Dark Warlord Chronicles

Deception of the Soul

Part 7
"Bittersweet Irony"

Dais groaned as he turned to his side. Realizing the futility, he sat up and brushed his hand over his bicolor green body armor. He picked out twigs and leaves from his curly white hair. The sleep was as he expected, lousy. After the thought that surfaced, Dais decided to rest for a while. Figuring that forest was better than open ground, he slept here.
The Warlord smiled as he looked up to the sky. At least it's daylight. The sun's rays played and danced through the branches. He chuckled softly as he looked at the leaves that he slept on. It was indeed funny and ironic to him. During the night he couldn't tell, nor did he care at the time, the color the leaves had. The tree he slept closest to had leaves the color of cherry blossoms.
Dais stood up and felt a gentle breeze. Strange and wonderful music floated in that breeze and all the others that followed. The Warlord stretched and yawned. He winced as he felt a pain in his back. "Ow. It's been so long since I last slept on the ground. Forgot how much luxury I've had. Either that or I forgot how much I hated sleeping on the ground." He chuckled a little as he started to walk a distance around where he slept. Every so often he stopped to dismantle simple traps that he had set. As he knew, not one went off or he would have heard it during the night. Not like it was a deep, relaxing sleep. I'd rather have meditated that thought away. Ah but what the mind and body desire can, at times, not coincide.
That wasn't what was really bothering him though. It wasn't often that he was frightened by anything, but his dreams last night had. What scared him was that he had no dreams at all! No elf, no greeting. Was it because he was here? Perhaps she was in danger. She did say she now needed his help. Dais tried to push back these thoughts for later as he reached the dirt path he was on again. He looked both ways. There were his markers and footsteps that told which way to go. Dais sighed as he felt thirsty, but walking back to the pond would waste time. Besides, how far back was it anyway? It's like in a dream, how time seems lost here. He sighed again as he started to walk. At least it all seemed a bit more familiar to him. A light green sky greeted his blue eye. He looked to the horizons as the sky turned light blue and then purple at the edge of sight.
Once again the day seemed marked uneventful. That is until a couple of hours later, or what felt like it. The Warlord's eye opened wide in surprise. There before him was the pond again! He shook his head. Surely his mind wasn't trying to fool him. Yet there it was! As he looked again he saw the elf woman levitating over the pond, her back to him.
Dais thought about how before her face was always denied to him. Would it still be the same now, even after that last dream? "What's going on?! I thought we were to meet at a castle." He paused as he heard sobs. Dais walked forward to the pond. "I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but this place is new to me..." At least, I think it's new, he continued in thought. He remembered those instinctive feelings from before of familiarity. He walked into the water when only sobs greeted his words. "What is it?" he said gently as he stopped before her.
Suddenly Dais felt as if something held his legs in place in the water. "What the..?!" He scrambled to free himself, but his legs wouldn't or couldn't obey. The Warlord looked back to the elf, hoping for some sort of answer. Unfortunately, that's just what Dais got.
The woman turned around, her form changing as she did. The air seemed to waver as the new creature looked down. It stood on a small, rocky hill. The creature stood about 7 feet tall and looked like the form of a dragon. It stood on its large clawed feet, arms folded before its chest. A tail hung down by its feet. The tail was split at the end like a fork in a road, and top of it covered in pointed spikes. Its wings were outstretched looking too rough to be of real use. The only type of 'clothing' it wore was a gold armor like mask over the nuzzle of its reptilian face. The mask followed on the sides, around the eyes, hiding them from view.
"Welcome back Dais." A deep voice said coldly.
Dais' mind raced as did his heart. How does he know my name? What does he mean 'back'? Was this set up all this time for me? By who's orders?
A sound drew his attention back. The back of his head reeled in pain. Dais felt himself falling unconscious. Frantically he gripped for his conscious self to regain control and stay awake. It all merely slipped through his grasp. How could I fall for such an obvious trap?! An illusion?! Those were the last thoughts he could grab as he fell.
The Warlord's body crashed face forward in the strange quicksand like substance that held his legs. Ropes were thrown to drag the body out.
"Quickly now, but carefully! We don't want him dead. Not yet." The Dragon Demon yelled. The figures that had thrown the rope complied, their bodies all covered in large dark colored hooded capes. As Dais' back reached land, one of the figures rushed up to examine the body.
"He still lives."
"Lucky for you." The demon replied as he gestured. The figures nodded as they carried Dais away into a cave. The demon smiled in delight. "Finally. What a prize I have got today. Zadecharlia will be pleased too." He looked then to a distant castle in the mountains behind him. His illusion had hid it from the Warlord's sight during this encounter. "Poor Fealina! The light elf Queen has lost what she desired!" He mockingly said with a voice filled with hatred. "And this makes twice!" The demon snarled and cursed. He vanished back to his 'home' away from the wretched light.

To Be Continued...