mage, railing against his chains, frothing at the mouth.
Sooth-Malesh, the red mage, extended his arm and placed the crystal on its forehead. The old man shivered, and the creature froze. The crystal lit up with white light, and began pulsating. Light glimmered down the mage’s arm, glowing beneath his skin. Suddenly his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his mouth opened.
“Nesh.. Nesh… Neshing. They are called the Neshing.” Sooth-Malesh quivered, and his legs buckled. “Their homeland… savage… hostile; hot, thick air; lava pits, volcanoes. No relief, no sustenance. Slavering beasts… danger everywhere. Harsh. Food is scarce.”
For over a hundred years they had held the stone, studying it, trying to unlock its magic. They used it to break through the wall of mist. When they arrived, they liked what they saw, and wanted to take it. They wanted to find the other pieces of the stone in order to exterminate all else and take the land.
Sweat poured from Sooth-Malesh. His arm twitched. The light grew brighter until he could no longer withstand it. He let go of the crystal, and slipped to the floor. The crystal tumbled, and the Neshing pulled up his chains from the floor.
He lashed Sooth-Malesh across the face, and ran.
Everyone in the room scattered, and the Neshing stormed toward Tolan. He reached for the warrior with clicking claws, yanking the dagger from his belt. The Neshing warrior drew it across his own throat, and ended his life.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
“What a distasteful creature,” King Enrille said.
Olani rushed to Sooth-Malesh’s aid, helping him to his feet.
“Yes. Thank you, young lady,” he croaked.
“So… what do we do now?” Drith asked, placing his hands on his hips, staring down at the creature in a pool of its own blood.
“We cannot defeat these Neshing on our own. Not with the power the one piece of stone gives them. There is no choice.”
Everyone stared at him.
“We must locate the other pieces of the stone, or face annihilation.”
“How?” Pim asked the question that was perched on everyone’s lips.
###
Pim sat in a long hall with marble floors and archways. Above him, a sconce flickered with orange-amber light. His sword lay at his side. He felt listless, defeated. He stared at the floor. In its surface, he saw Ono’s face.
“I’m so sorry.” Even as he whispered it, he knew it made no difference. Tears dampened his face; one rolled down his cheek to the edge of his chin, and fell. It splashed the floor, chasing Ono’s visage away.
“It is okay to mourn,” Tolan’s voice roused Pim. He looked up at the noble warrior, battle worn, dusted with ash and dried mud.
“I know.”
Tolan got down on the floor with the young Wivering. “We both lost our friends today. Our best friends. We are kindred, you and I.”
“He tried to tell me how scared he was, and I wouldn’t hear him. I was a fool. I’ve been a fool about everything.”
“No, you wanted to help. You wanted to make a difference to your world, to your people.”
“And what good did it do? I didn’t just lose my best friend today, I lost my people. Many of them. Arc was the smart one. He chose not to go to war. He chose to live. I should have done the same. We all should have.”
“We all have our own paths to follow, Pim. Arc’s path is not your path. Yours is still before you.”
“And Ono’s path?”
Tolan looked into Pim’s eyes. The Wivering noticed the fire still burning in them. He saw in them pride, courage. But Tolan’s head sank just a little. “I knew Geyess since we were small boys, chasing goats through the roads of Cardoon, sitting on the roof of my parents’ hovel, and counting pixie lights in the Northern sky. Today he is gone. His path ended here, and I will miss him, but mine goes on. I must fight on for him, for we were kindred. Just as you and I are.”
Pim returned Tolan’s gaze and understood. It didn’t ease the pain just yet, but he knew what Tolan meant. The fight had to go on.
“The King has called another meeting of the leaders,” Tolan said. “I think that you should come.”
“I am not a leader.”
“You are, here. You lead the Wivering army, now.”
“What Wivering army? Half of them are gone.”
“No, you are part of the Cardoon army, and the army of all the kingdoms. We are one, and now you are a leader. I need you at the meeting.”
“Well, if you