by Billy Wong
"Julianna!" Keith said joyously, realizing what must be happening.
Nero too caught on, and gripped Julianna's wrist to try and wrestle it down. "No, how dare you revolt against me! You are conquered, you are mine. Kneel!" Good luck getting an arm to kneel, Keith thought. The arm—or rather, Julianna—managed to get another punch in, but weaker now with him partially restraining it. However, energy then glowed around her hand, and lanced out at his eyes. He flung his head sideways in time, the beam gouging his cheek as it passed. In frustration he let go of Julianna's arm and hammered a fist into it, batting it downward. It snapped up again and closed its fingers around his neck. Grimacing, he grabbed the wrist again and tried to dislodge the chokehold.
"Are we really going to stand here watching him fight his arm?" Becca asked.
Nero pulled Julianna's hand loose, but then it flailed around in his grasp despite his attempts to control it and managed to rake his eyes with her nails. He released her arm and turned away in pain, not very helpful since the offending limb turned with him. "This cannot be happening!" he moaned. Julianna's arm looped over the back of his neck and yanked downward, flipping him to the ground.
"On the other hand, it is kind of amusing," Becca said.
"You are just an arm, I am a full person!" He rolled back and forth on the floor, grappling furiously with the rebellious appendage. Magical energy flew as she tried to blast him but missed. It seemed like his barrier might be gone, since he bumped into pieces of rubble unprotected and accumulated scratches. "You will obey me. Obey me!"
"I wonder if she would win." Keith raised his sword. "But since more magic is being wasted, I suppose we shouldn't wait to see. Julianna, can I finish this fool?" Her hand gave a thumbs up.
Nero lurched to his feet, tried to back away while simultaneously arm fighting. "No, don't, this isn't fair..." he begged while Keith stalked towards him.
Keith worried what would happen to Julianna if he killed her host, but she had given him the go ahead and she was already body-less, so unless they planned to keep Nero alive indefinitely they would have to find out sooner or later. He brought the sword back and swung. Nero bunched his legs for a desperate jump away, but Julianna's finger jab to the throat halted him in his tracks. Keith's blade passed through his midriff, shearing him in two. His upper portion tumbled down next to his legs.
"How could I lose... to an arm? Uncle Galen... progress..." he rasped, and exhaled his last. Golden sparkles escaped his corpse, drifting up from it. With his death, the other sparkles he had summoned faded out as the energy that comprised them went back from where it came.
"Julianna," Becca asked in a soft voice, "is she gone?"
Instead of vanishing like the rest, the energy particles rising from Nero's body drew closer together as if seeking to merge. Then there was a flash, and Keith and Becca instinctively shielded their eyes. When they could see again Julianna stood before them, hunched as with exertion. "Whew, almost couldn't pull my body together again. Might've taken a while to come back if I let my energy disperse."
Becca blinked. "Old lady, you're naked."
She gazed down and started. "Wow, so I am." She looked over to her empty armor. "Makes sense." Keith unfastened the bloody cloak from Nero's neck and tossed it to her. She caught and wrapped it around herself. "Thanks, but I'll still have to change properly before going out. Can't be seen by the public in only a cloak, so you'd better help me get back in my armor."
"Either way," he said with a smile, "glad to have you back."
"I was only gone for a few minutes. Scary minutes though, even from where I was. If he had just a little more time..." She turned to Becca. "So what happened with you, did you get Father? Did you see him at all?"
"We did and traded blows, but he got away flying on a monster's back. I'd run out of arrows, and missed throwing my sword. Before you ask, everyone else is doing cleanup outside after slaying most of the beasts, but you know I wouldn't want to miss the climatic battle so..."
Keith frowned. "You know, happy as I am that we're victorious, we haven't found our son yet."
"Mom, Dad!" a voice called from the door. They looked to see Julian come in, countenance bright with relief.
"You're all right? Thank heaven, we thought you were being held hostage."
He shook his head. "When they breached the gate, I figured they might want to use me for something like that, so I hid in one of those secret places we talked about before. When I heard fighting in the throne room, I figured you had come back to liberate the city, and that I should stay out of sight until you finished with him."
Julianna hugged him. "So Nero was bluffing. I'm so glad, I don't know what I'd do if..."
"Mom, are you crying?"
"I have no tears to shed. But other than that, pretty much."
Keith embraced them both, savoring their touch while Becca grinned in approval. With the One Army defeated and most of the monsters dead, they might actually know peace for a time unless Father could replenish his spawn incredibly fast. But they still hadn't found a solution to the larger problem that faced their land, and it chilled him to ponder how much longer they had.
"By the way," Becca said, "shouldn't Aerilea help Ostuh and Plasbias strengthen their military forces so this doesn't happen yet again? It seems anybody can just walk an army through them whenever they feel like."
Julianna replied, "Only Aerilea? What, is Severil above aiding its neighbors?"
"We're not very welcome in Ostuh due to being viewed as bunch of bloodthirsty savages. But sure, we'll lend you a hand with Plasbias."
Chapter 11
Order returned to the kingdom, though the throne room was rendered unusable and they had to use the dining hall as a temporary substitute. Becca sent her troops home but stayed in Myrrhise for the stated reason of helping out, though Julianna suspected she really waited to see if they might find Father so she could get another shot at finishing what she started. The Council of Ostuh wasn't happy about Premier Gilbert getting killed under their watch, but since there were witnesses to them trying to save him, she figured or at least hoped it would be forgiven. Becca often asked if she wanted to spar, in response to which she found excuses to decline. Recently she sometimes caught particles of magic trying to drift away from her body, and had to consciously will them back into herself. Thus she avoided strenuous activities which might exacerbate this and make it more noticeable.
A couple weeks later, she got word that old King August of Kureau was on his way to visit. Knowing the precarious state of his land, she didn't expect good news and looked anxiously towards their meeting. After exchanging formalities when he arrived, he asked what she dreaded. "Your Highness Julianna," the wizened monarch with a kind, drooping face said, "some of the outer isles of our network have fallen, and we fear the rest will not be far behind. Is there not something you, with your nearly unlimited power, can do to stop it?"
Nearly unlimited power? She barely had any these days since she couldn't draw upon what wasn't there. With her form growing so compromised, there couldn't be much energy left. She wondered what would happen first, her body unraveling altogether or the continent falling. But she couldn't speak of this, not even to a trusted ally. Even her own family didn't know as she didn't want them to worry, not only for her sake but that of their world. "It's not such a simple matter to resolve. But I assure you we're still working on it."
"If the island network does collapse, could some of my people take refuge in your country, at least until we figure something out? It is difficult to support so many on what fertile mainland areas we have, and while your aid with food is appreciated, it must be inconvenient for you to constantly deliver and we might do better just being allowed to farm on your unused land."
She could see how some of her citizens might question allowing a mass amount of foreigners in, but their nations were longtime partners and Aerilea did have its share of unoccupied land albeit not the most ideal for settling, but better than nothing. "If
the situation becomes any more dire, I will definitely consider that."
"I and all of Kureau are grateful, Saint Princess. To find such grace and wisdom in one as young as you, while being a remarkable warrior and mage besides, you truly are the pride of an era."
Julianna averted her gaze, embarrassed at the contrast between how he lauded her and how she saw things. Young? Kind of, but she didn't feel that way. As for all the rest, it seemed laughable to view her so highly when she mainly felt crushing powerlessness. Even if she'd earned the title of the "strongest," it proved nowhere near strong enough.
That night, she spent much time thinking about what she could do, but only got out of it hours of futility. The people she'd sent to check out the other wellsprings of magic reported the same thing she had seen, faded shadows of what they had been with no discernible connection to their source. The golden place Thaddeus spoke of remained out of reach, practically a myth, and they failed to turn up other leads either. There was nothing Julianna wanted less than to watch the continent die, but it looked more and more like she wouldn't have a choice.
Maybe she should start planning how to save as many as they could. She herself might be able to carry Keith and Julian from the falling land, if her form held up, and other mages could save some more. Some fraction of their people might survive, but probably a very small one given the scarcity of mages and that many may not even be strong enough to fly down safely with others. She imagined a few hundred at best, struggling to find their way in an unknown world. It certainly didn't hold much appeal, though slightly more than extinction. If some of them did live, would they carve out a new kingdom for themselves or be absorbed quietly into the existing ones down there? Wait... absorbed? She recalled getting sucked into Nero's arm, yet managing to come back. She wasn't a normal human being, she recognized more clearly than before, and it gave her an idea.
Early the next day, in the privacy of their room prior to going out, she said to Keith, "You know, since I survived losing my physical form before, I had a thought about the wellsprings. If I could go into one of them, maybe I could travel through the energy flow to get to their source? I suspect it can't be accessed physically, and is more like another realm or world that's connected in a way which only allows for energy to be transferred. So maybe I could go there."
It seemed a bit much for him to take in, but eventually he got what she meant. "Go into the wellspring? But you might die."
"More dead than I already am?" At his frown, she said, "Mages are said to be killed when they touch the energy because it overloads them. I'm already made of magical energy, so what could happen?"
"I don't know... perhaps you could be absorbed into it and lose yourself."
"That's possible, but my sense of self is pretty strong. I'm almost at my wits' end, and don't know what else to do. So I think I should at least give this a try."
He nodded. "All right. I'm still worried for you, but I suppose we need to look for solutions wherever we can."
They told Julian of the plan, and he expressed his desire to accompany them. "Are you sure you should go," Julianna asked, "being ruler of Aerilea now?"
"The nearest wellspring isn't that far away, is it? Besides, Mom, this might be the last time I get to see you. The city should be able to do without its leader for a few days for that."
She didn't intend to disappear. But life didn't have any guarantees and she would like a chance to say goodbye if it came to that, so she accepted his proposal. Becca volunteered to come too. When they asked why, she said, "In case you get ambushed by Father, I want to be there to help."
Rather transparent... but Julianna wouldn't mind her company. "Fine then, come if you wish."
They traveled to the wellspring a few days away, unsurprisingly not seeing Father on the way. What remained of his forces would likely lie low for a while after that last setback, though the five nations should still be wary as long as the sire of monsters wasn't confirmed dead. Descending underground to the wellspring chamber, Julianna stepped before the barely glowing hole in the wall and stuck her arm forward while the others watched. "Careful, Mom..."
Her hand touched the light, and her eyes widened. "It's warm."
Becca blinked. "That's it, it's warm? What happened to going somewhere?"
"I don't know. I can't feel any sense of somewhere to go from here, only that there's an inviting warmth to it but... hmm."
"Hmm what?" Keith asked.
"Maybe I'm just too attached to this world." She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind of thoughts, allowing her body to react naturally to contact with the wellspring. A tingling came over her hand, spreading up her forearm. "Is anything happening?"
"Your arm... it's disappearing," Julian said in a frightened voice.
That did seem disconcerting, but she did her best not to think about it. If she let it disturb her too much, it might interrupt whatever process was going on. "Calm down, your mom's been through this before. It doesn't even hurt."
"Your shoulder's almost gone now," Keith said. "If it really doesn't hurt and you don't feel like you're weakening or dying, you're probably being transported somewhere."
She didn't feel weak or dying, but did feel strange. The boundaries of her arm no longer seemed distinct, like that part of her body has melded into a sea of warmth. The side of her torso too began to be the same way, as did her face. "Mom," Julian whispered, sounding even more scared. She didn't dare open her eyes, since she figured a lot of her looked to be gone at this point. A bit annoying that it took this long. Why couldn't she see into whatever place was calling her yet, when part of her was already there? Actually, maybe she could, if her eyes weren't closed. She tried opening her left eye, which had been engulfed by the warmth.
"Mom!" Julian cried in alarm from somewhere distant.
"Relax," Keith said. "She isn't dead. I don't feel that she's dead."
Becca added, "The old lady sure finished vanishing fast just now."
She imagined that once enough of her crossed over, the rest must have been quickly sucked in. All she could see now was golden light, all around her. "Can you guys hear me?" she shouted—tried to shout. This might not work without a mouth, but...
"Mom, you're alive! I can hear you."
"I don't know how that works, but great."
"Your voice is coming out through the hole, though it's kind of faint." His tone grew urgent again. "Are you okay? Not losing your consciousness or anything?"
"No, I'm fine... for now anyway." She wondered if she was just floating in energy form inside the wall, though. If so, that might be rather useless. "What do you see? Is there a bigger cloud of sparkles floating in the hole?"
"Would you be scared inside that small space if that's the case?" Keith asked.
"Stop it with that! I'm serious."
"No, it looks the same as before. I think you're completely gone—into the other place I mean, you aren't just floating disembodied in the cave if that's what you're worried about."
"So I'm here... in the golden realm Thaddeus saw I assume. I guess I'll try to move around and see what I can find."
"Good luck, and come back if you feel like you're at risk of losing yourself."
Without discernible limbs to walk with, Julianna tried to will herself forward in space, and found that she somehow felt like she was moving. She supposed being inside a magic realm or whatever this was should be different from being trapped in an arm, where there was nowhere to go. She wondered if she moved away from the connecting point to her world and couldn't be heard by her companions anymore? With the impossibility of telling direction here, she didn't know how she would get back. But hopefully she'd figure it out. For now she just floated about looking for something, anything different amid the gold uniformity. Eventually she spotted a shape that stood out and headed towards it. It was a figure, which as she drew close looked to be a man of about forty with a well-trimmed beard, dressed in lavish robes. She was startled to realize he resembled her fa
ther when he'd been around that age, but there was no way...
She had a lot of questions for this man in the golden world, but the one she blurted out first wound up being, "How come you have a body and I don't?"
"Do you not have one? I see you as a young girl in her early twenties, wearing silver armor. Are you not so?"
The estimated age made her feel a tad self-conscious. "I guess you see me the way I think of myself."
He chuckled. "Yes, I presume that would be the case. I was over seventy years old when I came here, but perhaps you see me as much younger? I thought of myself as being at my peak balance between physical vigor and worldly experience when I was about forty, so maybe that is how my spirit manifests itself." She nodded, or imagined doing so. "As for you not seeming to have a body, I suspect that is solely because you don't think you have one. Try imagining that you do, and see what happens."
Julianna pictured herself having the same form she did out in the physical world, and looked down to see arms and legs which she moved at will. She wasn't sure they would make any real difference here though, but it did make her more comfortable. "Wow, it worked. Thanks."
"You are here to replace me after sacrificing yourself?" he asked.
"Sacrifice myself? No, I'm alive—er, I mean, I've died before, but came back to life... it's a long story."
"So that's what it is. I thought somebody had finally managed to rediscover the secrets lost long ago and come to take my place, but it seems you being in that form and finding your way here was more of an accident."
"Not an accident exactly." She paused. "It sounds like we both have a lot of explaining to do. Who should go first?"
"Ladies first, I'd say."