CHAPTER 13

"She's such a sweet baby," said Arella, smiling down into the crib at her pride and joy. Her daughter was truly a sight to behold. She had skin as pale as moonlight, with eyes the color of indigo...

"All the better for you, honey," chuckled Gayla, opening a nearby window for some fresh air. "Some babies are colicky and your little one hasn't shown any signs of it or any other problems of the sort."

Arella laughed as her little girl made the discovery that she had feet and promptly placed her left foot in her mouth. "Do those actually taste good, baby?" she cooed.

"By the way, whatever are you going to call her? 'Baby' and 'sweetie' are not going to cut it, and it's been almost three months."

"I know, Gayla. I know. I'm just trying to find the name that best suits her. Something natural, beautiful and mysterious..."

Gayla nodded. Just then, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage was heard coming down the snow covered path leading to the villa.

"Were you excepting company, Gayla?" asked Arella. "I was just about to ask you," came Gayla's reply as she stared out of the window. As the mystery coach neared the villa grounds, a golden crest of an eagle was visible along the side doors.

"It's Azar!" exclaimed Gayla. "I'll be right back, love." She then hurriedly exited the room to let in their guest. Minutes later, the wise leader of all of Azarath entered the room and promptly closed the door behind her. Arella gracefully curtsied before her and smiled warmly.

"Good day, Your Majesty. To what do I owe the pleasure of being in your company?"

"Good afternoon, Lady Arella. I apologize for just dropping by like this so suddenly, but I had some pressing news that needed to be discussed."

"I see," said Arella, taking a seat. "Well, please continue."

Azar simply nodded and exhaled a deep breath. "It has to do with your daughter."

"My daughter? What about her?"

"Well namely the…strange occurrences that have befallen those who have been in her presence. I'm certain you've become aware that she possesses…great power?"

Arella sighed deeply. "Yes. As I'm sure you've already heard, Gayla and I and… well, we all found this out the hard way I'm afraid…"

Five days earlier, Arella, and Gayla stood outside of the villa accompanied by one of the queen's valet's as an escort. It was a crisp winter day, and Arella was to ride into town for some supplies and to get some fresh air. However, she was barely out into the courtyard before she began having second thoughts about the trip…

"Are you sure the two of you are going to be okay? I know it's just a short ride into town but…"

"Of course, love," reassured Gayla. "I've birthed and raised and watched over more babies than I have fingers and toes. You go on now. You've been cooped up here ever since you entered your third trimester. You need to get out and see some new sights, mingle with other people, stretch out your legs so to speak."

"I don't know..."

"Aye," laughed Gayla. "You first time mothers and your separation anxiety. But I understand where you're coming from. Rest assured though that while you're gone, your daughter is in safe hands with me…"

Arella, a little more reassured nodded and went to mount her horse. Gayla stood and waved Arella and her escort off for a few moments before returning back inside the villa. Just then, a cloaked figure emerged from the nearby bushes. After a few tense moments, the stranger crept up to the door, carefully inspected the lock and with quick and silent precision, broke in. Inside of the villa, the cloaked figure stood in the foyer, surveying his surroundings. Down the hall, it sounded like Gayla was inside busying herself in the kitchen, completely unaware of the uninvited guest. The stranger turned right and hurried up the several flights of stairs and to the lone room at the top. Now at his destination and the cloaked figure skulked over to the crib where Arella's daughter slept. His eyes soon fall upon a pillow that rests in a nearby rocking chair, and after retrieving it, and he slowly walks towards the crib…

"What do you think you're doing in here?"

The cloaked man stopped in his tracks and turned to find Gayla standing in the doorway, his hood falling down in the process. Somehow, Gayla had sensed that something was amiss and had gone up to check on her charge and upon seeing the man's true identity, her dark brown eyes widened in surprise.

"Lord Onyx? Why are you…"

"I'm here to do something that should've been done months ago," said Juris coldly. "This monstrosity does not belong here, Lady Shelly. She must go. For centuries, we have known about the dark prophecy tied to Trigon's child. Just think about the chaos and destruction that will come if this child is allowed to reach maturity…"

"I understand that you're upset, but you're speaking treason, my Lord. You know violence and murder is not allowed on Azarath, and yet here you stand ready to commit such acts, and on a helpless child!"

"Helpless child?" Helpless child?! That child carries the blood of Trigon the Terrible. How helpless can she possibly be?!"

"You need to leave…now," said Gayla sternly. "I have been entrusted to care for this baby, and I will not disappoint my lady or her Majesty in this matter."

"Then you too shall join this demon seed in Hades!" screamed Juris, striking the older woman across the face. The combination of Juris's flaring temper and the sound of a startled Gayla falling to the floor jarred the infant from her sleep and she immediately started to cry. Juris then lunged at Gayla and attempted to strangle her dead…

Some distance away, Arella and her escort are riding through the woods towards the nearby village square when she suddenly stops and turns back to face the way that she had come from.

"My lady?"

Worry and apprehension was etched on her face. "Something is wrong," she whispered.

"What? Did you see something in the brush?"

"No. I mean something is wrong back home. We need to go back."

"My lady…"

"John, please. Something in my gut says that something is wrong. We must go back, immediately."

"Of course, Lady Arella."

And with that, the duo turned tails and began to race back to the villa…

Meanwhile, Gayla managed to break away from Juris's grip. As she struggled to breath, Juris redirected his attention back at the crib. Before he could approach the crib once more, Gayla reached over to grab Juris's leg and trip him. Infuriated at the interference, Juris released his wrath on Gayla once more. As the two screamed and fought, Arella's daughter cried even harder, and random objects in the room began to levitate, rattle in place or fall from their respective places. Juris unleashed Gayla and turn to look at the baby in horror…

"No! You will be stopped, demon!"

At this, Juris stretched forth his hand and began to recite a spell… "Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Carazon Rakashas Endere..."

The charka stone on the infant's forehead began to glow…

"Vaserix Endrien…Sheol…Sheol…Sh….!"

Juris was interrupted in mid-incantation as a wave of black energy surged from the tiny baby and tackled him. Juris groaned and stirred a bit, but Gayla looked on in horror as Juris's body started to glow. The magistrate cried out as the glowing radiance overtaking him grew brighter and stronger. His screams grew more agonized and tears streamed down his face as an unknown force destroyed him from the inside out. Suddenly, a blinding light began to pour from Juris's mouth, nose, eyes and ears and everything turned white. When the light died down, Gayla uncovered her head and turned to Juris, who was reduced to a smoking pile of ashes. She then looks over at the crib, where the baby is still bawling. The door burst open, and Arella and John rushed inside.

"Gayla! My baby! Is she…"

"My god…" murmured John, taking in the scene. Gayla laid shell-shocked on the floor, and Arella immediately went to pick up her daughter. After a brief moment of rocking her, the infant was pacified and Arella knelt at Gayla's side.

"Gayla, what happened?"

"Lord Onyx…He…he tried to…He tried to kill the baby."

"What?!" said John. "That's treason! Where is he? He must be brought before the Queen and the Royal Magistrate."

Gayla slowly pointed a finger at the still smoldering pile of ash.

"H…How did…"

Gayla now slowly and shakily pointed a finger at the crib, and John and Arella uneasily exchanged looks with each other…

"That was a dark day for all of Azarath," said Azar. "Juris was a highly esteemed member of the Royal Magistrate, yet he allowed fear to cloud his judgment. He knowingly sought you out, waited until he thought your daughter was alone, and imposed it upon himself to execute her. In the end, he brought on his own death when your child, sensed the danger Juris sought to deal her, and retaliated with her own powers. Ironically because of her heritage, the fallout of Juris's spell wasn't strong enough to kill her, and she somehow was also able to shielded Gayla from harm. Otherwise, we would've had two causalities on that fateful day."

"Even since that day, we make it a point to always have on hand whatever she may need and whenever she may need it," replied Arella. "This has helped regulate her mood a great deal. Every so often, random things from around the room may break, float or fall out of its place, but nothing as catastrophe as…as it was then…"

"But this method isn't definite. While keeping the child calm is imperative, as she gets older, she could easily become spoiled. And a child with such power who is spoiled and used to having things her way can be very dangerous to be around."

"Yes, I know…" said Arella sadly. All of a sudden, Azar gasped, her eyes locked onto something over by the window. Arella turned to see what it was and perched on the windowsill sat a lone raven. It was a rather small and a rather ordinary bird, with chocolate brown eyes, black plumage and a dark bill. And yet this tiny creature was able to make one of the strongest mages of all of Azarath go completely pale in the face.

"Azar?" questioned Arella, seeing the older woman's reaction to the uninvited guest. "It's…a…raven," said Azar in a hushed voice, gripping her staff.

"So?"

"So? Ravens are an icon of dread, Arella. They're known to feed off of dying flesh and there are numerous stories surrounding the belief that being in the presence of ravens or in this case being visited by one, is a most ominous sign!"

Arella raised an eyebrow and turned to the window once more. With its dark feathers and beady little eyes, the bird did in fact understandably emit a sense of fear towards all who saw it. Yet at the same time, the raven seemed just as nervous of Arella and Azar as they were of it. And with that, Arella found a sense of pity for it.

"Perhaps it's lost its way?" inquired Arella.

"Well it needs to find its way out of this room. We have enough troubles on our hands as is without that thing bringing more bad luck."

The raven now cocked its head and cawed at Azar, who was slowly making her way towards the window, gripping her staff as if it were a baseball bat.

"Azar, what are you…"said Arella, hesitantly. "Casting this accursed creature off," she replied, her eyes still focused on the unsuspecting bird.

"You're not going to kill it, are you?"

Azar stopped and turned to Arella, who had an unusually sad face. She then lowered her staff and sighed.

"I only had intentions to scare it away."

Whether Arella believed this to be true or not is still a mystery, for without a word, she walked over to the window and extended her hand toward the raven. The raven looked at the outstretched limb in confusion, apparently trying to make out what was happening here but eventually, it gathered that it was safe to trust the strange creature and gently perched itself on Arella's arm. Azar watched in wonder as Arella gently stroked the raven's feathers. She then leaned out of the window and gestured for the raven to take flight, and obediently, the bird took off and flew into the horizon. Arella then shut the window and went to take a seat over by the baby's crib.

"Well, then," said Azar, who visibly looked most relived that the bird was gone. "As I was saying, simply pacifying the child every time she cries won't always work. What if she falls down during play and you or Gayla is not there? Or, what if you tell her something that she doesn't want to hear or do? Her destructive behavior if left unchecked could hurt innocent bystanders and more importantly, could alert her father as to her whereabouts."

"I understand that, Azar. But I only have but so much experience in the Heraldic Arts, and with my baby's…heritage, I wouldn't have much influence over her."

"Which is why I feel that she must come to live with me..."

Arella looked at Azar as if she had two heads. "Excuse me?"

"Now before you go and get upset, Arella, I think this is for the best."

"You're taking my baby away from me?!"

"Arella, please. I only suggested this because I would be able to train her to both use and control her powers more effectively. At the same time, I can come to a full knowledge of what she can and cannot do and thus we'll be that much closer to defeating Trigon."

Arella turned away from Azar and stared at the opposite wall. "She would still be your daughter, Arella. I'll only take her on as an apprentice. And she can stay with you here until she's old enough to understand that she has unique powers that require additional training to master. Not a day sooner…"

Arella remained silent, and Azar sighed once more. She then turned and started to walk out of the room.

"...I will bring her to you when I feel that she is ready," replied Arella finally. Azar turned back around and nodded.

"I understand. I will await your visit, and good day to you."

Arella nodded and Azar left the room. The young mother then turned to her daughter's crib once more. The infant, now sleeping soundly on her back, let out a little sigh of contentment. Arella smiled and lovingly caressed her baby's head.

"Sleep well…my little Raven…"