A Warrior's Perception

by Stevens, Spring

  Love? I love her more than anything in this world. And I have lost her and the babe she carries.

  His shoulders slumped and his pain ran deeper into his soul. He had never lost at anything, never needed or wanted anything he could not obtain. And most of all, he had never cried, not even as a child, not even when his mother had passed. His pride, his arrogance, his ego, and his warrior's heart all shattered under the strain. What was his life worth if she were not in it? What good was McKregan blood if his bairns were raised on Vacrey soil?

  Demon snorted and reared as Kagan's pain radiated out from his broken heart. Demon pounded the earth with his hooves and demanded the ground to quake. He reared to paw at the heavens and demanded the air to whirl in its song. He shook his mighty head from left to right and demanded the fires of creation to awaken his lineage.

  The heavens cracked and lit the sky with thunderous chaos. The ground trembled and forced the fires of creation to flow from its mouth. Demon fell to his knees, sending Kagan sprawling before him. Kagan bolted to his feet and sidestepped the lava that oozed from the ground at Demon's feet.

  Kagan cringed as Demon's scream of pain shattered the earth's resistance. He kicked and bucked as his hooves blazed and blood burst in streams on his forehead. His black body glistened as the fire from beneath him licked at him relentlessly.

  Kagan fell backward as the earth sifted beneath his feet and the rain poured from the heavens in torrents. Lightning streaked across the sky as Demon was surrounded by a glowing green light. Kagan stared in muted disbelief as a golden horn pushed through Demon's forehead. He fought for his sanity as Demon's shoulders split open and long blood soaked wings rolled out from the wounds. He spread them open and sent droplets of blood flying through the air as he howled in pain.

  Every nerve ending, every inch of his well-honed body screamed in outrage as the green mist entered his nostrils and awakened the Pegasus lineage in his veins. His blood boiled and raced to his heart as he reared to the heavens. His voice cracked and changed as his eyes turned red and glowed as brightly as the sun. As his hooves met the ground, the lava slowly disappeared and the earth grew quite.

  Kagan stepped forward and held out his hand, “Demon?”

  Demon staggered forward and collapsed at Kagan's feet. He whined as Kagan petted his bloody brow. His massive body shook uncontrollably as his blood finished its rampage. The mist vanished and released Demon from its hold. Kagan gently laid Demon's head onto his lap and unsheathed his sword.

  He screamed to the heavens in a viscous growl that held a touch of sadness, “Nay, ye can'na ha'e him too! Let him be!”

  Demon's low whine turned Kagan's attention back to him. Demon softly nudged Kagan's arm in silent gratitude. Kagan's sword hit the ground as his arms wrapped around Demon's neck. He had lost Andra and Crimm, but he would be damned if he would lose Demon too. It would take an act of Dagma to wrestle the steed from his grasp.

  The sky cleared as Demon stirred. He urged his legs to bend as he tried to stand. Kagan helped and soothed Demon's blood soaked mane from his eyes. Demon's legs shook slightly as his strength slowly returned. Kagan's relief was etched across his brow as he rubbed Demon's nose and inspected the horn that now seemed to be a normal part of Demon's face. His breath was ragged and his chest hurt as he tried to remain calm.

  “I thought I was goin' to lose ye.”

  “I will always be at your side my friend.”

  Kagan whirled around, bent, and grabbed his sword, “Show yeself!”

  Soft laughter filled his mind as he stood his ground, preparing to pounce on his unseen rival, “Be ye coward? Face me!”

  Demon nudged Kagan's back and laughed again as Kagan turned to face him with a comical look on his face.

  “Did Haggart not advise you I was from Vacrey?” Demon stretched his wings and laughed again in delight at his friend's appearance.

  “I ha'e gone mad!” He dropped to his knees and leaned forward, “I am insane!”

  “No my friend, you now see me as I was born.” His eyes glowed with the innate fire of Pegasus.

  Kagan's voice cracked, “And what are ye? A demon? A god? A deception of my mind?”

  Demon snorted and a trail of smoke burned Kagan's eyes, “I am son of Pegasus and Deylia. I am Demon of Vacrey Isle and I was born to carry you to the shores of your destiny.”

  “My destiny was taken from me. She is beyond my reach now,” Kagan whispered. “I lost her to ye bloody isle.”

  “Do you think she would want to see you broken and lamed with grief? Or,” Demon flicked his ears, “do you think she would prefer her proud warrior?”

  Kagan stood and leaned onto his sword, “She wanted to go home. She did'na want to stay with me.”

  Demon pounded his hoof onto the ground and fought the urge to put Kagan on his arse, “She would have died! Thank Fae that Crimm saved her from your foolishness! Thank Dagma that he did not let you interfere.”

  Kagan's back stiffened as the truth rolled off of Demon's tongue. His heart tightened and his head ached. His eyes lifted to the heavens and rage filled his heart. He roamed the sky for answers, for sanity, for strength. He screamed in bitter outrage as the sky offered no remorse for his plight.

  His voice split the sky open, “How could ye take her? I served ye with absolute conviction! Why can I na ha'e the one thing I desire most? What kind of god are ye? Or are ye a god at all?”

  The sky rumbled and the stars disappeared behind giant black clouds that cracked and boomed. Kagan's shoulders squared and his face twisted in anger as lightning crashed down before his feet.

  “Face me Dagma! Come on! Dare to stand 'fore me as a man?”

  A single ray of brilliant light poured down to the ground before Kagan, It glittered with flakes of gold and dusted the ground with dark smoke. Kagan clutched his sword as the smoke whirled and formed an image of a tall broad shouldered warrior. The god's face cleared and Dagma stepped out of the smoke and stared back into his own eyes.

  Kagan's tongue swelled as he looked upon the god he had worshiped all of his life. Here he stood before the God of Steel and his gaze locked with the god. Grey eyes scorched his own as Kagan stood his ground. He would not back down, he would not bow before Dagma, and he would die an honorable death at the hands of his god.

  Dagma stared hard at his grandson. He was by all rights, a very proud granddad. Kagan had grown and developed into a powerful warrior with a strong heart. His fist and sword was only equaled by one man, his other grandson. Dagma couldn't help but see himself in Kagan's eyes. They shared the same stance, the same hair, the same eyes, and the same defiant demanding nature.

  “Do not disgrace me boy! This war is not yet over. My blood runs through your veins and no grandson of mine will wallow in self-pity!”

  Kagan clutched the crest on his breast as it blazed with intense heat. The god's words were booming in his mind as he tried to comprehend the language. He raised his sword and winced as the pain in his temples vibrated his body. Dagma effortlessly knocked the blade to the ground and splayed his hand across the crest. The crest of McKregan glowed and Kagan leaned on the hand that now clutched his soul. Dagma's thoughts ran freely through Kagan's mind and the pain eased.

  No words were spoken as the two shared their hearts and minds with one another. Kagan fell to his knees as the truth of his birth released his anger and his heart accepted Dagma's well thought out plan. Dagma's blood ran through his veins like liquid fire and consumed every inch of his body. The innate yearning and fierce need to be free of mankind's bindings coursed through his instincts. His well-trained restraint and unfaltering loyalty to man shattered as his true destiny was revealed to him.

  Destiny! If he could have managed to laugh at this point, it would have been a long deep laugh. The Fates had been angered when Dagma had changed the course they had so painstakingly planned for the future of mankind. The God of Earth had not been willing to let his creation be destroyed by the goddess sisters of space and time t
hat so eagerly mettles with the affairs of men. Dagma had out witted them when he had planted his seed on earth with Kagan's mother. Mettle with man they could, mettle with gods they could, but there was some hope with Fae's offspring. Fae! Fae was once a part of the Fates.

  She was the fourth of the sisters. And she had fallen in love with Dagma and left the other three sisters to go to his side. They had plotted against her and doomed their love. They had ordained that Fae was to be banished to Vacrey Isle and her powers sealed to the lake that fed the isle with energy. She could take her true form but once every one hundred years and only when the moon disappeared completely from the sight of Valhalla.

  She had taken a single strand of hair and a tear drop and placed it in the womb of a woman from earth. And from that moment, the fae had begun. The woman had birthed the first of the fae, Ell'andra's great-great grandmother. Fae had bided her time and energy into siring a woman strong and defiant enough to be her successor. Andra's trials were hard and heavy set with perils, but she had prevailed and Fae had accepted her as the rightful heiress.

  Kagan was born to be Dagma's successor. Part man, part god, and all warrior! His birth swirled in his mind as his grandfather's thoughts pressed deeper into his subconscious. The crest of McKregan, his birthmark, lay upon his chest as he emerged from Dama's womb. He was the first born of man and god. What of Darten?

  “Darten is as you are, part man and part god. His life is to be lived on earth, in Doilshire, with his fae wife. His destiny is clear and is a much needed part of my plan. The Fates cannot interfere with a race that will have the traces of a god and a goddess running through their veins!”

  Dagma's words were as crisp and clear to Kagan as the air around him. His voice no longer split into Kagan's head like an axe and Kagan welcomed his deep oddly familiar voice. Familiar, yes, and yet it seemed not old and cracked enough. He now could understand the language of his ancestor and his new found tongue eagerly wanted to speak. Kagan tried to voice his questions but was stilled by Dagma's hand.

  “I created your mother from a drop of my blood and the lightning that carries my energy. I had to create a goddess and a woman all rolled into one to get you and in doing so I created my path to diverge away from the throne of Valhalla. The Fates have some power over the throne and it will be your greatest test to overcome their mettlesome behaviors. It is my great grandchild that they will not be able to mettle with. In his blood is mine and Fae's power and once he is awakened the Fates will not mettle with man or fae.”

  Kagan struggled to remain standing and slowly found his voice, “My son? Heir to the throne of Valhalla? What makes you think he will not be controlled or mettled with?”

  “He will have their power as well as mine! They will not dare to defy the powers he will possess.”

  Dagma released his hold and stepped back as Kagan regained his strength, “Are you prepared to accept the rest of the power I am giving you?”

  Kagan stood firm as the sword of McKregan, the sword of Dagma, lifted off of the ground and sailed through the air to hover between the two mighty mountainous gods. His answer was a mere roguish smile as he grasped the sword's blade. Dagma grinned and grasped the hilt.

  “My power has always been with you, hanging at your side, waiting...”

  Kagan laughed, “Seems you also have always been by my side...Tom!”

  The hearty laughter split the sky as Dagma's power sped down the hilt and slammed into Kagan's palm. He welcomed the godly energy and seemed as if his soul had finally found part of what it had been seeking all his life. He was man, he was god, and he was all warrior! There was but one other thing that he needed and wanted. Ell'andra Duncan!

  The great sword fell to Kagan's feet, deformed and melted. Dagma's form whisked away in a soft gray smoke and ascended back to the heavens. His deep laughter slowly disappeared as the clouds parted to reveal the clear star filled sky. And standing on earth, Dagma left a god, Kagan God of Steel, to find his destiny.

  Kagan marveled at his new found knowledge of the universe and profound immortal vitality. His molten silver eyes gleamed as his roguish smile spread across his handsome lips. He stretched his arms and turned to Demon, who snorted and stretched his wings.

  “Well? What are you waiting for? She waits on the shore of Vacrey.”

  Kagan's form swirled in gray smoke as it slid onto Demon's back. “She has always been mine. We ride to my destiny and my heart's only desire!”

  Demon rose into the air and chuckled, “The battle is not yet over! She is a strong minded defiant fae and your arrogance will not win you any favor in her eyes!”

  “She is mine and will succumb to me.”

  Demon snorted and fire flew from his nostrils, “Does everything have to be a battle with you? Just tell her you love her and she will fall to your feet!”

  “First she must love me! Then she must accept that she belongs to me!”

  Demon shook his head and rolled his eyes. The war was not over and he hoped for Kagan's sake that his arrogance would shatter.

  Chapter 24

  The Fates, mettlesome old creatures that they were, watched as Kagan flew to Vacrey Isle to embrace his destiny. They listened as Flaron and Keyra renewed their vows of love and swore to protect and watch over the young couple that now ruled Doilshire. They sighed as Fae and Dagma left Valhalla hand in hand. They laughed as Haggart, better known as father Time, returned to their side and joined them in their spying. They applauded as Andra gave Jahfar the gift of demi-god and title of Death. They cried in happiness as the babe in Andra's womb stretched and embraced the first combined taste of fae and god.

  All had gone as they had planned. There was only one thing that remained to be settled. They frowned knowing that this one decision was not one that they could mettle with. It was a battle of hearts and true love. The one law that even they could not break. Their trials had been many and difficult. They could only hope that it went as they wanted and as they knew only too well, Time was the only one who knew for certain what the outcome would be. And he was not inclined to discuss the outcome, although he was inclined to spy.

  The God of Steel's feet landed firmly on the soft grass of Vacrey Isle. As he took his first step, the grass wilted from the heat of his boots. His long raven hair blew about his shoulders and his rogue smile lay etched into place as Demon snorted at his back. He could smell his mate and feel that she was near. His smile turned into a snarl as he sensed her mood. She was still defying him and a part of her hungered for a fight.

  His snarl turned into a low primal growl as dozens of mud golems surfaced from Vacrey's soil. He drew his blade and sliced them back to their birthing place. He edged further and climbing rose vines whipped about his arms and legs. Flames burst from his limbs and the vines fell in ashes at his feet.

  Andra narrowed her eyes and stood from her perch on top of the white castle's roof. She waved her arms and sent thousands of rocks from the cliffs behind her to deter Kagan's march. As they flew by her hands, they formed into rocky birds with green eyes.

  She fumed as he waved his hand and they fell to the earth, harmless and utterly useless. She stomped her foot and pointed to the stone pillars that marked the entrance to the castle. They rose and turned into gigantic stone warriors. Kagan laughed as he stomped his foot and they crumbled to the ground.

  Andra's eyes filled with fire as she held out her palm. Millions of pink and green butterflies swarmed Kagan's body, throwing him to the ground onto his back. They swirled together and banded his arms and feet to the grass and to the very roots of Vacrey Isle. Their strength was unbelievable and they stretched him spread eagle to the ground as Andra appeared before him.

  He could easily have broken free of the bonds, but he did not. He held back as Andra's feet touched the ground and she stood over him in a fit of rage. Her defiant bright green eyes stared down at him and he smiled as her lips parted. Such sweet beautiful full lips.

  “Why have you come here? What more harm do you p
lan on doing?”

  His smile widened and he effortlessly ripped his hands from their bonds and crossed his hands under his head, “I have come to get what belongs to me!”

  “All you will get is your arse kicked!”

  Kagan laughed and stood, sending the butterflies whipping about, “It would be a shame if you make me bent you over my knee like a spoiled child.”

  Andra drew the sword that he had given her and stood her ground. He had not called for her nor had he come with words of love. He had come like the brute he was, demanding she give in. He still only wanted to conquer, control, and demand. No other could have taken such a rightful place as God of Steel. And no other would ever cause her heart to stir so wildly.

  The silence that followed was deafening as she weighed her options. She knew he could take her by brute force but only if he could best her sword hand. She also knew that his powers were equal to her own and to fight with them was a waste of time. So, what was she going to do now? What she did best!

  “You are a god now. You have no need of me, nor do you love me. What has made you come here? Answer me McKregan!”

  Kagan's hand was resting lightly on his sword hilt as he eyed the intoxicating goddess before him, “I came to claim you and the babe in your womb.”

  Andra was caught off guard and frowned, “It is true that I carry our child. On what ground do you claim me?”

  “You are mine as it was always meant to be.” His smug smile spread across his face as Andra narrowed her eyes.

  “I do not belong to you! Your arrogance has outgrown your arse!” Andra's heart pounded in her ears as Kagan circled her like prey.

  “You love me and there is no use in bloody denying it.”

  “I cannot love you when you will never love me in return. You only want to own me and there is no happiness in possession.”

  “You are too obsessed with the need to be loved. Love is for fools and fantasies!” He stopped and wished he had chosen his words a little more carefully.