Armageddon

Chapter 15: Promises to a Loved One

Blackheart Village stood against the unforgiving wind and torrential rain. Despite its small size, the village was a fortress. The whipping wind pushed and shoved the residents as they moved food barrels and other supplies. However, as their thick-furred dogs whimpered, everyone turned to the source of the shrieking noise shattering the tense atmosphere.

When rumors first spread about the dead coming back, the residents built a massive wall surrounding the town, only opening the gates to allow their shipments through. The smell of rotten flesh laden the air, and the ear-shattering screeches grew close. Fearing that the Dreygur would overrun their hamlet, a group of men charged over, placing large, thick planks to hold shut the door. There was a loud crash against the other side of the gate without warning, and based on their lookouts' expressions, the Dreygur arrived and attempted to break in.

Yet, another undead creature attempted to climb underneath the gate, clawing and digging through the dirt. While a warrior lopped off its hands, another stepped forth and peered through the cracks in the wall, and instantly, a rotting hand busted through the gap, thrashing wildly. It scratched the man in the face, but he pulled back and chopped the arm off.

The guardsmen keeping watch nocked their arrows and fired; their barrage of attacks rained over the vast horde of the undead swarming towards their settlement, trying to get through their wall. However, their efforts were futile as more Dreygur crawled even further under the gate while others began clawing holes into their wooden fence.

All the warriors rushed forward to fight off the impending doom surrounding Blackheart. However, the holes grew by the second and were soon big enough for the Dreygur to break through. Flying overhead was a Nidhoggr and its rider, Arawn Branwen—when he used to walk among the living—commanding the oncoming wave of undead ransacking the settlement. It didn't take long for the Dreygur to tear the residents apart: men, women, and children alike.

After Medusa's defeat in Snowhaven, Arawn was ordered to take her role in assembling the Lich's army among the mortal realm. He had been moving from one place to the next, gathering more undead forces to prepare for the eclipse, bringing some back to Alfheim while others roamed freely across Armageddon. Once Arawn carried out Blackheart's cleansing, a group of robed zealots from the Obsidian Order emerged from the shadows, as the village was now theirs. The rider shrieked, and with the dark gift given to him from the Lich, Arawn raised his hand to reanimate the fallen corpses. Their bodies twitched, and their eyes opened, glossed over by a faint blue film. The recently deceased stood up, walked with Arawn's Dreygur army away from Blackheart, and marched for Alfheim.

Meanwhile, watching them from a distance was a group of fifty rogue Nidhoggr witnessing the entire scene. The largest weighted masked dragon hissed and growled at its saddled kin, but instead of attacking, the flight took off towards the northwest, hunting down the ones who stole one of their newly hatched whelplings.

*****

Eyes fluttering open, Selena found herself locked up in the dark, damp, lonely prison cell aboard Captain Battleraven's ship. Barren of any furniture or cot, only a chamber pot and a pile of hay scrunched in the corners of her dilapidated quarters. Her sharp breaths stabbed through her lungs; Selena had hoped that she would never find herself locked up again, but here she was. And all for what? The captain never did say, but he was after the 'Queen of Dragons' for some reason. However, she immediately assumed Vidar was responsible for her capture, and her face burned with rage. That conniving rat is behind this. Maybe they want to collect a reward on my head.

Selena hissed and spat on her dirty floor, kicking her empty chamber pot and screaming through her teeth as she reached over and rattled her metal bars. Growing sodden, she stopped, resting her head, and slipped to her knees. I lost Thor, now Rahim and Silver. Her eyes shimmered, and her chest tightened when she recalled how she lashed out at them. It wasn't their fault, and Selena knew that. Now, she may never get the chance to apologize for her irrational behavior.