The Mountains Blade

Chapter Forty Five

Chapter Forty Five- The Trees That Lived

Elwyn stared at the bloodshed. It was black, coating the trees and the once green grass.

Her heart felt like it could beat out of her chest. It smelled terrible, the pile of bodies, ever-growing as Kiandra heaved heavy breaths.

Elwyn had slumped onto the forest floor in her wooden cage, mouth agape.

Kiandra's gray dress was stained deep with black and crimson splatters.

She stood in front of the mass of shadowed bodies, not all of them had disappeared, some moaned with pain.

Elwyn's cheeks were wet with tears.

They were human and unnatural alike.

The unnatural went back into the ground, becoming one with the world, as was with death in the unknown.

The humans, however, were different. They were peeled, carved versions of themselves as they died.

Some of their cloaks fell away from their bone white faces to show what they looked like.

Their skin was flayed from the bone, grey, black, white, every shade. Their bones were seen beneath, their mouths lipless, eyes bulging and noses falling into pieces. They were all varying stages of decay.

"Please." The one nearest cried.

Elwyn's wide eyes darted to its outstretched hand. It was only bone, slivers of flesh still hanging onto the wrists.

The girl felt sick.

"I-." Elwyn started but before she could speak, it collapsed.

She had no idea how it still lived for even a moment after its blackened heart had been ripped out.

It was as if Kiandra heard her question.

"The shadow leader wants the humans to suffer. She chose those who craved immortal life to turn into this. It was more of a trick than anything. She would lure them in with the promise of magic and eternal life, instead enslaving them as her shadows."

Kiandra dropped to her knees and placed her hands down in front of her. She huffed in air hungrily as she spoke.

"I let her kill them. I knew not to leave them alone. Look at how she burns everything she touches." She hissed, gathering bits of the black grass in her fists.

Heartbreak crept across Kiandra's face and Elwyn wanted to tell her everything would be okay. But she wasn't sure, so she said nothing.

The wooden shield crumbled around Elwyn, the branches slowly breaking into mulch size pieces that rained around her.

Elwyn brushed the ones from her arms and stood.

Kiandra finally looked up at her with a bloodied face.

"You need to go. Anywhere but here. The shadows know its you they're looking for."

"I never left my side of the continent, I have no idea where to go."

Kiandra swiped her hair from her face and stood, staring at the view before her.

"Help me light the house on fire and then I'll call someone to take you home."

Elwyn licked her lips, her mouth dry in anticipation. "Alright." She said, although it came out as more of a question.

"I don't need them having anything to track either of us. This attack was a taunt, far worse is coming." Kiandra's voice was ominous as she spoke.