by Mikel Wilson
Mackinzie sneaked up behind the giant and stabbed its tail, which hit her as the giant went airborne into a tree. Christian ran to her aide, leaving himself exposed, and as the giant jumped back to the ground, Alisha dove into action, hitting the giant with an uppercut, which stunned him.
Rachael cried, “Enough of this,” and raised her hand into the air, forming lightning in the clouds, which came down with full force upon the giant, cooking him. His body began smoking, and his eyes blinked twice, then he fell over dead.
Christian and Lillith stood, swords drawn, looking at this new enemy.
“Mother, I have never seen anything like that before! Get ready!” Christian warned, but Alisha walked past both of them and stood beside the new woman.
"Took you long enough!" Alisha said.
"Well, it's not like this world has ever been seen by us slayers. This was a brilliant plan... Destroy them from the inside out!" Rachael acknowledged.
"Mother, please tell me you didn't betray us!" Lillith cried.
“I did what had to be done. Only you will be spared, the rest of your people will be destroyed.”
“That will not happen,” Christian stated, pointing his newly removed sword at his mother. “I cannot believe I trusted you, and you led them here to destroy my people. Now that we rule, things will be different. I beg you, Mother, don’t do this.”
"You beg her, do you? How rude of me not to introduce myself. It would seem you have met a regular slayer, but I am the pinnacle. I am a master slayer, no vampire can match me in any way. I will now order you to stand down or be destroyed. You are the lucky ones; Alisha begged the Federation that you and your friends be spared. The others, however, will be destroyed, and then we are going home," Rachael revealed.
“How? You cannot leave this place because, like it or not, you are still human. Once the border has been crossed, there is no going back. So, you may as well get comfortable and get along. We aren’t the only people here in Penumbra; there are many others, and some are even more powerful than we are,” Christian countered.
“That’s why we brought the most powerful sorceress in our realm. I'm sure your spell will be broken, and we will gladly sail home.” Rachael pointed to her head and bragged, “We have thought of everything. We have placed a bomb in your castle, so your people, your brood, everything will be destroyed along with this god-forsaken place! You are all evil, killing and slaughtering innocents. That stops now!
Lillith could stand no more and dove over her brother, landing a solid punch to Rachael’s jaw and drawing blood. Lillith pointed and said, “You are mortal and can bleed, and if you bleed, you can die.”
An angry scream from Rachael filled the air as lightning formed around her.
Ayden and Emily looked at each other and nodded. They threw down some powder, causing them and all of their allies to disappear from where the slayers were and reappear miles away.
“This is getting worse and worse, Christian. Our mother has betrayed us, the giants may be plotting against us with Robert, who has challenged us to a duel to the death, and the slayers have placed a bomb that will destroy us and our people. Can it get any worse? Oh wait, it can! We don’t know where the bomb is!” Lillith wailed.
“I know it's serious, but you also have pulled the swords from the ancient stone. You two are the ones to rule, and I have to believe those swords will help us. I can’t even believe it, my soon to be husband and my best friend are the heirs to the throne!” Mackinzie blushed.
Christian, trying to do things the right way even in the turmoil, went to one knee in front of Mackinzie and said, “I hope I’m doing this the right way. Would you give me the honor of being your husband?”
“Yes, Christian, I will,” Mackinzie responded, covering her mouth and holding back tears.
"Oh my God!" Lillith squealed, grabbing Mackinzie’s hands and jumping up and down. "We are going to be sisters!" Mackinzie joined in the squealing and the girls were quickly shushed by Christian.
“I’m thrilled, but we’ll have to celebrate later. We are still in giant territory,” Christian reminded them.
Ayden and Emily smiled as they laid a hand on Christian’s and Lillith’s shoulders. “You will be even stronger as soon as we go back to see Morgan. She is an elder of both races, so I'm sure she will tell you what you need to do,” Ayden said.
"Okay, we have to know... Exactly how do you two know magic, and exactly when did you learn you could use it?" Christian inquired.
The twins smiled as they waved their hands into the air and began telling their origin story. “Long ago, the great sorcerer, Merlin, fell in love. The woman he took to be his bride was just a human but so passionate about life. After their marriage, our mother was conceived. Yes, Merlin is our grandfather. But the funny thing about magic is the balance must always be maintained. As the day of our mother’s birth drew near, a dark cloud settled over us and has haunted us to this day. Our grandmother, Glory, was turned into a shade responsible for hunting anyone who did not follow the rules of Penumbra. Our grandfather was stricken with grief and threw himself into protecting the king, your father, King Alexander. My mother was left to raise herself, and when she was old enough, she fell in love with the wrong man, Captain Robert. And that is our greatest shame, that our father is Captain Robert. Our mixed heritage and magic come from our mother, and we’ve tried hard to avoid any of our father’s traits,” Ayden explained as they hung their heads in shame.
"You have sacrificed so much to save us, including turning against the only family you have in order to save the throne," Lillith said with a lump in her throat.
"Seeing our grandfather choose both of you to rule was everything we needed to know. Our choice was the right one. Our father is a dark man and will lead the kingdom further into darkness. We must help restore the light," Emily asserted.
Together, they headed back toward Morgan while the slayers were on the move, hunting Robert and the giant slayers.
"Robert is mine," Alisha insisted through gritted teeth. “I can't wait to remove his head from his body.”
Rachael smiled at the thought of killing more vampires as they made their way back toward the place where they first saw Robert and the giant slayers. Unfortunately for them, they were moving deeper into giant territory.
Robert, who had started the challenge, had sent out a message to the village stating that the Federation had been killed by the prince and princess and they were planning on destroying them all, that he alone would stand against the tyrants and bring peace to their land. Unbeknownst to him, the bomb planted by the slayers was slowly ticking down and had six hours before detonation.
Chapter Eleven
Lillith, Christian, and their allies made it back to Morgan le Fay’s home to find that she’d been expecting them. Lillith was first to approach, and she stood in front of Morgan and showed her the sword. Morgan smiled as she called for Christian to show his sword to her.
Mackinzie, who stood next to them, started feeling like something terrible was coming, and she urged them to go. The twins saw a glint in Morgan’s eye that gave them an eerie feeling, so they slowly backed away and began gathering their energy.
Morgan hissed and cackled. Then she spun around, twirling as sparks of fire engulfed her, revealing her true form. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair, wearing a long purple and black robe. “Finally, the power is within my reach!”
Christian stood battle ready and yelled, “What is the meaning of this deception? You swore your allegiance to the throne!”
“Oh, my Prince, I do align myself to the throne. My throne!” Morgan twirled her hair with her finger, and when she snapped the fingers on her other hand, Christian, JH, and Lillith were completely entangled in the vines of the trees. Then she flung Mackinzie into a tree using just her magic. She smiled as she stepped in front of the twins, Emily and Ayden. "Heirs of Merlin, my sworn enemy, today, I exact my revenge. I have dreamed of this for many years!"
As
the twins felt the darkness of her power, they backed away slowly, then threw their own magic at her, which came out in a glow of beautiful yellow and green only to be swatted away like a fly.
“Is that all you have, twins? You have truly disappointed me. Merlin was one of the greatest sorcerers I have ever faced, and you two can barely hold a candle to my pinky finger.” She smiled cruelly and stalked toward them. The twins turned to run, but Morgan simply lifted her hand and spikes raised from the ground, blocking their path. They spun to go in another direction, but she pointed her finger, and the spikes flew at Ayden and Emily. A second before they connected, Merlin appeared, moving the spikes aside with his magic.
“Listen to me, my grandchildren, you have what it takes to defeat her. You are my heirs, and my strength is your strength. Cast aside your fear, embrace who you are, and defeat this evil!” Merlin ordered.
“Merlin! You dare show yourself! I shall destroy you as I swore to you I would!” She snapped her fingers, and a giant spike appeared, which she flung in Merlin’s direction.
Merlin laughed and turned the spike into birds. “This is not my fight, Morgan, this battle between good and evil. I have left it to two powerful sorcerers, my blood.” He smiled at the twins and turned into a white owl, flying off into the sky. “Remember what I told you,” his voice echoed.
The twins went on the attack, and Morgan defended each attack easily as she slowly wore them down. Ayden ran toward Morgan with no fear, leaping into a punch, which she dodged.
"So, we have resorted to fighting like non-magic folk,” she ridiculed, then kicked him hard in the gut, causing him to crumble under the pain. She followed that with a punch to his face that left him momentarily face down in the dirt.
Emily threw her magic, scoring a direct hit on the back of Morgan's head. She turned instantly, grabbing Emily by the throat and lifting her up. Ayden was back on his feet and swept Morgan's feet from under her, causing her to fall! Emily and Ayden locked hands and began wrapping her in magical chains in an attempt to bind her powers.
Morgan’s eyes turned red as she flung the chains off before floating back to her feet. She created a magical sword and sent it sailing into Ayden’s stomach. Terribly injured, he could do nothing but collapse.
Emily yelled and began screaming angrily as she created a sword out of her own magic. She and Morgan began a magical sword fight, but it didn't last long. Morgan stabbed Emily in the gut, then prepared to behead her. She stood over Emily, who lay motionless, but before she could make the fatal blow, Ayden had gathered his strength and threw his magic, hitting Morgan in the eyes.
As Morgan attempted to clear her dizziness, Emily came to and threw a magical made arrow straight at Morgan, piercing her heart. As the evil Morgan looked down at the arrow, a blade beheaded her!
Lillith's grinned as she cleared the leaves from her hair. "Never turn your back on your enemy," she said in a warning too late for Morgan. Her head spun like a top, splattering blood in all directions as her lifeless body fell to its knees before falling over. The blood that hit Lillith’s lips was welcomed, and she licked it off just before she picked up the body and drank from the neck, which was pouring blood.
As Morgan's magic disappeared, the last of the vines fell away, freeing Christian and JH, who hadn’t fared as well with freeing themselves as Lillith had. As Lillith finished drinking and raised her head, she caught sight of Mackinzie, who had been impaled by the tree she’d been thrown into. She ran to her friend, but there was little she could do. Blood streamed from the spiked branch, which was through the middle of her body.
Christian ran to her aid, holding his life-giving sword, which glowed as he gently touched the wound. The branch pulled free, and the wound closed, and when Mackinzie opened her eyes, she was pain free and able to move. Once Mackinzie was on her feet, Christian walked over to the twins and touched them with the sword, healing them as well.
“Okay, we have to get to the coliseum before this tattoo moves any further,” Christian said, and their little group moved out.
As Christian’s and Lillith’s group walked back toward the castle, Rachael and the other slayers were looking to find their way back. Alisha led the other slayers based on what she remembered, but they walked straight into a sleeping giant! Alisha held her hand up to get everyone to be silent, but Fire barked, waking the giant.
"Oh, look, the gods have given me breakfast,” the giant said with a sinister laugh.
Rachael stabbed him in the leg, but she didn’t do nearly enough damage. The giant brought his hand down hard, hitting her. Her body crumbled under the weight of his might, and as she attempted to stand, he grabbed her by the leg and slammed her into the ground! Fire and Ice ran to their master’s aid, but they were quickly killed by a couple of well-placed stomps. Their bodies crunched as the giant laughed. He reached down and picked up the remains of the dead wolves, popping pieces of them into his mouth, and began chewing.
“Tasty meat!” the giant said as he stalked toward the others.
Alisha ran to help Rachael, trying to stab the giant in the leg, but he dodged the attack and grabbed up one of the other slayers, who was ripped in half and discarded.
Danielle, their powerful sorceress, realized they were outmatched and screamed, "We must leave here now before we are slaughtered!"
Alisha grabbed the injured Rachael as Danielle covered them in a fog, causing the giant’s vision to become blurry. He ran after them but to no avail. They hid in the trees as he blindly ran past them. Rachael's body was badly injured, her arms and legs broken and disfigured. She coughed up blood and attempted to stay conscious, but she had never been injured this bad.
"Perhaps we should leave this place while we have a chance. Our numbers are down to just us, the others are dead, and you are injured," Danielle suggested, looking at Rachael’s mangled body in horror.
"You know the deal with this place. After we leave, our memories will fade, and we won’t remember anything of this place. Do you wish to leave our job unfinished?" a barely breathing Rachael said in a whisper. "I leave it up to you, Alisha. I feel this may be it for me. After all the battles I have gone through, to die in the land of the vampires by the hand of a giant. It’s shameful,” she sobbed.
A somber look flashed across her face as Alisha looked at her leader, her mind going back to all the battles they had fought side by side. A tear started to escape her eye, and she quickly pushed it back. This was war, there was no time for an injured comrade. Alisha knew what she had to do. Placing a hand over Rachael’s face, she covered both of her eyes while whispering, "Your battle is over, sister." She slammed her sword into Rachael’s heart, killing her instantly. Rachael’s body went limp as Danielle covered her mouth in horror.
“We must complete our mission,” Alisha said, her face like granite, showing no emotion. “Only the two of us remain. We have to complete this mission, or we will die here, trying. Let us go.”
Robert sat waiting, surrounded by the giant slayers and their people chanting, “Kill, Kill, Kill!” As the tattoo slowly raised up Robert's arm, it also crept up Lillith’s and Christian’s as well. It won't be long until the heir must face me. An easy win for me, Robert thought just as the ground began shaking. Each rumble got louder until the king of the giants, Timaeus entered into the coliseum.
“Robert, I have thought of your proposal, and my people are sick of war. We wish peace with you vampires, and if I have the word of the Federation that there will be no more bloodshed, the treaty will be signed. But be mindful, if you break our agreement, your castle will fall, and your children will beg for mercy as we will come down on you with all of our might.”
“King Timaeus, once I am crowned king, the treaty will be signed. Our people will live in harmony with one another. You have my word,” Robert swore with a small bow of his head.
King Timaeus then turned and exited the colosseum, heading back to his kingdom.
Robert smiled and whispered to his first in command,
“Once I am crowned, I will use his head as a pedestal for my throne room. Peace with those beasts, indeed. I shall not bow to a giant, they shall bow to me!” Robert had gained the mob of the people's approval, all that was left was defeating the heir to the throne, and he had the advantage. He was older and more skilled in combat. To him, this would be an easy task.
Or so he thought.
Chapter Twelve
The minutes seemed like hours by the time Lillith, Mackinzie, Christian, JH, and the twins made it back to the castle.
“It's empty,” Christian exclaimed as he quickly ran to the Federation chambers, where he found blood running out of the room and all three of them murdered. He had no idea of why or how it happened, but the horrors of it were plain to see. Nevertheless, he could do nothing about that right now, so he led Lillith and the others to the coliseum where the challenge was to take place.
Sounds of a beating drum and chanting grew louder the closer they got to the coliseum. be heard with each step closer to this place, when after a few moments they arrive. The coliseum was a huge arena, standing high into the face of a mountain. It was here that they would take their throne from the tyrant, Robert.
As they entered, they were met by many of their people, some happy to see them alive, others angry for whatever Robert had convinced them of. They reached the entrance level to the challenge room, and Robert began clapping from his spot atop the challenge level.
“It would seem the true heir has made it,” he said, derision clear in his voice. “Which one of you shall it be? Dust awaits you.”
Silence filled the air as Christian turned to the crowd. “My people, it would seem that our destiny has been fulfilled. As my father before me, I had a twin, one whom I knew nothing of. I only discovered her while on my journey to find a queen. Once here, we were sent on a quest to determine which of us would inherit the throne. That quest was fraught with danger, much of it due to Captain Robert’s machinations, but we reached our destination. One of us was to pull a spelled sword from a stone. Whichever of us succeeded would be the true heir.”