Blood Isle

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Starting Anew

Brenna's arrival on the white bridge never ceased to take her breath away as she looked down upon Andalar Valley. The view was filled with such beauty that it normally soothed and calmed her but not today.

Her mother walked across the bridge towards her with a look of concern upon her face. "What brings you to Andalar Valley wearing a frown upon your face?"  asked Denora.

"I am in great need of all the information that is available about demons? Last night we fought against demons that were not like the others, these were protected by an aura. Against the protection surrounding them, they were able to resist the powers of the light," Brenna explained. "Our losses were heavy and we desperately need to counter their powers to avoid a repeat."

Denora stared at her and nodded, then stared toward the citadel. "Follow me, Byrtle Hansworthe, Tanya, and Seth are waiting for us in the study. This will take awhile, we have a lot of information to cover about them," Denora said.

Brenna's mind was awash with memories of the battle last night. As a result they seemed to arrive at the cherry-wood door of the study before she knew it. After a gentle knock on the door Denora led the Neeri into the study and both of them took a seat.

"Nice to see that you have returned, though I wish it was under better circumstances," commented Byrtle. He drew a heavy red covered tome toward him and and opened the heavy book.

"Describe what it was that you faced last that was different?,"
asked Seth, as he studied Brenna's face with concern.

These demons were different, all demons are deadly but these were tougher, resistant to powers of the light. My staffs power did little to stop them as they slaughtered droves of our soldiers,"

Byrtle studied the large red tome before him for a short while, before responding to Brenna's comment. "It says
in the years of darkness preceeding the formation of
Aederan by Elliana, Bemenah created the Akesha. They are a race of higher demons that serve the dark needs of the evil brother. Formed of fire and Bemenah's evil will they exist as destroyers of all things mortal and death gives them strength," Byrtyl read from the ancient book.

"Borne of fire and Bemenah's evil will and death gives them strength. A rather interesting combination for our forces to have to face," Tanya mused.

"These particular evil entities feed off the horror and agony they cause humans to suffer. It says that all demons suffer greatly when they are summonded to Aederan, which they can help negate by killing mortals. Every life each takes strengthens a sheild around that particular demon has that protects them from the light," Brytle read aloud.

"Bemenah has given the Akesha the ability to resist the light by killing mortal man. He never fails to find a way to pervert every aspect of the powers of the light," Seth stated.

"Which explains the demons sudden arrival and mass slaughter of so many of our soldiers. Before we knew it, they would have built quite a resistance to the light. How can we make this work in our favor," Brenna questioned out loud.

"It says blessed lands are inherently anathema to their kind and tend to destabilize their forms when on Aederan. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage by using runes and potions, it will mean a lot more work on your part," Byrtle passed on to the other three.

I believe that the spell Reins of Resistance may help. It is a rather odd spell but is very effective when used appropriately. It slows the movement of demons caught in its grip, the harder they fight it the stronger the hold," said Tonya thoughtfully.

"It appears that you will have to learn everything that we currently know about spells, wards, runes, and potions pertaining to demons. We at least have a rudimentary plan to work with, one that works in our favor. This will easily take a couple of days to cover adequately," Denora commented.