by Noëlie Frix
The hours went by and still she found no door, no secret passage that would lead her out. Instead of continuing her search, she decided to think. How had she gotten there? How did others come and go? Now that she thought about it, Chaos seemed to be the only one who could leave his fortress. And she thought of another thing: he could surprise her. Not even Shadow could! Seth often just seemed to appear out of thin air.
Sembor! She suddenly thought. Companions.
*****
When she met up with him, he wore a huge grin which seemed to wither a bit when he saw her sneering.
“Are you ready to put on your wedding gown?”
“No. However, I am ready to go home,” Warrior declared, a bag slung over her shoulder; in it laid her armor and a stiletto knife he had given her.
“No, you’re not…not unless you magically found a way to leave this place,” he countered.
“Matter of fact, I did find such a way. See, I realized I was wasting time trying to find an actual, physical passage out of here. Those efforts were futile as no such exit exists. The way out, therefore, lies with you.”
“With me? Really? How-so?”
“You are the only one who has the ability to travel to and from this place. I figured you must have, like our companions, the ability to teleport,” she paused to see his reaction. Whatever ounce of joy he had felt before was now totally gone from his face. “I figure you can teleport me out of here.” Chaos said nothing. “I resisted you, which I admit was difficult at times. I found my way out. I kept up my end of the deal. You have to let me go and stay out of the Immortals’ War! Not only did you give me your word, but we also sealed the deal, remember?”
“Yes,” he muttered. The scar in his palm turned purple, the same color as his aura, and he sighed, “Very well,” he cringed. “Heka, sweetheart, you are the only person whom I have ever come to respect. And for having fought so valiantly, I suppose it is only right for me to reward you by honoring our deal.”
He grabbed her hand, “That scar will never fade. Think of it as a souvenir, something to remember me by,” Seth declared and they vanished. Warrior and Chaos reappeared in her bedroom. He grabbed both her hands in his and looked down into her eyes, his purple gaze burning.
“If you ever change your mind, I will find you,” he leaned down and kissed her. “Oh! and one more thing…Don’t forget about me. Demons are dangerous. Ask the Spirits. They’ll tell you.”
“That sounds like a threat,” she frowned.
“And perhaps it is. But for now, I will let you fight this war on your own. We’ll meet again, my sweet. Until then,” he gave a small wave and disappeared. Heka shook her head in dismay. That was a problem she would have to worry about later, though. Hopefully not for centuries.
Chapter 28: Reunited
Sembor, I’m back, she called. The latter appeared in front of her, knocking her down and licking her face with joy.
“It’s good to see you too!” she exclaimed. “Let’s go find the others.”
I know someone else who’s going to be happy, no, gleeful, to see you again! Everyone should be down in the dining room.
Heka and Sembor found the Immortals, Spirits, human officers, and the King eating.
“Heka!” Jason yelled, jumped out of his seat and ran to her, grabbing her in a fierce hug. “Thank god you’re safe!”
“It’s good to be here.”
“You should’ve seen him the first day you were gone. He was like a bratty princess, freaking out because you’d disappeared, and he was then technically leading the army,” Electra came up to them. “Hi, by the way.”
“Thank you for that,” Shadow said through gritted teeth. “And I stopped worrying as soon as Sembor told us she was okay.”
“Right, as soon as Sembor told us…but based on observation I would say that he stopped worrying like…two seconds ago,” Trélig countered, bringing the three of them back to the table where Aapol, Myegi, Damien, Désirée, Venthae and Aquae waited.
“Whatever,” Jason pouted. The others in the room did not seem too surprised to see her there and Heka figured they must have come up with a good excuse for her absence.
“You know what? It doesn’t really matter! I’m back, ready to train our troops and win this war.”
“The troops are probably not ready to see you again,” Désirée jeered.
“Are you kidding? I’ve got a bunch of new experience to partake!” Her declaration was met with groans and complaints. “Always nice to know your hard work is appreciated,” she said sarcastically. “Could we all go someplace a bit more private to discuss what’s happened?”
“Yes, of course. And may I say, it is good to have you back, dear,” Damien said.
“Thanks.”
They sat around in the war room. Aapol warned Heka to never speak about Demons to anyone outside that room, for if they saw their chance, the Demons would come back and wreak havoc in the world. After Chaos’s parting tirade, Warrior didn’t need much convincing.
“What excuse did you come up with for my absence?” Heka inquired.
“You went on a recon mission,” the king replied simply.
“You know, surprisingly, no one complained or questioned your absence,” Désirée remarked.
“Except for Jason, of course,” Electra added.
Exasperated, Jason turned around and looked at her. “One day, Electra, you’ll fall in love and you’ll understand how hard it is to function normally when you know that the person whom you care the most about might be going through hell; and you’re powerless, unable to help, not even able to find her. But despite that, you have to continue to honor her the best way you can. Do you know why I’m in this room now, Electra, why I’m taking part in this war? It’s because I believe that nobody should ever have to lose loved ones or be hurt just to satisfy the hunger for power of a handful. So, Electra, the day it happens to you, the day you fall in love, come back, look me in the eyes, and tell me again I acted like a bratty princess.”
The room fell completely silent. Heka looked at him with tenderness, “You know, Jason, when I was there, my body was not in danger, but my heart was. Thinking of you helped me, for that, thank you.” And despite the others in the room and her usual reserve, she put her arms around his waist, brought her mouth to his, and, just for him to hear, she whispered, “I love you too,” and kissed him passionately. They let Chaos, the war, and the uncertain future slip away so it was just them, and it was all that mattered. It felt good and reassuring. Lost in each other’s embrace, they did not notice the room emptying itself.
Désirée whispered to an aghast king, “Pity, I wish I had inspired this tirade…I need to train more. My power seems to diminish! Will you be my volunteer?”
“No! Don’t ruin this moment.” Then in an incredibly childish and un-kingly manner, he exclaimed, “Leave me alone!” and stomped off.
*****
A few days passed without further incidents to perturb camp life. Venthae had just gotten wind of their adversary’s plans and had asked to hold a conference. Once more, they found themselves in the war room.
“War is preparing a massive onslaught that, according to him, will be decisive. The attack should come soon and it’s confirmed that it will take place at Augoro.”
“Five weeks until the attack is what we figure,” Damien confirmed. “Will that be enough?” he worriedly asked Heka.
“Plenty!” she reassured them. “How is the navy doing?”
“Well,” Electra told her. “Maneuvering the ships is getting easier for everyone. Water, Wind and I have experience with that.”
“Great. You three keep working on that, I’ll focus more on training you and the crew to fight on water.”
“Wind, did you manage to create a list with all the participating Immortals? For both sides?”
“I did. And I matched them up with Immortals on our side too,” Wind said, handing her the list.
“Perfect. You did a great job,” she
commended her after perusing it. “You, Aquae and Electra will probably face Confusion and maybe Sleep, as well as Despair. Marcus’s navy is his weakness and he knows it, so he needs to send strong Immortals humans are powerless to resist. In the end, it might just be the three of you fighting to hold that front. So, I really need to intensify your lessons on naval combat. Starting tomorrow, we’ll meet up one hour early before regular training starts.”
“Yay!” Aquae and Electra said simultaneously.
“Winning at sea is crucial. I’m thrilled by your enthusiasm. It warms my heart. Aapol and Myegi, have you guys been able to master Death’s powers?”
“We’re both working on it. And we’ve made progress. But it is still difficult. Death is the only Immortal as old as the Elementals, after all. By the time we have to leave, we’ll be capable of using them. The transfer wasn’t complete, though, so his residual powers are more important than we expected.”
“And I’ve been working on that shadow/soul deal we talked about,” Jason added. “I should be able to use the dead to fight.”
“How gruesome!” Désirée grimaced. “You’ll be happy to know that I have also been training hard. Following most of the physical training you imposed upon us, Immortals, and practicing my seduction techniques quite a bit.”
The king groaned audibly, drawing a few laughs from the others in the room and a mocking grin from Love. “She has been practicing! I can personally attest to it. And I’m getting too old for this sort of thing. Did you know that, yesterday, I found one of my men kissing a tree?!” he asked accusingly. “And another was batting eyelashes at his razor! His razor, for god’s sake!”
“I did know, actually,” she answered. “And I broke those spells almost immediately.”
“Almost,” he grumbled.
“Any news from Wisdom and the archers who left for Augoro? They must have reached the fortress at least five days ago.”
“When they arrived, they had to fight the delegation your uncle sent, led by Despair. The humans there were certain their life was not worth fighting for and that they had no chance of ever having an even remotely bright future. Despair did a great job, so to speak; the number of suicides committed last week was astronomical. The two delegations clashed, but thanks to Wisdom’s work, the men there came back to their senses. The good news is that our delegation won that battle and the people of Augoro have agreed to evacuate the fortress so the remaining civilians won’t get hurt. However, thanks to Wisdom’s great work, so to speak, they will remain neutral and not join us in the struggle,” the king told her.
“Neutrality is much better than enmity,” Warrior said.
“Perhaps we could bring Wisdom along with us,” Venthae suggested.
“No way!” exclaimed Jason vehemently before Heka even had time to reply. “Trust me, you do not want him on board.”
“Why not?”
“Wisdom is so…wisdom-y. I’m glad it worked well at Augoro, but are you aware he was not even part of the actual trip, because if he had been, the soldiers would have wanted to desert. If he were onboard with you, he might start asking your soldiers to ‘nourish their inner child’, he would teach them how to live in harmony with themselves and others, then he’ll attempt to initiate them to the wisdom of nonviolent communication and conflict resolution, and other nonsensical stuff like that. Believe me, Wind, he’ll be so good that when you get there, you won’t even need Despair or Sleep to get rid of your men.”
“What about Joy and Party?” Electra proposed.
“Well as far as Joy is concerned,” Heka replied, “He is likely to remain neutral. Something about war being too depressing, or whatever. And if Party’s on board, all the men will want to do is party, of course. So they won’t fight, they won’t even steer the ships.”
“At least they wouldn’t be suicidal,” her sister countered. “And if Despair’s on board, I can guarantee you they will be just as useless.”
“Touché! We’ll think about it. I am going to be completely honest with all of you. This will be a difficult battle to win. But I have no doubt that we can win it; and we will.”
“You and your uncle should have the biggest influence on this,” Wind remarked, “since you two will be the most closely linked with what will be going on.”
“Are you ready to take on Marcus?” Myegi asked.
“I am,” she declared confidently. “This is not the first time I face him and unfortunately it will not be the last.”
“Good. Then what is our next move?” Aapol inquired.
“We’ll hold off the first wave with our archers. Inevitably, our armies will clash. Julius, as I mentioned earlier, never had a good navy, so he’ll focus more on his ground forces. That works to our advantage. Aquae, Electra and Wind will take them from behind after their naval victory, and he’ll be forced to fight a two front war. A river runs beside Augoro, a few ships can move into it and remain there to block any possible retreat, the others will land and form the second front.”
Chapter 29: Winter
Electra, Jason, Trélig and Heka sat in a small private salon, talking quietly. Warrior stood up and headed toward the door just seconds before a soft knock came.
“A lady wishes to speak with you, General,” a page informed her when she opened the door.
“Who is it?”
“She would not say.”
She shrugged, “Bring her in.”
“Yes, madam,” he turned around and departed.
“Do I look like a madam to you?” Heka turned and asked.
“Definitely!” Electra nodded. “How could anyone ever doubt that?”
“It’s written all over your wise, gentle face,” Jason added.
“And in your proper manners, knowledge of etiquette, and soft-spoken nature,” Trélig grinned.
“Not to mention how delicate and fragile you are,” said Storm.
“Let’s not forget madam’s skillful needlework,” Shadow remembered seeing one of her attempts at embroidery. It had been an unequivocal disaster.
“You mean this needle?” Heka asked, pulling out one of her stiletto knives menacingly.
“Precisely, madam,” his voice was polite, honeyed.
She moved towards him, placing her weapon under his chin. “Would you like me to demonstrate my skills with such a needle? Then maybe I can stitch you up,” she suggested.
They all burst out laughing, but were interrupted by a knock at the door. Heka went to open it but stopped mid-movement, her hand hovering over the doorknob. She threw it open, her face set.
Jason heard Electra gasp, saw Heka shift into a discreet, yet still menacing, fighting stance. He took in the newcomer. The woman looked about thirty, though he immediately knew she was Immortal. She had long white hair, cool gray eyes, skin paler than Heka’s and was about the latter’s height, though not nearly as muscled.
“What are you doing here?” Heka asked, not even bothering to hide or veil her disdain.
“Why, hello to you to,” the woman replied with a cold smile.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Warrior reminded her.
“I have a message to deliver. Could I come in?”
Heka seemed to ponder it then let her in, realizing the open door offered an easy escape. While the new Immortal walked in and sat with Heka glaring down at her, Jason turned to Electra and whispered, “Who is she?”
“You don’t know?” Storm sounded surprised.
“Should I?”
“You probably should, though the last time they talked semi-peacefully, Heka was only fifty-three. It doesn’t matter. You’re about to find out anyway.”
Trélig did not seem to like the newcomer much either.
“Nature. It’s been a while,” she said coldly.
“Not long enough, Winter,” he grumbled.
“Deliver your message so you can be on your way,” Heka said brusquely, surprising Jason. It wasn’t like she was normally nice to her enemies, but she usually had more sty
le to the way she did things—wasn’t as openly rude. All the finesse and politeness required of a ‘madam’ were now gone, he thought, going back to the good-natured mockery, laughter, and joyous mood that had reigned just a few minutes ago.
“No need to be so snappy,” Winter retorted with a pout. “I am here on behalf of Marcus,” she declared.
“Of course, you are! Not like you’d fight with us for once. Let’s not change good ol’ habits.”
“I urge you to join us,” she ignored Heka’s comment. “Fight with your family. You and your sister.”
“No.” There was no room for discussion in her tone. Yet Winter pressed on.
“It is in your natures. You are a warrior, you thrive in war. And Storm,” she said looking at Electra, who tore her gaze away, a sour expression on her face, “the storms of war are gathering, and you would only gain from the resulting chaos. You, too, will thrive. If only you joined us.”
“I said no! Is that so hard to understand? If anyone should switch sides, it’s you! ‘Support your family,’ you say. That rings a bit hollow since you’ve never been on our side, mother,” Heka spat the last word, disdain rolling off of her body. “So do me a favor and leave now, before I lose my cool.”
“You will abandon your uncle and your mother so, then? You would both fight us?” she looked again at her younger daughter.
This time, Electra lifted her eyes and met hers, “We would,” she said, her voice steady, but with pain in her eyes.
“What about your father? Will you abandon him too?”
“Father is a coward and will not be fighting. Keep your wretched, lying, traitorous tongue inside your mouth and leave…before I cut it off,” Warrior ground her teeth.
“How dare you speak to me like this?” she stood up angrily.
“Did you hear me? Has it been so long that you now take my threats lightly, Zyla?” Heka took a step forward and her mother flinched.
“Very well,” she capitulated. “I will go. Until next time,” she turned around and headed for the door.
“Until the battlefield,” Warrior set her jaw and watched her mother depart with fury in her eyes.
