Chrysalis

by Leto Spirit Blackman

  The oppressive force abates and everyone begins to stand back up.

  Fula'za snarls, "The Great Wood Fairies will no longer be second place!" She reaches for her pocket.

  Nessa moves faster and the Wood Fairy queen is engulfed in silver flames. Her mouth forms a silent scream. The royal guards move to attack. "STOP." Nessa commands. The guards drop to their knees. "I do not wish unnecessary blood spilled. TRUTH." Nessa commands toward the guards. "Speak now, I have spoken a Word of Power, lying is not possible. Did you know of your treacherous queen’s actions?"

  One of the guards speaks, "Yes." Blood seeps from his eyes and nose as he tries to stop himself from answering.

  Nessa looks saddened, "Join your queen. I, Nessa, queen of the Silver Moon Fairies sentence you to DEATH." The guard drops to the floor lifeless. Nessa turns to the other guards.

  "No!" They all yell.

  Nessa turns to the Wood Fairy queen. She is on the ground in the fetal position, silver flames still surround her. "Take her to the Black Tree. I must commune with the Silver Mother and the Great Wood father as to what must be done with this traitor." Nessa's eyes flash and the flames around the Wood queen disappear. Nessa floats over to the unconscious queen. She takes off the wood crown and then empties her pockets. Nessa gasps, then turns around and holds her hand out for all to see. The other fairies in the room also gasp. Nessa notices Jill's confused face. "Tears of the Silver Moon Fairy." Nessa turns to the gathered Wood Fairies, "I must act. We can no longer remain hidden. A great war is coming that threatens all, even the fairies." Nessa removes her silver crown and then her eyes glow with power. The wood crown and the silver crown in each of her hands become ethereal, Nessa moves both crowns together. There is a blinding flash and then a single crown remains. It is larger and formed from twisting elegant wood with silver threads embedded within the wood. She places the new crown on her head and then there is another flash.

  "The merging is complete." Nessa speaks. She is now larger, with some bark-like skin and green strands in her hair. "We are now the Silver Wood Fairies. Too long have we been separate. Too long have we let the world around us fight, while we stood idly by. No more. The evil Old Ones are a myth, a story we tell to scare our young. These are good people." Nessa gestures to Jill and Aurelia. "I watched their village destroyed by the army that now marches past. They may not be able to find us now, but they will. They are the true evil and we must help fight." Nessa looks tired and floats to the ground. The room is dead silent. Nessa looks around the room, waiting. Then the fairies all kneel. "Go. Take the traitor away. Everyone leave me, I will call a meeting soon."

  The guards rise and then take the wood queen away. The rest of the fairies in the room clear out, leaving Jill, Aurelia, and Thunder alone with Nessa.

  "What the hell just happened?" Jill asks as soon as they are alone.

  Nessa slumps to the ground, "Jill, please help me to the throne." She asks.

  Jill picks up the tiny woman and places her on the wooden throne. As soon as she sits threads of silver grow from Nessa to the throne and continue across the room.

  "Consuming my own tears is toxic, but I had no choice. Using the Words of Power has drained me considerably. I must remain here until the silver has threaded into all of the city. Then there will be a night of Chrysalis for all the Wood Fairies. When they awake they will be Silver Wood Fairies." Nessa's eyes flutter with exhaustion.

  "Nessa, I don't know what any of this means." Jill tells the queen fairy.

  "Please. I must rest. There should still be rooms for humans. Tell the guards outside of the room to guide you. We will speak soon." Nessa's eyes glow brighter for a moment and she grabs Jill's hand. "You have found an ally in the Silver Wood Fairies. We will help protect the creatures and people of this land from the scourge that is The Caste."

  Chapter Fifteen: Cult of the Wanderer

  ~

  "Wake up, Deceiver." A smoky, sultry feminine voice whispers.

  Kala's eyes bolt open, her hands attempt a reach to her face to push aside her hair hanging in front of her eyes. But she can't move her hands. Her eyes dart around the dark room. A single glowing crystal hangs from a chain, swings back and forth. With each descending swing of the crystal a woman is illuminated. She was once maybe very pretty, but half of her face is scarred, one eye milky. She looks to be maybe in her mid-forties, she has beautifully high cheek bones, full lips, olive skin, and dark-brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She smiles at Kala.

  "What..." Kala starts, but her mouth and throat feel like a dried out piece of bread, she coughs.

  "Here." The woman offers Kala some water. "If I wanted you dead, you would be so." She says after Kala hesitates to drink. Kala takes a drink and almost chokes, her throat is so dry. "Easy. Take one more."

  After Kala's throat feels better she speaks, "What is happening? Who are you? Where is Max?"

  The woman laughs, and walks around the room, giving the glowing crystal another push. "You never should have returned, Deceiver. Where is The Wanderer?"

  "I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Kala struggles against her restraints. Then she activates Xoria Communion.

  "Tsk tsk..." The woman's eyes glow and Kala feels her connection to the Xoria disappear. "The Wanderer taught me that Suppression skill. Funny how things work out, don't you think, Deceiver?"

  "Let me go! I'm not this Deceiver, or whatever the hell that is!" Kala yells.

  The woman walks forward and grabs Kala by the cheeks and squeezes. "Oh, I know who you are. Kala, Queen of Deceit. Always leading The Wanderer astray. No more." The woman leans in and kisses Kala on the lips and then licks her face. She then laughs.

  "You are crazy. Jax will find me and kill you." Kala says and then spits into the woman’s face.

  The woman's smile falters for a moment, then she wipes her face off and smiles again. She looks at Kala and her eyes widen and she claps her hands in excitement. "Oh! This is too good. You and Jax never fucked." She laughs louder. She wipes a tear from her good eye after she calms down.

  "What? Why...why does that matter? Please, just let me go. I don't know you or what is happening." Kala pleads.

  "Why does it matter, the stupid girl asks? Because it would have strengthened the companion bond between you both. He would know exactly where you are, as you would know where he is. You would probably have the Mind Speak ability." The woman claps her hands again. "This is too prefect. The Wanderer will finally return! And all because you are a little prude."

  "Screw you." Kala yells.

  The woman giggles, "No thank you. But you know, The Wanderer and I used to screw like horny teenagers." The woman stops and watches Kala's face.

  "What? You lie. He would never. We love each other." Kala's voice cracks with emotion.

  "Oh, but we did. I was just a young girl when The Wanderer and I crossed paths. There was an instant spark between us. He took me that very night. I left my sad farm and even sadder family and traveled with The Wanderer for many years." The woman says with a happy expression on her face as she remembers.

  "But that makes no sense. You can't be old enough for that to be true." Kala looks around the room, looking for any clues as to where she is.

  "Another gift from my lover, The Wanderer. He had a very special Deep Heal skill, that helped keep me young. He never told me how he learned it, and wouldn't teach me it either." The woman pushes the glowing crystal again. "I don't know what you are, not human. But I know you were created by the Old Ones to deceive and lead astray The Wanderer from being the God that he is meant to be."

  "You are insane. Jax is no god. He is just a man. I think he has been manipulated by powerful forces for hundreds of years, for what purpose I do not know." Kala tries using a skill again, but nothing happens.

  The woman moves forward with incredible speed and grips Kala's neck, choking her. "You are the only one that has been manipulating him!" She screams, spittle hitting Kala's face. The woman squeezes harder, her fi
ngernails digging into Kala's skin. She then releases her hold and composes herself and smooths out Kala's shirt, her hand brushing against Kala's breasts. "I don't blame...Jax, his lust is insatiable, and you are formed from his desires." The woman reaches over with her hand and fingers Kala's nipple through her shirt.

  Kala squirms and yells out in anger.

  The woman laughs, "Such a lovely body, built to please, and yet such a killjoy. I will find my God and I will please him and he will return my youth and heal..." She pauses and touches her scarred face, "…me. I wish I could have the pleasure of killing you again. But, we cannot risk The Wanderer finding you after you are reborn from hell. We will hold you indefinitely, it is the only way to control your evil power you hold over my lord."

  "Wait. What do you mean kill me again?" Kala asks.

  "What do you think it means, you stupid girl? It took us awhile to find where my lord was reborn, but we are vigilant. What did we find? We found that he made a filthy child with the deceiving whore." The woman says the last part with fury.

  "Well, which is it? Am I a prude or a whore?" Kala asks. She hears movement from the back of the dark room.

  The woman raises her hand. "My sisters wish to teach you. They are itching to. I will let them have some fun soon. You see, I am the High Priestess of the Church of the Wanderer. They do not like you speaking to me the way you do. So, I would suggest you hold your tongue, or I may let them remove it." The woman takes a drink of water. "Where was I? Ah yes. We found my lord living in this city, led so very astray. We waited, bid our time until the moment was perfect. The Wanderer left the city with you, his bastard daughter, and her husband. Then when you were picking some flowers, I slit your throat. It was glorious. There is no greater honor than to be the one to kill the Deceiver. When my lord found you he finished the work for us and killed everyone. Even I was not far enough away, and received this." The woman gestures to her ruined face.

  Tears glisten in Kala's eyes, "You are a monster. You are responsible for my daughter’s death."

  The woman chuckles, "No. It was your dear sweet Jax that had that honor. He knew he had to cut all ties and return to his true self. He killed his own daughter."

  Tears freely flow down Kala's face, "What is your name?" Kala asks barely above a whisper.

  The woman gives the glowing light another push, it swings in the dark space, creaking and moaning on the thick metal chain. Light dances across the room, but not penetrating the inky black at the far end. "You have the privilege of meeting High Priestess Mira. I won't hold it against you if you do not bow before me."

  "Well Mira, forget what I said about Jax killing you. I swear upon my own blood I will kill you. I will rip your soul from your fucking body and consume it." Kala says through clenched teeth.

  New Quest Alert:

  Blood Oath

  You have sworn an oath to kill High Priestess Mira.

  Quest Type: Personal

  Difficulty: Torment

  Rewards: Variable

  Do you accept this quest? Y/N

  Mira's eyes go wide. "Clever girl. A blood oath negates Suppression."

  "Which is it, am I a stupid or clever girl?" Kala asks.

  The building rumbles. "Looks like the grandson of the whore has found you. This isn't over, Deceiver." Mira turns around and speaks to the dark room, "Sisters, you have a few minutes to have fun with her, then follow me." Mira turns back to Kala and touches her face gently, then slaps Kala, hard, with her sharp finger nails, leaving bloody claw marks across her face. "A little curse I learned. Let’s see if you can Deceive my lord with a less pretty face." Then Mira leaves the room through a hole in the wall.

  Kala begins struggling. Two women walk forward out of the darkness, they look to be only girls, maybe late teens. They have a scar tattoo on their foreheads in the shape of the mark on Jax's right hand.

  "Just let me go. I can help you." Kala pleads with them.

  "You spit on the High Priestess." One of them says and turns to the other, "What do you say sister? Shall we take her tongue?" The other girl grins.

  Kala can feel her power is back. She casts Flare, which is now level 6. The girl that spoke is engulfed in flames, she screams, half of her health gone. She must not be a very high level. Next Kala activates Xoria Communion then uses Consume Core, on the burning girl. All of this happens in a matter of seconds. The girl drops dead and a glowing ball of energy races towards Kala and enters her chest.

  "I'll kill you!" The other cult member screams.

  Just then there is an explosion in the back of the room. The shockwave knocks the furious girl down. Max rushes into the room, takes a moment to take in the scene, looks at the dead girl and then at the other girl getting up. With his massive war-hammer he leaps forward and smashes her head into pulp. Blood splatters over Kala's face, making her gag.

  Max walks over, "Hey Grandma, didn't your parents ever teach you not to play around insane cultists?"

  Kala turns her head to the side and vomits. "Can you release me please?" She says after spitting the foulness out of her mouth.

  Max cuts her restraints. "Sorry. My humor can have bad timing." He looks at the burnt dead cultist on the ground. "You killed her while tied up?"

  Kala nods.

  "Impressive. Also sloppy on their part. They should have used Suppression Cord." Max shakes his head.

  "Do you want to find them and give them pointers on kidnapping and torture?" Kala asks flinching at her raw and bloody wrists.

  "I have a healing skill, want me to use it on you?" Max asks looking at her face and wrists.

  Kala casts her own Heal on herself as an answer to his question.

  Max examines Kala's face closer, "Damn. You pissed off some nasty people, Grandma. That's a permanent scar."

  Kala gently touches her face, dried blood flaking off, she feels the ridges of the scar that runs from her cheekbone at an angle to her mouth. Tears well up in her eyes, but not at the disfigurement of her face. "The woman that did this to me is also responsible for the death of my daughter, your mother."

  Max's face turns hard, "Stop. Jax killed my mother. Unless you wish to make an enemy of me, do not try and say otherwise."

  Kala is overwhelmed, tears stream down her face, she slumps to the ground. "I'm just so tired. I won't fight you on that. But...I do know she murdered me, which set Jax off."

  "Mira?" Max asks.

  Kala nods.

  "I can't believe she was here in the city. She is getting bold." Max looks behind Kala, "Barris!" Max yells. An older, solid built man with salt and pepper hair runs in.

  "Yes sir?" He asks.

  "I want the city locked down. It seems we have a vermin problem, Cult of the Wanderer. Mira was here, although she is probably long gone, keep a sharp watch out and inform the guard." Max tells the man.

  "Yes sir, right away." The man slams his fist into his chest, Max follows suit and slams his fist into his chest. Barris runs out of the building.

  Max reaches down and picks Kala up into his arms, surprising her. "You have been through a lot, Grandma. Let me give you a hand."

  Kala doesn't answer, she just leans her head against his armor and closes her eyes, not wanting to see the death around her.

  The next few hours are a blur for Kala. Max returns her to her room, where a gaggle of women attend to her, bathing, feeding, and dressing her, all the while Kala lets them in a numb state of mind. Kala vaguely remembers Vua coming in and holding her hand while she sang to her. They finally deposit her in bed where she stares at the ceiling, watching the shadows dance, for a few hours before she succumbs to sleep.

  Kala wakes with a scream in her throat, her skin clammy with sweat. It looks to be about sunrise, golden-orange rays of light peek through the balcony doors. She wraps the bed sheet around herself and walks over to the open doors to the outside. A slightly chilly morning breeze kisses her face. Kala looks down on the still slumbering city below her, then she looks up to the partly dark sky, s
tars still twinkle above her. "Jax...I don't know where you are... but I miss you. I feel lost..." Kala's body shakes with a sob. "We had a daughter together... we have a grandson... he is my family, Jax. I feel like we have the shortest and the longest love story ever told. I feel like I know you intimately, and don't know you at all. I need to let you go. I don't know how to break the bond that we share, but if I find a way I must. It is the only choice I have. I love you, but until we figure out how to cure you I can't be with you. I'm..." Kala covers her face as pain stabs her heart and sobs. "...I'm sorry."

  Kala rings a bell and asks for a cup of hot tea. She sits and sips the hot liquid. She needed to let him go, even if he wasn't here to hear her words, the experience was cathartic. After awhile there is a knock at her door and then Max comes in.

  "Good morning, Kala. How are you feeling?" He asks with genuine concern.

  Kala sighs, "I don't know, a little numb I guess. It's been a hard week. I'm emotionally drained."

  Max smiles sadly, "Yeah, I understand." He looks off into the distance of the city. In that moment Kala can see Jax in him and her heart hurts. "You can't stay here." He says after a few minutes of silence.

  "Are you kicking me out?" Kala asks.

  Max lips curl slightly into a smile, "No. It's not safe here. The cult is too powerful and they know where you are. Besides, I will be going with you. We are family, I will never abandon you. I've arranged to have us secretly moved from the city. We will be headed to Lands Wound. It is a long journey, but it will be fun, I plan on power leveling you!"

  Kala shrugs, not having the emotional energy to care one way or the other. "Will Vua be coming with us?"

  "No, the Alvinius diplomat wishes to take her... him, back to the Alvinius homeland. They are still here, so you may say goodbye first. We have a few hours before we head out." Max squeezes her hand and then walks out.