Beyond Prophecy: A Visionary Fantasy (The Light Warriors Book 2)

by Lucia Ashta

  Carn, who fought valiantly next to Baldub, was also captivating to watch. She spun with her bow held in an outstretched hand. The bow glowed faintly as she picked up speed. Soon she was spinning so quickly that she created shock waves around her. The demons were unable to advance before the force field she was projecting.

  The waves became so intense that they began causing serious structural damage to the demons’ bodies. They could no longer press forward, and began breaking away. Small pieces of flesh flecked away and blew off into a directed, tornado-like wind that Carn had created above them with her spinning.

  Carn was a blur of motion. Her long, copper hair and crimson cape twirled with her. Seen from above, she created circles within circles of different colors, her fast whirling giving the illusion of perfect symmetry. The force and consistency of her movement wasn’t only beautiful, but it also continued its decimating effect upon the demons. They were unrecognizable; they’d become a disfigured impression of what they’d once been.

  Finally, the last of the demons blew away. The cyclone that whipped above them took away every last piece. Once Carn had secured victory, she spun one last time and stopped. The tornado above her faded into nothingness.

  Carn stood in complete stillness, as if she’d never moved at all. Her cape and hair fell limply at her sides. Carn looked up at Baldub who stood watching her, now back at his normal height. She smiled a radiant smile that spread warmth across her face. She was the faultless example of serenity after a storm.

  Asara spotted the cousins nearby. They sat with their backs against a building and their legs outstretched. The excitement of the fight had fled their bodies, leaving exhaustion and stupor in its place. There was none of the usual chatter and playfulness about them. Three unicorns stood next to them, also recovering from the exertion of battle. No more dark creatures prowled the streets.

  Thom was making his way over to where the cousins sat. He walked beside his unicorn, with his hand resting on its mane. The unicorn mirrored his stillness, towering protectively over Thom’s small frame. Thom held neither weapons nor any other external evidence of his power. Asara watched him as he reached the cousins, rested his head against the unicorn’s, and murmured tender words to the creature.

  Chapter 40

  The twins, Baldub, and Carn had just joined the cousins and Thom in the street when an angel defeated a giant demon above them. The demon hurtled down through the sky but, instead of continuing its descent to the ground, its fall was broken by the surveillance tower at the city’s gate. The tower was made of solid stone and withstood the impact. The demon was impaled on the spire that rose from the tower and there found its final resting place.

  Though the fighting was furious in the skies, on the ground it was eerily quiet. The light warriors sat or stood in silence out of reverence for the great power they’d witnessed there that day. There was also respect for the destruction; even though all who died at their hands were soldiers of darkness, there was still a sense of regret for the necessary suffering that had led to that death.

  The light warriors took inventory. Everyone was whole and apparently unscathed. They’d learned more about themselves that day and understood their powers more fully. Baldub and Carn had grown closer through the experience of fighting side by side. They sat next to each other as friends and protectors.

  Suddenly, Carn started to laugh uncontrollably. It was entirely unexpected and contagious. The light warriors all joined in, not knowing what they were laughing at, but laughing just the same. It had been unsettling to stand up to such monstrous and violent creatures. The laughter relieved the tension they hadn’t even realized they were holding.

  Finally, exhaustion swept in. They allowed themselves to let go of the fight, and those that weren’t already sitting joined the others. With their backs leaning against a wall, the warriors turned their attention to the skies. This time, they looked up as spectators. The battle of the skies wasn’t theirs to fight—at least, not at this time. The light warriors had secured the city so the angels could devote their attention above.

  Asara was relieved to see that the angels now slightly outnumbered the winged demons. Eventually, the angels would defeat the demons that had come to devastate and destroy. The light would defeat the darkness.

  Knowing the angels would ultimately secure victory allowed the group to watch the battle from below with detachment. The angels fought and flew with a great, fluid power. And as Asara observed the angels skillfully engage their opponents, she realized that the flying demons were different from the ones that had lumbered through the streets. Though nowhere near as graceful as the angels, the flying demons were less awkward and more resistant to attack than their grounded counterparts were. They were much more powerful than any the light warriors had fought. It was no wonder that the battle in flight was still ongoing. These demons were different and potently dangerous.

  Asara shifted her gaze toward the surveillance tower. The demon that had lodged itself on the tower’s spire was gone. It, too, had faded into nothingness. All was safe within the city’s streets. Asara closed her eyes and brought herself to that space in which she could easily connect to Creator. From that place, she sent light sweeping over the city. The light seeped in through cracked doorways and windows, between trees and into the wells where the people would draw their water.

  Anak, always connected to Asara, joined in her efforts; his light sped toward the opposite quadrant of the city. Their combined light, filled with the intention to cleanse the city and erase the imprint of trauma, was doing just that. The vibration of distress was leaving those living elements within the city that could hold the memory of conflict.

  The light swept across the town until the light that Asara was sending out from the left sector met the light that Anak was sending out from the right side. Then, with light completely filling every crevice, the vibration of the entire city shifted. The living elements of Mother Earth attuned once again to her vibration and shared in her essence. The stones, the trees, and the dirt hummed. Asara and Anak released their hold on the light and stopped emitting it. The light continued to float through the town until it eventually dissipated.

  With their duty in the city complete, the warriors stood and turned to exit as one. They didn’t speak; they’d reached such a level of connection that verbal communication was unnecessary. The unicorns walked beside the light warriors. They’d ridden the unicorns in battle to gain every advantage they could, but now, the warriors wanted to honor the magic that coursed through the mighty creatures. The unicorns’ legs flexed with rippling muscles, repeating divinely designed motion with each step. As Asara admired the unicorns, she had a premonition that they were an important part of their epic journey that wouldn’t end with this one battle.

  Chapter 41

  The next morning, while the sun still slept, Lena was jarred awake but didn't know what roused her. Then she felt Paolo holding her tightly in a protective embrace. Lena searched Paolo’s eyes for an explanation of what was going on, and he indicated that she should be quiet while they listened. Lena lay perfectly still against him.

  Before long, they heard what signaled to their sleeping minds that it was time to return to alertness. Faint whispers of movement sounded outside the guesthouse when there should have been none. An earsplitting alarm rang out, and a rush of activity accompanied it.

  Lena and Paolo sprang out of bed, launching themselves into immediate action. Lena was hurriedly picking up the clothes she’d thrown on the floor the previous night. As she pulled her shirt down, she saw that Paolo was already fully dressed and strapping the sword’s sheath to his side. He put the sword itself in his hand, and Lena did the same. Neither of them knew what awaited them on the other side of the door.

  With staffs and bows strapped to their backs and swords in their hands, Lena and Paolo rushed toward the door.

  The extraordinary had become ordinary in their lives. Creator’s paintbrush tinged everything in their world
.

  They opened the door to the bedroom as angels in human bodies.

  Chapter 42

  There was nothing for the motley group of light warriors to do but return to the campsite. Without the apprehension of battle ahead of them, they shared jokes and stories. There was the silence of telepathic communication and then the sudden outburst of raucous laughter. They all knew the war wasn’t over, but they’d won a battle. They enjoyed the lightheartedness that followed in the aftermath of intensity. They traipsed through the grasses that travelers had worn down, creating a path.

  The flowers bloomed all around them; their colors were vibrant, and they were teeming with life. Bees swarmed about the flowers happily. The long grasses swayed in time with the fluttering of the breeze, and the animals in their habitats languidly watched the crew walk by. It was a time of serenity.

  When the warriors approached the campsite, they saw the two unicorns, who’d come to support Area and Arien, standing majestically in the billowing fields. A reflection of the sunlight indicated that the bubble of protection began just behind where they stood; Area and Arien were inside the bubble, partially hidden from view by the unicorns. They were waiting for the warriors to return. No one questioned them as to why they hadn’t joined in the fight. The approaching group knew there were good reasons behind all Area and Arien’s seemingly incongruous actions.

  The warriors trusted the guidance they received from their spirit guides. After all, that was the reason that every one of them was there in the first place. As the light warriors crossed through the protective bubble, the unicorns that had walked beside them fell away, staying outside of the energetic shield.

  A robust sense of family had been birthed. This was a spirit family, one not determined by blood. The ties that bound them to one another were based on their connection to Creator and their spiritual missions while on earth. They were kinfolk of a different kind—one that shared the same knowing—and that was the strongest family bond of all.

  Asara and Anak felt fortunate to have been raised in the temples. Though it had been difficult for both of them to leave their biological families at such an early age, they’d adapted well and benefited from the spiritual teachings they’d received. That foundation had given them an insight into the workings of the universe that proved invaluable to them time and again.

  Not all of their companions had the same good fortune to have been prepared for their life purposes. Carn and Thom had left their unsupportive birth families to seek a better understanding of themselves and their missions. They’d left the lives they knew to answer the call to a greater purpose. It was thanks to this path that Carn and Thom stood so firmly in their strength and sense of knowing.

  Baldub’s family consisted of a group of rowdy misfits accustomed to doing their own thing. And while Baldub had their love, he hadn’t had their support. He was too different for them to understand. Eventually, Baldub, too, left his home to wander in search of a greater insight into himself and what he was on earth to do.

  The cousins, Meena, Mohan, and Osarus, all lived in the same home. Their mothers were sisters and the extended family lived in one dwelling. Their families had neither been particularly supportive nor particularly understanding of them, but the cousins had each other, so they’d stayed. Within the safety of the family home, they’d grown together. They’d shared their experiences and practiced the skills they learned with one another while hiding them from the rest of their family.

  Only Area and Arien had an upbringing that fostered their divine purpose. They were born into royalty and raised in a privileged life within palace walls. Their parents ruled Ashgahn, a kingdom that extended over vast lands. Unlike Asara and Anak, Area and Arien hadn’t been drawn to the outdoors, to the heat of the sun, and to the grasses that led to the water’s edge. Whereas Asara and Anak had grown connected to nature, learning from her simplicity and power, Area and Arien had found tranquility within the crystal palace’s inner courtyards.

  Dedicated caretakers kept the courtyards, with their reflective pools as clear as looking glasses, impeccably manicured. The twins spent much of their time roaming the courtyards, walking the gardens, and learning about beauty within structure and elegance. This experience shaped their personalities; they themselves became careful in everything they did. Contrary to Asara and Anak who carried the lion and sun energies within them and boldly acted on their knowing, Area and Arien were deliberate and measured, gliding into action.

  They were miniature versions of their parents. Even though the queen and king of Ashgahn weren’t related by blood, they closely resembled each other. The parents and their only children were tall and thin. They had long, elegant hands and feet and a willowy step. Their skin was almost translucent, and they wore their fair hair long and straight to the waist. The queen and king dressed like their children in flowing robes that made them look like they hovered just above the ground. They all had eyes the color of ice frozen for eons in those places unseen by man, a pale and poignant blue.

  Area and Arien grew very close to one another in their seclusion. Already born into the world with that powerful connection that only twins can share, they also became each other’s only friend. They could communicate with each other with the flutter of thought. But despite their closeness, the relationship that Area and Arien shared put into perspective how unique the connection between Asara and Anak was.

  Asara and Anak shared a fire and passion not only for each other, but also for life, which was remarkable. They knew how to grab onto life and ride it. They were eager pupils of life’s experiences, and the universe rewarded them for their humility and desire to learn. They were shown the secrets that are only revealed to those who are devoted to the mysteries of life.

  Chapter 43

  What Lena and Paolo saw when they rushed out of their bedroom stunned them. Humans and monsters, oozing malice, swarmed and flew around where they’d slept peacefully only minutes before. Obviously possessed by darkness, the people and creatures from other dimensions could only have one reason for being there: to do whatever they could to exterminate the light warriors and to allow the imbalance between the light and the dark to continue on earth.

  Although Marian and Victor had taken extreme precautions to hide the twins, the light that all four of them emitted was too great to go unnoticed for long. The dark forces had discovered their location.

  Lena reminded herself with the last focused thought she would have for a while that she could do anything; she was God’s angel. There was nothing for her to fear. Her light was strong and bright. She was with her beloved in divine union and with a divine purpose. She’d become a light warrior. Lena let out a mighty roar. The lioness within her converged with the angel and the warrior, and she charged forward.

  Chapter 44

  After that, everything became a blur to Lena. The faces of those who rushed at them in attack were fiendish, revealing a fierce desire to kill.

  A cloud of dark, translucent figures swirled above the chaos. Lena didn’t know exactly what they were. Were they perhaps wraiths or demons? Lena could feel the darkness emanating from them in thick, dense waves.

  She returned her attention to the ground. She and Paolo moved together with their backs facing each other so their attackers couldn’t strike them from behind. They focused on their aggressors so intently that they gave no thought to Victor and Marian. Had they taken a moment to reflect, they would have found it alarmingly odd that neither Victor nor Marian was present. Both of them would have wanted to ensure the twins were safe.

  Lena and Paolo stood alone, defending against attack from the left and from the right. Men and women from all walks of life came at the twins with staffs, clubs, spears, rocks, and anything else they could find. Once Lena and Paolo determined that their aggressors were human beings, they sheathed their swords. They stood instead with their staffs poised high hoping to stun their attackers without inflicting permanent damage.

  The twins couldn’t go
against their hearts, which only held love for humanity. Even these people, who were seething with rage and murder, contained light hidden deep within their human essence. That light was there waiting to be unearthed.

  A woman, who looked prematurely aged and disheveled, with stringy blonde hair and sallow skin charged at Lena, club raised. Lena’s heart wrenched. It didn’t seem right that she should have to hurt this woman to protect herself. How could hurting another be the way to bring light to the world?

  The woman raised her club and swung at her head. Lena sidestepped the strike and prayed to do the right thing. Then, she struck the woman on the head with her staff, just hard enough to knock her unconscious. The woman fell to the ground with a thud and didn’t move.

  Lena wasn’t allowed time to analyze the situation. As soon as the woman hit the ground, everything around Lena regained its full momentum, and one of the men attacked her. It felt like an endless procession of men and women lashing out at her. Using the skills that Marian had taught her, Lena knocked each one of them unconscious with a strike to the head intended to disable temporarily. The bodies of nine men and women lay around Lena’s feet when the line of attack finally came to an end. Lena, breathing heavily from the adrenaline and the exertion, took in a welcome breath of relief.

  She turned to Paolo. Bodies also littered the ground where he stood. The last of the hoard of attackers at ground level launched himself at Paolo, but the possessed man’s attack was unenthusiastic, and Paolo repelled him easily. This last man fell to the ground to join his sleeping cohorts. The darkness was dwindling.