The Demon Plague Verses Chapter 2
She took from them the Key Sphere
and laughed at the two fools.
She claimed this is all she needs,
the sphere is the last tool.
The After World shall be closed.
The new dead will arise.
Fern Quickstream the immortal
left the men there surprised.
They delved deeper in the cave
and found a dragon bound
by many magical chains
immobile on the ground.
The dragon saw the men near
wondering what to do,
They thought of ways to free him
but did not have a clue.
The dragon was bound tightly
but was able to speak.
He named himself Soul Slicer
and these chains made him weak.
He told the same tale as Fern.
She said these binding chains
Could only be broken by
a thing you must obtain.
A Hammer of Souls she said,
Revealing the answer.
He only got this piece of
information from her.
This is still a mystery
What is it? Where to find?
These things he can not answer
as these chains do still bind.
Perhaps his sister might know,
she collects ancient lore.
She too is a dragon and
all dragons have a hoard.
We dragons are named for our
most desired hoarding goals.
Based on my name you know I
hoard recently dead souls.
Sister lives in the mountain,
inside the northwest slope.
Her name is Keeper of Lore.
She is my only hope.
Linomnount has one mountain
That is what it’s name means.
There are many large hills too
Circling around its knees.
Those that walk towards the center
From any place you start
Will always find their way to
Linomnount’s cold tall heart.
The heroes left the cavern
Wandering towards southeast.
Then they found a caravan and
trouble with a deceased.
Wagons set in a circle
hiding what was within.
A woman came out to greet
and lament for her kin.
“My name is Cinder
and I need your help.
Listen to my plight.”
“Slate is my sister.
She was the leader
of our nomad horde.”
“She died yesterday.
Now I am in charge.
Some folks don’t agree.”
“Slate woke from her death
early this morning.
She is a demon.”
“She bound the children,
set them on the snow,
to die in the cold.”
““They must join chaos,”
is what Slate told us,
we know not what it means.”
“The horde is split with
half following her
the rest behind me.”
“Enter the circle
and make a judgment,
impartial strangers.”
“Surely you will take
my side in this thing,
as sister is dead.”
Billet and Vilerend entered
the quiet wagon ring
and found nine cold, bound children.
Parents watched their offspring.
Half of the people stood with
a woman clearly dead.
She had a terrible wound
on the side of her head.
These people were loyal to
the leader of their horde.
They still followed this demon,
a fiend to be abhorred.
The others stood with Cinder,
the horde’s living leader.
They wanted their children back
but Slate would not heed her.
Slate spoke her part in debate.
Her words made little sense.
Cinder spoke her plain wisdom
to which there’s no defense.
Slate lost the debate and struck
at Billet and Vilerend.
They fought back with wooden clubs
to not kill but defend.
Slate’s wound was now more gruesome
her head was almost gone.
Yet still she lived and struggled
and continued to fight on.
The people saw this horror
and knew they’d chosen wrong.
Their leader was a demon
that now did not belong.
The heroes removed Slate’s head
to put an end to her fight.
They burned her living remains.
Her pyre lumined the night.
Copyright © 2023 JM Lowery