Arakiel and his party followed the Moli westward for several days without any major incidents.
The weather steadied at a stable light snowfall and although the air remained constantly cold and moist with the large river nearby, it didn’t hamper the animals or their riders too much. Fog rolled in early and dissipated late, but he had enough supplies stored away and the snow was thick enough that the horses didn’t slip.
His party’s pace was acceptable and they didn’t meet a single other person on the road. Judging by the lack of tracks in the snow, they were the only ones traveling it. Wherever Duke Mardut had gone, it wasn’t westward on the road. Perhaps he had gone further inland to evade potential pursuers or he had just marched north or north-east.
It didn’t really matter to Arakiel at this point in time.
Talking was kept to a minimum and only during breaks did they chat a little more animatedly, mostly about the rather picturesque landscape which mainly consisted of fields of white snow and the occasional white forest while all the time, the majestic river remained to their left. The white fog that really only cleared up around noon added to an overall mystique.
Arakiel and Ezekiel sparred a little in the evening, but they mostly tried to figure out tactics in case Queen Fodhla turned on them. How could they counter some school and paths which they suspected were either water, nature or perhaps astral. The main problem would be to get close to her, as most mages, no matter how powerful, were ill-suited for melee combat.
For now, Arakiel assumed that she was an ascendant, perhaps a water-astral mage or a nature-water one. Even if she was a Double Thaumaturge, she shouldn’t be able to overwhelm their minds right away as long as Arakiel and Ezekiel kept their anti-magic up early. Besides, every spell demanded a gesture or incantation – they’d know.
Now that things were going more swimmingly with Selene, Ezekiel had apparently gained some insight into how to come up with new sigils.
As agreed upon, both did no longer pry into each other’s process but given how Selene had become a lot livelier over the past weeks, things seemed to go quite well and it was apparently because of Aurora.
It still felt a little weird to witness the Selenyean princess argue with Alannah about this and that, but he wasn’t exactly opposed to occasionally breaking the tedium of travel and even better, she always took the first and second vigil, with Ezekiel taking the third while Arakiel endured the last one. It allowed both to spend some quiet, private time with their seraphims.
Nonetheless, Arakiel truly despised traveling, even if the group moved much quicker now than with the Smokeless Host.
The planeswalking party crossed the Moli once again three days after having left Maduts’ Crossing. The river turned and led northward. Just like last time, the crossing was made possible by a large bridge of stone which led further west. It was a little thinner, but still easily allowed two horses to ride side-by-side and although the river was a little less wide here, the bridge easily stretched over a hundred meters.
Traversal proved no real challenge and just like that, the group entered the Middle Kingdom’s heartlands as there were no guards or sentries of any kind – not even a building to house such individuals.
It seemed a little odd, but maybe the heartland just didn’t have tolls and taxes like other duchies.
On first glance, the landscape barely changed. Shallow wide fields of untouched snow interspersed with the occasional bushes or forests, all of which were also white and without any leaves.
Just like Queen Fodhla had foretold, the road they followed, which was only really discernible because of the even surface, eventually split off southward.
They followed it and about an hour later, the plain field surrounding them gave way to a well and true forest and the deeper they went inside, the thicker and more dense it grew even if there were precious few noises all around.
Below, the cobblestone had given way to soil but the trail they followed remained flat, well-passable.
Once it grew dark, the forest came to life only slightly more and not really how it should be. Not once did they hear a distant howl or some critter hurrying through the thick underbrush – it was almost eerie and when the fog crept in, things grew a bit spooky, spooky enough for Nyanna and Alannah to seek their respective owner’s proximity while they agreed that there was no further point in trying to reach this hamlet.
Arakiel decided to set up camp right on the road.
Aurora and the horses seemed unfazed as long as she had a light to call upon – which she basically always did – while Selene didn’t seem to mind the darkness at all.
Mellia didn’t take the silence well and requested in her unique way that both Ezekiel and Arakiel stay right next to her. Neither denied. Quite the opposite: whenever Arakiel could help his little sister in some way, he felt a good kind of emotion that had been utterly alien to him. A sense of deep-seated satisfaction about helping his family.
In the previous nights, they had the river that acted as a constant source of noise. Out here in the forest, there was no such thing and the silence really got to Arakiel at some point.
Selene – just like the previous days – offered to stand vigil for the first two shifts.
His little sister placed her bedroll right next to his and he watched over her until she eventually drifted off to sleep at which point he turned around to share some intimacies with Aurora. Now it was his turn to fall asleep beneath her soft and gentle strokes.
Ezekiel quietly woke him up at some later point and it was still eerily silent, so silent that he could hear his own heart’s beat, could even hear the blood rushing to his ears.
His partner-in-crime and probably friend told him that everything had been quiet so far, but he should remain vigilant nonetheless. Something was deeply wrong with this place and the longer Arakiel stared out into the darkness, the more he agreed.
At some point, he took on Aurora’s aspect to feel a little safer and just to be extremely sure, he ignited the fading campfire anew in gold while adding two more logs from his Spatial Ring.
Then, he waited and waited while silence ruled supreme except for his own breath or the occasional crackle in the fire. When he was certain that nothing else would come, he pulled out the sixth of Aurora’s shards and formed a few different sigils as a means of training, as he always did.
Aurora hated it when her shards weren’t used and so he had taken to more or less burn them on alterations or little evocations. It helped his mind remember the steps and pleased Aurora in the process – a win-win.
An hour or perhaps two later, he heard his seraphim stir and when she got up, she beamed a soft smile and then sat down next to him, where she put her head to rest on his shoulder while one of her wings gave him shelter in a way. He was once again left to wonder whether she needed any sleep at all for lately, that hadn’t appeared to be the case. In addition, her metabolism seemed to have quieted down quite a bit as well. She barely ate food or drank water and nature barely heeded it’s call for her as far as he could tell.
Nonetheless, she appeared brim-full with energy.
Selene, on the other hand, slept like a rock after her vigil was done and she had become their biggest eater by far, much to Alannah’s glee, using it as a means to poke fun at the silver seraphim.
But none of that really mattered right now as Arakiel enjoyed Aurora’s plumes gently caressing parts of his cheeks or his hands. They were so very soft to the touch and he had truly grown to love her doing this. It caressed his skin in a different way than her fingers or lips could.
Despite the fog and the silence, nothing out of the ordinary happened in the end which he was rather grateful about and although the sun’s rays had trouble reaching through the many treetops, some rays did manage to through, most likely because the leaves were missing.
Aurora caught these few rays and handed him a smaller shard than usual, but it was fine. With a kiss, the two went on to wake the others after which the party briefly went through their morning routine before heading out.
Thankfully, Ezekiel had been quick witted enough to mark the way south earlier.
The group followed the road for another half a day and the deeper they went, the more vast and sprawling the Seelenforst appeared to become, if they had already crossed over into the forest that Queen Fodhla had called out by name. It certainly appeared old, venerable, almost ancient to be quite honest.
And then, from one moment to another, the trail widened a little at first, but then turned into a full-blown clearing which was completely covered in virgin snow, yet the edges showed several houses that had been built into the treetops and the wooden stairs, the railings and even the rooftops had been cleared of snow, so someone was definitely living here.
Arakiel and Ezekiel dismounted and tensed up a little, not openly so, but he was bit a wary of this place. Where did these people get their water from and why had no one visited the clearing over the course of the day.
A brief exchange with Ezekiel, and then he stepped onto the clearing, alone. Arakiel shouted a greeting towards Bidina while further mentioning Queen Fodhla.
At first, no answer returned but just as he was about to yell again, he noticed movement to his right in one of the houses above ground. The door opened and a relatively young-looking woman dressed in multiple layers of simple green and brown stepped outside. Much to his surprise, she had blonde hair and green eyes. She waved towards him and then slowly descended the wooden stairs and once she reached the ground, she approached him.
Bidina was a rather petite woman but when she came closer, Arakiel suddenly became wary. Not only did this woman really resemble Alannah, Nyanna or the former duchess of Scitat, but she also had pointed ears.
“Welcome, honored visitors from afar!” The elven woman fluted in a melodious and cordial tone.
Up close, she kind of looked like a sibling of their slaves, which was odd to say the least.
“Fear the void, Mistress Bidina. I was told you could guide us to Seelerest.” Arakiel greeted and asked right away.
She beamed a smile at him. “Of course, honored guest from afar. If you and your companions would follow me, I will lead you there anon.” The elven woman answered and turned slightly sideways, making in inviting gesture.
Arakiel nodded and went back to fetch his horse, but the woman hurried after him saying. “Honored guests from afar, forgive me for saying this but… the grove of Seelerest is unsuitable for horses or animals of any kind. Leave them here and my sisters and I will take care of them.”
“Your sisters?” Arakiel blurted out.
She nodded and smiled. “There are five of us, but the others are shy, so please forgive them.”
“It’s alright,” Ezekiel said and then asked rather bluntly. “Are you by chance related to Queen Ceara?”
The elven woman gave him a kind smile, yet her words were a little defensive. “That is a rather private question, wouldn’t you agree?”
She then turned towards Nyanna and Alannah and beamed a smile at them, saying. “Greetings, sisters.”
The two adolescents stared at her in bewilderment, too stunned to say anything.
When she faced Ezekiel afterwards, she added with a little chuckle. “Does that answer your question?”
“I guess so.” He admitted somewhat dryly.
“Lead the way,” Arakiel said even if many different alarm bells began to ring in his mind.
Something was absolutely going on here.
He looked over towards Aurora, but she didn’t seem to mind it too much.
With no other option and quite unwilling to turn back after having arrived here four days after leaving Maduts’ Crossing, the planeswalkers followed the elven girl south through some underbrush until they entered a small trail that seemed to wind through an ever-thicker forest that came dangerously close.
Bidina made light conversation, asking where they came from and the like while saying that she had lived in Seelerest here for all her life, as she and her sisters were the guardians of the grove.
Ezekiel made a few gestures that indicated danger and Arakiel nodded in affirmation.
Both remained wary, but followed first while their seraphim and their slaves followed them right afterwards.
The blanket of snow was very thin here in the deep forest and the path that Bidina traveled occasionally turned left and right at seemingly random intervals. When asked, she claimed that some of the areas here were a little swampy and one had to take care not to misstep.
The deeper they went, the worse Arakiel’s foreboding felt.
And then, about an hour or maybe two – it was really hard to keep track of time – later, the snow suddenly vanished, giving instead way to lush green from one moment to another and as soon as they stepped ‘into’ this green forest, the air turned to a pleasant, mild temperature.
“Welcome to Seelerest, our sacred grove,” Bidina said and gave her guests another most charming smile. She was quite a beautiful girl, really. “It is only a little further now,” she placated, most likely having noticed Arakiel’s and Ezekiel’s alarmed state.
Aurora commented how beautiful it all looked while Selene preferred the winter landscape. Mellia highly approved of the change in scenery while further surmising that it was probably a magical nature Site.
It seemed the most likely reason.
As they walked and the forest cleared a little, Bidina explained that Seelerest changed seasons every two days and right now, they were in spring, which explained all the blooming flowers, the buzzing insects and the singing birds.
The landscape was truly rather painterly and they eventually crossed a meadow that was in full bloom, with all kinds of differently shaped flowers wearing dozens upon dozens of unique colors across the entire spectrum.
Further in the back, he spotted a truly massive tree whose trunk was was larger than one or maybe even two of the supporting pillars of the Transcended’s cathedral. It was a staggeringly large tree that had grown in a truly picturesque and gnarly way. Not straight towards the sky, but in an almost twisting, spiral fashion all while spouting little additional branches that might eventually turn into trees growing out of the tree.
“Across the sea of flowers lies what you seek, honored guests from afar.” Bidina announced. Then, she turned towards them, curtsied and said. “I shall be waiting here for your return.”
“Thank you for escorting us,” Arakiel replied and then took a deep breath, after which he stepped onto the flower field which was abuzz with insects. It also smelled truly inviting since all these different smells mixed into one pleasant concoction.
“Can’t deny that this is a rather nice place,” Ezekiel commented and Arakiel affirmed, yet warned.
“True, but let’s get over this first – something is seriously wrong here.”
“It’s a magical nature Site, brother mine,” Mellia said in a fairly relaxed tone. “Relax, let your surroundings ease your tension a little.”
He turned towards Aurora who, for once, seemed captivated by her surroundings. She wasn’t looking at him, so he let her gaze in wonder at the flowers and the tree instead.
Quietly motioning Ezekiel, they set out and when more of the surroundings behind the tree became clear, he spotted a sizable painterly house that had been built here. A small pond lay next to it and some stream from further south fed it.
There was a small fence of wattled reeds that demarcated its perimeter. The roof was thatched and the finely timbered wall showed no decorations other than being of apparent high grade. He counted three windows on each floor, at least from this side – although it was impossible to look inside as the sun reflected off of it.
It was truly as though they had somehow stepped into a separate world which was in full spring the moment.
Aurora and Mellia stayed behind to watch their surroundings a little longer while Alannah, Nyanna and Selene followed, having managed to break free from the captivating landscape.
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It didn’t stop from being awed by their surroundings and none, not even their slaves, had reservations about stating it. Even Ezekiel and Arakiel agreed that this was a very fancy place indeed – one certainly fit to spend a week or two on vacation.
Looking at the pond, Arakiel could well imagine watching the sunset alongside Aurora and then make sweet passionate love in-between the flowers.
But first things first.
Had Queen Fodhla even arrivedß Bidina hadn’t been clear on that issue.
They approached the painterly cottage which even had its own herb garden, a small fireplace with a kettle atop. Furthermore to the side, he saw a workplace for butchery and tannery, perhaps. Just ‘round the corner, he had seen an external stone oven if his gaze hadn’t failed him.
The closer he came, the more beautiful this place turned.
Truly, this would make a wonderful spot to relax for a while.
Hmm, he had been on the run for a while now. Surely a few days…
He chastised his weak mind and instead focused on the task at hand.
Approaching the cottage’s wooden door which had a several dried leaves nailed to it, he knocked onto the door, asking. “Your Highness? Are you in there?”
“Please, do come in,” an ethereally beautiful and melodious voice returned, one that pleasured his ears even better than he had imagined.
If Shemyaza’s voice was sex and Aurora’s voice was a gentle, melodious caress, then this woman’s voice combined it into a passionate and intimate evening under the setting sun.
He had actually frozen up briefly, his mind going blank.
“Arakiel, you forgot something,” Ezekiel warned and when he looked down, he was perplexed at first.
Forgot what? To bring shackles to shackle and secure this beautiful voice?
“Master,” Selene warned in a low, soft tone. “Please focus. It would be rather embarrassing if you allowed your foe to dumbfound you with a single sentence.”
“What she said,” Ezekiel repeated as he took on Selene’s aspect after which it clicked for Arakiel.
Both immediately renewed their anti-magic ward. Then, Arakiel pulled down the door’s handle.
He opened it and revealed a well-lit antechamber that immediately opened into an extremely spacious room that looked like the coziest parlor one could imagine.
Light birch inventory, cupboards and cabinets lined the walls that were decorated with small paintings and soft multi-colored blankets. A small but decorative table with silver cutlery and unlit candles was on one side of the room while further in the back, a hearth spread a soft, inviting warmth. Around it were two couches and two armchairs.
The colors green, brown alongside soft red and blue dominated the overall room’s colors, with the silver cutlery receiving a consolation prize.
Arakiel assumed that there was a staircase leading upstairs further in the back, or maybe on the outside behind the cottage.
But then his eyes fell onto the woman that had called them here, for she was just walking around the corner.
Queen Fodhla was a beautiful elven woman, but she wasn’t an ethereal beauty like her voice might suggest. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and her long, blonde hair reached all the way below her waistline. Her emerald green eyes showed softness and kindness but her body was surprisingly plump, with wide hips and sizable breasts that almost billowed from her skintight green dress which was surprisingly plain in cut, bereft of any decorations except for some faint floral motives.
She wore a thin golden, intertwined crown that held a tear-shaped emerald at the front, just like the one that Mellia wore, but other than that, she didn’t seem to wear any weaponry or jewelry, which made him only warier.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed in an odd tone as she covered her mouth, looking over Arakiel and then stopping on Ezekiel, where her eyes rested briefly.
He could watch in real time as she undressed his party member, not even attempting to hide her approval.
“Queen Fodhla, I assume?” Arakiel queried in a respectful tone while keeping his distance. He expected someone to jump forth from somewhere any moment now… but so far, none came.
Truly puzzling.
“A pleasure to meet you, your Highness.” Ezekiel said with a slight bow.
“Some gentlemen you are, oh my indeed,” she commented in a most casual tone and when she then wiped her hand from her mouth, her lips formed to a most charming smile while she straightened her dress a little.
Right now, she seemed like some debutante making sheep’s eyes at some dashing lord, which was probably not the first impression that Arakiel had expected to have of the Middle Kingdom’s female ruler.
It might – and was most likely – an act.
“And such a lovely lady to boot,” she added almost incidentally, glossing over Selene before her eyes fell onto Nyanna and Alannah.
The queen’s smile upturned a little, but not by much. “Ah, some of our spawn is here as well,” she remarked in a dismissive tone and somehow, Arakiel didn’t think that she had just feigned that sentiment.
“Care to join us for some tea, my dashing young lords from afar?” Queen Fodhla invited cordially, adding in a slightly less enthusiastic tone. “To you as well, of course, dear winged lady.”
Ezekiel threw Arakiel a glance. He briefly shrugged, unable to explain the situation.
“Then we shall take you up on your offer, your Highness,” Ezekiel replied, taking the lead as the queen seemed to have taken a fancy in him.
“Excellent, follow me,” the blonde, plump woman returned and then went over towards the cabinet. She put three cups on a tablet and then carried them over towards the table with the cutlery, placing the three cups on one side.
“Please, sit down. The kettle’s already on the stove,” the ruler invited and Arakiel went along with it for now, but his eyes constantly looked around for some hidden trap.
This was too odd to be real.
The chair was comfortable to sit on and a pleasant scent of chamomile came from where the queen had gone off to.
Next to him, Ezekiel was also constantly checking his surroundings while trying to appear perfectly relaxed.
Selene positioned herself behind Ezekiel. Alannah behind Selene while Nyanna took her spot next to Arakiel, her green eyes looking over the situation with notable confusion.
When she then saw him looking at her, she blushed and looked down abashedly while one of her hands reached towards her neck, towards he little ‘A’ he had carved into her flesh.
Queen Fodhla returned not long afterwards with a tray that had a kettle and two small pots, one filled with brown sugar and the other one with honey. She placed it onto the table and then proceeded to pour them steaming hot tea that did indeed look like normal chamomile tea.
This was all kind of surreal, but he had to accept it for now.
“There,” she said invitingly after which she clasped her hands and began to look them over once more. As before, her eyes eventually ended on Ezekiel.
“It is not poisoned, we promise,” the queen commented when neither Arakiel nor Ezekiel immediately reached for the tea.
“Then allow me,” Selene suddenly said, reaching for the third cup. She picked it up, lightly fanned some of the aroma over with a few, well-choreographed movements. “This is not a bad blend,” she commented and then took a light sip.
Arakiel held his breath while Ezekiel rolled his eyes. Behind her, Alannah looked with a bit of glee.
The seraphim’s silver eyes lit up while her face remained aloof. She put the cup back down and then nodded lightly. “This is good tea, your Highness. It is suitable for you, Master.”
Queen Fodhla let out a slight chuckle. “Master is it? Then your lovely adornment is not just a trinket?” The queen queried with surprisingly vested interest.
“Selene is my argent, your Highness. A special concubine in more common terms.” Ezekiel laid out with notable pride – something Selene shared with him.
“Any planeswalker of repute should have a fitting trophy accompany him. We see she takes pride in it, that is commendable.” The Middle Kingdom’s ruler commented after which her eyes narrowed a little as they fell onto Alannah. “And my kin? Has she satisfied you thus far?”
Arakiel noticed Alannah’s posture suddenly tensing up.
“It feels a little weird to say this, your Highness. It is your kin we are talking about?” Ezekiel pointed out rather bluntly.
Arakiel wanted to smack him over the head, for this was truly insensitive, but something also puzzled him. How was Alannah Fodhla’s kin? Wasn’t she a descendant of Queen Ceara?
The queen, however, chuckled and made a dismissive gesture. “Your seed is undoubtedly one of the worthiest on this plane, my dashing young lord. She should be ashamed that she hasn’t yet seduced you.”
Alannah’s cheeks began to flush crimson, but she said nothing.
Queen Fodhla let out a resigned sigh after having briefly glanced over Nyanna. “You should feel ashamed, both of you… to have worthy mates in sight but fail to impress, to charm them. Truly lamentable…”
Arakiel briefly glanced over towards his own slave, but she seemed not as disturbed as Alannah. It spoke of her progress.
“But that is not why you have come here, is it?” The royal then went on to raise, her voice having changed to a questioning one. Something else lay underneath, but Arakiel couldn’t pinpoint it.
Honestly, Arakiel was expecting her to weave some kind of magic any moment now. One of his hands rested onto his dagger’s grip, ready to lunge forth at any moment. Something felt absolutely wrong about this.
“You wished to meet in person, Queen Fodhla,” Arakiel reminded her, causing her to make a surprised noise.
“Oh, you’re correct.” She stated, coming across as shoddy. This had to be an act, there was just no other way. Her new smile formed on her lips, a most pleasant one. Even if she had a tad too much fat on her bones for Arakiel’s taste, she was still a very beautiful woman.
“We wanted to see what kind of men lead these uncouth savages from the south. Who gave them the courage to finally oppose my beautiful realm?”
A brief pause ensued during which Arakiel tried his best to process all the information he had gathered thus far.
“And… what is your first impression, your Highness?” Ezekiel asked somewhat suggestively, taking the initiative once more.
The emerald-eyed elf feasted on Ezekiel while her smile shortened, turning more charming in the process. “You are quite a sight for sore eyes my dear dashing lord – and your companion is most agreeable as well,” Queen Fodhla praised veritably. “Truly worthy of ravaging this realm of ours.”
Arakiel raised an eyebrow while the grip around his dagger tightened. “You truly are an interesting interlocutor, just like Duke Madut promised,” he muttered and lightly shook his head.
“How would you prefer us to be, lord from afar?” Queen Fodhla inquired right away, her eyes examining him closely. “Should we meet you as your superiors and commandeer you or should we perhaps act with hidden malice, poisoning the air with a paralyzing agent?”
He began to move about uneasily on his chair as her smile widened once more, concluding. “This way, we could enjoy you all for ourselves.”
For a moment, he almost stopped breathing until he realized how stupid that was. She’d also interpret it as weakness.
The queen chuckled lovably, but the way her lips curled looked almost predatory. “No, you are definitely the domineering type, the kind of planeswalker that doesn’t back down, the kind that ravages entire realms and their inhabitants.”
He shook his head as he responded. “You’re mistaken, your Highness. I prefer to take a realm intact in order to exploit it.”
Ezekiel chimed in a darker, slightly inviting tone. “I wouldn’t mind showing you what kind of man I am, your Highness.”
“Such confidence!” She exclaimed and giggled a little. “Are you the kind that would beat us, push us down and then ravage us like prey, or would you rather we obediently lie down and spread our legs for your viewing pleasure?”
Arakiel kept trying to figure out what the woman was up to, but he just couldn’t pinpoint it because as it stood, she seemed utterly genuine in her ravings, but that simply wasn’t possible. So far, there was one thing that truly stood out to him and he could only hope that Ezekiel noticed it as well.
Queen Fodhla acted as though she was in full control and although he couldn’t tell what kind of mage she was, the emerald on her forehead indicated nature, but it might also be a ruse.
His gaze turned to the side, towards the field of flowers outside.
Mellia and Aurora still hadn’t shown up and he was growing a little worried.
Meanwhile, his partner-in-crime had indulged the Middle queen. “Why don’t you find out, your Highness?”
“A most tempting thought,” Queen Fodhla returned, laughing lightly. “Our pathetic excuse of a husband would be livid – it might be worth it just for that.”
“You don’t like King Cahir?” Arakiel queried, trying to distract her a little.
A sneer formed on her face and her words were ripe with mock. “He’s old and his manhood remains limp. “We have no use for a man who cannot satisfy us, but the indignation and rage about wearing the green hat might just spur his decrepit body to life once more.”
The sneer widened while her eyes gained a specific kind of glint that caused a shiver to run down Arakiel’s spine while his instincts screamed danger.
Queen Fodhla raised her hands to a slight shrug. “Wouldn’t that be a sight?” She asked and then several things happened at once.
The Middle queen’s hands began to glow in a green light while the door from outside was slammed open while Aurora more or less stumbled into the room. Upon seeing him, she burst into golden flames, crying out. “My love! Help us!”
Arkaiel took on her aspect unwillingly as his time accelerated. When his mind caught up, he had already jolted up while drawing his scimitar in full.
He could only hope that Ezekiel was on top of his game but judging by the first reaction, he was also beginning to act.
A drawn-out shout resounded from behind him as he rushed past Aurora and as soon as he passed her wings, he saw his little sister and another woman just outside the building.
That woman was an elf as well and on first glance, she looked almost like Queen Fodhla, just slimmer. Long blonde hair that fell below the waistline, a pair of predatory emerald eyes and a beautiful, refined face. She wore the same green dress as Fodhla and right now, she had her hand on Mellia’s cheek.
His sister’s reddish eyes with the soft sprinkles of gold were widened and her ginger locks swayed softly in the wind, but she remained unmoving and the woman’s hands… they glowed.
The elf turned towards him in slow motion as he made a mad dash towards her, his sword’s tip aiming right at the throat.
His brain short-circuited.
This woman threatened Mellia’s life.
The life of a girl he had sworn to protect even at the cost of his own. The life if his little sister, his little…
As he noticed the elf’s lips forming a vicious smile, it only allowed for one conclusion.
Arakiel did not threaten, did not warn and he surely did not hesitate as he plunged his blackened blade into the woman’s throat. No matter her beauty or worth or whatever – if someone threatened Aurora or Mellia, he did not care.
Blood poured forth from the unidentified woman’s throat and her eyes widened, but her lips remained frozen in this predatory grin.
Time decelerated and as the elf wordlessly died next to him, he reached for Mellia’s face and when he turned her face towards his, his heart skipped several beats in shock, only to be subsumed by fury. His sister’s gaze appeared far away and she made no reactions whatsoever, as if she didn’t even notice him being here.
Falling cutlery and Aurora’s cry to gain his attention turned him back to the cottage. He dashed back while drawing his sidearm. Meanwhile, Queen Fodhla laughed out loud, shouting in a far-too-relaxed tone. “Such ferocity! Show me!”
Aurora, still ablaze in golden flames, stepped aside to let him enter freely.
Inside, the Middle queen’s skin had hardened into bark which had allowed her hand to block Ezekiel’s slash. The man had burst into silver fire and he was about to finish weaving a sigil when Fodhla’s right arm lunged forth, its green glow vanishing. It conjured several green vines that shot out, aiming not for Ezekiel, but Selene whose eyes widened in utter confusion.
The silver seraphim didn’t even cry out.
In a split-second decision, Arakiel’s mind formed the sigil to blink while his free hand reached for one of Aurora’s shards at his belt. He punched the golden symbol in the moment it formed with the hand that held his weapon.
He blinked just in front of Selene, right into the attack. The vines’ impact took his breath and although he wore his armor, it felt as though he just barely scraped by death. These pointy vines had the thrusting power of a heavy estoc and just now, he was certain something had pierced through his armor.
Ezekiel, realizing what had just happened, dropped Selene’s aspect and instead drew the long blade back and low, after which he lunged forth with a mighty thrust which he accompanied with a grunt.
The sword found Fodhla before she could react and with one mighty stab, he pierced her neck, running the blade all the way through. It must’ve pierced the barkskin somehow.
Ezekiel cried out and cursed, immediately retracting the blade, but it was too late.
The elf’s green eyes widened in disbelief and as the blood gushed forth, she collapsed on the spot.
“Heal her!” Ezekiel cried out yet by the time Arakiel and Aurora arrived, the woman had breathed her last, the body turning still.
“Damn it!” Arakiel cursed and swirled around. “Is everyone all right!?”
Aurora’s fire died and her golden eyes looked at him with some fear, but she stopped to tremble as soon as he reached for her. “I’m fine, my love,” she whispered in a voice that held some uneasiness.
To the side, Selene stared at him, muttering. “I think you just saved my life…”
Alannah slowly approached the dead queen, her green eyes widened in disbelief.
“Curses!” Ezekiel exclaimed as he looked at his own hands in disbelief, muttering. “Why did it go through? It shouldn’t have pierced…”
Since no one was seriously wounded, his mind immediately returned to Mellia and he hurried back out, with Aurora joining him silently.
His little sister hadn’t moved at all, still staring absentmindedly into the distance as though something had put her in a trance.
“Mellia, can you hear me!?” He asked and when no answer returned, he wondered what kind of sigil he could use to break her from her trance.
“Perhaps I can…” Aurora began when a female voice suddenly spoke up right next to him. He knew it and in his surprise, he turned sideways, towards the source.
“She’s fine, it’s just a little dream,” Nyanna had said, her hand reaching out towards Arakiel.
His slave had walked over, her green eyes looking straight into his. Her full lips formed into a smile and when his instinct finally reacted, it was too late.
From one moment to another, her eyes’ irises had turned to a soft rose color as her entire body had lit up in flames of the very same soft gentle color. In that moment, he had seen a thin sigil form right next to her mouth and as it dissolved, his own body froze up as if something had thoroughly and utterly paralyzed him.
He saw his body taking on Aurora’s aspect.
When Nyanna’s hand touched his cheek, he felt a foreign influence overtake his mind and as his Lady’s immaculate lips formed to a smile, Arakiel felt a hitherto unknown joy spread throughout him.
“This has to be fate,” she whispered affectionately and he could not agree more.
* * *