The Chaos Blade - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Ha!" Garrick said, clapping Alesha and Yamara on the back. Bill had picked himself up and came back to watch the final confrontation between Darakor and Kelnozz. He shot Garrick a murderous look but was in no condition to act on it. Kelnozz merely stood there staring at what appeared to be his own slain body for a moment.

"Stay here," Garrick told them, turning and heading out the doorway.

Those closest of both forces that had seen the battle were only now coming to terms with it. With Darakor's retreat the light elves began to waver. Some turned to flee and were cut down. Others fought on, either out of a continued hatred or for simple fear that to do anything else would be suicidal. The lizardmen that still lived began a silent retreat wherever possible, fleeing back to the magical gate that connected Mezarbolle with Loralost. The demons, no longer under the control of the fleeing snake-man priests, attacked wherever and whenever they might, killing and maiming with abandon.

Kelnozz turned and saw Garrick emerging from the building. He walked towards him glancing around at the battling elves and quickening his step with each passing moment. Garrick stopped and opened his mouth, grinning widely, but was left surprised and mute when Kelnozz continued past him, nearly at a trot himself. He turned, an intrigued look upon his face and followed after Kelnozz.

Kelnozz entered the store and quickly surveyed the people within. His eyes paused at Alesha, studying her intently for a moment. His expression remained unreadable, leaving her holding her breath and wondering. Next he saw Queen Galinia's body. His eyes lingered on her and his breath briefly caught in his throat. Then he moved on, coming to rest on Elvanshalee.

"I need your help," he stated.

Elvanshalee nodded slowly. He turned and walked back out, with her following him after a moment. "You came to me claiming to want to help restore the peace between the elves. Is this still your goal?"

Elvanshalee nodded again. "It is."

"I need a distraction," he began. "Something that will get their attention and stop the fighting. Then I need to be able to be heard by all of them. Can you do this?"

Elvanshalee thought for a moment. Amplifying Kelnozz's voice would prove no problem. Providing a distraction like he wanted, on the other hand, could be. "Yes, I think I can."

"Do it."

The battles were smaller as the dark elves overcame their light elven cousins and retook their city. Light elves were routing or fighting to the death, with more of the latter then the former. A great peal of thunder sounded over the battlefield then, making everyone, friend and foe alike, duck and look up. Kelnozz, now easily a hundred feet tall, stood in the middle of Loralost and looked down upon the combatants.

"Darakor has betrayed you and fled! Your leader and your cause are lies," Kelnozz's immense voice bellowed to be heard by all within a mile. "Throw down your weapons and you will be shown mercy. Repent your hatred and the lie that your ancestors have given you. I offer this opportunity once and once only. Flee or fight and you will be slain."

Kelnozz's gaze carried over the battlefield, seeming to peer at each and every person, dark and light elf alike. Then he shrank, returning to his normal size. Or at least the illusion Elvanshalee's magic had crafted did.

While significant, the number of light elves that surrendered their weapons was still in the minority. Some of them were slain by their own more zealous brothers, others chose the lull in the action to flee. The remaining, perhaps half of the light elves still present, continued to fight. Raised since birth through lies and deception to hate their dark skinned cousins, they thought of mercy at their hands was impossible, unless as a slave.

Kelnozz returned to the building in which Galinia lay. He walked up to her body and studied her carefully. He brushed his hand over her face, closing her eyelids. The last of his family now lay dead, even if she had married into it. The name Risingmoon was on the verge of becoming extinct.

"She said she was sorry," Alesha said softly, coming up beside him. "She said they had to make sure the elves had a ruler, and that you were never to have known."

Kelnozz glanced at her, instantly making the connection between what she spoke of and the doppelganger of himself that Darakor had seen. "What was it?" he asked her, equally softly. All of the anger that had sustained him throughout was just beneath the surface, his calm demeanor had threatened to crack many times. In spite of it, he was growing tired. So much hatred took a toll on a man, be he human or elf.

"I don't know, she didn't tell us. But I think he was you."

Kelnozz grunted. The Queen was dead. His Queen. His aunt. Kelnozz felt no sadness, only a hollow pit in his stomach. The pit slowly grew warmer as the implications settled onto his shoulders. He did not want her final gift to him.

Kelnozz turned and headed for the door. Garrick stopped him with his hand resting on Kelnozz's shoulder. Kelnozz glared at him for a long minute.

"You're alive, elf, be thankful!" Garrick consoled. "Most men would give anything to be in your shoes. To be a king."

Kelnozz bristled at his words. He reached up and brushed Garrick's hand off his shoulder. Wordlessly he proceeded out of the room. Garrick called after him, stopping him briefly. "Remember that things could be worse. You could be him," Garrick said, motioning towards Kelnozz's clone who lay dead on the field.

Pausing in the doorway Kelnozz glanced over to where Garrick had indicated. He fought down a shudder within him and whispered, "You're wrong, I was him." With that he was gone. Out the door and quickly striding across the marketplace to the north.

Alesha watched him with a pained expression. She looked around and saw everyone either studiously trying to pretend to not be interested in Kelnozz's words and actions, or intently rapt upon them. She felt torn. She needed to be with him so badly right then, and she suspected he could use her company as well, but perhaps she was wrong. Then there was still the feeling of betrayal at learning of the light elf, Jethallin. Perhaps Kelnozz held no love for her anymore. That fear alone kept her in place, her legs as rock, unwilling to move.

"Go to him, lass, if ever there was a time, now be it," Garrick said, his deep voice shocking her out of her paralysis. She rushed out the door at just shy of a run, heading after him.

Bill moved to follow, his concern for her well being overruling his common sense. Garrick's hand caught him by the back of his shirt, lifting him up easily into the air with one hand again.

"What say you and I have a talk?" Garrick said, setting the man down and gesturing out the door so that they might walk and talk with some privacy. Bill glared at him and wished again that he had saved his M4 and a few bullets. Quite a few, in fact, just to be sure. In the end he grunted and headed out, granting Garrick the chance to have his discussion.

"What about us?" Elvanshalee asked Yamara. The two were alone in the room.

Yamara stared at the dead queen a long moment, lost in introspection. "I'm not sure. I'm not usually on this side of things."

Elvanshalee raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. "Well then, let us help, whatever my kin do, there are lizardmen and demons still running amok that must be dealt with. It seems you and I stand a good chance of helping with them."

Yamara nodded. Fighting the demon earlier had taxed her strength, then helping Bill had drained her more, but the turn of events and the seeming finally of all that was taking place had revived her somewhat. She felt ready to experiment with her re-found powers some more. Briefly, thoughts of Keeden flitted through her mind. She remembered what the things he could do and suspected that, with time and practice, she would be his equal or more. More since she possessed Brina's final gift to her that seemed to aid her. Then she remembered how he had died and she suffered a brief moment of shame. Helping Bill was only the first of many debts she needed to repay.

Continued in Chapter 33