by Bri Sailor
Chapter 28
Atreyis closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. She relaxed and let go as she released the mortality from her body. All of the pain. All of the exhaustion. Everything. Since Lusha had separated her soul she had felt like her whole world had been flipped upside down and she was hanging on by her fingertips. By coming back to this realm she knew she could just let go. For a moment she didn’t even care if she were ever to return to the realm of men. She looked at her body. She was now wearing a white tunic and white pants, her white hair was still twisted up in braids. Her silver tattoos stood out against her tan skin and had a slight glow to them now.
“Are you alright?” asked Cora with concern.
Atreyis opened her eyes and sighed and looked at the priestess. She was still wearing her silvery dress that enhanced the silver of her tattoos.
“I’m fine. I just feel more like myself here. Not so tired or run down.”
Cora nodded. “There’s nothing left for you back there. Without your soul you didn’t have much time left.”
The princess sighed. “I know. I could feel it. What would have happened?”
The priestess looked her in the eye. “You would have continued to fade away until not even your body remained. You would have ended up here. Somewhere. But with no way to return. A husk.”
Atreyis looked at her feet. “I figured as much. So how do you plan on bringing Ky back?”
“I still believe that the other sword can bring her back in the same way that it brought you here.”
The princess looked around the temple. Nothing had changed. The temple walls were the same sickly pristine white. The same blood-red pattern of the stained glass ceiling remained. It was deathly silent. She stopped a shiver from going down her spine.
Cora looked around. “It’s one thing to see it in your mind, but something entirely different in person. The evil seemingly permeates the very air. Of all my visits to this realm, I have never been here.”
Atreyis snorted in disgust. “Wait until you see outside. I doubt anything is like it was. Darkness has overtaken everything.”
The princess cautiously led the way out of the temple and shoved open the black glass doors. Cora gasped. The forest around them was nothing more than dead trees. The earth was black and sky was gray.
“Oh my Goddess.” Cora couldn’t believe her eyes.
A somber Atreyis met her gaze. “Told you. Come. We need to get to the gateway. It’s on the other side of the mountains.”
The princess led the way down the steps and suddenly stopped. To the right she could see what looked like a pile of rock and dirt. She found herself walking over there as if she weren’t in control over her own body. As she came to the edge she looked down into the pit. Anger started to boil in her veins as she remembered Ky lying in a similar pit surrounded by lava.
“Atreyis?” a concerned Cora put a hand on her shoulder. “What is this?”
“It’s where I landed.” replied Atreyis without emotion. “When I was thrown from the palace this is where I landed.”
Cora put a hand over her mouth. “By the gods. Did Ky…?”
Atreyis nodded. “Yep. I found her in a similar crater near the gateway. But unlike her, my time spent in this pit was short-lived thanks to you.”
The princess smiled softly at the priestess. “Come on. We need to get moving.”
Cora started to follow her when she suddenly stopped. A strange wind blew through the trees. She looked off in the direction of the white palace. Something felt like it was calling her. Atreyis noticed that Cora wasn’t with her and turned around.
“Cora?” she asked.
The priestess didn’t move. Atreyis jogged over.
“Cora?” she put a hand on her shoulder.
The priestess remained silent as a golden aura appeared around her and her eyes turned gold as well. Her demeanor quickly changed as she squared her shoulders.
“We must go there.” she said in an ominous voice that sounded like two people speaking at once.
The hair stood on the back of Atreyis’ neck and arms as she felt a sudden rush through her body. Suddenly, like it had before, the horizon was brought to them. Atreyis gasped and fell to her knees as they found themselves on the broken balcony of the palace. She didn’t know what happened but it completely drained her. She stood on shaky legs as the priestess floated through the desolate palace not noticing what had happened to the princess.
“This evil will not be allowed to prevail.” said Cora in her layered voice again as her eyes burned. “I will return my palace, my lands to their once beautiful forms of light.”
“What are you talking about?” Atreyis was breathing hard as she climbed over the rubble trying to follow the priestess.
“The time has come.” said Cora ominously. “I had believed that maybe humans would be able to defeat such evil with their own light. But I now see that I must intervene on your behalf to prevent this darkness from spreading to other worlds.”
Cora led the way through the throne room and to a grand staircase. The mountain of stairs opened up to a vast room. The walls remained but the roof was gone, revealing the murky gray sky above. Atreyis stopped dead in her tracks. In the center of the destroyed room was a pyramid shaped crystal that looked like pure glass. Inside was a being made entirely out of white and silver light. The feminine body glowed softly. Atreyis fell to her knees.
“Ailana?” a tear fell down her cheek.
The wind picked up and an ethereal voice carried on it. Cora continued to stare straight ahead.
“Have no fear, my child. Ló léár, nth s’hímh. All is as should be. Ámm ím lílé. I have been waiting for you. Ráníéln. My time in these realms is almost over. Sónr’mélé. I shall assist but must heed the calling. The Highers. Él’óhín.”
Cora started to cry and her voice returned to her own. “We still need you. Please, use the fragment within me to come back. Use me to defeat the Darkness so that you may stay! We still need you!”
Atreyis’ voice wavered. “What of Ky? How do we get her back? How do I get back? You created us for this very purpose! We are to be your weapon! How are we to fight if we can no longer exist in that realm?”
Cora’s shoulders suddenly squared and her demeanor changed again. She spoke once more in a layered voice.
“It is of no concern. When the time comes, you shall know. She has retrieved the sword and her soul but is lost in the Ever Dark. You must help her.”
“How?” Atreyis set her jaw.
“The mountain. Go to the mountain. What was ripped from you is there. You must regain your soul. The Darkness that surrounds it is too great for me to intervene in my weakened state. Only once your soul is reunited can the remainder of my powers be unleashed.”
“It will be done, my Goddess.” Atreyis bowed as she gripped the hilt of her crystal sword tightly.
Cora didn’t blink. “It is time.”
She held up a hand. The wind picked up and Atreyis felt a familiar falling feeling. The princess was suddenly swept up into the sky. She floated on the air as if she were flying. The mountains quickly came into view. The wind died down and she slowly dropped out of the sky and into a plateau between the mountains. Before her was a massive cave opening. She gripped her sword tightly. The ground beneath her began to rumble as pebbles danced around her feet. The princess drew her sword as her sapphire blue eyes narrowed.
“Come on you bastards.” she growled.
#
Cora lowered her hand and looked at the silvery white light being inside the crystal pyramid. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was brighter than the sun. Cora’s tattoos and body lit up like the sun as well as all trace of her disappeared into the light. The pyramid lifted off of the ground and floated high into the air. An inverse crystal pyramid appeared around Cora’s body and she floated into the air as well. Both pyramids began spinning faster and faster and faster. Suddenly, they slammed together and an explosion of light blank
eted the realm.
#
A loud roaring sound whooshed out of the cave as Atreyis stood her ground. Suddenly, hundreds upon hundreds of winged Mälgrav exploded out of the mouth of the cave. Their yellow eyes pinned the princess in place. Their black leathery wings beat furiously as they raced towards her. With a yell Atreyis ran at them with her sword raised. The first of the beasts reached her. She swung with all her might and sliced off one of his wings. It screeched and slammed into the ground. The swarm surrounded her. The princess’s yells of anger were drown out by the screeches of the devils. She swung the sword with all her might felling beast after beast. The swarm continued to grow around her and their shrieks were deafening. Atreyis’ muscles burned as she continued to fight off the onslaught. Suddenly, a bright white light in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Before she could react a massive wave of light blew through her and the demon horde. They shrieked and roared as the light turned them to dust. Atreyis fell to the ground and covered her head and closed her eyes. Just as suddenly as the light came it vanished. The princess cracked open an eye. Nothing but mountains surrounded her. Not a beast was in sight. She slowly stood up and looked around. The wind whistled through the mountains and canyons. Her chest heaved with every breath as she sheathed her sword.
“Thank you, Cora.”
Atreyis walked towards the cave opening. Those demons were guarding something, she was sure of it. She tried to shake off the feeling of dread that was building as she drew closer to the mouth of the cave. The massive stalactites that hung down looked like sharp teeth of a gaping maw. The princess squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before disappearing into the darkness. Something was drawing her in. Something big. Something powerful.
Chapter 29
Ehren paced inside his tent. Weeks had passed with no new from Nya. So far Cora had not contacted her, or was unable to. The Keeper had sent messenger after messenger telling him the same thing. The prince didn’t like the situation in the least. He had hoped that as soon as they crossed that Cora would at least have tried to make contact of some sort with Nya. Things in this world had been too quiet as well. It seemed that the witch Lusha had vanished without a trace. His sapphire blue eyes burned as he stepped out of his small tent and made a beeline for the massive round tent in the middle of the camp. All around him as far as the eye could see were tents and encampments. Every single soldier, guard, and able-bodied fighter had gathered here in the Barren Wastes far to the North of Lynica. Their numbers had to be near a million at least, he figured. It didn’t matter their background or what kingdom they were from, everyone could feel within their bones, their very souls, just how important this battle would be. Many of the Black Army soldiers who had been freed from Lusha’s spell had pledged their allegiance to their new kings and queens and vowed to fight against the evil witch.
The cool desert wind blew the princes’ dark blue cape around him. He threw open the heavy canvas of the tent and stormed in. There standing around multiple table discussing potential battle plans was everyone: all of the generals, powerful priests, Toran, Arainya, Rússe, Vex, Kova, Joslette, Doan, Túmos, Riker, Drax and Taryn. All had done as instructed by Cora.
“Any news from our scouts?” asked Vex. He was all dressed in deep wine-red clothes with a black sash.
“Nothing. We are still alone out here.” replied Kova succinctly. She wore green clothes with a bright green and brown sash. Her hair was just as wild as ever.
“What of the priests? Have any of them seen anything?” asked Toran. He wore dark blue pants and a sky blue tunic with a silver sash. His dark brown and gray beard was neatly trimmed.
“Nothing. We can no longer connect to the divine realms.” Joslette shook her head. She was dressed in a deep purple pant and tunic with a yellow sash. Her long dark curly hair was neatly pulled back.
“Everything is too quiet.” remarked Doan as he crossed his arms. He wore nothing but all black. His long bushy beard was tightly braided.
“I agree.” said Rússe and Taryn in unison. They both wore the dark blue and silver of the royal guard.
“The troops are getting anxious.” said Arainya. Her dark brown hair was perfectly plaited and she wore sky blue clothes.
“Everyone can feel something is coming.” sighed Drax. He wore all dark brown with a bright green sash.
All nodded their heads in agreement. Riker noticed Ehren.
“Any news from Nya?” he asked earnestly.
The prince’s face was taut and he shook his head. “Still nothing. Although Nya insists that this means something good. That it means nothing has gone wrong.”
“Yet…” added Kova.
“Exactly.” agreed the prince. “So what more can we do? We don’t even know what we are up against.”
“Joslette and I have been working with the priests.” said Arainya. “Based off of what we found in the library it is possible that the Mälgrav may be able to actually take physical form in our realm.”
“However, it would take a great deal of power far beyond anything we’ve ever seen.” added Joslette before anyone could interrupt. “My time spent under the tutelage of Oldrin taught me one thing. He was certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no matter how powerful Lusha became she would only be capable of bringing a few hundred across. Enough to terrorize but not enough to actually defeat us. Especially against our numbers.”
“So where does that leave us?” asked Ehren with some impatience.
“The priests have been working on protective spells as well as offensive.” stated Arainya. “But in the end we still don’t know what we’re up against once Lusha revives Béloneras.”
“So essentially, we are stuck here with no foreseeable end and no idea how to defend ourselves against an unknown enemy.” said Ehren through his teeth. “Brilliant.”
Riker stroked his beard and sighed loudly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe we just need to have faith that the Goddess knows what she is doing and all will unfold as it is meant to.”
Suddenly, a low groan filled the skies. Empty cups on the table vibrated and bounced as the very air around them shook. Ehren led the stampede out of the command tent. Everyone’s eyes were on the skies. The noise stopped and the air was still. Everyone looked at each other.
“What was that?” asked a wary Kova.
“My queen!” shouted Doan as he caught a faint Joslette. The priests around them crumpled to their knees.
“Joslette!” gasped Arainya. “What’s happening?”
The Quinmorian queen was deathly pale and was shaking.
“Can you not feel that?” she said breathlessly.
Her eyes were transfixed on the Black Rock Mountains.
“What are you talking about?” Toran was filled with dread.
Joslette raised a shaking arm and pointed to the mountains.
“The evil…” she whispered. “…it’s coming…”
The prince’s eyes were burning.
“Sound the alarm!” he ordered frantically.
Several nearby soldiers scrambled to their horns. They stood in a circle and blasted their warnings in all directions. Within seconds the entire encampment was preparing for battle as the warnings continued to sound throughout the groups. Joslette leaned heavily on Doan and her eyes were squeezed shut.
“All I can see is a cave of darkness, but there is something moving.” she strained. “Thousands of somethings. I-I can’t tell if it’s Lusha or not!”
“It doesn’t matter!” yelled Taryn.
“We already defeated her once!” shouted Kova as her eyes burned green. “I’ll be damned if we don’t again!”
Another low groan emanated from the mountains and shook the ground. Blue, green, red, yellow and purple flooded out of the camps and formed ranks. Massive catapults were pulled out, their payloads readied and aimed towards the mountains. The groan stopped and the air was deathly still. Only the sounds of their own heartbeats thrummed in their ears. It seeme
d as if hours ticked by in the silence. Heads suddenly turned and fingers pointed.
Riker’s eyes widened with pure terror. “What is that?!”
Chapter 30
Atreyis slowly inched through the inky blackness of the cave. It seemed to go on for forever. Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a massive cave. Atreyis stared in awe, it was unlike anything she had ever seen. Ancient fires suddenly roared with new life as she stepped into the cave, it was not unlike the library. A large rectangular platform stood in the very center and on it was the biggest crystal the princess had ever seen. It towered thirty feet above her and was solid black. Her body felt like ice as fear coursed through her veins. Shaking, she stepped up onto the platform and reached out a tremoring hand. She touched the cold hard surface. To her amazement the blackness swirled like smoke beneath the surface of the crystal. Curious, she dragged her hand over the surface and watched as the smoky swirls and tendrils seemed to follow her every move. The sounds of a sniffling nose made her jump and her heart feel like it was going to thump out of her chest. Atreyis quickly fell into a defensive pose and readied her sword.
