Battle of Souls

Chapter 11

Kriv:

Dawn had just broken, and Thane and Sylvia were walking through the market towards the gate. The snow was even more so harsh today than normal. Standing still for thirty seconds would result in a thick layer of snow and a thin layer of frost forming on your clothes.

"Thane," Sylvia prompted, "what do you think is going on over there?" She raised a finger, pointing to the main gate, where three guards seemed to be having a heated argument with a group of travelers clearly not dressed for the weather.

Thane shrugged, giving a slight clanging sound from his armor, "Let's go find out." As he and Sylvia began to make their way through the snow towards the gate they saw the travelers more clearly.

There were three travelers, the most notable of which was a tall girl with short blonde hair that seemed to be ready to get herself into a fight with all three of the guards at once. Behind her was what looked like a light infantry soldier with dark hair. He was holding himself back far better than his companion, but it appeared that he could only do that due to the third traveler.

The third traveler had a different aura about her altogether. While all of the travelers had on violet clothes this one had tinges of gray in hers as well. She was the only one of the three not yelling at the guards, and she kept a grip on the male's arm to hold him at bay. She seemed to be looking around and observing the fortress around her rather than focusing on the guards next to her.

As Thane and Sylvia came up behind the lead guard they heard some of the blonde one's words. "Are you daft? I will not tolerate being disrespected this way. I demand you do what she says!"

The guards only response was, "Look, you're no different than any other traveler to come through, you don't get to see the priests unless they ask to see you." Which he delivered after each of her new responses.

Thane held his eyes on the quiet one, intrigued by why she was different. Sylvia saw more use in calming the tense situation, though. She approached the guard and the girl and tried to reach a peaceful solution, without much avail.

The quiet, dark haired girl seemed very strange to Thane. She was different in more than just her actions. Thane could smell a difference on her of her life force alone. The others were bloodied and broken from years of battle and training, this one was unscathed. But that wasn't all. This one seemed to have more than one life in her body.

Thane ignored the screaming match in front of him and pushed through the guards, who became silent when they realized who they were in the presence of. They were all quite afraid of the necromantic knight of Skarvia. The blonde traveler kept yelling but realized something was odd, then she noticed the armored man walk past her without sparing her a glance.

As Thane neared the quiet one the man with her suddenly stepped away from her and in between Thane and the object of his eye. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice was accented and rough. 

Thane did not look down at him, but he did answer in his cold detached voice, "I am curious of why that one is different." He continued to walk forward and as he was about to shoulder the man out of his way the man pulled out a sword and held it to Thane's exposed neck.

"Take another step and you will die." The man said.

Suddenly the quiet girl seemed to take notice of the situation at hand. "Pietro, still yourself. And who are you that would have interest in me?" She looked up at Thane.

Thane looked down at Pietro and his blade, "Puny thing, don't make me laugh. Move your pathetic blade or I will move it for you."

Pietro narrowed his eyes, "Insolence. You have no idea what skills I posses. You-"

Pietro's sentence was cut short by Thane's fingers wrapping around his neck and lifting him off of the ground. "Puny. Like I said." Thane dropped Pietro onto his back and continued forward to the quiet one.

"Get away from her!" The blonde girl yelled as she ran from the guard and towards Thane. She withdrew a dagger and held it's blade to his throat as she stood behind him. "Let's see if you think you can take me too."

Thane laughed and moved his hand to grab the girls arm. As his hand closed around her forearm the quiet one yelled, "Aurelian, no!", but Aurelian had no patience. She was bloodthirsty and slid the blade across Thane's neck.

The quiet girl's mouth fell wide and Aurelian simply stumbled backwards when Thane pushed her away and kept walking towards the girl. "Tell me, why are you different from the other two? Why do they protect you? Who are you?"

The girl leaned forward, studying Thane with stark surprise. He should have been dead. "How curious that you are. Are you a half-ling?"

Thane kept moving towards the girl, coming within a few feet of her and looking down on her. "I ask the questions. This is my home. Who are you and why are you here?"

The girl took a small step back. She looked up at Thane. "Ah, how rude of me. I'm Sienna, the last Seer of Phthalo. I need to speak with your high priestess about something of great importance."

Thane turned to Sylvia. "I will take her to the priestess. She is different, I don't know why but she is." He took a few steps towards Sylvia, and whispered to her, "I suspect when we get there she will be executed, but I am curious as to what she has to say."

As thane turned to look at the three travelers again he looked towards Pietro and Aurelian and spoke up, "Sylvia, watch these two. Keep them near you and away from me and Sienna until we return.

"Sienna, you are to come with me. I will take you to the priestess. I can see something in you, as will she, and I am curious as to what it is. Now follow me." Thane turned and began walking towards the stairs up the mountain and towards the temple. He did not bother to see if Sienna would follow him, he simply knew she had no other option.

Once Thane had led Sienna up to the temple courtyard and she saw the bones littering the ground she stopped. "I admit, I have studied your, ehem, practices, but to see it now is rather... unique to see it first hand."

Thane looked back and smirked. He knelt down and picked up a skull and held it up to Sienna, a few inches from her face. He closed his eyes and his fingernails glowed blue as did the skulls teeth. A strange guttural sound came from it's mouth. Thane exhaled and the glowing stopped.

Thane opened his eyes and spoke to Sienna, dropping the skull, "This one was innocent. But her ghost has done things that have taken her soul far from 'innocent'. It's of much more use to me now."

Thane turned and began walking towards the doors. Once he traversed through the mass of bones and reached them he turned to Sienna.

"I can see you. I know that your body harbors more than one life. Tell me why now or the priestess will tear it out of you. You are an anomaly that will be figured out."

Sienna's eyes widened at Thane's words. She began to take steps backwards but Thane grabbed her shirt. "Tell me. It is not optional. Don't make me hurt you."