by Keegan Long
This thought did trouble Magnus greatly as well. What if there were other forces at play here that they were not aware of. Dragons appearing out of thin air at the same place where the Phoenix King would soon latter be discovered was not a mere coincidence. For now they would have to wait until they could learn more.
“Do you think there is more than one out there?” Anna asked concerned as Magnus could tell it had started to worry her too. “Look at the destruction just one of those things caused. Imagine if there was more than one and they decided to fly a little closer to the walls of nearby kingdoms. The casualties would be catastrophic.”
“That even puts Andros at risk,” Magnus realized. “And they have always been thought to be untouchable.”
“Exactly,” Carter said. “We should be gathering forces to prepare for this threat that is to come eventually.”
“And what threat would that be exactly?” Anna asked.
Carter remained silent as he turned to regather his thoughts before continuing on, “I’m not sure. I have always had nightmares of these dark creatures that are unlike anything that I have ever heard or read about before. Creatures of darkness. But now that I have learned there is more to me than I would have ever thought maybe they mean something. Maybe they are a warning.”
“It could be,” Gibson added. “But wouldn’t the best place to defend against a threat like that be a place like Olympia? A place where the walls have never fallen and so big it can hold millions of people inside.”
Magnus glanced over at Carter and noticed a saddened face come across him. He knew that this thought had already crossed Carter’s mind before but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. It was the most reasonable solution to face off against an army of darkness but to achieve this would only be possible through suffering. It seemed as if war was upon the horizon now.
It was not longer after everyone had finished getting ready in silence that there was a knock outside their door as a servant had come to gather them for the night’s royal banquet.
“The queen awaits for you in the throne room,” the servant began as the young girl ushered them through the vast hallways and back towards the throne room.
When they had reached the outside of the throne room, they noticed that Emma was waiting for them alongside two royal palace guards that were positioned opposite of each other before the vast wooden doors.
Magnus immediately noticed that Emma was now wearing a beautiful white and light blue dress that fell beyond her feet. It greatly complimented her smooth blonde hair that fell just slightly bellow her shoulders.
“Well, you all dress up nicely,” Emma smiled at the group as she greeted them.
“You do as well,” Magnus quickly blurted out before holding himself back.
He immediately felt an overwhelmingly wave of embarrassment and heard his sister behind him snicker but tried to ignore her.
Magnus noticed that her cheeks had turned slightly red like his were at the same moment. This made him smile and feel a little less embarrassed at the moment.
“That’s very kind of you,” Emma replied gently. “Thank you. And so do you.”
Emma turned around and signaled for the two stationed guards to open the doors for them as she lead them into the throne room.
Upon entering, Magnus was amazed as this was the first time he had stepped in any throne room. It was extremely large with high pillars surrounding the outer wall that held the tall ceiling. Magnus looked up towards the ceiling and noticed a painting at the center that pictured a man riding a black pegasus with lightning bolts all around him.
“Zeus,” Emma pointed out as she noticed everyone has begun to stare at the painting. “God of the Sky and one of the Big Three.”
“The Big Three?” Carter asked.
“The leaders of the Olympians,” Magnus explained as he was familiar with them from his past readings. “Beings that once roamed this world with tremendous power. There was Zeus, Odin, and Ra.”
“Some believe their powers flow through the Phoenix King and his bloodline,” Emma continued. “Another reason why they had sole right to the throne of Olympia.”
As they walked further into the throne room, Magnus noticed there had been a large table arranged at the center of the room. The wooden table was already filled with a variety of many different guests in different styles of attire. When their presence had become known they all stood up and faced the group.
“My lords of queens,” Emma began to address the occupants. “I present to you the Phoenix King.”
Carter slightly took a few steps out in front of the group as he introduced himself to the group. Magnus could tell Carter was more nervous than he had probably ever been before and even felt bad for him.
Magnus looked upon the group and studied them hard and closely as he noticed that some of them had made their customary bows towards Carter while others did not. Some looked upon Carter uneasy while others appeared to be more cautious or curious.
Emma continued on and lead them to the table as she sat at the head seat and everyone followed her lead at their respected places. As Magnus looked around the table he noticed the familiar face of Gordon in his usual black robes. Magnus found himself caught off guard the the presence of two twin elves. Sisters and by the looks of it could only be a couple years older than Magnus himself.
The majority of the dinner was pleasant as the majority of the conversation was people making small talk with the guests that were sitting next to them. Magnus turned towards Anna and noticed that she had been cautiously studying the guests just like he had been throughout the night.
“What do you think?” Magnus whispered over to his sister.
“I don’t like it,” Anna silently replied. “They’re all trying to decide if they should believe Carter or not. Many of these leaders have some type of alliance with another in this room and are discussing what they should say after dinner has run its course.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see then,” Magnus muttered.
After everyone had finished their meal, the plates were quickly removed from the servants that filled the room and the real discussion began.
The first to speak was a middle aged man with a short, but scruffy, brown beard. Magnus remembered he was one that had chosen now to bow towards Carter and had been looking at Carter crudely all night.
“Why should I believe you?” the man spoke as he rose from his chair.
“This is Lord Luther,” Emma politely interrupted as she introduced the king as he decided not to. “King of Horses. King of Troja.”
Magnus looked over at Carter and saw that he had become uneasy at Luther’s rude abruptness. Magnus he noticed that Anna had clenched her fist already and was already thinking about wiping the smirk right off his face.
“I can’t make you believe me,” Carter tried to kindly reply as he slowly stood up from his seat to face him. “But I speak the truth. I saw the dragon. I never asked for this but is a reality I am slowly coming to accept now.”
“Why should I believe the words of a child,” Luther rudely spat back. “The words of a filthily pirate.”
The room echoed with whispers at Luther’s comment and Magnus saw that Anna had begun to clench her fists even harder. He slowly reached out his hand and wrapped her first signaling that she needed to calm down before she did anything too rash and out of place.
“Careful,” he quietly whispered to his sister.
Before Carter could counter back, Magnus saw that the two young elf twins had stood up and one of them faced Luther.
“King Luther, may I remind you of your place!”
“Queen Margaret and Ellanor of Elvenvale,” Emma interrupted once more to introduce the leaders to the group. “Queens of the Elves.”
“You may not!” Luther yelled back to Queen Ellanor. “He is not the Phoenix King. The Phoenix King died many years ago alongside the rest of his kin. The Druids are now the rightful rulers of Olympia and all of Terran.�
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Magnus could now conclude that Troja probably had a close alliance with the Druids and probably even benefited greatly when they took over a few decades ago. Luther would never come to accept Carter as the rightful king. The only thing he responded too was violence.
Luther had now turned over to face Emma who was still seated.
“It’s an insult that you would even agree to house this usurper! I demand he be handed over to me so I may make the accommodations to hand him over the Olympia!”
Loris quickly was ready to stand up for his queen but Emma held out her hand to stop him. She slowly stood up and defended herself.
“You will do no such thing,” Emma calmly answered but frowned upon Luther. “The Phoenix King is under my protection and he will remain so.”
“You’re nothing but an insult to your people,” Luther attacked back. “But what can I expect from a queen who has no family and knows nothing.”
Before Emma could respond back, everyone was caught off guard at the sound of a loud noise coming from across the table. Magnus looked over to his side and noticed Anna was preparing to launch herself across the table and attack Luther where he stood. Magnus was luckily quick enough to intervene and hold her back from doing so.
“Let me wipe off that stupid smirk across his face,” Anna fought back against her brother’s grip. “It won’t be much of a fight.”
“This is not our fight,” Magnus was quickly to remind her. “Leave him be. He’s not worth it.”
Anna slowly calmed back down as she took her seat back but continued to glare at Luther.
“Pathetic,” Luther muttered. “But what else should I expect from a lowborn peasant.”
“The only insult I see here is you,” Emma resumed and faced Luther once again. “Ignoring Terran’s culture and history is an insult and our forefathers would shame you for it.”
“Then you leave me no choice,” Luther condemned the young queen. “We are now at war.”
The room fell silent as everyone was shocked at Luther’s words. Everyone would agree that he was being unreasonable but what else would you expect from someone who lives for war and is in deep ties with the Druids.
Magnus quickly turned towards Emma to see that she showed no hesitation or reaction at all. She continued to stare down on Luther more coldly than ever.
“So be it.”
Sara
Olympia
Sara found that she had many thoughts about her first day as a new recruit to the Hunters of Artemis as she walked through the crammed streets and back towards the lower ring of the city.
She learned about more facts and rumors than she ever had in the past year roaming the city streets. The Phoenix King was alive, or at least someone was claiming to be this person. The city was currently hiding a phoenix egg under the Olympian Keep. And now there was a Necromancer hiding somewhere in the capital.
Before she left for the day, Ashly had promised Sara that she had already sent out some Hunters to start looking for anyone who could be this Necromancer but the two of them would begin their thorough search tomorrow morning.
When Sara entered the house she saw that Rayla was fast asleep in her cage and could hear her father’s heavy breathing coming from the nearby room. She quietly peaked through the ajar door to see her father clearly still in pain from whatever dark magic that had taken a hold on him.
After she had got herself situated for bed, Sara decided to make her way up to the roof of their building and watch the stars. As she looked up she noticed how clear the sky was that night. Sara did not star gaze often but when she did she enjoyed every second of it.
“Got room for one more?” a voice called out from bellow.
Sara looked bellow and saw that Boris was looking up at her and was all dressed in his armor for his night shift that was due to begin at any minute.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Sara teased at the guard.
“I still got a couple minutes until my shift starts,” he smiled back.
“Then get on up here,” Sara waved at him.
Boris climbed up the side of the building and took a seat next to Sara as their feet dangled off the roof. Boris did not say anything as he too decided it was best to look upon the clear night and stars in silence.
“Is your father doing any better?” Boris broke the silence.
Sara shook her head, “not at all. It seems as if he is just getting worst by the day. I fear he doesn’t have much time left.”
“And I’m guessing you and that Ashly have some sort of plan laid out?”
“Barely,” Sara sighed. “All I know is we have to kill the Necromancer that infected my father and the only way to do that is through phoenix fire. So, it seems impossible almost.”
“I wouldn’t say impossible,” Boris suggested. “I am familiar with the story of the Necromancy War. Many believe it was phoenix fire that killed the Necromancers but it was the magical properties that did the deed. You don’t need a phoenix or fire to defeat them. You just need magic.”
“How do you know this?” Sara demanded as Boris had her full attention now.
“Let’s just say I have some knowledge about magic,” Boris grinned. “I’ve found myself spending a lot of free time in the Great Library due to my curiosity and have come across several ancient works about magic.”
“What do I do then?” Sara asked.
“It’s not what you do, but what you need,” Boris explained.
“And what would that be?”
“Meet me in the morning after my shift ends,” Boris told her as he stood up. “And I will get you what you need.”
Sara quickly wrapped her arms around Boris, “thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” he spoke into her ear. “Plus, we’re family. May not be by blood, but we still are.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sara smiled back.
After Boris had left to begin his night shift, Sara decided to call it a night as well and got herself situated in her bed. Sara found herself not sleeping at all that night as the only thing she could focus on and hear was her father’s continued breathing coming from the other side of her wall.
He did not deserve this. No one did. He had been suffering for days. Sara knew if it was her she would want someone to put her out of her misery but that was not an option for her father. She needed him.
Sara found herself praying all night that whatever Boris had was going to help end this once and for all. She promised to herself she was going to find this Necromancer and destroy them. Whatever it took.
It was not long after that Sara found herself naturally waking up to the bright rays of the sun lighting up her room. She rubbed her eyes and quickly gathered her things for the day.
On her way out the door to meet Boris, she let Rayla out of her cage and brought her along this time as the eagle stood proud on her right shoulder.
“Stay strong, pa,” Sara called on her way out the door. “Everything will be fine.”
Before she could even start walking towards the outer wall, Sara was already greeted by the familiar face that she has gotten used to seeing too much.
“You’re up early,” Ashly said as she joined Sara walking towards the wall and through the dead and open streets.
“I’m always up early,” Sara replied. “You know that.”
“And by the looks of it there’s something you learned about last night,” Ashly suggested as she saw how determined Sara was this morning.
“Boris actually did,” Sara began to explain. “You were right about phoenix fire being able to destroy Necromancers but that’s because it’s full of magic. So, Boris thinks all we need is magic to kill this Necromancer.”
“It does make sense,” Ashly rationalized. “But we must tread carefully. The Druids don’t like others using magic other than themselves.”
“And I don’t care,” Sara ignored Ashly’s warning. “If this is what will heal my father then it’s a risk I am willing to take.
Do I need to worry about you stopping me?”
“Not at all,” the Hunter smiled. “I’m with you.”
As they got closer to the outer wall, Sara noticed that Ashly had looked up and started looking at the statues that were aligned across the top of the wall. They truly were massive and beautiful.
“They never get old,” Ashly offered.
“No they don’t,” Sara agreed as she shifted her gaze. “The past kings and queen of Olympia. The Phoenix Kings and Queen.”
“Too bad those days are over,” Ashly commented. “I think I would have actually enjoyed them.”
“Me too,” Sara said. “Me too.”
It was not long after that Boris was walking towards them as he had just finished his night’s shift.
“How was the night?” Sara greeted Boris.
“It was calm,” Boris replied. “But lots of incoming news as well.”
“Like what?” Ashly asked curiously.
“News is spreading about rapidly about this boy claiming to be the Phoenix King,” Boris went on. “And that fact that the new Queen of Andros has claimed he is under her protection.”
“Well that sure complicates things,” Sara added.
“Yeah, the Druids won’t be happy once they find out,” Ashly agreed.
“Troja has already declared war on Andros,” Boris continued. “I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time until other kingdoms join in and choose their side.”
“It seems as if war is upon us I’m afraid,” Ashly said.
“Inevitable,” Sara muttered.
“Well, we better hurry then,” Boris said. “Who knows how much time we have until we’re in this war too.”
Jadyn
Wilbro
Jadyn was happy to find herself back in the East where it was warm once again. She found herself surprised when she was reluctant to admit to herself that she even missed the presence of sand. Who knew that day would ever happen.
For the time being, the Daughters and Anubis decided to lay low at their hideout in Wilbro they have been living in for all these past years.
