Secrets of the Trees

22 - The Fight Begins

BOOYAH! :D Hehehehe. This story is really getting good. Like, forreal doe. ;D Again, appologies for not having whipped out chapters very fast, but you must understand how critically busy I have been with school. *sigh*. Well, happy Saturday! Read up!

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Kael's POV:

"We will stike back tonight!" shouted Ren, his voice booming vibrations in the catacombs of the underground. "No more shall we suffer under this cruel demon's rule! Secure your families in their rooms, and we shall get everyone stationed in the correct positions. I have assigned a leader for each group of soldiers, and each of you was given a particular colored badge when you walked in. Blue will come with me to Wraithmarsh. Green will head into the palace. Yellow will stay under here, and protect our families. Any questions, please see me or the other leaders.

On the back of your badges are our country's flag. Wear them, and wear them proudly. In the storages we have armor for each mission. I know we have only prepared for naught a week or so, but I have faith that our hatred can give us the adrenaline push if required. Many of us will never see eachother again. It has been decided that there will be aproximately thirty minutes for resting time until suit up. Spend those precious moments with your loved ones, and may our battles be favorable. Disperse!"

And so, the crowd of one thousand dispersed. I had used my duplicate to tell Ren that 'Lily' hadn't the voice to shout loud enough for all to hear. Only did I do this, because of course Lily had written a short speech but I would not have known it from memory.

Blythe was working in the kitchen (which surprised us all to know that she could cook well). With much struggle, I coaxed Wymon, through my duplicate, to stay behind and attend to mothers with young babies if help was needed. Deliah I explained, was getting together any other people who needed protection underground who had not yet been down here. The false Lily and I, just ordered people in the correct direction of certain hallways where the families were kept. There were several hallways, but none as long as the entrance one.

Most of the hallways were at the other end of the dinning hall, which is the enormous, stone-walled room we had been meeting in for the last many days. And each room can easily fit six people inside. After the dinning hall was mostly clear of soldiers, I decided to do something that might better my chance of Deliah liking me over Ren.

Ren was standing near the entrance of the dinning hall. He leaned up against the wall beside the doors. His face was weary, and you could tell his mind was elsewhere. I controlled the false Lily to stroll over to him, and beckoned with a hand motion to follow after her through the doors. He did what she wanted, and followed behind without a thought.

Even though they were now behind the doors, I could still see through my duplicate's eyes. I made her speak.

"Ren, the first time I laid eyes on you, I just... Well, why don't I show you." and she kissed him. At first he did not resist, because his mind was not with his body. Then, he tore away from her and almost shouted.

"Lily! How could you do that? I am six years your elder! You are like a little sister to me!" he made a disgusted noise, and continued. "Lily, I love Deliah. Can you not tell? Oh, just go. Leave me alone. I am stressing over this, Deliah not being by my side, how my mission will go in Wraithmarsh, if I shall ever see her again. Please, go." Burying his head in his hands.

At that moment, I sent a nightmare to Deliah, showing the part where the false Lily had kissed Ren. All the way in the Hataed Mountains, I could feel her struggle under my spell. It is working! Casually, I controlled my duplicate to walk back inside where I was. And I followed behind her now that we went to go sweet talk the scared people into feeling safe.

Lily's POV:

 "Lily you can't go without food for this long. You are going to starve to death!" Cedany cried. A guard had just brought in some food for the two of us. In the dim light, I could barely tell what it was. But I didn't want to eat it, that was for sure.

"I can survive. Besides, your friend could have help on the way at any moment." I retorted.

"I don't know about that. It would take an immense amount of effort to even get in the palace. Let alone find the secret entrance to the dungeon. Plus, only the guards know how to get in here. To try and get in here and rescue you would be really dangerous. And to get out if you are a servant, pah! Impossible." 

Feeling almost defeated, I further questioned. "What if you snuck out at night?" 

"Oh believe me, someone would find you. And the penalty for escaping is death. As much as I have faith in Roesia, that she really wants to help. Statistically, there really is no hope for us to make it out of here alive. Unless of course, there was an attack tonight and she told a Kloftcesni that we're down here."

Boom.

"What was that?" I almost yelled.

Boom. Minuscule bits of dust and rocks begun to descend over the entity of the dungeon. 

"Did you see that?" panic was in Cedany's voice too.

Boom. 

"Cedany, what is going on?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe they're gonna blow the whole palace up."

BOOM.

Cedany shrieked as more debris fell in her cell.

"ARE YOU OKAY?" I shouted over the constant boom above us. 

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Kael's POV:

The Master had already gotten the remaining Eramthgin into the Hataed Mountains by the time my team had gotten to Lilwen Palace. We were only a small group of 'rioters' to make a 'distraction' of sorts to get the Master's 'attention'. Each solider knew how to kill Eramthgins, from a resource that I could not track. Going off of that knowledge, we were at the moment, ramming the front doors open with a tree.

Each boom the sound the wood made against the metal doors rang in my ears like a giant bell. Inside the palace the servants are probably squirming and confused. The Master is not even in the palace. He went to Wraithmarsh to surprise the troops heading there. Only a select few guards are in Lilwen right now. They were instructed to act surprised and kill off every last one of them. I will fake my own death and soon join with my father back home.

Finally the doors were dented enough and fell down, crushing a few Kloftcesni. Their screams faded as they passed. The rest of us hundred, male and female alike, ran yelling inside, running into every room in the whole palace, as we searched for 'the enemy'. I tried not to laugh while pretending to look fierce and angry.

At least fifty Eramthgin were now crawling out of the shadows in the dark palace and screaming people were heard from everywhere as the weak minds were being tortured. The armor that was made into helmets and torso gear was built of the same substance like the giant stone in Lilwen Garden that the Master uses for the ceremonies. Moonlight cracked through the many windows, and in and out of shadows the Kloftcesni fought, glowing fluorescent in the armor.

Only three Eramthgin died so far that I counted when they dissipated into the air. The only way to kill them is to kill their power source. Each has a stone in which sucks energy from people as they torture them. Most stones are made into necklaces which they wear around their necks. In their fear form, you cannot see the necklaces. Some lucky fairies have figured out where they are and successfully killed three.

A few guards have pretended to hurt me, but in the dark nobody really is paying attention to my well-being. Blasts of gold magic are flying everywhere, lighting up the main foyer where I am. It is large enough to be a ballroom. Servants are now pouring out of their quarters, trying to escape. When nobody was looking in my direction, I blasted the few within my reach to death. They did not even have time to scream.

Now, I beckon a guard to pretend to blast me to bits. He raises a black smoke hand (because I only see them in true form) and shoots energy at me the very second I chant a forbidden spell to make me disappear outside in the garden. My energy and mind are now focused on creating a portal to transport me part way to Wraithmarsh. This will take me a few portal trips, but it is a perfect time while the faries in the palace are struggling, for me to go and surprise the rest of them.