Chapter 22
Captives
"Emilia?" Thaddeus asked. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. It's her. His heart pounded against the wall of his chest. "Is it really you?"
The rain poured down, and a river of water rolled through the dirt streets of Rand. Lightning crept through the sky, and thunder shook the ground on which Thaddeus stood.
The figure crept toward him through the thick blanket of rain. Thaddeus was uncertain if it was Emilia who stood before him. The rains had plastered the long hair to her face, concealing her true identity. He placed his hand above his brow, shielding his eyes from the rain, squinting to get a better look.
"I have missed you, my love. You are my harp, and I am lost without your song," the woman said to him.
My harp, Thaddeus thought. Only Emilia would know the significance of the harp. It must be her.
Thaddeus ran to her like he had so many times before when returning from a short trip and longing to feel her embrace. He ran so hard that he slipped in the muddy streets, twice. The first time he got back up and tried to run to her again. The second time, however, he did not have the chance. She was upon him. He looked up to her and wrapped his large arms around her waist, burying his face into her stomach.
"I do not know how it has happened, but thank the gods it has!" Thaddeus said, weeping. "Emilia, I have missed you so."
"It was horrible, Thaddeus. The last thing I remember was our wedding and those creatures showing up. I am so glad I am finally back in your arms where I belong," Emilia told him.
Thaddeus loosened his hold of her. He pulled his face away from her rain soaked, white wedding dress.
"It cannot be you," he whispered. The gods know that I wish it were. "I watched you die. The Wizard cremated you."
"Do not wonder why, Thaddeus. Just thank the gods we are together once more. They are gods! They can do whatever they want, and they have seen it fit for us to be together once more," Emilia replied. She placed her hand under his jaw and lifted his chin. "Thaddeus, I love you."
She is right. Who am I to question the gods' will? He stood up and stared into her eyes. Bright blue. Emilia had brown eyes, not bright blue. "Who are-" he tried to ask, but a kiss silenced him.
The beating of his heart sounded like a war drum before a battle. All of his pain, his sadness, his hurt, disappeared in an instant. He pulled away and pushed the hair from her face. He stared at her in the darkness, thankful to have her in his arms once again.
A flash of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating the entire town, and Thaddeus saw her for who she really was.
"River!" he screamed. "What are you doing?"
River Tolcutt stood motionless in front of him.
"River, what are you doing? What is the meaning of this?" Thaddeus asked.
She answered with a high pitched laugh. The bones of her face twisted and contorted in a grotesque fashion. Her eyes turned white, and her ivory teeth grew black. Thaddeus tried to pull away, but the tiny woman held him by the wrists. He fought with all of his might to break free of her grip, but she held tighter, digging her nails into his flesh.
"River, let go of me!" he cried.
River cackled at the top of her lungs. She twisted his wrists and forced him onto his knees. She spoke to him, in a voice not of her own, deep and sinister. "Thaddeus, why do you fight me so? I am here to help you."
"Away from me demon!" he cried, still not able to break free from her grip.
"Thaddeus, Thaddeus, Thaddeus. I am here to make things better, if you will let me," the voice said calmly. "I can make your sadness go away. You are a broken man. That is why I have come. I come to those who need me most."
"What have you done with River?" he demanded of the demon.
"She is well. I have had a relationship with River since her parents died. She needed me," the demon told him.
"Her parents are alive and well," Thaddeus said.
"See," the demon replied. "I take the pain away. River's parents have been dead for a long time. I helped her."
"How? By deceiving her with a false reality?" Thaddeus asked as he tried to break free from its clutches. "By taking control of her?"
"I only come to her when she needs me. Does she not seem to live a normal life?" the demon asked.
"I promise you that when the Wizard shows up, he will deal with you. If not, I will take it upon myself to deliver you from this world," Thaddeus said.
"And kill River in the process? I do not think so, Thaddeus. You are fond of her," it replied. "Maybe a bit too fond, wouldn't you say?"
"Release me at once!" he demanded.
"That is what I am trying to do," the demon said. "Look into my eyes, Thaddeus. Look into my eyes and accept the release you deserve."
As hard as King Graystone tried, he could not help but to make eye contact with the demon. Its white eyes were just too obvious. As he looked into them, a sense of peace came over him. He stopped fighting. The demon gripped him around the jaw and forced his mouth open. It opened its own mouth and a neon yellow liquid spilt into Thaddeus. His skin baked like hot coals. He tingled from head to toe. The demon released its grip on him, and he collapsed to the ground. Steam rose from his body as the cold water rushed over him like a fallen log in a river. After a moment, he climbed back to his feet and took a long hard look at River.
"Emilia," Thaddeus said. "It warms my heart to see you once more."
"I am so happy, Thaddeus. We are together once more," Emilia replied.
"I promise you, my dear, that I will never let us become separated again," Thaddeus vowed.
"Oh, I hope not. I could not bear it," Emilia said, as she kissed all over his face. "There is one small problem."
"What problem?" Thaddeus asked. "Tell me, and I will deal with it."
It stared deep into his soul, strengthening the trance he was under.
"The Wizard," Emilia said, in a hush. "He will never allow us to be together."
"He will not be able to stop us from being together. You do not worry over him. I will take care of him shortly," Thaddeus told her.
"But what of the others?" she asked.
"What of them?" Thaddeus replied.
"If you harm the Wizard, we will never have peace. You must deal with them as well," Emilia said.
"What do you propose I do, my love?" he asked.
"It is hard for me to say this, but you must . . . kill them," she said.
"Anything, so as long as we are together," Thaddeus said. "I will go and see to it right now."
"Wait," Emilia called out, as he began to walk away. "We must not kill them at this moment. Shaloul needs their blood. Our love will be stronger than ever if you can somehow incapacitate them and then bleed them all at once."
"Very well. I can do anything in the name of love," Thaddeus said.
Within two hours, Thaddeus captured the entire village of Rand, his companions included. He snuck into the villagers homes, sound masked by the raging storm, and struck them in the heads with a cudgel while they slept. He then strung them up by their ankles in the branches of a large oak in the middle of the village, placing barrels underneath them.
Thaddeus treated his companions in a different manner. He woke them one by one and led them to the deep hole in the ground, starting with Rasmere.
Thaddeus told Rasmere that he had something very important to show him. He lead the Forest Engenium to the hole and asked him to tell him what he saw. When Rasmere looked in, Thaddeus shoved him in the back. Rasmere tried to climb out of the hole, but it was too deep, and the rains had turned the sides into an inescapable prison.
Next, he lured Azonis out to the pit. He took longer to convince the Sestian to brave the horrible storm, due to his injury and irritably, but once he told Azonis that Rasmere had fallen in and needed his help, Azonis blindly set outside to offer his aid. The Sestian heard his Sword calling out from the pit, although he could not make out what he was saying for the loud thunder claps. Azonis looked i
nside the hole to find Rasmere screaming at the top of his lungs.
"What?" Azonis asked. "I cannot hear you. You must speak louder!"
"Look out!"
The Sestian whirled to find Thaddeus's boot smashing into his chest. The Sestian flew through the air and met the muddy bottom of the pit.
"What are you doing?" Azonis cried out as Rasmere pulled him to his feet.
"Shut your mouth. You would kill me and Emilia in a heartbeat!" Thaddeus bellowed out.
"Thaddeus, Emilia is dead. What are you talking about?" Rasmere asked.
Thaddeus shook his head and walked away.
Caleb Hawks had to be dealt with differently. He could not simply shove Caleb into the hole to subdue him. He would shift into a bird or some other creature and escape. Caleb would have to be killed where he slept.
Thaddeus crept inside of Caleb's room, axe in hand, to find the Shifter sound asleep. Thaddeus hovered above him, nostrils flaring and drool pooling on his bottom lip. He hoisted the axe high above his head. As he brought the axe crashing down, the most frightening bang of thunder split the heavens. Caleb opened his eyes. Without a second to spare, he shifted into the form of a mouse as Thaddeus's axe split the bed in half. Caleb scurried onto the floor and into a hole in the wall.
"Get back here!" Thaddeus cried, spittle spewing from his mouth.
Thaddeus chopped at the wall like a man possessed, which he was. He hacked and slashed at the wall until the roof of the house wobbled. I will deal with him later.
Thaddeus walked back outside to the pit. Emilia strode over to the edge with him.
Looking up, Azonis said, "River! Thaddeus! What are the two of you doing? Let us out of here!"
"It will all be over soon," River told them.
"Emilia is right," Thaddeus said. "This will all be over soon. I promise that your deaths will be quick and painless. I am sorry, my friends."
Thaddeus pulled a tiny stone from his pocket and tossed it into the hole.
"The others will be here soon. Once the deed is done, no one will be able to stand between us, my love," Thaddeus said, softly kissing her neck.
The entire town of Rand screamed in horror as they dangled to and fro from the large oak tree. Azonis and Rasmere called out to Thaddeus and River from the pit. A tiny mouse scampered about the bushes near Thaddeus, trying to make sense of the situation. The howling winds, vicious thunder, cracks of lighting, and the instinctive cries from a Hormut outside of the city drowned out the pleas from within the walls.