix lurched away as his former friend, had he ever been a friend, giggled maliciously.

"See? Even now you can sense that which is deep inside you, and you know I speak true; there is part of you that truly does crave these lands, though you seek to deny it."

Suddenly Ashel was close to Malvix, his lips by the lord's ear as he spoke softly, though all could hear him.

"Give in, my noble lord. Think of your people, think of the wealth of land that is here, and how easy it would be to take it...."

As he spoke, from the corrupted former counselour's lips came gray whisps like smoke, seeking to enter Malvix's ear as they had done before.

But this time they were repelled, unable to go much beyond their speaker's lips.

Sensing this, Ashel made to attempt his spell once again. He opened his mouth but, before he could speak, he was grabbed from behind and thrown from Malvix with such force that he was cast to the ground several feet from the gathering. He rolled for a moment, then rose to his feet with a snarl, face suffused in rage, staring eyes seeking the one who had done this to him.

"Your lies will work no more," Galen spoke as he stood beside Malvix, the latter leaning heavily on the table, refusing to look at the former counselour as he took a shaky breath.

"You dare touch me, boy?!!!! How dare you, a fouled child, touch me!"

"I will do more than touch you, if you attempt any of your spells again." Though he possessed no blade, Galen stood ready to fight the snarling thing before him; steel was in his gaze and his body, crouched and lean, showed his readiness for attack.