The flanks of each steed twitched in the cold air while the saviors rode led by a black horse with the remainder of Nimer's belongings. They had traveled three days and two nights in hopes the ones they were searching for were still alive. The whole forest had been covered by a thick blanket of snow that continued to fall while they traveled. Each figure wore thick furs to keep them warm in the frigid air.
One man, gruff with a bushy black beard and kind dark eyes pulled the reins of his horse and turned toward their leader.
"How much further do you reckon, Alec?" he asked, his eyes turning toward the sky. "We can't judge how much longer the skies will stay calm like this."
Their leader, a tall man with platinum lox and a serious look on his face, dressed in exotic armor and furs pulled the party to a halt. He whistled at the black steed and it too stopped looking back at him expectantly. Alec nodded towards the animal acknowledging its worry for his master. Alec's pale gold eyes turned toward the heavens, flakes settling on his profound features.
"I do not fear a storm, for the wind is gentle and does not threaten us. If you do need a short rest, make it quick. We may be near our destination. It is faint, but the presence of a shard is near," he announced in a rather cold tone, glancing over to the man.
The man's lips tightened as he watched his lord carry on the party. He had known Alec for years and had followed him close for several of them. He knew Alec knew one of the three imprisoned on a personal level, for he was adopted kin to his leader. He knew Alec would not waste time standing around when his family was in trouble.
The seven pushed onward, trudging through the snow leaving only their prints behind. Several minutes later Alec drew them to a stop, raising his gloved hand. His icy, gold eyes narrowed on the trees ahead and a frown creased his face.
"Show yourself," he commanded, the group's horses becoming restless.
A dark cloaked man emerged from the trees several feet out. His face was masked much like the other members of his cult. He raised his gloved hand, pointing at Alec and the party, sparks flickering around his hand. A devilish snicker rolled from between his teeth with magic about to burst from his hand only to have an arrow shot into his chest moments later. The magic withered away and he stumbled back with a hand near the wound. The cultist's body spasmed. He yelled in pain as his own magic smothered him in a series of chaotic tendrils. He lay lifeless seconds afterwards.
Alec scanned the trees for others before pushing them forward.
"What godly presence do you feel, my lord?" one of his men asked.
Alec was silent. He knew this magic. He spoke his name. "Ravathor." He pushed them onward through the winter scape. "His presence or not, keep a lookout for more cultists. There is no telling the size of such a cult. I did not think he would have this many followers by now."
Dark magic rippled through the air striking the horse of one his men causing all seven horses to rear in response. Alec held on tight to the reins but he lost control of his horse, and the mass of riders took off into the woods.
A battle had begun, sporadic attacks flying in from all angles. Alec pulled off his glove using his teeth, letting it fall to the ground not bothering to watch it get trampled into the deep snow. Alec waved his hand, a bright, brilliant light much like the sun erupting from his palm. The energy laced through the trees, dancing and weaving, headed directly for the men who were attacking. Their bodies burst into flame and blood curdling screams followed after.
The sounds of battle echoed through the valley, the sounds reaching far ahead of them. Attacking cultists fell one by one to the perel of Alec and his men.
Fists swung through the air, colliding with the guide's jaw. Nimer was pushed to the ground. Pain clutched him and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He had been beaten ruthlessly for the past three days. The leader elf stood, towering over his beaten body. He leaned down and clutching Nimer's jaw, sliding his fingers down his neck then pulling him up off the ground.
"I will ask you again. Where is the kingdom?" he scorned.
Nimer lips were too swollen and bloody to answer straight. "I said… I don't…know… " he managed to utter, coughing up excess blood.
The elf picked him up and flung him across the room. Nimer's limp body hit the stone fireplace, gasping for air and coughing violently.
"That's not a good enough answer!" the elf yelled. "You have kept such an act up for three days! When will you break? My mind cannot reach yours! You cannot tell me you are close to awakening!" The elf paused, his eyes turning to Nimer. "You must be…"
"I will…resist awakening. I swore on it!" Nimer weakly shook his head, hacking on his own blood. "I will never…tell you where the kingdom…is because I don't know where it is!"
"Silence!" The elf charged the man and backhanded him across the face before grabbing his neck again. "You will not lie to me, Nimer. I know you know where it is. You are traveling there with your compatriots. I know who they are-who you are! Now tell me, tell me!"
The elf shook Nimer like a child's play thing. White spots flooding his vision and struggling to speak. "Over...my dead body…"
The elf's eyes grew cold, a sinister smile crawling across his face. "That can be arranged," he sneered and withdrew a dagger, driving it into the man's gut.
Nimer winced, feeling his body weaken as he was dropped to the hard wooden floor. Grey fringed the corners of his vision. He couldn't move, the shock slowly overwhelming him and his ability to fight back. The mental block he had created faded as the elf slithered into his mind like a snake.
"I'm sorry," were the only words Nimer could think of before he fell out cold.
The elf had gained the little knowledge he needed to proceed with his plans. Taking the knife out of his victim, he allowed him to bleed freely. "I will rule this day, the day I killed a god. The prize I have won is capturing the successors," he mused. "They must perish next." His footsteps carried him to the doorway. He fled toward the bedroom to kill Jex and Ray only to be stopped in his venture.
"Zinlar!"
The elf stopped, turning around to the other cult member who burst through the front door of the hide out.
"What? Can't you see that I'm busy?" he growled.
"There is no time! Garor had been shot down! Seven men are headed this way!" the man cried. "And they have him with them."
"Who might that be?"
"It's the Zarothar, sir!"
"The Golden Dragon," Zinlar exclaimed, tapping his chin in thought. "How many men do we have left?"
"I can't account for all, but I fear not many. A battle rages outside the hideout," the man answered.
"Gather our survivors. I'd like to give this god," he paused and grinned, "a warm welcome."
In the back room, Jex still lay unconscious on the bed with Ray curled up close to him half asleep, her energy expended from lack of food or water. Her mind remained a tangle of worry for both Jex and Nimer. The worst case scenarios played through her head like a horror story she tried her best to ignore.
"When will this nightmare end," she wondered, nuzzling close to Jex.
Moments later the air in the room grew thick and hot. Black smoke seeped in from under the door.
Ray rose abruptly from the bed. "Something is on fire?" she thought, eyes snapping wide. She had to wake Jex, and quickly.
"Jex, wake up," she cried. She drove her knees into his back with effort because they were still bound by rope. "Jex, please!"
The sleeping boy did not stir. Ray wailed an exasperated cry for help. The air grew hotter in seconds, the smell of burning wood breaching her nose. She could only think the hideout was being devoured by flame. The support beams of the room creaked, weakened by the flames till the room started to cave inward.
Ray tried desperately to wake her sleeping love, rolling over him and pushing him off the bed. His body hit the ground hard with a loud thump. Ray's back burned with the heat radiating from the wall behind her. She squirmed and launched herself off the bed and to the floor. She came face to face with Jex, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Jex…," she whined and leaned in, placing her forehead. "I just want you to know…I love you, more than anything."