Book 10: It begins
The day after Sapphire and Sofia had been blessed with immortality, their training session began. Both were very unsure about all this since this was going to be their first time holding a sword. Jade and Argenta met them down at the training grounds, which were slick with snow and ice, but the goddesses wore shirts, trousers and shoes. Sapphire and Sofia wore warm enough clothing to combat the sharp winter air, but light and breathable enough to sweat. The rest of the royal family was there, watching form the bleachers of the stadium.
Sapphire had to admit that the goddesses had amazing stamina. Yesterday Argenta was exhausted; passed out from overextending her power. Now she was standing up, laughing and joking with her sister heartily. Though there was a heavy air of suspension that hung over the arena. Everyone could feel it. As soon as Argenta spotted the new immortals, her smile vanished and the air grew even thicker. The Goddess of the Air yanked her swords out of the ground and sheathed them. Jade did the same thing.
"Ah Lady Sapphire and Princess Sofia." Argenta greeted. Her grey eyes scanned both girls. "I see that you are ready for practice."
They were indeed ready for practice. Sofia's brown hair was braided behind her back. She wore her riding outfit, though she had made modifications to it for ample movement. Around her shoulders, there was a violet cape that shielded her from winter's nip. At her side, Iolite's sword hung at her belt, throwing off her balance. Her sapphire blue eyes glinted worryingly at the sight around her. Sapphire looked a little more professional in her clothing. She had a breastplate strapped over her pale blue blouse and white vest. Her stark white hair was pulled up in a bun, her light purple bangs hanging over her face. The immortal sorceress adverted her eyes when she caught Cedric's gaze. The Sword of Ice was strapped to her back, a constant reminder of the duty she had to carry out. And of the curse she had been given. Sapphire made herself a mental note to ask the goddesses if they would possibly extend the curse they disguised as a gift. Both of them wore their amulets in plain view.
"What is our first exercise?" Sapphire answered confidently.
The two new warriors spent a good portion of the day learning basic fighting skills. By the time they ended, both new immortals were completely exhausted and sore. Sofia looked like she was about to cry from exhaustion, Sapphire just lay on her back, not bothering to even shiver from the cold.
"Shall we do it again?" Jade asked the two warriors with a sly smile. Sofia looked up tensely. While Sapphire turned her head, since she was too exhausted to even move. The Earth goddess just chuckled. "I'm joking morta-anyway. You can go ahead and go. You two did great for first timers."
"We meet here same time tomorrow. Then we will work on the combat side of your magic and how to control it." Argenta interrupted.
She wasn't like her sister at the moment. Jade was calm, relaxed and encouraging while Argenta was more like a drill sergeant, criticizing their technique and skill, and yelling at them for their sloppy footwork. Two sides of the coin, Sapphire realized.
"But I have school tomorrow," Sofia meekly informed the goddess.
"If we don't practice regularly, then Ruby will take over the world," Argenta plainly said as she sheathed her swords. "And if that happens then there will be no need for school."
"Let her go," Sapphire insisted. She stiffly stood and faced the air goddess. "She needs to have this time. She's just a child."
Argenta glared at Sapphire, her eyes nothing more but cold, emotionless orbs of alabaster stone. The goddess didn't say anything. She just turned and started to walk back towards the castle. Jade sighed as she walked up to the two warriors.
"Don't worry," she assured. "Argenta's always has been like this when there is a battle looming over us. Run along Sofia and have fun at school tomorrow."
The young princess smiled as she ran over to her parents. Cedric was missing from the audience but Sapphire assumed work was keeping him. King Roland asked him to enchant the gardens to keep the flowers from wilting in the dead of winter. Neither fiancées wanted to talk about the incident earlier but Sapphire knew that they had to talk about it sooner than later. And the immortal sorceress preferred if they do it sooner rather than later. Sapphire followed Jade to the stables, where several stable hands was feeding Midnight.
"We'll take it from here," Jade announced. The stable hands nodded and left, leaving the Pegasus with the two immortals.
"Well hello stranger," the dark blue Pegasus greeted with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't seen you around." Then she caught sight of Jade. "My Lady what an honor it is to finally meet you."
"My what a lovely Pegasus," Jade complemented. She gently stroked Midnight's mane. "And it's an honor to finally meet you."
For the third time or so that week, Sapphire was confused. "Wait, do you know each other?"
Jade chuckled. "No, not personally. We only knew each other through stories. Midnight is a renowned Pegasus that is known by the gods for her speed and agility."
Sapphire cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You are known by the gods?"
The navy blue Pegasus just shrugged. "Nice right? I'm kinda legend."
"Yeah right." Sapphire scoffed. "Why are we here?"
"We are here to see how Coco is doing," Jade answered. "And to talk about your…lover."
"M-my lover?" Sapphire asked with a blush. "You mean Cedric? What about him?"
Jade chuckled as they approached a medium brown Pegasus with the wingspan close to a young dragon. The Earth goddess stroked the horse's mane gently. "Howa doing Coco? Are they treating you well?"
"They've been treating me alright," the horse replied, pawing at the ground. "The food here is very bland, though. And the mortals won't take me outside, like I repeatedly ask them to. It's like I'm speaking Japanese or something."
"Well they don't have the power like we do," Jade gently informed her. The goddess pointed her finger at the trough, which magically filled with hay and water. Jade patted the Pegasus's broad shoulder. "Eat well Coco. I'll be back before dusk."
"Okay." Coco replied before digging into her lunch.
"You have been meaning to ask us about extending our gift over to your love," Jade said walking out. "Because life would be dull and boring with out him. And it would kill you from the inside out to watch the man you pledged your eternity to age like a mortal, but you get to live forever."
"Wow. I guess I'm like an open book." Sapphire sat on a bench, dejected. "It's true. I was wondering if you would be so gracious to extend the gift of immortality to him."
"That will not be doable," Jade sadly said.
Sapphire looked at the goddess pleadingly. "Why not?"
"Because the only way to get it, is do something that pleases the gods."
"I spent five years in a mirror. Five, long, painful years away from the one person who truly loves me. Those five years away from Cedric nearly destroyed me. I don't want to imagine what an eternity would do to me."
"I'll see what I can do," Jade answered after a minute of silence. She patted the white haired sorceress on the back and left, leaving her alone with her tears. Sapphire didn't want to wipe them away because she was afraid of what would happen if she did. Everything she touched turned to ice. Her entire room, which had returned to normal after her power illness, had fine layers of frost over everything. The only thing that was immune to her power was her sword, her amulet and her clothing. Everything else was turned to solid ice in minutes. Sapphire sighed as she realized she couldn't sit here out in the cold all day. She and Cedric had to talk about the situation.
The immortal sorceress made her way towards the castle slowly and hesitantly. Her heart thundered in her chest violently. Sapphire slowly made her way up to Cedric's room, where the door was closed. She knocked three times before waiting in silence. Baileywick came up the stairs near about startling her out of her life.
"Oh Lady Sapphire, I didn't mean to scare you," Baileywick apologized.
"No it's fine Baileywick," she assured the steward. "I'm just waiting for Cedric."
"Well, he is waiting for you in your room," he passed on. He ran back down the stairs before Sapphire could say anything else. The immortal shook her head, following the steps of the steward, only a lot slower. Why would Cedric be in her room? Was he assuming she was going to be in her rooms like she did with him?
Only one way to find out, A voice sounding suspiciously like Corundum whispered. Sapphire avoided the areas where there was the largest gatherings of people and took the shortest routes possible. She made it to her rooms in the under the shortest time than she normal made it. Her heart thundered in her chest as she gently touched the door and pushed it open. Frost magically spread out from her fingertips and spread out through the door. Slowly she stepped into her rooms.
"Cedric?" Her betrothed was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the reflection of her prison for five years. He looked up when he heard his name being called. The wizard stood up stiffly and faced her.
"Sapphire," he said. "We need to talk."
She sighed, knowing that this was coming. "I know." To alleviate her anxiousness and nervousness, Sapphire twisted her engagement ring, which had yet to leave her finger.
"This burden on you and princess Sofia will weigh you down," Cedric started. "Have you spoken to the goddesses?"
"I have."
"And?"
Sapphire sighed. "The only way to get immortality was to do something that 'pleased the gods'."
Cedric's face fell sadly. "Sapphire you know that we can stay together-"
"But it won't be the same," Sapphire interrupted. She started to pace the room. "Cedric while you grow grey hairs and have wrinkles I will stay the same. You will die of old age…. while I will never die. I will go on living forever through the world of mortals while you and the kingdom of Enchantia will fade into the deepest parts of myth." Sapphire stared into her love's deep brown eyes. She pointed a finger at the mirror that lied on the bed. "Five years I was trapped in that mirror. Five years of my life lost, five years without you. I don't want to think about an eternity without you."
Cedric quickly hugged his fiancée who soon erupted in tears not long after that little speech. The wizard didn't feel her hands on his back. But judging by the way her room was covered in ice; he was totally fine with it.
"We'll figure the immortality thing out later," He assured her with a pat on the back. "First things first: we get you some gloves."
Sapphire's smile was small but it was pure. Tears fell as she nodded in agreement, though her heart twisted in sadness. She had remembered the tale of Queen Elsa and her powers over ice. The Queen of Arendale had spent many years alone and shut away due to the fear of her powers taking over her. The ruler had nearly destroyed her kingdom and her sister over her fear. Sapphire prayed with all her might that she never would be taken down that path.
The air was tense at dinner. Sapphire and Cedric sat beside each other, the sorceress adjusting her new lace gloves. She kept her head down while the only sounds around them were the clinking of spoons against the very fine china. Sofia kept glancing over at Sapphire with worry. Amber and James attempted to lighten the mood with their jokes and conversations but no one could get around the tense air that hung over them like a fog. Jade and Argenta sat on the opposite side of the table, their posture reminiscent of their time in court.
Stiff posture…
Head raised but eyes lowered…
Delicately lifting spoons and noiselessly sipping the soup….
Though Sapphire assumed the swords weren't part of their time. Argenta still wore the clothes she wore during the training exercise. Jade, however, had bathed and changed into something a little more suitable for dinner with the royal family. The Earth goddess wore a light green dress with brown trim. The dress seemed new since it was also reminiscent of the era of peace and prosperity throughout the mortal world and the world of the gods.
"So, how are things going with you my ladies?" Amber asked. The deities were silent throughout dinner, their gaze hard and haunting. While Argenta just glared at the young twin, Jade smiled and attempted a civilized conversation.
"There are going fine, Princess," The Earth goddess replied with a bow of her head.
"You two are awesome with a sword!" James complemented.
"The only way to survive when you are alone is to learn how to protect yourself," Argenta informed. The mood, which was starting to lighten drastically, was dampened. Everyone went back to eating in silence. The servants didn't know what to make of the mood when they brought out the next course. When the dessert was brought out, Jade made a sound of excitement.
"Oh! Chocolate covered almonds!" she bounced up and down like a little girl. The servants placed a large serving bowl of milk chocolate covered almonds in front of the goddess. Jade grabbed a handful of the candy and tossed it into her mouth, munching on them slowly. "Oh I have died and gone to the Void!"
"You are becoming unbecoming sister," Argenta commented with a hint of a smile on her face. She sliced a gracious amount of apple pie and slowly ate it.
Jade nudged her sister with her elbow. "You know you miss the treats and candy of the court. If I remember correctly, you would devour two to three coconut pies whenever we had a ball or party."
"You would also remember that I would work myself to death for the next five weeks." Argenta was now relaxed, a completely different person. The mood had completely shifted as the goddesses and mortals traded humorous stories about their childhood, about Corundum and about other things. Cedric glanced over at Sapphire after Jade cracked a hilarious joke. The woman's pale blue eyes were alight with joy and happiness as a real laugh ripped through her throat. The wizard allowed himself a smile at the sight of his love all happy. He had yet to see her like that when they got back together after five years of separation from each other. But seeing her like this despite the growing threat on the horizon…well he had to prepare to live with her for the remainder of his mortal life.
The table was suddenly plunged into silence when a golden suited armor-wearing guy walked in. The eagle in flight on his armor told everyone that he was under the command of the two goddesses. The soldier inconspicuously leaned over and whispered something in the Air Goddess's ear. The glass of wine that Argenta was holding shattered as the wine spilled over her and the table clothe. Her eyes twitched as the others looked on very nervously.
"What's going on?" Sapphire asked.
"Excuse us," Argenta answered. She and her sister stood, swiftly leaving the table and ultimately the room. Sapphire sighed as she stood and followed the goddesses swiftly.
"Wait!" she called after them. The immortal sorceress had to jog to catch up to them. She caught the tail end of the conversation.
"…. Ruby can't find us." Argenta said hurriedly.
"She can and she will get here on the Spring Equinox," the soldier informed. "The snow has hardly slowed her down."
"Which means what?" Sapphire interjected. The three deities stopped in their tracks and turned around.
"It means that we are racing against the clock to train you and Sofia," Argenta answered before walking off. Jade and the soldier turned towards Sapphire, the goddess's brown eyes twinkling with sympathy before walking off and following her sister.
Sapphire stood there in shock at what the goddess had said. What happened to waiting until spring? The Spring Equinox was the first month of spring; it was getting close to the month of love. They, as the goddesses said, were running out of time.
-Line break-
Sofia sat dejectedly in her room. There was no light in the darkening room, but she didn't feel like lighting any candles. Sadness encased her like a cocoon, sadness that felt like a storm on the horizon. While the snow had lessened over the last few days, Sofia dreaded spring, which was totally unlike her. The young princess loved the first day of spring but now it was a day, which she was dreading.
There was a knock on the door. Sofia opened it up and saw that a golden armored messenger was there. The warrior passed her a paper message which Sofia gratefully took and nodded her thanks. The warrior left, leaving Sofia alone. Sofia opened the letter, which was from goddess Jade.
Tomorrow after school, be prepared to learn magical defenses, the note read, and have a good first day back. From Lady Jade, mistress of the Earth.
Sofia folded the not back up and placed it on her dresser. Sometimes there were only a few things in her messed up life that remained the same. She quickly got dressed for bed, brushed her teeth and snuggled under the covers. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Cedric was up until midnight pouring over books that supposedly contained the ingredients to an immortality spell. None of the spells seemed legit enough to be real. In fact when he tried one of them, the plant quickly reverted to a seed. The mortal sorcerer scowled as he continued to read another 'immortality spell' in one of his books when there was a knock on the door.
Cedric curiously opened the door to find the Lady Argenta there, her white hair and gray bangs tied back. Her gray eyes were staring at the mortal man like she was searching his soul. That thought made a bead of sweat roll down the back of his neck. He hadn't told Sapphire of his attempts to take over the kingdom of Enchantia, nor has he told Princess Sofia about his attempts to steal her amulet. For some reason this goddess unnerved. She pushed past Cedric and entered the room, staring at the dimly lit room where stacks of his books were spilling over each other.
"My lady, what can I do for you?" Cedric asked, his attempt to hide his nervousness working. However the goddess didn't seem to buy it.
"You are a snake of the worst kind," she accused him silently. "I have seen your past and the deepest desire of your heart. And don't think for a minute that I will give you immortality just because Sapphire Starlight requested it and just because she is our only hope for defeating Ruby doesn't make our judgment any less…dismissive."
"Please don't tell her," Cedric begged. "I broke a promise years ago not to give in to my greediness. It was my choice to become thirsty for the throne. But I only did it because of her. I wanted ultimate power so that I could find her."
Argenta narrowed her alabaster grey eyes as she did another soul-searching glare. Finally she spoke, "Although you were villainous in your past actions I believe that you have left that path behind. However, you have still not earned the right to become an immortal. You must prove to my sister and I that you are indeed worthy of the gift." She walked out, but she stopped at the door, saying over her shoulder, "And do not worry I will not tell either Princess Sofia or Sapphire Starlight of your…. brief battle with your inner demons. But remember sorcerer: too often our demons often find us when we are most vulnerable."
The goddess left, leaving Cedric alone to contemplate what she had just said. Too often our demons often find us when we are most vulnerable…Did she mean that his secrets were going to be revealed when the battle was raging? That was the time when anyone would be the most vulnerable since they needed all their concentration on the battlefield. Cedric shook his head, clearing all the thoughts that clouded his mind. He needed to focus on finding a way to gain immortality…
But first he needed sleep.
The mortal wizard gathered up his things, setting them aside and cleaned up his space. Wormwood sat on his perch, carefully observing the entire incident that took place between the goddess of Air and his master. Sure being a creature of the air he had an unspoken loyalty to the silver haired goddess…. but he also had a loyalty to the human known as Cedric the Sensational. He cawed, wanting to fly. Cedric looked up from his cleaning. Wormwood wanted to probably want to go for a fly.
Always wanting to go at the worst time, Cedric thought shaking his head. He walked over to the window and unlatched it. As soon as the wizard opened the window, Wormwood took off, flying high over the village and into the night. The sorcerer decided it would be frugal to leave the window opened so Wormwood could get back in. Cedric sighed as he went to his living quarters laid down and went to sleep
-Line break-
Somewhere in a disgusting hovel, Ruby sat, hunched over a glass ball. The demon goddess chuckled evilly at the sight of the mortal sorcerer Sapphire called her lover sleeping peacefully. The attack on the Western Port had been an absolute success…if she didn't count the failure of her orders to have her sisters' head on a spike. But after tracking down her sisters to Enchantia, a new plan began to form in her mind like flower. A flower that had the most chance of success. Ruby's eyes glowed bright yellow as she willed a minion to show it. A hurricane of red smoke formed in the middle of the room and when it was gone, there was a minor demon kneeling in front of her.
"You called my lady?" it rasped.
"Yes I have a mission for you," she informed. "I need you to do some reconnaissance on a certain…. sorcerer."
"Which sorcerer my lady?" the demon asked. "Merlin? Gandalf?" There was a moment of silence as the demon thought. "Yoda?"
"NO!" Ruby shouted, efficiently shutting the demon up. "I need you to spy on Cedric the Sensational."
"Oh that pathetic excuse of a sorcerer? Why?"
"BECAUSE," Ruby shouted. "Despite being a lame excuse for a sorcerer he has some power. He is also weak. He will be able to turn just as easily."
"Yes my lady," The demon said. He phased through the wall and left, making his way towards the kingdom of Enchantia. The demon chuckled evilly just like his mistress. Ruby scowled as her heart suddenly clenched in pain. Her amulet pulsed painfully around her neck, while the jewel on her crown pulsed back. It was like the two jewels were arguing, competing over who would take over the demon goddess. Whispers in a language older than her former mother started to get louder and louder until they were shouting.
"ENOUGH!" Ruby shouted. She covered her ears as the shouts persisted. Her eyes glowed until they were completely glowing yellow and her teeth were dragon like. A roar that would make the King of the Dragons ashamed of himself ripped through her throat, shaking the hovel. The whispers dutifully quieted down leaving Ruby to heavily breath in silence.
Ruby went back to the glass orb. She concentrated her power on the orb and started to focus on the Kingdom of Enchantia. The late winter snow was the only thing holding her back from ultimate victory…but the outlying kingdoms weren't.
A sly smile spread across her face. Her tongue flickered like a lizard as scales appeared on her face and hands.
Success is going to taste delicious
-Line break-
"Defensive magic is the hardest to learn," Argenta informed. The four magical amulet wielders were sitting in a circle criss cross style. All were wearing cotton clothes, in order to channel the magic better, Argenta said. Sofia glanced wide-eyed at the others before focusing back on the Air goddess. "It is the most draining part of your training. For the beginners, we will start with forming solid objects."
Argenta's silver amulet glowed. She reached up and pulled out a silver-hilted sword. The goddess smiled when she saw the shocked and surprised smiles on the new immortals faces. Jade did the same thing, only she pulled out a wooden staff. The Earth goddess gestured to Sapphire, who took a deep, shaky breath.
"Just visualize the weapon you want," Jade instructed. Sapphire's amulet glowed a soft blue as she reached into her amulet…. only to pull out a blue banana. Argenta scowled and Jade busted out laughing. Sapphire shoved the banana behind her back as a blush exploded on her face.
"I guess I skipped breakfast," she answered embarrassingly.
"Do it again," Argenta ordered. Sapphire sighed and tried again. This time when she did, she succeeded. A pair of blue banded wrapped nun chucks. Not exactly the weapon she was going for but close enough. Suddenly Sapphire felt drained of energy. She swayed, and if she had not been sitting she would've fainted.
"Doing Magical Defense for the first time can take a lot out of a person." Jade said soothingly. "Don't worry; the more times you do it, the easier it gets."
Argenta turned to Sofia, nodding. Sofia gulped as she did what she was instructed. Her amulet glowed a bright purple as she reached into the jewel. She pulled out a strange staff that was topped with a purple tinted blade. The goddesses smiled and nodded.
"A naginata. Very impressive Princess Sofia," Argenta applauded. Sofia nodded and smiled broadly. The silver haired goddess's eyes hardened. "Remember to practice that until the next time we meet. Next thing: we work on finding your spirit animal."
"But what does a spirit animal have to do with defeating Ruby?" Sapphire asked.
"In times of old, every god or goddess had a domain which fit their personality and power. In times of old, we deities have always been chased down for our power. So in order to hide, we have a animal familiar we can easily transform into in case of emergencies."
"The animal reflects our personality," Jade added. "My animal familiar is a Black Panther." From her amulet a see through image of a Black Panther appeared. "It's fast, powerful and a moving shadow."
"Mine is an Eagle," an image of an Eagle appeared above the air goddess. "Ruler of the skies. I thought it might be fitting."
"How do we find out our spirit animals?" Sofia asked.
"Meditation." Jade answered simply. "Reach deep inside yourself and find out who you truly are."
Both girls closed their eyes and started to take deep breaths. Both amulets started to glow, the glow encasing them in a soft light. Sofia's amulet started to have a swirl pattern in it before it projected a light. The light took the form of a large form, an outline of something. The outline gained antlers and hooves before it cleared up, giving the two goddesses a clear view of them.
A deer
An animal of compassion, peace, intellectual, gentle caring, kind, subtlety, gracefulness, femininity, gentleness, innocence and seller of adventure
A perfect match for the princess Sofia.
The princess opened her eyes a bit, her blue eyes lighting up with delight when she spotted her spirit animal. The woodland creature had always been a favorite of hers. And now she could transform into it! After a couple more minutes of looking at the image, it vanished in a shower of purple magic.
"Now we wait for Sapphire to get done," Jade announced. The immortal sorceress was suddenly engulfed in a bright flash of light, her silhouette the only thing the trio could see. There were images that moved from one corner of the light to the other: a wolf with pale fur, a bobcat with startling blue eyes, a fox with black streaks, and finally a dragon with large leathery wings.
Guardianship, ritual, loyalty, spirit, teacher
Silence and secrets
Feminine magic, shape shifting, invisibility, and transformation
Power, strength, and good luck
"I don't believe it…" Argenta muttered disbelieving.
"What is it?" Sofia asked confused. She moved away from her friend as ice started to spread.
"She is the most powerful immortal since the dawn of time…." Jade muttered, equally disbelieving. The light died down, leaving a slightly smoking Sapphire. The sorceress's eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she was engulfed in darkness.
The demon growled lightly as it reeled back in disbelief and pain. This immortal sorceress the one in love with the very mortal sorcerer…she was the one.
I better get back to Mistress, he thought before running off.