Shattered Exile

SEVEN Emotion-1

SEVEN

Emotion

‘You have come back!’

Having spent countless cycles wondering if she would lay eyes on her sister again, seeing and hearing Kirika now was almost too much to bear. During their time apart, she had battled tirelessly with herself, trying to remain strong by suppressing her feelings and keeping them in check. Now, those defences – which she had worked so hard to erect – were being rapidly torn down. She watched, trembling, while her sister’s eyes filled with tears, mirroring her own. She tried to speak, but her mind failed miserably to recall the words necessary to convey the torrent of emotions now assaulting her psyche. Blinking hard, in a futile attempt to clear her vision, she felt streams of tears rolling down her cheeks, collecting under her chin, before dropping to the floor. Her breathing was shallow and her body now trembled uncontrollably. She tried to approach her estranged sister, but her muscles tensed against her will, thwarting her attempts.

‘Stay back!’ cried a stern voice from a male Freylarkin at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Take another step closer, Darlia, and I will release you where you stand!’

Directing her watery vision towards the threatening voice, she blinked heavily once more. Her vision cleared – albeit temporarily – allowing her to quickly recognise her male aggressor. It was Lothnar. Beside the Paladin scout was a red-haired female, who stood barely clothed, and looking somewhat the worse for wear. Sifting rapidly through the chaotic thoughts and emotions assaulting her mind, she quickly realised that the female Freylarkin opposite was in fact the enigma Krashnar had warned her about. Standing before her – in the same room no less – was the Freylarkin responsible for her failed invasion of Freylar.

‘The Guardian!’ she whispered under her breath.

‘Darlia, what is going on?’ asked Vorian, turning towards her. ‘How is it that you know one another?’

‘She is responsible for the release of our kin!’ proclaimed Lothnar vehemently. ‘Explain to us now, stranger, why it is that she is an apparent associate of yours?’

‘Lothnar relax – his name is Vorian; he is a Knight of the Knights Thranis.’ replied The Guardian, whose gaze now shifted towards her mechanical claw.

‘You know him?’ asked Lothnar, clearly taken aback by The Guardian’s knowledge of her companion.

‘Yes – he is well regarded amongst the Knights Thranis and is entirely trustworthy.’ continued The Guardian. ‘It’s good to see you again Vor, though I’d not expected it to be so soon. Please forgive us – your arrival is...unexpected, so too the presence of your companion.’

‘It is good to see you too, Honorary Knight Rayna. My companion and I have only recently met.’ replied Vorian. ‘Darlia offered to be my guide, and I accepted her kind aid.’

‘Your guide to what, may I ask?’ enquired her sister, softly, who had since wiped some of the tears from her eyes.

‘To finding The Guardian.’ replied Vorian, who then turned his attention back to Rayna. ‘It is urgent that I speak with you privately, Rayna.’

‘Speak your mind, Vorian – you have no enemies here.’ replied Rayna casually.

‘That one is an enemy, to the entire domain no less!’ proclaimed Lothnar, directing his left index finger directly towards her. ‘Queen Mirielle had you exiled from Freylar, witch, so why is it then, that you are here?!’

A prolonged moment of awkward silence followed, as each of them regarded her with mixed emotions. Lothnar glared at her with utter contempt, whilst Nathaniel and Vorian showed measured restraint. Her sister remained noticeably shaken, but most curious of all was The Guardian, who seemed genuinely intrigued by her sudden unforeseen arrival. Swallowing hard, attempting to clear her throat, she cut straight to the heart of the matter, attempting to salvage a modicum of credibility, despite deserving none.

‘I am responsible for the heinous events which transpired at Scrier’s Post – I do not deny it – but I am not the one who drove the Narlakai towards the sanctuary. Her name is Lileah, and right now she is raising her forces again, with the intention of releasing you all!’

‘Ha! How can we believe a word of what you say?’ replied Lothnar sharply. ‘You instigated an invasion of Freylar, responsible for the release of our kin, were subsequently defeated, and now you expect us to believe the words which spill from your venomous tongue!’

‘We should at least investigate her claim, Lothnar’ replied The Guardian, calmly.

‘She is a threat, Rayna, all the while she remains in the vale.’ argued Lothnar. ‘We have a responsibility to protect the Freylarkai.’

‘Agreed, but we should not dismiss this information out of hand.’

‘And if she is indeed telling the truth, what then?’ Nathaniel suddenly interjected.

‘And what if she is not?’ retorted Lothnar, maintaining an unwavering stance on the matter. ‘Nathaniel, we cannot trust her!’

‘Quiet!’ cried Kirika, bringing a quick end to the heated, short-lived, debate. ‘Sister, the punishment bestowed upon you was too severe; your actions did not warrant a life of exile. Nonetheless, you broke Freylarian law. Moreover, you were subsequently responsible for the release of our kin! Surely you expected such a reaction to your claim?’

‘I believe that she speaks the truth.’ said Vorian flatly.

‘Rayna says that you are trustworthy – and I believe her – but how, Vorian, can you blindly accept Darlia’s claim of a renewed invasion?’ demanded Lothnar.

‘Rayna, if we may speak in private, I believe that I can validate Darlia’s claim.’

‘Then speak now, Knight, to us all!’ demanded Lothnar, whose anger now threatened to get the better of him.

‘Vorian, I appreciate the need to safeguard certain information pertaining to the Knights Thranis, but as you can see, emotions are somewhat frayed right now. Please, if you can indeed validate this claim, find a way to do so publicly.’ said Rayna, who was clearly looking for a way to diffuse the tension between them.

‘Very well.’ replied Vorian, with a look of resignation. ‘The means by which you returned to the vale has been compromised. We believe that it has been infiltrated by another.’

‘You mean by someone outside the Order?’

‘Correct – the source of the activity came from the Narlakai borderlands.’

‘And its destination?’

‘The vale.’

‘Krashnar!’ Kirika interjected. ‘He recently showed up in the vale, alone, released Riknar, and subsequently tried to release Rayna too. Queen Mirielle has tasked Marcus with bringing him to justice.’

‘Krashnar was with Lileah. They were both seated upon the back of some hideous mutant pet beast of his, shaped by his own ability no less.’ she said, surprised by her sister’s account.

‘Then they have since parted ways.’ replied Kirika matter-of-factly. ‘Perhaps a difference of opinion has led them down separate paths?’

‘No. Krashnar was manipulating Lileah, he would not have abandoned her after going to such lengths to coerce her into cooperating. Lileah is impetuous, and difficult to control. This must be some kind of ruse.’

‘You are the one trying to deceive us, Darlia!’ Lothnar interjected. ‘Your presence here is ruse enough.’

‘Kirika, you must believe me, sister.’ she implored. ‘Lileah is going to attack the vale. There will be no subtlety in her approach; she will round up as many Narlakai as her mind will permit, and heard them straight towards the vale. Please, you must stop her, else she will release thousands, whether she succeeds or fails in her attempt.’

‘Why must I believe you? Darlia, you attacked us before!’

‘That was different. I would be lying if I said that I did not want to release that b***h, Mirielle, along with that obedient lapdog of hers who is responsible for this,’ she said, raising her bronze metal claw, ‘But foremost, I wanted to overthrow her rule, not to release our kin. The flanking Narlakai herd was directed specifically for that reason. My strategy involved drawing out The Blades and infiltrating the Tri-Spires – I would have been able to calm Lileah’s impetuous desires after ousting Mirielle. However, I did not foresee The Guardian’s ability to disrupt my second sight, which ultimately led to the events that transpired at Scrier’s Post. What happened there was a tragedy – one for which I am ultimately to blame. Believe me, sister, when I say that atrocity weighs heavy on my soul. I know that I cannot be absolved of my past crimes, nor can I fully atone for them, but please...let me at least try.’

There was another long, awkward moment of silence, as everyone present regarded her sternly, trying to ascertain the truth of her words. She expected Lothnar to blast her, again, with another of his cutting retorts, but instead the Paladin stood silently, gazing intently at her. Concerned that she had failed to convince her audience of her sincerity, she was about to continue, when suddenly The Guardian spoke confidently.

‘Darlia, I believe you.’

‘And I have no desire to see another of my students fall in battle.’ followed Nathaniel, curiously lending his support.

She watched nervously as her sister offered Lothnar a sidelong glance, attempting to discern whether in fact the master telepath was conveying his thoughts to Kirika telepathically. After a brief moment, Lothnar took a deep breath, before exhaling loudly. The Paladin turned to her and approached ominously.

‘If you truly have nothing to hide, Darlia, allow me to search your mind. If indeed your claim is valid, I will know of it.’

She stared at the Paladin intently, considering whether or not to reason with him further. Lothnar was evidently not the type to readily accept the word of another – he needed to see for himself – suggesting, therefore, that further reasoning would achieve very little. She desperately needed the incredulous Paladin on side, and if that meant willingly exposing her innermost thoughts, so be it.

‘Very well – I have nothing to hide.’

Without any warning, she felt the weight of Lothnar’s mind pressing upon her own, seeking to uncover the truth behind her presence. There was no subtlety to Lothnar’s mental approach; the Paladin wanted answers, hard and fast, and had little interest in her own mental welfare as he sought to justify his doubts. At first, the pain was uncomfortable, and she felt pressure building inside her head. The invisible force assaulting her mind then suddenly shifted up a gear, causing her to wince in pain.

‘Lothnar, careful, you are hurting her.’ said Kirika sternly.

‘Almost there.’ replied the Paladin firmly, who clearly had no real interest in her discomfort.

She cried out in distress, although her protest was not due to any direct physical pain. Lothnar had discovered her feelings for Lileah, and was now reopening the barely cauterised wound, subjecting her once more to the hurt and despair caused by their miserable parting of ways. Again, she cried out as Lothnar continued to dig deeper, violating her mind, dredging up hurtful emotions which she would sooner lay to rest. She dropped to her knees and began to weep, whilst the unrelenting Paladin ruthlessly pressed on, hollowing her out, leaving no stone unturned.

‘Lothnar! That is enough.’ said Kirika, whose eyes began to water once more upon witnessing her suffering.

Despite her sister’s proclamation, Lothnar continued to burrow deeper into her mind, in his quest to disprove her words. She began to sob, uncontrollably, whilst Lothnar replayed the raw emotions of her past, forcing her to suffer their torment again. Desperate to prove her claim, she clung on to her strained psyche, determined not to give in – yet maybe that was the point of Lothnar’s interrogation, some part of her mused. Perhaps he wanted her to break, so that he could pick over the remnants of her shattered mind, satisfying the wrath he harboured for both her and Lileah in the process.

‘Enough!’ cried Kirika, glaring angrily at the master telepath.

Once again, Lothnar ignored her sister, prompting Kirika to grab his left arm angrily.

‘I said enough!’

‘Quiet! I cannot hear myself think.’ he said, agitatedly, casting his malevolent black pupil-less eyes towards the thing writhing in the dark corner opposite.

The shaping of his newest creation had provided a welcome distraction throughout the night, and in turn had sated the hungering darkness inside of him – temporarily at least. However, the fledgling creature’s genesis had since done little to ease his mood, due to its constant muffled moans. His futile attempts at passing the cycle asleep, upon the hard stone floor of the store, had largely failed, leading to his growing irritation. Perhaps he should have found a quieter way to violate its flesh, he mused, as he tried to block out the incessant moaning of the gibbering construct – formerly the mother and daughter proprietors of his current accommodation. Their previous whimpering had been like sweet gentle music in comparison, unlike the monotonous drone that now emanated from the creature’s sealed lips. Perhaps his newest creation was simply hungry, he thought – it had been a good cycle since last they had fed. Desperate to put an end to the whining torment, he pushed himself off the cold stone floor and began to rifle haphazardly through the store’s abundant wares. The establishment predominantly supplied tools, for both agriculture and hunting game, though his keen eyes quickly located a small section towards the rear of the structure that held a limited selection of fresh fruit. Using his good hand – still retaining all of its digits – he greedily snatched a handful of fruit, before gorging himself on the ripe produce. It had been some time since last he had eaten; recent events had distracted him, causing him to neglect his own wellbeing, including his noisy stomach. After eating his fill, he grabbed more of the deliciously sweet produce and casually tossed it onto the floor, close to the store’s former proprietors. Quick to react, the creature pulled at its leash, desperate to close on the source of nourishment carelessly discarded just beyond its reach. He groaned with annoyance as he watched the pathetic aberration miserably attempting to edge closer to the discarded produce. The creature clumsily used all of its eight limbs to push itself towards the abandoned fruit, however, a thick rope of flesh, which he had used to tether his creation to an adjacent wall, thwarted its attempts. He sighed loudly, before kicking some of the ripe fruit towards the creature in an unexpected moment of compassion. The aberration turned its heads towards the produce and attempted to ingest the fruit, but with both of its mouths sealed shut, it became increasingly distressed by the fleeting promise of nourishment.