already warned Harruq that he would tolerate no strange behavior, yet he had given a similar warning to the man with the ever-changing face.
“I do this for you, Aurelia,” he said, his decision made. He removed his bow and ran across the grass.
Velixar had not moved since the brothers’ departure, his hands resting on the grass, palms upward. His hood fell far past his eyes, blocking nearly all of his face. Yet even with lack of sight and sound from Dieredon’s approach, the man knew someone neared.
“Greetings Scoutmaster,” Velixar said, his deep voice rumbling. “I would call you otherwise but I have not been granted your name.”
“You have not earned it,” Dieredon said. He halted directly in front of the motionless man. Less than six feet separated them.
“I have been watching you,” the man in black said. “I have dipped inside your dreams. You have seen me before, haven’t you?”
“You were the necromancer that led the orcs against Veldaren. You helped them cross the bone ditch.”
“Correct,” Velixar said, his smile visible beneath his hood. “It was a glorious day. Men of the east no longer trust the elves, and the elves hold little love for our beloved King. Of course, thousands died, but what is a little sacrifice compared to such gains?”
“They joined your army, didn’t they, necromancer?” Dieredon asked. Velixar laughed.
“You are wise, elf, and you are strong, but you have sheltered arrogance.”
The man in black stood, pulling the hood back from his face. His eyes shone a blinding red. His face was a pale skull covered with dead gray skin. Maggots crawled through the flesh, feasting. Dieredon delayed his attack, stunned by the horrific sight.
Velixar, however, gave no pause. From within his robe he pulled out a handful of bone fragments. A word of power sent them flying. The elf dropped low, his right leg stretching back as he crouched. The bone fragments flew over his head, faster than arrows. Then he was up, his bow in hand. The string vanished from the bow, spikes pierced the front, and out came the long blades at each side.
“You foolish mortal,” Velixar said. His voice was far deeper than before, less like a man and more like a demon. “I do not fear your steel.”
Pale hands shot upward, hooked in strange formations. Dieredon stabbed a long blade straight at the man’s throat. The blade halted halfway there, crashing against an invisible barrier. The elf struck again, this time lower. Velixar’s image rippled as if beneath water, his body protected by some unseen wall. Faster and faster Dieredon swung, whirling his blades against where he perceived the wall to be. Power rippled in the air, black and deadly.
As the elf fought against the shadow wall Velixar began another spell. Words of magic flew off his tongue in perfect pitch and pronunciation in spite of their incredible difficulty. A strong thrust from Dieredon finally shattered the invisible barrier. The explosion of power sent him flying backward. He rolled when he hit the ground, his legs tucked, and then with a kick he vaulted himself into the air. He landed on his feet and lunged at the necromancer, the blades of his bow leading.
“Be gone!” Velixar roared, the sound of a daemon unleashed. Dieredon fought, but it felt as if a thousand hands pulled him back. Pain spiked up his chest, and a sick sound filled his head as two of his ribs broke. A gasp of pain escaped his lips. He dropped to his knees as the pressure finally ended.
Dieredon lifted the bow with one hand as the other reached to his quiver. The blades retracted, and in the heartbeat it took him to draw two arrows, a thin string materialized in the air, ready to be drawn. The elf fired the arrows.
Velixar laughed as they pierced into his stomach and chest. No blood ran from them.
“You must do far better than that,” he said, his fingers hooked in strange positions. Another blast of dark power washed over Dieredon. He felt his right shoulder crack into fragments. Darkness swam before his eyes, darkness dominated by twin red orbs. The elf reached into a small pocket of his armor and drew out a glass vial.
“Healing potions will not aid you,” Velixar mocked.
“This is no healing potion,” Dieredon said. He threw the vial. It shattered. Velixar snarled as holy light of the elven goddess burned his decaying flesh. After a few seconds, the light vanished. Velixar glanced about, seeing no sign of the elf.
“No matter,” he said. “Come my minions. It is time to hunt.”
He spread his hands wide and let all of his power flow freely. A swirling black portal ripped into existence behind him, a bleak wind wailing from it. Out came his undead, marching in rows of ten. More than a hundred rows spilled out, surrounding their master with mindless perfection.
“Find him,” he ordered as he covered his face with his hood. “He is wounded. Find him and kill him.”
As one, the thousand moaned their acknowledgment. They scattered, spreading out like a ripple in a pond. In the center stood Velixar, his hands out and his eyes closed.
“Reveal yourself to any one of them and I will know it,” he said, his sick face smiling. “You’re no longer amusing, Scoutmaster. It is time you died.”
The chorus of quiet moans agreed.
I f there was any time I needed you Sonowin, it is now,” the elf said as he fled across the grass. His chest ached with every breath. His right arm hung limp, and his other hand clutched his shoulder. He desperately needed to bandage it but he had no time.
A wave of undead moans reached his sensitive ears. Dieredon shuddered.
“How many does he command?” he asked. He crouched as he ran, his right arm dragging against the grass. Under normal circumstances, he might have been able to hold his own against the undead. However, these were not normal circumstances.
Minutes passed, long and painful. The light of Woodhaven beckoned him to his left but he dared not approach. Velixar would expect him to flee there, but he was as home in the wild as he was in any town. He halted his run and fell to one knee. His adrenaline was still high, but deep inside he knew he had to find a place to rest. The real pain was coming.
A glance behind did little to raise his spirits. He saw at least thirty undead shambling as fast as they could in a widening arc. If he remained where he was, he would be seen.
He struggled to his feet and ran.
More minutes passed. The glow of Woodhaven drifted behind him. Breathing was agony. Moving was torment. All his extremities grew cold and his head felt light. The pain in his shoulder was eager to send him into shock. It was just waiting for his body to succumb.
His eyes searched for anything that could grant him cover. The forest was too far, and all about was shin- high grass.
“No choice,” he gasped. His entire right half of his body ached. “Celestia, grant me mercy. I cannot go further.”
He stumbled to the ground. His face and armor were camouflaged with greens and browns, but with just grass to aid him it would be difficult to go unnoticed. Still, he had no choice but to try. He tucked his bow beneath him and then smashed his face into the dirt while sprinkling grass atop his head. He shifted his legs back and forth until as much grass sprang up around them as possible. He covered the rest of his body with his cloak. A few words of magic shifted its colors, better emulating the nearby terrain. He tucked his arms underneath him, closed his eyes, and waited for his fate.
For the longest of time, silence. His shoulder pounded with each heartbeat; his chest screamed with each breath. A soft breeze teased his cloak and hair. Colors swam across his eyes. His ears, incredibly sensitive even compared to other elves, strained for the sound of approaching dead. He heard nothing but a strange ringing inside his skull. It seemed he had put more distance between them than he first thought.
A footstep fell beside his head. His heart and lungs halted. The pain had dwindled his skills. They were atop him. He thought a silent prayer to Celestia as more footfalls clomped all around him. He guessed at least ten. He dared not move. Soft clacking sounds of bone, swinging metal, and crushed grass erased the silence of the night.
Dieredon’s heart resumed. His breathing continued, slow and steady. He fought down a laugh, despite all his training. As dire as his situation seemed, he could honestly say he had been in worse shape before and survived.
