by Bri Sailor
“What’s going on?” yelled Túmos.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before!” gasped Nya. “So much power!”
She staggered to her feet. Her eyes were glowing bright red. Vex ran to her and caught her before she toppled over.
“It’s the witch!” he yelled angrily.
“No!” said Nya with a dreamy look in her eye. “It’s the Seal. My connection with it…”
“What are you talking about?” worried Taryn.
Nya waved everyone off. “As the Keeper I am connected to it in a way that allows me to travel and sense if anything is wrong.”
“Then what’s wrong?” interrupted Vex.
“Nothing.” said Nya simply. “It’s…it’s…it feels like…Cora?”
The Keeper rubbed her forehead.
“She’s doing something…or something is happening…I can’t quite tell…”
Everyone stared at her while she concentrated and tried to search out what was happening. After a few moments her eyes went wide.
“The Tear.” she gasped breathlessly. “How did she find it? Where? That power. It’s the only way.”
A suddenly determined Nya stared everyone down, her voice deepened. “I need to get back to the temple. Now. This matter must be investigated further. Somehow Cora has become connected to the Seal like myself. It’s different though. I don’t know what’s happening but the sheer amount of power she has acquired is—staggering! I can feel it. It will only continue to grow.”
Taryn set her jaw. “We shall leave immediately.”
“I’ll prepare the horses.” stated Riker.
“I shall stay behind and protect the city in your stead, my Queen.” bowed Túmos.
Vex turned to him and frowned. “No, I need you to come with us. Who knows what may be waiting.”
Túmos firmly shook his head. “You know as well as I that someone needs to stay behind and make sure that our people are safe and that they have a leader in your stead, General. You are right. We don’t know what might be waiting. Our people need a leader in both of your steads. I will not allow the witch to step a single foot inside of our city. There will be no repeats of what happened during our last encounter.”
“You may stay.” said Nya before Vex could respond. “You have more than proven yourself capable, Lieutenant. Or should I say, Captain.”
She glanced at Vex. “You should be proud of what your men have become under your leadership, General.”
Vex bit his tongue and relented. “I am.”
“Do you wish to continue your search for the crystal shard?” Túmos asked the queen. “I can put together search parties and have them scout our lands for any sign.”
Nya waved her hand in dismissal. “No. That won’t be necessary. However, if I change my mind I will send a messenger. For now, I need to meditate and focus on this newfound power that our High Priestess has found. I can feel it in my soul. Something has changed. Shifted. I’m just not sure how, yet. Which is why it is imperative that I return to the Seal. Maybe by being in its presence I will gain insight.”
Túmos cleared his throat. “If my queen doesn’t mind, I believe I may still send out a few scouts. Just because some dusty old priests said something doesn’t mean that what they said is the truth. We should spare no expense to end the witch.”
Nya sighed gently. “If you wish. I don’t suppose it would hurt anything to keep trying.”
Chapter 4
A black cloud streaked across the sky. It was moving with an unnatural speed as if it were alive. Nature watched in disbelief through the green canopies of the forest. Evil could be felt in the air that was already thick with dread. An ominous wind blew through the murky black mountains as the stars sparkled in the clear night sky above. The black misty cloud weaved through the snowcapped peaks of the Black Rock mountains. It disappeared suddenly into the side of the largest mountain. The spell that had lasted thousands of years and had hidden the entrance of the cave flickered a moment before completely dissipating, leaving the winding tunnel down into the blackness totally exposed. The black mist whispered through the cave until it reached the massive underground cavern at the end. Fires magically roared to life as the mist circled the ceiling of the cavern before descending down to the large square platform in the middle. It condensed into a smoky human-like form. Out of the smoke walked Lusha. Her white gown was in tatters and singed black. Her black hair was as wild as her dark eyes. Her smooth dark skin was covered in Atreyis and Ky’s blood.
“At long last.” she hissed with glee. “I have found it!”
She took slow, determined steps towards a dark archway, as if she were savoring every step. She approached the opening and smiled as she looked down the steps that were glowing in the orange firelight. They vanished into the blackest black she had ever seen. She hungrily licked her lips. Reaching out a tentative hand she touched the seemingly invisible barrier that she had sensed that stood in her way. A myriad of ancient runes written across the arch instantly lit up and hit her with what looked like a bolt of lightning. The witch grunted as she did her best to absorb the blow. She took a step back and studied the writings above her.
Römë skägg käns t’kiis därrii’ër. Röt kürë öx këärt. Rör k’tägsömtërt. Ömgih r’kët t’kë döör tö t’kë Gödn käs dëm ökërëd skägg t’kë ëdiig sörtä’iimëd riit’kiir dë ürgë’äskëd. Ömgih r’kët t’kë Giigtk säm ëxtiirgü’iink t’kë Därkrën.
“None shall pass this barrier.” she whispered to herself. “Not pure of heart. Nor malcontent. Only when the door to the Gods has been opened, shall the evil contained within be unleashed. Only when the Light can extinguish the Darkness.”
Her eyes narrowed as she took a step back and looked around the cavern. There weren’t any clues as to who had created this place. There weren’t even any marks for her to study. She looked back at the faintly iridescent barrier. Her eyes squinted in thought. What if it were a fake? She tried to look down the steps to see if there were any crystals or runes hiding farther down in the dark. She thought a moment before creating a small ball of light. She threw it at the barrier. To her surprise it passed through and down the stairs.
“What are you?” she mused. “Maybe a trick? The White Priests perhaps?”
She threw another ball of light through the barrier. It slowly descended into the darkness until she could see it no more. There was nothing that she could see that was supporting the barrier.
“No.” she said in a low voice to the cavern. “Those fools don’t know what true magic, true power, is. Their feeble spells wouldn’t be able to keep me from my army.”
She stepped back onto the platform and faced the barrier. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to feel out the origin of the magic. After a few minutes she growled in frustration and opened her eyes, they had a slight white glow to them. It was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. For a brief moment she thought she could sense the White Priests but when she tried to hone in on it, it vanished. Her fury was building and her patience was wearing thin. She raised her arms up over her head. Her eyes turned solid white and a large ball of red and purple energy formed above her. She heaved the ball at the barrier. It collided with a thunderous boom that shook the entire cavern. Rocks fell from the ceiling and crashed all around her. Cracks formed all around. When the dust cleared she could see that the barrier remained completely intact. In a huff she manifested a throne out of black mist. She threw herself down into the obsidian throne and stared down the barrier. This was going to take longer than she expected.
“Damn you! If I have to go to that land again without my body…you will regret it! Just like those two despicable bitches of hers.” she growled to the empty space.
Undetected, high above her, cloaked in the shadows were two hooded figures in white robes with black silk trim. They watched on with great trepidation.
“She knows. She sensed us.” hissed one.
“Yesss.” hissed t
he other. “But now she cannot, I’ve made sure of it.”
“What happens when she breaks the barrier? What if she travels again?”
“It does not matter, her travel. The breaking will not happen. She cannot best it. We cannot break it.”
“But our Lord—”
“His time is not yet!” bit the first. “She does not yet realize that he draws strength from her. The travel will only hasten the inevitable.”
“What if she does realize?” asked the second.
“It’s already too late.” sneered the first.
Chapter 5
A bright white light hurt her eyes. Atreyis blinked against the luminous assault. Something felt off. The princess shielded her eyes as she took inventory of her body. Nothing seemed wrong, and yet, nothing was right. She cautiously stood up. All around her was a pearly white palace. Where was she? It all seemed familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. She looked around. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The ceilings were impossibly high and everywhere she looked bright sunlight flooded through the massive floor to ceiling windows. How did she get here? Her head began to tingle and felt fuzzy. She started to walk around and take in her surroundings as her footsteps echoed in the expanse.
Tall archways and doorways reached high up into the vaulted ceilings. The pearly white marble almost hurt her eyes it was so bright. The palace was nothing like her own or any other for that matter. The atrium that flowed into the throne room was like one giant room. There appeared to be nothing else on the ground floor. Along the sides of the atrium were curving staircases that led to the second floor and beyond. The princess tentatively walked into the massive throne room. The sight took her breath away. Down the very center of the ceiling was white marble but on the sides the rest of the rood was made of crystal clear glass. Atreyis stared in awe at the deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds above her. Brilliant sunlight streamed in and cast prism-like rainbows all over.
Her heart skipped a beat as her gaze was fixed on the throne. Perched atop a mound of white steps was the magnificent seat of power. It was made out of what appeared to be a translucent opal. It refracted the sunlight and looked like liquid rainbow light. Behind it was an immense balcony that opened up to the world outside. Atreyis found herself nearly floating as she walked towards the throne. A feeling of unworthiness overcame her and she didn’t dare climb the steps to the throne. Something was pulling her to the balcony.
In a trance-like state she stood at the ledge and tried to make sense of her surroundings. Never-ending green meadows and fields stretched before her and faded into dark green forests. Behind that loomed dark purple, snowcapped mountains. A faint memory surfaced. Those mountains looked like the Black Rock mountains from home but were somehow different. She looked over to her left and stared out into the horizon. Suddenly, it was like it was brought to her. A white sand beach with beautiful warm, blue waters sparkled in the light. A warm sensation began to build in the princess’s chest; it felt like adventure was beckoning. She smiled as joy and excitement raced through her veins. She looked over to her right. Again, the horizon was brought to her. Large masses of land were floating in the air and were each harboring intricate archways and gateways that glowed. Every fiber of her being was longing to go explore the strange and beautiful lands that lay before her.
As she reveled in the fantasies of what lay beyond her sight a strange wind began to blow from the mountains. The sun grew dim and a dark fog rolled in. Thunder began to rumble and lightning flashed. The gale-force winds threatened to carry the princess away. She held onto the balcony for dear life, the stone starting to fracture under her tremendous grip. The sky turned and inky black as the thick gray fog settled in the land. After a few minutes the wind let up some. Atreyis stood panting as fear crept up her spine. Her heart felt as if it were torn from her chest as irrational grief and terror overcame her. Her entire body shook. She doubled over in pain as a great void opened up in her stomach. She screamed in pain. It felt like all of the light had been drained from her body. She fell onto all fours. Her hands turned to ice and she began to shake. Her mind raced. Somewhere she remembered feeling like this before. How long ago was it? Her mind was fuzzy and confused with the pain. She could feel that she needed to defend herself. Her eyes squeezed shut from the pain, she gasped as she went to draw her sword.
Wait.
Nothing was there! Her eyes snapped open as she panicked and searched her body. Her armor and weapons were gone and she was wearing a white dress. Her heart thumped out of her chest as it raced. Something was wrong. Very wrong. This wasn’t right. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She held it together with her hands. Her foggy mind fought to remember. She was wearing her armor a moment ago…her eyes flew open with realization.
“Ky…” she breathed.
Her heart continued to pound. All around her the white palace changed. It was now gray and dim, lifeless. This wasn’t right. She stood up on shaky legs and looked around. Where was everyone? Her mind was still foggy and the pain in her head was growing sharp. Memories flashed in her mind’s eye. Shouting. The clash of steel. A massive battle. Armies crashing into each other. The evil, twisted, dark visage of Lusha. Atreyis gasped as she was teleported back into the memory.
Lusha’s wild white eyes burned into her soul as the witch held her aloft by the neck. Flames shot out all around her. A terrible, beastly roar shook the world. The princess tried to see what was going on but her vision was growing black as the witch squeezed the life out of her. Suddenly, Atreyis gasped as an unbearably sharp pain and heat shot through her abdomen. She doubled over in pain and fell on all fours and held herself as she gasped desperately for breath. She was back in the palace but she continued to feel all of the warmth drain from her body. In the dim light she held up a shaky hand and watched in horror at the blood running down her arm.
“This isn’t real.” She cried to herself. “It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.”
Fire suddenly surrounded her. The ground rumbled as an ungodly roar shook the very earth beneath her feet. She tried feebly to get up; tried to run away from the images that assaulted her. Lifeless gray eyes stared at her as blood trickled out of a bruised and bloody mouth. White hair blew over the face.
“KY!” Atreyis screamed at the phantom.
Hot tears flowed down her face as her screams were carried on the wind. The glass roof above her shattered and fell like rain into the throne room. Shrieks swirled around her and the roaring shook the ground. The palace began to crumble around her. In the distance, coming from the mountains, she could hear the loud steady beat of war drums. The palace continued to crumble around her as she dragged herself to the balcony and struggled to pull herself up. Blood steadily poured from the open wound in her belly.
“It’s not real!” she screamed.
Through bleary eyes she could see flames lighting up the black sky. They seemed to be coming from the forest. Before she could react, the princess was thrown violently from the crumbling palace. She soared through the air in a near free-fall. Something was pulling her close. As she neared the forest the pulling stopped and she fell out of the sky like a falling star. She slammed into the black ground, leveling all the trees and vegetation around her, creating a crater. Atreyis coughed and sputtered as she tried to catch her breath. She felt like every bone in her body was broken as she begged for death. Deep in her soul she could feel that death would never come though. She was now doomed for eternity to languish in this never-ending pain. A painful heat burned in her abdomen. She looked down her body in shock as a small yellow orb rose up out of her navel. Almost instantly it was swallowed up by a black mist, making her body and soul feel suddenly hollow.
Her mind and body still reeling from the trauma, Atreyis forced herself to focus on getting out of wherever she was. There was a nagging in her soul that was telling her to move. With everything she had she rolled over onto her hands and knees. Grunting, she stood on wobbly legs. S
omething about her surroundings felt familiar. The little voice inside, again, was telling her to get out of there as fast as she could. Fighting the pain she began to slowly climb out of her crater. Breathing hard, she pulled herself over the edge and rolled onto the ground. Fear mixed with the pain in her body as she recognized the dark and twisted trees around her. She was back in that place. Back in that forest that Lusha had pulled her into through her dreams. The princess’s heart stopped. Wait! If this is the realm where Lusha really had pulled them into that meant…
“Am I dead?” her voice quivered as the realization crept over her.
The air around her became abruptly still. Heavy, slow, determined footsteps were off in the distance. The princess fought her tears of abject horror at her own death, and willed her body to move. It wouldn’t listen to her. She lay, consumed by fear and loss, not caring whatever hellish beast was coming her way. Everything they had fought for was over. Lusha had won. Atreyis could hear the beast’s heavy breath. The footsteps grew louder. Her eyes widened in pure terror as a massive black dragon appeared above her. Its iridescent black scales glinted in the dim light. The beast quietly leaned towards the princess. Atreyis was frozen. She could feel its hot breath. The dragon came within inches of her face. Its bright red eyes stared her down. The princess locked eyes with the beast. Those eyes! They seemed so familiar as if she had seen them a thousand times before. The dragon stood there as if it too, were recognizing the princess. Atreyis reached out a shaky hand and placed it on the dragon’s head.
