Parcival peaked around the corner. The plateau unrolled to the horizon, nearly every inch was filled with Acolytes in black robes. They disappeared  and reappeared with each flash of lighting from the storm above. Most were on their knees, chanting.

A rectangular hill jutted out about a half-mile away, between flashes there seem to be a handful of people atop it. A large chair on the right and two white marble slabs. A hooded figure was sprawled out on it. Two hooded figures were on each side. 

"Is it?" he whispered. 

"Thoughts?" Han wispered. 

"Has to be, who else? No time to find help." Even if this isn't her, can't just leave them to this fate. 

Han's golden feline eyes had a deep coldness to them. His ears flattened back as he plopped down on all fours and flattering onto the ground.

Parcival went down crawling on his belly toward the hill. 

Han weaved around the Acolytes silent, unseen a white furryed ghost, not even the pit-a-pat of his paws gave him away.

He slid the spear ahead. It was such a nuisance, but couldn't be helped. 

Midway four Acolytes materialized in front grabbing him along with another behind. 

Han had disappeared. How? Have to ask him later.

A moment later a shadow appeared, blocking the light. 

"Hello there, 'Parsley' having a good rest?" Maxwell said. His smile less than heartwarming. 

He held out a blood stone in the palm of his hand. Maxwell struck Parcival's chest with it holding it there, it crystal like structure filled with a good chunk of life energy. The name came from it turning a deep red when full. Going to put a ban on the evil things if I get home.

"Gah ..."

His energy left him and the hooded men pushed him down, pinning him on the ground. The spear clanked and rolled away.

He strained to raise his head.

"In Olenus name, what have you done?" A prickle crawled up and down his spine.

Han peaked out behind the hill his whiskers quivered up and down. There you are.

He looked away quickly. Best not to give away his position. 

"Your education must have been poor. It never occurred to you that we would have scouts?" Maxwell said. He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Look about you. Can't you see the truth?"

The men lifted him up. 

"You're babbling, what are you talking about?"

Han was on his belly working around the hill.

He flicked his tail at an Acolyte standing at the base of the hill, he wrapped his tail around the Acolyte's legs yanked him down and bashed his head onto the ground before the Acolyte could even call out. Then he dragged the body out of view. He's up to something. 

Legs and arms refused to move, with each breath the stone stole more of his energy.

Maxwell pulled back a corner of his robe and pulled out a small chest. 

"Bring him over there and strap him to a slab," he said. He walked off ahead to the hill.

The three Acolytes dragged him over. 

Han poked his head from the corner of the hill his wiskers quivered. 

One of the Acolytes hood slid down, revealing long pointed ashen ears. An Elven? 

He shifted his gaze back at Maxwell. Don't want his attention on Han. He managed a weak twisting of his arms.

"When I get free, and I will. I'll shove a energy ball so far up—that your head will kick back and kiss it!"

Maxwell ignored him went over to the empty slab, dipped his fingers in a bowl carved in its corner and traced several red runes on it.

The Acolytes placed him on the slab strapping his wrists and ankles. The still wet runes seeped into his jerkins and the bottom of his shirt. 

Maxwell moved to the hooded figure, then pressed his finger tips onto their temple. 

He lifted their head up, the hood slid off revealing Marryn's unconscious face the once warm tone a sickly off gray, her eyes deep-set with dark circles under.

Maxwell breathed in and closed his eyes. 

"And, there be blood in great taurents of a river of tears that tore into the earth. From this sprang the undergods and the gods above wailed as man now would know pain."

He paused, taking a breath. 

"Of these, one dared to smite the undergods of the great battle that raged, he whose name spoken and revered lost in the darkness then found the dark light; reborn." 

"Unnamed I call of you drink of her life-force and show yourself!" 

The area around Merryn darkened, as if the darkness was feeding off of her, it whirled about like a miniature storm. 

Maxwell titled her head back further until her jaw slackened and opened. The darkness rushed in to her, gone as fast as it came.

Merryn sat up, her eyes opened. Only, they weren't hers. He looked away. Is she still in there?

"The vessel is contained." She—it's movements were stiff and slow, like an old man waking up. The male voice that came from her mouth, it had an echo to it. 

He shivered. 

"Merryn, snap out of it!" 

He thrashed and strained against the bonds. 

She turned straight at him. 

Her eyes a cold solid gray that completely covered them. She stared at him, unblinking. 

"I require energy." 

That male voice, it made the back if his neck prickle. 

"Merryn?"

"She is gone, mortal," She—it said. Her? It's? Voice was wrong, so very wrong.

He quivered on the slab, his throat choked. 

Maxwell leaned over him. "Tich, tich." He wagged a finger. 

"I must thank you. Really. Without you we never would have been able to track her. The god kept breaking our scrying orbs." 

He shook his head and shruged, then went over to Merryn.

"Why did you do that Grand One?" 

Merryn did a slow blink and cocked her head.  

"It amused me." 

Maxwell's brow deepened. "Wouldn't it be better to torment him?" 

"Wake up!" Parcival yelled this repeatedly until his throat was raw. 

Had almost rolled off the slab, when the four Acolytes came over and held his torso down. 

"Get off me! Have you no idea who I am?" 

He went off to the side and bent down, a wooden brown box? It was hard to see.

Her face paled turning thin and transparent; another face flashed beneath, Holly fifteen hells ...

Her eyes closed, she took in a ragged breath and shook. Her face flashed from hers to the other, as if she's fighting something. Her eyes opened flickering from the gray back to green. 

Deep creases develop on her face. Her eyes open. Grey again. She slowly stood and shuffled over to Maxwell, who was drawing a rune on a raised wooden pavilion, couldn't be more then 5x5 feet, if he had to guess.

He thrashed and strained against the Acolytes. One baffed him on the head, everything turned blurry. 

Maxwell placed a ceremonial dagger in Merryn's hand.

"Kill him. Show the vessel there's no hope." 

She? It? stared at the dagger and her brows deepened even more. "This is early, need my stored energy. Now." 

"Jason is directing it to the portal as we speek. Kill this one he is of no use now."

Her beautiful face contorted and changed momentarily to a baleful, sinister one like before but far worse. As if a dark one resided beneath and fought to break through. Her eyes darkened to a pure black void.

The vines hiss and shrieked as they snaked down, curling around her arms to her fingers. 

She looked straight at him.

"You will not defy me!" The dark look on her face vanished for a moment and her eyes reverted to green, then back to black. 

Maxwell startled and moved away.

"Get out!" she said.

"Mer—" 

Maxwell stuffed a glove in his mouth. 

Her face smoothed and all trace of what was there before faded. The black eyes returned and she walked over, the dagger gripped in her hand.

A foot away, she lunged at Maxwell, who side stepped away. He bellowed and back handed her. 

"I am not the target, master control yourself!" 

"You order me?" Her eyes, thin slits that smoldered with a green smoke coming from them. 

Maxwell stood, with an arm held out. "You're confused, not me kill him." He pointed at him.

A furry paw touched his neck, he thrashed again, hope he has a plan. 

Han jumped from behind him, onto an Acolyte and swiped at their face. The Acolyte yelled and pulled at Han, during the struggle his hood fell back. 

The others let go and reached for Han all at once.

Elven ears! But not like Merryn's these were gray with a blue tint on the ends, as was his face. His eyes had a cloudey film and were red rimed. 

He sucked in a breath as the Acolyte turned his face, avoiding another swipe of Han's long claws. Half of his nose was rotted, his cheek bone showed through a putrid gray and off-red flesh connected to bottom half by thin tendons. 

They spun around and bumped into the rest of the Acolytes knocking them down.

Han made a deep gutteral noise and jumped onto his chest. "The dead should not be walking." 

His fur stood up and he hissed when one got up and came over. 

Parcival rolled off the slab. Maxwell bolted over to Merryn and snached the dagger from her. She stood there unmoving. 

"Wrong all wrong. Master you are stronger then this, awake!" 

She turned her head and stared at him. Without a word she flicked her hand and Maxwell went flying off the hill and rolled down it, screaming curses. 

An instant later she stood before him, her eyes were filled with gray again.

"It is not for them to say what I will do. Go now to your home, the woman is gone. Vex me no longer, this is beyond your scope." 

Creating an instant portal, Parcival and Han rose up into the air. She made a crushing and pulling motion with her hands. 

"No, don't! I can—"

Her arms shot up and she tossed them into it.

####

Meanwhile, only a few miles away, the vine leaves split open at their seams, their little mouths filled with needle like teeth. Several thousand vines shot out wrapping up everyone that was outside the village. It dragged most of them into its mass. They went in with a sicking squishing snapping of bones. 

The vine dome grew larger still. Hundreds of townspeople come out of their homes, behind their booths. With weapons drawn hacking at the vines screaming.

The leaves surrounding the people let out a deafening screech. Thousands more vines shoot out wrapping up them and pulling into its blood-soaked mass. The tower quickened towards the rest of the now doomed town.