Chapter 2

Finally finished this chapter. I was busy with school and getting Eagle scout, so I didn't have much time until recently to type it up

Eliena set Molento down on the bed once they reached her room. She walked to where her spear lay and picked it up.

Watching her, Molento realized something. “You’re already getting used to your wings,” he said, “You’re folding them back so you won’t hit them on anything.”

Eliena smiled. “I’m doing that on purpose,” she admitted, “anyway, back to what we were discussing earlier; what are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well,” Eliena began, thinking it out rationally, “If you have shape shifting powers, then maybe all you have to do is think about becoming ‘normal’ and you will.”

“I guess I’ll give it a try.”

Molento closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, and then he began to change. He grew taller, and stood up on two legs. Wings sprouted from his back, like misshapen plants. In less than a second, he was in his true form. Somehow his clothes had shifted with him, so he was wearing a loose fitting shirt with short sleeves and slits cut for his wings and black leather pants that ended just before his bare, cat-like feet. A belt was buckled on his waist, with two identical sheaths on it.

He turned over his hands, examining them, marveling at how the claws blended seamlessly with his hands, which were very similar to a human’s. He felt something around his neck, so he reached up and pulled it out of his collar. It was a necklace; a pendant made from a shiny black metal shaped into a skull with wings on a leather strap, worn smooth by contact with his skin.

Eliena stared at Molento, realizing that the impossible was standing before her. “You are part Nekon, part Avin,” she exclaimed, “I wonder who you’re parents are. They must be branded as traitors to their races.”

As she talked, Molento noticed something out the window. Standing at the end of the path, on the road, was a group of Nekons. Each had a bow and quiver strapped to his or her back and a short sword strapped to his or her waist. The group numbered about twenty.

When Molento saw them, he started growling, a low sound in the back of his throat, inexplicably angry at them, and Eliena jumped. Following his gaze, she saw the Nekons standing at the entrance to the property.

“Who are they,” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Molento admitted, jumping off the bed and landing by the window, “but I don’t like them. Let’s go say hi.”

“Um, the way you say that makes me think that this isn’t going to be pleasant,” Eliena said nervously, walking over to stand next to Molento.

“Oh, it probably won’t be.”

Molento’s blue eyes turned pitch and he raised his hand. The window followed it, opening.

“Magic,” Eliena breathed in amazement.

Molento’s eyes fizzled back to their normal color and the window crashed back down.

“What just happened,” Eliena asked.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter.”

Molento folded his wings tight against his body and opened the window. He jumped up onto the windowsill. Below, the Nekons, who had been steadily approaching, stopped.

“Hello, brother,” one of them, obviously the leader, called, raising his hand in greeting, “Who are you and what are you doing in this human town, so far from the rest of our race?”

Molento jumped out of the window and landed in front of him. “My name is Molento, general of the Army of Peace. State your business here.”

“What are we doing here? We’re exterminating the Army. How did you survive, traitor?”

Instead of a reply, Molento drew his swords and slashed at him. He blocked the strike easily. “Answer me,” he demanded.

Eliena appeared at the door way, her spear in her hands. “What’s going on,” she asked, frightened.

“Shut up, human,” the leader commanded, “this is none of you concern.”

Molento took his chance and struck again but he blocked the strike. “I wasn’t in the castle when you destroyed it, I was out flying,” Molento explained, and on the last word, unfolded his wings and hit him with one. While he was stunned, Molento slashed him in half.

“Run,” Molento yelled at Eliena, “Go! Now!”

Eliena sprinted around the group while Molento distracted them. At the road, she started to turn towards the village, but a Nekon blocked her path, and she ran the other direction instead.

Realizing he was hopelessly outnumbered, Molento ran, managing to get around the Nekons. He reached the road and ran off after Eliena; the Nekons following close behind him. He quickly caught up to Eliena, who, although a good runner compared to humans, was much slower than the average Avin or Nekon. We’ll never get away at this speed; we’ve got to get away faster.

“Hold on,” Molento yelled.

“What?”

Molento scooped Eliena up and took off at full speed, and Eliena hung on to his good shoulder. They quickly lost the Nekons, and Molento plunged into the trees. Running through the forest, jumping over roots, Molento doubled back and ran towards the village. He broke out of the woods at the edge of the village, near the abandoned road.

Panting, Molento started up the road. He continued up, eventually arriving at the part that had washed away. Half a mile away, the road continued, but in between was nothing but empty space. No land bound creature could get over, but Molento was undeterred. Jumping, he extended his wings and crossed the gap. When he landed, he continued to run. Eventually they reached the ruined castle. Gasping for breath, Molento set Eliena down and leaned against part of a wall.

“They’ll figure out where we went soon enough,” Molento said between breaths.

“That. Was. Amazing,” Eliena said by way of response, “You just ran at least 3 miles in about ten minutes. No human would ever be able to do that!”

“Not true,” Molento said, regaining his breath, “some humans could.”

“But not while carrying me.”

“You don’t weigh that much.”

Eliena smiled, and then looked around. “So, where are we,” she asked.

“Look towards the valley over there and you’ll find out.”

Eliena walked over to where she could see the whole valley. To the left and right, trees stretched, growing along a blue ribbon of a river. Lining the other side of the valley were shorter mountains than the one they were on. Just visible above them was a large plain. To the left, the valley ran until it hit large mountains, just visible, and then turned north. To the right, the valley was ringed in by mountains of average size.

“Wow,” Eliena breathed, “It’s so beautiful.” She then noticed something on the banks of the river, almost directly below them. It was the village. An idea, an impossible idea of where they were, started to form in her mind. She searched, and finding it, she confirmed where they were.

“We’re at that castle,” she exclaimed, amazed, “the one visible from the village. Look, there’s the village, and there’s my farm!”

“Yes, this was the home of the Army of Peace for the past six months.”

“The Army of Peace,” Eliena asked, remembering stories about the group fighting to end the war, “The Army was here?”

“Yes,” Molento responded, stepping away from the wall and turning to look at the ruined castle, “We were here. It fit our needs perfectly. No Nekon can get up here, and no Avin could get this far into Nekon territory.

“We thought we’d be safe here. The members brought their families here, to keep them from being charged with treason.”

A single tear gleamed at the edge of Molento’s eye. “We had over two thousand people here, most of them civilians. Then, boom, while I was out flying one night a group of Nekons managed to get within bow range and shot magic arrows at it. Everyone must have died. I don’t know for sure because one of the arrows hit me.”

Molento walked back up to the wall and jumped up, heaving himself up on top of it. What he saw from his vantage ping didn’t please him.

“This,” he said, “is all that’s left.”

Curious, Eliena walked up to the wall. “Help me up,” she said, “I want to see.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Molento replied.

Eliena glared at him. “Help me up,” she said again.

Molento sighed in resignation and reached down. Eliena grabbed hold of his hand and Molento pulled her up.

“Thanks… umm, I don’t know your name!”

Chucking, Molento said, “No, you don’t. My name is Molento; Molento Alamortis.”

“Okay, then Molento, what did you see…”

Eliena trailed off as she looked at the wreckage of the castle.

A massive pile of stone the size of a large town spread before them. Many of the stones were still intact and connected with one or two others. The pile was almost one hundred feet tall. Sticking out from under the stones were miscellaneous body parts. Here, a head, there an arm, over there a foot, past that a leg. Some were furry and catlike and others were more human. Some were small and slender, and others were larger. Eliena realized she was looking at the bodies of women, children, men, Avins, and Nekons. Families were buried under the wreckage. None were moving.

“This, this is,” Eliena stopped, unable to find words to convey the atrocity of what was before them. Molento just nodded glumly in agreement.

They stood there for ten minutes, unable to take their eyes off of the horror before them. Then, with no warning, Molento whipped around and caught the arrow that was flying towards him.

Eliena turned around to find the source of the arrow. A single Nekon stood where Eliena had looked out at the valley, bow in hand, a second arrow nocked. He released the arrow, and it flew straight at Eliena. Faster than a striking snake, Molento drew his sword and slashed it out of the air.

Grabbing Eliena again, Molento sheathed his sword and jumped into the air. They rose up and away from the castle, over the village. Turning back, they saw how the Nekon had gotten up. A living ladder of Nekons climbed up the side of the mountain, where it was too steep to climb. As they watched, the ladder collapsed down to a spot that was not too steep to stand.

“How did they get here so fast,” Eliena asked.

“They must have guessed where we would go,” Molento responded, then cursed. “Back down I guess,” he said dejectedly. A mischievous smile flickered on his lips. “Hold on tight,” he advised, and folded his wings, allowing them to fall.

They fell for a heartbeat before Eliena started screaming like a banshee. Then, about a hundred feet above the village, Molento opened his wings and turned their fall into a steep dive. Eliena continued screaming, eyes shut, preparing for impact.

They landed lightly on the road, halfway between the village and the farm. “You can stop screaming now,” Molento said with a smile, “We’re on the ground.”

Eliena opened her eyes and looked around, confused, and stopped screaming.

“By the gods, why did you do that,” Eliena demanded.

“It was fast.”

“That’s your reason? We could have gotten down faster if,” Eliena noticed that Molento was grinning, and she hit him. “You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

Molento stopped grinning and his eyes filled with tears. Eliena had hit his injured shoulder. “Ow,” he groaned, “Yes, I was just messing with you.”

“Humph. Well, since we have nowhere else to hide, let’s go back to the farm.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

“But they’ll expect us to go there.”

“That’s the point.”

Molento looked confused. “You want them to find us,” he asked, bewildered.

“Just trust me.”

Molento ran down the road, still carrying Eliena, and in a few seconds, they reached the farm. When they turned off the road, they saw David kneeling by the body of the Nekon, John standing nervously beside him. Both had their backs to the road. Molento set Eliena down with a small grunt.

David and John turned around at the sound. “Who are you,” David demanded, “and where did you go with my daughter?”

“My name is Molento Alamortis,” Molento explained, stretching his hand out to shake, “I am the leader and founder of the Army of Peace.”

David didn’t respond, and Molento continued, drawing back his hand. “As to where Eliena and I went, we were running from a Nekon scout party, of which he,” Molento pointed to the corpse, “was the leader.

“I’m sure you’re wondering how I got here in the first place,” Molento continued because David still hadn’t said a word, “Well, maybe this will explain.”

Molento shifted back into a cat, and both David and John jumped in surprise. Molento shifted back. “Thank you for helping me,” he said as he shifted, “even though you had no idea what I really was, I doubt that I would have survived otherwise.

“Now,” he turned to Eliena, “Why did you want to come back here? We’ll have to keep running because I can’t take on all of them at once, and you just involved two humans. They won’t last a second in a fight…”

Molento trailed off as he felt cold steel press against his throat. “That’s why,” Eliena stated.

“I’ll do just fine,” David whispered in Molento’s ear, “worry about yourself.”

David removed the knife from Molento’s neck and pushed him away. Stumbling, Molento turned to look at David. He had a knife in each hand and, now that he was looking for it, Molento saw at least ten other knives concealed in various parts of his clothes.

“John,” David ordered, “get in the house and don’t come out for anything.”

John nodded and sprinted to the house.

“You too, Eliena,” David told her.

“No,” Eliena responded.

“What,” David and Molento cried at the same time.

“You heard me, I’m staying out here.”

“We don’t have time for this,” David said, exasperated. Then noticing the Nekons rounding the corner, he cursed and grabbed Eliena by the arm and pulled her behind him. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” he said to Molento, readying his knives.

“Oh, just this,” Molento said conversationally, and then drew his swords. He slammed the hilts together and locked them in place. A shimmering line of magic connected the tips of the swords. Molento grabbed the line like a bowstring and pulled back. A bolt of pure magic appeared on the string, like an arrow, and the swords bent like a bow.

“It’s a bow,” Eliena exclaimed, “how is that possible?”

The group of Nekons stopped, unsure of how to react to the new development.

“I’ve heard of a weapon like this,” David said, “A bow that separates into two curved swords. Even the color is right.

David gestured at the bow, and Eliena examined it for the first time. It was made of a black metal, similar to Molento’s necklace, and thin lines of other metals, one white, one yellow, and one metallic grey, formed runes that ran down the side of the “blades.”

“But this can’t be the same weapon,” David continued, “the one I’m thinking of is a royal treasure of the Avins, and as far as I know it was never stolen.”

“Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was given to me.”

“Why would the Avins give it to a Nekon like you? And don’t you know how you came to get it?”

“I don’t remember much from before I woke up here,” Molento explained, “and as to why they would give it to me…”

Molento spread his wings and David jumped.

“You’re half Avin, half Nekon,” David said in wonderment. One of the Nekons stepped foreward, and Molento loosed the bolt of magic.

“They’re getting bold,” Molento said “nocking” another bolt of magic, “so are you going to help or stand there looking like a fish?”

David straightened up and readied his knives again. “Let’s go,” he said and threw one of his knives. Molento released another bolt, this one blew up in a large explosion as it hit. An arrow flew through the air and Molento swung his bow, connecting with one of the blades. The arrow exploded, and shrapnel hit Molento’s face.

“Watch out, they blow up,” Molento warned David.

“Noted.”

David ran at the Nekons, dodging arrows as he went. Molento kept shootin bolts into the group. Some blew up in large explosions, some in small, and some didn’t explode at all. David reached the group, and whirled through them, dealing killing blows left and right.

Soon only one was left. He released an arrow straight at Eliena. Molento shot him, and he dropped, then Molento noticed the arrow.

No time to shoot it down or knock it away, Molento thought, only one option left. Molento jumped into the arrow’s path, and it caught him in the left shoulder. Molento’s vision dimmed as his last conscious thought whirled inside his head. Not again.