The Mystical Knights: The Sword of Dreams

by K. A. Robertson

  But one minion broke through the valiant strokes of Rowan’s blade. It launched itself at Rowan’s knees. Rowan’s eyes widened in shock as his body slipped towards the ground, his sword spinning out of his outstretched hand. His other hand caught his fall, and he rolled to his side.

  The minion straddled itself over Rowan’s hips, its serpent tongue lashing out hideously—its black demon eyes flashing like burning coals.

  The other Knights seemed to sense when one of theirs was down; they were steadfastly approaching, Kenzie brandishing her daggers, her tears forgotten, while Fiona whipped a great ball of fire towards the minion’s head. Something snapped inside Nia’s mind; she heard it crack and for a moment she thought something had taken a whack at her skull with a spiked club. Her eyes burned and stung and as she stared at the minion from afar, unable to move, she felt the energy field around her shift as her vision turned red.

  With an insane yelp, the minion flew from Rowan’s body. Its arms and legs flung lifelessly, snapping through the air as it soared, no more alive than a ragdoll. Its beady, unearthly eyes found Nia’s minutes before it crashed into the ground, a look of surprise cut clear across its thin elfish face before it disintegrated into dust.

  Nia's sword slipped from her clenched hands and there was a bright flash of light as the weight of her armor lifted from her body. Her hands immediately went to her head, gripping her ears tightly with her fingers. A terrible pain split through her head as if someone was slicing her brain into little pieces. Tears, that smelled of rust and iron, swelled from her eyes and with a tug of her hair, she screamed louder than she ever thought she could.

  I’m dying...I’m dying, I’m dying...

  She tried opening her eyes, but all she could see was white.

  “Nia!” Someone hit the ground hard in front of her—and she didn’t quite care who. Hands rubbed her back, pawed at her head, trying to get her to sit up—lie down—she didn’t know. “Oh my God,” Kenzie’s voice whispered from behind her. “Oh my—Quinn! Quinn—Rowan—hurry!”

  Two more pairs of hands gently caressed her face pulling her tangled hair back from her eyes.

  She could feel it now; blood, gushing from her nose, her mouth.... It hurt, everything hurt...

  “Look at her tears!” Thor whispered, sounding ill.

  Nia's eyes fluttered open, and she weakly dabbed her cheeks with her fingertips. She stared at her hands, her vision swimming around her in dizzy circles, but she saw what Thor was exclaiming about.

  Her hands were tinted red as though she had brushed her hand against a freshly painted picket fence. It was blood. Her blood.

  Chapter 11: Beyond the Looking-Glass

  Somehow Nia’s back found the cool grass and she was staring at the dark blue sky, the stars twinkling down at her. Her head was aching, but the immense throbbing she had felt before was slowly ebbing away.

  “Nia?” Fiona's cold fingertips carefully brushed Nia’s forehead. “Nia—just hold still...I want to clean this up...”

  Something moist and soft patted her cheeks, slowly dabbing away at the blood. Nia’s head spun wildly as if she were jerking around on a twisty roller coaster. Her blood...her tears...

  Moaning, Nia struggled to move her arms; they felt about as heavy as lead and limp as jello. “What...” she struggled to find the words to speak, but her voice sounded congested and her throat burned in protest. “What happened?”

  Fiona’s pale face loomed into Nia’s vision like a funhouse mirror. Her expression was calm, but her silvery eyes were full of concern. “I was hoping you could tell me that.” The sound of Fiona’s faint voice sounded distant and sluggish as though someone had pressed the slow motion button on the remote.

  Nia scrunched her eyes shut in an attempt to wash away the nausea that was slowly rising into her throat. “I—I’m not sure...” she mumbled, trying to make sense of the strange bwahbwah noise that kept resounding in the back of her mind.

  “I thought you got hit by something,” Thor said, his voice deep and oddly muffled. “Your eyes looked like they were on fire—and then these jets of light just...shot right out of them like laser beams!”

  Fiona gave Thor a troubled glance, hesitant to take her eyes away from Nia for a second. “Her eyes were on fire?”

  “When we fought that smog minion,” Quinn piped in, handing Fiona a bottle of spring water, “her whole body was glowing bright purple—even her eyes—but they didn't shoot laser beams that time.”

  “I'm just now hearing about this?” Fiona murmured attentively, handing off the bottle to Nia, who fumbled with it blindly. With Fiona’s firm grasp, Nia was able to pull herself from the ground and sit unsteadily forward. Her hand shook so terribly as she tried to bring the water bottle to her lips that she had to clamp her other hand tightly around the end of the bottle. The cool liquid tasted sweet as it trickled down her throat, leaving hardly any trace of dryness behind. Nia swallowed hard, let out a shuddering sigh and handed the half-crushed bottle back to Fiona.

  Fiona looked at the now deformed bottle with a hint of amusement, but said nothing.

  “How’s your head?” Quinn crouched down beside Fiona, touching Nia’s face the way a doctor inspecting a patient would have.

  “It feels heavy,” Nia sincerely said; the pain in her head had distantly subsided, but her chest and throat felt sore and tight. Taking a deep gulp of fresh air, Nia closed her eyes and let the night breeze caress her face.

  Quinn let his breath out in a slow hiss. “She appears to be fine.” He looked at Fiona, his brow narrowed considerately. “Except for the blood that's decorating her face like a macabre tribal mask. That's kind of unsettling.”

  “That can be fixed.” Fiona briskly said. Across her shoulders was a leather satchel; Fiona unclasped the button and thrust her hand deep into the bag. She pulled out a blue and white handkerchief with tiny fleur-de-lis’ embroidered along the edges. “Kenzie—water please?”

  Kenzie, who had been standing as stiff as a board behind Nia, flinched at the sound of her name. Her eyes were wide and glassy as she reached for her pendant with trembling hands. Pressing the end of the teardrop with her thumb and forefinger, Kenzie gently poured water onto the handkerchief that was folded in Fiona’s hands.

  Fiona wrung the handkerchief out and passed it to Nia, who took it. She could see Rowan standing awkwardly behind Quinn, his hands shoved nervously into his pockets. While his gaze appeared to be content with the ground, Nia saw his eyes flicker in her direction more than once. His face was unscathed from the attack, but she could see a large tear in his shirt where his chest was still rising and falling rather hard. Nia carefully began to pat her face, wiping away the blood with ease. The damp cloth felt cool and soothing against her skin.

  “...in all my memories, I have never seen Gold Lion fight without the help of her sword,” Fiona was saying, her voice perplexed. Nia blinked, blushing in embarrassment as Fiona stared at her in awe. “The sword you use in battle also helps channel your energy. It helps to keep you balanced, but it appears that your energy is just too much for your sword.” Fiona frowned. "I am unsure of what to do."

  “That was seriously the coolest thing I've ever seen!” Thor muttered excitedly. Quinn, while rolling his eyes, smacked him. “Dude!" Thor interjected, glaring at Quinn with his wild amber eyes. "She just freakin’ shot laser beams out of her eyes!” Thor said slowly, making sure to enunciate every key word.

  "I was there, Thor. I saw it too. I just felt like whacking that brilliantly gold hair of yours."

  Nia stared straight onward into the darkness of the trees. Her vision clouded softly around the edges and for a moment, she was millions of eons away, sailing through the stars on the hazy horizon. It was quiet here; instead of feeling terrified by the silence, she felt strangely peaceful. There was something was twinkling out in the distance. With a single blink of her eyes, Nia found herself just beside that twinkling beacon, and yet so far away from it. There was a divide in front of her
, some kind of barrier. Although the divide could not be seen with the naked eye, it's energy field hummed loudly in her mind, taking her far from the peaceful quiet of space. Tilting her head, Nia raised a long fingered hand and pressed it against the invisible barrier, watching as that twinkling beacon slipped further away into darkness. This barrier, whatever it was, reminded Nia of a magic mirror. A mirror that hid extraordinary things within it's strange and tilted world or dimension.

  Or Realm.

  “Fiona," Nia said abruptly, blinking wildly as her third eye reconnected with the rest of her mind. She looked up at Fiona from where she sat. "These Realms that the minions and other extra terrestrials come from.... What are they exactly?"

  Fiona frowned, her silvery eyes sparking with knowledge. “Can you elaborate for me?”

  “What are Realms?” Nia pushed her damp bangs out of her face, scrutinizing Fiona’s expressionless face, “Are they part of space? Are there barriers that separate each and every one?”

  “Realms exist in a place that links this planet to another one. Like a superluminal loophole,” Fiona replied briskly, tucking a scarlet curl behind her ear.

  "Superluminator hole?"

  "Superluminal loophole," the red head repeated slowly, lacking her usual annoyed tone. "Imagine, if you will, being able to travel from one destination to the other in seconds. That's how the Realms work. You can pass through them with ease if you have the ability to, and you can pass quickly. With the speed of light. Earth beings haven't yet been able to tap into that technology, but our ancestors have. And when they did, they mapped the entire universe, making it easier for them to travel from place to place."

  "If only they had made those at school," Quinn muttered to Thor. "Then maybe I'd actually make it to history class on time."

  "Right?" Thor whispered back.

  Fiona silenced them with a piercing stare and continued. "The creation of the Realms allowed different dimensions a quick passage onto this planet and other worlds. There are an unlimited amount of Realms throughout the galaxy. Realms One through Seven exist on planet Earth. The Neteru, the K'iche, and the Ramayana made up the Inner Faction and we helped each other to create the Seventh Realm. Realms One through Six were created by other ancient astronauts that found Earth. They make up the Outer Faction.

  “The Outer Faction?” Nia prompted, gazing out into the trees once more, watching as their silhouettes twisted against the night sky.

  “The Zeti Reticulans, Reptilians, Nordic Blues and whatever else—hails from Deep Space.” Fiona bit her lip and looked around at all of them. “They are a blood-thirsty bunch. They created their Realms in order to gain power and knowledge of the Earth civilians. Only people with certain capabilities—like Axel or any of his followers—can use the Outer Realms to bring things in.” She looked around at Rowan, Kenzie, Quinn and Thor, her eyebrows creased, peaking with curiosity. “Our ancestors created the Seventh Realm with the K'iche and the Ramayana to create balance and peace. Our kinds enjoyed human company, where the others saw them as a threat. Realm Seven used to be a direct pathway home for us too—but Neterus, K'ichenai and Ramayal'lah are now wastelands.”

  “Does the Seventh Realm work like the other six?” Nia questioned blankly, still gaping off into the distance, completely zoned out. "Can you bring things in...or send things out?"

  Fiona opened her mouth to rebut, but a thoughtful expression danced across her face instead. “Nothing can be brought in through the Seventh Realm anymore. There is no life on that side.”

  Nia blinked once and looked around at Fiona, her mind reeling. Axel's followers had capabilities. Something the Greys, and whatever else, were interested in tapping into. In every book she had ever read, Greys were always known for their mind power. What greater capability would any species wish to have than mind control? Psychic power? “Axel's followers...they're all capable using the Third Eye, aren't they?"

  She could see the wheels turning in Fiona's head too. As bits of information settled into place, her bright eyes grew wide with consideration. "Of course," she said as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the world and she was disappointed she hadn't thought of it sooner. "Anyone who wishes to use the Realms must be gifted with a Third Eye of some kind. Each of us share a psychic link—but you, Nia, you have a gift that's all your own. Just like your ancestors. Both the Inner and Outer Factions are gifted with the mind. Why did I not realize this sooner?" Her eyes shimmered with something like pride.

  "I don't understand," Kenzie said softly, looking back and forth between the two other girls. "What are you to talking about?"

  "Setepenre hid the Sword of Dreams in the Seventh Realm! A place only few could get to—a place only her people could find!" Nia practically shouted, her heart hammering with glee and exhilaration. This is it. This is the missing piece of the puzzle.

  “Erm, what Sword? Seta-who?” Kenzie asked, looking hesitant to speak first.

  “Nobody mentioned anything about hiding a Sword,” Rowan piped in quietly.

  Nia’s excitement fizzled as she glowered at Fiona. “You didn’t tell them about my vision?”

  “I did not.” Fiona quietly gazed back into Nia’s face; if she had been proud of her before, she certainly didn't appear to be anymore. She was her arrogant icy self again, staring at Nia as though she were a mere annoyance instead of a confidant. “I only thought that you should explain what you saw since I did not experience it firsthand myself.”

  Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Nia exhaled noisily and plowed into her out-of-body experience, detailing how she had seen Axel—how he desperately wanted to get his hands on the Sword, how dangerous the Sword was and how it rightfully belonged to Nia herself.

  "I bet the reason why the vision of the Sword came to Axel was because it's somewhere in the Seventh Realm—and each Realm is connected somehow—"

  “Hold up,” Thor interrupted, raising both of his hands just before Nia could finish. He cleared his throat before he continued. “This Sword has been lost for centuries. Gold Lion has been around for centuries—and you," his eyes darted inquiringly towards Fiona, "said you’ve never seen Gold Lion defend without the help of the Sword of Horus. If she's shooting laser beams without the help of one sword, why the need to find the other?”

  "Thor, that has nothing to do with whatever epiphany Nia has just come up with!" Quinn said, smacking Thor playfully atop of the head. "One track mind, right here."

  For a second Nia could have sworn she saw Fiona smirk, but when she strained for a closer look, Fiona sat thin lipped and unwavering, her dark red curls pooling around her shoulders like a curtain. It must have been a trick of the shadows, she hastily decided, lying back against the wet grass.

  “Nia's abilities are inherited,” Fiona replied quietly to Thor, ignoring Quinn's silly antics. “In the beginning, each of your souls,” and she pointed to Rowan, Quinn, Kenzie and Thor, “belonged to the descendants of a great and ancient race that came from another part of space entirely. Some of your ancestors decided against passing down their genes, taking their lives early, unwilling to allow their future loved ones to continue on with this cycle of blood and tears. But even death couldn't stop Zindel'Tyr's wishes.” Her all knowing eyes lingered on Kenzie and Thor's faces before gazing down her nose at Quinn and Rowan. "The soul goes on, they say. Defying space and time, the soul travels until they find just the right person to blossom into. And thankfully, they found each of you. Your powers stay the same, but the blood tie each of you once had with Zindel'Tyr faded with death."

  Fiona then gestured to herself, her pale hand waving back and forth quickly, with deliberate reason. “My physical being and my soul are very much the same. I always look exactly the same when I am reborn—never has one freckle changed upon my face. I have never procreated like your ancestors did. My soul has never found another host. I am a direct descendant of Zindel'Tyr—his only living child. Nia, on the other hand, is much like each of you, except that Gold Lion never took her own
life before another could be born. Like me, she is a direct descendant—Nia is the actual physical bodied daughter of Zindel’Tyr, through his child Nefertiti. And Nefertiti was the first Mystical Knight to be born of Neteru and human blood. What Earth beings would consider a demigod.”

  “I am?” Nia’s eyes opened wide at the thought of this information, looking aghast.

  Fiona didn’t hesitate to roll her eyes. “Don’t you remember anything?” Fiona asked exasperatedly. “Don’t you remember me explaining to you that you have direct lineage to Zindel’Tyr?”

  Nia stared at Fiona with an extremely blank face.

  Fiona blinked out of irritation before she spoke. "And of course, you'd forget what is probably the most important piece of information I could had to give you. It's been ingrained in your DNA, taints the blood that runs through your veins—"

  “Fiona—” Rowan started, his voice deep and almost threatening.

  “Rowan don’t,” Nia said hotly, giving Rowan a stern look. She pulled herself right up, ignoring the dizzy feeling that pulsed down her neck while she glared at Fiona. “If I remember correctly,” she spat, sure to look Fiona right in the eyes, "that was a lot of information for anybody to soak up, so please forgive me if I forgot one tiny detail."

  "That tiny detail, Natali, frames everything that you are and everything that you could ever be." Fiona sat, her face a canvas of silent fury. Nia could see it in her eyes—the flames rippling dangerously while she sat, fuming in front of her. Nia could have sworn she heard a soft growl rumble from Fiona’s throat, but it might as well just have been Quinn’s stomach, for his hands folded across his midsection.

  “There is a possibility,” Fiona muttered, her voice eerily calm, “that as the lineage grows, Gold Lion’s powers become stronger." Fiona’s nostrils flared, but her eyes held the same coolness they always did. "You are an evolution."

  Silence. Nia could hear her own pulse pounding loudly in her ears, thundering dangerously with every beat of her heart. She didn't know what to think, and yet every thought she could possibly think flooded her mind in that instant. Demigod, Neteru, Sword of Dreams, Axel and his followers.... The others were soundless as well; perhaps they too, felt the need to reflect. Despite the thick tension in the atmosphere, Nia wrestled with her unvarying inquisitiveness. “Evolution?” She couldn't help but chuckled to herself. “As in, Darwin’s Theory?”