Chapter V

Halfman Call Interruption

The springs in Eruption were starting to change in color. So far, the occational cascades had been more or less clear, but now it was growing darker. Salna Hindsight was the first to notice.

"The springs are growing muddy, and the sky is turning cloudy," he said. In an instant, the Sneak clan had dug up furs and pelts which they cast over themselves and each other to stay warm and alert.

"The Abominant are breaking free," Ranzier stated. "Finally. Now we can put an end to them."

"How?" Matallan asked.

Echra Talonfist now spoke: "We can't hurt them in their own prison, they were put there forever, and would forever remain there, despite aging and dying. But as this form of living ghosts, they are able to leave, once they've outgrown the magic seal. Time's up. They're vulnerable. But they're out."

"Actually, they're still just preparing to come out, but I suppose the one you encountered, Marrack and Solo, is preparing for her army to march out of the caves," Eithra said.

"How are they vulnerable?" Solo asked.

"Everything has a weakness," Echra replied. "I believe we know enough to figure theirs out."

"You must first determine which is the third clan under her command?" Wy asked. "I don't like your clans, but I find it doubtful it is one of you. Yet, we must consider this possible."

Skefub agreed. "We don't know whom we can trust, if it's possible it is one of us."

"If we knew where they were, we could ask the Blacksong clan," Echra said. Everyone's eyes turn to him. "The Blacksong clan is a legend, but if it was true, they would know. They supposedly read minds, hearts, eyes, something, to see through people's facades... In short, they know you better than you do yourself. And they are supposed to have spies everywhere. If we were to find even one of them, he or she could prove it is so, and tell us who the traitor is."

"But we don't know where they are," his sister pointed out.

It was a dead end. If the Blacksong clan didn't exist, it didn't matter, but if it did... They wanted to know, they needed to know which clan was the traitors, and which was the third clan under Aynaruan's command. But no-one knew. Everyone was silent.

"Halfman Call," Shareth Pincer broke the silence. All eyes turned to him. "We know where they are."

As time passed, the day was growing darker and darker. Messengers to every clan had been sent out, and the leaders now remained, trying to make out whom they could trust to visit the Blacksong. It was s difficult topic.

Every clan trusted their own.

Serneir had become concerned about the darkness, and sent a messenger back to their territory to report the progress, and the things they had learned. He was distracted from the debate, and easily chose not to pursue any involvement in the mission. With that, other clans chose to appear as noble and wise, and also left their involvement.

Eventually they came to an agreement. Marrack and Solo they trusted, even though most clans didn't seem to like the idea of an Athaleran in their lands. The Treejumpers were not suspects of anything. Ranzier they trusted not to aid the Banished in any way.

"This should be the company," Wy stated. "Marrack Wolveneye, Solo, Treejumper Siwid, and myself, and should Stormflier Ranzier chose kindly to join us..."

"Not a chance," he spat while Wy was still speaking. Wy had expected that, and finished his sentance.

"...We would be a party of five, but no. Pincer will of course tell us where the Nightsong clan is, so we can venture there without having to wait for anyone, and get this over with as fast as we can."

"That I will," Shareth Pincer said. "But how do you know to trust me?" he replied.

Marrack replied: "Actually we don't, but hey... I've lived through the Old Forest, I've lived through a Curseland gate, I've lived through the friggin' tunnel forth and back, I've lived through Aynaruan and her goons... What can you throw at me that would match these?"

"You make a valid point, Wolveneye," Shareth stated. "I have drawn a map while you were debating who was going to go. I do not know if this is what you see from the air, but this is the area as I know it."

Marrack grabbed the parchment Shareth had been holding in his large hands. "Looks okay to me," Marrack said without looking at it and passed it on to Wy.

All of a sudden, the ground cracked up, and smoke poured out of the largest crack, at some distance from Eruption. Thick black smoke, completely shutting the light of the sun out.

"It's magic," Wy calmly stated. "She's coming."

In a moment, the Nightsinger forces started welling out of the hole. At the first slight breath of wind, Ranzier kicked himself off the ground, flapped his wings, and prepared to attack, his weapon drawn. He used a spear- or forklike weapon, ideal from picking at things from the air. He also had a large sword hanging from his belt, it had a one-sided blade; it was very lethal looking weapons.

Serneir wanted to use his artificial wings, but found that he lacked the wind to fight from the air. Instead, he drew his weapon, a long spearlike thing, that he carried on his back. It wasn't that unlike Ranzier's.

The various escorts grabbed their weapons, each showing their own style of fighting. The Sneak had gauntlets with spikes. The Paws had huge maces and clubs, well crafted and balanced, but huge and deadly. The Pincer only put on gloves and their helmets.

The Hindsight chose to flee. They weren't warriors anyway. Those of the Vixen clan hauled out their pikes and spears, while the Wolveneye clan were putting on their claws. The Talonfist quickly got their armors, then the axes they used. It was a strange sight, to see the calm Talonfist rulers and scholars wield long axes and other chopping or slicing blades. Echra even swung a flail with three small morning stars hanging from a long chain.

Siwid led Marrack and Solo to the stables, and the Treejumper swung himself straight to the second floor with squirrel-like agility and jump strength. Marrack and Solo were forced to take the stairs. Wy was waiting with Siwid on the upper level. The dragonflies, though, were reluctant to fly, as they couldn't quite see all that much.

As they finally got off the ground, Marrack spotted a figure wearing a smoking skull. The smoke was white, and so, he knew something was strange about it. It wasn't what caused the black smoke, this was probably what allowed them to keep in touch with the still sealed Aynaruan.

On their way away, the airborne party spotted the Eruption innkeeper and his family running alongside Salna and the Hindsight escort. The soldiers of Eruption were apparently defending the stables where some steed and wagons of different kinds were.

The clan leaders were fierce warriors, it seemed, easily wiping out any Nightsingers that came too close. "Keep them away from the stables!" Aggnid Paws roared.

The ever increasing numbers of Nightsingers were overwhelming, and so the clans were forced to retreat into the stables building. Ranzier, however, kept flying around, picking at the Nightsingers that seemed to be in charge of anything. He did this while kicking down any Nightsingers that tried to jump onto him.

It didn't take long for him to spot the Nightsinger with the smoking skull, and so he fought his way closer, and picked up the skull with his spear, cracking it as he did.

"He's too low," Serneir stated. "They're gonna get him."

"Their jumps are incredible," Eithra stated, amazed, then snapped back to the moment. "You're right, Soarer. Ranzier, ascend!"

Ranzier, too proud to take orders, kept swinging his spear, while examining the skull. It was as if it talked to him, so it seemed to the others. He had frozen, just staring at it, his wings flapping slower and slower. He had landed in the midst of the Nightsingers, and they apparently now ignored him.

"He's gone," Matallan stated.

"Get me some coverfire, and I'll get him," Skeffub said to her.

The Vixen clan drew their slingshots, a contraption that looked not all unlike crossbows. It reached from their hand almost up to their shoulder. Matallan and her escort were ready. She nodded at Skeffub.

Skeffub jumped down, and bashed his way towards the winged halfman, while the Vixen clan were shooting the Nightsingers around him. The projectiles were rocks, they were fairly small and flew quickly through the air. Sometimes, the target fell to the ground. Sometimes, a Nightsinger just stopped, but being in the way of a Wolveneye didn't leave them standing for long.

Skeffub wore leather gloves, and thick gauntlets with two rows of three large tooth-like spikes. He used those both to block the swipes of the enemy, as well as to slice the enemies' weapons asunder. On occation, enemy hands and arms as well.

Left standing between Skeffub and Ranzier was the commander of the Nightsingers, the one that had put Eagath and his soldiers to their deaths, by planting the eggs of the snakelike creatures into their throats. His name was Slagoun. He now wore an armor not too unlike that of Aynaruan, built of the skeletons of various creatures.

"You're their leader," Skeffub stated.

"You're a Wolveneye," Slagoun replied.

"Get out of my way, Nightsinger."

"Make me," he replied with a grin.

Skeffub walked towards him, and the Nightsinger pulled out two long bone-handle swords. He swung one, and Skeffub blocked it. Skeffub tore it apart, but as he did, the Nightsinger slammed the other one into the Wolveneye's chest.

He quickly pulled it out, and was gonna do it again, but this time, Skeffub blocked it. He tore it to pieces as it was stuck between the spikes of his two gauntlets. As he did, he also shoved his elbow into a Nightsinger coming from behind. He then placed a well-deserved fist straight at the face of the Nightsinger commander. His skull helmet protected him little; he fell to the ground.

Skeffub also fell to the ground, bleeding.

Matallan cast a quick glance at her escort, and then, under the cover of their rapid coverfire, jumped into the horde of Nightsingers, and ran towards Skeffub and Ranzier. She shot the skull Ranzier held, so it shattered, and Ranzier snapped back to reality.

"Ranzier, get Skeffub to the stables," she told him. Ranzier, confused and not quite having returned from wherever the skull had brought his mind, took two steps, grabbed the Wolveneye, and rose from the ground.

The Vixen ran for the Nightsinger leader, Slagoun, but he had already been brought back to the hole they had come from. The Nightsingers were acting more and more erratic, some starting to attack each other, some running off, and some just lying down on the ground. They were without their leader, and the skull was shattered.

Matallan managed to swim against the flow of Nightsingers hurrying back down the hole they had come from, and once most of them had vanished, she got to the stables.

Skeffub was dead. Ranzier wasn't himself. Matallan was hurt, she hadn't even noticed how many wounds she had gotten when she ran. Several others had been injured as well.

A restless night later, the Halfman Call had gathered again.

"I think we've seen what a clan under the command of our old masters can do," Eithra Talonfist said, leading the Call. "Let me make a couple of suggestions now. First of all, we will put together a team of Wolveneye, Vixen, and Sneak, two of each, to meet up with Marrack Wolveneye. They'll report what will happen, and if possible, be of some assistance. I think it's safer if none of the clans that could be interpreted as of the sky to join."

"As to send a number of the three fastest other clans would then be more safe than to send of one only, as the clans can guard each other, if one of us would be the traitors," Matallan said.

"Yes," Eithra replied, and continued: "Also, every clan will send one or two respresenatatives to other clans. They will report back in case they find any clues to which clan is the traitors."

"This inlcudes your tribes, Ranzier and Serneir," Echra said. Serneir nodded. Ranzier wasn't paying attention. "Ranzier Stormflier..."

"I must return to my brethren," he stated.

"Would you care to listen first?" Echra asked.

"No." He rose from the Halfman Call and flew off.

"I think we should no longer assume the Stormflier clan is immune to the influence of the Old Magi," Echra stated. "Ranzier was for a long time only staring into the white skull."

"You're right, brother," Eithra said. "The Soarer clan, just as the Talonfist clan, should also be considered a potential traitor. After all, there were three clans, not two, under the command of Aynaruan. We only know a few hints to which clans she commands."

"So we can only play time until Marrack Wolveneye returns with information... Assuming he finds the Blacksong clan," Gzid stated.

"He'll find it," Shareth said. "If anyone can find them, it's the Wolveneye clan. If anyone can live through finding them, and return... It will be Marrack Wolveneye."

"I hope you're right, Pincer," Echra Talonfist said.

"What of Ranzier?" Eithra asked. "Whatever he learned when he stared into the skull must have been disturbing enough to have him leave this abrupt."

"You don't think it brainwashed him, sister?" Echra asked.

"It's possible," she said, then pulled her brother aside from the rest of the Halfman Call representatives. "I just have a hard time seeing Ranzier as the one brainwashed to join them. He'd sooner die, wouldn't he?"

"That's true," Echra replied.

"For twohundred years he's been a fanatic believer in their resurfacung, and he's had his entire domain trained to battle them."

"Isn't that even more concerning?"

"What is?"

"That he was right."

Eithra thought for a moment. "You're right. What if he was in league with them all along?"

"We have a problem either way. Even if he just saw their plan in the skull, he's probably off to do something not too carefully thought through."

"Indeed," Eithra replied.