Hell's Bane (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirty: Weaving of the Fates

Oswin Linwood strode in half-mad gasps of breath. The exilimal called to him, its sickly plea calling for embrace. What he had just seen had snapped that final strand of sanity in his mind, and, still looking back with that glimmer of fear in his eyes, Oswin continued walking closer than ever to his prize.

With the Blade in his scabbard and the Map in his hand, the leader's twisted dream would soon become a reality.

"There." Brunlin pointed to a massive cavern towering over the trees, with the peak of it a sharp needle piercing the skies. Though it was clearly visible, it was still far away and would take more than just mere minutes to reach. "At least we have some sense of direction."

Hugo nodded, but his mind wasn't focused. "He who wishes to conquer death cannot follow death. Any idea what that means?"

Joss shook his head. Tentatively, Brunlin said: "I don't think it has any deep meaning to it. If you die, you can't get the Crown, I think that's pretty much it. It's like a warning to be on your guard."

Hugo shrugged. "I don't know... Do you really think that makes sense. Everything involved with hunting for the Crown ends up having some deeper meaning, so..." Hugo sighed. "I suppose that's all it can mean unless there's something we're not seeing. But then what about 'he who wishes to weave his own fate must know what fate weaves for him'?"

Brunlin bit her lip. "It means what it says, I suppose. You can't go to war if you don't know what you're warring over or what the war is about."

Hugo frowned. "No... I-"

Kazim suddenly stirred and, with a groan, fell limply off the soldier's horse. The nine of them stopped in their tracks and looked at the dazed leader, who gave another groan and slowly scrambled to his feet before teetering off-balance and regaining it at the last moment.

"Hugo," Brunlin whispered, "If Kazim goes insane, I'm shooting him. I can't afford to have another Oswin start spreaidng carnage here."

Hugo shrugged. "Sure, I really didn't care about that guy anyway."

Blinking and looking at his surroundings, Kazim mumbled: "Why is it dark... Brunlin, did something happen? I seem to not be able to remember-" Something suddenly flickered behind the leader's eyes, and he suddenly gave a primal yell of rage and madness as he clawed at his temples and screamed: "Brunlin... Brunlin, Hugo... it's BACK! It's BACK and it's... IT'S... OH GET IT OUT! Get IT OUT OF my HEAD make it STOP!"

Spasming and screaming, Kazim eventually gave in and once again slumped onto the ground. Quickly getting off their horses and rushing to see their leader, Joss was the only one who heard Kazim faintly say before he went unconscious again: "Beware the fates... the fates will test you... the fates..."

"One more time and he'll go insane," Brunlin muttered as she dragged his leader onto the Gaulinslott's horse. "It's worse than I feared. I can already feel his sanity ebbing away."

Hugo stared and mounted his own horse. "You can tell?"

"Somehow. The Devil's Crown is brushing my own abilities again."

Hugo looked at Kazim with concern. "What happens when he goes insane? You said that he would become another Oswin, but what does that mean?"

Brunlin sighed as if it was something she was afraid to answer. "It's a complicated matter, and it's something that very few can comprehend or be trusted with the knowledge, but I believe that there really wouldn't be any harm in telling. Most Blind Wanderers are taught at first training that they draw their power from a vault of energy stemming from the source of magic. They're told that the vault works for them, and as long as they are able to open it, they can use magic.'