Chapter Five - The Fallen Elder
Title: Chapter Five - The Fallen Elder
Author: The Amanuensis
Utter chaos filled the
tiny, wooden frame
that housed these
Brethren of Light.
Words, even
obscenities, ricocheted
off the closing walls,
impaling Niltsiar. Yet
he stood, unwavering.
Tanthazarus finally
spoke. "How dare ye,
Niltsiar!? How dare
ye do such a thing?!"
The Brethren, still in
awe that they had
been betrayed, argued
amongst themselves.
"Here be the tome
which shall show thy
Brethren the true
nature of their Lord
Sovereign!"
He flung open the
doors of the armoire
on the west wall, and
there, amidst a small
pile of clutter, lay the
parchment addressed
to Niltsiar, and signed
by Silvaria, with
whom he were just
caught entertaining.
As the Brethren
gathered around,
reading for
themselves the words
which sealed
Niltsiar's fate, the
cries of protest and
outrage grew louder,
until all could be
heard, but none
understood.
Finally, from the
very back of the room,
a voice commanded,
"Silence!"
It was that of Ieon
Fallhammer, Erudite
to Sir Chalen. He rose
quite well to the task
of a commander in his
mentor's absence.
Glancing at the
Jabbress, he ordered,
"Take her prisoner! Do
not let her escape!"
With shocked faces
and broken hearts, a
few nearby managed
to subdue the raging
Jabbress. She
struggled violently,
but finally gave in to
the pressure of the
daggers at her sides.
"I have proof of
Sovereign's innocence!"
Ieon proclaimed. "I sat
here, in this very
room, hiding while I
practiced my skills..."
The room drew eerily
silent.
"I witnessed the true
Traitor. I saw him as
he planted the
evidence against
Sovereign."
From across the room,
Tanthazarus glared
deep into the very soul
of his soon to be
accuser. He took a
small amount of
pleasure in watching
Ieon squirm, restling
the thought of
whether to go forward
with the accusation he
was about to make.
Ieon's eyes, for a split
second, shifted to the
near corner of the
room, admiring the
way his brothers held
Silvaria fast.
Finally, his
eyebrows lowered, he
returned the old
mage's deathly stare.
"The true Traitor is
Tanthazarus."
"Lies! Ye speak
nothing but damnable
lies!"
At that moment, all
who were skilled in
the art of magery
began to call upon the
arcane. Tanthazarus
had lost his bid for
the Sovereignship, and
Silvaria had witnessed
the entire thing.
Worse yet for him,
Tanth also lost his
life, for even he could
not escape the room
full of furious
Brethren.
Niltsiar finally
spoke, but only in the
short, broken
sentences he could
muster. His closest
friend and lifelong
compatriot had
betrayed him. "Away
with thee! Never
return!" His voice
faltered as he
screamed at the corpse
of the former Elder.
"I BANISH THEE!"
The ghost of
Tanthazarus uttered
not a sound as he
floated through the
door, away from the
home that he'd always
known.