The light of her smile was enchanting and Ravage blushed under the magnificence of her presence. Emanating such grandeur and crowned with shells and the treasures of the deep her identity was unquestionable, Jobee; goddess of the sea.
“I hope Quessar wasn’t too rough with you, though you both seem to be quite alright,” the sound of her voice was as sweet and elegant as her looks.
“Quessar?” Ravage remembered the powerful tentacles that had seized her in the water.
“He’s one of my protectors,” Jobee took Ravage’s hand and helped her to stand, “He sensed you in the water and brought you to me, you’ve been asleep on the sand for quite a few hours now.”
“I thought he was going to eat us,”
“Well technically he did, but only to keep you safe. There was a pod of carpostles coming down the river and they definitely would have made a meal out of you, you’re very lucky.”
Luck; Ravage didn’t feel lucky. Ajaxon certainly wasn’t lucky. The look of agony and terror on his face as the centipede dragged him away haunted her. Honourable, strong, handsome, he was the best man she’s met in a long while and now he was dead just like all the others. Ravage had narrowly escaped death so many times that it didn’t feel like luck, more like fate. She felt as though she was a cat with nine lives and those lives were soon going to run out.
Gently Jobee placed her hand underneath Ravage’s chin and raised her head. “You’ve lost someone, I can feel it,” she smiled kindly, “I can also sense that you’re terrified of water.”
Ravage blushed.
“Terrified isn’t a strong enough word to describe how scared she is of water,” Patsy grinned at her. Ravage shot her a look of annoyance. You can’t tell the ocean goddess that you’re afraid of water, that’s both insulting and embarrassing.
“You’re right to be afraid.” The smile disappeared from her face, Jobee’s eyes became fierce and stern, “the rivers and oceans are no place for man, they belong to the creatures of the deep, everything in the water will kill you.”
The girls began to fear that they had angered the sea goddess but Jobee’s face lightened and her eyes became kindly once more.
“You both fear and respect my waters so I will grant you these.” The goddess held out her hand and sitting in the middle of her palm were two iridescent rings of unimaginable beauty. “Before you accept them I must warn you, once you place the ring on your finger you will never be able to take it off. These rings will grant you an aura of divinity and kinship, no river or ocean predator will be aggressive towards you, within reason, for the rings do not hold sway over all the creatures of the waters. Your bodies will no longer require breath when you are underwater, but if you stay underwater for too long you will never be able to walk on land again and will be cursed to roam the oceans until death comes for you.”
A divine ring. Ravage pondered the consequences but they were nothing compared to what she had to gain by accepting Jobee’s gift and one should never refuse a divine gift offered by the gods. She accepted it gracefully.
The ring was cold to the touch, its surface smooth and flawless. As Ravage held it within her fingers the iridescent colours shimmered like a magnificent rainbow and she was lost within its beauty. The ring was large and felt loose on her finger but once close to the knuckle it shrank, embedding itself into her skin. There was a brief moment of pain then Ravage was gripped with an immense feeling of euphoria as she became one with the ring which now was to forever be a part of her. Patsy felt the same emotions as she became one with her ring, a shiver of ecstasy running down her spine.
“Shall we test out your new powers?”
They followed Jobee as she led them through the shallow waters of the cove and watched as the goddess dove through the reeds into the deeper water beyond. Patsy dove in after her whilst Ravage remained, hesitant to continue. Her whole life she had been terrified of swimming, it was not a fear she could so easily shake off. Ravage had witnessed the horror of people being attacked by sharks and had seen others dragged to the depths by hideous monsters. Quessar’s appearance had rendered her body useless, paralysed by fear. She had done her best to avoid large bodies of water her whole life, as she stood in the shallow water her knees began to tremble. No, things were going to be different now. She stared at the enchanting ring on her finger and mustered her courage.
“If Jobee says that I’ll be safe then I’ll believe her.”
Ravage dove through the reeds and immediately regretted her decision. Anxiety set in, a moment of panic as she floated in the deeper water then suddenly her fears began to lift as a new world presented itself before her.
The underwater world was a marvel to her. From a bed of round stones and sand grew countless reeds and exotic plants which blossomed in an array of spectacular colours. All manner of tiny fish swam amongst the aquatic forest darting this way and that as their schools moved about in a most erratic and mesmerising way. As she swam deeper a glimmer of light caught her eye, she was amazed to see that Jobee’s legs had transformed into a beautiful mermaid tail with dazzling scales of green and purple; the goddess moving through the water with divine elegance. What amazed Ravage even more was the sight of Patsy was swimming beside a massive rershee shark who was paying absolutely no heed to her presence at all.
It was a reality she could hardly believe, the rings really worked. Diving further into the depths Ravage joined Patsy and together they swam at the shark’s side. It was a bliss she had only experienced in her dreams and was humbled by the size and power of the mighty shark beside her. Ravage reached out and touched the shark; its skin firm and coarse. A shiver of excitement ran through her, this was really happening.
After a time Patsy began to ascend to the surface while Ravage lingered by the shark’s side in a state of jubilance, not wanting the time to end. Two smaller sharks emerged from the reeds sailing past with graceful movements of their powerful tails. Ravage was gripped with a strong sense of déjà vu and closed her eyes, her body floated through the water at the mercy of the current. Engrossed in a state of tranquillity; her thoughts introspective. This was the essence of the dreams she had having since childhood. No fear, no anxiety, just peaceful serenity in the depths.
It was a lot to take in. Patsy lay in the sun basking in the warmth as she tried to comprehend the ring upon her finger. She felt superhuman and how could she not, the power to stay underwater without needing to breath, the kinship of the watery kingdom, such a divine blessing. The secrets and treasures of the deep were now hers to explore. She smiled as Ravage emerged from the water in a state of bliss. Patsy saw an amazing transformation within her friend, to go from being terrified of water to swimming with sharks was a tremendous accomplishment, she was so proud of her.
In the undergrowth behind her the thick and luscious leaves of a fern parted as the face of a large feline jungle predator appeared. The panguar blinked and sniffed the air investigating with keen interest the new scents in its environment. With stealth it prowled through the ferns with large paws, its shaggy fur a chaotic mixture of grey, orange and black.
“Kitty!” Jobee squealed with excitement bounding over to the large cat she pounced upon it wrapping her arms around its thick neck as she buried her face into its soft fur. The great cat began purring and nuzzled its face against her.
“Kitty?” The panguar was almost the size of a wolvren, Patsy thought it adorable that Jobee had become so youthful and playful with the great cat.
“They’re one of the reasons I come here,” the panguar abandoned her and began walking towards Patsy. “This cove is beautiful and inaccessible to people so I never have to be worried about being disturbed here, it’s just so amazing and tranquil. It’s one of my many secret gardens.”
Patsy sat still as the panguar stood over her sniffing her face. She became lost within the soul of its beautiful golden eyes, leaning forwards it pressed its cold nose against her forehead. The great cat strutted away from her then suddenly sprang back an
d landed atop Patsy trapping her underneath the hulking mass of its body. The panguar purred as it began licking and grooming her hair.
“He likes you.” Jobee smiled.
“Looks like you’ve found a new friend.” Ravage removed her wet clothes placing them upon a wide stone at the water’s edge to allow them to dry. With terrifying speed a black panguar sprang from the undergrowth and bore down atop Ravage. Seizing her within its strong arms the powerful beast knocked her into the shallow water.
Drenched Ravage sat in the shallows laughing as the panguar bounded about playfully tapping her with its soft paws and rolling its huge body around in the water. It seemed as though they had both found new friends.
“It’s time for me to leave you now,” said Jobee as she gracefully walked to the water’s edge, the sunlight sparkling upon her magnificent jewels.
“You’re leaving us?” said Ravage.
“You should rest here tonight. If you follow the panguar in the morning they will lead you out of the ravine,” with a coy smile she continued, “once out of the ravine you should head north staying close to the edge of the fornen swamp but be mindful not to stray into it. Follow the trail of alstromne into the hills and you should be able to find your way home from there.”
The alstromne were the insignia flower of the larrosan and grew abundantly in the valley of the fallen, Ravage hadn’t heard of the flowers blossoming in the north before.
“Thank you for everything,” Patsy was forever grateful, not only had the goddess saved their lives but had transformed their fates.
With a final wave Jobee dived into the beautiful water and was gone, a wisp of Quessar’s tail broke the surface out in the river as the colossal beast joined Jobee for their journey back to the sea.
The panguar laid together in an affectionate embrace as they slept. Patsy had nestled into the orange chest of Hobson and laid claim that he was to be her companion until the ending of the world. Ravage decided on the name Sabella for her black panguar and watched him with fondness as she sat in the moonlight beside the dying embers of a small fire. Her thoughts were consumed by the mysteries of the north. So few people had travelled beyond the northern mountain ranges, the fornen swamp and trillian jungle were completely unknown to her. It was a vast wild and untamed land. The Drekkar ruins of the Gorigarni lay in the north and to the west was Marle; homeland of the Neshural.
Yawning she nuzzled into Sabella’s soft fur and closed her eyes. Ravage didn’t know what the future was going to hold for her and Patsy but it was an adventure she was eager to begin.
Epilogue
The tantalizing aroma of the wine arose from the crystal carafe to tease Emma’s senses as she prepared the pungent and intoxicating vintage for the queen’s arrival in her secluded chamber. With age worn hands she added wood and stoked the hearth with a mournful sense of nostalgia for soon King Balester’s reign would end and no longer would she fulfil the duties she had lovingly performed in the queen’s service for countless years.
As she thoughtfully closed the iron door of the fireplace the true wonder in the craftsmanship of the masonry came alive. The stone work was carved into an intricate flower arrangement and as the flames inside grew the flower petals glowed and were brought to life in a wondrous display of creative brilliance.
Despondently the elderly maiden arose and dusted the ash from her apron. It saddened her greatly that the Engalian Empire was on its knees to the hostile invaders from the south and the subjugation was tragedy she did not want to accept. The rumours being spread amongst the servants told the tale of Brackish being a murderous and warmongering demigod who having slain the Grand Duke in front of all the nobles then had the audacity to threaten the king with the total annihilation of Floreska if he did not yield to his demands. Emma feared for Engalia’s future under the rule of such a terrifying dictator.
“Your Grace,” the dutiful maiden bowed courteously as the queen entered her chamber, “I have prepared everything for you, the wine is lovely aged vintage from the meadowlands.”
“Thank you Emma,” after such a harrowing day the fine wine was precisely what Traciel needed, “I will call on you shall I require anything else.”
“Yes your Grace,” with a dignified curtsey Emma left the room softly closing the door behind. In her heart she wanted to console the queen with kind words but as a maiden knew it was not her place to speak so freely with her majesty; and so quietly returned to her quarters.
Finishing the wine Traciel sat pondering the events of the throne room; with the arrival of the surangi she was set to lose everything. The glowing of the fire reminded the queen of Brackish’s flaming wings and she turned away in anger. Unlike the noble lords and dignified members of her court Traciel had not born into a prestigious or reputable house. She had endured the hardship and adversity of growing up as an unwanted and loathsome orphan. The long years of her youth were a torturous and miserable time of her life. Puny and defenceless she was at the mercy of the most wretched scum of mankind; if it was not for the intervention of Kelaire her life would still be a miserable and inescapable hell. Through sheer strength of will she had broken through and conquered every threshold striving to achieve her goals and now that she was queen she was damned if she was going to let anyone; even a demigod take that from her.
Pressing the concealed stone above the mantle opened the hidden door and Traciel descended the dark staircase into the secret chamber below.
Decorated with regal refinement the chamber was a secluded paradise for the kings of old when they needed a respite from their royal duties or schemed their plots meeting in secret with dignitaries and other less savoury characters.
“Kelaire?” called out the Queen and the wraith emerged before her.
Enchantingly radiant the wraith’s beauty was bewitching. Her elegant wings shimmered with the colours of ivory and pearl. Long blue hair flowed down around her extravagantly gothic armour. “Traciel.”
“You know all about it don’t you?”
The wraith nodded.
“Why didn’t you come? You could have killed him right then and there.”
“Could I?”
“Of course you could-”
“He’s a demigod Traciel, I cannot defeat him.”
“He’s going to destroy the empire!” With clenched fists she continued, “There has to be a way to kill that bastard! Perhaps there is a wizard or a mage powerful enough to defeat him, another god even.”
“There are many creatures in the world that can rival Brackish’s power, but to obtain an ally with such power would not only be difficult but come with a heavy cost.”
“Whatever it is I’ll pay it.” With the vast wealth of the Engalian treasuries at her disposal Traciel would gladly pay any cost for the continuation of the empire.
“They may not want gold.”
“What then? My soul?” Gold and jewels she would gladly part with but not her soul or her life.
Kelaire crossed the room and stood staring into the dancing flames of a brazier. “Trapped deep within the Drekkar ruins is the spiritual essence of a terribly powerful necromancer who abhors the sun gods.”
“Trapped within the ruins,” Traciel thought this sounded like a farfetched plan, “Brackish will be back within a week to claim Engalia, we don’t have time to rescue a trapped spirit from within Drekkar, it’s an ancient place of horror and terror from which no man has ever returned.”
“You will not find a power to defeat Brackish within a week,” it was a harsh reality Traciel was going to have to face. “But what does that matter? Let him claim the empire and then from its ashes you can arise and seize it back, what better way to insult and destroy a phoenix then by mimicking its own abilities!”
“But how will we survive Drekkar?”
“I will show you how to conquer Drekkar and with me by your side we will awaken an ancient being who defies the laws of this world.”
Within the secret chamber Traciel and Kelaire devised thei
r cunning plot. Nothing would stand in the way of Traciel’s dreams and with the power of Drekkar she would be unstoppable. It was perfect; Brackish and the surangi would fall.
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