Blood Rivals (On Hold)

Preface

The pic on the right is Joliana :D

By the by... I want to dedicate this to OMGitsCrystal who made this wonderful cover for me (and two others--I had to pick one of them because they were all great!)  Thank you!!

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Everything was ablaze. Mothers, holding their screaming, frightened children in their arms, ran fleeing into the forest.  Men, in full suits of black, leather armor, marched with swords drawn, to the front lines. The air was dense and smelled of thick smoke and blood.  Rain came down in thick sheets, drenching them to the bone. The sight was dizzying as men, women, and children became victims to the sword of the Malum.  The Malum marched stiffly in their long, black cloaks, advancing on their enemies, striking them down like a knife cutting butter. Ubel, lord of the Malum, advanced with thirty armed soldiers into the forest. "Find them! Kill them!" he bellowed.  Leaping off his horse, and with bow bent for good show, he kept his eyes trained on his prey. "You shall run all you dare, but you shan't get very far!  I will not rest until I have wiped out the entire Virim race!                                                                                                                        Joliana rushed out of the farmers house, tears in her eyes, as she murmured a silent prayer for the well-being of her family.  She ran barefoot while her long, flowing, white dress trailed after her into the night.  The thick smog blurred her vision as she tumbled, slipped, and fell while scurrying through the dense forest. She rolled herself onto her side painfully and found herself gazing at the dead body of her husband, pierced with three arrows, blood encrusted on his chest and dampening the earth. Tears rolled off her cheeks in torrents, blending with the pouring rain. She leaned over him sobbing hysterically and kissed his forehead.  "He won't succeed!! He won't!!" she promised her deceased husband, crying as she rocked herself back and forth, covering her face with her hands.                                                                                                                Finally, realizing the real danger she was in, she ripped the corner of his red, velvet cape and laid it gently on the face of Bellus, king of the Virim.  Struggling to her feet, she wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath of the thick, putrid air.  She spun around, attempting to flee, only it was too late.  She had fallen right into Ubel's clutches.              "You didn't think you would really get away did you? Now it's time for you to join your husband’s fate! You may be powerful young fool, but even your powers are no match for my devilry!  Now tell me! Where did you hide her!?"                                                                             "I'd rather suffer the most painful death you can conjure than tell you where she is!" Joliana shrieked. "You will never succeed!!"                                                                                                                                       "Oh, I'll surely find her, whether you decide to aid me or not!"   He slid off his black horse onto the ground, staring at her with his black eyes through his long, dark, hooded cloak. Then, with one swift movement of his hand, Joliana collapsed to the ground flinching and thrashing about. The world seemed to close in on her and it became difficult to breathe.                                                "You...will...never...get her..." she gasped. "You won't...succeed."                                                                    Ubel smiled wickedly.  "Won't I? Who will stop me?"  He slipped his foot into the stirrup, swung himself onto his horse, and galloped away with his thirty soldiers, the dead queen's figure receding into the foggy background.