by W. M. Martin
Once Elliot sensed Okeaous’ presence within her stronghold, Maggie tapped Avior’s power which resided within her elegant, sapphire armor and surrounded herself within another sky-blue shield. The fearless duo blasted downward at an angled trajectory, hurtling through the air at a blazing speed, so as to bust through the castle’s dark and decayed walls. The plummeting, magical wrecking-ball crashed into the uppermost parapet and blew through the structure with surprising ease, carrying its occupants directly to the Dark Lady’s throne room, where she idly awaited her uninvited guests.
*
Nancy had been engaged by Lieutenant Ara and the pair appeared to be evenly matched. Nancy made use of her heightened powers, which had been bestowed upon her as the new Head Instructor of the Kindred Academy, to stave off the battle-hardened Lieutenant. Nancy knew that if it had not been for the Wise Ones of the Nexus granting her Their gift, she would have been no match for her lithe and violent opponent. Nancy braced a sapphire bo staff and was doing her level best to keep her defenses up against the fury of the evil Lieutenant’s onslaught.
The sapphire-armored Head Instructor held her ground and matched Lieutenant Ara’s stride, step-for-step to deny her an opening. The Lieutenant made a feint towards Nancy and the Head Instructor fell for the ruse. The Fallen warrior lunged at her enemy and swung her black sword, grazing Nancy across her left, upper-arm. Nancy winced from the burning sensation of Lieutenant Ara’s blade separating her skin, but shrugged off the strike, denying her attacker the satisfaction of hearing a cry of pain.
Nancy, gathering herself to prepare for her own opportunity to strike, said through heavy breaths, “What happened to you, Ara? We were friends once. You were the best of us. How could you have betrayed Mary and Wallace? They were your family. They trusted you with their lives!”
Lieutenant Ara replied coldly, “They betrayed me first, Nancy! They sent me before the Spire to be judged for a mistake! The Guardians expelled me from the Order and it was the Fallen who took me in. I have risen through the ranks of the Dark Lady’s warriors and am now, thanks to the death of General Strato, second only to Okeaous herself! I won’t be lectured by a former Praetorian who chose to live her life hidden away in a Haven and simply fell into the position of Head Instructor.”
Nancy, spinning her bo staff, followed the Lieutenant who was pacing around her and replied, “That was always your problem, Ara. You were too ambitious.”
The Dark Lieutenant spat back with shaking rage, “And you were never ambitious enough, you coward!” before charging headlong at Nancy.
Nancy managed to parry Ara’s assault with no small amount of effort and spun around her aggressor to strike the Lieutenant on the back of her left leg, causing her to lose her balance. Nancy saw her opportunity and took it. She raised her sapphire bo staff high above her head to strike her former friend and render her unconcious. As Nancy’s weapon rushed downward through the air, Ara rolled away at the last possible second. The bo staff’s sudden impact on the ground sent a painful shock up both of Nancy’s trembling arms. Ara swung her empty hand at Nancy’s chest and blew her backwards with a rush of magical water which she materialized through her attunement with her totem, Vox.
Ara returned to her feet and walked with a dark purpose to where Nancy was trying valiantly to get back on her own two feet. Ara kneed Nancy violently in her armored ribs and knocked the struggling Head Instructor back over onto her side. Ara stood poised and excited at the prospect of being Nancy’s executioner. The Dark Lieutenant laughed at her former friend who was obviously in a great deal of pain. Nancy tried to ignore Ara’s cruel laughter and summoned Siril to her side.
“Goodbye, Siril. We’ll meet again in the Stream of Time,” Nancy said, bidding her best friend farewell through gritted teeth.
Ara placed the tip of her black sword on Nancy’s chestpiece and stated, “You won’t find Siril in the Stream of Time, Nancy. I’m going to absorb him and his eternal suffering will add to my power.”
Upon hearing what Ara was planning to do to Siril, a rage erupted inside of Nancy and she called forth a mighty gust of magical wind from her glowing fist that cast the Lieutenant into the air as though she were nothing more than a ragdoll. Nancy got back onto her feet, ignoring the throbbing in her ribs, and spun her bo rapidly until she brought it to a rest behind her back. Siril fluttered gently onto her shoulder and chirped with pride at Nancy’s defense of him.
“I’m going to send you to the Fallen Prison Isle in a matchbox, Ara,” growled Nancy after wiping away the blood dripping from her lower lip.
Ara snapped back, with an icy fury, “There won’t be enough left of you to fit into a matchbox!”
The academy’s Head Instructor and the Fallen’s wicked Lieutenant rejoined their weapons as the din of war played out in the background like a cacophonous and twisted symphony.
*
The Dark Lady was not phased by the explosive entrance of Maggie in the slightest. She sat on her vile throne with her legs draped over one of the spiked armrests. Okeaous did not deign to acknowledge the armor-clad intruder in her midst who had been brazen enough to enter her presence unsummoned.
Maggie’s helmet melted away from her head and she stated with undeniable authority, “I’ve come for the Pentagem.”
The Dark Lady giggled and replied, “Of course you have, Maggie. Sadly though, you’ve come in vain. You can’t have the Stone because by right it belongs to me. It always has.”
Maggie took a slight step forward to plead with Okeaous, hoping that some part of her friend was alive inside of the Dark Lady.
Maggie said, “We can find a way to work this out peacefully. I don’t want to fight you. Don’t make me. You were my best friend. Please, Alice.”
The Black Queen stood swiftly from her throne and angrily yelled, “I am Okeaous, you mewling babe! I was the very first of the ones that you call the First Five, created and chosen by the Spire itself to receive the first portion of the Pentagem! Alice Pennington was merely a construct of my own design. She’s no more real than my inclination to let you leave this room alive. I created that disgustingly sanguine caricature of who I truly am so that I could ingratiate myself to the only child of Wallace and Mary Bennett. The child who now holds the dubious distinction of being the last heir of my most hated enemy. You were nothing more to me than a last ditch effort of ever regaining possession of my precious Pentagem, you weak and pitiful fool. I had hoped that your aunt could provide me with a link to the Stone, but as she had become a Fallen before I had discovered her true lineage and had been banished from the Order of the Guardians, she could not. I mulled over whether or not to destroy Ara, simply for the filthy blood that courses through her blackened veins. However, I decided to allow her to live as my servant, doing my bidding and seeing that my will is done. I do torture her from time to time because it’s one of the few things that offers me any joy. Causing a descendant of Avior physical pain brings a little bit of warmth to my heart. Then there were your ridiculous parents. They both absolutely refused to help me sort out my little dilemma, so my last chance rested on your naïve, but obviously capable, little shoulders. Of course, I had a little help from that fool, Mr. Evans, that annoying bookworm, Kylie, and everyone’s favorite misanthrope, Lucy.”
Maggie asked, “What did happen with Mr. Evans? Surely now that you have the Stone, you can spill the beans about everything can’t you?”
Okeaous grinned and responded, “I know that you’re working to stall me, Maggie. It’s an exercise in futility, I can assure you, but I’ll humor you and play along. Let’s start with Mr. Evans, shall we? He had been under the control of the Eye ever since the end of the second month at the academy.”
Maggie slightly shook her head in disbelief and asked, “How’s that even possible? When we broke into Mr. Akiyama’s office to get into the antechamber, I saw the Eye for myself.”
Okeaous laughed, “You saw a glimpse of my power, Maggie. What you saw was a fake. I had the Eye of Ka
riagi tucked safely inside of my cloak the entire time. I brought it down with us so that I could use it on you. I planned on finding you sometime after the Field Festival that day, but when you interrupted Mr. Akiyama’s little nature walk, I seized the opportunity to coax you down into the antechamber. That buffoon, Kylie, joining us was simply a fortuitous little coincidence. When we all arrived down there, however, I found that you were immune to the effects of the Eye, just as I am. I placed my hand on your shoulder to gain dominance of your will, but there was none to be gained. Your will is strong and is beyond the Eye of Kariagi’s reach. Kylie, on the other hand, was just as malleable as Mr. Evans had been.”
Maggie, still keeping a safe distance from Okeaous, asked, “How did you get the Eye before we all went down into the antechamber?”
Okeaous replied, “I am the Dark Lady, Maggie. Nothing is beyond my grasp. The only thing that I was prohibited from touching was the Pentagem. I stole away to the antechamber and claimed the Eye for myself after our first night at the academy.”
“So it was you who killed Mr. Evans and not Kylie?” asked Maggie.
Okeaous gave a dark chuckle and answered, “Oh, it was Kylie’s hand, but it was my will. Once Mr. Evans had sent word to my spies in Plimpkins that our First Year field trip would be held there, I decided to end his miserable existence on that particular day. It was actually your aunt who flipped the proverbial switch in Kylie’s mind to fulfill my orders while we were all in Plimpkins.”
Maggie, calmly surveying her surroundings for the inevitable fight which was fast approaching asked, “What about Lucy? How did you get to her?”
Okeaous replied evenly, “Through Mr. Evans, of course. Just before we all left for Plimpkins, I had him pay a little visit to Lucy in her room, where he placed the Eye of Kariagi against her back, just as I did with you and Kylie down in the artifacts antechamber. Then I retrieved it from him upon our arrival. Once the Eye was back in my possession, I handed it over to a spy of mine who was selling fruits and pies in the square. He in turn handed it off to Ara. Ara then found Kylie and placed it in one of her cloak’s inner pockets before activating her and sending her back to the academy to take Mr. Evans off of the board permanently. When she was discovered to be in possession of the Eye, it allowed me to finally move through the academy for the first time in a year, totally unencumbered, as it was no longer on my person. Now then, I’ve answered your questions and have given you ample time to try and formulate a plan of attack, which you’ve no doubt been working on. Let’s begin, shall we?”
*
Nigel and Sara flanked Mrs. Bonifassi to try and provide their diminutive instructor with protection. Their aid was welcome, but unnecessary. The trio stood before five dark paladins who were barring their way to a side entrance into the castle. The main structure stood tall to protect the massive Keep, which would lead them forward into the heart of Okeaous’ fortress. Mrs. Bonifassi rolled her hands over to reveal a pair of hidden retractable blades that she had braced on her small wrists.
“Stand back, Young Ones. I’ll handle this,” said Mrs. Bonifassi, before rushing from the ground within a burst of tornadic wind.
Neither Nigel nor his more battle-capable friend, Sara, had ever witnessed their Avior Instructor utilize any of her powers outside of summoning her totem, Gaston. Both students stood in awe at the blinding speed and ferocity of the otherwise no-nonsense, yet equally nurturing, Mrs. Bonifassi. Nigel was struck by how strong her magic was and Sara marveled at the way Mrs. Bonifassi ricocheted off each of the five Fallen warriors in her path. She whirled around the dark paladins and sliced through their black armor’s greaves and chest plates, amid a dizzying flurry of movement.
The Fallen knights began to panic amid the storm of the tiny, mystical blades that were steadily raining down little slices of torment all over them. All but one gave up and disappeared into their black and oozing omniports, hoping to engage other less capable Guardians elsewhere. The single remaining Fallen paladin swung a large and extremely sharp, black battle axe at Mrs. Bonifassi, trying desperately to cleave the small, acrobatic nightmare in two. The crafty Avior Clan Leader was prepared for the Fallen’s futile attempt, as she flipped and spun through the air to avoid it.
When she landed, she swiped at the empty space between herself and her aggressor with surprising force. A concussive blast of wind, produced by Mrs. Bonifassi’s strike, pushed her enemy so hard into the door that he was protecting, that it sent the lone Fallen, the shattered door, and the surrounding stones from the wall into the now unenclosed Keep.
“Mrs. Bonifassi, that was the coolest thing that I’ve ever seen in my entire life!” praised Nigel with unabashed glee.
Sara nodded in agreement with Nigel’s sentiment, but Mrs. Bonifassi pretended to take no pleasure from the compliment, if only for a moment.
“That’s nice dear, but we only ever fight as a last resort,” said Mrs. Bonifassi, before relenting and adding, “It was exciting though, wasn’t it?!”
*
Mr. Carver removed a Fallen priestess’ ebony sword from her black, gauntlet-covered hands and kicked her, hard, into her evil comrade, when Stephanie jumped in behind her mentor and placed her ruby-armored back against his. Mr. Carver spun his radiant, blood-red, short sword in his hand and then raised it in a defensive position. Stephanie flourished her long, ruby-studded jumonji yari, all while mirroring her instructor’s smooth and practiced movements. Both the Clan Leader and his agile pupil stood perfectly still, poised to strike at the Fallen knights at any given moment.
The Secarn teacher and his most accomplished underling swung their powerful weapons in unison, swiping over and then under one another. The deadly dance that they were performing was one that utilized an aggressive offense for one Guardian combatant while providing a measured defense for the other. It was a brilliant display of weapons-handling and fancy footwork between a master and his apprentice. The visually stunning protection which the defensive swings provided to Mr. Carver and Stephanie were truly brilliant, but not impregnable.
Stephanie received a serious blow across her chest from a dark knight’s warhammer, which smashed violently through her turn at the whirling, battle-dance’s defense. She was hit hard and flung into one of the torture racks in the battle-engulfed courtyard. Mr. Carver, having his attention redirected towards a potentially grievously wounded Stephanie, was immediately swarmed by a group of Fallen warriors. Two of the dark knights pounced on top of Mr. Carver and managed to cut through his ruby, armored plating more than three times.
It was not the sound of weapons clashing against one another or the fearless warriors’ battle cries or even large and armored bodies, rushing in and out of loudly booming omniports, that caught Mr. Carver’s attackers’ attentions. It was a different experience of sound entirely. It started with a slight and entirely unnoticeable flutter, the beginnings of a soft whisper that had been felt, but not heard. The reverberation then gradually built to one akin to brown, dried leaves, being carried by a phantom wind; each piece of dead foliage scratching slightly as it skitters across cracked cement. Then finally came the audible equivalency of a torrential hailstorm, crashing violently and relentlessly against an otherwise pristine, tin roof.
The evil paladins all ceased their assault on Mr. Carver to try and find the source of the burgeoning cacophony. What they all witnessed was a bruised, bloody, and extremely angry Stephanie Viridi, standing at the heart of a whirling hurricane comprised entirely of magical, flaming butterflies. Her eyes were smoldering with a glowing, red fire, as ruby-red as her transfigured armor and the trickles of blood that were slowly dripping from her nose, gashed forehead and bottom lip. Stephanie raised both of her arms slowly and was carried up, above the Fallen knights, by a sea of multicolored wings. She braced her jumonji yari once more and spun it out in front of herself, creating a beautiful vortex of flames and fury in the process.
Stephanie shot a veritable cone of molten butterflies directly at the paladins
, who were still standing, with their weapons drawn, over Mr. Carver. The monsoon of burning insects, which had engulfed the group of Fallen knights, muddled their senses in an ocean of noise and heat created by the countless tiny, fluttering wings. Mr Carver jumped at the opportunity of the paladins’ collective distraction and summoned his own totem who joined with thousands of angry, magically crafted tarantula-hawks of his own design. The vicious stinging insects flew directly into the center of the butterfly storm as though it were a bullseye and as if they were a single venomous dart. The dark paladins all howled and shrieked in agony as many of the innumerable stingers found their twisted, ebony-armored targets.
*
Okeaous flew at Maggie with both of her murderous daggers drawn, seemingly carried across her vile throne room by the force of a haunting, primal scream. Maggie quickly braced her bow and shifted her position to fire a mystical arrow directly at the Dark Queen, but Okeaous deflected the incoming shot with ease and swung her blades, one after the other, at Maggie’s neck. Maggie narrowly dodged the Dark Lady’s jagged daggers, which sliced through the air in a frightening attempt to puncture her sapphire armor.
Okeaous, pressing her hateful attack on the harried heir of Avior, summoned Leviathan to ram her from the side. Leviathan remembered his failed attempt to bite Maggie in half after his rebirth in the Forever Forest. The cruel and aggressive great white shark’s results were not only found to be lacking, but when Maggie had been enveloped by her ancestor’s armor, it had hurt the evil and imposing totem when he attacked her. The sadistic, mystical shark would not be repeating his mistake. Leviathan, eschewing his inclination to bite, slammed into Maggie like a freight train and the impact of their collision threw her against one of the large, decaying pillars in the throne room.
Maggie gasped as the wind had been knocked out of her by Leviathan, who was cruising menacingly through non-existent waters around his Fallen Queen. Maggie reached for her bow at her side and leaned on it to help herself stand. Okeaous moved around her throne room like a shark on the hunt, mirroring the measured movements of her totem. Maggie stepped painfully away from the pillar which now stood busted by the impact of her armored body slamming into it.
