Mairwen and Nurlan had finished dispensing with the leprechauns and were monitoring the capture of the dark blue troops. Minor skirmishes were going on here and there, but overall the New Emperor's army had surrendered.
"I want to know how Mother and Father are doing," the princess told the general. They both glanced behind them and toward the sea. They could see neither of the battles clearly. However, they could hear the sounds of war wafting over the Beachy plains and see that at least some of the ships were still floating in the sea. The Emperor and Empress still had work to do.
"A fairy will come and get you once it is safe," Nurlan assured her. "Until then, we will stay put."
Mairwen sighed and bit the inside of her cheek. "The waiting is harder than the battling."
Not wanting to contradict the princess, Nurlan shrugged. "The time certainly seems to go slower when nothing is happening," he mused.
Listening quietly, Eira was glad for the moment of peace. There were far too few of those where her mistress was concerned.
The three went on like this for a short while, unaware of the lurking danger. Hidden in one of the dips of the Beachy Plains was a lone archer unable to admit defeat. He knew he would die, but he was determined to take the princess with him. In his mind, she was the sole reason for their loss. Mairwen would pay.
Waiting for just the right moment and popping up from hiding, he trained his arrow on the princess, pulled back his bow and released. However, the moment of impact never arrived.
Across the land, a great thrum of energy and light pushed through, knocking Mairwen, Eira and Nurlan to the ground.
"What was that?" Nurlan said as he hurried back to his feet.
Spotting the arrow as it sailed overhead, Eira scrambled to tackle the assailant. "Your Highness!" she called when she reached the archer. "He's unconscious."
"Tie him up!" Nurlan ordered. He looked out at the troops and was astonished by what he saw. Although the Imperial troops had been knocked down, the New Emperor's Army was completely asleep. "What was that?!" he repeated loudly, hoping that maybe one of the Guardians would know. Those who heard only shrugged and continued restraining the unconscious men with cords.
Mairwen clutched her chest. There was a sudden intense pain that gripped her heart. "Alaron?" she whispered, as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked to where the magic had come from. "Get me a horse. I have to get to my mother."
"But!" Nurlan objected. However, he could see something was wrong. The burly general sighed. "Vahan! Captain Caleb! You are in charge. Make sure everything is secure, though it shouldn't be hard now." He glanced out on the incapacitated enemy. 'What could have caused this?' Looking up, Nurlan saw the sky begin to swirl and change. His face grew pale.
Three horses were brought and Mairwen, Nurlan and Eira mounted them. The Princess took the silver fairy necklace in her hand. "I wish to find Empress Aurora," she said quietly.
The silver pixie leapt from the girl's neck and raced across the Beachy Plains, with the three steeds barely able to keep it in their sight.
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Devrim's sword pierced a pirate's side, but two more came at him before he could recover. One grabbed his arm, aiming to stab him with a dagger. The Empreror spun away and the pirate managed to land his upward thrust into his companion instead of his enemy.
As the pirate bent to retrieve his dagger, the grey-eyed man used the full force of his elbow against the man's skull and knocked him to the ground. Now both pirates lay still.
The body count on both sides was growing, but Devrim knew how few losses he could actually afford. He had called a tactical retreat into the water now that Xander was no longer a threat, but the longer he fought, the harder he realized this task actually was. The pirates, though less skilled, were still tenacious. Seeing his men dispersed on the deck and surrounded, he stayed to help free them.
After Wai's massive strike against the ships, the nymph was weakened. She, the selkies, and the merfolk did what they could from the water, but aboard the boat the humans were alone.
Seeing his limitations, Devrim pushed forward. Now three more buccaneers surrounded the Emperor, each hoping to claim the prize of Captain.
"Could you at least form a line? I am not sure who to battle first," the grey-eyed man said as he worked out the stiffness in his shoulders. For some reason, they did not agree and swung their weapons at him all at once. He backed up against the broken mast as one of the blades bit into the wood.
Devrim ducked below the club, but the dagger cut him across his thigh. That injury coupled with the others he had received caused him to collapse on the deck. He held up his sword to fend off the next attack and kicked one of the pirates with his good leg. He could see help was coming from a faithful lieutenant, but it would be too late. Any of the next strikes would easily be fatal.
Struggling to his feet while leaning against the mast, Dervim was surprised when he was thrown to the ground not by a person, but by a light with substance. The pirates around him went reeling backwards, unconscious from the strong force.
After a look at the shore to try to find the source of salvation, the Emperor limped over to Junayd. He was still on the deck, clinging to life. Devrim took his hand; it was very cold. "What happened?" the general asked quietly.
"I don't know," Devrim conceded after another look at the shoreline. Things there had gone very still as well.
"Sire?" a lieutenant called, requesting orders.
The Emperor looked over his shoulder at his subordinate. "Capture the pirates. Beach the ships and tend to the wounded. I am going to take the general here to the shore ahead of you."
"Yes, Sire!" The soldier moved quickly to comply.
"I can wait," Junayd assured him. The pool of blood around the man told a different story. The Emperor packed the wound with new fabric.
"We need to get you to a healer. Now. And I need to get to my wife." Devrim leaned over the broken railing. "Phoca? Luna? Are you there?" The two selkies popped their heads up alongside the hull. "I need your help getting the general and me to shore." He looked up at the changing sky and his heart began to race. "And hurry!"
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The pulse of light and energy was only aimed at the Empress's enemies, but that did not stop it from knocking down everyone and everything in its path. However only those who opposed the Imperial Army were rendered unconscious.
Aurora recovered as Renat helped her to her feet. The battlefield before her was completely still for a moment. Only the crashing waves suggested that the world was still in motion. Even the sky was still, except for the retreating forms of the wyverns.
Since the lizard-like creatures were not on the ground, they had not been stunned, but the light was enough to blind them even through their thin eyelids. Cafer's training did no good. Now that their fear had set in, they could only return to their instincts.
As a pack, the wyverns used the warmth of the sun to head north, back toward home in hopes that the land of magic would reward them with better food and less resistance.
Aurora only paid them a passing glance. Movement on the battleground drew her attention as the elves and fairies, who had been grounded from flight by the wyverns, began to stand. Thinking quickly, they began to gather the enemy weapons and tie up Cafer's army before they awoke.
"I think my head is going to burst like one of Renat's experiments," Brinn groaned as she tried to sit up.
"Your head has nothing on my old bones. All of them were nearly shattered," Reyan complained. He began to check to make sure he was in one piece. They both stopped as they looked at the unmoving third member of the trio. He was sprawled on the ground in an unnatural position.
Pulled from her fog of confusion, Aurora ran to her son, collapsed beside him and pulled his head into her lap. "Alaron!" The boy's skin was cool to the touch, and he was not breathing. Aurora grabbed her stomach and fought the urge to be sick.
"No!" She screamed as sobs overtook her. Her tears wet the boy's pale face as she bent over him.
"Your Majesty?" Zan interrupted her pain.
The Empress's eyes snapped up at the Guardian. "Capture Cafer! Use the cuffs that block magic use."
"Your Majesty," Zan said again, this time pointing to the sky. Where once there was clear blue, now a wavering disturbance in a kaleidoscope of colors began to form overhead.
Aurora did not look up. She was far too focused on her words.
"Hurry Zan! Do not let Cafer get away." She cried.
Out of the growing mass, Hanna shot to the ground and took hold of the Empress's hand. "He won't," she said. "The seal is broken."
Together, they disappeared.