Prologue

Good Draft

THE RETURN OF THE QUEEN

Copyright

By Richard Allen's EDWARDS





















CHARACTERS

Holiness Blood

Callica goddess of Blood’s people

His excellency Heletera

Sire Helter

Helter’s people kingdom of Kica

Vice Regent Mutta Galit

False Queen Olivia


Sir Grey

True Queen Marissa

Legal Council Rigel Miteast

Dame D;etour Gretecka Jiteas

Escort Shakketer

Paletera

Benedict

Time


Sentinal Josh


Swiss Gaurd Janius


Enemy Force Caca

Deamon Melitica



PROLOGUE

His Holiness Blood looked at his signet ring that was carved to show off the god of Justice, and death, it showed a man whose face had a cloth over his eyes, and in his hand, he held a sword raised over his head with blood running over his wrist from the guard. The design was most intricate. If you were to look hard enough you could even see the droplets fall from the weapon to his wrist. Blood’s brow was furrowed with lines, his eyebrows were rapier thin, and arched, His cheeks were gaunt, and his mouth was thin. His gray eyes were nearly closed as he looked across the desk to see at the various scrolls given to him by his aid which contained news about the Caca’s attack on the region of Puckala, it was on the ocean of Creekal in the east.


The large room was flanked with tomes on several shelves; with sculptures of the various gods of his realm and some of the people he thought of as foes. There were several scrolls strewn about his desk. He looked at the desk where an ink pot, quill, and several pieces of parchment lay there stood small tallow candles allowed him to see. His guards stood inside his open door. In the hallway there was darkness that hid his chamber There was a scent in the room of blood and must in the air. A goblet sat on the table where his eyes presently rested.


He glared at the map showing where his foe was in the region and his forces were bidded their time facing here and there., He wanted her destroyed; to reinstate the rightful Queen to her throne. Destroyed by who he wished his father would have been and here to witness her death.



Other things drew his strength from him, rumors that the Cala would fall shortly. Blood knew he had to send Sir Grey there to protect the kingdom. He knew the true queen had to return her to the throne. The guards stood watch over him. Blood wanted to send the guards away. However, he remembered what had happened when Blood forgot about the evil he was dealing with. He looked away when a demon arrived. It almost killed him, he lost his right arm in the attack. This wasn’t a dream, his arm proved this to him.


Blood recalled when Caca had hit them with a force such as this. Caca’s soldiers had faces covered with camouflage or wore masks of the beings they prayed to. The force who attacked them and some had on their belts wore the heads of the people they slayed. This force was attacked by nightfall. They moved in deep darkness as if it was mid-daylight. This force had elliptical eyes. They had weapons in their hands and moved with grace and silence. their faces with fangs. The people of Blood’s faction heard them bay at the moon. Blood’s people had their blood run cold in their veins upon hearing the sound.


Blood’s intelligence officers believed they saw Caca dance to summon the daemons to aid her in this attack on them. They used animals to join in this attack upon the Blood’s armies, They attacked upon nightfall, and flames showed the soldiers of Blood’s army. The enemy force in its flickering light. Their armor and clothing caused Blood’s army to feel fear. Some of Caca’s army appeared willing to attack without actual armor. They do not seem to notice any pain, If they have lost an appendage they take no notice of. The force of Blood’s people could not understand what had happened to them. Blood knew he would not have this happen to them


####


Blood did not truly remember when this had happened. They were in the woods, along ways away from the city where the lived. They were exploring the region, when his father fell to the ground.


The surgeon raced over to him, he took his father out of his armor to look at his father, His brow was wet with sweat. His face was pale. The surgeon hammered away at his chest. The surgeon saw his skin become white. He stepped back,


“Get Blood here. His father is dieing!” the surgeon said.


Blood looked at the soldier who came here, he was worried, he grabbed Blood by his shoulder to have him move with the soldier to where he wanted him to go, \


‘What’s wrong?”Blood asked.


“Its your father, he is dyeing. You must get there?” the soldier said as he peered into Blood’s eyes.


“I understand!” Blood said as he began to run toward where his father was. He hadn’t been attacked, why is he on his deathbed/ Tears ran from Blood’s eyes, he found his father lay on his back, A surgeon looked at Blood as he arrived. The surgeon was not sure how he would explain this to Blood.

Blood walked toward his father when he saw the father laying on the grounding, beside him stood the surgeon and a few other soldiers there warching over the body. His father turned his head to face Blood as he approached.



His father lay on his back and he had summoned his son to him. His head rested on the ground. His eyes were open, they were looking at the sky. They were in the woods. When this happened to him, they were in the woods trying to draw the enemy into a plain where they could see them but he recollected it, Blood remembered that the his father would tell him what hew must do to do this. Blood saw the castle in his dreams. It was as the one that hius father told him of, this dream was what he had experienced in his dreams prior to this.

where his father told him to go to the castle as he died before Blood’s eyes. Blood knew he must get there.


His father had spoken of a castle being tucked away in the mountains, the castle was made of a black stone, you could only get there when the moon was full, and there must be a massive thunderstorm that would last for three days. If this storm arrives the castle will appear on the mountainside. The rain will be so heavy to look through it was impossible. There was no way you could see



, “You will see a castle long from now. It will be within your dreams if I may call them that.. He laughed, he looked away from me when he said it. It was almost as if he was afraid of what he wanted to tell me. He continued, after a time, “This castle was as I remember it. You will see it as I saw it. The storm will show itself to be revealed within. The portcullis will be raised and the interior will look almost as if it hadn’t happened yet. A siege will not have ended yet.”


“It will happen a few days from now,” ,his father said, the air grew colder, his father’s hand slowly slipped away from Blood’s own. His hands felt as cold as the air around them. They were in the woods.


There was a rumor that a demon was here in this woodland. This demon had killed a few of the peasants here, their faces were burned with something that looked as if it was a hand, the imprint of this looked to be a hand.


The soldiers were frightened upon seeing the peasant whose breast had been burned by this thing. She was dead. Her husband had been crushed as if he was but a grape. His ribs were crushed to a powder. Something reached in and drew it out. Silence was all we heard.


It was almost as if he was afraid of what he wanted to tell me. He continued, after a time, “This castle was as I remember it. You will see it as I saw it. The storm will show itself to be revealed within. The portcullis will be raised and the interior will look almost as if it hadn’t happened yet. A siege will not have ended yet...


The force that is there is no illusion, but it will seem so that it must be an iillusion.However the end result is that your men will die of they do not defend themselves from the force that is there. There will be few who will likewise still live after this along with you.


You will have to fight these beings who are attacking this castle. The enemy force will have on the armor of our sworn enemy. Caca. The surcoat will have a skull beneath which will be an image of a fire, this skull's eyes will have a fire within it. You must get in the hall of Paletera having banners of their victory over Caca when they had first come to rise,


They will be armed with bows having a board in the middle, their maces will have balls with spikes driven through an item with a chain attached to them and a shaft. Broadswords, If you should see Jarata in this combat. She will be holding a staff with a skull whose eyes will glow with a black fire upon it, and in her left hand she will hold a sword with etchings on it. This etchings will show a man laying on his back with a woman holding a heart in her hands, You should not approach, she can’t be killed. This is but a dream however If you attack her you will die.


She will rise again when I die, you will have fifteen years to prepare for war. This woman will be in the east. She is as she was when I met her. Do not toy with her, she is vicious in her attacks.


She prays to Melitaca. He will give her great power, as I die she will gain more power. We have been in the east to protect our people from her forces. I suspect that perhaps by doing this as well. They will rise and take their forces into her blood-soaked hands. She will be strongest at nightfall. Her power has come from a bloodline that must be severed before the next eight years. It was now forty years. He failed to do this...


His hand began to shudder and shake, a wind blew it causing the candle’s light to flicker. He looked at the form where this wind blew. He knew that there should be no breeze from it, he saw a man approach. This man he knew, his face was shade whiter than usual, he was carrying a scroll.


The force that is there is an illusion, but it will seem so real. The men you have with you will be killed. There will be few who will likewise still live after this along with you.


They will be armed with bows having a board in the middle, their maces will have balls with spikes driven through an item with a chain attached to them and a shaft. Broadswords, If you should see Jarata in this combat do not approach, she can’t be killed here, This is not, but a dream however If you approach her you will most assuredly die.


They will turn as you arrive, the force’s faces will be marked with strange images, the coloring will be of many colors, they will have a woman as their leader, she will have a staff with a skull on it. She will rise again when I die, you will have fifteen years to prepare for war. This woman will be in the east.


Blood’s father was frightened upon saying this. He had taken a powder to eat and when he woke he told Blood and his troop to wait in the ravine to catch this demon.”


“Why!?” Blood screamed as he looked into his father’s face, his skin had grown pale. A wind grew and blew across his face, his skin was scoured loose from its mooring, The bones became visible, beneath his skin. The blood slowly began to move more slowly.


This wind caressed his skin, the flakes of skin were lifted off his body. Blood wept he knew the significance of this happening. The skin was gone when the wind stopped blowing. The only thing that remained there was his bones, and his organs were exposed to the air. His heart still beats.


‘Why?” Blood screamed at the bones and organs of his father.

Suddenly a blinding light blossomed out of his father’s chest, he had to close his eyes with his eyes closed he saw a huge castle shrouded in shadow. There were huge storm clouds overhead that made it exceptionally dark, along with a rain which accompanied it. This rain made it nearly impossible to see through, but he did know that there was a huge castle which will be there when a storm front arrived.

His blood ran cold. He shivered as if he feeling a chill in the air. He had seen images of this castle before hand in his dreams as he grew up. He saw the enemy attack the occupants of this castle, he approached the attackers, and the castle as he advanced toward the castle. One of their soldiers would see them arrive, they would turn about to attack Blood’s force as they had each time, he dreamt of it occurring. This had happened, it seemed as if this was ordained to happen.


He recognised the castle as being the one he saw in his dreams and recalled from the stories that his father told him of it. He had walked toward this region with his father and the people in his group; there were only ruins that he saw when he walked through this area. Skeletons dressed in armor littered the interior.


The attackers wore armor with surcoats of skulls having flames in their eye sockets, beneath the skull were flames as well. They carried with them maces, spears, swords, and bows.


These soldiers were no one that Blood knew, he had his soldiers with him. The group attacking the castle, took no notice of them until they were beside them. One of them turned to face Blood’s army, this being lifted his sword to attack Blood’s army. Then the others tried to face them as well.


Rain lashed his face as he looked to the east, in the mist he saw a shadow of a castle. It looked as if it was not there, but his eyes told him it was there. This castle grew in size and appearance. It was there. He saw it, but knew nothing was there. He stumbled toward it with the people he had chosen for this task.


, “You will see a castle long from now. It will be within your dreams if I may call them that.. He laughed, he looked away from me when he said it. It was almost as if he was frightened of what he wanted to tell me. He continued, after a time, “This castle was as I remember it. You will see it as I saw it. The storm will show itself to be revealed within. The portcullis will be raised and the interior will look almost as if it hadn’t happened yet. A siege will not have ended yet.”


The soldiers he chose were versed in combat. They walked through the roads that led to where this castle was in its time. The rain exploded and burst upon them. Lightning lashed the sky with its light. Thunder roared, deafening them. The light allowed them to see clearly through the blinding rain. They turned around a slope of the mountain.


They saw soldiers charging toward the castles, they wore armor that looked like Caca’s own choice of armor, and they were using advanced weapons when Blood chose these soldiers who were attacking the occupants of the castle,


One of these soldiers noticed the Blood’s forces coming here. This man screamed and turned to face Blood’s unit. A bowman lifted his crossbow to fire the bolt at this man as the others turned to face the forces of Blood. The bolt caught him in the chest he toppled. The force began to attack Blood.


The enemy attacked and lifted their weapons to attack Blood. The enemy drew up their swords clubs to swing at them,from the air came crossbows bolts and arrows to rain down on Blood’s army.


Amid the confusion the enemy allowed Blood and three of his men made it inside. Blood saw what he had seen in his dreams. Having seen the attack on the castle. He walked toward the chamber where he was supposed to go.


He turned to the right to avoid being caught in the battle, bodies had fallen beneath the defender’s attack and the people desiring to claim this castle. An arrow sped toward Blood himself, he leaned out of its path catching one of his men in the face. He fell. Blood leaped at the bowman, knocking him from his feet. The man fell onto his back. He drove a dagger into the bowman’s stomach.


Blood rolled off of him. Dodging a boot headed for his head, he drove the dagger into this person’s Achilles, The boot connected to the floor, and the man toppled from his feet to fall onto his face.


Another one of Blood’s people caught a sword with his sword. He struggled and had the enemy lose his sword. The soldier drove a heavy right into the man’s face crushing his nose. The man webt down in pool of blood.


You could not miss the sound of the swords of weapons crashing into their weapons or bodies or limbs falling away from them, along with battle cries that were screamed to goad the enemy on in their attacks. Bodies toppled.


Blood and two of his force made it into a huge room. The floor had blood weapons of the combatants there along with their bodies,


Blood evaded a sword thrust from a combatant aiming for his neck. Blood turned about to kick the man in the face. The man dropped his sword, Blood drew up his sword to strike the man across the shoulder, The arm fell off his body.


There sat a table in the middle with a goblet overturned on it. There were tomes about the table. Some of which lay open on the table. Some tomes were on various shelves and also there hung pinnions from the rafters. A short man looked up at Blood as he had made it here. The man stopped back as though afraid of what he was doing. The man was dressed in armor with a falcon driving on its prey, blood ran from its talons. His hands were in gauntlets, he had a hood of mail and a skullcap on it. The man’s eyes were large, he opened his mouth to speak. He fidgited about as if to draw up a weapon to defend himself until he saw the surcoat that Blood wore. He paused a moment and said,”It is good, that you made it here!”.


The short man looked up at Blood as he had made it here. The man stepped back as though afraid of who he was seeing. He looked away from Blood towering over him, His hands trembled, and tried to speak instead he coughed for a few moments.


The room stank of decaying insects crawling and flew away from Blood’s boots coming toward them. Maggots crawled out of the open exposed bleeding flesh, and the skin of the diseased looked black, where the wound was that is. A green fluid ram from these wounds on these bodies, spears, and arrows protruded from them, where arrows could find a hole in the mail. Gashes were on their arms, and legs a few had been beheaded. Blood had spilled across the floor. There stood a man who looked at Blood and he drew up a blunderbuss.


Blood dove toward the man knocking his feet out from under him. The blunderbuss toppled out of his hands.



“Why are you here?” the man said as he pulled himself up from the floor.


“I was told to come here. My father said, “I would come here to gain something from this castle to present to my people, that I should be their Pope. I have been sent here. The castle will fall.””,.Blood said as he looked at the man.


“How am I to know, that you have been sent here by the Pope of Callas people,”, the man said as he looked at Blood as he climbed to his feet, he looked at Blood,


“How will you know this..” Blood asked as he looked at the man, her felt he was there with the person he was to see. Blood felt fear crawl across his body to take residence in his mind, he was fearful that he had made a mistake allowing the man to live. Until he saw the ring on his finger, it had looked like his father’s own. It vanished from his person as he died.


“He will have an image of a man with a sword over his head running with fluid and a face with a cloth over his eyes on his wrist, which has been there since he was born. His father also had this marking on his skin,” the man said.


:”I do have that on my arm. I will show it to you!”, Blood declared as he climbed to his feet.


The man toppled onto his back. He disintegrated all that remained was a ring, This ring began to glow with great light, and heat poured off of it. The room became so hot, and scrolls on the table burst into thick flames, smoked poured off the parchment to crawl into the air.The chamber was clear of damage aside from the dried blood, bodies and the scorching heat of the ring. The room stank from the sight of death.


Blood felt he must get to this ring. He felt as if he was burning. He heard his father bellow, “You must get that ring, You have too. Do not fail your people for not doing this!”


He charged toward the ring. He struggled to fight off the fear of being burned, but he had seen this very ring on his father’s finger.


He reached out as he touched the ring. The heat seemed to have fallen as there wasn’t a great deal of heat coming off of the ring. He knew that he saw flames and white smike rise off the ring. His hand had fallen upon it. He knew he witnessed a fire and smoke oozing between his fingers. He lifted his hand up to put the ring on, it looked larger than his own finger’s width.


Blood heard a woman’s voice say to him, “Put it on your finger. Never let it go. You are the one!”


Blood lifted the ring from the powder that had been this man. He cringed as he put it on. Blood felt it burn his flesh. He raced away from the room, some sounds availed his ears, it sounded like the beams had fallen. As soon as he came out of the chamber, the ceiling came down and crushed whatever was there.


Blood woke, he found that he had been able to be alive. He stood just outside of the ruins, Grass grew across what had been the road that he and his unit walked across beforehand. There was an indication of the storm that burst here three days ago. Blood found that there was one soldier who remained. The others did not exist. They vanished from his group of soldiers.

####

”Your Holiness` Blood, the message you sent has been answered. The news, I believe, is dire. The castle you suspected to have a heretic has been found in the land of Kyca, it is the woman who holds the throne there. Is not the rightful person there. She was put there by the vice regent. Who we had been warned of.” the elderly man said as he looked into Blood’s eyes.


“I now, know thi s to be true,” ,Blood said.


“The people of realm were aware of his desire to put someone on this very throne. With rumors of factions desiring to kill the true Queen Marissa. On their first attempt the king sent her away from the castle. He said this to protect her from these people. Who desired to do this?”, the elderly man said, as he drew his breath his voice wavered a bit as he said this.

Blood knew this man, he was relieved upon seeing him, he smiled gently, his face was a mass of lines, thanks to his age and what he had experienced in his lifetime. His nose was large, his lips were thin, and they looked almost bloodless, if you looked into his eyes you would swear that they were ablaze with a red fire. He was portly in size.



Blood lifted his drink and launched its contents at the nearest wall, he knew this would happen. He tried to reason with the king there when he told him of this possibly happening, But the king did not listen, he didn’t believed what Blood told him.

H

The vice regent had proof that his Queen had been placed underattack. He has witnesses to verify his statement. Helter decided to send his Queen away from the kingdom of Cacletmuch to protect her from the people who wanted to kill her.


####

Olivia was in control of the kingdom along with Mutta. From what he knew by what his god disclosed, she was dealing with the devil. She had made a compact with this devil by killing a virgin and drinking her blood. She moved with the grace of a hawk, she smiled as she looked at the woman who entered her boudoir. The woman was shapely, she waltzed into her arms,


Oliva had been interested in reading, She desired to have power herself, she was identical to her sister. Her eyes were brown, her hair was curly and it fell to her hips, her eyelids were colored with gold powder, her nose was pert, lips were full. Her form was voluptuous, In her hands she held a staff that was the king’s own.


After he gave her the throne to sit in. Her hands were held in long cocktail gloves. Her choice was a red sequined affair, along with a gown of a similar design. Her eyes wandered to the females that she desired to her bed.


Olivia was involved in discussing with the other noble’s from outer lying communities to gain more power, for her people. Alos there were rumors that she wanted to talk with the dead. Blood knew, that this would not be good news. It all depended upon who she wished to talk to. He had sent the minions of hid god to her address to find out, but he was unable to do this. She had done something to keep his minions out of the boudoir where she was trying to do do this. He was afraid iof what she was doing there/


Mutta had a hand in this matter as well. His hair was long and black as a raven’s wing was in a widows peak, his brow had deep furrows in it, His brows were thin as a dagger’s edge, his eyes sat recessed into his face, with a thick nose, and along with lips equally as thin as his brow.


His hand caressed the pommel of his dirk that he so often carried with him. The pommel was brown, with an orb at the end of ithe pommel and a thick guard on the other side. The scabbard was seven inches in length.

####

The Vice Regent Mutta had made some deals with other people, Blood remembered a dream when he was told that Helter had decided to take her sister away from the Cikia to protect her. He witnessed in his dream, a man with a goatee walking into a tavern he sat down to speak with a woman

.

This woman he saw her waist was exposed revealed scales below. He suspected she having a serpent-like body there. Her eyes had elliptical pupils, her hands were that of an old woman's and her nose was almost invisible to be seen. Blood did not know what she was, he suspected that she was a being from Hades.


She had a strange necklace made of black skulls as beads. Her hands were those of an old woman. She handed him a scroll, Blood tried to see the seal, Jerucka was also trying to allow him to see the seal, and he made out some image of it. It looked as if there was an image of a shapely woman with a staff of a skull in her hands.


She drew Mutta’s hand towards her own, her nails were almost six inches, the nails were colored in a deep red hue, her ears were pointed, and wore a long skirt. She smiled as Mutta walked toward her, and he sat down.


She lifted a hand up to take something out of her purse, she drew a thin twig-like object out and it was without any bends in it. She leaned toward the lit candle, to put the twig into the flame, Smoke began to climb up from the twig, she moved it to her lips. She drew in a breath and smiled.


Blood did not recognize anyone with pointed ears aside from her. where she had come from. Blood did not know. He questioned,who was she? Where had she come from?

Knew that she had with her a means to allow the demon to be there, he knew this


Blood was aware of this having happened. But he could not have Helter didn’t know or believe in what he was saying to him. When he tried to send the information to Helter who refused to hear him. When he had sent one of his God’s minions to him. Helter believed that it was a daemon sent here by Caca instead of Blood.


He did not believe that the Vice Regent would do such a thing as this. He glared at the aid who gave him the information thanks to the document he was looking over.


From what Helter was aware of the kingdom trying to make pacts with other kingdoms. These Kingdoms whom they have been allied with for a good many year to not be there. Helter had heard that there were posters of wants and warrants on trees showing nobles of the other kingdoms that they had as their friends. Some of these warrants suggested that they should be tried for heresy.


Helter knew that they did not do this. What were Mutta and Olivia doing? There were messages sent by eagles to the Caca,

####

Blood witnessed this in his dreams, he had read letters that described Olivia’s behavior he could not allow this to continue, he had to have the kingdom remain out of the grasp of anyone who dabbled in these fields of study. He knew that they were dealing in the black arts. He could ill afford for this kingdom to fall into the hands of Cala and Melitica.


He knew he had to send someone there to allow the order to be reinstated for the kinghdom. Helter has taken notice of what he has said. He knew, just the man. Sir Grey was a muscular man, his hair was black falling to his shoulder, it had a lock over his right eye, there was a beard that had grown across his nose and neck, His nose was hooked like an eagle’s own. His eyes were in shade of his huge brow rising above his eyes, which were haze in color, he wore a breastplate of Blood. On his waist was a blunderbuss, and a sword. He was formidable in scale. His judgment is profound, he knew how to defend himself. He dabbled in removing heretics and the demons as well. He was at the moment honing his sword’s keen edge with his stone.

####

The true Queen of Cikia Marissa has been looking into the eyes of Grey, who at the moment had been given the scrolls from his master

.

Blood looked into his eyes and said, “You will not fail me. Will you. You are to place the woman who is acting as the Queen for doing what she has been charged with Heresy… Mukka has had a hand in this matter, I am afraid.”


“Are you sure of this happening?” Grey questioned, his hands were wet with the sweat. He looked into Blood;s eyes, he stared at the girl whom he thought was simply a Lady. Now, he knew that she was a Queen. He did not know this until now.


She looked away from Grey’s eyes, he knew that she should be the Queen of the kingdom. Helter took her away eight years ago. She thought she knew enough to allow the king to have safety that she could offer there. She was unaware that Helter was not aware of this happening yet.


Marissa’s mouth had grown dry, she closed her hands, as she tried to figure out what was happening there. Marissa gnawed on her lower lip. Her eyes were brown, her hair fell to hips, she was voluptuous. She looked worried, her hands felt cold as the moisture flowed there.

She trembled as she thought about it. She remembered a dream she had seen, “Shapely woman took a woman who looked like her. This woman withdrew a serpent from her bag. The serpent slithered across the naked form of this woman.


Marissa screamed as she saw this happen. The serpent lifted its head up to the beautiful woman.


She did not have any qualms about taking the throne, but what was Blood saying about Oliva was acting as a heretic, what has she done? Olivia did not dabble in witchcraft. Of course, she feared the wrath of the church as she should.


Olivia knew what they would do now. What was he talking about?



“The kingdom has been underattack by Mukka and the false Queen Olivia. who had been appointed by Heltera to the throne. Do you understand me?” Blood asked.

####

The Helter at the moment was deep in the dark woods. They were watching the force of Jerata approach, there came cries that startled the soldiers of Helter, suddenly a huge fire blossomed in the woods. The enemy raced out into the midst of Hakter’s force attacking all..


They vanished and reappeared with the flashes of fire that blazed there. When Jarata’s people appeared there came other beings some of these had blue skin that glowed with unholy flames that engulfed them. The blue beings had massive muscles, their maws were filled with fangs. These hands could hold a human’s head in its entirety with ease. One of these beings swung a hand at a steed. It chopped the horse in half, its entrails fell out and spread across the woods.


There were four of them, Helter hit one of these beings in the head. The sword bounced off its head, the sword cut through its skin. The skull was visible or so Helter’s unit believed it to be the skull was gray. Its face now had one eye visible, it lifted its hand up to pull off the skin that had fallen from its face. It sent its other hand to attack the man who had hit him.


There had come from where he stood a great deal of flame there. Helter drew back from the heat that assailed his body. It was the first time that he was attacked by it. The hand barely missed him, it smashed through a tree. The tree crashed into the ground scattering the soldiers there from where they had been.


The bowmans fired their crossbows at the blue beings. They attacked them without fear. This was the first time Hakter had seen the beings who attacked them. It was not a surprise that they had been attacked by this force. There had been rumors of them being here in these woods, there were patches that were there made by some type of being that could be human-like.