The Father of Withering

Chapter Eighteen: Poisonous Friends

The next day Relma was led out of her cell and through the gates of Del Gabor. And she had just started to like the place too. Rioletta was nowhere to be seen, though some of her spiders remained. There was a group of satyrs waiting for her.

Shren was among them. And Lucius appeared. "These warriors will take you to your friends. Messages have been sent on ahead, so they know we are coming. I should advise you not to stray too far."

"My warriors and I shall protect you with our lives," said Shren. "And if we are betrayed, we shall kill you with our own hands." He paused. "Would you prefer rope or just a sword between the ribs? Or a cutthroat?"

"Thank you, Shren," said Relma. "I'll leave the judgment in your hands. Out of curiosity, where is Rioletta?"

"Tending to her own affairs, of course," said Lucius.

"And what affairs would those be?" asked Relma.

"I'm not one to inquire as to my enemies' private business," said Lucius. "I know of it by other means."

"Enemies?" asked Relma. "You were working together. You are working together."

"There is no such thing as friendship among the hells," said Lucius. "Merely a mutual use that will be cast aside when that use is outlived by one or both parties. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

And he disappeared.

Shren motioned to Relma. "We must go quickly. The Dust Elves may have spies waiting for us."
They walked through the Dust Lands, and as they did, Relma noticed something. The land wasn't just barren, like a patch of grass that had been trampled. It was dead. Nothing dwelled in this place, or very little, and she sensed something absent. It was something she had felt all her life but never noticed until recently.

"These lands are strange. It's like the spirits are asleep," said Relma.

"They were crushed beneath the will of Lucius in ancient times," said Shren. "They sought to defy him and so paid the price. And they have yet to recover from it."

All this devastation for one offense? "What did they do to offend him?"

"There are many stories. Some say they broke a contract with him," said Shren. "Consider it a warning." He paused. "If we are betrayed, I think I'd best keep things simple and just run you through the heart. I want to kill at least one enemy before I die, and Dust Elves attack swiftly."

"Why are you in such a hurry to die?" asked Relma. The whole species seemed fixated on death.

"It is our purpose," said Shren. "Other satyrs have strayed from the path of blood and death. But we pursue it even now. Ours is the people who will wash away all over the world."

So they walked through barren lands. As they did, they scaled crags and walked through dunes of sand. The air was tense, and, gradually, Relma began to sense a bit more life. "Why would the Dust Elves ever want to live here?"

"No one wanted this domain," said Shren. "The land is nearly worthless. So when they were forced out of Escor, it was up for grabs."

"So why would Lucius want to unleash an invasion of orcs here?" asked Relma. "Wouldn't it make more sense to pick somewhere that could support an army?"

"It would," said Shren. "Which is why he picked here. Fortenex is often impatient to act and sometimes makes mistakes. If Lucius could open a portal here, Fortenex might send forth the race into this world. They'd then be slaughtered in droves by the Dust Elves, and even if they won, the land they gained would be worthless."