Lady of Poison_ The Priests - Bruce R. Cordell [48]
Marrec gazed at Ash, if he could still call her that, with open wonder. Was Ash, herself, sent down from Lurue? He asked the Nentyarch, "What's wrong with her? She is no champion; she is a frail child. True, she does have some healing ability, and she defended herself once…"
The Nentyarch said, "This is not the aspect promised, but only a fragment. She is separated from herself, and the Rotting Man holds the answer. I perceive it is his foul necromancy. He has somehow diverted the divine charge of Araluen. It is possible that Lurue's waning power is also connected, though I sense there may be other forces at work, too. Somehow, Lurue is still connected to her lost aspect. As long as the Rotting Man possesses that stolen power, the goddess you know as Lurue may continue to weaken."
"How can that be?"
The Nentyarch thought, then said, "The aspect gains its power directly from Lurue. The theft of the aspect is like a slow leak in a basin of clear water. Until the hole is plugged, the water will diminish. The aspect must be found, restored to herself, and returned to Lurue."
Marrec pulled his spear from his back, an involuntary reaction, and said "Then I must defeat the Rotting Man, to complete my quest, and release Lurue's power back into the wild."
The Nentyarch considered, then said, "That would be a mighty act and one we would support, but the Rotting Man is a great power, possessing the favor of his evil deity, Talona. You see, the Rotting Man, who I also name the Talontyr, is my enemy, too. He has ousted me from my years-long seat in Dun-Tharos. I shudder to think what evil he has stirred up in that ancient grave I sought to keep under my guard."
Marrec replied, "The Rotting Man must feel vulnerable, somehow. Otherwise, he wouldn't be pursuing little Ash so hard and for so long."
"True enough. Perhaps Ash is the seed required to re-ignite the power of the Child of Light in the world. Lurue's Aspect would be more than a match for the Talontyr, I doubt not."
"I will fight him, and I will win," promised Marrec.
The Nentyarch motioned for Fallon to attend him. He told the elf, "Give Lurue's cleric some history of our enemy."
Fallon nodded, cleared his throat, and began to speak as if reciting a passage from a well-rehearsed tome, "Deep in the heart of the Rawlinswood lies a festering wound, the wreckage of Dun-Tharos, the ancient Nar capital. There the malevolent creature we call the Rotting Man has raised his own dark citadel, marshalling forces of corruption and evil against the surrounding lands. The Rotting Man's handpicked lieutenants and emissaries are the Blightlords. The Blightlords are powerful in their right, and hold the power to warp the creatures of the forest to their sick purposes.
"The Nentyarchs of ages past raised a living fortress of magical trees over the ruins of Dun-Tharos and chased off explorers for centuries. You see, the treasures of Narfell's sinister lords lie in buried storehouses and conjuring chambers beneath the old ruins. Without the Nentyarchs to watch over the old capitol, the Talontyr and his blightspawned servants are free to ransack those treasures for secrets of evil from which the world has long been spared. The longer the Rotting Man is allowed to remain in the Rawlinswood's heart, the more certain it becomes that he'll unleash a fell power worse even than his own Blightlords." Fallon coughed, his face slightly red, as if in embarrassment, though Marrec didn't see what could be bothering the elf. He had recited the history clearly and without stumbling.
Quiet followed Fallon's speech. The elfs words moved Marrec despite his dislike for Fallon. His heart seemed to be in the right place, despite his sour disposition, but it seemed more clear than ever what he had to do.
Marrec said, "As many of