The party walked slowly through the darkness. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Azriel realized that the darkness was layers and layers of a very dark mist. They walked very slowly, Ashmeer leading the brigade and walking next to a whisperer. Eva and a soldier walked behind. Duke Ashdeen and herself were next in line followed by one whisperer and one more soldier. She didn't want to think that their party of ten had already reduced two numbers. She wondered how many more lives would be lost right now to the Blight.
The Book was silent here as well, and she wondered why, "Nothing to say now, came the prompt reply. Will talk when needed."
She nodded. The mood was rather sombre, but Ashmeer seemed to know where he wanted to go. So they followed him. Abruptly Ashmeer stopped and said, "There is something out there in the mist. I think it's best we investigate before going further."
Further, Azriel, shivered, they were going further. It was cold here, biting cold, and she wanted to go back into the sunlight soon. But, right now, she had a duty to do. She looked ahead into the shadows and her blood curdled, there were shadows in the mist ahead, shadows moving. Soon enough, the mist was punctuated by low growls.
Duke Ashdeen took out his sword and told her in a low voice, "Stay close to Eva." He moved ahead and gestured to Ashmeer to follow him. They moved ahead and soon enough were lost in the mist. A piercing scream suddenly broke through the mist, and they heard swords clashing and noises and grunts and growls. The small group huddled together and just when Azriel felt she could bear no more. There was silence.
Duke Ashdeen stepped up to them, he was pale and panting, his sword dripped black blood. Ashmeer followed in, walking with a bit of a limp. But, he was grinning otherwise and said, "Let's move ahead. The faster we get this done, the better." The Duke nodded and the party moved slowly forward.
Suddenly one whisperer began to scream and froth at the mouth, wailing away.
"What is that?" cried Eva in shock.
"Can't we help him?" asked Azriel worriedly.
"The first sacrifice!" said the Book cryptically.
Duke Ashdeen whispered to the party, "Stay close and be strong. Let me know if anyone of you sees or hears anything you should not."
The Book mumbled, "Cold, dark mist is bad Azriel. Think warm now. Think happy thoughts."
Numbed by the cold, disoriented in the darkness, Azriel tried very hard to think happy thoughts. It felt a lifetime ago when she and Ashmeer had walked under the wild rose bower of the gardens, the fiesta where he had held her and danced, where Malvin and Galvin had looked resplendent in robes so rich and father, a sob caught in her throat...and father had....
"Azriell...", whispered a voice to her, deep and in great pain from the mist. "Save me Azrielllll."
Father? How was that possible, she thought. Father was gone and buried in the crypt.
"It's cold here Azriel.....please save me, come my daughter come."
Azriel hesitated in confusion. How could she leave her father here alone to die? She clutched at Eva who was sobbing, "No...no please Duke Ascan, don't whip me.....no please Duke Asacan....nooooooooo....mother help me please!"
Azriel looked at Eva in confusion. She felt, cold and numb, and disoriented. The darkness was swirling all around her, and she could hear most members of her party screaming and moaning now. The soldier among them was slitting his own wrists and she looked at him as if from a great distance, feeling no pain for him."
The Duke was shaking each and every person shouting, its not real. Ashmeer was staring intently into the mists now, his eyes almost black, their gold flecks gone. His red scar shone livid on him, as he licked his lips.
"It's not real, Azriel, " The Duke shouted at her and she blinked at him stupidly. Tears were flowing down her face. She was as bad as the Blight when it came to her family. Maybe it was better for her to die as well.
Something warm hit her in the stomach, "Stop it....you maudlin crybaby!" hissed the Book.
She felt roused suddenly, as if from a deep sleep, and looked around her. The Duke was looking very confused now as if something was calling out to him as well.
"We need to start the ceremony now, " she shouted at everyone..." Now, here itself, else the Blight will take over our minds....."
"Finally the girl talks sense!" she heard the Book sigh.
"What now?" she asked.
"Break the spell...you are a whisperer..whisper....Azriel."
And, so she did. She started whispering the truth to all of her party. At first none listened to her, but soon they all began to listen, and slowly, painfully, they all came to their senses. Except for the Irismian soldier. He had slit his wrist and lat slumped against a broken rock, blood seeping out of him, his eyes, unseeing now into the darkness.
She held the dagger to her wrist, hearing the Book, whisper to her words which she understood.
"A circle, make a circle, quick before it takes our minds over again. We have about ten minutes before the Blight will begin its dark magic again."
She could sense the dark mists behind them, waiting and angry....hissing into the air, full of want and need and hunger, pain and evil. She resolutely shook her head and cut her wrist with a sharp jab.
"Eva...Cup...Now."
Eva scrambled to hold the Cup under her.
Azriel watched as the blood dripped into the Cup. The Duke held her hand and started chanting, an ancient incantation.
"He is a mage," she realized in surprise. The Book only chuckled and said, "Told you nothing is what seems."
Slowly, the mists began swirling back and Eva held the Cup, her hands shaking but she held on steadfast. A strong wind began to blow, and Azriel, felt Ashmeer hold her other hand and Eva's. The two Northern men began to chant, till the mists began to recede further and further. There were bodies lying here in the carverns, of men and other monstrous things, but Azriel focused on the chanting. They kept stepping ahead in their circle, walking towards the receding mists, till they reached a rock with a large fissure in it. The entrance of the Blight. The mists were fighting back now. Angry, and hurt. The fissure had begun to glow and hiss, and yet, the Duke was chanting. She relaized that Ashmeer was silent. He suddenly grabbed Azriel's neck and shouted to Eva, "Give me the Cup and the Book...Now! Else she dies!"
Azriel looked at him in shock, so did Eva. The remaining soldier pulled out his sword but the Duke did not stop chanting. The fissure was growing smaller, Azriel realized. Ashmeer put more pressure on Azriel and screamed at Eva, "The Cup..give me the Cup now you stupid woman or she dies."
Eva looked stricken, she threw the blood from the Cup on the fissure in a moment of spite and threw the Cup at Ashmeer, grabbing Azriel from him, as he held his hands out to grab it. In a blink of an eye, Ashmeer grabbed the Cup, and jumped into the fissure, pulling Azriel, along with him. She screamed in fright, suddenly digging her heels into the ground and held. Eva grabbed her by the waist and held on for dear life.
The Duke leapt towards her and held her by her waist as well from the other side. Ashmeer's face twisted in frustration as he kept pulling. Azriel sobbed feeling as if her arm would be pulled from its socket. But the fissure was closing and Ashmeer knew he had lost. He let go of her hand, standing on the rock, as his feet entered the fissure and disappeared. The dark mists swirled around him, "I'll come back for you Little Bird and for the Book....." before he completely disappeared into the mist, and the mist too disappeared. The Duke held Azriel and murmured in her ears, "Your safe now, I have you."
He placed his finger on Azriel's bleeding wrist and made some signs on the rock with her blood, still chanting. He looked unfazed as if Ashmeer disappearing with the Cup of Joy was something that happened every day.
"It's gone," he said finally, "The Blight has gone from the Mines of Andora."