Blood Isle

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Shatterlands

The following morning, the sky was dark gray and riven by lightning; the enemy had abandoned the battlefield around them. Donovan, Maska, and Brenna paused upon the edge of an escarpment; ahead of them, the rocky land rose steadily.

In the distance, snow-covered peaks extended into the sky. Above the mountains, dark gray and white clouds endlessly swirled, and lightning discharged into the shadows.

"Ahead of us lies the Seat of Aereontis and the Eye of Despair; their presence corrupts Aederan itself. The corruption is the source of the turbulence above; and disseminates Bemenah's evil power to his minions," Brenna stated out loud to Donovan and Maska as she studied the distant mountains with her far-seeing lenses.

It took the remainder of the day to reach the plateau before them; ahead of them, the terrain looked broken. Scattered thickets of brush and trees grew with tall grass and boulders in between them.

Donovan studied the sea of grass before them; the tops of the grass waved from an errant breeze. The waving tops parted briefly, revealing an object that dimly reflected the lightning flashes above.

As Donovan, Maska, and Brenna approached, Donovan and Brenna dismounted to study the stone's surface further. Brenna's staff radiated bright white light as the Neeri investigated the source of the reflection.

Suddenly Brenna gasped, and took a step backward, and turned toward Donovan and Maska. "The reflection that we noted is from a wreath that graces the brow of a girl. She lays shattered within a transparent stony prison; apparently, a titanic struggle happened long ago, in this place.

The Neeri's staff lingered over another pile of crystalline material. As Brenna bent forward, studying what lay within the clear crystal, the light from her staff revealed the shocked face of an armored individual. His open mouth appeared to be screaming a message of some sort.

A concerted search revealed that what they had taken as boulders, and piles of stone, concealed shattered people's remains.

"We are standing in the aftermath of a great arcane battle that encased its participants forever, for all to see. Over here lies the form of
of a Nyen Dark Binder that appears to be screaming," Brenna stated in a voice filled with emotion,"

"What heinous spell could have caused this evil transformation into this crystal prison; dooming the unfortunate souls trapped within?" Donovan asked in an angry voice.

"I do not believe this was a contrived use of the arcane powers; it struck everyone affected by its power. We see the horrible ramifications of raw, uncontrolled power and the reality of our limits. Some levels of arcane power are beyond the understanding of good or evil." Brenna explained to Donovan and Maska in great detail.

Aberith and Daniel approached to see the reason for the delay in the day's marching. Once Brenna repeated what she had told Donovan and Maska, the two mages were horrified, as they viewed for themselves the aftermath of an ancient disaster.

"Hundreds of entombed dead surround us; one of them reached too far, seeking the ultimate power. Instead, they found that such power requires a price which is beyond mortal's ability to pay," Aberith said sadly, the magnitude of the disaster had humbled the mage and Daniel. You could see it in their short glances as they blinked away tears, and Brenna felt the sorrow as well.

Suddenly, the sea of grass parted, revealing thousands of Nyen archers lying in wait for their approach. The enemy archers were targeting their narrow front as they climbed to the plateau ahead of them. Losses along their narrow path to the plateau's height were further complicated by the allied dead. Donovan rushed pavise crossbowmen and arbalesters to cover the men and women who rolled the dead to the side so that others could follow.