Chapter Seven

Ahmik bolts up the path towards the kingdom. The guards stop us when we reach the gates.

“Halt! State your business!” Their weapons are drawn, courageous as I expected them to be, but there isn’t much time.

I reach up to grasp both sides of my hood and pull it back. My identity revealed, their jaws drop, and both men bend down to one knee.

“Sorry Princess! We didn’t recognize you!”

“That’s a good thing this time. You are to tell no one that you have seen me. Only Mother and Father must know.” I respond in my royal voice. “Also, the wolf and elf are with me.” They nod in understanding.

“Yes, of course, Princess.” They open the gates to let us through.

Thankfully, we’re entering the kingdom early enough that most people aren’t up and about yet. We’re able to go down the side street, which is a straight path to the castle. As we’re getting closer, I realize Mother and Father will be in the center garden about this time. We ride right up to the garden where I can see them walking and talking quietly to each other. While I’m getting off Ahmik, Mother runs up and wraps me in a close embrace.

“Oh my, Elysia! We were so worried about you!” She exclaims.

“Bellsulion got a message to me right before he was killed, telling us your tent burned down, but he didn’t think you had died.” Father tells me.

He then walks over to Declan with an expression of great interest.

“Father, this is my Thief match, Maeron, Declan in our tongue.”

Declan bows. “It is nice to meet you, Your Majesty.”

Father nods and takes a step towards Glandur, speaking barely above a whisper.

“I haven’t seen Ceryneian Hind in ages. I was beginning to think they were all gone or poached. But, yours is even more magnificent, since he is especially rare.” I swear there are tears in his eyes as he strokes the magnificent stag.

Declan smiles. “Yes, our people believed so as well until we found Glandur and his siblings.”

Father nods again, blinking his eyes and moving to Rafe, who has shifted back into a human.

“Father, this is my Warrior match, Rafe.”

Rafe bows. “It’s an honor.”

“Rafe, huh?” My father asks him.

“Yes, sir. My parents didn’t want me to forget that, in order to be the best I could be, I had to be one with my wolf. My parents explained, I have to learn from both sides of me in order to be both strong and wise as a warrior. So they named me “Wise Wolf.”

Before anyone can continue, Mother starts to push us towards the castle and calls the stable hands to take care of Ahmik and Glandur.

“Let us go inside before something else happens, and we are unprepared.” Mother says quietly, as she grasps my hand and ushers us inside.

We retreat to the dining room for breakfast. While we’re waiting for the food to be brought to the table, Mother and Father leave to change into their royal attire, as is custom. My companions and I start to relax and chat.

“I’m starving. I hope this food we’re about to have is everything I imagine.” You can almost see Rafe’s tongue hanging out like a dog’s. I laugh at his enthusiasm.

“Calm down there, boy, you are not skin and bone, so you are not starving.” Declan teases. Mother and Father finish changing and join us at the table for breakfast.

“Elysia, this place is amazing! It’s spacious and elegant; I like it. I could make myself very comfortable here.” Rafe tells me with the same enthusiasm. I laugh at him again.

“Well, I dare say that we shall spend plenty of time here, after we are completely safe.” I respond while I watch the goofy grin on his face as he looks around the room, I suspect imagining castle life.

“Speaking of safety, I am afraid we will not be able to stay here as long as you hope. Your kingdom is in jeopardy as it is.” Declan says.

“Yes, this is exactly why we need to hear what happened and devise a plan to defeat Merikh.” Father tells us as he seats Mother and walks to his chair.

During breakfast, we explain about the assassination attempt, the matching, the tent fire, and how we escaped. My parents, especially my mother, handle this information better than I imagined.

“Do you know why Merikh would want you dead?” Mother asks concerned.

“Apparently, he believes I am the princess of the prophecy, and he is the dark overlord who I will defeat.”

I laugh at how crazy this sounds. I then realize my parents aren’t laughing, as they glance at each other in silence. My father looks grave, and they both stand up from the table.

“Come, I have someplace more appropriate to discuss this.” My father says, expecting us to follow him.

Declan and Rafe glance at me as if to ask where we are going. I shrug my shoulders in response. I’m not used to such seriousness in my father’s voice. My mother puts her arm around my shoulders as we walk farther into the castle. Father leads us down a hallway towards the ballroom then stops suddenly and turns around to look at us.

“What I am about to reveal to you is known only by a few select people, so no matter what happens to us or the castle, tell no one.”

We all nod our understanding. He proceeds to press a stone in the wall, and a door opens. This door leads us up a spiraling staircase into another hallway. We walk to the end of the hall into a massive room decorated in red velvet and candlelight. There are shelves filled with extremely old books and scrolls. I walk around the room, looking at the shelves but careful not to touch anything.

There are writing desks in between a couple of the bookshelves. In the middle of the room are very large couches and chairs, along with a few small tables in the middle. How have I not known about this place? Has it been here all this time? I can’t control the questions bouncing around in my head. After a few moments of looking around in awe, we automatically sit down on the couches.

My parents sit down across from us. Mother grasps Father’s hand and they exchange glances and begin to speak.

“First, I suppose we should tell you about your birth, Elysia.” I stare at them, waiting for answers.

Why have I never known the story of my birth before, and why is it important now? We wait quietly for a moment for them to continue.

“When your mother, Maire, was pregnant with your brothers, nothing was out of the ordinary. But, a few mornings before you were expected to arrive, she was walking in the garden when she started to have labor pains. That in itself is not unusual. What was odd is that the weather went from beautiful and sunny to dark and ominous so quickly. With every labor pain she had, the weather worsened. We got her up to the birthing room we had made for our first son, Aidan.” Father paused, giving us a moment to think about this and continued.

“The storm that started to rage outside wasn’t just any kind of storm. It was the most amazing lightning storm any of us had ever seen. Every strike of lightning was a different color. Finally, you were born. As your mother held you, a dark, purple light leapt out of your tiny body and lit up the entire room. It shot through the window and into the heavens, as if it came from your soul. We weren’t sure what to make of the miracle until Bellsulion came to us and told us of the princess who would one day harness lightning magic to defeat the overlord with the help of her two companions and life animal.”

I sit there stunned, not quite sure whether to believe what I was hearing.

“So, Elysia is THE princess then? How did Merikh know this information?” Rafe asks, not bothering to hide his surprise.

“If Bellsulion knew, were there any more of my elders who did?” Declan asks, acting more shocked about who told them this news.

“Yes, she is the lightning bearer. I am not sure how Merikh knew it was her though.” Mother responds to Rafe.

“Well, the only others who knew were Bellsulion’s two companions.” Father continues.

“Elysia’s great grandfather had slain the last evil one with his sword staff. In those days, the very respected and powerful mages were allowed to own a staff that would make their power almost limitless. However, after one of their most trusted turned to the dark side and slaughtered whole villages, they decided to destroy every staff the mages had in order to restrain their power and teach them how to earn it through hard work and experience.”

“Okay, how does that apply to us?” Rafe asks, always the curious one. I guess he is probably trying to figure out what kind of battle plan we will need to use.

“We’ll have to get the staff then, won’t we?” Declan chimes in.

Father lets go of Mother’s hand and proceeds to pace.

“Unfortunately, the staff was destroyed. But, there are the ancient relics said to be sent or created to protect this world of ours from great evil. There were only three of them, made for the original Triune. The mage had the Amulet of Asami, meaning Amulet of Morning Beauty. The warrior had the Weapon of Katsumi, meaning Weapon of Victorious Beauty. And, the thief had the Mitsuru Pouch, meaning Growing Pouch. In order to defeat this overlord, you will need to collect these relics of ancient power.” Father tells us.

“Why do we need these relics if his power is limited?” I respond, trying to understand everything he’s just told us.

“He was able to murder the festival masters with ease, which means his power may not be limited. He is either extremely strong, or he could even have a staff.” Father explains.

“I thought you said all the staffs were destroyed? How could he have one?” I respond with annoyance.

“I am sure he probably bribed or threatened one of the old staff makers.” Mother says, scowling at me.

“Isn’t there some other way to break or destroy his staff?” I ask timidly, slightly apprehensive about going to find the ancient relics and realizing my parents are trying their best to give us as much knowledge as possible.

“Not without getting you killed. He would be able to vaporize you before you even knew what hit you. You must find those ancient relics, or he will reign over our world.” Mother explains.

“But, how can I be the princess who will save us all when I can’t even use lighting and I don’t have my life animal?” I ask, trying to figure all this out in my head.

“Yes, we get that. But, perhaps one has to do with the other. You may have to dig deep inside yourself to make the lightning magic surface.” Father says, approaching me and rubbing my hair.

“It is also possible the mage amulet will help you harness lightning magic.” Mother suggest, kindness reappearing on her face.

“Regardless, we need to find those relics. Do you know where they are?” Declan asks Father.

“Not really, but there could be clues in some of these old books and scrolls.” Father is quickly cut off by Rafe before he can finish.

“Meaning, we had better get to studying and digging into these old dust covers.” We all laugh a little at his straight to the point attitude.

While Rafe and I start digging through the old books, Father and Declan read through the scrolls. They are the only ones who can read the ancient languages in which the scrolls were written. We study for hours; Mother runs most of the duties around the palace and brings us snacks and lunch before we find any mention of the relics or the legend of them.

“I found something guys! Listen to this.” Rafe announces enthusiastically.

“Our trio had finally reached the Jungle, the one that may just lead us to our deaths. Many a man has gone mad when trying to find the ancient temple. The temple, the original forefather of mages built to protect his amulet. The Amulet of Asami has been there ever since according to the legends. We are going to find the ancient relic and bring it back to our people.” Rafe pauses.

“What jungle are they talking about? Why would it be the one that leads them to their demise?” Declan asks before Rafe or I can.

“They must be speaking of the Jungle of the Nymphs. Other things live there as well, but the Nymphs are what it is known for. They play tricks and test everyone who enters. They are protectors of their Jungle, and if I had to guess, the temple too. Many people have gone mad or even been killed because of the tricks and tests.” Father explains.

We let that sink in for a moment before we stare at Rafe, waiting for him to continue.

“We walked deep into the jungle, very aware that we were being watched. The deeper we went in, the more eerie it became. All of a sudden, a thick fog set in around us. We trekked further into the jungle until we heard female laughter. I held up my fist to signal the company to stop. When we were all still, we listened for more laughter. Unfortunately, silence was all we heard. We looked at each other as if asking with our eyes what to do next. We all nodded one short nod in agreement and continued forward, knowing exactly why we had come this far. We also knew we probably wouldn’t return, but we shall have died honorably.” Rafe stops and looks up at me and Declan.

“Well?” I ask anxiously. Rafe just shrugs.

“There isn’t any more; the pages were torn out. The only ones left are empty.”

“What? How can it stop like that? Do you have the other pages?” Declan asks my father hurriedly. My father shakes his head slowly

“These are some very old documents; on top of that, I am positive we are not the only ones to have gone through them looking for information on the ancient relics, as proven by this very journal.”

“Do we need to know what the missing pages say in order to find the relics? I ask.

“I guess we will never know. Knowing what else was said, or written in this case, may have helped, but it also could have told how each of them died some cruel, horrid death like so many men before them.” Mother answers.

“That really wouldn’t have helped us know anything, other than we have a very high risk of dying.” Rafe finishes.

“Nymphs are very wily when it comes to protecting what is theirs and sometimes when they are in the mood to play. You have to be smarter than them and see through their illusions. However, some more research must be done than we really have time for. Declan, do you think it’s possible to get to your people, so they may help Elysia learn some more magic, along with honing the powers she already has?” Father asks.

“I’m not sure. If we can make it without being caught by Merikh, we will still have to find someone to instruct her in a shorter amount of time than most elves would be happy with. That doesn’t even include the fact that she doesn’t know lightning magic yet.” Declan responds.

“Well, we can make a better plan tomorrow once our minds are fresh and you have had more time to process all this new information. We should all go down to dinner and get some sleep to prepare for more research tomorrow.” Father suggests, as he takes Mother’s hand. She rises from the couch, giving me a weak smile. We all nod in agreement and retreat to the dining room.

After eating silently, we decide it would be best to go straight to bed. But, first, I want to take a small walk in our garden. It truly is something spectacular. There is a grand maze you can wind through mindlessly for hours and almost always end up in the middle. Well, at least I could. The center is the beautiful treasure you finally find after being lost and confused for so long, a wooden swing. For many years, I often found myself on this swing, right in the middle of butterfly and hummingbird bushes, near a trickling brook that ended in a small pond by the gazebo filled with Koi fish of many colors. It was the perfect place for solitude. I would sit on the swing, breathing in the surroundings, listening to all the life in the world around me. Whenever I needed peace, clarity, and guidance through prayer or meditation, it gave me the strength I needed.

Many people through the years would ask me what I was listening to; I often answered that I could hear the secrets of the world if I listened hard enough. I smiled at the thought, wishing I could hear secrets of the past to help us on our quest. Listening to the brook and watching all the creatures interact, so full of life, always helped me reach that deep peaceful feeling I searched for. It is my place of refuge; I always leave feeling more clear and confident than before. Thinking of all those memories is probably how I ended up wandering my way back to the very swing I had spent so many hours gaining peace and comfort. I can at least try to make sense of everything that has happened. Perhaps it will even help me prepare for all that is to come.

It isn’t long before I start praying again, like I had so many times before. I feel a warm, gentle breeze wrap around me like a hug. I suddenly feel reassurance, that all will be well and peaceful, and calm fills my soul. I know now that the road will be rough, but it will all work out in the end. I look up at the stars, desperately waiting for some secret of the world that might change the evil threatening to take over.

I am silent for a few moments when my heart starts to pray for clarity and guidance as we go forward on our journey. I get so caught up in the beauty of the stars that I am startled by the sound of something nearby. I mentally check myself, as I have no idea how long I’ve been there or any clue of anything else in my surroundings.

I calmly stand up and look around but see nothing. I raise my arms, ready to use my fireballs and fire just in case.

“Show yourself!” I shout; still, silence is my only response.

I lower my arms, about to turn around and sit down, thinking I had overreacted, when I feel a tiny knife point at the side of my neck.

“You, Milady, would be dead if I had wanted you that way,” the voice says with a hint of amusement.

I breathe a sigh of relief, realizing after a moment that it’s Declan. He drops his knife and walks around the swing to sit beside me. I punch his arm for scaring me, and he laughs.

“What was that for?” He asks with a big grin.

“You know exactly what that was for. You, Sir, had better not make threatening my life a habit.” I tell him, half teasing.

His grin turns into a full smile. “What are you going to do about it if I did? Being able to one-up you is pretty entertaining.”

I punch him again.

“There you are! Why wasn’t I invited to the party?” Rafe asks, putting his hands over his heart to feign hurt.

“Sorry, private party! Invite only, so I must ask you to leave.” Declan says with a giant grin on his face, and I push him.

“Declan! I didn’t invite either one of you to MY safe haven!”

He just shrugs and looks up at the stars. Rafe takes a seat on the other side of me.

“Let’s make a mage sandwich!” Rafe suggests enthusiastically.

“Or not! I think I’d rather stay my current solid shape, thanks.” Now I’m thinking, ‘so much for solitude and clarity.’

They both laugh. We sit there in silence, staring up at the sky, each of us looking for our own answers. Before I rise from the swing to go to bed, the stars start to shift into a scene that looks like a girl shooting white light into something.

“Elysia, you will soon know all you need to know.” The deep resonating voice speaks again.

I focus back on the stars, and it was like they never moved. I look at Declan and Rafe, but they seem not to have seen or heard anything. I decide to keep it all to myself, for the moment at least. I stand up and stretch.

“Well boys, I am going to bed now. Every princess needs her beauty sleep.” I give them my best mischievous smile. Declan stands up and gives a mock bow.

“I’ll be happy to escort you to your room, Milady.” I laugh at his playfulness and curtsy back.

“Thank you, Kind Sir. I would love your accompaniment.” Before we can say anything else, Rafe bids us good night.

“Pleasant sleep guys, I’ll see you tomorrow. I think I will stay out here a little longer and study the stars.” We both nod in understanding, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe he had seen something too.

Declan holds out his arm for me to take, so I loop mine through the bend of his elbow. We walk somewhat slowly through the maze and back to the castle.

“You don’t have to worry, Elysia. Everything will be okay.” Declan starts, and I smile timidly.

“Yeah, I have a good feeling about all of this.”

We walk through the back door, and I notice that Father’s study light is still on. I shrug and start up the stairs when the door to his study opens fully.

“Declan, I need to speak with you.” Declan nods and is about to walk into the office when he stops and turns to me.

“I apologize for my poor escort to your room; I trust you will be okay the rest of the way.” He winks at me and follows Father into the office.

In my dreams, many different images flash in front of me until, suddenly, I see a cave opening at the base of a giant mountain in the middle of a grey swamp. It feels like I am floating in midair. I try to step forward, but nothing happens. I attempt to look around, but it is as if my neck will not cooperate. I am slowly taken inside the cave, everything goes black, and the scenery changes again.

The next vision I see is on top of the mountain, so close to ominous black clouds, I can almost touch them. Under these clouds, a bright light flashes, and I can see an ancient temple that gives me a strange feeling of being very well guarded. The vision goes black when I vaguely hear my name being called.

“Elysia! Elysia! Quick; wake up!” I open my eyes slowly to see Declan shaking me awake.

“What? What is it?” I ask a little urgently.

“We must leave quickly. Merikh’s men are on their way here!” I jump up, the skirt of my sleeping gown billowing behind me.

I turn back to Declan, but he is already gone. I rush to get dressed, thinking he must have gone to make sure Rafe didn’t need any help with the animal steeds. I pack as many clothes, blankets, and other necessities as possible. I have a feeling we might be going somewhere icy. I grab my bags and run downstairs to find Mother and Father waiting for me.

Mother gives me a big hug. “I love you, my daughter. We are both proud of you. Be safe and remember to write me, so I will know you are safe. But, never tell me where you are or where you are going.”

I start to cry as I realize they aren’t coming. They can’t leave their kingdom, as Merikh would decimate the place if they did.

“Don’t cry, my princess. I have good faith that you and your matches will save us all. Now, go! They’re waiting on you; do not waste any time. Take the secret path to the forest and be safe. Always remember that we both love you dearly no matter what happens.” Father tells me as he embraces my sobbing body.

He releases me, and I walk backwards, telling them with urgency, “Bye, I love you both so much! Please stay safe!”

I take off as fast as I can towards the barn. Once I reach the doors, Rafe sees my tears and pulls me into his arms, making me sob harder. I am so blessed to have such kind young men as my matches. Rafe releases me and helps me onto Ahmik. I lead the way out of the only home I’ve ever known with Rafe in wolf form and Declan riding Glandur.

We start out of the back gardens, taking the trail that connects straight to the forest. I put a protective shield around each of us just in case we catch enemy fire. I look back to make sure I haven’t lost the boys at the speed Ahmik is going, and I suddenly see a giant shadow creature coming straight for us. I holler at Ahmik to go faster. Sensing my urgency, he quickly picks up speed. Rafe is suddenly at my right side, which feels odd given his sheer size.

Although we are moving as fast as we can, the creature is gaining on us. It starts to throw black electric pulsed balls at us, which obviously spooks Ahmik.

“Be calm and trust me.” I whisper in his ear.

I can feel his fear dissipating as he runs faster. I decide then that it’s time for me to try to shoot some firepower back at the shadow creature.

My heart silently prays to the same familiar being I have talked to for years, asking for extra strength to withstand battle magic. I pull up on Ahmik’s reins to stop him and turn around long enough to push my arms towards the creature, sending a pulsing pure white ball at him. The orb hits the creature dead on, and it explodes. Declan is right beside me in an instant and looks at me with such shock that I think I may die from embarrassment.

“Was...Was that lightning magic?” I nod in stunned belief.

“THAT WAS AMAZING!!! I thought you couldn’t do that?” Rafe exclaims, running up beside us.

“I didn’t think I could. I’ve never been able to before.” My voice trails off, and I shrug.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time to figure that out right now. I am sure more of whatever that was is on its way.” We nod at Declan.

We are about to take off again when I hear that familiar deep voice.

“Come to the river, for it will take you to what you seek.”

I look over at Rafe and Declan. They heard the voice as well this time. I can see the same alarm and fear that had been on my face when I first heard him, as their eyes search the trees for where it could have possibly come from. I smile slightly, as I’m used to it by now.

“Elysia, please explain to them the vision you had last night, for it is crucial you all believe in your mission. Make your way to the river now; I shall meet you there.” I’m still not sure who this voice belongs to, but I feel I can trust it.

Declan looks at me in disbelief. “Do you know who the bodiless voice is, Elysia?”

“Yeah, what he is talking about?” Rafe adds. I sigh heavily.

“I have no idea. I’ve heard his voice maybe a couple of times. I will explain as much as I can on the way to the river.” I try to assure them.

“Okay, where is the river?” Declan asks. Rafe shifts back into wolf form, sniffs the air, and heads through the woods.

“Well, Rafe is going in the right direction, but it’s also not the easiest way.” I respond to Declan.

We are about to continue down the path when the voice tells us to follow Rafe and stay off the beaten trail. We haven’t gotten far when Rafe appears in human form.

“Okay guys, approximately three hours in this direction, and we will reach the river just before dark.”

“What will we do once we get there?” I ask.

“I guess we will go where the voice tells us; I sure hope he's waiting for us. I do not trust random voices. However, I can sense the enemy is searching for us, so we must be silent in order to be undetected.” Declan warns us.

Rafe and I nod, and we start our journey towards the river. I try to keep Ahmik as silent as possible, which is not easy with a horse. I use my magic to muffle him as much as I can, but it’s not too successful, probably because I’m not quite at that skill level. I finally settle on walking Ahmik and guiding his steps. That would have taken us three hours, doubled by the time we finally reach the river.

Declan and I get off our steeds and walk quietly behind Rafe to the river’s edge, using the trees and bushes as camouflage in case enemies are nearby. As we look up and down the river, there does not appear to be anyone else around. We relax a little bit and examine our surroundings. Then, we see it, and I can’t believe my eyes.