Diary ~
Gods above, it is like my world has been turned upside down.
We traveled with Lavitz through the Prarie to get to Bale, the capital of Basil. Fruegal's soldiers are still following us, and the pace was fast. It was tiring for me, but still it gave me a thrill. I loved a challenge, I realized.
But an arrow pierced Lavitz's leg, and Dart and Shana had to help him limp along ahead of the soldiers. We discovered a small shack off a hidden trail, and lost the Sandorans. There, Shana tended to the knight's wounds, and we rested for a while.
"Dart, how did you get to Seles?" Shana asked him, and Dart explained.
"I was returning from my quest and was chased by a Dragon—"
"Then the rumor about the Dragon is true!" I exclaimed before I could stop. Oh Zieg, if only you could hear this! You used to love the Dragon Campaign so much; you studied it whenever you had a chance.
"Yeah, Mom. Anyway, I was running from the Dragon. I was overwhelmed, and I was sure that I could not escape from it. But…a passing warrior saved me. That is the reason I am still alive. The Dragon would have killed me."
"The Dragon is advancing faster than we thought." Lavitz murmurs. "I must warn the king. We have to do something or it will be too late!"
There was a silence for a moment before Shana asked Dart what had happened the past five years, and my son explained about the Black Monster. Lavitz asked why he pursued the Black Monster, and then the look on Dart's face was so terrible…he looked so angry and hurt at the same time.
"The Black Monster killed my father." He said coldly, and he lifts the pendant out of his tunic. The stone is still shining as brightly as I remember. "This is the momento that my father left me. It is all I have left of him." He takes a deep breath. "I had two homes. One was in Seles with Shana and my mom. The other was…"
"The town you were born in was called Neet." I told my son in a quiet voice. "It was a small quaint town in the northern continent, cold but homely. Your father was still alive then, until the Black Monster attacked. We all fled, but your father insisted on going back to help the survivors, if there were any. He was so brave… And then I…" I put my hands over my face, unable to go on or I would cry.
Shana puts her arm around my shoulders. "Let us not speak of this topic anymore. It is upsetting Claire."
I am so glad that Shana is here. She is truly like a daughter and I wonder if Dart will stop looking at her as a baby sister. I hope so, but I will not try to throw them together. It would be unfair.
When we were sure there were no Sandorans around, Lavitz led the way again, limping only slightly through the Limestone Caves. It was dank and reeked of oldness in there, and I shuddered as we came upon a small waterfall. If I had fallen…
But it was Lavitz that slipped on the rocks, due to his injured leg. Dart caught his sleeve with one hand and dragged him up. I watched as the knight thanked my son and saw a sure friendship.
The next part was confusing. As we neared the exit to the cave, a monster attacked. A giant snake, at least fifteen times my height. A terrible monster as well, with deadly fangs and a terrible grip.
It felt good to fight again, to feel living impact on my fists and kicks. It was not as if I had never trained against the monsters in the forest, but they had been easy. This monster here, this giant snake, presented me with a challenge that I hungered for. I could feel myself smiling as I fought, as I watched Dart and Lavitz and Shana fight.
Dart had grown so much stronger since I last saw him, with graceful addition strategies and a mind that did not depend solely on brute strength. Lavitz fought with a well-carved lance, jabbing in all the right places. And Shana's aim I had helped her to perfect over five years. She was not the strongest fighter by far, but she tried and she helped, though mostly she acted as a healer.
When the snake fell, we ignored its stench and walked by it, Shana trailing behind. I remember thinking that the battle must have wearied her. But as she passed the snake, it rose again, and its fanged mouth dove towards her.
"Shana!" Maybe it was Dart's voice or mine, but suddenly both of us, and Lavitz, were running toward her.
And then the strangest thing happened.
Shana began to glow, like a star emitting its own light, a pale blue like the silk that hemmed her clothes. This starlight became solid, striking the snake before the snake could strike her. It was a force that killed the snake instantly.
"Shana?" I had stopped running, standing still.
"Claire. Dart, what's happening to me?" She wavered, and fainted.
My son caught her before she could hit the ground, and carried her out of the cave. Lavitz and I followed silently.
What had happened to Shana? How did that sweet but weak little girl end up having so much power, and what kind of power was that?