With this, the Dark Lady pulled away and swiftly took the knife and placed it in Gina’s hand. With great force, the Lady tried to make Gina cut herself with the knife, but a struggle kept it away. The Dark Lady cackled to herself and pulled away, enjoying the scene, but this was enough time. Gina gripped the knife and lunged at the Dark Lady who was just close enough. The knife landed in her cheek and made an identical gash to the one in Gina’s. The Dark Lady screamed and held her hand to her cheek. Blood flowed out of it just as it did on Gina’s face from Noquef’s blade. The Dark Lady stood and turned to walk out the door, but quickly she turned back and hit Gina hard. Gina slumped over, defeated.
The Dark Lady could wait no longer. As soon as she had left Gina, she had gathered her minions and now was back in the other world with malicious intentions. A red sky could be seen rising over the horizon and she knew that it would be a red sun that would set.
The warehouse buildings may have been on the edge of the city, but they housed some of the most advanced software of the computer age. The Dark Lady entered, focused on her goal. She was dressed all in black but the style reflected this world. She wore a black top which exposed her midriff and low tight black pants with many tears that exposed black netting underneath. But what gave her the most eerie appearance was her bow ready at her side, and her full quiver resting on her back. Her high-heeled step was slow and deliberate as she made her way to the main office. It was the secretary who saw her first.
“May I help you?” she asked shakily.
“Yes,” the Dark Lady replied, raising a strung arrow. “You can get out of my way.” The woman shrieked and ran from the room. Gina produced a CD from her bag and proceeded to the PA system.
The council of Nythagié had come to one unanimous decision: they must protect the other world. Now, suited up and ready for instant battle, they rode towards the gateway only hoping they were not too late. Leyance felt he must protect what Gina wanted to destroy but feared his weakness: his heart. If he came face to face with Gina, he feared that he would not be able to bring himself to hurt her even if it meant saving everyone else. It was because of this fear that he rode towards the back wishing to be further away from potentially seeing the woman who used to be his wife. He hesitated at the gate, but was soon called up to the front by a fellow rider. Yet, as he rode closer and closer to the danger behind the gateway, he could sense that they were getting further and further from winning.
Indeed, this seemed to be the truth. The gateway had let them out at Gina’s old school, but continuous exploration proved no sign of the Dark Lady or her minions. It was not until they were almost out of town that they began to hear the quiet notes.
As the music picked up tempo, the first few saw the Dark Lady standing on top of one of the buildings, an arrow strung in her bow. She stood over the warehouse buildings, staring with delight. Holding the bow and arrow as if ready to attack, she chanted.
“Take these arrows that I hold in my hand,
Make it be a tool to destroy this land.
Let all of them below burn with my hate,
And for the Nythagiéns serve as bait!”
On cue, the arrow in her hand lit on fire, and the rest began to spark, waiting to erupt into full flames when placed in the bow. Now Gina aimed at the nearest building and fired. Flames engulfed the building. Another shot was fired and another. Soon flames could be seen and screams heard.
The Nythagiéns could see the fires erupting and quickened their pace. They soon arrived and immediately jumped into the flaming buildings to save those still inside. Leyance saved many as well but now ran through the halls looking for Gina. As much as he feared to see her, he could not help but search. Yet, his search was in vain. She was already gone. He knew it in his heart, and this feeling brought him both relief and fear. Leyance was not left to ponder on it long. Fheyrhil came in search of him. There was work to be done.
The Dark Lady had moved on from the offices and now walked through a busy street with one of her Übel minions by her side.
“Now to spread a little more chaos,” she said, turning to the creature. “What do you think the biggest incentive for such a horrendous riot would be? Ah, yes, that would be power, revenge, and above all money.” She clapped her hands and held them towards the sky, whispering seemingly nonsense words. Soon, money started falling from the sky, bills floating down to earth. All hell broke loose. Some of the money disappeared when people grabbed for it and the remaining money caused people to break out in violent fights to claim the money for themselves.
“That was easy. I told you they destroy themselves, so I need do nothing. Except, I still want to have a little fun…” She walked down the street and past the riots, her arms extended. Her minion was close on her heels. As she passed each building it burst into flames. Many people were too preoccupied with the falling money to notice the immediate danger, and only began to move away from the flames as the heat nipped at their heels.
Jacinda walked around the great halls of Nythagié, saddened by all the trouble occurring. She felt helpless, for she and her friends had not been able to go to help. She was left here only to meander through the manor in a city that now seemed dead. Suddenly, someone’s hand fell across her mouth while another held her so she could not struggle. Fear swept over her.
“No use in screaming, Jessica. No one can stop me, and no one can save you. You’re time has come to an end.” The Dark Lady threw her harshly at the Übels who harshly tied a gag around Jacinda’s mouth and put sharp chains on her wrists and ankles. She was dragged out into the city with Gina leading the way. Jacinda was shocked by what she saw. Bodies lay everywhere, and she recoiled away from them, shrieking despite the gag. She was dragged up the hill onto a cliff overlooking part of the city. The same cliff Leyance had gone to in order to say good-bye to Gina. It was there that she was tied and abandoned, forced to watch new fires beginning to engulf the city.
Alvina and Calypso ran through the smoke-filled streets screaming for Jacinda.
“We’re not going to find her!” Calypso screamed.
“We have to!” Alvina yelled back. “Gina is here someplace, and we have to make sure she doesn’t get to Jacinda.” Calypso had been looking around, and her eyes were now drawn to the cliff.
“Oh, God, we’re too late! Look! There she is. Oh, please be alright!”
“Jacinda!!” The two ran up to the cliff as quickly as they could but this was no easy task. Explosions arose throughout the city. At last, they reached their friend.
“These chains are too tight on her! They’re cutting her!” Calypso screamed. “We have to get them off!”
“They’re tightening! We have to hurry!” Alvina screamed. With much struggle, they finally managed to get Jacinda out of her chains. Although very distraught and in pain, she was able to stand and go with them. They ran through the exploding streets and came across Elenzel who was running towards them.
“Girls! You have to get out! Gina’s coming back! She…” But he could not finish. An explosion erupted so close to them that all four were thrown in opposite directions. The girls slowly and painfully rolled over and helped each other up. They searched for Elenzel and found him laying with his back to them.
“Come on, Elenzel. We need to go!” Jacinda called to him as they hurried over. He did not stir.
“Elenzel!” Alvina and Calypso screamed in unison. They tried to wake him, but he did not move.
“No, please! Elenzel, please, wake up!” Alvina screamed. Another explosion went off nearby, and they dropped to the ground.
“We have to go!” Calypso screamed.
“But Elenzel…” Alvina began.
“It’s too late,” Jacinda interrupted. They all knew it. Silently, they got up and ran off together.
When Leyance returned to Nythagié, he had hoped to relax before planning their next move but this hope was instantly shattered when he saw the turmoil his beloved city was in. The whole team’s hearts sunk as they sa
w the fires completely engulfing their home.
“Gina…” Fheyrhil whispered shakily. He glanced at Leyance. It was a simple, quick glance but full of meaning. Leyance knew in his heart that Fheyrhil meant to kill Gina if he found her and knew that he was meant to as well. But he knew that Fheyrhil would never find her. In the end he could sense in his heart that he, her husband, would be the one to find her.
The team separated, running in all directions to search the city for survivors. Leyance too separated but only in search of one. His intuition drove him down a familiar path to a familiar pond and sure enough there she stood. The water burned behind her.
“Leyance,” she said without turning around to face him, “I told you that this time we met the fun would really begin.” She slowly turned to face him. “Now it has begun.”
“You think I can’t hurt you because I love you. I love you, and I don’t want to hurt you. But I can.”
“No you can’t. No one can. I attacked her world – where were you then? I attacked this world, her friends, Elenzel…”
“What are you talking about? Where are the girls, and where is Elenzel?”
“Don’t worry, the girls escaped, though Jacinda is pretty banged up. Elenzel, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.”
“You killed him.”
“Did I? Whoops!” A remorseless smile escaped her lips. Leyance could not believe anyone could be so cruel. “You didn’t stop me then and you can’t stop me now,” Gina continued. With this she flew at Leyance, two long swords now drawn from her side. Leyance was quick. He drew his own sword and the fight between the two broke out. They fought so hard and long that neither realized that they had fought their way down the path and to the base of a grassy hill. They did not even realize the thousands of Übels piling into the city and battling with the citizens. Every hand in the city wielded a weapon against another, but no fight was more intense then that between Leyance and Gina.
“Gina, we have to stop this!” Leyance yelled. He stopped for a second, but Gina lunged at him. Leyance jumped back, but lost his balance and tumbled backwards. He held his sword out so he would not fall on it, but as he fell, his foot caught the back of Gina’s, and she fell on top of him.
“Gina, are you alright?” Leyance asked. “Gina!” He pulled his hand out to try to shake her gently, but his hand was covered in blood. He pushed her off of him and saw his sword had slid right through her stomach. She coughed now and gasped for air. Her black choker had come undone and rested beside her. “Gina, no, please…”
“You killed me,” she said breathlessly and lay limp in his arms. “I thought you’d protect me…”
“Gina, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” He just stared at Gina’s body still held close to him. Suddenly, the body disintegrated into a pile of dust and blew away in the wind. Slowly, an Übel climbed up the hill over Leyance. Gina, the pure Gina, lay limp in his arms. She was not showing any signs of life. Leyance looked up and gasped at this sight.
“We don’t want her anymore,” the creature growled and tossed her down the hill. Gina rolled down the hill and only stopped when she slammed into Leyance’s arms. Still, she did not stir. Leyance lifted Gina and held her close.
“The potion worked…” he whispered. Complete and utter sadness filled his heart. He had no warmth left in his soul. He looked up at the creature to see him string a bow and aim it at him. Leyance made no move to escape. He saw the shot fired, the red sun setting, and then all went black.
Chapter 13
“The Phoenix”
When the sun rose over the horizon the next day, no one marveled at its beauty. The once stunning city was in ruins, and many lay dead. The fires had burned all night, and the battle against the Übels had raged on until finally they had retreated. The loss of their leader caused too much chaos and disorder for them to push on. Instead they fled back to the castle where Noquef would soon learn of the news. Fheyrhil walked through the halls of the manor heading towards the hospital wing. There were so many needing treatment there that cots had been set up out into the hallways. He inquired about a few and was directed to another room. Slowly, Fheyrhil approached Gina and Leyance’s bedroom. Sure enough, both of them were laid out on the bed while a few nurses attended to them. Leyance was drifting in and out of consciousness. Luckily, the arrow had not hit a fatal point, but it was enough to hurt him severely.
“How is he?” Fheyrhil asked a nurse.
“He’ll be fine. When he awakes it is not for long. Yet, whenever he does, he screams out for Gina,” she responded.
“And she…?” he asked but the nurse just shook her head. Fheyrhil’s heart sank. He reached out and took her hand, cold compared to his own. For the first time in his life, he began to cry. Slowly at first but soon the tears started to stream down his face. He sobbed so hard that he had to gasp for air. He just held onto Gina and cried. He looked at Leyance through his tears. “It is going to take a long time for him to recover. He had to watch the woman he loved die twice in a short time, once by his own hand. I know he would have thought it easier if he had passed too.”
That afternoon, Fheyrhil accompanied a procession that carried Gina to a sacred spot in a nearby wood. Leyance was still not well enough to join them, but the girls, Deseré, Kien, Gloria, and Kaleb all accompanied the group. Finally, the procession reached the spot and laid Gina down on the ground. They covered her with flowers and said a few short words. Silent tears flowed down many a cheek as they stared at their queen. Even a phoenix, a bird of which was rarely seen in the city, flew down to watch the queen, still beautiful in death. Yet, finally, it was time to go back. Everyone silently processed out. Only the stunning bird flew down to stay by Gina’s side.
Weeks passed and slowly the city showed signs of becoming like new again. Many had been released from the hospital wing, but many more had also been beyond help. Leyance could now maintain consciousness but spoke to no one. He only stared out the window. Fheyrhil, too, spoke to no one. He wandered the corridors like a man of the undead weighed down by the events that had occurred in his life. The girls had been sent back to the other world. They felt the only cure for their grief was burying it beneath work. Yet, sooner than any of them hoped for, their work was done, and they were forced to return to the city. Deseré and Kien had been chosen to lead a team to make sure the Übels were far enough away and truly scattered and leaderless. Their task was also to recapture Noquef and make sure he could do no more harm. He had given himself up easily. He claimed that the Vice had started the fire and had kidnapped and brainwashed him to do his evil bidding even in his death. He thanked and thanked Deseré and Kien for finding and rescuing him. He assured them that he was a changed man, but they knew better. Meanwhile, Gloria and Kaleb had put aside their training to help rebuild the city with others, though often came to visit Leyance and help him rebuild strength. Many had lost their hope of happiness in the battle, and this was proving to be much harder to rebuild then the city. It would truly take a miracle.
One evening, the city was quiet. All who had been gone were back at home. The candles were being lit in preparation for nightfall when a scream was heard. Fheyrhil immediately ran out of the manor, hurrying to the cottage from where he had heard the scream. His sword was held steadily in his hand. Many others had rushed to the house as well.
“What is going on?” Fheyrhil demanded, reaching the house. It was the first time he had talked to someone in a long while. He went inside and saw Alvina sitting there, shaking. “Alvina? What is wrong? What did you see?” He wrapped his arm around her and after a long while she finally spoke.
“Elenzel…” she whispered.
“What of him?” Fheyrhil coaxed.
“He…he…he…” she gasped. “He just came to my door.” Shock filled the room. By this time many had come to her home. Calypso and Jacinda had come by this time too and sat by Alvina’s side.
“Alvina,” Calypso began, “Elenzel is dead. We were there when it happened…”
“I’m not making this up!” Alvina insisted. “I heard a knock on my door, and I answered it and saw Elenzel. He just said, ‘Alvina, I’m back’ and then I screamed. He ran off.” Fheyrhil could not believe this, but he hated the thought of Alvina finally snapping. He turned to a few close to him.
“Search the city. I wish to see if there is truth to these statements,” he ordered.
“They are true!” Alvina screamed jumping up. “I’m not lying! Elenzel is back from the dead!!! He came to me!!” She screamed and screamed and waved her arms around crazily. The girls jumped up to try to calm her.
“Come on, Alvina,” Jacinda said, “you are spending the night with us.”
“I’m not crazy! You think I am?” she asked and began to laugh so hard that everyone doubted her sanity. “Oh, God! I’ve lost it! I’ve lost it!” she whispered. The girls helped her out of the house while Fheyrhil looked on.
“How is it I cannot feel what is going on anymore?” he asked himself, but he knew the answer. Gina was gone.
The citizens searched the city but Elenzel was not found. Alvina still screamed throughout the night that he lived, but no one believed her. Everyone had forgotten how to believe. Days passed and the incident faded into the backs of minds. Alvina had not been let out of at least one person’s sight. She still would go into fits, claiming that the dead were walking. Everyone pitied her. She had lost one of her best friends and Hayden. No one blamed her for acting out.
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