A Clash to End the Curse

 cloud of smoke emerged from south-west telling the flying aderyn that the battle was on its peak. It was eight decades or more since the last battle in Neriwonda and not at all did he imagine nor did it ever crossed his mind, a battle between the same race, between his own race, the aderyns of Firolwen and the aderyns of Lughnien. Many thoughts came, flashing one by one in his mind, it’s more of questions rather than the answers he desperately need—but he dismissed it at once. It is no time for thoughts, for far behind him were dragons and aderyns of Lughnien.
   He glanced at the child he was carrying, reassuring if the child was in good condition. He can’t stay in the air, the child won’t take it—he knew it well and that the pursuing rivals were coming close to him. He swiftly flew down on a forest, and as his feet touched the ground he turned and watched his foes soaring down slowly for him.
   “You shouldn’t flee in the first place if you will change your mind and face us Reginleif.” said the leading aderyn. The aderyn’s brows were thick above his green fierce eyes. His body was covered with a suit of armor unequaled to his companions. On his back hang two swords that would appear as X. “Are you going to surrender the child?”
   “Not at all Randgríðr, you have to kill me first.” Reginleif answered. “I rather die than watch you take the life of an innocent child.”
   Randgríðr smirked “That’s not an innocent child. You knew it well Reginleif. That is a cursed child you are trying to protect!”
   “And that gives you the permission to kill the child?” he answered.
   “If that’s the way to prevent evil, yes!” retorted Randgríðr.
  Reginleif turned, knowing that his foes won’t shoot an arrow—after all they were still aderyns. He put the baby down near a tree, it started to cry and he continued “You have started evil once you kill an innocent child.” He said and then faced Randgríðr again.
   “You don’t understand it Reginleif.” Randgríðr said.
   “It is you who didn’t realize what you are doing.” he replied.
   That answer infuriated Randgríðr as he pulled his two swords and started to walk slowly towards Reginleif. “I guess Zuriel was wrong in choosing you as the leader of Firolwen! And if I can’t induce you to surrender the child, I will kill you myself.”
   He looked back at his aderyn escorts and shouted “No one will help, it’s between us!”
   “Master Zuriel.” Reginleif corrected. “It is Master Zuriel. You didn’t respect the one who gave you that position, as if you are his brother?”
   “Stop your nonsense and let’s deal this with a sword.” Randgríðr replied. “Let’s see how good the Firolwen leader is in combat.”
   Reginleif raised his hand over his shoulder, he pulled his sword, and it gave him another impression for the sword was from an old friend, his master, his teacher, adviser, Cuauhtémoc.
   Their eyes met and no one bat an eyelid, Reginleif took his position firm while Randgríðr was advancing, rotating with dexterity his sword on his right hand. Randgríðr’s initial attack was so sudden that Reginleif hardly noticed his aderyn foe moved. It was the rotating of the sword that confused Reginleif, yet, he still proved his speed as he blocked the attack.
   Randgríðr swiftly chops in different angles trying to score while Reginleif’s defense was impenetrable as he back. Constantly their swords met, clanging incessantly echoing through the forest, still no one scores. And although Reginleif was a seasoned warrior, he couldn’t take the fight lightly; Randgríðr was a known warrior, trained by Zuriel himself.
   Their swords leaned, and with the force they used they were both threw aback a few feet. They stood firm, both waiting for a move. Randgríðr started to spin his right sword and to Reginleif’s amazement the spinning sword started to ablaze. Reginleif never seen Randgríðr used it in any battle they were with.
   “Amazed, Reginleif?” Randgríðr said with a slight smile still spinning his flaming sword. “Even Zuriel himself mastered not this trick.”
   “Master Zuriel didn’t practice magic in battle,” Reginleif said, “It is Eliel who did. Or shall I say Vibac.”
   Randgríðr’s brows crossed in anger, he spins his other sword and charged at Reginleif, and when he was a about a few feet from Reginleif, he swiftly slashed his swords slantwise and the flames walloped Reginleif.
   It was an unavoidable attack which swords are useless, and Reginleif fell on the ground from the tremendous heat and force of the flame. With speed he rolled assuming that his rival has a follow up attack. And he was right Randgríðr’s flaming sword walloped the ground where he laid awhile ago, he twist and turned avoiding the flaming swords until he managed a roll that put him on his feet again.
   His shoulder which took the flames’ impact was burned and it was when he stood up that he recognized that his left leg was bleeding with a long slash. It was when he was rolling on the ground that he received it he assumed.
   Both of them were about to move, but it was hindered by a sudden silence—the cry of the child was gone! The two aderyn leaders both looked at the tree where Reginleif put the child and far inside the dark labyrinth of trees was a silhouette of a darting man.
   “The child was taken!” Randgríðr exclaimed.
   Reginleif leaped and soared on his wings but it was short-lived for a dragon quickly clutched him, sending him fast to fall on the ground, and then the dragon’s clawed-foot pressed him. Reginleif couldn’t move as if he was bound by an iron chain.
  “Do not let go of him.” Randgríðr commanded the dragon. “The rest we’ll catch the unfortunate one who took the child.”

  The aderyns and the dragons of Lughnien were on their flights at once hovering above the forest, keenly looking for the hunted man, and for about a minute of flight they spotted the man.
   “The man knew not that he is running towards a rock hill!” Randgríðr’s dragon said.
   “We will corner him, he will go nowhere!” Randgríðr replied, and they swiftly dived towards the man.
   The man reached a dead end for the rock hill was too stiff to climbed, and that the dragons and the aderyns surrounded him as soon as he reached the blind alley.
   “You have no place to run.” Randgríðr said. “Surrender the child!”
   “You have to kill me first.” the man courageously answered.
   “It is a foolish thing to save the life of the cursed child.” said Randgríðr.
   The man answered not and held the child more closely to him as the baby cried.
   “Kill him Hazikiela!” Randgríðr told his dragon.
   “But, master…” the dragon replied in reservation. “We can forcefully take the child from him, even without shedding his blood.”
   “Useless,” Randgríðr answered, “He will fight back surely and we’ll end up killing him as well. Now do as you’re told!”
   Hazikiela breathed out a ball of fire crushing the rock hill so that the rocks would fall on the man. Soon the man and the child were covered with piled of huge rocks.
   “Burn the rocks!” Randgríðr commanded the dragons. “We must be sure that the Serpent’s Heart is gone.”
   The dragons breathed a mouthful of flames and they left the rocks burning.