The Lanoirian star halted in midair just inches from Bin-lu's face. With the lack of momentum, the metal star fell to the floor, loudly clanging as it hit. Bin-lu opened his eyes in wonder. He saw the star on the floor and then looked towards the far end of the room.
"You were not supposed to enter the library," apologized the king. "I didn't know it was you."
"I told him to come," chirped Prince Midge as he swooped out of the smoky haze and landed on Bin-lu's shoulder. "I thought you could use the help."
Tanya turned back towards Sarac and pulled the Sword of Heavens free from the chest of the Dark One. Sarac's body fell to the floor, and Tanya tossed the Sword of Heavens to King Arik.
"I doubt he can be a revenant," Tanya said to the king, "but remove his head anyways."
The king nodded, and Tanya moved quickly to kneel next to Jenneva.
"Are you alright, Mother?" asked Tanya. "That was an awfully dangerous ploy you pulled back there."
"I am fine," smiled Jenneva, "and it was hardly dangerous with you by my side. Sarac always was a pompous beast. He could not imagine himself being bested by a woman. You did well today, Daughter. I am proud of you."
"As I am of you," grinned Tanya. "At least we can finally put all of this behind us now. Do you need healing?"
"I will be fine," Jenneva shook her head. "It is just a short term exhaustion. I will feel completely better in an hour. I just pushed it to the edge. I had to. Sarac would not have given us a second chance."
"Why didn't you let us kill them all before they put up physical shields?" asked the king as Bin-lu crossed the room and joined the group. "Wouldn't that have been safer?"
"No, Arik," Jenneva shook her head. "If we started to whittle them down, they would have abandoned the shielding of Sarac and attacked us. Some of us would have surely died before we got Sarac. By forcing them to use physical shields, we were able to weaken all of them at the same time."
The king nodded in understanding.
"How long do we have before the creatures get here?" Alex asked the fairy prince.
"At least two hours before the vanguard gets here," Prince Midge replied. "The bulk of them will be later."
"Is the mountain clear of our people?" asked Jenneva as she stood and stretched her arms.
"Not yet," answered Prince Midge. "The fighting is over on the trail. When I left, the dwarves were hurrying towards the woods. They will be gone soon."
Another fairy soared into the room and landed on Tanya's shoulder.
"I knew it was over," chirped Bantam. "All of the revenants in the basement stopped fighting at the same time."
"Did you check the rest of the castle thoroughly?" asked Tanya. "We will not leave any of Sarac's people alive this time."
"Everyone in the basement is long dead," assured Bantam. "We have been fighting revenants most of the time. I think most of the Black Devils died in the volley of fire glue that was thrown down the stairs."
"There were two Black Devils who escaped from here just before we attacked," interjected Alex.
"I got them," responded Bin-lu. "Both of them were decapitated. I checked everything between here and the basement before Prince Midge told me to come up and help."
"Gather the others," King Arik said to Bantam. "The unicorns should be waiting on the roof for us. It is time for us to leave this horrid place."
"They are already on their way," reported the blue fairy. "They are just not as quick as I am."
"Were there any casualties?" Alex asked hesitantly.
"None of our people," Bantam answered. "The revenants never made it to the top of the stairs. We kept the stairwell burning with fire glue."
For several long moments, the room gave way to an eerie silence as each member of the Knights of Alcea surveyed the carnage around them. Bodies littered the bloody floor of the library, and the thick haze of smoke drifted listlessly through the room. The silence was finally broken by the arrival of the other members of the Knights of Alcea. The new arrivals looked around the room in wonder before crossing the floor to join with the others.
"I have smelled this smell before," commented Tedi. "It is the smell of powerful magic. I remember it from the day that Master Khatama created my staff for me. Did he return here?"
"No," Bin-lu nodded toward Jenneva and Tanya. "It was the magic of the Knights of Alcea this time, although it is hard for me to imagine any greater power."
"It is time for everyone to leave," Jenneva announced as she began pacing the room. "Alex, Arik, lead everyone back to Lavinda. Tanya and I will be along shortly."
King Arik looked on in confusion, but Alex merely nodded. Alex looked at the Knights of Alcea and soundlessly nodded towards the staircase to the roof. Everyone began to file up the stairs, except King Arik. Alex had to tug on his arm to get him to follow.
"What about them?" the king finally asked. "Why are they not coming with us?"
"They have work to complete," Alex stated.
"The creatures?" questioned King Arik. "They are going to take them on alone? How can you allow that? Why don't we stay by their sides?"
"I do not think we would be much more than in the way," shrugged Alex. "If it will make you feel better, we can hover above on our unicorns and watch, but I would not get in their way right now. I trust that they know what they are doing."
Down in the library, Tanya gazed up the stairwell and watched the unicorns lift off. She turned to face Jenneva who was still pacing the floor.
"What is your plan?" Tanya asked.
"A simple one," Jenneva answered. "We will destroy Mount Kalas. The timing should be about right to send a grand portion of this mountain down upon Sarac's creatures."
"Your definition of simple is amazing," retorted Tanya. "Do you think we can do it?"
"We can," nodded Jenneva, "but we must be careful. I do not want the castle destroyed."
"Why not?" inquired Tanya. "It is the very symbol of the Dark One. I should think it must be destroyed."
"Oh, it must," agreed Jenneva, "but not until I have transported this library. I will not allow these tomes to be destroyed. There is much knowledge in this room. For now, we will destroy the trail to the castle and the creatures upon it. Later, we will return to destroy the castle."
"Carting these books out of here will be quite a task," frowned Tanya as she rotated and took in the huge number of volumes in the room, "and where will you find room to keep them?"
"I have that all worked out," Jenneva grinned. "Let's go to the roof and see to those creatures climbing the trail."
Tanya followed Jenneva onto the roof. She noticed Alex and Arik circling the mountain on their unicorns as she walked to the southern edge of the roof.
"I am going to need your help with this," Jenneva declared as she gazed down the trail. "See the area where the trail starts to descend rapidly?"
"Yes," nodded Tanya.
"That is where we break it off," instructed Jenneva. "I can tremble the ground there and create a rift, but I need you to force something deep into the split. Think along the lines of splitting a log."
"How deep?" asked Tanya.
"As deep as you can," replied Jenneva. "I want to sheer the mountain off vertically. Can you do it?"
"I can drive wind into the crevice," nodded Tanya, "but I do know if that will be sufficient."
Jenneva did not reply for several moments as she stared at the trail. Finally, she nodded and smiled.
"Make it a humid air," instructed Jenneva. "The more humid the better. Let me know when you have gone as far as you can."
Tanya nodded and watched as Jenneva began to cast a spell. The ground in the selected area began to rumble, softly at first, but eventually roaring as a large crevice rent the ground. Tanya did not hesitate when she saw the crevice begin to spread. She summoned the air above the mountain and sent it into the crevice. The wind howled as it swept in from every direction. Huge clouds moved swiftly across the sky as Tanya directed the wind into the crevice. Je
nneva smiled when she saw that some of the clouds were dark with moisture.
The wind forced its way into the crevice. The howling currents grew almost as loud as the sound of the cracking rock as Jenneva continued to spread the crevice wider with the help from the wind.
Kaz and Chaco began having trouble flying in the great winds. Alex ordered the unicorns to dive towards the ground to get out of the turbulent air.
"No more," gasped Tanya as she strained to keep the wind pouring into the crevice.
Jenneva released her efforts to widen the crevice and immediately cast a freezing spell on the humid air in the great crack. Huge ice particles flew into the air as the crevice tried to close up.
"I am drained," Jenneva announced as the wind stopped and the ice began to crack under the pressure of the crevice trying to return to its normal state. "Hit it with lightning."
Tanya looked puzzlingly at Jenneva for a moment and them grinned broadly. "Of course," she said as she raised her hands over head.
The sky crackled briefly as lightning flashed overhead. Tanya closed her eyes and concentrated on building up the force of the lightning. When she felt that she had gathered as much as she could, she opened her eyes and released the bolt directly into the crevice.
The crevice ripped apart with an explosive force. The mountain groaned as the whole southern face of Mount Kalas tore away from the castle, sending huge slabs of rock flying through the air. A tremendous cloud of dust rose high over the forest as the entire southern face of the mountain disintegrated.
"People will probably be able to see that cloud from Dalek to Tagaret," smiled Jenneva. "Our work here is done for now."
"Good," sighed Tanya. "I need rest. You must as well."
"We shall rest in Lavinda," nodded Jenneva as she turned and headed for the unicorns.
* * *
Tanya walked into the healing center and approached Fredrik's bed. Niki was by his side.
"How is he?" asked Tanya. "Is he getting better?"
"He is," Niki smiled and nodded. "Zalaharic says that he will be able to travel in a few days. I was so worried."
"Have you been by his side the whole time?" asked Tanya as she gazed at Niki with concern. "I mean since you both arrived yesterday? Have you had no sleep?"
"There is nowhere else I want to be," nodded Niki. "I will never leave him again. Besides, I do not want to dream again. Maybe I will never sleep again."
"Nonsense," grumbled Balamor as he walked over to see how Fredrik was doing. "Your body needs rest, just as Fredrik's does."
Fredrik opened his eyes and noticed that he had company. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. "He is right, Niki. You must sleep."
"But the dreams," protested Niki. "I don't want another one like that."
"The dreams served their purpose," Balamor shook his head. "You will not have them again. Rest, Niki."
"What do you mean, Balamor?" asked Tanya. "You said the dreams served their purpose. That means they were intentional messages. What do you know of them?"
"Of your specific dreams," mused Balamor, "I have no direct knowledge."
"But?" prompted Tanya.
"But," sighed Balamor, "it is obvious from what I have heard that the Mage used your dreams to motivate you. You each began to have your dreams when traveling with the Mage. Is that not correct?"
"It is," nodded Fredrik, "but why would the Mage give us dreams that turned out to be false? It makes no sense."
"False?" questioned Balamor. "What makes you think your dreams were false?"
"Well, we didn't die as we expected to," Tanya pointed out.
"I would be willing to wager that you did not die in your dreams, either," retorted Balamor. "Your dreams always stopped short of your death, but I imagine that wakening up from a horrible nightmare might allow your mind to draw an improper conclusion."
"You are right," Fredrik nodded slowly. "At least in my case. It always ended with me being struck down, just as it truly happened. I guess I allowed my mind to follow that through to what I thought was the logical conclusion."
"I agree," Tanya nodded after a moment's reflection, "but that does not explain why we had the dreams in the first place. Why would Master Khatama give us such horrible dreams?"
"I do not know if he did so intentionally," pondered Balamor, "but it is clear that he was the source of your dreams. Who can say what powers he is capable of? I suspect the dreams were meant to ensure that each of you was present on Mount Kalas."
"How could our dreams make sure we were there?" asked Niki. "I don't understand."
"If you believed that the dreams foretold your destiny," explained Balamor, "then you would have to agree to be on Mount Kalas. Think about it. When else would Fredrik hold the Sword of Heavens and be struck down by Sarac? And you, Niki, how could you refuse to accompany Fredrik when your dream places you with him when he is struck down?"
"And me?" asked Tanya.
"You have probably just fought your last battle alongside Jenneva," Balamor pointed out. "You knew that you would be struck down in her presence before you even knew who she was. Your dream not only ensured that you would be by her side, but that you would make sure that she survived to be there as well."
Tanya nodded thoughtfully. "You make it all sound so simple, Balamor. Everything is as you said. How is it that you have such insight into the Mage's dreams?"
"I also had one when I traveled with the Mage," admitted Balamor. "It made me think deeply on dreams and why the Mage would use them."
"What was your dream?" asked Tanya. "You surely were not struck down in it?"
"No," Balamor shook his head, "you were."
"Me?" Tanya asked haltingly. "Has your dream come to pass yet?"
"It has," Balamor nodded reassuringly. "It was about me catching you on Mount Kalas. I am glad that I had the dream. Without it, my reflexes might not have been quick enough to grab you when you were almost thrown off the mountain. The dream prepared me to be ready."
"Thank you," Tanya smiled as she hugged the gaunt mage. "Death came too close for many of us this time. I am glad this is all over."
"Your life has just begun," Balamor smiled mysteriously at Tanya as he broke the embrace and then smiled down at Fredrik. "We should give these two some privacy."
Tanya's brow creased in confusion, but she nodded at Balamor and excused herself from the healing center. Tanya wandered around Lavinda for a while before finding herself on the small knoll where her great-grandfather Gandy was buried. Her mind wandered as she pondered Balamor's last words. Images flashed through her mind, images of battles and adventures, private moments and embarrassing ones. As her life passed backwards before her, she found herself looking up into the face of Master Khatama. Tanya realized that she was very young at the time of this memory. She smiled at the man she had called Uncle Boris. She suddenly realized that the Mage had watched over her for her entire life. He had raised her, trained her, and taught her the legends of her true parents. Then he had arranged for them to be reunited. Tears rolled down Tanya's cheeks as she sent a prayer of thankfulness to Razil.
"He loved you as he loved Jenneva," Alex said softly.
Tanya started and looked up to see her father. "How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked.
"I come here to think about my own parents," Alex said sympathetically. "I know it is not Jenneva or me that you weep for. Egam took the place of a father to both you and Jenneva. You are right to honor him with your memories."
"You do not feel put out by how I feel for him?" Tanya asked.
"Not at all," smiled Alex. "It should bother me if there was no such feeling in your heart."
"But I love you, too, Father," sobbed Tanya.
"I know that," Alex replied softly as he gently pulled Tanya to her feet and hugged her. "There is room in your heart for much love. Love is not diminished when it is shared with others."
"You and Mother will be leaving me soon," sobbed Tanya. "Won't you?"
&
nbsp; "In a way," Alex grinned as he pushed Tanya to arms length and looked into her eyes. "We will be retiring to Atar's Cove directly after your wedding, but we will never be far away from you."
"In thought, you mean," Tanya smiled tautly. "If you are not retiring until I get married, perhaps I should delay the wedding."
"Not a chance," chuckled Alex. "The fairies and unicorns have already been sent throughout Alcea to herald the news and transport the dignitaries to Tagaret. The wedding will take place as soon as we reach Tagaret."
"But," Tanya began.
"Come with me," smiled Alex. "There is something that you and your king need to see. He is waiting with the unicorns."
"The unicorns?" echoed Tanya. "I do not understand."
"You will," promised Alex as he took Tanya's hand and led her off the knoll.
King Arik stood near an old cabin with Kaz, Chaco, and Frea. It was clear from his expression that he did not know what was going on any more than Tanya did. Alex let go of Tanya's hand and mounted Kaz. Without a word, Kaz leaped into the air, and Alex waved for Arik and Tanya to follow. They mounted their unicorns and took to the air.
Kaz led the way high over the Boulder Mountains. As they flew over the rugged stone peaks, Kaz started to descend into a beautiful green valley with a pond in the center of it. The green valley was completely surrounded by tall peaks, but what caught Tanya's attention was the furniture in the valley. There were beds and tables and lines of bookshelves, and Jenneva and Yorra stood in the midst of it all. As the three unicorns landed in the green valley, Tanya saw a steady stream of fairies flying in and out of the valley. Those fairies flying into the valley were carrying books.
"What is this place?" Tanya asked Jenneva as they dismounted.
"This place," smiled Jenneva, "is home of Egam. This is where he taught me what magic I know. I spent a few years here. The fairies are bringing the books from Sarac's library to here, where they will be stored along with the Mage's books."
"Why not just take them with you Atar's Cove?" asked King Arik. "They are likely to be spoiled out in the open here."
"They will not be harmed here," replied Jenneva. "Besides, there is much to learn in these volumes. I suspect that Tanya might want to read some of them. This way they will be close to both of us."
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