Here are the first few pages of book two. We begin in the past with some of the happenings of the Red War, then we move to the works of Tsillah (a major player in the series). I hope you enjoy and are hungry for more :D
1
The Red War
She had never seen something so empty.
In the time before Aylith, the world was plunged into the Red War. Elves and the men of the west set aside their differences to conquer the dark entity and his followers.
Lady Usoara held her hand over a wounded elf warrior. A deep gash clung to his side and four smaller ones on his chest as if he had been mauled by a wild animal. He was struggling to breathe, but it was not too late. She spoke softly. The ancient healing words left her lips, cascading like waterfalls down to a weary stream. Her hand glided over him, light flowed between her palm and his injury. Her piercing blue eyes tenderly watched him as he began to stir. He awoke, gasping as the pain departed his body. The elf looked up to her, and the light began to fade from around her figure. He gazed into her strong and beautiful face. He reached for her gentle hands and lifted himself up.
"Thank you," he whispered through exhaustion, "thank you."
Usoara touched his cheek to calm him, laying him back down to rest. She stood then moved to the next injured soul. She started again. Her long golden hair trickled down her back. She brushed the blonde waves behind her pointed ears. The other elves followed her movements to heal the fallen. The injured archer below her was now able to stand.
Usoara opened her arm to lead him, and another she-elf came to help him. She could hear the battle raging in the distance. Her face remained calm. Her ear perked towards some hurried footsteps.
"My lady Priestess, you should not be here." The soldier said in a worried tone.
He stood tall. His face was firm, and he had long flowing brown hair that was tightly pulled back. His armor was scuffed and dirtied. The metal plates pulled around the natural contours of the wearer and incorporated nature motifs such as leaves, trees, and floral designs. A great stag head was embossed on the chest plate to signify his status in the army. He held his helmet under his arm, his face blackened with ash. He looked around the tent as the Lady turned to meet his eyes.
"Lady Usoara, you must return to Eara. Hyleth Tirion is no longer stable." His voice was resolute, and his accompanying guard waited for his orders.
"I cannot leave this place. Our people are dying. My purpose is to heal them." Her tone was adamant, and the sound of her voice washed over them. She stood tall against them. Her fair skin seemed to glow an ethereal light. Usoara had come to the back of the battlefield against the will of the council. She knew her people would need her for this war. The elf moved closer to her.
"M'lady, it has been commanded by the council. The Strigoi are coming. We cannot hold them back. Think of your child."
A sense of severity fell on her. Her hand touched her swollen belly. Usoara looked away towards the remaining warriors who needed healing. She watched her students tend to them. Their healing palms moved over the still bodies just as she taught them, rejuvenating their life before they were too far gone. She faced him again.
"What of Nor?"
"He comes from the west. I pray the armies of man can aid us against these beasts."
She longed to see him again. She told him to return by the full moon when their baby was foretold to be born. Yet, Nor had sent word ahead that he was coming alongside an army of men. Their kings could not find the Eruanna. He had seemed to abandon the world in its time of great need. None had yet realized this human of might had a hand in this darkness. With the start of the war, there seemed to be a shadow that swept over the land, enabling the Strigoi longer periods to advance across the kingdoms of Mythera. The army would soon be marching into the battle to hopefully end the five-year war. Many villages, to the east, had been taken before word reached the great kingdoms. So many lives had either perished or were forcibly converted.
The Strigoi had bred and fed in secret, massing their numbers of mindless beings. Only a few would regain their consciousness from their human lives, and so many of them fell prey to the power that being undead could bring. It was said that the first Strigoi sold his soul to a dark entity to gain the long life that he envied from the elves.
He hid for a hundred years, concocting his plan to lead the Strigoi supremacy to dominate all life. Then the more their numbers grew, the corrupted conscious, used black magick to forge their subservient creatures in the belly of the world. The leaders of this new cult forced many innocent men into their ranks with a simple bite. The tyrant's blank-faced soldiers would follow any command, and attack wildly with the vigor of untamed beasts.
Usoara could sense a far darker presence coming, and the child in her womb quivered. She held her stomach in worry. Something stirred within her. Her mind went blank as the images started to appear in her sight. Her breathing became labored, and she could see the insurmountable evil rising up in the shadows to conquer all known life. Even with her great strength, she began to fear for her unborn baby. Her gifts knew of a deep destiny that her part-human infant would grow to uphold. The glowing light of her inherent power began to dull around her. She looked to the soldiers and nodded, agreeing for her departure under the once blue lake to Eara.
"Very well. I will go."
A small party accompanied Lady Usoara on horseback. The further they traveled from Hyleth Tirion the softer the sounds of death became. Usoara turned her long graceful neck towards the fight. She could feel Nor's presence as he entered the battle. She closed her eyes as she whispered a protective cloak over him, helping to hide him from the enemy. The soldiers urged her to keep moving. Their travel was slow due to the progression of her pregnancy, it was almost time.
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