Eternal Conflict - Book 7 (The Ruby Ring Saga)

by Chrissy Peebles

  “You’re holding back. Let the energy flow through you and reach the darkest recesses of your mind,” Helena coached. “Give yourself up to it.”

  “It’s so powerful, so intense,” I whispered.

  “Unleash your gift, the gift that will save us all!” she excitedly declared. Then she placed her hand over my ruby ring.

  I felt a flicker deep within, something stirring inside of me, like a great power awakening. A rush of energy surged through me as I opened my mind. It started in the pit of my stomach and spread through my body like a giant wave of electricity, rippling into every single cell. The air around me sizzled with magical energy, swirling around me like silver glitter. “What is it?” I asked.

  “Pure magic. Do you feel it bubbling inside of you?” Helena asked.

  “Yes!” I said. “There are no words to describe it.”

  “You have power over life force and energy.”

  I couldn’t explain it, but I felt changed. A soothing calmness overwhelmed me, as if letting me know that everything was going to be okay, that I would use my gifts for good and would accomplish my dream of helping others. It was as if the goddess herself was talking to me. Tranquility, love, hope, strength, and peace flooded through me like a tidal wave, and for some inexplicable reason, I knew everything was going to work out, that my children were going to grow up safe and happy, that no evil would triumph over me ever again, and that Victor and I would be soulmates for eternity.

  “It is done,” she said. “You will now experience more victory and more power than any other immortal to date. Ethano will never be able to harness your powers for darkness.”

  Liz and I exchanged shocked looks, as we really didn’t understand what was going on.

  Chapter 29

  “Your knights are being slain as we speak,” Helena said. “It is time to go defeat your enemy.”

  “She’s right. It’s about time to kick Ethano out,” Liz said.

  I lifted my hands high over my head and let the energy swirl through me. Suddenly, thousands of volts of energy danced all around me. The earth shook, the wind roared, and our hair blew wildly around our faces. The sky grew dark, and rain began to pelt my hair and face. Thunder clapped, and lightning flashed.

  Down below, the knights continued to fight. Metal against metal, swords clanged. I flung my hands toward the enemy and threw multiple bolts of lightning. I tried to keep them at a low power, so they would only stun and not kill. The sky illuminated with seemingly a million flashes of bright light as my powers went to work in a way I could hardly control. A torrent of wind and rain whipped across my face as hot streams of energy poured from my fingertips. Thousands upon thousands felt my power and fell in its wake. I had no idea how I was summoning lightning right from the sky, but it was working wonders, allowing me to bombard our enemies from above, like some goddess from ancient Greek mythology.

  I was once a baby immortal. Knights had tried to kill me. I was almost beheaded in the forest, and I was shot in the heart. I was a weakling, but now I would never be weak again. Now, I had power like no other, and I would never fear anyone again. Jackson’s ceremony had taken my powers to a new level, and Helena had unleashed the power of the ruby ring for me. I had a new confidence about me. We would end that bitter, bloody battle, and Ethano would finally see the defeat he deserved.

  I unleashed even more energy, but I began to lose control. Electricity flooded through me as I absorbed more lightning into my body. Brilliant yellow light surrounded me as I tapped deeper into the energy within. Blinding white, crackling energy consumed me as I hurled countless energy volts that hissed through the air and hit their marks with precision. Cheers, excitement, and shouts erupted from our side. I somehow summoned thunder, and black, swirling energy emerged from my palms. I was able to throw thunder bombs miles away, and they crackled with ear-shattering clashes on impact, shaking the ground and creating panic and chaos in the ranks as horses reared and men ran, covering their ears. My heart was racing so fast that I thought it might explode out of my chest, but I swung my hands out once more and singlehandedly took out full-strength legions of men.

  I could make out distinctive voices, voices I shouldn’t have been able to hear from that distance, even with immortal ears.

  “Our queen did it!” a knight shouted.

  “She’s taken down an entire battalion!” another roared.

  “Long live the king and queen!” another shouted.

  Suddenly, Liz began shaking me, as if to awaken me from a trance. “What are you doing? You’re gonna kill them all!”

  “She’s taking down our enemy,” Helena said. “Are we not here to win a war?”

  “But those are our people! Yes, they’re deceived, and we’re all divided, but they’re still our people. It’s like the North fighting against the South, a civil war.”

  “What?”

  “Sarah knows what I’m talking about.” She gazed at me. “Take your wrath out on Ethano, not the knights. Sarah, they’re nothing more than pawns, doing what they’re told to do.”

  The white light dissipated as I lost focus. “I’m sorry. I lost control.”

  “Well, you did enough damage, dealt them a disastrous blow. The battlefield is heaped with unconscious bodies. The breach has been contained. Let’s not go into overkill, okay, sis?”

  “We must end this here and now,” Helena said sternly. “There is no time for weakness or mercy. Ethano certainly hasn’t shown any.”

  “We are not murderers like him!” Liz shouted. “Just give them a little time to come to their senses before Sarah goes all ballistic and turns them into ash.”

  I nodded, staring out to survey the scene. I couldn’t believe the mayhem I had caused below, and I was glad Liz had stopped me.

  “There are thousands of knights coming,” Helena said, pointing.

  “As far as the eye can see,” I replied.

  Helena put up her hood on her cloak and looked at me. “You must finish them off. It is your calling, why the gift was given to you. You must fulfill your destiny.”

  “Her destiny? What about theirs? Enough bloodshed already!” Liz snapped. “We won’t kill our people. We can beat them now. Sarah was born to unite the countries in peace, and that’s what we plan to do.” She turned to face Helena. “Don’t you see why Sarah was chosen, given the power? Not only is she unpredictable and unstoppable, but she also has a pure heart. She knows when to stop. That’s why the goddess chose her. Sarah kicks ass…with a heart.”

  “I know another way,” I interjected. “I will not have to kill the oncoming army.”

  “Then get to it, sis,” Liz responded.

  I joined the others below. My powers surged inside of me. I stomped on the ground, and a surge of blue electricity traveled along the ground with a great speed, knocking down hundreds of knights in the distance, as if someone had toppled a chess board. The knights offered little resistance as they crumbled before our very eyes.

  Between us and the guardians, Ethano’s side was quickly losing. None of us wanted to see more death. They were, after all, our own people, and while they were blinded by Ethano, they did not deserve a death sentence.

  Off in the distance behind me, King Taggert and his battalion rushed toward us. Shouting, trumpets, and kettledrums echoed in the air.

  “Our king lives!” men shouted in excitement.

  I ordered some of my knights to bring the king to where I was. When he came, I smiled. “You brought more troops,” I said.

  “Ethano has no idea of the great power I hold. I will crush him like a snake under my boot.”

  “What’s the plan?” a knight next to me asked.

  “They need to see King Taggert,” I said, “just one more time.”

  “I agree,” the king said.

  “I know the perfect place,” I said, pointing and glancing up. I led King Taggert to a cliff that overlooked the battlefield. Thousands of soldiers lined the ground below us as dragons screeched overhead, sp
raying more knights with wicked streams of fire. Both sides fought diligently as swords clashed with swords, both sides inextricably entangled. It looked like an epic scene from Lord of the Rings.

  I closed my eyes, raised my hands, and commanded the guardians to cease their attack but stay close. They circled high in the sky, waiting for further orders from me. I then held up King Taggert’s hand in victory and screamed to the enemy troops, “This is your king, the very king who summoned the guardians. Surrender, before you all die!”

  My voice echoed off the rock walls, and everyone glanced up at me. A barrage of arrows flew toward us. I held up my hand again and froze the arrows in midair just before they struck us. With another wave of my hand, they disintegrated into dust before my very own eyes.

  “Do you hear me? Our king lives! He isn’t dead. These dragons are only here because the king of the immortals summoned them. That is your proof. This is Taggert, and he is no imposter!”

  I could see all the confusion and chaos going down below, but ultimately, they realized that King Taggert was alive. Even the most stubborn of doubters could no longer deny that it was him, and they all began singing praises to their king. In that very moment, we were all allies, all one people, ready to live in peace. All the knights bowed down to their immortal king.

  Chapter 30

  News of King Taggert’s return spread like wildfire, and knights, immortals, kings, queens, princes, and princesses turned their allegiance over to him.

  Jackson came over and stared at me hard. “I know we all gained stronger powers at my ceremony, but how were you able to defeat thousands like that?”

  When I filled him in about Helena’s story, they were all just as amazed as I was.

  Victor embraced me tightly. “It truly was your fate to walk into our world, to save it.”

  I hugged him tightly as I contemplated all I’d been through. It was hard to fathom that fate would choose me, but I could no longer deny that it had. I was just a lost woman, nobody special, yet fate selected me as the champion of a medieval world. Never in a million years would I have nominated myself for such an important role. I wasn’t even skilled in combat and had no idea how to lead an army. It seemed the job would have been better reserved for warriors like Victor, King Taggert, or even Charles, but ancient prophecy had predicted the role I’d play thousands of years before I was even born, and that blew my mind.

  “Where’s Ethano?” I asked.

  “He back at camp, preparing a fresh group of troops,” the king said.

  “He still has enough loyal followers for a second wave?” I asked.

  “Sadly, yes. The world is full of fools,” Victor snapped, “and they have Ethano as their chief.”

  “We need to finish this, once and for all.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more, my Queen.”

  “I say we storm his castle.”

  “But he isn’t in a castle, Majesty,” King Taggert said, confused.

  Jackson and I looked at each other and chuckled. “Never mind, King,” I said.

  We gathered our knights and went to Ethano’s camp as fast as we could, giving ourselves an advantage with the element of surprise on our side. We carefully put our plan into play. We surrounded Ethano’s men, and they had nowhere to run when we ambushed them. Our knights charged from the woods, completely catching them off guard. They had no chance to prepare for the onslaught.

  Ethano, the coward that he was, quickly deserted his men and fled for his life, but there was no way we would let him get away again.

  “Get him! Bring him back to us!” I said to our knights.

  “Yes, Highness,” one of Jackson’s men said, then quickly bolted off with several others in tow.

  They found a shortcut and made quick work of cutting him off. Like an angry cornered animal, Ethano tried to lash out, but I could see uncertainty in his eyes.

  Victor peered at us. “I’ve got Ethano. You get the rest.”

  “No! I have unfinished business with him myself,” I said.

  Wielding a lance, Ethano charged through the woods on horseback, adorned in colorful embroidered cloth. I summoned fireballs and threw dozens of them toward his group. Ethano’s body shook, and he lost control of his horse and fell off. He scowled, quickly scrambled to his feet, and slid his sword from its sheath.

  “You’ll pay for killing my friends,” I said.

  “Della had it coming, and you know it,” he said, seething. “Besides, I freed you from her.”

  I drew my blade. “Della was never the problem, Ethano. I’m staring at the freaking problem.”

  “I killed Jules and Mia to hurt you, make you lose your focus. I took great delight in it. Your pain is my pleasure, Highness. If you had let me go unchecked, I would have killed each and every one of them, until you had no one left.”

  “You bastard!” I cried and lunged at him.

  Victor intervened. “He is my brother, Sarah. Allow me the privilege.”

  Shaking with fury and a deep desire to pummel Ethano into a bloody pulp, I decided it was best to let Victor have the honors, and I stepped back. “Be my guest, my love…and make him suffer.”

  “I would have it no other way, my Queen.”

  Ethano swung, but Victor sidestepped. Ethano sliced the fabric of his shirt, and trickles of blood dripped down. Victor swung the heavy blade over his head, and swords clanged.

  Knowing that Victor would ultimately triumph over his evil brother, I went with Jackson and the shape-shifters to track down the runaway knights and destroy them all. They were obviously not going to give up their loyalty to Ethano, no matter how much we tried to convince them, so we had no choice but to bloody the field with them.

  When I ran back to Victor, he was still in battle with Ethano.

  “It’s time to die, dear brother!” Ethano shouted.

  As his blade came down, I gasped. Victor jumped in a blur, with the speed of a powerful immortal. Just as he lunged at Ethano, King Taggert jumped in and severed Ethano’s head, right off his shoulders. It fell to the ground like a watermelon, with his eyes still wide open and blood gushing from his chapped lips.

  I sucked in a deep breath. I was completely stunned and shocked at the grisly sight. I knew King Taggert had stepped in so Victor would not have to live with the guilt of killing his brother. We all looked at each other in disbelief, not believing we’d finally cut off the head of the snake who had made our lives a living hell for so long. I really couldn’t even believe my own eyes, and for a moment, I feared it might just be a hallucination. “Is this real?” I asked Victor. “Tell me it is not just a vision.”

  He wrapped an arm around me. “No, Sarah. He is…finished.”

  “Then it’s really over?” I whispered.

  “Yes,” he answered.

  Our battle with Ethano was finally over. Our son would be safe and live a happy life. King Taggert could have his rightful place as king of the immortals and the entire world. Truly, it sounded too good to be true.

  “Victor,” King Taggert said, “you’ve given me back my world. I can’t thank you enough.”

  Victor bowed deeply. “I am loyal to you until the very end, my King.”

  “I believe our work is done here,” Jackson said.

  Victor smiled. “I will have my knights escort you home.”

  “Ya know, I think I’m kinda gonna miss this place,” he said.

  “You know where to find us, loyal friend, and you are always welcome.”

  “So you finally trust me?” Jackson asked.

  Victor clapped his shoulder and smiled. “Yes. In fact, you do not even have to go. There is plenty of room for you here, as well as a job, if you want it. We can always use commanders and generals.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I have a special lady waiting for me at home,” he said, winking at me, “and I’m thinking of starting a little library. I’ve got some reading I’d like to catch up on.”

  “Tell Beth I said hello,” I said, “a
nd that I miss her terribly.”

  “I will let her know.”

  Jackson gave us all a long hug and a heartfelt goodbye. I was sad to see him go, but I knew my world needed him more than we did. He could have left at any time, but even after he had his precious book, he stayed until the bitter end to see us get our world back. I had doubted him so much, but I now knew where his true loyalties were. He was one of the good guys, and I knew in my heart that my old world would be safe with him and his people in charge.

  Jackson hopped on a horse, and a group of our best knights led the way back to the portal. He waved to me one last time, and I smiled and waved back.

  “Goodbye, Jackson,” I said. “Thank you for everything. We owe you so much.”

  He grinned and disappeared into the vegetation.

  I sobbed into Victor’s chest, releasing every ounce of pent-up emotion. I was flooded with lasting joy. My greatest reward was getting my family back. That was my true motivator, the primal fire that fueled our drive to keep going and fight. I just wanted a normal life, as normal as an immortal queen could have. I wanted to be happy, in my home, with my husband and children.

  At one point in my life, I had wanted to join the Peace Corps. I was motivated by a strong desire to help others, and I felt a great sense of purpose, sought a place where I could make a difference. When my sister disappeared, I sank into a deep depression and feared I would never be of any use to anyone. I was now in the position to fulfill my destiny by helping others. I knew I could do so much here in Victor’s world, so I accepted my role as queen. I hoped to show understanding, compassion, and patience. I yearned to be a kindhearted, gentle, calm leader of the people, and I wanted to make a difference in this world by ending starvation and other problems. We could now live in peace and harmony and wouldn’t have to fear anyone harming our son, who would be blessed with great powers, or our little Sophia, who had yet to come into the world. We’d been through so much, and it had now finally come to an end.

  Victor just held me and stroked my hair. I was so ready to let go of the past, all the hurt and pain, and start a new life with him. I was not the same person I was when I set out on that crazy journey. I would never forget all the sacrifices we made to get there, nor would I ever forget the people we’d lost during the awful war. Jules, Mia, William, and Della would always live on in my heart.