by Bri Sailor
The princess sat up and hugged her knees.
“I will tell you everything soon.”
She looked at the still warrior. “When I see you again.”
“How do you know she’s the reason I transformed?” came a voice from behind her.
The princess turned her head and looked at Kova standing in the doorway. “Intuition. Ky tends to do that to all she crosses paths with.”
The queen acknowledged it. “Yes, she does. But what happened wasn’t solely because of her. She may have lit the fire, but protecting my people and ending that puissant bastard fanned the flames.”
Atreyis stood up. “So how did you manage to do it?”
“How did you?” Kova shot back.
The princess shrugged her shoulders. “To be honest I don’t know for sure what triggered it the first time. I just remember feeling an almost blind rage. But the time after that…I’m still not even completely sure. It was like, I just knew I could do it.”
“We have rage in common then.” Kova half-smiled. “But something tells me that isn’t what triggers it. Deep down I felt I could do it too. Or at least some part of me felt like it. I focused on that feeling and drew it out. Next thing I know I’m flying.”
Atreyis crossed her arms. “I see. I am surprised to see you back though. I thought your people needed you.”
Kova righted herself. “They do. That’s why I came back. My people are here too.”
#
Kova walked through the halls of the empty palace. Not too much had changed over the years except the lack of proper royal decorations. She stopped outside her old room and stared at the door. The minutes ticked by. Finally, she reached out and opened the door. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. Everything appeared oddly untouched. Her large, dark wooden bed with a thick dark green quilt and large pillows was still there. The large fireplace covered with soot. The wall of windows and glass doors that led to the lush green garden in the center of the palace. Memories came flooding back and she quickly backed out of the room and gently shut the door. She cleared her throat and continued to explore. Eventually she found herself in her parents’ room and study. She walked along the bookshelf and traced a finger over the leather spines. A thin book gave her pause. She pulled it out and the tears flowed freely. It was the story book her mother read to her and her brother and sister every night before bed. Tears stained the pages as she thumbed through the book. She came to the last page. A small inscription was written in her father’s hand.
“We have nothing to fear in this life if we only remember that the Goddess loves us as her own children. Love radiates from her heart of diamonds. From the heavens to caverns Below. The Goddess has Guardians that protect, unseen from the shadows. Their temples Protect their knowledge and doorways that help all find the peace of the Gods.”
Kova furrowed her brow as she re-read the passage. Even now as an adult she couldn’t make out its meaning. So cryptic. But it somehow made sense. Her father would sometimes speak in the same manner as he created his own stories, deviating from the storybook. She held on to the book for a moment before taking it with her.
#
“I also came back to honor the fallen.” Said Kova as she stepped towards the princess. “I intend to give Ky the proper funeral befitting a warrior of her status.”
Atreyis turned and looked at the warrior, wiping away a rogue tear. “She wasn’t one for fanfare but I don’t think she would oppose it outright.”
Kova nodded. “I hoped you would say as much. Everything is ready when you are. Take your time. There’s no rush.”
The queen bowed slightly and left. She made her way back to her quarters and straight for a large trunk near her bed. Inside was the small chest she had rescued from the dark of the catacombs beneath the temple and palace. She opened it and, pulling the storybook from her tunic, placed the book inside with the rest of her possessions of the past. The beaded black eyes of her toy bear stared back at her. She picked that small toy up and held it close, allowing for a tear to fall. As she held it she paused a moment. In the belly of the bear she could feel an odd rectangular shape. She didn’t remember that being there. Pulling out a small knife from her belt she carefully cut the stitches on the bear’s belly. A rectangular wooden object was poking out of the stuffing. She pulled it out and opened it. Inside was a piece of white marble cut like a key of some sort on one end and on the other was a small statuesque carving of the Goddess. Kova held it in her hand a moment as she inspected it.
“What do you open, I wonder?” she thought aloud.
Underneath the key was a folded parchment. The queen opened it and dropped the box. It was her mother’s handwriting.
“My dearest Kova. If you are reading this then that means your father and I are no longer with you. You must stay safe and watch over your brother and sister. Keep away from Philgen. You must go to Thaemo and find the priest named Oldrin. Take this key to him. It must not fall into the wrong hands! Their temple Protects their knowledge and doorways that help all find the piece and understanding of the Gods. Never forget that your father and I love you, Kova, Timith, and Meylah so very, very much.”
Tears rolled down her cheek. She missed her family so terribly much it hurt. She read the beautiful script again. Piece? That wasn’t right. Wait, she had seen this before. Her eyes widened and she grabbed the storybook and flipped furiously to the passage her father had written.
“Piece? Peace?” she wondered.
She thought about it for a minute. What did Oldrin have to do with this? How did her parent know him? What more did she not know about the man? He seemingly showed up out of nowhere and finds the most powerful crystal relic the world has ever known, and then conceals it, along with her entire city, away from the world. What is going on? The queen stuffed the key in her pocket and put the bear back in the chest. She needed to talk to Cora, but it would have to wait. After the ceremony. Even a half-goddess needs time to grieve.
Chapter 17
Cora pushed her empty plate and cup aside as she stared at the scrolls and books before her. Joslette had felt brave enough to read one of the evil tomes. The queen sat across the table from the princess. Her face was scrunched in confusion and deep thought.
“Does this mean that people with evil hearts become Mälgrav?” she asked.
The priestess sighed. “I’m not sure. It would seem as such.”
Joslette put the book down. “So that means that demons aren’t real, they are just the twisted souls of evil people?”
Cora met her confused gaze. “No. At least, not entirely. I believe that evil beings were created by the gods like Béloneras. It seems to me almost as if it is a choice. Not every evil person out there actually worships Béloneras or the Mälgrav, they simply worship what they do. Be it murder, thievery, swindling, lying or whatever other vice exists for humans. I will admit this is a thought that has plagued my mind for years.”
She leaned on the table. “I was taught, just as I believe you were, that when we leave this realm the ‘good’ go on to a place of no evil and the ‘wicked’ get what misery they inflicted returned on them.”
“Yes…” trailed the queen.
“What if we are wrong? About all of it?” posited the priestess. “After everything I have read here, I am beginning to think that we have had it all wrong, or at least only had half-truths. Now whether the actual truth was lost to time or Darkness corrupted it I don’t know, maybe a bit of both. All I know is that we know nothing. Think about it. The prophecies were wrong. It wasn’t twins like Atreyis and Ehren, it was two halves of the same soul. There was no mention of actually being capable of transforming into dragons.”
Cora held her head as her eyes glowed a soft gold. “Every time I was able to project myself into the realm of spirits I tried to find not only the Goddess, but any other spirit or soul there. But there was nothing. It was much like our current world, but not a person in sight. Ever.”
“What does th
at mean?” asked Joslette.
“I’m not exactly sure.” Admitted Cora. She raised her hand and the evil tome that she had sent flying into the darkness of the library came straight back into her hand. She tossed it in front of the queen.
“You’ve had training.” She stated simply. “Read.”
Joslette gave Cora a funny look as she reached for the book. Her skin crawled as she felt the evil emanating from it. With a shaky hand she opened to the ancient pages. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to read the vile runes.
“Forgive me,” she said to Cora, “but my training has been highly limited in comparison. I can barely read this.”
Cora took a breath and close her eyes and waved her hand. The queen’s eyes widened in surprise as the runes changed. She quickly began to devour every word. After a few minutes she looked at the priestess.
Cora gaze intensely back at her. “Do you see what I mean? Now this…”
She tossed the mysterious scroll to her. Joslette quickly opened it and read everything. She fell back into her chair and stared at the priestess.
“I feel as if I know nothing. I feel….empty.” she confessed.
“Now you understand.” Said Cora. “There is so much more going on than we could ever realize. I can feel it in my soul.”
“So what does this mean?”
“I’m not sure. It’s like trying to remember a dream.” Cora stood up to pace. “I can remember everything and nothing at the same time. It’s all so fuzzy. It has nothing to do with what is happening, and yet, everything.”
The priestess stopped and her entire body glowed gold as she looked at the queen. “This war will not be won through this world.”
The queen’s jaw dropped. Cora continued.
“I cannot even begin to describe to you what had truly taken place when Ky and Atreyis were in that realm with Lusha. When I sent Ehren to save them. I could see not only this realm, and the realm that they were in, but every other in existence that we know nothing about.”
The queen was wary. “What do you mean?”
“When this war is over in this realm, it shall continue in the next. I don’t know how to describe it. It was as if I was looking into a mirror that showed me countless different places that were somehow all the same. I believe this is the ‘Beyond’ that this scroll spoke of. I believe there are those that are even ‘Higher’ than the Gods themselves.”
Joslette stood up, suddenly uncomfortable. “I think I need to return to Thaemo. I can feel something pulling me there. We need to prepare ourselves. The final battle against the witch is coming sooner than we realized.”
Cora nodded. “Go. I can see that what I’ve said troubles you, my queen. Please, put what I have said behind you. It does not serve the now but in time it will be revealed, I can feel it within my soul. For now we must focus on healing our world and ridding it of the witch and her ilk.”
Chapter 18
Atreyis struggled under the weight of Ky’s lifeless body. Her hair was twisted up in warrior’s braids reminiscent of the general’s. She wore the same sleeveless black tunic and black pants of the warrior’s. They heavy footsteps of her black boots were muffled by the soft earth. The brightly colored blanket covering the warrior fluttered as she walked. The princess had painted her face with the same black war paint as the warrior had during their first battle together. The black made her sapphire blue eyes pop with intensity. The black lines on her forehead, jaw, and neck made her every inch of intimidating that Ky had been. Thousands were packed into the city to pay tribute to those that had fallen. A few dozen small funeral pyres blazed in the darkness of the night. The bodies had been too numerous for such a display and had been reverently buried. In addition to the pyres were four tall poles covered in strips of cloth. Each one representing a kingdom and the strips were the remains of the fallen. In the center of it all was a large funeral pyre made out of the largest pieces of timber that could be found. Four tattered silk banners hung over it. Blue and silver Aznurro dragons. Deep forest green Xaemoan dragons. Royal purple and yellow Quinmoran dragons. And finally a Khennán black banner with a gold dragon that was painted a vibrant red, a symbolic reclaiming of the warrior’s people. Ehren, Arainya, Kova, Toran, Drax, Joslette, Doan, and Cora stood waiting at the pyre. Atreyis gripped the warrior’s body rightly as a lead ball of grief began growing in her stomach. She fought back, telling the grief that it wasn’t real and that Ky was still out there. The princess walked up the few steps and ceremoniously lay Ky’s body down on a bed of soft moss. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and pulled the blanket back from her face. Ky’s death pallor nearly matched her white hair. Atreyis bit her lip to try and keep from losing it again. How she longed to see those lavender gray eyes once more. She leaned over and tenderly gave the warrior one last kiss and whispered in her ear.
“I will find you. I promise.”
She stepped down from the pyre and stared one last time at Ky. The princess steeled her resolve before breathing flames onto the dry wood, instantly setting the ablaze with their white-hot intensity. She stood as close as she could until the heat became unbearable. The outline of the warrior’s body was illuminated against the brilliant orange flames. A warm hand slipped inside hers. She looked over at the somber priestess. Her cheek was glistening with the wetness of her tears. Atreyis could feel a presence on her other side and looked over at Ehren. He simply put a hand on her shoulder as he gazed into the flames. Smoke and ashes twirled and spiraled up towards the twinkling heavens above.
Kova stepped behind the priestess and whispered in her ear.
“I found something that requires immediate attention. Unfortunately in these times we don’t even have the luxury of being allowed proper time for grief.”
Cora took in a shaky breath and sighed. “Evil does not give pause, and does not allow for us either. I understand all-too well now.”
“I think it best if we returned to the library.” Said Kova. “It is part of the puzzle.”
#
“Oldrin never mentioned anything like this.” Said Cora as she paced in the silent library. “I mean. I understood this place to be considered a temple as well. He said I would find it when I was meant to.”
“But what does key mean then?” asked Kova. “Where does it go?”
“I’m not sure.” Confessed Cora.
“You haven’t seen anything resembling a door have you?” said Kova.
“Not that I can recall. Then again Toran found the third crystal hidden in Ailana’s statue.”
“He did?” the queen was in disbelief.
“Yes.” The priestess seemingly dismissed. “But it means nothing if Nya hasn’t found the lost shard. We haven’t heard anything since we separated I fear they haven’t found it or worse.”
“Surely you have a plan if your crystals aren’t found in time.”
Cora started pacing. “I have been thinking. With Nya’s help and some of the other priests I can stably and safely project myself into the realm of the gods and find Ky. The problem is I don’t know what to do after that.”
“Don’t you have part of the Goddess’ soul?” Kova scrunched her face in confusion.
“Yes.” Sighed Cora. “But it hasn’t made anything any clearer. My powers have increased exponentially, yes. I see and feel the Darkness, yes. But do I have more insight, wisdom, or knowledge? No. I am still only me. I am not the Goddess herself.”
Kova studied the key come more. “I see. You’re not a goddess.”
The queen stared at the carved goddess figurine on the key. “This doesn’t really look like an actual door key the more I look at it. It does look like it fits in something though.”
The orange glow from the enchanted sconces flickered on the walls. Kova looked past the key in her hand and stared at the carved relief. Her feet and body seemed to move on their own as the wheels I her head began turning. She dragged her hand across the carvings as she walked the length of the wall. She came to a stop as she
studied the last panel. It depicted mankind fighting against demons and dragons.
“Wait…” she whispered.
“Hey, Cora!” she hollered over to the priestess who had buried herself in yet another tome.
“Mmm.” Replied the distracted priestess.
“This last panel. Are the people fighting against demons and dragons or are the dragons helping fight against the demons?”
Cora put down her book and joined the queen in inspecting the panel.
“Huh. It appears the dragons may be helping.” She said off-handedly.
Kova arched an eyebrow. “Do you think that this is actually a prophecy about us transforming?”
Cora’s heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened with realization. She ran back to her table covered in books and dug through her piles until she found what she was looking for.
