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The Stone of Truth - Part 15

So much blood. The grass was stained by dark, sickly red. Lady Hialdan lay with a child in her arms. Only one child. Laetia rushed to her side.

"Milady," she shouted, "only one child?"

"Laetia, Zargoth was here." Corqurst was barely whispering. "Took the girl. Don't tell Shrain."

"Milady, I.."

She knew she would have to tell her Lord. If he asked, she would have to. She had no choice.

But she had.

She sank her fingernails into the nape of her neck and pulled out the seed, screaming. For a split second, the world was dark.

The men had unsaddled. Laser's body was thrown in neglect near the Lady. The traitor took the baby roughly from Lady Corqurst's arms. "It's a boy! Handsome as his father."

"I can't.. look at him. I can't look at his eyes.." moaned Corqurst.

The boy's eyes were green.

Green. Hialdan's eyes were black as the night. Her Lady's eyes were hazel.

Laetia understood. "The Wanderer," shouted the dead Kilgar in her mind. The Wanderer was the father. There was no other explanation.

Hialdan threw the baby back into his mother's arms.

"Are you through with the family emotional nonsense?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

His Highness threw back his hood.

Corqurst gasped.

"The Horseman!" shouted Laser.

"Laser! You're awake!"

"Yes, Laetia. I can't move too much. They broke my arms."

The Horseman ignored Laser Scorpian. "It is pleasant to make your acquaintance, Lady Hialdan. Unfortunately, it will have to be rather.. short."

"Lord Ward, would you attack a defensless woman?" Her Lady was making obvious efforts to speak. Laetia kneeled next to her and held her hand.

"Oh, but, my lovely Lady, you are no defenseless woman. I have brought something for you, while you can still enjoy the Stone. Here," and he took out a piece of glass.

The glass was round and shaped like a lens. Lord Ward took a few seconds to cautiously arrange it so that sunlight fell on it. The glass focused the light into a single white beam, on the Lady's chest. Another few seconds and the light entered the forehead Stone.

"Lisha, move away," commanded Hialdan. She obeyed from reflex.

Lady Hialdan gasped, wide-eyed.

"Now you can hear my thoughts, my plans," grinned the Horseman. "Is it pleasant, what you hear? Or do they sing of destruction?"

"You.. you.."

"Yes? I think that's enough." The glass was put back into the pocket and the Lady's head fell back on the tree root. "I just thought I could give you a small taste of things before I have to do.. this."

He took the Sword and stabbed Corqurst in the forehead.

"No!" Laetia screamed. "No! No! You can't! You can't!!"

"NO!!" Laser shouted and fainted. Sand raised from his talisman in fury.

The traitor held Laetia back, while blood gushed from behind the Horseman's cloak. Corqurst made no sound.

"She is.. You killed her!"

Hialdan slapped her, but she continued to moan and sob. Her Lady! Her gentle, beautiful Lady! Butchered! Dead! By that.. that monster. Her Lady.

"Milady.. Milady.."

The Horseman turned around with the Stone in his hand. The blood was dripping on the grass. "Mordrig! Chant the spell."

The sand was gathering in the air, menacing.

Her Lady! She rushed to the body. The boy was crying in his mother's dead arms. The blood had seeped onto his little hand. He coughed from the grains of sand that entered his little nose. Laetia cradled the boy, sobbing.

"You'll be all right, little one. All right, all right. Laetia will watch over you. You'll be all right.."

"The white blood of Krallan and the black blood of Krallan
Together will come to fulfil every wish."

The world was dazed in front of Laetia. She looked at Mordrig. He cut his small finger and dripped the blood onto the hilt of the sword. The black blood of Krallan. Mordrig.. Krallan? A traitor, him too. He dipped the Sword into the blood of Corqurst.

"No.." sobbed Laetia and held the baby tighter.

Mordrig took the Stone from the Horseman and fitted it into the Sword's handle. They waited. Laetia was singing softly to the baby. He had stopped crying.

"Mordrig?" asked Lord Hialdan.

"Your Highness, we have to wait longer."

"How long?"

"I don't understand why it isn't working.."

They waited.

Her baby was the most beautiful baby in the world.

"Mordrig!!"

"Your.. Highness.. maybe I need to chant the spell again.."

"You have failed!!"

Mordrig's head fell at Laetia's feet. The sandstorm shouted into Laetia's ears. Hialdan took a few steps back, trembling.

"That damned wizard tricked us! This isn't the Sword! We don't have much time before the Stone disintegrates into plain air. We need to embed it into a Krallan!"

Hialdan gestured to Laetia's arms. "Will he do?"

"He is young, but he will do.. Quick!"

Laetia tried to hold on to the baby, but the storm took him from her arms. The sand was everywhere now. In her eyes, in her ears, in her mouth. She hoped the other men felt it the same. She hoped the other men died with her.

Laser's hand. Holding her. Guiding her towards a light. Or maybe it was just.. death?

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