by Bri Sailor
Nya smiled at the memories. “Ky was such a beautiful child. Every day she looked more and more in my likeness, but through and through was her father.” Nya chuckled. “She insisted that she have a sword to defend the house. Mother walked ten miles to the nearest village to get her a small wooden sword fit for a king. I remember Ky’s eyes when she presented it to her. A child’s unadulterated joy is one of the purest things to witness in this messed up world. Of course, the first thing she did was chase the chickens with it and ended up getting henpecked for her trouble and attacked by a cocky rooster.”
Freya chuckled too. “She sounds exactly like her father. I imagine quite the handful too.”
Nya nodded and her lip quivered as tears fell. “I would imagine she would have been.”
Freya’s face was fraught with concern as she reached out for Nya’s hand. “What happened, my child?”
The queen wiped her eyes with her free hand. “We should have just stayed at the temple. Lusha eventually found us. She attacked while I was away tending to things. When I returned there was nothing left of the house. I could not find my mother or Ky anywhere. I feared the worst. I didn’t even have a chance to look for them before Lusha came after me. I feared them dead.”
The queen righted herself. “I should have had more faith in them. In the Goddess. They made it out safely. Even started new lives in a small village. But it wasn’t long before they were found again. I feel so much guilt. Ky lost both her mother and her grandmother and was all alone in the world as a young child. Had I know they were alive…” Nya’s voice cracked with emotion and she shook her head. “By the grace of the Goddess she survived.”
Nya looked Freya square in the eye. “Prophecies were given to people, but none truly know what the Goddess has planned. My daughter. Our princess. She became the witch’s top General and led her armies.”
“No!” gasped Freya.
“Yes.” said Nya solemnly.
The old priestess touched her chin in thought. “I had heard stories of a young woman with silvery blonde hair that was ‘restoring the Khénna kingdom’ through fear and blood.”
“The very same. A deadly beauty.” stated Nya. She unexpectedly grinned with pride. “But she was able to break free. Barely two months ago we were reunited. There was a palpable change that had taken place within her. I could see it in her eyes. She had come to see the incarnate evil that was the witch.”
Nya noticed the old priestess shift in her chair and her demeanor changed as if she had just realized something.
“What do you sense, teacher?” asked Nya.
Freya met her gaze. “I had had a dream some months ago. There were two flames in the dark. Both were very small, no larger than a candle. An ogre suddenly appeared in the dark and tried to snuff out one of the flames. But the other, it sparked and grew larger until it enveloped the brute entirely. The flame continued to grow and grow until it sparked the other and they both turned into an all-consuming fire. I felt no fear as I gazed at the flames. They felt powerful. Protective. It also felt as if they were driving away the darkness around them.”
Nya’s eyes sparkled as the priestess continued.
“I awoke and ran to find a text that came to mind. I read the prophetic words from millennia ago. Those sacred words about the Weapon of the Goddess that would bring about the end of all of this. Your Ky, she is one of those flames, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” smiled the queen proudly. “She and another. The princess of the Aznurro, Atreyis.”
“Aznurro?” Freya seemed surprised. “The Goddess seems to have a sense of humor.”
Nya laughed. “Yes, indeed.”
“So why are you here now, child?” asked Freya genuinely. “If you found the Weapon we should be free from the witch by now.”
Nya’s eyes were downcast and she shook her head. “It would seem it’s not enough. We are looking for the crystal shard. According to the Aznurro High Priestess, Cora, they are the missing piece of the puzzle. With them we will be able to stop the witch entirely.”
Freya nodded and her eyes dimmed. “Ah. I see.”
She stood up and shuffled over to the altar. Lifting up the cloth that was draped over it she opened a small cabinet door and retrieved a plain wooden box. She shuffled back and sat down.
“There was a time, before our kingdom was broken, that our priesthood was much stronger. We were more powerful and vast than the other kingdoms could comprehend. We became drunk on our egos and own power. I believe this is why the Goddess chose to fracture us. Small factions of the White Priesthood had reemerged from the depths of darkness as power corrupted many. The Vvarrío descended upon our temples and cleansed them of the growing darkness, in turn, scattering our people.”
She opened the box. Inside was lined with dark red velvet and the indentation of a rectangular form that had once been nestled inside.
“No one knows when it happened.” sighed Freya. “But during the chaos many ancient relics were confiscated or lost.”
Nya’s heart sank as she traced the empty outline. Fear gripped her throat as her voice cracked.
“Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
Freya’s sad eyes met her own. “I’m sorry, child. I have spent my entire life searching for the shard. I scoured every temple, every ruin in our lands and some beyond. My searches have always ended the same. Nothing.”
Nya’s voice was rising. “Surely there are remains in other places yet unsearched. Temples long forgotten? Hidden?”
Freya shook her head. “There is only one that is impossible to reach. Long ago the sea swallowed it whole.”
Nya suddenly jumped up. “Then send a spirit scout!”
Freya shook her head. “We have tried. Even with all of us here, it was not enough. We could muster a few minutes at most. And of what we could see in the darkness, there was nothing left.”
Nya shook her head. “No. you will try again. My powers have grown to a point that even scares myself, but I know that together we will find what we are searching for.”
Freya stood. “I believe you, Nya, but please, I ask that you do not hang your hopes on this endeavor.”
Nya took a cleansing breath and centered herself. “I know, teacher. I know. But I, we, have come too far.”
Freya nodded. “I will gather the others. They have been deep in meditation for a week now. We sensed that someone was going to be in need soon.”
Chapter 3
Bright sunlight streamed into the large throne room. Red silk banners hung proudly behind the pair of deep mahogany thrones. Vex ran his hand through his thick black hair as he paced anxiously. He wore the stately clothes of a court member: a deep red silk shirt with black pants and a silvery sash around his waist. He had gained back some of the weight and muscle that he had lost during his imprisonment.
Nya had been gone for over a week now and he had not heard anything from the queen. She had left to go visit a hermit monastery hidden in the mountains and insisted that she had to go alone. If any priests remained there after years of isolation they would be their best bet in finding the location of the crystal shard. The weary general had done his best to search out those that remained loyal to the Khénnan crown and who might have any information on the crystal’s whereabouts. Every avenue he explored seemingly turned into a dead end. From what he could ascertain it wouldn’t be a surprise if it had been lost to the ages. With all of the turmoil that had happened in his lands over the millennia so much had been lost. He threw himself onto one of the thrones and stared pensively out the giant glass window. His gaze surveyed the sprawling city surrounding the palace. The impressive wooden structures were dusted ever so slightly with the late autumn snow. He sighed heavily. At least the people were protected now. Shortly after freeing his men from Lusha’s spellbound palace he sent word to his army that waiting in hiding for their next orders. In a matter of days they had refortified the city and began patrolling, keeping his people safe once again.
&nb
sp; “I have been informed that the queen is safely inside the city, General.” said an authoritative voice through the silence.
Vex looked over at the relieved Túmos. His lieutenant was standing proud in his newly acquired palace guard uniform. Black shirt, red pants, and a black cape with deep red trim.
“She’s returned?” he asked hopefully as he jumped out of the throne. “Is she alone?”
Túmos nodded. “Yes. It’s just her though. No priests.”
Vex frowned. “Time is running out and I’m beginning to feel as if everything is working against us. If we don’t find this crystal—”
The captain grabbed the general’s shoulders. “You need to relax. You have done so much in the last couple of weeks that I can’t even begin to wrap my head around. Just have a little more patience. We don’t know anything yet. Maybe Nya was able to find something, or at least get some information.”
Vex stretched his neck and took a step back. “You’re right. I don’t understand how you can be so calm about all of this. Especially after what we both went through all those months ago. We witnessed firsthand what that witch is capable of. She’s inhuman!”
Túmos crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “What happened to you? This isn’t the confident and sure general that inspired me to leave the Black Army.”
Vex waved him off and rubbed his face. “Folly. He thought his eyes were open but eventually realized that he was still stuck in a dream.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” said Vex with a certain melancholy. “I had heard, as we all had, the stories of what Lusha could do, the evil that flows through her. But after seeing it with my own eyes. Not on the battlefield, but face to face, is something entirely different. I planned and strategized for weeks. I had every possibility mapped out. You know that. We were ready to attack and lay siege to the palace. But she managed to completely outsmart me, make me look like an impetuous fool, and almost lay waste to my men. While I was in that cell waiting for time to rot me away all I could think of was the humiliation that I had suffered and that I would never be able to save you, all of you. That your blood was on my hands.”
Túmos stood firm. “You were, are, no fool. We weren’t forced by the tip of your sword to do what we did. We followed you. We believed in you. We believed what you believed, still believe. While you opened many eyes there were far more who already were awake to what was happening around them. You were just the momentum needed to get something started.”
Vex hugged Túmos close. “I thank you for that. But I won’t feel at ease until that witch is no more.”
Túmose smiled softly. “I think you could do with a walk around the grounds to clear your head.”
They turned to leave but were suddenly stopped as a mighty gust of wind suddenly blew the doors of the palace wide open with resounding boom. They ran to see what was going on and ready to take on any threat. A visibly upset Nya was storming up to the palace. Taryn and Riker were tripping over themselves to catch up with her as they had been training new recruits just outside of the palace grounds. Nya’s silvery blonde hair blew madly about her. Her gray dressed whipped in the wind and her gray eyes burned with anger. The moment she crossed the threshold she ripped off her heavy woolen black cloak that was trimmed in dark red silk and threw it clear across the grand hall. The downtrodden and melancholy mix of emotions that had followed her from the temple had given away to the pure anger that lingered beneath the surface. She had done her best to hide it from Freya for the remainder of her time at the temple but now she could safely let it out. The frayed Vex breathed a visible sigh of relief when he saw the queen.
“Damn that witch!” yelled a furious Nya.
Vex stayed out of her way. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”
Taryn and Riker jogged through the threshold on the Keeper’s heels.
“No.” the queen stormed past him and headed towards her study.
“What happened?” asked Taryn.
“It’s gone!” bit the queen through clenched teeth. “What priests were there said that it hadn’t been seen since the splitting of the kingdom. One of the last known possibly locations was in a temple on the rocky shores due north. I decided it would be best to pool our efforts and send a spirit sentry to scout what they could. The temple had been swallowed by the sea. We made our best efforts to no avail.”
The color drained from Vex’s face. “Does this mean that it is lost forever to the depths?”
Nya threw open the doors of her study and began pacing. “I don’t know. I simply don’t know. We don’t even know if it was there for sure. But it was the only option left. Freya had searched every last temple known to our people in our lands and out. We don’t know where it could have gone. And we have no evidence that it was left in the kingdom or taken elsewhere.”
Túmos stepped up. “Can’t you just get together with some more priests and send a spirit scout to other locations where it might be?”
Nya sighed and rubbed her eyes. “We could try. But I have no idea where to even start. I barely was able to contact other priests at the Temple of Ages through the dream realm, but they had nothing to offer. And I haven’t been able to contact Cora by any means. It’s like she is preventing me, or something else is. And I trust Freya explicitly. She says that it is nowhere to be found, and I believe her.”
“So where does that leave us?” asked Vex. “We need to immediately start strategizing our next move then. If we don’t have all of the crystal pieces what else can we do? Can we somehow work with what we have? Is there some sort of alternate that we haven’t explored? Think! There has to be something. It can’t just be over like that! There has to be another way!”
Nya shook her head. “I don’t know, Vex. I honestly don’t know. For the first time in my life I feel that we are truly abandoned. Not because the Goddess doesn’t care, but because we are all truly powerless in this endeavor.”
“Don’t say that!” exclaimed Riker, surprising everyone. “We have come so far! Look at what all has been reclaimed and the lives saved since we started this fight! Atreyis and Ky grew claws for gods’ sake! That has to count for something. It certainly hasn’t been done before.”
Nya looked at him with sad eyes. “What good are claws against the power that Lusha wields? Maybe we weren’t meant to save this world. Maybe it must fall in order for us to rise out of the ashes.”
“And where did you read that prophecy?” asked Vex genuinely.
“I didn’t” said an agitated Nya flatly. “Who knows what other wisdom has been lost to time? Maybe there were parts of the prophecy that were lost, or their translations were incorrect. I don’t know!”
Taryn shook her head in disbelief. “Where is all of this coming from?”
Everyone looked at her. She threw her arms up in the air.
“Nya, did you not completely destroy the spell that bound this entire palace with all those people trapped? You stood toe to toe with the witch and came out on top! If you can do that, doesn’t that mean we have a chance? You and the other priests could use your power together and with Cora’s help put an end to the witch!”
“Exactly!” quipped Riker.
The queen wrung her hands and stood up and started pacing again. Anxiety filled her entire being. She felt completely out of control. All her life she had been provided with answers or had dutifully sought them out. If she ever were in the dark it didn’t last long. Looking back now she could see that she had never truly been in the dark. But she was there now, and she could certainly feel the gravity of their situation. What could the Goddess do now? What could any of them do? Was there another way? Even if she were able to work with Cora and the other priests, what would they do? No one even knows where the witch is. Her head began to ache. There had to be another way. Why would the Goddess leave this as the only route to Béloneras’ destruction?
“There has to be another way.” she mumbled. “Why would this be the only way? Especiall
y if the forces of Darkness are able to decipher everything in just the same way as us? No. There has to be another way.”
Nya stopped dead in her tracks. The hair stood on the back of her neck and her arms. She suddenly fell to the floor on her hands and knees. Her entire body shook as incredible amounts of energy coursed through her.
“Nya!” shouted Vex as he dropped to her side.
The queen shoved him halfway across the floor.
