Chapter 19: The First War of Damarkan and the Fall of Themex
As Hakkan repaired his wounds in Herophet and all seemed consumed with the desire to control Arrasia, so Olmus ended her exile from Damarkan and with a horde of demons at her side marched into Damarkan and made war on the Aslah, who were taken unawares. The defenses of the Aslah were soon swept aside and the servants of the Aslah crushed with ease and Olmus rode upon Ganyger, a great wyrm who would suffer none but Olmus herself to be seated upon her, and she poured her hate over the beauty of Damarkan, which was poisoned and withered. And at her side was Ragmannon and he commanded an army of his savage orcs.
So Olmus and her army came to Paradorn, the greatest of the palaces of Damarkan and there set upon it, looking to bring it fully down upon the withered lands of Damarkan and would had done had not Themex, Rama and Tannun Maruth come to its defense and with them a large contingent of the Veshwe that yet populated these lands. And they made a defense of the great palace and came to meet Olmus and her allies in war, even on the very lands of Damarkan.
And the two armies clashed in battle and the blood of many was spilt that day and Themex stood against Olmus and Ganyger and called upon the very waters to rise and flush aside his enemies. But Ganyger took to the air and scorched Themex with her poison. Yet Themex took the blow and when next Ganyger came toward him, he grabbed out at her and his fingers entwined themselves around her neck and would have done for her, had not Olmus came to her rescue and sheathed Themex in flame. His grip released and Ganyger now set upon her injured prey and raked him with her vicious claws and fangs and his system was filled with her poison. But again he grabbed at her throat and began to squeeze out the life of her.
Rama, seeing the plight of her love, now came to his rescue, but was thwarted by Olmus and the two of them cast the full might of their power at the other and both were bloodied and bruised. But as Rama gained the ascendancy, so it was that Ganyger finished off Themex, his fingers around her neck falling limp as he was slain, and she made for Rama and knocked her to ground and there Olmus plummeted a poison dagger into her and she went cold and was done for and her body went limp and Rama was no more.
Yet while the battle of Olmus and Ganyger and Rama and Themex caused the very ground to move and shudder, Tannun Maruth had led his army of Veshwe against the orcs of Ragmannon and routed them and they were in retreat and Olmus and Ganyger were forced to flee with them, for Shylar had now come into the field. But as she fled from Damarkan, so Olmus laughed at her enemies, for Themex and Rama were forever defeated and this victory, she thought, far greater than the defeat of her armies.
