Valterra

CHAPTER ELEVEN

     It took Lucinde five days to reach The Scourge; the last known place the Great Dark had touched the earth. It should have taken her weeks to travel to there, but she had spelled her horse's hooves with an Unwavering enchantment.

     Her exhausted horse now lay dead at her feet, beaten and bruised from the ride.

     She could walk from here.

     The grass had turned to stone about a league behind her. All around her was desolate, dry and black. The air smelled sour, like rotting food left to waste. The sky was grey, yet the sun shone like it was cloudless. In the centre of it all, stood a mountainous bluff. To Lucinde, it seemed smaller than she remembered, though she was still a half day's walk away. And she'd been on the other side of the fight back then, not walking towards her enemy giving them exactly what they needed. She swallowed back her guilt, not wanting to dwell on who or what controlled her actions.

    Since the Shattering, the Great Dark had been able to control weak souls through their dreams to do its bidding. It seeped into their subconcious and was able to manipulate the thoughts and feelings of others. It distorted reality in a way where the person affected had no way of knowing they were being used as its puppet. If it managed to take complete control over someone's mind, through a process unclear to Lucinde, they become a Usurper - one who can communicate directly with the Great Dark. Most wars in history have been waged through Usurpers with a certain authority. The Earth Builder had been suspected to be a Usurper, but it was never confirmed.

     She clutched her knapsack that contained the scrolls. She was certain this was her own choice. She reassured herself she was not possessed with madness. Her feet felt heavy with each step. Was she doing the right thing? If she carried through with this she could see her son again. Her husband, her sister, her lover - it had been almost 500 years without them. 

     She would never be alone again.

     She would never be afraid. 

     Guilt settled in. She hated that she was so weak. That she could not stand the pain of her losses. That she would betray her entire world for a chance at happiness.

     What did it really want with these scrolls? Was it simply to stop the resurrections or was there some other great malice unknown to her about to rise?

     Mouth dried and cheeks scorched, she reached the bluff. An entrance was carved into the face of the mountain. It was simply a large hole. The closer she got to it, the hotter she felt, as if the air itself was steam escaping from a vent in the earth.

     Enter, her mind told her. She had to duck to fit inside the hole. Quickly, she found a stairwell which led to a series of tunnels. Those tunnels contained numerous entrances; a catacomb. Following the largest tunnel into its depths, she reached what looked to be the main chamber.

     Inside, an old man laid on an altar next to a small burning fire. Who she saw made her heart stop. It could not be. He should not be alive. She had watched him die in the Great War. She had seen his ashes float towards the Light. It had been Marcus himself who had pierced his heart all those years ago.

Yet here he was. The Earth Builder. Though he was different; older, frailer, decrepit looking, but it was still him. How had he survived?

     "Earth Builder," she heard herself whisper.

     From where he lay, he turned his head and looked her over. He opened his mouth but did not speak. A dark mist poured out of his throat to the ground. It swirled around the bottom of the chamber in succulent waves and made its way towards Lucinde. When he was emptied of his black host he sat up, stood, and made his way slowly over to her. He could barely walk, but he reached out for her and smiled.

     The encompassing mist circled them both.      

     "You have something for me." He casually took the knapsack that Lucinde had been clutching in her arms.

     As soon as she released it the mist was upon her. It engulfed her. It made its way inside her through her mouth, her eyes, her ears, her skin. She felt as if her soul was being pulled from her body and being replaced with dirt. She could not move, she could only watch as the one who was once the Earth Builder reached into her bag and pulled out the Earth scroll. She thought this must be her end. A sense of relief washed over her. She'd be reunited with her loved ones soon.

    The Earth Builder unrolled the scroll and began to recite the words he knew were on the page. After each verse, he began to change. His hair turned from dark grey to silken white. His wrinkled skin became young and smooth and ivory. He grew taller and his stance widened. When he was finished, he rolled the scroll back up and put it back in the knapsack. He took a deep breath and then threw back his head in a hearty laugh.   

     Lucinde had fallen and laid on the ground. Her host had completely consumed her. Her thoughts, silenced. She no longer felt alone. She no longer felt afraid. She no longer felt anything.

     The revived Earth Builder walked over to her and helped her to her feet. He gave her back the knapsack. "You know what needs to be done." 

     "Yes, Earth Builder,"  Lucinde replied. But he just hissed back at her.  

     "A weak name, given by the Light." He spat at her feet. "My name is Ivar El'Athan and I am your Lord."    

     "Yes, Lord El'Athan" Lucinde felt compelled to bow her head in a sign of respect, but an inkling of contempt ran through her veins. She walked to the fire that was still burning beside the altar. She threw the knapsack that contained the remaining four scrolls into the flames. A surge of colours released and frizzled out into the air.

     El'Athan laughed again. "Come, let's go wake some friends."