“Up and quickly now,” Coraadrin said to Colthan, bending down to help him stand, “Your grief is warranted, but what may happen to us if Tilsitar is swayed again by the voice of her master to pursue again violence, I do not know. We must go to the new heavens for aid. I may be able to alleviate her suffering there and if not Ikata may be able to imprison her.”
Colthan stood slowly, with the aid of Coraadrin. He breathed deeply.
“You are right,” he said, drying his eyes, “I will retrieve her hammer.”
Coraadrin then made her way to Tilsitar. She still shook and faintly wept. The goddess of healing bent down and took Tilsitar up in her stone arms. The bellows woman’s body was limp against Coraadrin. She turned to Colthan.
“Perhaps my fears were unfounded,” said Coraadrin, “Still, let us away quickly.”
Thus, they set off for the new heavens.
Now Acretia had given instructions to Vorsul, her faithful commander she had sent with Tilsitar, that once the city of Irrkendgrond had been sacked, they should drive the population away from the city in whatever direction they began to flee. She ordered this to prevent the people of the city from returning swiftly to their home. Then they should return to the city so that the Lady of War herself may perform a great work of her craft that would leave the city utterly uninhabitable and desolate. Vorsul saw to it that these instructions came to pass, driving the people of the city south and west to the edge of the plateau, before returning to the city. Acretia met him and the army outside of the southernmost gate of the city.
When the army arrived, Acretia instructed five of her sourcers who had traveled with her and instructed them to each travel to the center point of each of the city’s walls. When each reached their position, they all raised their hands to the sky and began to chant in strange hidden words. Suddenly, the ground within the city’s walls began to crack and shift. Foul smelling gasses began to leak from the chasms they created. Buildings within the city collapsed into these great crevices. When the spell reached its zenith, Acretia took her raised her hands and stuck the ground before her. A great shudder went out through the earth, and the wall before her cracked. Within the walls of the city a new rift formed the greatest of the chasms within, that ran from the center of the southern most point of the city to the northern most. She had hoped that in doing this the great tower at the city center would collapse, but it was not so. Instead, the ground beneath the tower shifted so that it now leaned strangely to the east. This, though not what she intended, satisfied the Lady of War.
Her work done, she marshaled her troops and set out for her stronghold in the far north, heading north and west from the city. But when they had traveled some way across the plateau, Acretia called for a halt at the head of the army. Kneeling down, she inspected the ground.
“What is it my lady?” asked Vorsul, “Why have we stopped?”
“See here,” she gestured at the ground, “Travelers have come this way.” Acretia began following the trail. “Strange. One of them travels barefoot and at first there are two sets of footprints. But see here,” She gestured at the clumping of tracks. “A third set of tracks appears and the barefoot tracks become shallower.”
“As if someone was being carried,” said Vorsul inspecting the ground, “until they regained their strength.”
A thin, knowing smile crossed Acretia’s face. “And the boots of the person who was carried?”
“They match the make of the black armor given to Tilsitar,” replied Vorsul, stirring nervously, “She remained in the city after we destroyed it. But these tracks do not seem to come from Irrkengrond. She did not seem to be in any state to travel when we left. Since we were not given any instruction as to her fate we left her there as we pursued those who escaped the city.”
“I do not hold this against you, Vorsul,” replied Acretia, “I expected her to die in her battle with Milyos, even if she succeeded in killing him. However, I am curious as to who she is traveling with. It seems unlikely that she is traveling with citizens of the city. And perhaps she could be of use to us again. Take a detachment of cavalry and pursue them. Capture them and bring them to me.”
“Aye,” said Vorsul, “It will be so.”
Coraadrin, Colthan, and Tilsitar had been traveling south across the open plateau for a day and half when a strange rumbling sound. Together the three travelers stopped, looking back from where they had come. Tilsitar, who had regained her strength to walk, narrowed her eyes.
“I know that sound,” she said, “I heard it watching over the cavalry exercises when I sat under Acretia’s tutelage,” Turning back to the couple, fear filled her eyes. “Run!” shouted, stumbling as she pushed her weary body to flee.
Coraadrin exchanged a quick glance with Colthan before the two of them took off after the bellows woman.
Now the gods and spirits are indeed strange in their movements, but Tilsitar was weary and was soon overtaken by Coraadrin and Colthan, who slowed their pace so as to not abandon her. The thunder of hooves grew ever closer, some strange magic driving the steads ever faster. Soon thirty mounted soldiers eclipsed them, surrounding the three travelers. The horses swirled about them in a ring about twenty feet in diameter.
Vorsul guided his stead into the ring, saying, “Tilsitar! You and your companions are to come with us immediately. Your service to the Lady of War is not yet complete.”
“No… No…” said Tilsitar quietly beginning to shake, “No! I will not go back to her.” Her hands gripped her head and her eyes became wild. She sank down to the ground and Coraadrin attended to her.
Colthan raised the great hammer Heaven Maker as best he knew how, stepped between Vorsul and Tilsitar.
“She is to go with us to be healed in the New Heavens, fiend,” said Colthan, “If you are to take her, you will have to take her by force.”
A dark, snorting laugh came from Vorsul as he turned his horse to the circle of cavalry. “That can be arranged,” he called back over his shoulder, gesturing for the cavalry to begin encroaching on the three of them.
Colthan swung the great hammer wildly around him, hoping to stave off the horsemen as they came. Coraadrin was bent over the bellows woman, whispering to her, “My husband and I are not fighters, and I know that you long not to fight but I fear we may not escape if you do not help us. I doubt they would kill us but they will likely be able to take you from us for there are many of them and only the two of us.”
A faint sob came from Tilsitar, as the first of the horsemen took a pass at three. Colthan swang at him but the rider skillfully navigated his steed around the blow. The rider aimed his spear tip, and their blow crashed into Coraadrin, shattering the weapon on the enchantments of Myliayar but knocking her away from Tilsitar. The grey steed, startled by weapon breaking in his rider’s hand, reared in surprise, hooves nearly missing Tilsitar as they came down. A second and third rider came rushing into the circle now, charging Colthan.
The Host of Heaven stood his ground valiantly, striking down one rider from his stead, but the other rode straight through him, trampling the god. The great hammer was thrown from his grasp, landing near Tilsitar. Two more soldiers who had dismounted, pounced on Colthan, attempting to beat him into submission in his dazed state.
Now the first rider, who shattered his spear, stepped down from his horse and began to wrestle Tilsitar back to his comrades. Seeing this, Coraadrin leapt up from wear she had fallen before rushing to Tilsitar crashing into the soldier. The two wrestled on the ground, Coraadrin’s stone fists beating against the steel of the soldier’s helmet until it began to cave under her strength. But there was no respite, for another rider’s spear crashed into Coraddrin, again throwing her away from Tilsitar.
Tilsitar’s wild eyes followed Coraadrin as she skidded across the ground.
“Please!” the Goddess of Healing called out, “You must help us! I promise we can help you if we make it to the New Heavens! We will not let you be taken by any darkness! Not the Lady of War’s and not your Master’s!”
In a moment of silence that seemed to stretch into eternity, Tilsitar’s eyes met Coraadrin’s. Golden light flashed in Coraadrin’s eyes as she whispered, “Please… we will show you another way.”
Then the moment passed. As Tilsitar came back to herself, she saw a rider bearing down on her, meaning to trample her. She leapt aside diving onto her hammer as she did so before standing.
A great roar tore from her throat as she rose. Her hammer whirled around her, striking down the two soldiers standing over Colthan. Tilsitar’s eyes were wild as she whirled, looking to find where the next charge may come from. Colthan and Coraadrin both climbed to their feet, and with Tilsitar they all faced outward back to back watching the horses swirl around them.
“What do we do now?” asked Colthan, worry clear in his voice, “I am glad to see you fighting for us, but there are still many more riders.”
“Coraadrin,” said Tilsitar, “Can you make a great light and blind them? You need only do it for a moment.”
“Yes,” replied Coraadrin, “But we will still need to break out, and we cannot outrun the horses.”
“We won’t have to,” responded Tilsitar, as Vorsul issued commands to martial his horsemen for their next maneuver. “On my command, create your light. Cover your eyes so we are not blinded ourselves. Stay close behind me.”
The horses now came to a stop, no longer a moving wall of flesh surrounding them. Instead, the riders turned the horses inward, and began slowly encroaching on the Coraadrin, Colthan, and Tilsitar.
“Now!” cried Tilsatar covering her eyes. Colthan did the same as Coraadrin raised her hand to the sky. A great ball of piercing yellow light came coalesced in an instant, a warm aura radiating from it. Wounds healed and bruises faded in the moment that the light went out from Coraadrin’s hand, but the light served its purpose. Horses and riders cried out in pain as their eyes were seared.
“It is done,” said Coraadrin, breathless from the effort.
On hearing Coraadrin’s words Tilsitar leapt up toward the circle of horsemen. She struck down the rider in one swing, taking him off of his horse. All in the briefest of moments, Tilsitar brought the hammer around her head in a great arc, unseating the riders on either side of the first she struck down.
Colthan grabbed Coraadrin by the arm with one and snagged a loose spear with the other before rushing after Tilsitar. Together the three broke out of the ring of horsemen. As soon as she could Tilsitar shoved the couple ahead of her, before striking the ground with Heaven Maker. She poured her fire into the ground in front of her and the earth exploded upward, creating a deep trench. Two more riders were caught in the blast, dead as they tumbled off their mounts.
Vorsul, the first to recover from the blinding flash, ordered for the riders to turn and pursue their quarry. However, in their rush to comply with their commander’s instructions, four of the riders turned too rashly and their steeds stumbled into the trench. The flames of the bellows women found them there, burning their flesh.
Tilsitar then ran as fast as she could after Colthan and Coraadrin to create space between her and the remaining riders. The formation of Vorsul’s riders split around the trench, nine on either side. Tilsitar, seeing their approach, channeled her fire from within herself, flinging a flaming sphere at the riders. It flew through the air streaking past the rider at the head group approaching on Tilsitar’s right., striking one of the riders behind him. The explosion from the projectile engulfed the entirety of the rear of the formation. Only the lead rider and one other were not waylaid by this strike.
Realising that she would not have time to employ the same maneuver on the riders charging on her left headed by Vorsul, Tilsitar flung Heaven Maker at the remaining two riders on the right. The Great hammer crashed into the rider, removing him cleanly from his saddle before careening into the second rider. Now only the nine riders led by Vorsul remained.
Tilsitar closed her eyes and braced to receive the impact of Vorsul’s spear as he beared down upon her. She readied to feel the blade plunge into her side, knowing her leather shirt would only give so much protection from a spear of Acretia’s make, which undoubtedly bore enchantments that made it suitable for battling gods and spirits. But the sharp, warm sensation of the spear never came. Instead, she felt cold stone envelop her before being thrown backward. The cracking sound of a shattering spear filled the air and the thundering of house hooves surrounded her. Opening her eyes she saw Coraadrin embracing her, the wards of Myliayar placed on the healer’s stone body once again turning away weapons that the Lady of War sent to ensnare Tilsitar.
Quickly rising to her feet, Tilsitar raced to collect Heaven Maker while the cavalry turned to bear down on her again. Having retrieved the mighty hammer, she turned to face the oncoming riders, scheming how she might eliminate the remaining nine. What she saw surprised her. There were only eight, returning towards her with Vorsul at their head. In the distance she saw the body of one rider lying on the ground, spear in their chest. Colthan rushed to it and wrenched the spear free, before pursuing the riders as quickly as he could. The riders raced past Coraadrin, who was slower to rise than Tilsitar, but they paid the Goddess of Healing no mind, for their quarry was the bellows women.
Tilsitar raised Heaven Maker once more over her head, before striking the ground in front of her. But instead of pouring her fire into the ground before, she directed it in a narrow line directly in front of her. A fissure began to open in the ground and it raced toward Vorsul. The commander attempted to pull up on his reins to avoid the crevice. He did so too late, tumbling into the deep nothingness that welcomed him. The riders that flanked him peeled to the right and left so that they too would not meet their commander’s fate. They circled tentatively, unsure what to do next.
“Flee!” yelled Tilsitar, “I struck down Milyos! What foolish hope do you believe you have against me?!”
Looking between each other, one of the riders signaled with his hand that to move away from the battle. Together the six remaining riders rode past Tilsitar, spears pointed to the sky. Tilsitar turned to watch them leave. When they were some distance away, she collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. Coraadrin came to her side.
“Thank you,” Coraadrin said, voice sincere and warm as she embraced Tilsitar, “I know that you have no love of battle.”
“No…” replied Tilsitar, eyes unfocused wandering in the wide field of the great plateau. “We should go. I do not know if I will be able to fight them off again.”
Colthan now arrived with the two women.
“Come what may,” he said, “Coraadrin and I will see you through it.”
Helping Tilsitar to her feet, Colthan turned south, and the three set off for the new heavens again.
