by Bri Sailor
“No.” she mumbled. “No!”
She dropped to the ground and slammed her fists, shaking the ground. The witch slowly stood up. Her eyes were solid black. Between her bloody hands was a large, glowing ball of energy. She held it high over her head.
“Däkt’m ihöü, Ailana! Ii riigg dë t’ke trüë rügër öx t’kiin rörgd!”
She heaved the spell at the wall with all her strength. Suddenly, there was a loud crack like thunder and a great force threw Saebic through the air, he landed hard against the rock floor. Lusha’s hair and robes fluttered around her from the fierce wind. The wall had cracked along its entire height. The power that was released felt like a powerful, warm summer breeze and made everyone in the cavern feel light and airy. Lusha frowned. Suddenly, there was a second wave of energy that followed. It seemed to come from somewhere else, and it made Saebic’s blood run cold. He had never experienced such an evil. A wicked smile now fixed itself on Lusha’s face. She opened her arms and welcomed the onslaught. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The smile turned into a scowl and the light left Lusha’s eyes.
“No.” she gasped.
With wild eyes she ran to the wall and smeared her still bloody hand over it. Nothing. She conjured the spell and threw it at the Seal. Nothing.
“No!” she roared.
She slammed her fists on the wall with such force that the resulting boom shook loose some rubble that fell to the cavern floor.
“My queen?” rasped the general.
“I don’t understand.” She said to the wall. “It worked! The prophecy said it was them! It has to be them! It has to be blood! T’këiir d’göd!” she turned skyward. “Damn you! Däkt’m ihöü! You’ve always mocked me!” she shouted at the rock above.
Saebic stood up from the rubble and dusted himself off. Lusha turned to him, her eyes completely black.
“We return to Óhn at once! This mistake will be rectified, and I shall claim what is mine. Ii äkt t’kë skönër örë!” She hissed.
Chapter 19
She could feel the vice-like grip around her neck draining the life out of her. Desperate, she clawed wildly to no avail. Black, dead eyes burned into her soul. A deep and heavy blackness surrounded her. The dragon corpse gripped her tighter. Its gaping maw revealed razor sharp teeth. Sensing her doom, she tried to scream. The dragon lunged at her and devoured her.
#
Atreyis jolted awake. She sat up and gulped air. She could still feel the claws gripping her throat. With a shaky hand she instinctively reached for the phantom grip. She was drenched in a cold sweat.
It was still dark out and the fire from earlier had died down and was now mostly glowing embers. The princess adjusted herself on her bedroll and looked around the campsite. Ky was sleeping quietly on the opposite side of the fire. Nearby was Riker and next to him was Ehren. Taryn’s head was next to her own and Cora was snuggled up close to the princess. Everyone was sleeping and hadn’t noticed the princess’ reaction.
Atreyis took slow, deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart. It had been two weeks since the battle and her run-in with Lusha. She rubbed her eyes and face, unable to get the memory of those dead eyes out of her mind. They had been traveling for a week now with many more days and many more miles ahead of them. The princess took a deep breath and lay back down on her bedroll. The forest was silent.
They had been making their way to something her father had called the Temple of Ages. She put her arms behind her head and relaxed. Ever since Ky came into her life nothing had been the same, and now she was on the adventure that she had always longed for. But deep down she knew that this wasn’t going to be all smiles and laughs as she had imagined as a child. The battle had revealed things, things that caused her father and Cora to panic. According to her father, all of his paranoia was justified and there was something more going on than the war with King Ultrek and his Black Army. Her mind wandered for a little while more before sleep finally reclaimed her.
A light kick to the heel of her boots woke the princess a short time later. She cracked open an eye, the blonde warrior loomed over her with crossed arms. Atreyis closed her eye and stretched.
“Have you always been such a morning person?” she yawned.
“Yes.” Ky simply replied.
The general helped pack up the campsite. Truthfully, she would have preferred more time to rest, but they were on a mission and Lusha already had a severe head start. She quietly seethed. Even though she had been a soldier for many years and had killed many, it had been ages since she had hungered for another’s blood until now. A hatred for the witch burned deep inside her. She mentally kicked herself. Letting her vendetta against Lusha almost got the princess killed. The warrior had a growing fondness of the girl and was grateful for her friendship.
“Seriously, how can you all be satisfied with this horse-fodder trail food?” griped Riker.
The ranger broke the general’s train of thought. Everyone rolled their eyes.
“The real question,” said Taryn, “is how a ranger, who is supposed to be rugged and outdoorsy, is complaining about food when he is more than capable of hunting something down.”
She turned her attention back to packing her things and nearly jumped out of her skin at a sudden quiet voice in her ear.
“I don’t appreciate being categorized. And if the option of someone else cooking arises, by the Goddess you better believe I’m going to take it. Why do all that work if someone will do it for me?” teased Riker.
Taryn gave the man credit. However lazy, he sure was sneaky.
“Stop sneaking up on me dammit!” shouted Taryn.
“Now, children, behave. Don’t make me come over there.” Chided Ehren sarcastically. He flashed a goofy grin and Taryn stuck her tongue out at him.
“Goddess help us all.” Prayed Cora.
Atreyis laughed. Ky ignored them all and hopped into Luna’s saddle.
“We need to keep moving. We are almost out of the forest, but we still have a long ways to go before we get to the tower.” She said roughly.
She clicked her tongue and Luna started walking. The rest of the party scrambled to get their stuff and follow after the warrior. Atreyis took an extra moment to fish out some bread and cheese from one of her saddle bags. Her number one priority was quieting her growling stomach.
They traveled in silence for a time. The misty morning turned into a warm and sunny afternoon. The sun’s rays poked through the thick canopy of green. Ky stretched. She was getting antsy and was more than ready to be out of the woods again. Once they were free of the trees they could speed things up and let the horses run. By late afternoon Ky figured it was best to let everyone rest a bit. They weren’t used to weeks of marching and pushing on like she was. The party dismounted and stretched out their legs. Stomachs rumbled.
Atreyis smiled impishly. “Oh, Riker, I do believe it’s your turn to hunt.”
The ranger ignored her and fiddled with something on his saddle.
“Hey.” Said the princess. “Riker, come on, everyone has to—”
She was suddenly cut off as the ranger whirled around and threw a knife into a tree. Atreyis yelped and ducked out of the way. There was a loud squawk from the tree and a large bird fell to the ground with a thud.
“Riker!” shouted a startled princess.
“Dinner.” He quipped.
Ehren inspected the bird. “You know this isn’t enough smart-ass. It’s barely enough to feed a child.” He grabbed his bow. “I’ll be back.
“Wait!” shouted Riker. He crouched low and scanned the ground. He moved soundlessly, his eyes ever watchful. Suddenly, he stopped and pointed off in the woods.
“That way, I bet.” He said.
Ehren simply nodded and went off in search of quarry. Riker may be eccentric and at times lazy, but his skills and instincts were rarely off. Atreyis and Cora decided to go and search for firewood while Taryn and Ky set up camp. Riker had climbed up a tree and was tinkering
with something, completely oblivious to everyone except the forest. An hour later Ehren returned with his kill and a fire was roaring and ready to go. Ky helped the prince quickly butcher the deer and get it roasting. In no time the meat was cooked. The group sat around the fire and shared stories over the meal. By the time they all had their fill it was late enough that Ky decided it was best to just set up camp for the night.
Atreyis lay down on her bedroll and stared up through the trees at the stars above. She was very tired but couldn’t sleep. Her heart was pounding and her mind was reeling as anxiety took over. She was scared to sleep, fearful that her nightmares would come roaring back. She tried to focus on her heartbeat and slow it down. It worked some, but eventually her physical response trumped her mind and her heart felt like it was jumping out of her chest. A sense of doom crept over her. After a couple of fitful hours the exhausted princess succumbed to a restless sleep.
It was nearly dawn when the princess gasped for air and jolted awake. She immediately jumped up and started pacing and rubbing her neck. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. The rest of the camp slept quietly in the dark. Atreyis scanned over them, jealous that they were so peaceful. But someone was missing. Where was Ky? The princess went in search of the warrior and found her sitting on a large fallen tree, meditating. In the waning moonlight the beautiful warrior appeared serene and calm. The princess didn’t even stop to wonder why the warrior was already up, she just sat down next to her and adopted the same cross-legged pose. After a few minutes of silence Ky spoke.
“Nightmares?” she asked softly.
“Yes.” Replied Atreyis.
“It gets better. I remember after my first battle I didn’t hardly sleep for a month.”
“Does it ever go away?”
“No, not really. You just become accustomed to it.”
“Oh.”
The princess looked at the warrior. She was so beautiful. The way the moonlight struck her hair made it look like it was made of pure silver and her grey eyes stood out like shimmering moonstones.
“So why are you up so early? Certainly you aren’t having dream problems.”
“You’re not the only one whose mind suffers.” Said the warrior cryptically.
“Nightmares?”
“No. Just, dreams, of a certain nature.” She lied.
“About what? If you don’t mind me asking.”
The warrior sighed, she just wanted some peace and quiet. And yet…
“It’s always the same. A girl dying and a phantom with glowing eyes standing over her.”
“What do you think caused your dream?” Atreyis was genuinely concerned.
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm. I know what caused mine. Lusha. I keep seeing that dragon corpse thing as it chokes the life out of me. Even after I wake up I can feel her hands gripping my throat.” She reached up and rubbed her throat and swallowed.
Ky’s jaw visibly clenched. “That witch is a stain that needs to be wiped from the world.”
Atreyis raised an eyebrow. “Why do you hate her so much? Besides the obvious evil.”
The general considered her words. “I just do. It’s hard to explain. Ever since the moment I met her I felt this raw anger that made my hair stand on end. And the way that she has so much sway, so much power over my king was unsettling. Add to it that she claimed that she was sent by the Goddess…” she shrugged.
“Mmm…” hummed the princess. “That explains a lot. About you. About her.”
“How do you mean?”
“It’s just now I know the real reason why you didn’t try to escape before. You wanted to be captured so you could get to her. And that’s why the moment you could you went straight for her instead of escaping.”
The general was pleasantly surprised, the girl was more perceptive than she gave her credit for. Her sapphire blue eyes reflected the moonlight and pierced the warrior.
“Possibly.” She arched an eyebrow. “So what does your keen sense tell you I’m up to now?”
“Nothing’s changed.” The princess turned to her. “If you are successful, and Lusha dies, what will you do? Go back to waging war and fighting?” she silently pleaded with the Goddess that she wouldn’t.
The warrior took a deep breath. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t know. I used to believe in this war, that what we were doing was the best for humanity; but now I no longer feel that what Ultrek was doing is something to be proud of, to be a part of. About two years ago I actually considered leaving the only life I know. But I was scared, to be perfectly honest, and when the chance came I didn’t take it. When I had to create a rockslide that buried a hundred of my own men, that was a true turning point for me. They didn’t die under my command for the glory of the Khenná people. They died because someone had discovered our plans. They died thinking that I had betrayed them. And in truth I did. I became their executioner to save the many.” She rubbed her face and cleared her throat. “The moment that witch is dead I will be free of my past demons, maybe. It will at least be a start.”
The warrior’s sad gray eyes met the princess’ sympathetic blue.
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t love war and I have never bathed in the blood of my fallen enemies. Fighting is what I know and what I’m good at.” She sighed. “Like I said, it’s taken some time, but now I believe that this war I helped perpetuate is wrong. That it was something created by an insane, delusional ‘priestess’ for her own personal gain. We are no longer just protecting our lands and ensuring our peoples’ safety.”
The warrior sighed and honestly paused to think about what she would do after Lusha was dealt with. Nothing. A complete blank. She still desired to be a general and have control over her army once more, but with this growing sense of wrongdoing, what was the point? Now that she thought more about it, there was nothing really to go back to. A sudden void opened up in her heart, sucking the life out of her.
“I honestly don’t know what comes after this.” She said. “All I’ve ever known is war. What use is a General that doesn’t believe in it anymore?”
The girls locked gazes. Atreyis felt a jolt of electricity once more, followed by a sense of familiarity. She could see that the warrior had felt something as well. The princess smiled softly.
“Well, if you like, after all of this is over, I can help you figure something out.”
The warrior nodded. “If we survive.”
Atreyis’ heart stopped but she didn’t let it show. Even after all that she had been through, she refused to even acknowledge the possibility that this could all end in death. She purposely built a wall in her mind to keep back those very thoughts. The sun was now up and she could hear the camp begin to stir.
“We better get back and pack up.” Ky jumped off the tree and landed gracefully. “We aren’t out of the woods yet.”
The blonde stopped. She turned to the princess.
“You want to know why I paint my face for every battle?”
The princess cocked her head at the unprovoked question.
“So I don’t forget why I am there. Who I’ve become.” She sighed. “The band of marauders who killed my mother. The grandmother that did her best to raise me. I figured if I became a warrior I could help prevent someone else from losing everything.” She traced down her neck. “The two lines represent my mother, and my grandmother. The one on my forehead is me. My life isn’t over yet, and until I am done, I won’t be reunited with them…”
Ky didn’t even give the princess a chance to speak and turned on her heel and went back to the camp. Atreyis was dumbstruck. She jumped off the tree and ran after her. She craved to know more about the enigmatic warrior.
#
As usual, Ky was point and led the party through the forest. The rest were talking and laughing, sharing childhood stories and more recent life events. Such warm friendships were a luxury that Ky did not possess. The majority of people in her life were merely comrades or soldiers that she commande
d. There was only one person that she considered a friend. He was her adoptive brother of sorts. It was because of him that she was turned from street rat to refined officer. Vexander, or as he liked to be called, Vex. He gave her a purpose, shaped her. She chuckled as she remembered the day she finally knocked Vex on his ass and the utter shock on his face.
“What’s so funny?” came a voice from behind.
“Just remembering something from my childhood.” Said Ky simply.
“You were actually a child once?” mocked Taryn.
Ky shot her a look. “Yes. Unlike some, I am human.”
Taryn shrugged. “I just figured you just spawned with sword in hand. It’s hard to picture you as something so innocent.”
Ky’s temper flared. “Are you trying to provoke me or do you simply have a death wish?”
“Neither.” Taryn said coolly. “Just trying to get a read on you. To Atreyis your reputation is contradictory to your saving her and what happened with Lusha. It may even come across as heroic. But people like you don’t change overnight. I’m just looking out for my friend.”
Ky gritted her teeth and nodded. “As you wish. But you shall find no malicious intent towards the princess. I consider her a friend as well.”
Taryn eyed her. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Atreyis noticed the terse exchange between the two women and chewed her lip. She sent another silent prayer to the Goddess that Taryn wouldn’t embarrass her and that Ky would behave. The last thing she needed was those two trying to kill each other. Just because she trusted Ky didn’t mean her friends had granted the warrior that privilege as well. The princess’ mind wandered and she thought about what a fight would be like between the warrior and the guard. Ky would most likely win, but Ehren and Riker would probably join for sure. Then Ky would be outnumbered and she would have to join. But how would it look if the princess fought against her own people? There’s no way she could choose. The brunette shook her head and sighed, she knew who she would choose. Unless Cora would somehow be able to break it up…