Fan Fiction ❯ Possession ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I've gotta say thank you to DJ for this chapter (okay, for the whole story. This is, after all, a sort of autobiography for her). She's been a big help with all of this magic and the translations from the Lindovian language. Of course, she's getting a big head from all of the feedback…which is SUCH a joy to work with, believe me. Lol. Those of you from the forums know what I'm talking about…those of you who aren't, don't worry about it. ;)

Also a quick thanks to Norma for helping me with the setting. You're my life-saver, you know that right?

Okay, this is the fifth time I've uploaded this chapter…sorry, but I kept finding little (and some big) things that needed to be fixed. It should be okay now *crosses fingers.*

Disclaimer: All characters in this story are originals, so therefore they belong to me. As do the plot, the settings, the creatures, and the language. If you take them you're guilty of plagiarism.

Chapter 3

Dradin shook Kylise and Luic awake the next morning just as the first light of dawn streaked the gray sky. The air was warm and getting warmer. It was going to be a hot, muggy day.

"Come on. We've got a ways to go yet, through the foothills. Let's get started," He said gruffly.

They ate quickly and started off, Kylise and Dradin on horseback and Luic at the wagon.

Conversation was nonexistent. Kylise and Luic still weren't fully awake, and a shadow seemed to have fallen over Dradin. He was curt, cold and refused to acknowledge either of his companions.

He must still be angry with me for trying to make him talk about his past, Kylise thought as she eyed him sleepily. He's taking it much too seriously.

She also noticed as she watched him that the side of his face that wasn't scarred was actually quite…handsome. He didn't look as old as he sounded, or as old as the hooded bleakness in his good eye would lead a person believe. She found herself wondering what exactly had happened that caused him so much anguish, both physical and mental. Rough and crude as he was, there was something about him that attracted her to him.

Suddenly aware of what she was thinking, Kylise mentally slapped herself.

Stop it! He's wild and contemptible and uncultured and…and…well, completely NOT for you! She sighed to herself and averted her attention to her surroundings.

They traveled peacefully for an hour through the flatlands, and then the landscape began to incline.

Kylise was taking in the new scenery; the thick, old oaks, maples, ash and elm trees gave way to sparse copses of pine and cedar. The short grass diminished and the ground was covered in pine needles and thorny shrubs. The squirrels and rabbits that had inhabited the thick foliage could no longer be seen.

Something gleamed in the corner of her vision and Kylise turned in her saddle to look. From the looks of it, it had once been a tall, shiny black pillar set in a ring of ill-tended rose bushes, but now it was little more than a pile of shattered stone, scratched with ancient letters.

"What is that?" Kylise reined Aurora to a stop and pointed back at the remains of the pillar.

Dradin glanced back and stopped as well. "It's a marker, indicating the border of the archaic Daityan lands."

"Daityan?" Luic repeated, pulling the cart up alongside the pillar. "That means 'devil people,' doesn't it?"

"Indeed," Dradin spared a slight chuckle. "So the halfling can read Old Lindovian?"

"A bit," Luic replied slowly. "Spellcasters have to read and understand the basic language to read spells. But I can't read anything else on these rocks."

"Devil people? Weren't they the ones who captured trespassers and stole their spirits to implant them into corpses and build an army of undead abominations?" Kylise asked.

Dradin stared at her for a moment before answering. "You listened to too many fireside fairy tales as a child. No, the Daityan weren't that kind of devil…they were black magic users. They controlled darkness and fire. True, they did build armies in hopes of dominating Lindovia, but their soldiers were trolls, ogres and black dryads, not corpses. The War of Ostina was fought between the Daityan and the Elves with the help of men from Quimner 200 years ago. My family…" He stopped suddenly and turned back around. "We need to get going. We're just wasting time. Trillien is only two or so miles away; Geridan only a mile east of there."

Luic snorted and rolled his eyes before clucking to the donkey and starting off again. Kylise lingered for a moment, eyeing the remains of the pillar suspiciously. There was something about those letters.

To her amazement, the words began to swirl right before her eyes until they formed letters that she could read.

"I'm waiting for you."

Kylise gasped and wheeled around. She kicked Aurora into a gallop to catch up with her company.

"Dradin! Dradin!" She shouted as she slowed beside him. "The letters! I could read them!"

The scruffy man barely raised an eyebrow. "So you know some Old Lindovian also, eh?"

"No! No, that's the point! I watched them, and they changed into Westrian words! They said, 'I'm waiting for you.'"

Recognition seemed to flicker in his good eye, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Foolish girl, there's-"

His insult was cut short when Briar let out a terrified scream and reared back. Dradin clung to the horse's neck and attempted to calm the animal. Not a split second later, Aurora whinnied, spun, and tried to bolt. Kylise caught the reins and pulled back forcefully. The donkey thrashed wildly between the shafts of the wagon, but couldn't go anywhere.

"What's wrong with them?!" Luic shouted, holding the lines tightly.

"I don't know! Briar rarely gets frightened!" Dradin replied, still trying to pacify the dancing horse.

"Spirits!" Kylise exclaimed. She pointed towards the bottom of the hill. "Look!"

Her outstretched hand shook with fear at the sight below them. A horde of creatures was swarming out of the thickets and sprinting for them. There were dozens of the beasts. They walked on their hind feet (which resembled talons), but weren't more than three feet tall with leathery brownish skin and withered hands extending from their torsos. Whip-like tails snaked out behind them. Their heads were large in comparison with their bodies, with long protruding snouts and knife-like teeth. Their eyes were tiny and gleamed black, and thick, curved horns similar to a bull's projected from their temples.

Dradin's face went ghostly pale. "Mullogs! Come, we've got to run! We can't fight them, not here!" He gripped the reins and kicked Briar into a dead run down the adjacent side of the hill toward a large, grassy meadow.

Kylise and Luic followed, though the donkey had difficulty getting up much speed with the wagon behind him.

The mullogs followed, making shrill gurgling sounds in their throats. They ran as fast as the horses and were quickly catching up.

Luic glanced back at the creatures and, muttering under his breath, held out his hand at them. The air twisted and crackled around his palm. A small ball of fire spiraled through the air and struck a handful of mullogs, making them screech and tumble to the ground.

Dradin stopped his horse in the center of the meadow and turned to face the mullogs. Kylise copied him, pulling her dagger out of her boot.

"What are they and why are they attacking us?" Kylise asked frantically.

"They're the guardians of this land; the Daityans set them as watch dogs hundreds of years ago. I thought them to be extinct…I have traveled through here many times without encountering mullogs. I don't understand how and why they are here now. Unless they're after…no, that can't be it. We can't outrun them; their dark witchcraft will destroy us if we try, so we'll have to fight them head on."

Luic reached the two and stopped, but Dradin motioned to him to keep going.

"Don't stop! Run as fast as that donkey can go. Just northeast of here is Trillien. Wait for us there."

"No. I'm staying. I can help fight and cast spells." He drew his short sword and climbed into the back of the wagon.

Kylise smiled slightly at the halfling but was jerked back into reality when Aurora neighed and tossed her head violently at the sight of the mullogs topping the hill like a surging brown wave.

"Get ready…" Dradin said tersely.

The three waited anxiously for the creatures to reach them. Kylise's heart was pounding in her ears. She knew she should be afraid, but all she felt was excitement. This was her first real test of strength and courage; she knew she would pass…if she lived.

The first bunch of mullogs to near them was cut down by Dradin's long sword. Kylise squealed when one monster got through and leapt up to hang on her saddle by its teeth. Aurora reared and Kylise took the opportunity to slice the mullog's head with her knife.

Luic slashed at the creatures that poured into the wagon, but his sword alone wouldn't help him. He cast fire and wind spells (the only offensive magic he knew) to hold them off.

Kylise's confidence grew as one by one the mullogs were beaten away.

She got a bit overzealous, charged into the horde and started slicing at every monster within reach. At first they fell back, screeching, and shied away from her bloodied dagger.

Her downfall came when they began to climb up on Aurora, causing the horse to panic. She screamed and kicked wildly, knocking Kylise to the ground. As she fell, she grabbed her staff, hoping it would save her from hitting the ground, but instead it pulled free of the saddle and dropped. The horse fled, only to be pursued by a couple of drooling mullogs.

Immediately, Kylise was swarmed. She thrashed madly to get the snapping monsters off and somehow managed to roll to her feet. As she straightened, she came face to face with the biggest, ugliest beast she'd ever seen. It was a mullog, but taller than the others; its beady black eyes were level with Kylise's. Instead of brown, its tough hide was gray, almost white, and its horns were a great deal longer than the others' were.

Kylise began backing away very slowly, and the giant mullog just stared at her. A sudden cold fear was creeping up her legs making her knees wobble. She tried shouting for Dradin, but no sound came out of her mouth.

Then, to Kylise's absolute astonishment, a thought that was not her own raced through her mind.

"We know you are afraid. Run from us, child."

Kylise couldn't argue with the subconscious command. She couldn't even get her mind to focus on anything except the icy fingers that slithered up her legs. Dropping her staff, she turned and ran toward the trees.

She heard Dradin's voice yelling at her, but she couldn't make out the words. All she could think about was that she had to get away from the mullogs.

Kylise knew the monsters were just steps behind, nipping her heels; she also knew that she had no hope of outrunning them, but the need to flee was overwhelming. Her heart was crashing against her ribs and her feet were unsure, but she kept going.

Very suddenly, the forest stopped, and so did the ground. It dropped off sharply for about fifty feet, then leveled out to a rocky beach. Just beyond the beach was a vast, glimmering lake, stretching as far as the eye could see. About eight hundred feet off the shore, a huge island sat; and on that island was a crumbling castle.

Kylise didn't see the cliff until it was too late. She toppled over the edge and rolled painfully down the rocks.

When she hit, she felt something in her knee pop out of place. Pain stabbed her leg like a hot poker, but she heard the hissing mullogs crawling down the embankment after her and she knew she couldn't stay there.

Clambering to her feet, she looked around frenziedly. Where do I go?! They're going to kill me if I don't find somewhere to hide!

At the shoreline was a long wooden pier that led out to the island castle. The entrance was marked with two tall gray granite columns, worn smooth by time and weather. One column bore a coat of arms: a single black flame on a field of blood red. Above the shield, carved in the stone, were letters of the same forgotten language as on the shattered black pillar.

Kylise ignored the feeling of dread that seized her stomach and ran, limping, down the pier. She had to watch her footing; the damp boards were rickety and broken. One wrong step could send her plunging toward the water below.

That fact helped her out a bit. The mullogs were so intend on catching their prey that they didn't see the gaping holes in the dock until it was too late.

I can't keep this up! Kylise thought. She could barely catch her breath and it felt as if her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Stars danced before her eyes and her knee throbbed with pain.

Then, to her ultimate horror, she reached the end of the jetty. The dock stopped twenty-five feet short of the jagged beach, a gap that the drawbridge would have covered if it were down. There was no where to go.

Turning, Kylise saw the mullogs just a few feet behind her. She looked back at the frothy blue-green waves sloshing against the rugged shore beneath her. There was no time left; she had to make a choice.

A mullog reached her and snatched for her leg, but Kylise jumped off the pier just in time. She hit the water with a large splash and began to sink. Kicking her good leg and stroking with her arms, she broke the surface and gasped for air as the surf carried her towards the rocks.

She grabbed a section of stone that jutted out into the water and hung on until she could get her breath back. Looking back up at the pier, she saw the pack of mullogs glaring down at her. They hung over the edge of the planks, but didn't move to follow her.

As Kylise watched, the white monster poked its massive head over the side of the dock. It saw her clinging to the rock and huffed loudly. It almost seemed to smile, a chilling sight, and turned away. The other mullogs trailed after it and they slowly made their way back toward the mainland.

Sighing with relief, Kylise dragged herself up onto the beach and collapsed onto the sand. Her hair was soaked and plastered to her face and her clothes clung to her body. The pain in her knee continued to pulse and her lungs burned from her exertion.

She lay there for a while, staring up at the clear sky and trying to catch her breath.

I hope Dradin or Luic find me soon…I don't think I can get up and walk.

Her eyelids slid closed and she felt herself relaxing into the damp sand. She had nearly lost consciousness when she heard a voice: high and breathy, almost like the wind. Except this voice was singing. The tune was slow and mournful, stirring a deep sadness within Kylise. She could just barely make out the words:

"Deep within the dancing fires

Forever remains my soul

Left to feel the worldly pain

Since the ageless days of old

Death came on the raven's wings

Blackening a crimson heart

Blood shed by an icy blade

And with ebony depart

Mothers of this restless world

In the magic creation

Rebelled against the fathers

And tore apart my nation.

The darkness hymn echoes on

Through the generations black

Until my soul is set free

Fires in my heart will lack."

Kylise's eyes opened and she had to blink away tears. Something about the melody and the words were soul wrenching to her. Like the tragedies she used to hear as a child, sitting at the elder's feet.

As saddening as the song was, it had a sort of healing effect. It was almost as if the pain in her knee faded and her exhaustion disappeared as Kylise climbed slowly to her feet to look for the source of the music.

It was coming from inside the castle.

Dusting the sand off of her, Kylise carefully crawled up the rocks to the drawbridge level. The aged wood was cracked and rotted, leaving large holes in the vertical planks. Kylise found an opening close to the ground and slipped through.

Inside the castle walls was cold, grimy and desolate. Deteriorating wooden liveries and pavilions lined the square along with black windowed shops and markets. In the center of the square, a tall, broad tower rose.

Kylise stopped and looked up at the tower, shading her eyes from the sun. The singing seemed to come from inside. Then the light from the sun caught something at the very top of the tower, something that sparkled a hundred different colors.

As if mesmerized, Kylise limped numbly toward the base of the tower to find the door. The music seemed to have gotten stronger, not louder, just stronger.

She found the wide double doors on the opposite side of the tower. One door was completely gone, and the other was hanging askew on its iron hinges. She walked through a dark and shabby throne room, stopping momentarily to gaze at the two tarnished, ruby set thrones that sat against one wall. She felt as if she could almost see a regal king and queen sitting upon those thrones. Just passed the thrones was a wide, curving staircase.

Fixing her eyes firmly on the stairs, she started climbing. She passed many levels where a second set of stairs would branch off to more rooms: a banquet hall, a barracks, living quarters, and multiple kitchens. She ignored the halls completely, entranced by the music drifting down the stairwell.

Finally, she reached the top of the tower. Her knee was pulsing with pain again, but she didn't care. All of her attention was focused on finding the singer.

The keep was a fairly small room, just as abandoned and bleak as the rest of the castle. The floor was covered in a tattered and stained purple rug with torn purple drapes over the arrow slit windows. A large, broken mirror hung crooked on one wall. The air was stale and thick with dust.

Kylise stopped in the doorway and blinked a few times. The music stopped abruptly and she shook the daze from her thoughts.

There was no one in the room. It was completely void of life…and yet, it felt as if someone had just left though there was no way out except the door in which Kylise had just come through.

Kylise looked around curiously, suddenly aware of a strange darkness that blanketed the room, despite the fact that it was well lit by the noonday sun. Shaking off the odd feeling, she stared when her eyes fell on the object in the middle of the room.

Amid all the decrepit furnishings was a single, carved ivory podium. On the podium rested a glittering gold circlet set with tiny black gems and large, smooth jades. The sun's rays shone in through the windows, reflected off the mirror, and lit the crystals on the crown like a lantern. That was the sparkling light that Kylise had seen in the square.

Kylise slowly crept up to the podium and gazed at the crown in amazement. It was the only thing in the entire castle that time and war hadn't touched. Though it had to have been hundreds of years old, it still glimmered like new.

It's gorgeous! Pure gold, too, by the looks of it. I'd wager it'd bring in more than a meager 18 silvers. But…I could never sell such a trinket. No…it belongs on a queen's head.

Movement in her peripheral vision startled Kylise, and she turned quickly to face whatever it was. But she saw nothing, nothing except the broken mirror. To her surprise, she saw an outline in the dust on the reflective surface: a hand print. It looked quite fresh, too.

How in the five heavens did that get there? I haven't touched anything. Am I not alone?

A memory of Luic's "Shadow" spell made Kylise shiver. There were spellcasters that could make themselves invisible to the human eye. Looking down, she scanned the floor. The only footprints in the dirt were her own, so she knew no one was there with her. But that still didn't explain the hand print, the movement she had seen, or the song that she'd heard.

That dark feeling returned and Kylise had the urge to run from the room and not stop running until she found Luic and Dradin. But a stronger conflicting feeling, along with the knowledge that her injury would make it impossible to run away, made her stay where she was.

Kylise turned back to the crown and surveyed it closely. It almost seemed to call

her name. She didn't want to disturb it, but she couldn't stand to not touch it…to not feel the hard molded gold beneath her fingertips. She sensed a power radiating from the smooth gem on the front, a power that promised great things to those who dared to make contact with it.

Reaching her hand out, she gently touched the gold, then jerked back. It was icy cold. She chewed her lip for a minute, then grabbed the circlet firmly and picked it up. Turning to the broken mirror, she lifted the crown and set it on her own head.

Immediately, the jades glowed bright green and Kylise felt a chill run down her spine. Then, without warning, burning white light engulfed her body, searing her like an inferno. She screamed and arched her back, but something held her paralyzed in the air, her toes inches off the carpet. An oily feeling washed over her skin and she began to convulse wildly. An immense pressure crushed her brain and her vision exploded into shimmering blackness. Finally the light faded, releasing its hold on her body. With one last cry, Kylise collapsed onto the gilded rug and the crown clattered to the floor next to her.

She didn't see the ghostly face that loomed in the shattered mirror, ruby lips twisted into a half scowl, half smirk at the sight of the limp, empty body lying on the floor. A high, breathy voice whispered a line of a song:

"Deep within the dancing fires

No more will my soul remain."

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A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read my fic, I really appreciate it. Now, if you'd leave a review I'd be even more grateful. I don't care if you didn't like it, review it anyway. I welcome constructive criticism and mindless praise ;). Also, if you must flame, keep one thing in mind: my alter-ego is the Daughter of Fire. She'll just use the flames to torture small children and dogs.

If you have anything else to add that won't fit in the review box, you want on the mailing list for story updates, or you just want to chat, feel free to e-mail me: sway_j60@hotmail.com