“Why would she do that?” Willow asked.
“When Ember became eighteen years old, she wanted me romantically. She was jealous that I had married Demitra. Everyone had abandoned the old ways, but Ember still wanted to pursue my old plans. She still believed that ridding the world of magic was the right way. I tried to change her mind, but she was convinced. I could not control her, and she even challenged me. After Arkemie was born, she became even worse. She told me that Arkemie should have been her son. Although I am not her father by blood, I still saw her as a daughter. I watched her grow from a child to a beautiful woman. How could I ever see her romantically after so long? However, Ember did not care. She wanted to take me away from Demitra. She was so furious that, one day, she ran away. She did not return for months. I tried to search for her, but I could not sense her presence. During that time, I was learning divine magic. I had learned all six elements, yet I still didn’t have the power to stop her back then. When she returned, she used her cosmo magic on me. I am not sure how she got those powers, but she turned Hertha, Naunet, and Jairo against me. She killed Jacob, then caught me off-guard on a peaceful day in my new home with Demitra. She killed my wife and burned my home. The cosmic crystal had fallen and broken into pieces; its powers were never the same again. Ember had sunk her blade in my gut, but after she was gone, I crawled out of the fire with my newborn child. She thought that my son had burned in the fire, but I saved him using illumancy. I healed myself with a spell. Demitra’s family came to help me. I trusted them with my son and told them never to mention my name again. I decided to become a ghost to the world, and after a few years, the people of El Nido were convinced that I had died, assassinated by one of my own apprentices. I decided that I would no longer be a burden to the world, so I hid for years and traveled the world, chasing down the monsters I created. I searched for power and items that would give the advantage to destroy Ember and my apprentices, but I did not have the heart to kill them. And so, here I am. That is my story thus far. That is how Ember became the monster she is today. She is the offspring of the sins of my past.”
After Akielas finished his story, they all sat with their arms crossed, staring into the crystal ball. Owls hooted outside; a chilly breeze came through the window and turned off a candle. Ganicus yawn and scratched his eyes. Auron gulped down more alcohol. Eckxio and Willow held hands, with heads leaning against each other.
Then Auron stood up, pounded his chest, and spoke. “It no longer matters how this all came to be. What matters now is that we put an end to the Specters. That is what they call themselves. I still have to reclaim the Crimson Cosmo Jewel from Ember, and return it to the Amaranth tribe. I believe that this all happened for a reason. I am willing to fight until the end, and live to see Ember and those masked bastards with my sword in their gut.”
Then Ganicus stood up and raised his twin swords. “I agree with Auron. I believe that our paths crossed for a reason. I refuse to see more catastrophes in Odealeous. We know too much to not do anything about it. Akielas’s problems have now become ours. I will fight by his side until Ember is no more.”
Eckxio stood struggling, his legs wobbling. “There is no going back now. This is not just Akielas’s problem, but so many people and loved ones have died because of these ‘Specters.’ My village is gone because of these masked monsters. I will fight to see their end and return peace to not just the Elves and Verday, but to Odealeous.”
Willow stood up, lifting her Dragontooth. “I must return the Emerald Cosmo Jewel back to the Greamos. The Specters will pay for their crimes and for all the innocent lives they had taken.”
Akielas smiled and was compelled to stand up, as well. It filled his heart with happiness to know that his friends were on his side.
“Thank you all for joining me. I am glad I don’t have to do this alone, and I am sorry you were dragged into it,” Akielas said.
“You were never alone,” Auron stated.
“For now, I do have to go back home,” Ganicus said. All heads turned to him.
“Leaving so soon?” Auron asked, suspiciously.
“Yes, after hearing Akielas’s story, I have to speak to my father about something important, and I have some searching to do,” the prince said and bowed. “Goodnight and we shall see each other again. Send me a signal with the teleport crystals if you see Ember again.”
The prince stepped on a pentacle at the corner of the room and teleported with a flashing blue light back to his desert country.
“He will be back. Just give him time,” Akielas said.
“I am going to follow him,” Auron said and walked onto the pentacle. “That Golden Sun could be the answer to unlocking the power of the crimson jewel.”
Eckxio and Willow stayed in the sanctum with Akielas, keeping him company. He looked out his window at the two moons. He thought of his past again. He thought of his wife, Demitra, and his son, Ajira. Demitra, oh, how I miss you, my love. When this is all over, I will be joining you. Once I complete my mission, I will remove this necklace around my neck and find you in the realm of light.
Eckxio patted Akielas on the shoulder, disturbing him from his gaze.
“I assume you know what to do next?” the Elf asked. The burden was still on Akielas to find the Specters, since he was the only one that could detect their maju.
“Tomorrow, you and I are going to the Quariras Mountains in Verday,” Akielas said. The light of the two moons painted his face.
“What for?” Eckxio asked.
“To see the fairy king.”
Willow
The day after hearing Akielas’s story in his sanctum, Willow returned to the Spirituah Forest in Verday to help the Elves. Her mother, Moyeed, had joined her that day. Although Willow was strong, at times, she needed to hear the voice of her mother and press her head upon Moyeed’s bosom. Together, they paced through the campsite of the Elves. Smiles returned to their faces. Many wounds had closed, and the sick ran vigorously again.
The Elves mounted deer and moose, tethering their bags and items on them. They folded their tents and hauled supplies, ready to relocate. They carried items that had been found in the vestige of Evee Iris as mementos and tools that had been passed down through generations. Their home was destroyed, but their spirits propelled them beyond difficulties. The Elves were strong-willed creatures. They were willing to start over and build a new home in the south of the Spirituah Forest.
“Where is Eckxio?” Moyeed asked Willow, holding hands. Her mother stood four inches taller than her. The Elves passed by on moose and deer, waving goodbye. The morning sun blazed on their faces; the day looked promising.
“He went to the Quariras Mountains up north with Akielas. They will be back soon,” Willow said. Elfin children came to her for an embrace, and she lifted them and kissed them.
“What is Akielas planning on doing? Those white-masked villains can show up again.” Moyeed was apprehensive.
“I doubt that there is anything else they can take from the Elves,” Willow replied, holding an Elf baby in her arms. “We are all depending on Akielas, but Eckxio and I have decided to join him on his quest. I want to help him save the world from these masked villains. They intend to cause more destruction. No one is safe, not in Verday, nor any part of the world. I must assist Akielas in stopping the Specters, even if it means risking my life.”
Moyeed grabbed Willow’s face and stared into her blue eyes. Willow saw her fear. Her mother was afraid of losing her, like she had lost so many loved ones in Mouah Cross. Willow was Moyeed’s only daughter. Her mother had lost the ability to have children. Regardless of their race, they were mother and daughter. Their blood and race could not set them apart. Willow learned to love all things and all creatures in nature and despised anyone who caused destruction in the forest. She now had a calling beyond the life of the forest and was willing to venture beyond her comfort zone.
“I don’t want to lose you, but I know how important this is to you.” Moyeed cares
sed her daughter’s face. She could still see the child that was given to her by the queen so long ago. “Go and do what you must but return alive, my love.”
“I will, Mother. I still want to have the wedding in Evee Iris.” Willow’s face beamed with a bright smile, like the sunlight itself.
“Pardon me,” came an elderly voice from her right. She looked over her shoulder and saw Sherwood, the king of Elves, approaching her.
“My dear, Willow. You are a gift from the dragon gods,” said the old Elf. He stood nine inches shorter than her. Bushy eyebrows covered his eyes that glinted. He was clad in green with white filigree over his tunic. “Once again, you have been of great help. I must take the Elves south of here to build our new home. A few of our people await us in the south. A new Evee Iris will rise, this time, stronger than ever. We must make sure that this does not happen again to the Elves. As always, you are welcome to join us. Our new home will be your home. My son could have not chosen a more worthy wife.”
Willow blushed; her cheeks and nose turned red. “You are too kind,” she replied. “I will return to Mouah Cross for a few days, then I will meet you south in Levita Forest and help build your new home.” She hugged the old Elf, leaning on him. He coughed from the tight hug.
“You almost squeezed the last years I have in this body,” he said then waved his staff over her head. The diamond on the apex of the staff blinked, blessing her with divine maju.
“Farewell, daughter in law,” Sherwood said then turned to Moyeed. “One day, the Greamos and the Elves will celebrate our coming of peace and harmony.”
“I wish to live to see that day, Elf king.” Moyeed bowed to the old man; her gossamer wings fluttered like that of a dragonfly. They waved goodbye and watched the Elves leave south. It was like watching a calm herd traveling through green meadows and fading into the horizon. Willow knew that they had to move. The Elves no longer wanted to be in the Spirituah Forest after what the Specters did to their home. They had spent hundreds of years living in this forest. They saw it as an opportunity to move farther away from the eyes of the queen of Verday. So many times, they had engaged in battle with the queen’s army, as well as the Greamos. They had lost so much, but their faith remained solid.
“Mother,” Willow whispered as she watched the Elves walking away. “Where does evil come from?”
Moyeed seemed dumbfounded, hearing such a bizarre question. “What makes you ask?”
“Yesterday, after hearing Akielas’s story, I thought about it. As long as we are different, there will be conflict, but I guess something good blooms, even from the most dreadful events.”
“My dear, if there is evil in this world, it lurks in all our hearts,” Moyeed lectured. “It does not matter what species you belong to. There is potential good and evil inside all of us. We must learn to awaken the good in our hearts and bond. Evil only knows destruction and separation.”
“Akielas said the same thing,” Willow replied.
“One day, you will understand. You just have to follow you heart, my love. The soul knows what it wants.” Moyeed took her hand and gently pulled her. “Come; let’s go back to Mouah Cross.”
Willow felt a familiar maju. She could feel it in her gut. It was maju similar to that of the Greamos. It was strong, and she felt the essence of nature within it. It was odd for her to feel such a strong maju. It came from the Spirituah Forest. She had only ever felt such energy radiate from the Emerald Cosmo Jewel…
Could it be?
“Willow what is it?” Moyeed asked.
Willow did not answer; she just stared into the green of the forest, gaping. She felt its power. It was near…but how?
“The Emerald Cosmo Jewel. It’s here,” Willow whispered as she took steps into the wild of the forest.
“What…that’s impossible. I thought it was stolen,” Moyeed said, perplexed.
Willow ran into the forest. Moyeed followed her, flying through the canopy, her insect wings buzzing like a bee. Willow’s heart pounded as she raced through the forest, jumping over bushes and cutting through branches. The forest streamed in her peripheral; she knew nothing else at that moment, except to return the Emerald Cosmo Jewel to the Greamos. She switched from running on two legs to running with both hands and feet, like a cheetah. She jumped onto a tree then zigzagged from branch to branch, and Moyeed followed.
“Willow, where are you going?” Moyeed asked from above.
“Can’t you feel its maju?” Willow snarled and panted as she ran. “It’s the same maju as the Emerald Cosmo Jewel. I must find it.”
She started swinging from vine to vine. Flocks of birds and other animals flew away as she dashed through the forest rapidly. That masked girl, Hertha, she must be carrying the jewel through the forest. I have to catch her before she runs away again. As she ran, she recognized the positioning of the trees. It was the same pattern that led her to Evee Iris. Whoever possessed the jewel must be wandering in its vestige.
Once she arrived at the ruins of the village, she landed on hands and feet like a cat with her sword on her back. The ruins stretched acres away into the horizon, and by the broken wooden wall stood a figure in black with a white mask. Willow clenched her teeth, fangs peaking from her mouth as she slowly shifted into her beast form. Claws sprouted from her fingers, a horn grew on her forehead, and tiger stripes trailed on her back. She became a feline beast and glowered at the figure in black.
“Hertha!” she rasped.
“You are as ugly as ever, forest girl,” Hertha mocked. “We both know what you came here for.”
Willow snarled and glowered, slowly stepping towards Hertha, tearing the ground with her claws. “Give me the Emerald Cosmo Jewel.”
Hertha opened her black cloak; smoke billowed, and from within its darkness, she drew the jewel. It hovered over her hand. It was blocky with a saturated green color and radiated maju beyond belief. Small plants began to grow around Hertha. The very energy of the jewel encouraged plants to grow, fertilized the earth, and purified minerals. It was every earth mage’s dream to have such power in their hands.
“Have one last look at it, because once we extract your soul from your body, you will become part of it.” Hertha laughed mockingly and raised the jewel over her heard as if already in triumph.
“We,” Willow repeated, raising an eyebrow. She jerked her head left and right and spun around, already paranoid, expecting the other Specters to appear.
“This is a set up,” Willow concluded.
“It didn’t take you long to figure it out,” Hertha replied.
Willow heard her mother’s buzzing wings arriving from behind. She wanted to get Moyeed as far away as possible. She refused to allow the Specters to take her mother away.
“Willow!” Moyeed called as she arrived.
“Mother, go away! It’s a trap!” Willow yelled.
Moyeed stopped and hovered in midair, gazing at the masked girl, who had destroyed the village of Elves. She gasped and slowly drifted back.
“Afraid of me? Good. You should be.” Hertha knew she frightened Moyeed, seeing how the Greamos woman was struck with fear at the sight of her.
“Mother! Fly away!” Willow yelled at her mother.
Finally, Moyeed came to her senses and flew away. With a rush of wind, Jairo appeared in Moyeed’s way of flight, and with a swing of his kaminyte sword, he cleaved off her wings. She shrilled and fell from the canopy. Willow ran to her mother’s falling spot, and Moyeed landed in her arms.
“Mother!” Willow screamed. Her arms were painted in purple blood from Moyeed’s back. Her mother whimpered and moaned. Warm tears escaped Willow’s eyes. Her hands shook as she touched Moyeed’s cheek. She looked up at Jairo as he was airborne, holding the cleaved wings at the tip of his fingers. He chuckled then dropped them. The insect wings fell from the canopy like dancing leaves.
“I am going to kill you,” Willow rasped, her voice deep, now fully in her beast form.
“No. You are going to try,” Ja
iro laughed.
“We should have done this long ago.” A voice came from behind her. She turned her torso, simultaneously drawing her Dragontooth, and found Naunet leaning against a kapok tree. “As abusive as this will be, I dare say that I pity you, so fair, green, and beautiful that you are.” Naunet said, “I only wish we could make this less painful.”
Then a cloud of black smoke appeared like a phantom. It circled Willow, and a sinister laugh echoed. Willow placed her mother gently on the ground and stood up. The cloud then shifted, forming a human body. A white mask with five rising horns emerged from the smoke. It was Ember. Her cloak spread wide, cascading over her shoulders.
“It is interesting to see a beautiful human girl, like you, as the daughter of this Greamos woman,” Ember said. “Yes, in my new world, there will be such freedom. Racism will no longer exist. I welcome you to join us.”
“You must think of me as a child that is easily persuaded,” Willow replied, sliding her finger over the steel of her sword. “I have no interest in this new world you are trying to bring. Do you really think that ridding the world of magic will bring peace? Maybe you have been living in a hole in the ground, but look around you.” Willow gestured at the forest. “Life is everywhere; therefore, magic is everywhere. Magic is eternal. Even if people lose their ability to cast magic, it will be rediscovered, simply because nature is magic itself.”
Willow’s words had no effect on Ember for she had pride and an ego as a shield for any beliefs that went against her cause. Ember crossed her arms and paced around Willow, circling her.
“Spoken like a girl born and raised in the forest. I don’t expect you to understand,” Ember said. “Did you know that Elves were the original mages. The word mage did not exist until Prodigus Kollos invented it. The Elves were the ones who taught Kollos the four primary elements. If people knew the true history of Kollos, they would not call him the father of magic. Elves used magic long before humans ever did and never had war or conflict until we brought it to them. Wouldn’t you like to experience those times? Those times of true peace and harmony.”
Sin of Mages: An Epic Fantasy Series (Rift of Chaos Book 1) Page 24
