The Madness of Men

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The Madness of Men

Posted By on 06-Feb-2004

"It's the laughing, you see?" The guard was disheveled. His clothes were torn and bloody, his eyes set deep in their sockets, his skin covered with grit and his hair matted and greasy. He reeked of filth, and smiled to reveal teeth that were stained brown from neglect. He swayed from side to side in constant motion, eyes darting toward the walls of the hall and the shadows cast against them.

Elysa recognized him still through the grime and stenchRoderick Largent, once a member of her castle guard. He had been assigned to investigate the disappearances on Marae Lassel, went missing two months prior, and was found preaching in Zaikhal only a few hours ago. He stood before her now, flanked by two guards who watched him with wary eyes. She felt pity.

"Roderick, where have you been, what did you see?" she asked in a quiet and steady voice, trying to calm him down.

Roderick's eyes locked onto hers. Now his demeanor changedhe stood tall and stopped shifting. No more laughter, no more smile, only ice-blue eyes staring through her. The room seemed to warp; sound and light bent in awkward directions as he began to speak.

"I have seen the end. I have seen the coming of a tide that shall scour the face of this world and wipe clean the prophecies of the golden age. There will be a call to children who were forgotten, buried and lost. Their wrath shall be barbed with poison that courses through the veins of the world, and all shall rot. Auberean is forsaken by the light and so it shall be consumed." He cackled madly, but his lips did not move; his eyes still held hers in place and the room slowly turned dark. "First, there shall be a time of respite. The shadow will creep through its halls, falling silent but working, ever vigilant, while the warped souls of man are drawn closer to its call. The halls of the frozen city will be strengthened, a place of battle shall cull the weak from the land, Ispar will turn against Ispar. The heavens will break and a scream both holy and unholy will shatter a barrier that has long protected us all."

Flames burst up behind Roderick, and his crazed eyes bore through Elysa like knives. The wound in her back throbbed and the sound of blood roared in her ears.

"You ask me what I have seen? I have seen the folly of sending the Lightbringer away. Now the darkness shall grow, unchecked, unabated. You are the architect of this world's demise! Damned is your name!" The laughter began again and Elysa screamed in defiance.

*****

When she woke, Antius placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Antius, recall all those investigating the Raven Hand." She touched her hand to one of his as she tossed the covers aside. "I need reports from all the cities, I need to know of anything strange that has happened there, anything that is¬ right." She pulled herself out of bed and moved towards her armor. "Get anyone that we sent to that damned island back here!"

Antius rubbed his face and ran a hand through his hair, "Elysa, where are you going?"

"The city of ice." She looked back at the bed, but he was no longer there. Across the room, he shouldered his armor. Elysa smiled, despite herself. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you," he said.

"No, I need you to get me those reports, and bring our scouts back home." She strapped on one pauldron, then the other. "I'll take a group of guards with me. Please, Antius."

Antius nodded with resignation. There was no arguing with her once she had made up her mind. But even his confidence in her could not completely erase the worry. Heand Isparhad almost lost her once. "Be careful."

She smiled, "Always."

File:The Madness of Men 1.jpg	File:The Madness of Men 2.jpg
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