"And out of his eyes two great tears rolled, like stones, and he died."

- Jon Silkin, "Death of a Son"

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Soundtrack of the chapter: Nightmare's End by Trevor Morris

Media: More legions of doom!

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Chapter Thirty-Five: Farewell ( Part I)

Eli didn't sleep that night. He couldn't. His eyes kept on flickering between the mountain passageways leading to the Hall of Games, hoping to see more help coming their way. The flanks and sharp spears of the undead army was blinding in the silvery light, reminding Eli about their fate when the sun rises. Dawn was so close, he could almost feel a spear of the undead going right through his own chest.

He shook his head hard. Sleep deprivation and anxiety was playing tricks with his mind.

Again, he glanced out to the distance. The Oracles and the other Starlets murmured uncertainly. Slowly, but surely, the sun started making its ascend, breaking through the bonds of the night and setting the sky ablaze with golden fire.

Something shifted in the mass of silver and white-a dark someone rode out from his army. Jasper was clad in full Walker armor-silver pauldrons and breastplates, dark flowing cloak trailing at the back. His chain mail clinked against each other, a melodious sound to warrior ears. Eli frowned. Jasper didn't have a single blade on him, not even a tiny sword. His sharp eyes, however, noted how his right hand would slide over to a dark leather pouch hanging by his belt.

Jasper titled his head, dark eyes flashing. "Your time is up, Oracles. Do you surrender?"

Eli drew himself up to his full height, standing tall so that the morning sun reflected across his golden curls. He would not give Jasper the pleasure of seeing the Oracles as weak Starlets, and his subjects shared his thoughts.

"We will not surrender."

The Oracles broke into loud cheers, dowsing the miserable atmosphere that lingered not too long ago.

The sneer on Jasper's face was bloodcurdling. "So be it."

He clicked his fingers. Everything happened at once. The first few rows of skeletons charged. The archers positioned at the gate tower and the battlements let their arrow loose. The song of arrows flying from bows and swords sliding clear of their sheaths was intoxicating. To the Oracles' horror, the arrows zipped through the skeletons, leaving them unharmed. The arrows were made to take down living opponents, to pierce organs and rip flesh, not on undead enemies.

Eli waved his hands. Huge chunks of stone were tipped down from the machicolations. The giant boulders groaned, crushing the skeletons. The crunch of bones was deafening. Seeing how easily the enemy was crushed, the Starlets within the Hall broke into loud cheering, some even hugging each other.

Jasper stared on, unmoving, expressionless, his hand still resting on his hip.

It cost the Oracles precious time to realize their mistake.

The legions of doom suddenly parted into two neat rows. A horrible cry sounded. The earth started quaking, shaking trees and sending rocks flying. A silhouette made its way from the rising dust. When the brown fog settled, Eli found himself staring at a Decanate so monstrous, anyone would put out their eyes. No, he thought. The carcass of a Decanate.

It was as big as an elephant. Glowing black tusks were thrust out from its thick armor. Thick shadowy fur ran down its face and across its hide. It had no ordinary tail. In where a tail would have ended sharply, a mace replaced it. The Celestite tipped arrows and spears protruding from its back told the story of how it went down. But those were no use any more, this beast was more dead than before. Celestite did not hurt the dead.

With a shattering bellow, the Decanate charged toward the portcullis. Faster and faster it ran, trembling the earth and destroying stones. Before the Oracles stationed at the guard tower could react, the Decanate had plunged head-first into the metal grating, crushing them like flowers in a child's hands. It roared, throwing up its head, sending the ruined portcullis flying. Screams ensued as the Oracles went down, crushed under the powerful feet of the elephantine Decanate.

Jasper raised his hand in a forward motion. His deadly army unsheathed their weapons at the same time and charged. The Oracles and the small army sent from the Hall of Games went to meet them. Blades rose and fell, as did bodies and blood. The skeletal army showed no mercy, hacking down at whoever that got in the way. The Oracles thrust and parred, wounding the enemy as a normal man should. But the skeletal army had no flesh to wound and no organs to spill. Sharp blades found empty air among their dirty ribs, followed by gasps of surprise which was rewarded by a stab in the back.

The last Walker was an impressive sight. He leaped down from his shadowy stallion and threw out his hands. Cards. Tens of golden cards shot out from his waist pouch and hovered in the air. He curved his fingers, sending lazy flicks here and there. The cards zoomed forward with savage precision, decapitating the unlucky Starlets either brave or stupid enough to challenge him.

The Gilded Tarot. So the rumors were real after all.

Eli ducked out of the chaos. He must get to his grandfather. The image of his grandfather lying unblinking in his bed, still lost in shock ripped his heart. He must get to him before Jasper did. He would kill him without even blinking.

*****

"Be careful," Zoroth warned as Cady shot through the corridors, her Celestial Blade held lofted. The shadows were just an arm's breadth away, ready to come when summoned. So far, the strong walls of the Hall held, the undead army has yet to make entrance into the Hall of Spirits.

Even from inside, Cady could hear the commotion outside-the clash of steel against steel, the cries of pain. Eli had warned her specifically not to wander outside. She ground her teeth. What use was she inside the Hall when she was supposed to be outside fighting? She was not a useless Starlet. Cady had her arms and legs, a clear mind and her Affinities.

She wanted to fight. More specifically, she wanted to take down Jasper herself.

Cady turned around. She heard footsteps. She ducked behind a large pillar just as the person came into view. Eli, clad in light armor, threw open the doors of a chamber she had been leaning on just now and rushed inside. His limp was so prominent, he hunched under the effort to keep going in both his armor and speed.

About five seconds later, she heard more footsteps. Unlike Eli's which were heavy, this was light, like a dragonfly threading on water. Cady flattened her body against the pillar, as if she could somehow blend into the rock. Shadows slide over her, lending her disguise in the dark corner.

Jasper appeared and swept into the room. She muffled the gasp coming out of her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest, a constant hammer against her ribs.

Jasper.

As quietly as she could, she inched toward the room. The doors were ajar, so she hid behind one of the panels and peeked.

Raphine Sanguinis sat on the royal-blue bed, his eyes open and glassy, his balding head shining. Eli knelt next to him, his hands around his arm, talking frantically. "Grandfather," he pleaded. "You need to leave now."

"Running away, are we?" Jasper's cold voice sliced the air. "How very predictable."

Eli leaped to his feet as though scalded. He glared at Jasper, his hands flying to his scabbard.

"Don't even bother," Jasper said. "You and I know who will be the winner."

Cady missed his voice. The rich velvet tone to it, dark and deep, just like the person he was.

"What do you want?" Eli hissed, pure venom dripping from his words. "You've already broken through our wards, killed all the Oracles out there. What else do you want?"

Jasper laughed, pointing a finger at Raphine. "He is mine."

"No." Eli flung himself between his grandfather and Jasper. "You would never hurt a defenseless man."

The other boy stared at Eli for a whole moment before he doubled over, laughing like there was no tomorrow. Cady's heart lurched. Jasper had never laughed like that. It was as if the man before her had changed into a maniacal beast, something she didn't even recognize anymore.

"Defenseless?" he snorted. "How dare you talk noble to me when this wretched demon had taken away thousands of innocent lives, defenseless like he is now."

"His life is not worth the kill," Eli continued with a steely determination. "What can you gain from killing him? Revenge? Is that really what you think will make you feel better?"

"Shut up!" Jasper roared. "You Oracles never know what it is like, growing up in shame and hate, shunned by every single living being in Esvanira. You, Elijah Sanguinis, grew up in the limelight, the most precious jewel of the entire Hall of Spirits. While your people lavish you with love and riches, I, the last Walker, was out there struggling just to survive, fighting even for a single breath of air. You have no right to tell me what I want."

"The Walkers started the Great War!" Eli lashed out. "What happened in the past, is the past. You can't solve anything by killing!"

Jasper's face suddenly turned smooth-like the surface of the rock. Even from the side, Cady could tell that his lips were lifted at the right side-his usual grin.

"Do you want to hear a secret?" he said.

Eli's brows furrowed. "What?"

"A secret," Jasper repeated. "I want to tell you a secret."

"This is no time for games, Jasper." Eli's tone was tired.

"I believe you love someone in the Hall, someone with a head of fire and eyes like emeralds."

"You mean Cady?"

The boy with dark eyes and hair clapped his hands together. "Clever."

Cady felt her heart plummet into a deep abyss. No.

"Cady is a Walker," Jasper said. "I thought you would want to know."

Eli staggered, his hand caught the bed stand and he steadied himself. His breathing came out ragged, as if he was suffering from a daze.

"No," Eli said. "She's an Oracle. I saw her tattoo with my own eyes."

"Eyes can be deceiving." Jasper unclasped his arm guard and let it drop. His tattoo, carrying the flowery details of the Oracles was still visible. He spat on his hand and rubbed his arm, hard. Cady's eyes widened. The paint came off easily like how water would wash sand off the beach. Under the thick cream, were the undeniable lines of a Walker's tattoo, running across each other before finally forming a perfect circle in the middle.

"I hid her tattoo," Jasper said. "You have no idea how scared she was of this place, how afraid she was of you."

Eli shook his head, his golden hair flying everywhere. "No," he moaned. "It can't be!"

"Shocking isn't it, how someone you love is a Walker scum. I do feel so sorry for you."

Jasper strode forward and clicked his fingers. A single gold card skimmed from his pouch and danced across his fingers-Death.

"Move aside, silly Oracle. I don't want to kill you. Let me have this bastard."

Eli remained as solid as ever, his arms spread wide, standing like a human shield before Raphine Sanguinis. "Never. You'll have to go through me first."

Cady saw a flicker of hesitation dance in Jasper's dark eyes. But it was merely a flicker, it passed away in an instant. He shrugged. "I'm flexible."

He hurled the card at Eli just as Cady screamed NO!

The card sliced through two beating hearts and embedded itself deep into Raphine's. Eli froze, the look of disbelief written across his face. He looked down at his own bleeding chest, said oh and his eyes rolled backwards. Eli crumpled into a messy heap by the bed.

"Eli!" His name tore from Cady's throat as she bounded forward, no longer caring whether Jasper was in the room. She fell to her knees beside Eli, cradling his head. Warm blood oozed out from the corners of his mouth and the wound in his chest. She pressed her hands against his wound, trying to staunch it. The shadows roared by her ears, but she couldn't use them to save Eli. He was no Walker. "Eli!" she heard herself scream. "Talk to me!"

He didn't reply. His eyes stared ahead, glassy and unfocused. Cady shook his arms, as if she could somehow rattle him awake.

The High Priest of the Hall of Spirits was dead.

*****

A/N

And so he lived, and so he died. There is always a price for war and often the price is higher than we could afford to pay.

I'm sensing a rebellion. I'm going to hide in my bomb bunker. Good luck finding me. *vanishes*

Shrimps,

Stef