“They aren’t here to fight me,” she said, and then pulled free.
“Don’t go over there!”
She ignored him and ran at the wolves. Once at them, the front wolf lowered his chest to the grassy ground and then stood up. She nodded and then turned and walked back to the shocked Valharans as the wolves followed behind her.
“Who is Erianah?” Kyrin asked Alric.
He kept a close eye on the wolves, “She’s the god of the Qualsax.”
“She sent the crows?”
“Yes”
“For what?”
He glanced at her before looking back at the wolves, “Because we’re harboring the follower of an evil demon not of this world.”
Kyrin looked up at the crows, “So they came for me.”
“More like they came to punish us for having you here.”
“It has to be more or Daemionis wouldn’t have sent support.”
“He sent the wolves?”
“Yes,” she said, and walked forward a bit. The wolves kept close to her and carefully watched the Valharans.
“Erianah!” Kyrin yelled toward the sky, “I suggest you back off.”
One of the crows dove at her, and Alric stepped back when it stopped suddenly mid-air and fell to the ground, dead. The space in air it had stopped glowed blue for a moment and then disappeared.
“You can’t get through my shield, so I suggest you get your ugly ass down here and face me yourself,” Kyrin yelled.
Alric winced. The people of Paragoy weren’t used to challenging a god.
Laughing sounded and the crows dove to the ground and began to form a tall figure. Kyrin took a step back and watched as the goddess Erianah emerged and looked down on her. She was an imposing figure, standing 8-foot tall with broad shoulders and short, spiked red hair that flowed, as if blowing in an imaginary wind. Her armor was made of black feathers, and her eyes were pure white.
She turned away from Kyrin and faced Alric, “Why have you allowed an evil into my world without my permission?”
“We don’t need your permission for anything,” Alric yelled toward her.
“Evil has been gone from this land for centuries… yet you bring one here and don’t even consult me?”
“Again, I owe you nothing.”
“Did you know that she is an evil?”
“Yes”
“Yet you allow her to live with you? What do you gain by that?”
“Nothing, she’s done nothing to warrant expulsion.”
Erianah smiled, and her teeth dripped with thick, green saliva, “You love her.”
“Leave him alone,” Kyrin yelled. “If you have a problem with me, then I suggest you turn around and face me.”
Erianah spun and glared at Kyrin, “How dare an evil talk to me like that! This is my world, and you are not to be in it.”
“Oh, you going to kick me out?” As soon as she said it, the wolves began to advance.
The goddess began to laugh, “Daemionis sent dogs? How quaint.”
Thunder cracked and Kyrin bowed when Daemionis appeared, towering behind her, “Erianah.”
“You do not belong here! This is my world,” she roared.
“If you want me to leave, then you have to make me.”
Alric called for his troops to run. He’d heard of the ancient god wars and knew they were unpredictable and highly violent. The Valharans ran for their houses for essentials, and then were heading to the safety of Fortress Orphang.
Alric ran up and took Kyrin’s arm, “Let’s go. This will get nasty.”
“I can’t just leave.”
“Let the gods handle this.”
“Do not fight on my ground,” Sithias said angrily, appearing beside them.
Alric turned when he heard his god speak, and stopped pulling at Kyrin’s arm as he froze.
“Sithias, you allowed this evil to invade our land?”
He floated forward but kept away from the other two gods, “I did.”
“What gives you the right!?”
“It’s not his choice what my followers do,” Daemionis yelled.
Sithias was calm and spoke evenly, “She has done nothing that would banish her from this land. I am studying her.”
“You’re what!?”
Erianah snarled, “You had no right, Sithias.”
“You’re just mad because she stays with Valhara and protected them against the Minotaurs.”
“She didn’t protect your puny Valharans! She protected that insignificant King of theirs.”
“Back off, Erianah. Kyrin is staying here as long as she likes.”
Erianah looked at Kyrin closely, “What does she have that you two want?”
The wolves advanced on Erianah, so she turned and held her hand out to them. Angry crows flew from under her feather robe and began to attack the wolves as they howled in pain and tore any bird they caught to shreds.
“Take your quarrels out of here!” Sithias yelled.
Daemionis stomped his hooved foot, and the ground began to shake and crack beneath Erianah. His growls echoed off of the mountains, and Erianah turned to him and looked up toward the sky.
He looked up just as the crows appeared and began to barrel down at him. He swung his massive, scaly hands at them, and they began to fall to the ground with dull thuds and small puffs of feathers.
“We have to get out of here,” Alric said, pulling Kyrin again. “We can’t stay here during a god fight.”
“I can’t leave…”
Without another word, he picked her up, tossed her over his shoulder and ran toward his horse. She didn’t struggle badly, and soon he had her on the horse and mounted behind her. With a swift kick, he sent the stallion flying toward the mountains near Boriana ruins as lightning shot down from the cloudless sky.
Hail began just as they got to Boriana ruins and Alric stopped his horse, and they ran into one of the fallen rooms that still had part of a roof. The horse was fidgety as they sat down to wait out the storm.
“Some storm,” Kyrin said, looking out at the fist-sized hail that started to fall. They were glad that the hail that started while they were on horseback was much smaller than what it was now.
“God fight,” Alric said, and smiled slightly. “We’ve had this issue before.”
“Erianah and Sithias fight often?”
“Not really any more. There was a big fight when it was decided to get rid of all evil from the land though. We hid for almost a year before things calmed down.”
“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daemionis fight another god.”
“I’m sure he has. It’s pretty dangerous to stay there during it though.”
The entire ground shook, and they grabbed onto rubble and held on until it stopped. When it did, fierce winds started and dirt flew past them.
“How far are we from Fortress Ophang?”
“Too far to make it. We’ll have to stay here.”
“I can’t believe this entire thing is over me.”
Alric smiled slightly, “This is nothing. If Erianah knew you were a magic user, it would be a thousand times worse.”
“Why does she care?”
“It’s dead here, remember? We didn’t necessarily want it gone. When the evils were removed from the land though, magic went with them. We’ve tried to get it back, but haven’t managed so much as a spark.”
Kyrin thought about that for a bit, “What do you mean when the evils were removed?”
“About a hundred years ago there were four kingdoms here; Valhara, Qualsax, Minathim, and Aloria. In short, Valhara had the Holy Knights, followers of Sithias. Qualsax held the darker types, unruly fighters and such, but they weren’t exactly evil. Qualsax follows Erianah.”
Alric paused when they both had to duck to avoid a flying branch that the wind flung at them. When it was clear, he continued, “Minathim was home to the elves, what you called Royal Elves, and they are good aligned also and follow Sithias. Then, there was Alori
a, home to the black elves. They were evil, pure evil, and magic users. They followed Tiasis.”
She cringed, “Has he joined the fight now too?”
“No, he’s dead. His followers were all that was keeping our lands from being mostly peaceful. The gods fought a lot and most of that was started by Tiasis. When it was decided to get rid of evil, then, for the first time ever, Sithias and Erianah joined forces and killed him. We took care of the black elves and, sadly, with them went magic.”
Kyrin shifted uncomfortably. Creteloc was affiliated with the shadow elves in Paramide and most of Daemionis’ followers were shadow elves.
“Since then there’s only been bickering between Sithias and Erianah… caused by her.”
Kyrin smiled, “Of course.”
“It was thought that once Tiasis and his black elves were gone, evil wouldn’t return.”
“Then I came along.”
“Well, yes, but Sithias found you intriguing and was determined to learn more about you. It wasn’t until he saw you single-handedly wipe out the Minotaurs that he knew how powerful you are though. He told me that if you were to return, you would be welcomed back.”
“Why though? I’m an evil…”
“We need your magic.”
“For what?”
“Nothing specific,” Alric told her. “It’s just something this land is lacking and something prized.”
“Well if Erianah doesn’t like me, she must absolutely love having Daemionis here.”
Alric laughed, “Oh yes. I would imagine so.”
“I can’t do Sithias’ bidding though. I won’t use my magic to further his followers or to help him.”
“I’m sure he knows that.”
“I hope he wasn’t expecting Daemionis to help him get rid of Erianah.”
“There’s no way he would team up with Daemionis.”
An explosion sounded in the distance, and both of them peeked around a high pile of rubble just in time to see the top blow off of a volcano and a thick plume of smoke barreled out of it, turning the sky black.
“This went on for how long?”
“11 ½ very long months. This won’t be as long though.”
“You’re sure?”
“No, but I suspect Erianah will back down to the two other gods.”
“If not, you may not have a dimension left.”
“Well then it’s a good thing I’m with you.”
“How long have you been king?” Kyrin asked.
Alric looked up and shook his head when snow started falling from the volcanic ash, “Fifteen years.”
“You’re old enough to be king for that long?”
“I was 20 when my Dad died, and I took over.”
“So you were handed the Kingdom.”
“I wouldn’t say handed to me.”
She smiled, “You’re offended?”
“Well you make it sound like I didn’t deserve it.”
“Didn’t mean to.”
When thunder crashed above them, Kyrin looked past the roof to the sky, “You do realize that just because I come into Paragoy here, it’s not a portal out.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope”
“You don’t see some… I don’t know... rabbit testicles or something that’d get us out of this?”
“Rabbit testicles?”
“Well I don’t know what you use.”
She grinned at him and then shook her head, “No, I don’t see any portals around here.”
“We don’t have any food here.”
“I have apples in my bag.”
“What’s with you and apples?”
“They’re perfect. Full of water and they’re so good.”
“I never thought of that.”
“You’ve never starved.”
“True”
Kyrin sat back, “So your Dad died, and you became king at the age of 20.”
“Basically”
“What am I missing?”
“The post was between me and my brother.”
“Did you fight to the death for the position?”
“You need to get a life. No, we didn’t fight to the death. He died with my Dad.”
“At least you made king.”
“You have an odd view on things.”
She shrugged.
“Anyway, yes I was young, but I was ready. My brother and I were raised from birth to be kings.”
“Sounds like fun. Why aren’t you married?”
His eyebrows rose, “Is that odd?”
“Yes, at 35 and with your money, I’d think you would have a lot of wives already.”
“Well I never found anyone interesting enough to marry.”
“Just Genessa.”
“That was different. She and I had only met briefly before she moved in.”
“If there are only three groups of people left, then how did you meet her?”
“There are three kingdoms, but there are some little outlying villages and such. Her Dad wanted to incorporate their village into Valhara’s Kingdom. During talks, I met her.”
“Want to tell me why you banished her?” Kyrin asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“Why not?”
Alric just smiled, “No.”
Another rumble shook the Boriana ruins, and Alric jumped for his horse while Kyrin held onto what was standing of an old doorway. When it stopped, he tied the horse up and walked back to sit down beside her. She was pulling an apple out of her pack and cut it in quarters, then handed him one piece of it.
“I don’t rank a full apple?”
“We’re rationing.”
He ate the quarter in one bite and then watched as she ate hers more slowly. Alric watched her and wondered how often she’d been out of food and water. He could only imagine what hardships she’s been through, and he wondered if she’d realize that in Paragoy, she had enough of both.
After eating her part, she tucked the apple core into her pack.
“What are you doing with the cores? I’ve seen you put a hundred of those into your bag in the past.”
“I’ve planted them in my favorite dimensions.”
“Is there enough water to grow them?”
“Probably not.”
When the ground shook again, Kyrin put her backpack beside her, grabbed the flail in her good hand, and then laid down, using a rock as a pillow.
Alric sighed, “Great.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“How long have you had to sleep on the ground?”
“I’ve always slept on the ground.”
“Never had a bed?”
“Not until now. Lay down and get comfy.”
He groaned when he laid down and then shifted to try and get comfortable, “Is it possible?”
“Sure”
Kyrin drifted off quickly, but Alric tossed and turned all night. Just before dusk, he sprang to his feet when balls of fire began to fall around them from the sky.
“Kyrin, get up,” he said as he moved the horse further into the ruins.
She looked up and then gasped and scrambled further away from the exposed part of the castle. The flaming balls landed around them stirring up the dust. Some of them hit the rubble hard enough that another wall caved in at the opposite end of the ruins.
“I was hoping they’d be done,” Kyrin said, looking through her bag.
Alric dodged just as a flaming ball flew at him and barely missed hitting him in the leg. He crawled backwards, trying to get further away from it.
“Come here,” Kyrin said, pulling him back.
He leaned up against the rock wall, still shaking from how close he came to losing a leg. He was confused when Kyrin slipped between his legs and leaned back against him.
“Jilavanu,” she whispered, and the sounds around them died down some.
Alric looked carefully, but couldn’t tell what she did, “What was that?”
“Magic shield. I’m hoping it’ll stop th
ose fireballs.”
“I’m worried about my people at Fortress Ophang,” he said, relaxing some under the shield.
“I’m worried about us.”
“How much damage can your shield take?”
“I don’t know. It’s different strengths each time.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. There’s no one to ask.”
“Oh, right. Well as long as we don’t get hit directly, we should be ok.”
“I can hold it, unless I fall asleep.”
“Can I have another apple?”
“We’re about to fry, and you’re hungry?”
“Yes”
She chuckled, “Yes, grab one.”
“I get a whole one?” he asked, digging in her bag.
“Are you going to complain about hunger if you don’t?”
“Probably”
She just shook her head and looked out over the burning terrain.
“What’s this?” Alric asked, holding up the amulet she’d stolen off of a Qualsax Warrior.
She looked back at it and shrugged.
“These disappear off of Qualsax Warriors when they die.”
“Oh”
“So you killed this one.”
“Not exactly.”
“Did you kill him?”
“He was already on the way to being dead.”
“So you did.”
She just shrugged again.
Alric sighed, “Was it after they attacked our village?”
“Fine, yes, it was. When I found him, he was almost dead anyway.”
“Did you kill him?”
“Yes”
He reached up and whispered, “Please don’t prove Erianah right.”
“He was already almost dead.”
“Still, I can only hold the gods off for so long if you can’t rein it in.”
“I’ll be more careful, ok?”
“Promise me you won’t kill anyone else.”
“No”
“No?”
“No, I kill who I want, when I want, and they always deserve it.”
It was silent for almost an hour while they watched the fireballs fall from the heavens, and both thought through their last conversation. He was worried Sithias would eventually tire of Kyrin if she kept doing evil deeds, and Kyrin was afraid that Alric would try to control her enough to make her behave. She thought it would cause a fight bigger than the one of the gods if he ever tried.
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