Blood Isle

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Dark Minds

Tired from the day's earlier activities, Brenna lay down on her bedroll and pulled her blankets about her. As she lay there, she drifted into an exhausted sleep.

Around Brenna, the darkness stirred as she sensed something evil was looming nearby. Around her, the inky darkness lightened to reveal shadowed nightfall, where something hunted for her.

Ahead of her, scales rasped on stone as a black dragon crept into view, atop the ruined castle's battlements. It temporarily unfurled its great leathery wings, and a loud hiss filled the air.

Brenna realized that she was staring at her nemesis Sadeene as he tirelessly searched for her. Her concealment spell protected her from being spotted by the black dragon, but he could sense she was near. Her eyes were filled with tears as she remembered the day's battle, as her head throbbed with pain.

Flashes of terrible fighting entered her mind; they revealed the deaths of her closest friends. Donovan, Maska, Changa, and Girard, had all fallen in combat to the minions of Bemenah. Brenna was left alone to flee from the final battle between Sadeene and herself.

The Neeri's mind felt as if it was within a vise; Sadeene had pursued her and was battering her mind's defenses. She was alone; there was no help to be found in the shadows around her.

"You flee, but there is no place you can run to, where I cannot follow, I shall be merciful and grant you a quick, painless death. You can end all this senseless running, right here and now. Come now, let us end this now, shall we?" Sadeene spoke to her in as convincing a manner as possible. Brenna felt like a mouse, which had been cornered by a cat,

Brenna blinked herself away to Etmindor, she had to warn the people that they had lost, and death was forthcoming. She felt the presence of Sadeene, as he pursued her relentlessly; she was so tired, as she knew that her end was rapidly approaching.

Brenna screamed in frustration as she sought to escape from the winged hunter behind her. She fled down the courtyard of Kelner's Bastion, she had to run faster, but her legs refused to cooperate. The harder she ran, the slower her legs moved.

A sharp blow impacted her face as Brenna screamed again, this time in hopeless fear. A second blow soon followed, shattering the night sky around her. She felt something grab her shoulders and shake her awake.
The Neeri slowly awakened and realized, she was lying on her bedroll, gasping and covered with sweat.

Tonya was looking at Brenna, bathed in the golden light of an oil lamp. Aberith was standing next to her, with a look of concern upon his face. "You are safe right now, Brenna, the enemy has quickly departed," her friend stated with a willing face.

"You are alright, thanks to Tonya's quick actions; Sadeene lost this mental battle tonight and revealed a little about himself in the process.. Sadeene senses that the end is drawing near, and he seeks to break your will.

"It seemed so real; I thought Bemenah's evil had defeated us. I must find a means to alert me whenever such an attack occurs; I am most vulnerable when I am asleep," Brenna said with a look of concern, while she sat-up on her own.

"I suggest that you begin wearing Annet's Resolve; during the Fire-War it helped a Neeri keep her mental clarity. For you see that Annette suffered a series of mental attacks, as the enemy sought to destroy her from within," Aberith spoke to them in a lowered voice that was calm and reassuring.

"Where is this Annet's Resolve located? I have never heard of it before," asked Brenna.

"I have worn it for years, on the off-chance that I might need it, one day. As for not hearing about it, it is a relic that has remained in obsolescence. Now it is needed once more to serve you. If the enemy mentally attacks, the stone will glow white, as it imparts a powerful burst of mental clarity to your mind," Aberith answered as he withdrew the pink-tinged clear stone from around his neck and hung it around hers.