Borne of Fire

Chapter 24

The eyes held the key and convinced them of everything they needed to know more effectively than any words could have done. The same eyes which had previously been wreathed in flame and looked out at them from Randyl's face, now gazed down at them from the enormous head of a dragon.

Erradin - kin.

Braxter reeled away in terror at the vision - his feelings and emotions a seething cauldron as he fought to hold onto the scream threatening to tear its way out of him. L'non and Ja'aris fared little better. Raising an arm against the heat of the flames, L'non did his best to witness all he could of the vision he was being shown while Ja'aris dropped into a defensive crouch, his hands gripping his blades more as a comfort than from any real hope that they might protect him against a creature such as the one stood towering over him.

But no further demonstration of power was needed and no harm came to Braxter, L'non or Ja'aris. They had seen the truth of what had become of Axis - what had caused the changes to Randyl - and they needed no further convincing of what they already suspected had taken place.

Its purpose served, the image of the dragon faded and quickly disappeared, the flames dying out and all trace of them dispersing. The ground beneath and around Randyl was blackened and charred but he himself remained untouched and unharmed as the flames which rolled over him also died out and vanished. Finally, his mouth and eyes closed as if to lock all traces of the flames within himself, sealing his body from the inside. Braxter, L'non and Ja'aris stood, watching in silence as Randyl breathed deeply three, four, five times as if catching his breath. Then, with his breathing finally under control, a smile spread across his mouth and he opened his eyes.

His large, round, dark brown, altogether human eyes.

"Ancient one - mi relo fortash aqui." L'non spoke quietly and dropped to his knees, bowing his head and placing his right hand across his chest, over his heart. Braxter stared in alarm at the sight of the watcher kneeling in such a humble fashion and was stricken completely speechless when Ja'aris assumed the same pose. Through lack of a better option he decided to do the same and dropped to his knees also.

"Now you have seen." Randyl spoke with a deep voice.

"Now we believe - Erradin-kin." L'non and Ja'aris replied together as if part of a ceremonial response.

Braxter wondered what, if anything, he was supposed to say but thought better of saying anything and instead kept his head bowed slightly, facing forwards. His friend was alive and no longer sickened from the bite wound inflicted by the Ulrogg, of that he was sure. But the agreement, and his part in it, which had enabled this new version of Randyl to be incarnated - was it for the good or had he made a huge mistake in rushing blindly forwards, not heeding the words of warning L'non had offered not once but many times? What would be the cost of his terrible ignorance and stupidity?

The clanging sound of three blades hitting the hard packed earth - one long sword from L'non and two shorter blades from Ja'aris - startled him from his inner thoughts.

"Our blades belong to you ancient one, our lives yours to command, to do with as you wish." L'non said solemnly without raising his head, his hand once again over his chest after having drawn his blade and thrown it to the ground.

Randyl stepped forwards and picked up all three blades deftly in his muscular hands and then took a few further steps forwards until he stood directly in front of Braxter, L'non and Ja'aris.

His grin turned into a full smile as his white teeth were exposed. He held L'non sword lightly and confidently by the grip, the point hovering just inches from the back of the watchers neck where his skull met his spine.

"Arise L'non Levinter and arise Ja'aris Nee-el, watchers of Kreaton. Arise Braxter Kinross once of the village of Brookdale." Randyl commanded in a deep voice and the three obeyed, getting to their feet quickly. He turned the blades around easily and held them out, offering them grip-first to their owners, who each took them from him. "You will need these for the war to come." He said.

"What would you have us do Erradin?" Ja'aris asked gruffly.

"Kill Ulrogg." Came the immediate and simple reply from Randyl. "I want you to soak your blades in the blood of those creatures until the steal is stained red."

Ja'aris grunted by way of agreement, a snarl twisting his mouth. L'non simply nodded his head and remained silent. Braxter could hold his tongue no longer however.

"Randyl...Ancient One...sire...well..." his exasperation got the better of his propriety. "What are we going to do?"

Randyl grinned menacingly at them, a dark look with absolutely no humour.

"With cleansing flame and steel I will rid this craven parasite from our lands until every one of their race is naught but an ashen corpse. Howls of rage shall be our war cry and torrents of flame the banner under which we march to war." As Randyl spoke, Braxter felt his pulse begin to quicken, his heart pounding in his chest which began to swell as if his one-time friends words were feeding a new zest for life into him.

Braxter nodded his head eagerly and saw that L'non and Ja'aris were doing the same.

But Randyl was not yet done.

"I will be the flame that banishes the night, the guiding light for those who are lost in the darkness of this land. Let them come to me, those who are broken and I will remold them in the fires of vengeance.

I will kindle a flame of remembrance in you three here, and in each of those who heed my call, so that all those who have fallen may forever live on in our hearts - driving us in our need for redemption over those who have wronged us. A deathly silence of regret shall consume each of them and they will feel our wrath and utter lack of mercy as we meet out their death."

"Yes," said L'non.

"Yes," said Ja'aris.

"All hells - YES!" blurted Braxter.

And with that Randyl threw back his head, letting out a scream of rage and with it a torrent of fire, orange and red, enormous and terrifying, burst upwards to lick at the ceiling above them.

The three companions - L'non, Ja'aris and Braxter - glanced at one another, then threw back their heads and did the same.

All four beings screamed in union - an outpouring of grief and rage that bounced around the cavern walls, the echoes resonating and rolling back at them until their voices were multiplied a hundredfold. A wordless oath, a bond forged between them. A mark of defiance and a promise of intent to an enemy who knew nothing of the war which had just begun or the fires of vengeance which were being kindled against them.