The Ashes of Allmau: The Orfolk of Allmau

Chapter 27

Dyll turned sharply, sensing Ahna's shock. The aethereal claw burnt away in the soft light of Rune before Dyll could perceive it. He turned back and eyed the door through which Rosalyne had disappeared. He summoned the strength to follow, knowing that Rosalyne had taken with her the box that contained his best friend.

Stepping into the shadow of the old tower and starting up after Rosalyne. As soon as he entered the tower, the whispering began again, and with each step upwards it grew a little louder and clearer. At the top of the spiral stairway the doorway was open. He climbed into the cupola, boarded up and abandoned, seeing Rosalyne kneeling where the table once was. There was little of anything left. Amongst burnt and rotten rafters were more orfolk, all looking down at Rosalyne as she knelt over the box.

"You've been gone for so long," came the whispers, "You've missed so much."

Dyll looked to the rafters but saw none of the orfolk speaking, "You mustn't have heard." Came the voices once again.

He climbed upwards to get closer to them, sure it was them who were whispering.

"Heard what?" Rosalyne replied, while staring down at the ashes that were once her perfect world.

"War returns to Eymier."

"War?" she said.

"The only thing these creatures know," came the voice, "Death."

Dyll moved from orfolk to orfolk, noticing their one mindedness as they stared down at Rosalyne. An odd flicker and flourish of black and gold aetherforms caught his attention as they manifest and swirled like smoke and ash between the orfolk.

"More fire, more blood," came the whisper, "Eymier, Etto, Allmau."

"What?" She closed her eyes and looked away, "No."

"Yes." it replied, "His bloodlust will not end, unless you end it."

Rosalyne frowned, "I can't." her thoughts escaped her mind, into the aether, through a web of ephemera as the black aetherforms seemed to settle near her.

Dyll looked on as they seemed to settle in the form of something, almost human, standing behind her "You can."

"No," she said aloud.

"Would you rather what happened to the orfolk, happen to your own?" came a whisper, "Feel the fear, the anger, the cold of death. Would you share the touch of death with innocent lives?"

"Enough of this." She said sternly, then rose from her place, the human shape in the aetherforms burnt away, seeming to settle as ash in the room. She dusted off her gown and told herself, "This is just my nervous mind quaking."

With that she went to leave, sparing one last look at the box that now sat in the tower.

"Rest in peace." She strode down the steps.

There was a stillness in the air. The orfolk flickered and twitched back to life, a few looked at Dyll and seemed to jump in surprise.

"Hello?" he asked, waving.

They didn't respond, their eyes were deep and dark, just like wild ones. They quickly scattered about the tower and made their way for the door after Rosalyne. He'd never seen so many wild orfolk together in one place. The aether should have brought some sense to them. This wasn't natural.

Dyll leapt from the rafters and approached the box, "I'll be back." He promised.

"I saw him!" said Ahna, as Syble tried to dress her in something finer.