Chapter 140: The Eve of War
Raizel's feet were frozen to the spot as the pearlcatcher approached. The expression on his gaunt face was unreadable, but his eyes betrayed something more. Shock? Surprise? Grief? Relief? Raizel had never before found herself at such a loss for words.
"It's you," The pearlcatcher breathed. Another wave of his scent washed over the tundra. Under it's warmth, there was something sickly and rancid, like death. This was a special dragon to her, but he had changed.
"It is," was all Raizel could say in response.
"You know Kaladin?" Quaid asked. The wildclaw's question brought her back to reality, and she remembered the company that surrounded her. Eclipse was staring at her in shock, but when the skydancer met the tundra's eyes, she looked away.
"Kaladin," Raizel tasted the word on her tongue. It sounded familiar, and it suited the pearlcatcher. She turned to look once again at her old friend, who had not taken his gaze off of her. His eyes were like dark, shadowy pools, the depths of which could not be discerned.
"You've forgotten me," Kaladin observed. Quaid pulled Eclipse away to give the two dragons space to talk, and Psoron and Zoie disappeared soon afterwards, obviously keen to explore this new clan.
"I may not have the memories you have, but the feelings are still there," Raizel said, her breath getting caught in her chest. "You've changed," she added.
"I-" The pearlcatcher was getting emotional, "I thought I lost you. You didn't come back from the ceremony. I waited a week at our meeting spot, hoping to see you again. You never came."
"I ran into some trouble," Raizel said. It was true. The fear of the moments following her ritual were etched so deep in her memory, she was sure they would never fade entirely. She had been hunted, driven from her home, and told never to return again. She was spat on as a disgrace to the shadow flight, and she had not known peace until she found the moon hollow. Though her memories beyond that had dimmed with time, the pursuit remained strong.
"So, you did it, you're actually a moon warrior. Congratulations," Kaladin nodded, looking Raizel up and down.
"And you're-" Raizel was going to say 'ringmaster,' but the death stench hit again. She felt dread sink deeper into her stomach. "A necromancer," She whispered, taking a step back. What had Kaladin become?
"I couldn't live without you, my rose," Kaladin's expression grew desperate, "I needed you back. I searched and searched, but I couldn't find you. Now I see why. But it's too late, I'm in too deep now."
Raizel looked at her former lover with compassion. She didn't have to be a skydancer to see how deep his pain was. She wanted desperately to go and comfort him, but she was still repulsed by the scent of the dead.
"Are you to blame for the undead army that's been plaguing this clan?" Raizel asked, suddenly remembering why she had come.
"The king and queen of Windkeep Tower are strong-willed, they don't take no for an answer," Kaladin admitted.
"That's not an answer," Raizel pointed out.
"Yes," The pearlcatcher drooped. It was then that Raizel noticed just how bony Kaladin had gotten. She couldn't help it, she took a step forward and sat down, raising a front paw to his cheek. She could feel teardrops begin to soak into her fur.
"My poor angel," Raizel breathed, "You know necromancy saps your life force, how much have you given to the dead?"
"Too much," Kaladin sniffed, "Far too much. I'm so tired."
"I'm not surprised," Raizel smiled sadly, "Give up this nonsense, dissolve the army. Join the fight."
"I would in a heartbeat, my rose," Kaladin sighed, "But I am afraid it's not so simple-"
He was cut off by loud footsteps and the moment was broken. As if summoned by the vary inclination of her presence, Magiere burst into the tent with a murderous scowl on her face. Upon seeing the pearlcatcher, she made a beeline towards him, eyeing the tundra intruder dubiously.
"Kaladin! King Quartz wants us- now!" Magiere growled, "Who is this weakling and what is she doing here?" She added, sizing up the tundra moon warrior. Then she noticed Eclipse and Quaid and her face contorted into rage. "Who are these idiots and what are they doing here? They are not authorized! You did not get my permission for this."
"Ah, actually dear Maj, I've been meaning to talk to you," Kaladin said, stepping forwards with a charismatic grin, "I resign. If you and your precious Quartz want an undead army, you'll have to raise one yourself."
"That's King Quartz, and we won't stand for this kind of disrespect!" Magiere spat.
"Oh Maj, it must be so hard, always having others chosen over you, but I'm afraid I've found what I've been looking for, and I'm not going to let anything take her away again," Kaladin smiled, "If that means forgoing my powers, then so be it."
With that, Kaladin let out a huge release of power. It spread out from him like a cloud, sucking the life out of the plants within the tent, obviously having been kept alive by his magic. All around Windkeep Tower, undead warriors were probably toppling with a clatter of bones and the slumping of sinew. Relief seemed to flow through Kaladin's entire body, as if a weight had been taken of his shoulders. Already, he looked more healthy.
"Good day Magiere, I hope I never have to see your face again. Good luck with the boss!" Kaladin flashed a toothy grin and hustled Raizel and her friends away from the circus before the angry wildclaw could call for reinforcements.
"You just quit? Just like that?" Quaid asked, displaying a whole new level of respect for the pearlcatcher, "You're not going to get in trouble or anything?"
"Oh no, I'm going to get in massive trouble. That's why we need to run," Kaladin laughed, "But what's a war without a little risk, am I right? Lorcan was right, we have a rebellion to join."
The expansive cavern that was central to the rebellion was now packed with dragons. It seemed like almost all of Windkeep Tower had answered the call for rebellion, as if everyone had been waiting for an opportunity to show their support for the missing queen and king. Fenn and Elric obviously meant a lot to a lot of people. It was touching to see this level of devotion.
The chatter that filled the room died down as Kaladin entered the room, bringing Raizel and her crew behind him. The gathered dragons eyed the ex-necromancer suspiciously, murmurs of fear echoing around the room.
"What are you doing here?" Colm growled, "You're not welcome, traitor."
"Let's not be too hasty here," Querida said, bringing the focus back to the leaders of the Underground, "Quartz and Banella have put a lot of pressure on everyone to follow orders they may not have wanted to. Let's not shun anyone who wants to turn a new lead and fight to reclaim our clan. We're going to need all the help we can get."
"Well said, Querida," Winterstone nodded to the wildclaw and stepped forward, "Thank you all for coming tonight, I want to acknowledge the risk it took for all of you to come here. We deeply appreciate your support and we will do everything in our power to make sure it pays off. I'm not going to lie, we have a difficult fight ahead of us. Even without the undead army-" She paused to nod at Kaladin, "we still have a lot of challenges to face."
"Quartz has a strong inner circle," Winterstone continued, "Magiere and Rhowen have power, as does Quartz himself. We can only assume his eldest children have also been trained with the same ferocity. There are also rumors of an ultimate weapon fashioned by our own Desertstone, one that could wipe out all life in Windkeep Tower as we know it. Not to mention, they have what we want. Not only have they kidnapped Fenn, Elric and Kipling, but Rori has also gone missing. If they decide to do away with their captives entirely, we will be leaderless even if we do succeed in hoisting Quartz and Banella of their thrones, and that kind of vulnerability leaves us open to future attacks. Even with Ivorn's generous donations, we have a lot against us. We must attack soon, and we must attack strategically if we want even the hope of victory."
"And we must remember," Querida piped up, "Quartz and I are still bound from when we were mates, all those years ago. With the binding of the hearts, it is very likely that if Quartz dies, I die too. I have gone to many curse breakers around Sornieth in attempts to break it, but it has proven to be a stubborn enchantment. We must find a way of neutralizing him and his power in a non-lethal way, if necessary. That said, if such a way can't be found and killing him is the only way to ensure our victory, I give you full permission to do so. My life is not worth everything we will lose if we do not succeed in out uprising."
"Alright, I think that's everything," Winterstone said, nodding to Querida, "I now open the floor to discuss our strategy. If you have anything to offer the resistance, any ability or advantage, please speak up, it could be exactly what we need to ensure our victory."
The cavern then erupted in chatter as every dragon began to offer their skills and ideas. Bit by bit, as the evening stretched onward, a plan began to take shape. The dragons of Windkeep Tower were prepared to fight, and to die if necessary, to defend the home they loved so dearly.
"I'm sorry, your majesty, I couldn't stop him," Magiere groveled at Quartz's feet. The stupid wildclaw had been blubbering for the past our as she brought her king the news of Kaladin's betrayal. Quartz was not impressed.
"Silence, you fool, I've heard enough!" Quartz snapped, and Magiere shut up. She still would not meet his gaze. "You are fortunate, if I had more allies I would banish you from the kingdom, but as it stands I am in need of all the support I can get, and you still have some value in your measly self."
Quartz stopped pacing and stared out the window of his balcony at the top of the tower. Windkeep Tower was unusually quiet tonight. Too quiet. It likely had something to to with that awful rebel propaganda that had spread around the kingdom the previous night. Quartz had tried to track down Rammus, the dragon who had likely delivered all the pamphlets, but the wildclaw was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had disappeared completely. He had probably had the good wisdom to go into hiding. As much as he hated to admit that sentimental fool was his son, he did share the same cunning.
"Go, prepare what little troops we have left, we march tomorrow," Quartz ordered, drawing himself from his thoughts. It was time the rebels were paid a lesson. He had let them fester and grow for too long. He should have quashed everyone who had close relations to Fenn and Elric before all this had happened. He had been too soft in his desire for a large and populous kingdom.
Magiere got to her feet, bowed and, wiping away a tear, obeyed her king's dismissal. No sooner had she gone, than Nova moved in, wrapping herself affectionately around Quartz.
"You've done it my love," Nova purred, "And I have done what you asked. Banella is taken care of. Vaughan will keep her locked in the past where she belongs, and I am free to take her place as queen."
"Very good Nova," Quartz purred back, kissing the imperial on the cheek. Banella, while she had her uses and had taught him many valuable things about learning, had been far too stuck in the past to enjoy the present victory. Now she would live in the past forever, and Quartz would have a new queen, a stronger queen. Ivorn didn't know what he had with this girl he hadn't valued her and cherished her the way he should have. She deserved every ounce of power and riches Sornieth had to offer. Her fool of a husband was far too generous to satisfy such needs.
Quartz moved to the edge of the room were a selection of drinks stood on a cart. He poured two tall glasses of a bubbly golden liquid and handed one to Nova. They clinked their glasses together and took a sip, surveying the view below.
"This time tomorrow, any resistance that exists will be quashed, and from the ashes, we will rise victorious. Winkeep Tower will truly be ours, and we can continue our conquest until we are the greatest empire in all of Sornieth!" Quartz exclaimed, raising his glass to the sky.
"I'll drink to that!" Nova giggled and she raised her glass to join Quartz's. The two kissed, and returned to the safety of indoors. It was going to be a big day tomorrow.
I have been waiting to get to this chapter for such a long time now! This was the purpose for which I bought Raizel, and this is the first time I've properly delved into tundra memory lore and gave it a proper place in my stories and let me tell you, it was extremely satisfying!
Also, today I discovered a cool writing site that I'm going to use to write my lore chapters not before posting them! It's called
750 words and it's made to give writers a way to encourage them to write at least 750 words a day! After you write your words there are also cool stats like writing speed and the themes and emotion on your writing. And, you can win badges! If you are a writer, I would highly recommend at least checking it out!
