by Keegan Long
“I know,” Emma comforted her friend as the creature groaned at her. “I miss them too. But they’ll be back. One day.”
Layla roared once again.
“My queen,” Loris interrupted as he came behind her and entered the stables. “Sorry for the intrusion.”
“No need to apologize,” Emma said. “You have news?”
“For once, yes,” the advisor continued. “The scouts have spotted something interesting. Something you should come see.”
“Luther?”
“We are not sure yet,” Loris went on. “But it is something you will want to see for yourself.”
Emma stood up and turned towards Loris, “where?”
“The farm fields.”
Emma quickly got Layla out of the stable and flew her down the mountain side and towards the vast area of fields that were located far and wide.
It did not take her long to notice what Loris had mentioned before. There was a large cloud of smoke filling the sky Emma noticed it the nearby distance and quickly ushered Layla to fly towards the source.
Emma quickly landed and noticed that several villagers surrounded the burnt farm and some of the Andros guards had already arrived at the scene. When she set foot several of the villagers noticed her immediately and began whispering amongst themselves.
“What happened here?” Emma demanded as she approached the group of gathered guards who were talking with two of the villagers.
The farmers Emma concluded.
“My Queen,” the two villagers quickly kneeled towards Emma as she approached.
Emma quickly dismissed their politeness and had them stand up once again.
“What happened here? Was your farm attacked?”
“Not exactly,” the young woman answered. “At least not by warriors.”
Emma looked at them confused. “So, it was not Luther or any Troja knights?”
“No, My Queen,” the husband continued. “It was a giant winged beast. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before and breathed fire from its mouth. Like if it was a-”
“Dragon,” Emma muttered to herself.
Emma had feared this day would come one day after hearing Carter and the others’ close encounter it what they described as a dragon as well. Dragons could prove to be the most dangerous threat Andros would have to face in all of history. The Sky Kingdom was not untouchable with those beasts around.
“I want you to double the guard,” Emma addressed one of the nearby guards. “Ground and sky patrols. If they see anything I want to be the first to hear about it.”
“Consider it done.”
“What does this mean?” the young woman asked.
“I have no idea,” Emma admitted. “But there is something out there. Something dark.”
Later that night Emma decided to take a visit to the library located inside the palace. Emma had only been here a couple of times. She was never a big reader and the few times she did come here was when Bri dragged her along.
The library was massive and elegant at the same time as the windows that looked down the mountain side allowed an abundant amount of natural sunlight to fill the room. The room was filled with hundreds of different shelves scattered throughout that held thousands of different books.
As Emma started taking books off shelves she noticed some were obviously more older than others. Some created a cloud of dust when opened while others had pages ready to fall out any moment. Emma even noticed one book was written in a language she had never seen or even recognized.
“Ancient Elven,” a voice emerged behind Emma.
Emma looked behind and saw the figure of an old lady had came behind her and noticed the book she was now looking through.
Kanna had been the Andros Librarian for as long as Emma could remember. She knew ever book that was in her library and exactly where to find it.
“I don’t get many visitors,” Kanna went on. “And I have to say I’m surprised when I found out one of them was the queen.”
“Sorry, Kanna,” Emma said. “I just needed to do some research. There are so many questions I have but no answers. I was hoping to find them here.”
“Well, the library is a perfect place to start,” Kanna explained. “Unfortunately, that book you have there is pretty old. I don’t even know what it says. There are very few people that still speak or know Ancient Elven. If any.”
“This is disappointing,” Emma sighed as she threw the book to the desk.
Emma could feel Kanna’s glare from behind as she looked upon the young queen who was filled with nothing but frustration.
Kanna sympathized with the young queen. All she wanted was to protect and serve her people the best she could but these past few weeks have tested her nonetheless.
“Maybe I can help,” the librarian offered.
“Unless you have the answers for dragons returning,” Emma replied sarcastically as she slumped her head on the desk. “Our kingdom can protect against the attacks of Luther but now that the dragons are involved changes everything.”
Dragons, huh?” Kanna acknowledged. “The worst enemy of the Sky Kingdom.”
“Exactly,” Emma continued rubbing her head. “There’s got to be something we can do. I can’t be fighting Luther and having to constantly look overhead worrying about dragons as well.”
“I’ve read many ancient stories that recall our great ancestors waging war against the dragons,” Kanna told.
“I didn’t know that,” Emma said surprised. “I always thought dragons were just legends and just a tale to entertain people.”
“Maybe if someone spent a little more time in the library,” Kanna teased. “And Emma, there is always some truth to legends.”
Emma smiled. “Then if they could survive and fight the dragons so can I.”
Sara
Olympia
Sara had not been outside the outer wall in a very long time. The land outside the capital was thriving with farms, houses, inns, and other small shops. Sara could even smell the scent of a nearby bakery that had begun to prepare itself for the day ahead.
Sara looked behind her and saw the massive towering walls and statues looking down on her. The walls looked much bigger from the other side.
“Where are we going?” Sara asked Boris who had taken the lead.
“Not too far,” Boris replied. “I have a house up here where I keep the item hidden.”
“And what is this item exactly?” Ashly pressed. “And how is it going to help us against the Necromancer?”
“Because it will destroy it,” Boris smirked. “And don’t worry. You’ll see soon enough.”
Boris had proven himself more than helpful from a number of different occasions so Sara knew not to question him any further. If Boris thought this would work then there was a very good chance that it would. The sooner she could destroy this Necromancer the better. All she wanted was for things to go back to normal again.
Little did she know at the time this would be impossible and things could never be the same again.
“News from beyond!” Sara heard one of the town’s folk yell from her side. “Troja declares war on Andros! The Great War is upon us!”
Sara was surprised to learn that the ordinary citizens of Olympia had already learned of this news as she had just learned herself the other day. Things were getting harder to control and hide from the common folk and Sara knew Ashly despised this. It would not bee long until the Druids would come breathing down on all the Hunters’ necks.
It was not long later that Boris had brought them to their destination. It was a small wooden house on the very edge of the town. It looked abandoned and Sara noticed spider webs forming in the corners and outside windows. The perfect place though for whatever items Boris had been hiding all these years.
“This is it?” Ashly looked over to Boris with unease. “It looks like no one has lived here in at least one-hundred years.”
“Two-hundred actually,” Boris joked. “The house has been in the
family for many generations. I’m the only one left in the line so I use it now only as a safe house when I want to get away from the city.”
Sara thought it was brilliant it wouldn’t mind getting a break from the city life as well. Sometimes it proves to be too much and you find yourself wishing to have a spot where it was quiet and no one could bother you. She had never been able to afford that luxury though.
Boris carefully lead the two girls and Rayla, who had chosen to come with them that morning, into the house. The eagle moaned fearfully from Sara’s shoulder but stayed at her side.
Sara carefully chose her steps as each step forward produced a loud creak from the floorboards beneath. Seeing the condition of the house she was afraid the wooden floor would snap at any moment.
“I think your calculations were off,” Ashly protested. “This house is more like three-hundred years old.”
Boris laughed, “definitely a possibility.”
Boris lead the girls into the center of the living space and had them take a few steps back. Sara watched as he pulled out his sword and plunged it straight into the floor causing the panel to break. Boris continued to do this a couple more times until there was a big enough hole where he could reach his hand down beneath the floor.
Sara was stunned when she saw Boris pull out the object that was wrapped in a very old brown cloth. He ever so carefully brought it over and set the item at Sara’s feet.
“What is it?” she asked.
“For you,” he smiled. “Open it.”
Sara knelt down and moved the cloth to reveal a bow like she had never seen before. It took a wooden form but had various symbols all over it in black. The draw string was just as unique as it matched the bow’s dark brown color.
“Is that what I think it is?” Ashly stumbled.
“Of course it is,” Boris smirked. “Pick it up, Sara. Tell me how it feels.”
Sara cautiously did as she was told and picked up the bow. To her surprise, she found that the bow was incredibly light like she preferred. She drew back on the string and was amazed how flexible and far back it could go. The wooden texture felt comfortable and surprisingly familiar to her for some strange reason.
“What is it?” Sara asked. “This isn’t just any ordinary bow but there’s something about it that I can’t put my tongue on.”
“It’s a bow made of magic,” Boris explained.
“And not just any magic bow,” Ashly began. “This is the Bow of Artemis.”
“What?” Sara looked at both of them confused. “You’re telling me that this bow belonged to-”
“Artemis herself,” Boris finished. “Or at least that’s what most people believe.”
“That bow had always been passed down from leader to leader in our guild,” Ashly informed. “But for some reason it went missing several centuries ago.”
“So, this belongs to you then,” Sara quickly offered to Ashly as she held out the bow towards her.
“No,” the leader quickly dismissed as she pushed Sara’s hands away. “That was old tradition. Plus, this bow has clearly come to be in your possession for a reason. That is why you feel such a strong connection with the object.”
Sara looked at Ashly unconvinced, “I’m not buying it.”
“Legends say that only those who have proven themselves worthy can possess the true power within,” Ashly continued.
“What power?” Sara asked intrigued.
“The power to create and produce its own magic arrows. It is the only way to destroy the Necromancer. If you can’t then it’s just another normal bow like all the rest.”
“How do I do it then?” Sara questioned.
Now that she had learned that the only way to defeat the Necromancer was to draw the magic from the bow Sara was more determined than ever. She never knew much about magic or thought she would ever be using it but desperate times call for desperate measures and she was prepared to do whatever it took to save her father.
“Pull back on the draw string,” Ashly instructed. “Close your eyes and feel the connection between the bow and yourself. Feel the magic run through your hands and throughout your body.”
Sara closed her eyes like instructed and began to focus. She began to feel the connection with the bow as she had felt when she first picked up the weapon mere minutes ago. It was exhilarating as she began to feel the energy in her body grow and become more powerful.
She continued by opening her eyes and slowly began to pull on the bow’s string. Sara was discomforted when she saw there was nothing but soon later a white light flickered and and arrow appeared in the bow.
“My gods,” Ashly muttered. “You did it.”
“I never doubted you for a second,” Boris smiled.
Sara was not done yet though as she eagerly wanted to know what kind of power these arrows held. She moved the bow and aimed at the front door they came in and released the arrow. The arrow hit its mark easily but to everyone’s surprise it went straight through the door and left a hole as evidence of its mark.
“Damn,” Ashly muttered. “I wish I had one of those now.”
Sara quickly rushed outside to recover the arrow but noticed there was no trace of it. It had simply vanished.
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about recovering arrows anymore,” Boris appeared at her side.
“I guess not,” Sara smiled brightly.
“How do you even come into possession of this bow?” Ashly asked Boris as she appeared at Sara’s opposite side.
“Many years ago,” Boris retold. “A old man in a strange black cloak approached me when I was on guard duty and gave me the bow. He informed me to hide it and I would know when the time was right.”
“And you didn’t think anything strange of it?” Sara questioned.
“Of course I did,” Boris protested. “But by the time I looked up from examining the item he had vanished.”
“You lost him?”
“It shouldn’t have,” Boris went on. “I had only looked down for a few seconds. I searched the crowd but he was nowhere to be seen.”
“I wonder who he was,” Sara turned over towards Ashly.
“Only one person I can think of,” she offered. “It fits the perfect description of a Greybeard.”
“Could be,” Boris acknowledged.
“The Druids hate the Greybeards I thought,” Sara commented.
“Oh, they do,” Ashly reassured her. “Must have snuck into the city somehow.”
“I wonder why they would have snuck into the city then,” Sara said.
“There could be hundreds of reasons,” Ashly ranted. “But I wouldn’t worry too much about them. They are known to be a peaceful people for the most part. Only have loyalty to the Phoenix King.”
Then the thought hit Sara almost immediately. The Greybeard did not just sneak into the city to give Boris the bow. He had come searching for the phoenix egg and found it.
“He was here for the egg,” Sara shared her thoughts. “And he found it.”
Sara knew she was not supposed to say anything in front of Boris about it but he had proven to be more than trustworthy. He had been incredibly helpful so far so might as well let him in on the city’s biggest secret.”
“Impossible,” Ashly dismissed the thought. “You’ve seen how secretive and protective that place is.”
“And you’ve heard the recent news,” Sara countered. “He’s been vouched for by the Queen of Andros. People think he’s the real deal. So we all know what that means.”
Ashly sighed.
“What does it mean?” Boris looked over as everyone’s eyes fell now on Ashly.
“It means the Phoenix King is on his way to Olympia as we speak. He will be here soon to claim his birthright.”
Jadyn
Wilbro
Jadyn went to her room once they arrived back at their house and let her body fall to her bed. She had just been blown off the top of a roof by an ancient dark sorcerer that has not roamed Terran fo
r centuries. Sounded like something that would happen to her.
As she laid down, all she could feel was her head throbbing and her back aching. She was able to escape with a few bruises along her elbows and arms that did not hurt as much but still created a burning sensation.
Just then she had closed her eyes and was about to drift away there was a knock on her door.
“Not now!” she yelled at whoever was at the other side of her door.
“It’s me,” Grace’s familiar voice echoed.
Jadyn allowed her friend to come in as she took at seat at the edge of her bed. “Some day, huh?”
“You have no idea,” Jadyn agreed as she kept her eyes closed. “Of course June would be the one to complain about it.”
“Don’t mid her,” Grace shrugged. “She’s just power hungry that’s all. And did you see her face when Anubis silenced her.”
“Not really,” Jadyn said. “My vision was still a bit blurry from being blown off a roof.”
“You would have liked it,” Grace laughed as Jadyn soon did so at well even though it caused her joints to ache.
“Too bad Raj wasn’t there,” Jadyn continued. “He would have been able to catch that Necromancer.”
The tiger roared at the sound of his name as Grace went over to scratch his ears. “I bet he could. Next time we’ll get them.”
“You can count on it,” Jadyn mumbled to herself. “So, now what?”
Grace’s face fell as Jadyn realized now the true reason that her friend had come into her room. There was something on her mind that troubled her and if it troubled Grace it was more than likely going to trouble her as well.
“We go to war,” Grace sighed.
“What do you mean?” Jadyn struggled to sit herself up. “Anuba?”
Grace nodded, “Anubis has received word from his forces. They’re going to meet us outside the walls of the city. Anubis is ready to march and reclaim his throne.”
Jadyn did not respond for some time as she found herself caught off guard. She had always knew the end goal since the beginning. Take back their home. A home she had never known. None of them had. But for some reason everyone felt like they had to. Everyone except Jadyn.
