Chapter Ten, 'Wrath of Kron'

(Snicker)


Alicea returned to the island. It was a quiet morning, and a heavy fog had settled on the lake. She hated fog, a cloud might undo the transformation for a while but fog would simply prolong it. She was achy and tired, there had been a family of squirrels she hadn't managed to avoid chasing, and the deer she had hunted kicked her in the nose. Normally she would have spent the day sleeping it off, but fog was the sort of omen that warned against letting your guard down.

It wasn't until she reached the middle of the lake that she realized something was amiss. The water, which had been bright and clear since Endiel's shrine had been purified nearly a month ago, was dark and the fish were biting her. It couldn't be to bad, had Endiel herself been corrupted she'd probably be trying to fight off the advances of a nix by now.

Then she started thinking about the fog. Cavel only allowed fog when he and his wife were... and if that had been the case the water would hardly have been dark and murky; more likely it would have had the dirt stirred up. The forest creatures had been odd as well, no birds were singing and the trees drooped where they should have been outstretched.
Something was wrong, she suspected it had been to late to help when she had regained this form.

Sprites leave no corpses, but The signs of battle were evident on the island. Stones where shattered on the ground, root and branches lay twisted and broken, and little pools of water were scattered about the ruined shrines. On the stairs to Cavel's shrine she could see Ikal's body, or what remained of it any ways. This was an act of magic, the shadow had come and the sprites had been fallen before it.

"Bonesteel, we could not stop him."
One of the nymphs drew herself from beneath the pools around Svalia's shattered altar. "He shattered your wards and blasted away my parent's shrines. When they tried to defend Ikal he destroyed them too." The nymph began crying.

"Then it was the warlock. Kron is the only other one who knew of this place. I see now why the Sickle Ears fear him. What is your name?"
"Vel" the nymph managed through her tears.
"Well, Vel, Your parents will not have died in vain. If he is truly as powerful as it would seem then may the light give me power with which to best him. Come with me, show me the way to the dark tower and I will show you to defend yourself. You must be strong, for it would seem that now you are the last sprite of Sickle Ear lake."