by John Grover
###
The waters in the font rippled and blurred again. A moment later a new image formed. One of the oracles appeared. He wore a look of desperation.
Nix and the others were stunned. They clutched the side of the font as the oracle addressed them. “Make haste. We can only hold this link momentarily, for her magic will break it. You must confront her now. Sinnia has almost gathered enough lives. For every kill her minions make, she feeds. She grows stronger, and is almost ready to enter her third and final birth stage. You must not allow it. We are unsure if she can be stopped at that point. She may become invulnerable. The vision is unclear. Go…stop her now. She waits at the very top of the tallest tower. The stone steps will take you directly to her. There is no more time to waste.”
The image faded out and the waters went still. Nothing but blackness greeted them now. They turned to one another and said not a word. There was no need to. Nix, Lianna, and Vanare left the viewing room and rushed up the set of steps in front of them.
At the very top of the tower, they found a giant set of iron doors that touched the ceiling. Beneath them glowed spectral light. They knew beyond those doors waited their destiny. Pride filled their hearts. Their muscles tensed and, before they even realized it, they were rushing the doors.
The three charged in with weapons raised, but soon came to an abrupt stop. For the first time, they looked upon her. She sat seductively in her throne, a perverse smile etched on her face. She was in her glory, and her dark beauty bedazzled them.
Soft laughter filled the room. “Come in,” she said. “I’ve been expecting you.” The doors slammed shut behind them, snapping them out of their trance.
Two giant spiders drop from the ceiling and attacked.
Leaping into action, the three battled the arachnids. Their enemies spit venom and spun webs, in hopes of catching this prey. However, the giant horrors were ripped by cold steel until they were dead.
Sinnia laughed again. “Fools!” A multitude of voices emanated from her. “You three believe yourselves capable of defeating me? The ancestors are dead, long dead, and I...am… free.”
“This time you will die!” Nix yelled.
Sinnia lifted her arms and an icy whirlwind swept into the room, lifting the three then sending them crashing to the marbled floor. They grimaced and writhed just feet away from her.
Vanare lifted his gaze and, to his shock, spotted his lost leader, Salane, held captive by a gaggle of grotesque arms. “My lady...” He reached out for her before being thrown into the air again. This time he hovered in midair.
Lianna and Nix struggled to cross the floor and reach their swords. A cracking reverberated in their ears.
Sinnia transformed before them. Her body shifted and wrinkled as bones stretched. Skin tore off her as new muscles formed. Eight spider arms sprouted from her body. She grew mandibles, while her back and abdomen hunched and bulged to enormous proportions.
The demon spider that was Sinnia shot a fiery web out at Vanare, dragging him right into her grip. Vanare swung his sword at her and caught one of her legs. Green blood spewed over him, burning his flesh.
His cries filled the throne room as Sinnia bit into his throat, tearing it open and devouring it. His fairy’s wings withered as all color drained from them. Vanare's body sagged in her grip as his life faded.
“No!” Lianna cried. “We are doomed. It must be the three of us. Our proxy is invalid. We have failed.”
“I will not give up!” Nix jumped to his feet. “She must die. She must!” He charged towards the demon spider.
“Lianna...” a weak voice called. “All is not lost.”
The Amazon Queen turned to see the captive Salane. Something tingled in her pouch then. Lianna reached in and pulled out the talisman bag Juni had given her. It surged with power. She rushed over to the fairy leader and sprinkled the contents about the arms. “Osiris, Munus, Octorion, Malfurious!”
The arms boiled and smoke billowed. They shrank away, releasing the fairy leader. “Thank you Lianna.”
“We must face Sinnia one last time!” Lianna called as she raced to help Nix. Salane soared over to Vanare’s lifeless body and found the soul jar.
Sinnia caught Nix in her ferocious grip. She crushed the life from him as Lianna came up behind her and chopped one of her legs off. Green sprayed across the floor.
“Your jars!” Salane called as she lifted into the air. “Open your jars!”
Nix managed to get one arm free. He grabbed hold of his soul jar and popped its lid off.
Lianna and Salane followed his lead and removed the lids off their jars as well. Great singing filled the throne room, as white foamy essence fluttered out of the containers. A vaguely humanoid shape formed inside this angelic radiance, then the essences filled each of their bodies. Now fairy, elf, and amazon thought as one, acted as one, and fought as one. They were united by the souls of their human ancestors.
Sinnia’s eyes widened with terror for the first time in centuries. She maneuvered her massive frame towards the iron doors, but it was too late.
Three swords cut into her at the same time. Green ran out like emerald rivers. Her screams came loud and horrendous, but were drowned out by the glorious song that shook the room.
Nix fell out of her grasp. He hit the floor, and Sinnia teetered above him, then came crashing down with immense force. Salane lifted him out of harm’s way, setting him safely at Lianna’s side.
The three watched, tears in their eyes, as the spider queen scrambled on the floor, shaking and gasping her last breaths. In moments she was reduced to a puddle of pus and bubbling fluid. Puffs of steam wafted off her corpse.
Thunder rocked the castle as the mystical singing faded. The three leaders stood in a silent room, until a groan caught their attention. Something stirred in the dark. Someone moved behind Sinnia’s throne.
The three of them snapped to attention, lifting their swords. Lianna moved first, slowly rounding the other side of the throne. There she made a shocking discovery. Chained to the floor, a naked man writhed and groaned. “By the Gods.” She gasped. “Leaders…I believe something incredible is upon us. Come.”
Nix and Salane rushed to her side and stared at the human man. It was the first time, since Orum’s birth, that a Fairy, Elf and Amazon had laid eyes on a human.
“Is he…” Nix could barely form words.
“He is from the destroyed realm,” Lianna said. “The only survivor of the fourth race.” She bent to the man, and he cringed away from her. “Have no fear. What are you..I mean what kind of race are you?”
He looked up at her, his face gaunt, his body malnourished. “I am hu…man.”
“Hu-man,” Lianna said to the others. “Hu-man is now part of Orum.” Joy filled her heart. “You will be healed. Your captor is dead.”
“My…world… she tried to kill us… We have to go and save them.”
The great leaders looked at one another. “I am sorry,” Nix said. “It is too late. Your realm is gone.”
Shock washed over his face before he broke down and cried. A baleful moan swept through the room and the fortress rumbled. The three took the cue to flee the fortress forever.
Lianna smashed her sword across the man’s chain and freed him from his bonds. She clothed him in a tapestry from the wall then sheathed her sword. With brute strength, she picked him up. He set his head on her chest and passed out.
“Come,” Salane said. “It is time for us to go.” With an uncommon strength, Salane lifted Nix, Lianna and the human into the air. She carried them through the winding passages and dreary halls.
Bit by bit the castle began to fall. Cracks ripped through its foundation. Marble columns and stone pillars toppled like cards. The fairy queen carried her comrades through a window, into the night, and headed home. The saviors had done their job and done it well.
