The bolt hit him in the side hard where he was blown off of her. He rolled a few times towards the direction of Tatl. Rysina rested for a few moments, feeling like she was about to pass out. Jael shook it off and flipped up to his feet. He looked to Tatl and swore out loud; he had dropped the dagger when the bolt had hit him. He began to run at him, his sword ready to swing. Jael jumped over him. He skidded to a stop, then turned around. Jael looked to Ceria's sword on the floor, and with a out stretched hand, he called it to him.

"C'mon you bastard."

He quickly pulled out a dagger and threw it at Jael. He always made sure he had one with him. Jael caught it, and sent it back to Tatl, aiming at his chest. He dodged to the side.

"You like?"

"Uh, sure..."

Jael twirled the sword between his fingers, waiting for Tatl to strike. "I thought you'd like this game."

"I'm not going to run at you again if you're just going to hop over me as if we were playing leap frog."

"Aw. Boo-hoo. Want a cookie along with it?"

"Sure."

"Come and get it then."

"My mom told me not to take candy...or cookies...from strangers. And you're pretty strange."

"How can I be? I'd think we're pretty close." Jael stepped forward slowly.

"Do you now?"

"You don't agree?" Jael stared into his eyes. "So do tell me, what was the purpose of murdering all those lives? My parents? Your brother?"

"Thrill? Don't you find it thrilling?"

Jael watched him intently. "Now that you mention it, it is. Just imagine the ecstasy I'll get when my blade is covered in your blood."

"Aww." He began to swing his sword around. He knew that Rysina was just trying to buy time, but he knew she shouldn't have trusted Crysolite.

"Well, I do have a schedule to keep..." Jael slashed at Tatl's arm.

Tatl blocked, then quickly countered back. Jael parried it off to the side and attacked again. again, Tatl blocked then he swung his sword at Jael's stomach. Jael jumped back.

"Not bad. Let's see how your foot work is. Right foot first..."

He stepped.

"Then left and spin." He brought his sword up. He spun around and attacked at Jael.

He blocked and countered. Tsking, he said, "We'll be at thisall day."

Tatl stabbed forward. Jael moved to the side. He brought his leg out in an attempt to step on Jael's foot while swinging his sword at his arm. Jael winced at the blade sliced into his arm. He pivoted and dropped, slashing at Tatl's legs. One of his legs got scraped, but it didn't do much. He rolled forward, then moved his hips so he could kick Tatl's feet from underneath him. As he was being tripped, he swung at Jael. The blade grazed his chest lightly, but Jael ignored the pain and swung at Tatl's arm in an attempt to chop it off. He pulled his arm away, but much of the skin was scraped off. As the two battled each other, Rysina crawled over and picked up Tatl's dagger that Jael had thrown.

Jael seemed to drift into a daze of pure fighting. After one attack, he had another prepared. Tatl jumped so that he was standing up again.

"You die today," Jael promised and rushed in for, what he believed, the final blow.

Tatl quickly stepped to the side and stuck his foot out. Jael tripped, and fell forward hard on his face. He chuckled, finding more pleasure in insult then it would be to actually just to kill Jael.

Jael tried to get up, but his shoulders slumped as he stayed on the ground. He kicked Jael in the side, and after seeing the elf didn't move, he jogged over to Rysina, then reached out his hand to help her up. She grabbed it and thanked him.

Ceria in the meanwhile had slowly started to recover from being knocked out. She groaned. "Rysina?"

She decided it best not to move quite yet.

"Ceria..."

Tatl helped Rysina walk over to Ceria.

"What happened...?" The elf princess of Evaelon asked, rubbing her head gently.

"Jael was attacking us." She kneeled down to her. "Are you all right?" She then turned to Tatl. "We need to get out of here before he wakes up..."

Suddenly, blood was splattered all over Rysina's face and upper body. It came from Tatl. A blade was sticking out of his chest before it was pulled up and then more blood splattered over her, and on Ceria, as the blade came down on Tatl's head and went straight through. Tatl's insides were slowly seen as his body came apart from the middle. Jael stood behind the body, also caked in the blood. Rysina shut her eyes tightly and shielded her eyes from the sight as well. Body parts thudded to the floor. All was silent before Jael broke up in a fit of laughter and giggles.

"I told the bastard he'd die, from the very start. Who would've thought..." He dropped the sword, cracking up with laugher.

Rysina crawled away, not wanting to even think about the sight. She felt sick. He looked at Ceria, overwhelmed in blood rage. "You're next..."

Ceria moved away from him to Rysina. "We need to get out of here, or kill him before he kills us."

She was huddled up, her eyes closed as tightly as possible.

Meanwhile, Crysolite finally reached Gaelon. She had actually taken her time...for some reason. She began to see many zombies, slowly coming toward her, and probably on there way to Evaelon. "Wow...those things are pathetic..."

Jael approached the two Elven women. "One down...two to go...then the village and villagers."

Crysolite moved in a little closer to the zombies, then began shooting fireballs everywhere towards them. They exploded each time they hit one. She saw many bodies fall over, but continued her fire.

"Dieeeee! Wahahaha!"

He raised the sword up at Ceria and Rysina, then he groaned in pain. Rysina wiped the blood off of her with her cloak, disgusted. Ceria covered Rysina, watching Jael all the while. Jael's hands shook, and soon the sword dropped from his hands.

"What the hell..." He slumped to his knees, his body slowly going into minor convulsions.

The flaming bodies lit up the darkness that covered the land.

"Make it...stop..." Jael cried, curling up in the fetal position.

Rysina heard him, but wouldn't open her eyes. It now appeared that Crysolite had lit up the last one. And with it, Jael screamed before he blacked out.

"Ceria...What happened?"

"He's out...and doesn't look good." She paused for a moment, trying to take everything in and not have an emotional break down. She opened her eyes, ever so slightly, and crawled over to where Jael was lying.

His complexion was paler than usual and sweat covered his whole body along with blood and cuts.

"What now?"

"We have to get him back to Gaelon..."

"We need to secure him. Can we do that there?"

"I don't know if he's going to make it if we travelled to Gaelon though..."

Footsteps sounded. Then Elven guards poured into the room from the door that barely stayed on its hedges.

"Uh oh," Ceria whispered.

Rysina took one of Jael's hands in hers. It was cold.

A tall Elven man entered with long ebony hair. It was Lord Elroand...Ceria's father. "Ceria! I thought you were..." He stopped himself. "The traitor sent his demons after us. Is that the one who's the cause of it?"

His eyes narrowed at Jael.

"Papa..."Ceria began.

"Who are you?" he asked of Rysina.

She didn't say anything. She wasn't even aware he had asked her a question. She just stared at Jael. How could something like this have happened?

Guards move Ceria away from Rysina and Jael. Elroand didn't have to ask twice. It was in his daughter's eyes that the man responsible was lying on his floor.

"Take him into custody," he bellowed the orders out. "And her also."

"Father, no. She isn't part of this. She was attacked as I was."

"Then she'll stay here to answer questions."

"He needs help," she whispered, referring to Jael.

Guards surrounded Rysina and Jael then.

"You need to move...whoever you are."

She held tightly onto his hand. A guard tried to move her away from Jael.

"He needs to be healed."

"He'll get treatment. Now please move."

Reluctantly, she let go of his hand.

Jael's body was moved away from Rysina as binders were placed around his ankles, wrists, and neck. Then he was picked up and escorted out of the room.

Elroand looked around. "I want this mess clean up. As for you, my daughter, my office with your...friend. Are there any others involved in this?"

Ceria looked at Rysina, not sure if she should mention Crys or not. Rysina stood up slowly, rather shaky.

"There is another...but she is merely his cousin. She went out to help render his power."

"I'm sure." He looked at Rysina. "Are you all right? Do you need something to drink?"

"I'm fine," she said plainly.

"Then please follow me." He led the way to his office.

Ceria swallowed hard and looked at Rysina, waiting. She followed, walking at a slow pace. Once they were in the office, Elroand sat down. Ceria offered to help Rysina take a seat.

"I'm okay," she said as she sat down.

"Who are you?" Elroand started.

"Rysina Nighttraveller…" Rysina sighed. She hoped this wouldn't be long. She wasn't exactly in the mood for talking and answering questions.

"Do you know that man and what happened to him?"

"We're close friends, and no, I don't really know what happened. I think he was controlled by those powers."

"Are you a registered citizen of Evaelon or elsewhere?"

"I was..."

"Was?"

"Yes. I was. I lived in Gaelon many years ago. Now I'm back."

Elroand nodded. "Tonight, you will sleep here. I'll ask you more questions tomorrow...but you have been through much tonight and I have much to talk over with my daughter. I am grateful for you two doing the best you could. Sorry my men couldn't have been there earlier to stop him."

She nodded back to him.

"My daughter will show you to a guestroom."

She stood up, glad to be getting out of more questions, for now at least. Ceria turned to the door and waited for Rysina. They exited the room.

"I thought the nightmare would never end..." Ceria said after they left the 'office' and were a good distance away.

"Yeah…"

"I don't know what's going to become of him. If he...did kill others besides Tatl... it won't be good."

"What I want to know is where he got all those zombies..."

"Or why they responded to him..." She shook her head.

"This isn't his fault...He was being controlled...but..."

"All you can do is try to get some rest. I'll try to find Crysolite..."

"Why do I always end up protecting criminals?"

"Maybe you're the best one for the job?"

She would have smiled, but it wasn't really a good time with everything going on to. "Maybe…"

Ceria stopped at a door. "Here you are."

"Thank you."

"There is a bathing room in there with fresh clothes, for the morning or whenever."

"I just wonder how Jael is going to pull himself out of this one."

Rysina said goodbye to Ceria and entered her room, closing the door behind her.

Ceria sighed, then went to her own room to clean up before she would go to see her father and try to find Crysolite. Thinking of it, Ceria tried to reach her mentally.

/Crysolite...your cousin is in Evaelon custody./

TBC...