She kept walking, her hand tightly gripping her core as fear mounted. How long was this taking? Shortly after, a door appeared on her right hand side. She turned sharply and grasped the handle, twisting it opening slowly to see what was happening in his world.
A battle was raging in front of her eyes, with what must be the northern flank of the army massed against the evils of Blackveil. Groundmites, taloned vultures, Second empire men and slithering wraiths warred against the Rhovan-Sacoridian men and mighty P'ehdrose. A wave of arrows descended just like her vision, but they were Sacoridian arrows aimed at the Blackveil minions. Screams pierced the morning air but they barely made a dent in the numbers, and the foul creatures just climbed over the ones whose lives had been snuffed out. Wave after wave kept coming, and a terrible knowing came over her, that this was just the beginning. If this flank fell, there was no possible way to control the onslaught of beasts that were desperately waiting their turn to feast, held at bay only by the will of their master, Mornhaven. He was biding his time for the moment to let them avalanche through the wall. She licked her lips and searched for the king or Laren. Where were they?!
There. She spotted him fighting in a pocket near the forests' edge. They were hemmed in although thankfully the creatures that were pinning them in were too busy fighting those trying to reach them or eating the flesh of the dead.
"I need a closer door," she whispered.
She wasn't sure what would happen but jumped when a door popped open right next to her. The king was but a few yards away and was fighting off 2 of the creatures. My staff, she thought frantically, looking around. And before another thought could form Seastaria was at her side with the beautiful Eletian staff mounted on the saddle.
"Thank you," she said with relief, sliding it out of the holster. She caught the goddess's eye and her starry gaze flowed through Karigan's mirror eye. Instead of the surreal experiences she had felt before, pure energy flowed into her, as if her mirror vision acted as a filter. Knowing flowed into her also and she took a deep breath as the goddess breathed on her and power nestled into her breast.
"You know, this is a much more pleasant way to be an Avatar. But don't tell Westrion!"
Did the goddess neigh with laughter? Karigan didn't wait to find out but stepped through the door with her staff at the ready as she shoved her eye patch back on and cast her hand over her brooch. The world turned grey and all of a sudden the smell of carrion exploded in her sensitive nose and the deafening screams off battle thundered through her ears. She adjusted her balance in one split second and then thrust her staff into the underbelly of the mite that Zachary was fending off with Willis. The door had delivered her right next to its soft belly. How convenient.
The second creature on his flank was a wraith and with a series of quick thrust she managed to dispatch of him too. In her experience a lot of Blackveil creatures were easy to kill, it was the numbers that were the problem. You killed one and another damn three would spring up in their place. She continued to weave her way through the Weapons and they managed to dispatch the three remaining creatures quickly. A pocket of quiet emerged before the next wave and she stood, panting lightly. The king had closed his eyes for just a moment and she stared at him hungrily. He was dirty and thin, with hair that had greyed considerably and stress lines across his brow. But he was her Zachary, and every feeling of longing and love that had ever coursed through her rose in full force. She passed a hand over her brooch and the world coloured itself again. She winced as her temple started to pound and smiled at Fastion and Donal, who in a rare show of emotion smiled back and bowed slightly, their eyes lit up. She stepped forwards.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said with a small bow, her voice quavering with emotion.
He froze. That voice. His heart beat three times before he could bring himself to look up.
And there she was. The woman who had stolen his heart, whom he hadn't seen in close to three years although he had thought of her every day since she walked away. She was radiantly beautiful and her expression was soft as she looked at him. Where had she been? How was she? What in the gods name? His mind was frantic, unable to understand what was happening or settle on a single coherent thought.
She had never seen him look so bewildered and was unsure for a split second what to do. He stared at her as if she were a stranger, which panged her because after all this time, she kind of was. But they didn't have much time before the creatures came again and they needed to move, fast.
"Hi," she said to him softly, and with that simple word he felt his world click into place. Knew that unsure look, knew the way she licked her lips nervously, and knew that it was her standing in front of him, not a cruel apparition to taunt him. He gave a groan and stumbled towards her, feeling her warm body melt into his side as he enveloped her in a crushing hug, remembering at the last to avoid her spine. He heaved sobs and tears came to her eyes too, and then his hands desperately found her face and his lips were crushing hers. He kissed her ten times in quick succession as if he couldn't touch enough of her.
"By the gods, you're safe!" he whispered with words punctuated by kisses. "I don't understand…"
"It's a bit of a story," she said with a wry smile, referencing several earlier conversations that had started such in her time as a Rider. He barked with laughter.
"We need to get you out of here," she said seriously. "What's the plan?"
He sighed, glancing around and tightening his hold on her. "Karigan, we are at the end of our plans. We have been fighting this line for weeks. This is the last stand and I am afraid we have no more options, unless a miracle arrives to assist." He looked down at her and tried to smile through his tears. "This is our final moment. My darling."
His voice was soft and full of love and loss and wistfulness. As a maiden it should have captured her heart. And it would have now as well, had she been paying attention to him. She broke out of his arms and stepped forward to stare at the forest next to them, no longer listening to her liege lord. This was the copse of trees in her vision. The feeling of unease in her body strengthened almost painfully and she was buzzing, her entire being drawn towards the clearing. This was what she had been seeing for months – or years – on end! This was where Mornhaven was hiding. The only problem was, she had no way of unveiling him without running the risk that he would immediately decimate the entire mortal army just because he could. The best strategy to avoid unnecessary loss had always been to draw him out and make it a show. To do that she needed more firepower, like an Eletian army. Or a goddess. She sighed. Or, actually, a god.
She felt the wind whip around her legs and turned to face Zachary, who was in the middle of reaching for her again. The darkness behind a mound of bodies grew and a dark, stormy stallion coalesced into her vision. He walked passed Zachary, who jumped and stared in awe. Karigan waited for him.
"I must be able to keep my wits. It's important this time," she said seriously. Salvistar blew into her face and she fell into the deep, black well of his never ending eyes. Within moments she was atop the great steed, garbed in the star steel that Westrion had forged for her. With a sigh of relief, she realised she had indeed been permitted to keep her own personality for once. Praying this would work, she opened her mouth and felt the power of Westrion's voice flow into the clearing. Nothing would draw him out like the chance to best an actual god.
"Mornhaven, it is time. You must be released from the land and join those who have come before you, who now reside as spirit. Your earthly dwelling has come to an end."
There was silence; even the vultures has slowed to watch as they felt the power mount in the air. Moments later she heard a loud, harsh, sardonic laugh and Karigan's nemesis dropped his veil and slowly walked towards them.
"My dear Karigan. The avatar of Westrion. We shall have such fun together." He grinned as she sat watching him, motionless. "Your presence does not scare me for I am a God on this land and shall have powers the like of which you cannot comprehend. I am Mornhaven the Black and I will have my way."
"You are a petulant child," snapped Karigan into the silence, terror racing through her core. She had no idea if this would work. "I have no patience for tantrums."
His face had an ethereal quality to it, not quite alive and not quite dead, with the colouring and foreign features of distant lands. His body glowed translucently as if he was expending so much magic to control the hordes of Blackveil that he could spare very little to keep his form corporeal. His hair hung in dead tendrils around his face and it moved woodenly as he tossed his head arrogantly. His eyes shimmered with anger and she could tell he was aroused with domination. His tongue slicked into the air. "I will have my way," he repeated as if she hadn't heard. "I will rule all the slaves of this realm and as they are crushed under my power, they can watch as I have my way with you. I own your body and it will be mine to ruin as I please!"
He gestured and ghostly hands ran down her breasts. She felt slightly nauseous and shivered with disgust, before she remembered who she was and cast away his trickery dismissively with a sweep of her arm.
"I will not ask you again, boy," she commanded with Westrion's power. She dismounted from Salvistar and stood calmly in front of Mornhaven, her sword of star steel locked in her grasp as she waited dispassionately. A deafening silence fell as his face scrunched in rage and the trees behind him flattened to the ground with a monstrous thud.
"You dare to insult me! You dare to defy me! YOU DARE TO SCORN ME!" he screamed at her.
Her only response was a cool smile; that was all the trigger he needed.
His magic tore at her as he walked forward with his eyes and flesh burning like lava. A fleeting pang tore at her heart as she remembered her dear friend Yates and a second later he grasped her armour, laughing as it began to melt under the fiery heat. The spells activated and green and silver sparks lunged into his face. As he blinked away the painful Eletian magic she cast a quick look at her love and mouthed goodbye. Before Zachary could react she searched for her core and grasped the thread, spotting the white patch to her right. She leapt towards it.
Silence abounded as she and Mornhaven, still clutching her armour, were immediately absorbed into the white world.
Mornhaven let go of her and his fire died down as he stared around in confusion. She swallowed and backed up slowly whilst he was distracted. Her armour had disappeared as had Salvistar. She was no longer Westrion's Avatar, just plain Karigan, and plain Karigan was very tired and sore and didn't have much to defend herself with against this powerful monster. She only had one final trick up her sleeve and hope to the gods it would work. She gulped and tried to stare at him defiantly.
He laughed unexpectedly. "Not willing to let others watch me defile you? Fancied some alone time, did we?"
She jutted out her chin and hissed, "There's not enough magic or money in the world that would tempt me to lie with you."
He raised an eyebrow, delighted at her defiance. "Darling," he drawled, "there's nothing in this world that could stop me. I don't even need that much magic."
All of a sudden she was stripped of her clothes and stood before him, naked. He licked his lips as he took in her beautiful, naked body and sauntered towards her. Oh good, his magic still works here, she thought weakly and sarcastically, before remembering that her plan would only work if indeed his magic actually did still work here. She cast her tongue over her lips nervously and moved into a defensive stance.
"I will never be yours! You have no magic powerful enough to force me to be your….your paramour! My heart is faithful to one man only," she yelled. Come on, she thought desperately as he stopped inches in front of her, take the damn bait!
He laughed and trailed a finger down her throat before wrenching one of her nipples hard as she cried out.
"You will be mine, Karigan," he whispered into her eyes softly. "We have all eternity here before we return to the world below and then you can begin serving me again, until the day I tire of you. I bind you to me, forever!"
He let go of her and cast a binding spell. She saw the shape of the spell as it grew rapidly. The silvery ethereal mist wound around him and reached out to her. Praying with all her might, she ripped her eye patch off and stared at him with wide eyes. The grey energy swirled within her eye and the mirror hardened and spread, bolstered by Seastaria's power, which had lay hidden in her breast. The binding spell reached her within seconds and recoiled as it hit the hard surface, lunging back over Mornhaven and latching onto the ground, the closest thing it could find. He struggled.
"What have you done?" he screamed at her, struggling to get out of the web that tangled around him and pinned him to the floor. The web grew tighter and tighter as the spell continued to bind him.
"Seastaria! Salvistar!" she shouted with excitement. A moment later the two divine beings were at her side and she was once more clothed in the garb of the Avatar. Female and male power flowed into her and she invoked ancient incantations, the words of power flowing out of her mouth and over Mornhaven to secure his binding and ensure he remained entrapped forever more. He struggled, muted.
"Noooo," she heard faintly. She almost pitied him. Almost.
Without a backward glance she followed the two magnificent horses as they walked toward a gate that had opened up behind him, skirting the web that pinned the most evil of men into this plane of the white world. She walked through and was unsurprised to find herself in another realm of white. As the gate closed behind her and knowing flowed over her, she spoke more words of power to seal the door. This time her own voice and the silver and green power that resided in her armour joined that of Westrion and Seastaria to create the strongest ward, and warning, possible. The gate glittered with their magic and she stared at it for a moment before waving her hand in an unfamiliar gesture and the gate disappeared from existence. That was it. It was done.
She turned and looked down at herself, seeing that the armour was gone and she was clean and healed and dressed in her favourite blue Eletian gown, embroidered with silver horses on the hems. She sighed with pleasure. It felt good to be herself again. But it would not do to worry about her appearance when a god and goddess stood before her. She curtseyed deeply to Salvistar, who nuzzled her before walking away. Seastaria, her true guardian, walked forward and she threw her arms around her neck in a deep hug, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Thank you," she said softly, as the goddess held her. "You saved us."
Seastaria looked deep in her eyes and Karigan was filled with peace, knowing this was not the end of their story. She'd see her again, in a meadow not far away. Seastaria blew gently on her face and the grey energy of her mirror eye began to fade away. Karigan blinked, stunned to realise that she had her sight back again! The mirari was no more.
"Thank you," she breathed. "But I would ask one favour of you, if you will grant it."
Seastaria waited. "Can you make sure Condor finds me when I return?" she whispered.
There was no answer but hope filled Karigan. She was sure they would be reunited.
Salvistar called his bride to him and Seastaria trotted away. In a blink they were gone, ascended to the heavens no doubt. Karigan sighed, not quite able to fully comprehend what had just happened. Mornhaven was defeated, gone. The war was won!
"The war!" she gasped, remembering that time moved differently here. "I have to go! I need a door!" She lunged forward and started to run, seeing a tiny door ahead on her right. She ran full pelt, praying that this was only a few days in her time. "Please, please, please," she pleaded and the second she reach the door she grabbed the doorknob and ripped it open.