by Millie Burns
“Giallag is again at your service, m’ lady. Every unicorn of fighting age is with us here today. We fight for the Light and for you, Princess Ravyn. For the return of the crown!”
Ravyn leapt off her horse landing squarely in front of Giallag She threw her arms around the great stallion’s muscular neck and breathed in his horsey scent. “Giallag, I’m so glad to see you again. I only wish it wasn’t because we are heading into battle.”
“This is a good fight, Ravyn. It is for the future of all Aigerach. There is great honor in being part of this. That’s why you see so many good creatures before you.” He tossed his head pointing his horn at a grove of trees filled with harpies. “Your harpy Medina is here as well, a good ally.” He nudged Ravyn with his nose. “I must return to my herd to stand ready to depart; we will visit when this is over.” He nodded his head once more and then turned, trotting back to his herd.
“Rav, we should eat while we’re waiting. I don’t know how much time we’ll get after this,” Blade suggested.
“I am hungry. Do you think we could eat beside the river? It seems so peaceful.” She pointed to a soft grassy bank overlooking the river. Luminescent blue dragonflies hovered above the water darting back and forth in some intricate insect dance.
“I’ll gather lunch and join you there.”
Ravyn walked to the river’s edge and sank down in the grass, inhaling the warm earthy smell. She watched the water rippling against the rocks. The sparkles of light dancing on the water’s surface mesmerized her. Cold water splashed her cheek, and Ravyn whipped her head around. The two beautiful sprites from her dream floated in the river. Their lavender hair cascaded down their shoulders gracing their pale jade skin.
"Princess, we have a gift for you from the Light,” giggled the first sprite, flinging droplets of water as she tossed her hair.
“Tell her who we are first,” the second interrupted.
“Oh, of course! I am Spree and this is Spraoi. We care for the water of this river and the creatures that live within it.” The liquid violet eyes captured Ravyn’s. Spree began quivering. “We had a vision,” she gasped.
“It was horrible,” Spraoi cried.
“Yes it was,” Spree echoed. “It showed us the death of this river and all that dwell in it.” She covered her eyes as if to blot out the vision.
“And we died,” squealed Spraoi.
“That’s horrible,” Ravyn cried. “How can this be stopped?”
“By you, silly,” Spree looked at Ravyn, rolling her eyes. “You must complete your quest. That’s why we have this,” she giggled, holding out an elegant silver chain. Several pearls and a quartz crystal dangled from it. “To give to you,” she finished.
Ravyn leaned out over the water and took the silver chain. Spree held the chain in a tight fist, making Ravyn tug to free it. The feisty sprite let go of the chain, splashing backwards and falling into a fit of giggles.
“It purifies any water it touches, cleansing it from all nasties. You must wear it where you are going. It will let you pass,” Spraoi informed her.
“Will it protect someone who is with me?”
“It will as long as you stay in flesh contact with each other when you are in the Dark water. When you complete your quest, the water will disappear,” Spree said, smiling at her reflection in the water.
“To the Dark place,” Spraoi added. Violet eyes widened in alarm, “Oh, someone’s coming!”
“The blessings of the Light upon you, Princess,” they cried together and with a gigantic splash, they were gone.
“Wow, that must’ve been some huge fish,” Blade said, watching the large water ripples circle outward. He saw a gleam of silver in Ravyn’s hand. “What’s that you’re holding?”
Ravyn jumped up, throwing her arms around Blade’s neck. She kissed him on the cheek. “This,” she cried joyfully, “is our ticket across the moat.”
Pulling her into his arms, Blade leaned in staring into the brilliant blue eyes. Ravyn pulled back, hesitating, before rising up on her toes to brush her lips across his.
“Harumph,” interjected Connor. “No time for that now. That’s what all that time in the wolves’ den was for.” His grey eyes sparkled with mischief. “You really should eat.”
“Oh, Connor, the most splendid thing just happened,” Ravyn cried, eyes alight.
“Yes, yes, true love is a splendid thing, and I couldn’t be happier for you both.”
“Connor,” she growled, hands on her hips, “that is not what I meant. The water sprites Spree and Spraoi gave me a gift. It cleanses foul water. Blade and I can swim across the moat!” She grinned, the pearl and quartz amulet dangled on the delicate chain, sparkling in the sun.
A broad smile crossed Connor’s face. “Well then that settles that. Is there enough lunch for three, Blade? I think I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.”
Ravyn patted the ground beside her in answer. Blade sat down on her other side and laid out scones and honey, meat pies wrapped in delicate pastry, a jug of water, and some fresh berries.
They devoured the meal as if it were their last, savoring every flavorful bite. Connor gobbled everything in his sight and picked up the pastry crumbs that fell in his lap with his finger, not wasting even a tiny morsel.
“Connor, you’re eating as if starved. I saw you finish a hearty breakfast. I’ll never figure how you can eat that much,” Blade mumbled around a bite of scone. “Do Master’s of the Light have more than one stomach?”
“I realized that some of our colleagues in this battle did not speak or understand human tongue, so I cast a small spell so that all might understand and be able to communicate with one another.” He sighed. “Long past overdue, if you ask me. I should have done it years ago. Now all can converse, be they harpy, unicorn, wolf, dragon, or even dolphin. I sort of included all of Aigerach in the spell.”
Ravyn smiled, “Small spell, huh? I suppose it was necessary. Blade and I can’t translate when we’re off a-sneaking, can we?”
“As to that, I’ve come up with another bit of our plan,” Connor grinned. “Something that I hope will keep Zelera guessing. I will glamour myself to look like you, while providing the magical protection for the troops. I can even tinge my aura for a short time, a trick Magda taught me. It’s temporary and requires a lot of energy to maintain. I think it’ll be worth it though.”
“Two of me, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Ravyn teased.
“Ah, there will not be two of you. You will become a young boy. Zelera will focus her energies on me thinking I’m you. She won’t be watching her defenses. Or, that’s what Joff and I were hoping anyways.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me. Let’s pray to the Light it works.” She shaded her eyes looking to the sun. It was passing the noon mark in the sky. “It looks like it’s time to go.” Ravyn stood and dusted of her pants.
Blade and Connor joined her, and they walked up the grassy bank to the main forces. The campfires were out and all the gear stowed. The army stood ready to march. Mounting their horses, they headed across the wooden bridge. The horses’ hooves clonked against the planks creating a marching beat as they travelled the road to Veris.
They passed more fields of women laboring to bring in the harvest. The women would stop and shield their eyes against the afternoon sun, scanning the thousands of men for their husbands, sons, and fathers.
The cadence of marching feet caused the men to start singing. Ravyn joined in, her lilting soprano rising over the horses’ heads and blending with Blade’s deep bass.
In honor of the ones we love
In honor of the Light
We sing to ease the tension
For tomorrow we must fight
Yes, tomorrow we must fight
We love this land we live in
We give our very all
Our lives we give for freedom
For, Zelera’s rule shall fall
Yes, Zelera’s rule shall fall
A few ho
urs later, the walls surrounding Veris came into view. The army halted. General Joff leaped off his horse and shouted orders to his men. Runners sprinted to each group of men relaying the messages. Each group slid into orderly camps just as they’d planned. Ravyn dismounted, stretching out the kinks from the day’s ride. Blade and Conner strode to her side.
“Time for you to look like a boy,” Connor said grinning.
Ravyn pulled her long hair up under a cap and smeared ash across her face. She turned to her horse and pulled out her disguise. Donning a light bit of mail helped emasculate her, and she threw a ragged dirty shirt over the top of it. “Will this do?” she asked turning to show her handiwork to Connor and Blade.
Ravyn blinked in surprise as she looked up into her own face. “Yes, you look like a little urchin child.” Connor turned to face Blade, “What do you think of me, have I gotten it right?” Connor batted thick lashes, pursing his lips for a kiss.
“You appear to be my true love,” Blade said, grinning, “but, I think I will stay with this young scruff.” Blade threw his arm about Ravyn’s shoulder in a brotherly fashion. “He looks like he could use some help.”
“Yes, he does. The two of you, gather your gear. Head to the tunnel Joff’s men made. That will get you past the city walls. Try to remain hidden until you get to the barriers around the castle. Blade, you know how to avoid the guard?”
“Yes, sir, I think I’ll be able to keep us in shadow. Ravyn and I will set forth once night falls.” He looked at the sun low in the sky. “That should only be an hour or so.”
“Well, this is where we part,” Connor said gruffly over a catch in his throat. He embraced them both in a solid hug. “Remember what you have read, Ravyn, and believe in yourself. Now,” he paused, dabbing at his moist eyes, “I’ll go with the General, and we’ll camp outside her walls. The next move belongs to Zelera.”
Chapter 19
Zelera watched the dust puffing up off in the distance. A large army was heading toward the castle. She shrugged, turning to the mirror laughing, “Oh, dear sister, I wish you could see this. There’s a large army coming to rescue you and your beloved. Little good that will do. Though their army numbers in the thousands, they are little more than farmers unseasoned in battle. I too have an army of thousands upon thousands. Thousands of unfeeling beasts filled with the power of Darkness whose only thought is annihilation. Your miserable brat of a daughter is with this army,” she cackled, leering into the mirror. “She will not breach the city walls, much less my other defenses. Tomorrow night I send you to hell; then I will rule forever.”
Lareina and Bryant, oblivious to their fate, floated about the mirror. Zelera ran a finger along the glass, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
Twilight lingered but a moment, then was gone. Blade and Ravyn slunk through fields, slipping through groves of trees. They became silent shadows skulking through the night. They reached the tunnel with no interference, its opening covered with thick thorny bramble. Blade grabbed the prickly branches, shoving them to the side. The opening was small, and they got down on their bellies, worming their way into the dark maw. They wriggled slowly along the narrow tunnel, inches at a time. Blade, in the lead, finally bumped up against a wooden panel. Creaking it open the slightest crack, he surveyed their exit. It was quiet as a tomb, except for the scuttling of mice in the dust. They opened the wooden door wide, emerging in a wine cellar in the belly of a tavern. Loud raucous voices thundered overhead, floorboards creaking under heavy footsteps. Ravyn wrinkled her nose against the smell of cheap wine and dust. Scanning the dingy storage room, Ravyn noticed a small barred window looking out at street level.
Blade muttered under his breath. “We have to go through the window. I don’t want to risk going upstairs.”
“It’s barred, Blade. I’m not small enough to squeeze through, and neither are you.”
Blade released the latch on the window, pushing it up. As the window slid upward, the weight hanging from the rope that acted as a counterbalance clunked into the wall. They held their breath. The bawdy goings on upstairs covered the noise. They exhaled together realizing no one would come to investigate the sound. Blade grasped the bars, yanking hard on them. Two bars in the middle shifted in his grasp pulling loose. “I could squeeze through there, and if I can, you can. This is our exit.”
Blade cupped his hands lifting Ravyn up. She squeezed out into the dark alley behind the tavern. She pinched her nostrils closed, and in a nasally whisper she complained, “Ugh, it reeks of vomit, and urine, and….”
“Shhh, Rav, I know it’s disgusting. Try not to think about it. Here, take this.” Passing her his pack, he then hauled himself up and out into the alley. Reaching through and grasping the window, he pulled it down into place. The latch clicked back home. Sliding the bars back into place, Blade erased all evidence of their passing.
Raucous carousing voices drifted from the street, and they slid further into the shadows, pressing their backs against the tavern wall. Moments passed as they held their breath. The noises faded as the revelers headed away down the street, laughing and swearing.
“Where in town are we? I’ve been gone so long I can’t remember the lay of the streets,” whispered Ravyn, trying to visualize the town as she’d seen it years past.
Blade put a finger to his lips, leaning his head toward the alleyway before them. Sticking to the shadows, they slipped along the filthy dark lane. The moon marked the time as it crossed the sky. They crept through the gloomy streets, heading for the unnatural wall entombing the castle.
Zelera paced in her tower, her new General standing before her. He shifted his weight, watching her prowl, waiting for orders. “They wait for us to attack,” she crooned leering at him. “Let them wait. You will ambush them tomorrow at dawn. I want them to see their enemies. It will drive fear into their craven little souls,” she sneered. “Now go, I have no further need for you. I must prepare for the rite tomorrow night.”
Zelera ran her fingers across the ebony tools lying on her altar. Everything was prepared; she just had to wait for the rising moon tomorrow. After all the years of patient waiting, these last few days proved the longest. Her tolerance was wearing thin, and the anxious days were taking a toll.
Zelera eyed her reflection in the mirror. Her dark robes with the arcane symbols hung from flesh-withered limbs. Her skin was pasty white, and haunting bloodshot eyes stared back at her from the elegant gilt-framed mirror.
“I look like a walking skeleton. Soon, very soon, I’ll have time to myself again. Time to reclaim my stolen beauty,” she crooned to herself. She placed her hands on the mirror’s frame, leaning in to look deep in the glass, “I shall rule all, sister. I will be more powerful and more beautiful than you ever hoped to be.” Spittle dotted the glass as she spat the words. She paused, a sly smile crossing her taut face as she purred, “Maybe I will send you to hell and keep Bryant for my lover. There are spells to make the most unwilling, willing.” She winked at the mute ghost-like Lareina. “But, I have my pick of any man. I can take Ravyn’s young man. He is strong and handsome. I can keep her as my slave, and she can watch her lover come willingly into my arms.” Like a bursting volcano, she erupted in wild maniacal laughter.
Slipping from shadow to shadow, Blade and Ravyn crossed the town. Ravyn silently thanked the Light for their safety. The streets were near deserted; a few unsavory cutthroats and purse-thieves remained on the streets, lurking in darkened doorways. But they didn’t seem interested in the pair who didn’t appear to have anything worth stealing.
Ahead of their path, the backdoor to a pub flew open, and a burly soldier emerged. He fumbled with his breeches, getting ready to urinate, blocking their path. Ravyn and Blade froze. He turned his head, spotting Ravyn and Blade. His eyes narrowed as he sized them up. “Well, what have we here?”
He yelled over his shoulder into the pub, “Hey, you nitwits, get out here. Looks like we’ve got a couple curfew breakers.”
Several soldiers
pushed through the pub doors, lining the street behind their Captain. Blade stepped in front of Ravyn and addressed the Captain of the guard, his voice quivering, “Begging your pardon, sir, my little brother got lost today, and I’m just trying to get him back home to me mum. She’s been real worried.”
The guard’s fist snapped out, cracking Blade in the jaw. “I didn’t tell you to speak, you arse. You’re both out after curfew.” He eyed Blade. “How come you aren’t already in the army? Been hiding, huh? I think Zelera would like to have a word with you,” he chuckled, “after you sit in the dungeons a few days. Get moving.”
Blade rubbed his jaw as they trudged along in front of the guards. Ravyn kept her head down sticking close to Blade’s side. Blade slid his hand into his trouser pocket finding a tiny gift that Magda had given him. He slid a gray gummy substance out of its protective wrapper and tossed it sideways into the pub’s stables. Smoke billowed out of the stable doors, and a blaze of fire licked up the dry straw. Greedy flames raced across the floors, climbing the walls of the stables. The horses reared, squealing in panic, kicking out at their gates and walls. The startled guards jumped back, bumbling and confused.
Blade grabbed Ravyn’s hand and began running, “We’ll call the fire brigade for you,” he yelled over his shoulder at the guards who were now trying to save their horses.
As soon as the flames were out of sight, they darted into the shadows again. They paused a moment to catch their breath and let the fear and anxiety fade. Blade found it difficult to quell his nerves. He glanced at Ravyn. She was pale, her breath coming in ragged little gasps. The wall surrounding the castle loomed before them, the air pulsing with dread. Their impulse was to run away, flee to safety. Blade fought the feelings of alarm that were slamming into him, and he stepped up to the wall. Ravyn followed with trepidation. He placed his hands against the bricks in protest, fighting the revulsion he felt coursing through him. He ran his hands along the wall finding small cracks and tiny edges. It could be climbed, but not in the dark. He yanked his hands back as if they had been burned.