by L G Nauck
She had power now. She needed to keep reminding herself of that.
Alena walked forward, waving her hand when some of the soldiers attempted to follow her. She knew she would need space to summon this particular beast. It wouldn’t do any good to end up setting half of her army on fire. She looked across the field towards the other army which appeared to be in the middle of their pep talk. A couple men were riding back and forth in front of the masses, calling out and getting cheers in return.
It was about to start.
Would her summoning work?
It would have to.
She could practically feel the nervous energy emanating from Tane as he kept himself back. Was he worried about her? Was it more excitement? Or was he just struggling to hold himself back?
Alena watched as the speeches appeared to end as the other army’s horses were spurred into action.. Spears, swords, arrows, axes. All kinds of weapons that would tear apart bodies, including hers.
Strangely she wasn’t afraid.
She felt oddly calm as she looked at the mass of soldiers moving towards her.
Could it be because her soul had been crushed or because she was confident in herself?
Or perhaps it was because Tane stood a few yards away from her, ready to spring into action.
Could she feel safe with her terrorizer?
What an odd turn of events that would be.
Alena let her instinct take over as she closed her eyes and began to move her hands in a pattern that was starting to come naturally to her. She felt energy build up within her, coursing through her body like molten lava. Every nerve seemed to be activated, her senses reaching out around her as she chanted underneath her breath, “from the fires comes the flame. From the flame comes life.”
She kept an arm outstretched, her eyes opening in time to see a larger white bird land on her arm. The yellow eyes stared at her with a calm and understanding look, as if the bird knew what was going to happen and it had accepted it.
Without blinking, Alena pulled out a medium-sized knife that she had created from pure energy and slit the birds throat, blood flowing out to cover her blade and arm as the avian body fell to the ground. Alena watched as yellow symbols surrounded the bird, spreading to form a large circle with her in the middle. The symbols glowed, growing brighter until she had to squint to keep her eyes open. She heard the distant chatter of the men and women behind her, some awed and some nervous of what was happening.
Alena lifted her hands above her head, willing the beast to arise. The ground rumbled as a large bird shot out of the ground and flew into the sky. She watched as the avian creature spun before holding itself in the air, its’ large wings spreading to their full length. Alena smiled at what she was able to produce, satisfied and amazed at the beauty of it. The bird was large, completely covered in fire with powerful wings that blocked the sun as it held itself in the air. The eyes held the same intelligence of the former bird, but this time, they were pitch black.
Although the bird was in the sky, Alena felt a connection to it. As if she could communicate telepathically to the creature and it would understand. It stayed still, watching her as if awaiting a command, its’ powerful wings pumping up and down and sending a rain of ashes in their wake.
Alena turned to see some of the oncoming army had halted, unsure of whether to approach while the rest resolutely continued forward. Yells could be heard as generals encouraged their men and women forward.
She stared forward, mentally compelling the large phoenix to attack. She stood motionless as a shadow passed over her and the bird dove towards the opposing army, shrieking as it moved. Yells could be heard as the great bird opened its’ mouth and unleashed white fire onto the crowd. Alena didn’t flinch at the screams that followed.
She couldn’t feel anything. It was blocked out.
She knew that Tane had a satisfied grin on his face right now. He thought of her as his perfect weapon. He enjoyed the death and destruction.
‘I am a weapon,’ was her thought as she watched the bird dive time and again, the opposing army retreating as best as they could. And she allowed them to. She figured they would not want to attempt another onslaught. Especially since all their weaponry and most of their army were in flames.
Once there were no more enemies to face, Alena gestured at the great phoenix and it flew back to her, landing a couple feel away. She steadied herself as the wind from the beast’s wings almost sent her spiraling to the ground. The dark eyes assessed her as she smiled at it, holding up a hand in a display of affection, although she knew she couldn’t actually touch the being.
Thank you, my friend. That is enough.
She watched as the bird seemed to shudder, its’ feelings of satisfaction being sent to her mentally before the body began to turn to ash and fall to the ground below it. Alena kept watching until the final ash fell, being caught up in the wind and carried away. How great of a creature to be born so quickly and then disappear.
And her summoning had worked.
She had been able to conjure a great spirit and reign destruction on others.
Would this be the beginning of her downfall? Would she become like the others?
She had realized something. To summon, she needed to build a relationship with these otherworldly beings. They had to accept her just as she needed to accept them. They could not save her in the way she wanted. However, they could build something greater together.
Alena felt Tane approach her without turning her head.
“I’m very impressed, my darling. You were able to destroy an entire army in the matter of minutes.”
Alena blinked, feeling a wave of exhaustion pass over her. Embarrassingly enough, she actually stumbled. And to her chagrin, Tane was the one to catch her arm and lean her weight against his chest. How ironic that they probably looked like a loving couple. Her, the dutiful wife that used her powers to further her husband’s ambitions. And him, the savior to catch her when she falls. Alena couldn’t bring herself to move though when all she could think about was falling asleep. So, she didn’t protest when Tane lifted her into his arms and carried her away. She closed her eyes and allowed it, feeling assured that the king was more than pleased with her enough to not torture her. At least for now.
Instead of worrying about what may happen in the future, Alena allowed herself to fade into unconsciousness.
Chapter Nineteen
Alena opened her eyes and blinked to clear the blurriness in her vision.
Where was she?
She examined the tan cloth roof above her and searched through her memories. She was in a tent. They were at war. She had summoned, and the army had disappeared. She had won.
Alena went to sit up, trying to ignore the ache as her muscles moved. She coughed, her throat feeling dry. She looked around the small tent, feeling reassured to find herself alone. Her relief intensified when she noticed a canteen of water next to her. She grabbed it and greedily gulped down what was inside. Once she had emptied it, she let it fall to the ground with a large sigh.
A whisper of sound had her head snapping around to look at the far wall of the tent. But there was nothing there.
Perhaps it was an animal outside…
As she went to turn back around, a flicker of light caught her attention.
Alena watched in fascination as the light grew bigger and seemed to split open reality itself.
Perhaps she should be more nervous right now.
But with everything she had seen and experienced, a rip in time would not seem that abnormal.
She moved backwards, trying to put space in between herself and the widening rift. She could scream and bring the entire Barthamos army to her aid. Or she could wait and see why the world was opening up in front of her.
Has she caused this? Had she done something?
A form stepped through the opening and she tensed herself, preparing to fight. The person who stepped through the rift looked like a human male. His body was lo
ng and toned, covered in a black leather material. When her eyes traveled to his face she noticed he did not appear as human as she first thought. Thin violet hair fell to his shoulders and when he tucked some behind his ear, she noticed his ears were long and pointed. Her eyes met his and she gasped when she saw the color was crystal blue.
What was this person and what did he want?
Alena tightened her hands into fists as she prepared to strike.
The man raised his hands in a nonconfrontational way as he lowered his body in what looked like a bow.
What kind of game was this?
“It is an honor to meet a Dayuki. Our kind have a long history of being allies. We had thought the gene had been lost when that dreaded plague had gone through our people. A curse. Many elves and Dayuki had been lost to it. Some more than others.”
Alena stared at the man in confusion. Allies? He knew what had happened to the Dayuki? Did he know her parents? Why was he here now?
“I am here because we felt the energy arise once again. We had heard stories that the Dryken king had captured a Dayuki but we didn’t believe it. It had been so long since any of us have seen a Dayuki. But when we felt the energy of a summoning... well we knew we couldn’t just stand by.”
“I- who is ‘we’?”
“I beg your pardon, I have not even introduced myself. I am Darren and I come from the Elven clan. I was sent here to retrieve you and take you some place safe.”
Safe? Safety wasn’t something she could fathom. She had begged for it for so long and now some elf had appeared out of nowhere and was offering her it? This was not real. The world did not work that way. The world was filled with pain and suffering. There were no happy endings.
“Why would I trust you?”
Darren tilted his head, his face appearing unconcerned. He looked to be almost serene, like what an angel would look like if they existed.
How could an angel ever mean any harm?
Easy. Everyone was selfish. And everyone has an ulterior motive.
“I am sure you do not have any reason to trust me or anyone else. I cannot imagine what you have been through. You do not have to trust me, but I am offering you an escape. You can stay here if you wish or you can leave this place forever. The elves want nothing from you other than to protect you in honor of your heritage. You deserve to be in a place where you can grow in your power and not be used for another person’s greed. Come with me and you’ll be able to make decisions for yourself.”
The temptation… it was as if he was speaking to her very soul. Which made it all the more dangerous. Because what if he was lying and he wanted to take her some place worse? Where she would be tortured and used worse than she was now? Or he could be telling the truth and she could finally be free.
The thought of it made her want to cry. Was it really so simple? Could someone really want nothing from her?
Could a guy really just step out of nowhere and offer her the escape she had been dreaming of?
Alena slowly stood up and took a step forward. Could things really work out? Could her prayers finally be answered?
“We need to hurry if we are going to make it. I was able to open a portal and put an illusion over the tent, but it will only last so long. Your mate is already approaching.”
The thought of Tane sent her into a panic. He would be able to find her wherever she went. He could track her. She would never be able to get away.
“Our village is hidden. No one has ever been able to find it. You will be safe with us. But we need to go now.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the tent flap before turning back to Darren. Even if the option was worse, it would be different. And she could figure out things as she went. Staying here would just end in more rape, more manipulation, and more pain. If she left, then at least she had a chance. She could finally be free of Tane.
Alena stepped forward and put her hand inside of Darren’s. He smiled at her, but she could not return it.
Not yet.
He turned, and Alena followed him into the portal. Away from everything she knew. And into uncertainty.
To be continued….