Syrilth; A Dei Realm Tale

Chapter Five

The cold froze the air in my lungs, scorching my throat as I fought to breathe. Keep going, fear whispered as a bottomless gaze bore into the depths of my soul. My heart skipped a beat in its frantic race and my feet stumbled as the memory followed me. Tears froze before they could fall, burning my eyes. Night amongst the pines was an endless abyss, bruises left behind from the branches that greeted me, grabbed at me. The wind nipped at my back, bringing with it the sounds of battle and the demon's rage. Reminding me why I ran.

You must keep going, the fear whispered again as blind panic began to set in. Keep running, before it catches you. A silent sob at my lips as I ventured further into the eternal night. Faster. Faster. Before it kills you and your child.

Branches tore at my hair without regard, each one transforming into claws that dripped with blood and stolen life. No matter how far my legs carried me, the enigma of the demon was right there. Knees gave out beneath me at last, throwing me into the closest tree. I curled into myself as my hands covered my head, hysteria rendering me helpless. Incapable as I shuddered in the dark. Help, I prayed, please, help us. The wind howled in reply.

Hopeless, it let me know. Evil will be victorious this night.

I shrank as I listened, terror swallowing me whole. I couldn't forget the unnatural jolt of her body as it had been consumed. How close I had been to saving her life. The tiny spark of hope sputtered as I watched her die over and over again. Remembered the sensation of her life blood hitting my face as the demon had screamed at me.

A child's scream echoed throughout the labyrinth of trees right as the demon in my mind did. I flinched. Their cries devolved into a choir of agony, hysteria convincing me it was all in my head. Memories or the souls of those murdered, coming to torment me for my failure. Fingers tangled strands of hair as I sank deeper into myself, pushed ever closer to the precipice of insanity.

Syrilth, Killian's warmth seeped through the cold panic, a streak of light breaking through the darkness. I shuddered, faintly noticing the rough bark of the tree I leaned into.

It's not real, hysteria murmured.

Syrilth, Killian's voice was firm, determined to get through to me. Focus only on me, Syrilth. I clutched onto the strength his presence brought without a second thought, the threat of insanity teetering ever closer. I'm here, Syrilth, Killian reassured.

As my breath evened out, the ability to rationally think returned. You got through, I blurted out as clarity settled in, my shock evident. The mental barriers I had must have fallen, I noted as I tested for them, found them missing.

Syrilth...where are you? Killian whispered.

The question brought a lipless grin with it. I curled into myself as tightly as I could, if only to hide from the events of tonight that played out for Killian to see. Rage not my own flared, a fierce flame that stole my senses momentarily as it peaked.

Syrilth, the strained voice of my Beloved. The Aoraki mountains... His rage simmered, then darkened as despair painted it black. It'll take me too long to get there... I'm on the other side of the realm and Idvinac is... Sharp grief stabbed through the bond when Killian mentioned the Vedalken's name. My heart stammered to a halt.

What? I breathed out, insides turning to ice. Idvinac was a power unmatched, had been leading the guardians of the realm for decades now. Nothing had come close to challenging the even-tempered man since he'd stepped into his role. So much so, that we'd all been convinced that even time itself couldn't fell him. No, it can't be true, I denied.

They had appeared out of nowhere, Killian rasped, the pain of losing his comrade – his mentor and old friend – shredding away any of the warmth that remained within our bond.

I stared into the night, remembering the kind violet gaze. The man who had always welcomed conversation. Gone. Who else is hurt? I dared to ask. Even as my heart cried no, no more loss tonight.

No one, he didn't allow them to get past him.

I wanted to shy away, hide in stubborn ignorance as I saw through Killian's eyes, Idvinac's last moments. He can't be gone, I thought as we watched a tall figure drenched in light so bright, it was blinding. Without him, it's... The earth rumbled in the memory, magic escaping the lithe figure of Idvinac. Eating away at all it touched. He didn't look back, dark runes etched into blue skin mirroring the bright light that overwhelmed the world. Long strides took him closer to the small army that stepped into being out of seemingly thin air. Something invisible to the eye kept us back, even as we screamed for him to stop. Desperately fought to break free what held us so we could join him.

There was no warning before the world erupted, Killian's cry, "IDVINAC" the last thing heard as the memory faded.

The evil we've been fighting is stronger than any of us anticipated. Doom lurked in Killian's statement, chills crawling down my spine when I heard it. I...don't know if we have the means to stop this before it's too late...

I shook my head, refusing to believe this was the beginning of the end of the realm and all we knew. We must keep fighting, I urged, echoing Jonathan's words from earlier. We're still here, so we must keep fighting. I was desperate to get rid of the defeat I felt emanating from Killian, a guardian of the realm. Our first and last line of defense.

Syrilth, without Idvinac...without a new captain to the guardians we- Killian's presence disappeared between one breath and the next, leaving me alone once again amongst the pines. My heart lurched into my throat, the silence deafening as I tried to find him in our bond to no avail.

"Help us, please."

The hair on my arms rose as a child's voice whispered beside my ear. Panic crept in, my breath shortening. Not again, please not again, I begged as sharp teeth grinned at me from the shadows of my mind.

Screams rang through the abyss the forest had become, reaching an octave no human being should be able to achieve. I clapped my hands over my ears as I silently pleaded for them to stop, no longer able to distinguish the living from the dead.

"Leave her alone! It's me you want, just let her go!" A young girl fiercely declared, even as another one wavered in my ear.

"Please. Please anyone, help us!"

Hissing steel responded. Terror streaked through me as the girl begged for mercy for someone else. My hands fell to my sides as I listened, numb with horror. Slowly I moved through the darkness, closer to the nightmare playing out in secret amongst the trees. A dim light appeared as I crawled, careful as I peered onto the hidden scene. Bile rose as I mutely took in what the low-burning fire in the middle of the clearing revealed. A child, too young from how small they were, was tied to a tree with thick rope around their middle. They bled freely from stumps that had once possessed hands and feet. Hair, thick and dark, covered their face, but it was obvious from the way their broken body slumped that they were unconscious.

Remnants of the dress they wore were the only way I could tell through the gore that they were a little girl. The original color was unrecognizable, the cloth stained and torn beyond repair. Ice flooded my veins as my thoughts scrambled with the possibilities of how to heal her. If I could heal her. Melting snow dampened my palms as my fingers curled into it. I have to do something, I thought as my eyes followed the steady drip of blood.

"Please. Please help us," a tiny voice whispered.

I stilled as death spoke into my ear. My magic told me then what my eyes could not. I was too late. Again. I rocked back from the revelation as if I'd been physically hit.

"Why?" A different voice sobbed. "Why are you doing this to us?"