Hertha launched her purple orb, and it soared across the desert. Ganicus watched it fly through the desert and realized that it was heading towards Donkor village.
“By the desert god! No! No!” he screamed in despair. Donkor village was just three miles away from the pyramid, but the orb reached it within seconds. It exploded and destroyed everything in its path, casting a purple light upon the desert.
Ganicus fell to his knees, warm tears left his eyes, and he screamed, watching the destruction of Donkor Village and its people.
Ember
Lying on her bed, she stared at the storm outside the window. Thunder thudded, wind gusted, and it rained wildly. She loved the weather. It put her at ease. It was a spell on her tower for an eternal storm. Some would think it was a curse, but Ember thought it was a blessing, a reflection of her soul. She loved the sound of thunder and watching it illuminate the eternal night around her tower.
She rose from her bed without waking Naunet. Nude, she walked to the window. Her white mask and clothes of shadows hung by the bed. The wind came through the window and streamed her black hair. Rain soaked her on the balcony. It was cold, but she loved it.
Her damped hair covered her face, and she fixed it behind her ear. Her omiack eye itched, and she gently scratched it. The sclera of the eye was purely purple, no iris and no pupil. It was the very source of her cosmo magic, and without it, she could not complete her mission that she promised to the goddess Arkana.
She placed her hands on the handrail of the balcony and gazed into the horizon thinking about her old master. She watched as ocean waves crashed on the plateau at the very bottom of her tower. It was a small island, and her tower reigned tenfold greater than a light house
Just two more jewels. We must find the last two before the tri eclipse. On that day, it will all be over, and a new era will begin. My dream will soon come true with the help of my friends, Jairo, Hertha, and Naunet. Soon, the world will be below our feet, and then I will conquer the islands of El Nido.
“Can’t sleep?” She heard Naunet’s voice. She walked out of the balcony soaked, and smiled at her lover.
“I was too excited to sleep,” she replied.
She picked up a towel that hung with her clothes; she dried herself and joined Naunet on the bed. She got under the bed sheets and sat on top of him, staring into his eyes, a yellow ring with a glinting pearl. She caressed his skin and kissed his chest. Both naked under the blankets, their bodies pressing. She loved Naunet’s long, athletic body. He was six feet tall, and she found his dreadlocks exotic; it made him look like a beast to her. A beast that ravished her every night.
“What is exciting you?” Naunet asked as he kissed her breast.
“Just two more, my love, and our dream will come true,” she answered and shivered with pleasure.
“What will you do with Akielas? Will you kill our master?”
“By then, he won’t be able to use magic. He will be useless. I will give him one last chance to join us. The Specters. If he refuses, then I will end his life,” Ember said. She coiled her torso over Naunet, pleasing him. He rose, grabbed her love handles and thrust inside her. Ember screamed with joy. She loved laying with Naunet almost as much as she loved causing destruction and seeing things explode.
They heard someone knocking on the door and immediately stopped and covered themselves with blankets.
“Come in, Hertha,” Ember said, unpleasantly.
The door opened and the youngest of her group walked in. The earth mage of the Specters.
“Sorry, if I walked in on your fleshy pleasures, but I think you will want to see this, Ember. I brought you a gift. I think you will be more pleased with it than with Naunet’s shaft inside…”
“Shut it,” Ember snarled. She wouldn’t allow Hertha to finish her sentence. The girl liked to purposely bother Ember when she was with Naunet. “You better swallow that last word.”
“Just come with me to the higher floor, and I will show you. You will be pleased.” Hertha walked away, and the door closed itself, slowly and ghostly.
“She thinks she is so smart,” Naunet said, annoyed.
“Get dressed and come with me. I want to see what she has brought us.” Ember got off the bed and grabbed her clothes. She swung her garb around herself, and it turned into black smoke covering her, and it then formed into scaly black leather tights on her body. It was a one-piece suit. The fog then formed her cloak, and it billowed on her back. She picked up her white mask that was on a small table. Before she donned it, she touched her omiack eye. It was a blind eye, and she only used it for its power.
She then felt the scar on the right side of her face. Her skin was burned. Akielas gave her that scar and took away her beauty fifteen years ago. She still remembered how strict and ruthless he was. It will haunt me forever, she whispered and frowned. You act as though you don’t remember Akielas, but you can’t fool me. You never gave me the love I deserved, only this scar. It was no accident. I remember the way you looked at me. Like you could not tolerate me. Yes, I was difficult and lost, but you took me as your daughter, and all I wanted was to be loved and to be understood. Now, I know that I can’t depend on anyone. I am my own master.
Naunet always told her that she was beautiful, but looking into a mirror, she felt like a monster. She felt ugly looking at those burn marks, scars that brought painful and lonely memories. With this mask, I bury my past, she thought. With this mask, I leave the world behind and seek to create a new one.
Ember and Naunet exited the room holding hands. The halls of the tower were a circle with handrails. Looking skyward, there was a round atrium that led to the higher floors of the tower. Ember and Naunet flew up using cosmo, and each floor streamed before their eyes as they ascended until they reached the last floor.
The final floor was a dome. All the kaminyte, zeustoss, and mythium they had collected were piled up. Hertha stood next to a large piece of kaminyte that was three times her size. Ember removed her masked and gazed at it. Never had she seen such a grand piece of steel.
“This is the largest piece of kaminyte I have ever seen. Where did you find it?” she asked, approaching the kaminyte in awe.
“In the pyramids of the Zolan country. The fiends were able to sense it way underground. I ran into a little trouble with Prince Ganicus, but he won’t be of any threat to us.”
“Good. What about that forest girl in Verday?” Ember asked.
“What is she going to do? I knocked her out before I took the jewel,” Hertha giggled.
“Did you kill her or just knock her out? There is a difference, you know.” Ember stared at Hertha, and the young one ceased her giggling.
“Tell me that you killed that forest girl,” Ember said.
“I knocked her out. Whether if she is alive or not, it won’t matter,” Hertha replied.
“Next time, make sure you get rid of her,” Ember said and turned her attention back to the great piece of kaminyte. It was like a monolith.
She could feel the dark maju from within the black steel. She had forged her swords from the same mineral. The Specters had spent years studying the arts of shadomancy, dark magic.
“We need more. There is more kaminyte around the world, and we will find it,” she said with lust in her tone.
“We barely have enough mythium,” Naunet stated. “We need an equal amount of each kind of steel. Kaminyte, zeustoss, and mythium. An imbalance can cause our plans to fail.”
“I am aware of that,” Ember said. “These are the steels that Prodigus Kollos’s brother used to create weapons such as the Golden Sun.”
“Where could we find the Golden Sun?” Hertha asked. “We can only sense such an item when it is being used. From what I read in old scrolls in Ironside, such a weapon has not been used in two thousand years. That is since the time of Prodigus Kollos.”
“I agree.” Jairo’s voice echoed in the dome of the last floor. No one felt his presence entering the room.
“
You startled me,” Ember hissed.
“Sorry, but I could heard the chatter from many floors below.” Jairo stepped closer to the great piece of kaminyte. He was considered the smartest and fastest amongst them. He was an air mage. “Wonderful piece you got here. I wonder what the kings of the Zolan country wanted to do with it.”
“Who cares. It’s ours now,” Hertha snarled.
“Can you tell us anything about the Golden Sun, Jairo?” Ember asked.
“Actually, no, I can’t. You see, the story of the legendary weapons of Prodigus’s brother is but a shadow in the pages of history. Some scholars would argue that it was Prodigus Kollos that created the Golden Sun, and others would say it was his brother, Hettakus Kollos. The world seems to be obsessed with the history of Prodigus, they speak of him as if he were a god. However, no one speaks of his brother Hettakus, whom actually created the…”
“Shut it,” Ember snarled. “I immediately regret asking that question. I am not in the mood for some history lesson.”
“Be grateful you have me as part of your plans, Ember. Without me, you would have never obtained the Crimson Cosmo Jewel,” Jairo said and snickered.
“I don’t need this, right now. I am going back to bed. Come on, Naunet.” Ember took his hand and gently pulled him. Today, she did not want to think, fight, or argue with her fellow Specters. She just wanted to lie on her bed with her lover and save her energy for her next assault.
“Not a word of gratitude,” Hertha said.
“Since when does Ember ever, ‘thank’ anyone?” Jairo added and laughed.
“Enjoy the storm, everyone,” Ember said and descended through the round atrium and on to her room with Naunet. My goddess, Arkana, our dream of the perfect world is soon to be a reality. Soon, I will rule, and you will be its one and only deity.
Willow
Alongside her beloved, Willow teleported back to the Ougrian forest in Verday. They teleported on the cliff of a waterfall and stood on a pentacle, illustrated on a flat boulder. Traveling through portals made them dizzy, but holding hands, they balanced each other. Willow nearly fell down the waterfall, but Eckxio pulled her into his arms. She craned her neck and saw the waterfall from thirty feet high. They stepped away from it and walked into the forest.
“Why place a mark so close to the waterfall?” Willow asked.
“It was Akielas’s idea. I don’t ever know what the man is thinking,” Eckxio replied.
She pulled him as she walked in front. She was nine inches taller than him. A human girl in love with an Elf. Different races, yet their love was one.
“I guess we will have to postpone the wedding,” Eckxio said and sighed.
“I know, but it doesn’t matter,” she replied, “We don’t need a wedding to unite us. It’s just a celebration. However, we have to return the emerald jewel to Mouah Cross.”
Kapok trees reigned as they walked into the forest. Maples and birches showered them with fallen leaves as apes jumped from branch to branch. Birds chirped and flew over the canopy. A school of parrots and four-legged birds flew by and assembled on a maple tree. Willow inhaled the fresh air and felt the maju all over the verdant forest. She was raised in the western forest of the Elves, but the eastern forest was just as beautiful to her. She wanted to climb the trees, but did not want to let go of Eckxio’s hand. She wanted to walk with her beloved and be in his presence. They had not seen each other in seven days, ever since Willow went to Mouah Cross with her mother. Willow wanted more than to just hold his hand. Danger was afoot, and she craved his body before he had to leave again. There was something else she wished to tell him and she giggled every time she thought about it. She would wait for the right time to surprise him.
“What are you giggling about?” Eckxio asked, staring at Willow. She gave him a wide smile, teeth glinting.
“I will tell you when the time is right,” she said and lightly pushed him.
“Wait. I just realized we are in the Ougrian forest. Akielas told us to stay in the Spirituah forest with the Elves. Why did we teleport here?” Eckxio asked. Willow broke eye contact and continued walking over moss, barefooted.
“Willow, answer me. You know I don’t like it when you ignore me,” Eckxio demanded.
“Please come with me to Mouah Cross. I have to make sure my mother and the queen are fine.” Willow begged him, holding his hands to her cheeks. She knew that Eckxio could not resist her. She enjoyed seeing him fall for her every word.
“I will then join you in Evee Iris, but please, I have to make sure that the injured Greamos are well,” Willow said, trying to be as adorable as she could to persuade Eckxio.
Eckxio gazed into her blue eyes. Those icy eyes were irresistible to him, and she fluttered her eyelashes to convince him. He knew how she felt about the Greamos, especially her mother. Their marriage was supposed to bring together the Elves and Greamos. It was meant to be a celebration to end all wars between the races.
“Mother wants to see you,” Willow said tenderly.
“Fine then. At least, this way, I will be by your side if anyone attacks again,” Eckxio said, arms crossed.
“I can fight my own battles,” she remarked and gripped the hilt of her sword, the Dragontooth.
She held his hand and guided him through the forest. They trudged through tall grass, bizarre plants, and sometimes, Eckxio would get tangled in vines. They walked over trees with warping branches that formed bridges to other trees. Willow would grab onto vines and swing across the forest. Eckxio would try to copy her moves, but he would fall and land on itchy plants and thorns. Some trees had their own personality. Trees with strangler figs would whip Willow and Eckxio and bind them, but she knew how to control the plants. She would use herbomancy to set herself free, and Eckxio would cut his way through. Many plants had evolved to attack when they sensed danger. Some flowers grew teeth and ate insects and rodents. It was difficult to survive in the Ougrian Forest, but Willow had adapted to its danger and moved with ease.
“Ever noticed that the Ougrian Forest has the most dangerous plants,” Eckxio said. “The Spirituah Forest has gentler greens. The only difference is that the animals are more aggressive.”
“I would rather deal with plants than with animals,” Willow argued.
“I find animals easier to deal with and more predictable. Many of these plants have poison hidden in them. It’s easy to die,” Eckxio complained. “I don’t usually see plants and flowers with teeth and thorns that can literally bite.”
“Listen to the forest, and it won’t hinder you,” Willow suggested.
“You make it sound so easy, but I don’t have a deep connection with the forest like you, Willow,” Eckxio said. “I can’t cast magic like you and other mages. Extromancy works differently.”
“I told you many times. You don’t have to be a mage,” Willow said and grabbed his hand. She pulled him and raced through yellow moss and mushrooms. She was fast, and Eckxio struggled to run at her speed. Willow was a green spirit. The forest was her playground, and maju was unlimited to her wherever there were greens.
“Naturass grotsma,” Willow whispered. She let go of Eckxio and did a cartwheel releasing her maju. Grass grew, flowers bloomed, roots rose from the ground and flourished towards her. She somersaulted, and vines lifted her high into a kapok tree.
“Where are you going?” Eckxio shouted.
Willow descended with a vine wrapped to her legs. She grabbed Eckxio’s armor and lifted him. She swung around a kapok tree and laughed, seeing Eckxio in fear of falling.
“Relax, I am not going to drop you,” Willow said as Eckxio hung.
“You love to torture me, don’t you?” Eckxio whined. “I am going to get you, Willow.”
“Oh, what are you going to do, little Elf?” Willow teased. Her vines swung them, releasing Willow’s legs. They both spun in the air through the canopy. With her magic, Willow pulled an umbrella tree of large leaves shaped like hammocks. They fell in it, and their weight shaped the le
af into a bowl. For a moment, they bounced up and down with the leaf and then became steady. Eckxio quickly moved on top of Willow and clutched her wrists. Willow wrapped her legs around him. They looked into each other’s eyes and kissed deeply.
Sunlight stung her eyes and woke her from the comfort of her beloved. She looked into his eyes, a pearl in a hazel ring. She caressed his cheek, feeling his olive skin.
“Remember our first time? It was on a tree just like this. We stargazed then fell asleep, waking up to a colorful gradient dusk. Those were our best days together,” Willow whispered.
“Better days are yet to come, my love,” Eckxio said as he kissed her neck.
“Take off your armor,” she requested. Eckxio was surprised.
“Right now? Are you crazy?” he replied, pulling away from her.
“No, tomorrow,” she said sarcastically, “of course, you silly Elf. Take it off.” She unhooked the belts from his back, loosening the chest plate, and removed his sword simultaneously. She threw it over to another large leaf, and the weight of the sword and armor shaped the leaf into a bowl.
Eckxio grabbed Willow’s legs, spreading her wide open. He lifted her short green tank top, revealing her breasts, and slid her skirt off. He gripped her waist and thrust into her. She moaned and dug her nails into his back, scratching him. For days, she lusted for him. She loved every inch of Eckxio’s body. She did not care if he was shorter. He was strong, the strongest Elf she had ever met. She had met human boys before, but she did not desire them like she desired Eckxio. There was something about his shyness that she adored and loved. There was something about his scowl and all his internal pain that made her yearn for him. To some people, he seemed like a weak, small Elf, but Willow felt his strength, his character, his will, and passion inside her. She held in her arms a powerful man many failed to see. She understood him and wanted to be his woman.
Sin of Mages: An Epic Fantasy Series (Rift of Chaos Book 1) Page 10
