Book 11: All is fair in love and war (Finale part 1)
Sapphire stood on the parapets, watching all the people from the outlying villages hobble in. There were some that were injured that were being helped along or riding in wagons. All of the people wore singed clothing and their faces were covered in soot and ash. The few that were able to talk properly said that a demon queen and her army destroyed their village. There was one woman who wept loudly into her young daughter's singed shirt. Sapphire and the others gave her space to grieve.
As the people from all over Enchantia slowly trickled in, seeking refuge, Sapphire had to take deep calming breaths to control her rising anger. None of that anger was directed at the two goddesses currently amongst the people, healing wounds and certainly none of that anger was directed at the Royal family or those now homeless people.
No, all of that anger was directed at Ruby.
She was the demon queen that burned the villages to the ground. She was the one who took that young girl away from her mother. And she was…. oh gods she was killing people because of her.
Tears started to fall as more people continued to stream in. There were footsteps that approached her from behind prompting her to quickly wipe the tears away. Two skinny, yet strong arms wrapped around her. She jumped and nearly froze the person but soon realized that it was Cedric. When she turned around, he immediately took notice of his fiancée's splotchy eyes and her weak smile. Her gaze left her husband to be and landed on the many people from the village of Dunwitty, being transferred there for the protection of the citizens.
"It's not your fault Sapphire," Cedric cooed. He stroked her hair but she jerked her head away. She was in no mood.
"I just wish I could do something," Sapphire muttered. "I wish that I could go out and face Ruby head on. The winter snow…. it traps us here like cattle waiting for the slaughter. We have no army that can beat it, Sofia and I we are barely able to hold a sword and now…. we have all these people to protect. I can't do it!"
"Yes you can," Cedric encouraged. He wrapped his arms his love as frozen droplets of tears came out of her eyes. "You are strong and you are stronger than she is. Do you know why?" Sapphire shook her head in answer. Cedric lifted her head up delicately so that her pale blue eyes were looking into his deep brown ones. "Because you believe in love, and family and everything pure. There is nothing in the world that could beat those things."
Sapphire hugged her fiancée tightly as tears fell. A thought suddenly came to her. She pulled away and looked at the man she would marry, despite the 'blessing' and despite destiny and fate.
"We fought each other in the Mirror Realm, Ruby and I," the sorceress informed them. "We battled each other for years until... I was resting from a battle when Sofia freed me. I was almost dead."
The cries from the newly motherless children and husbandless women soon came back to Sapphire as she pulled away.
"She'll kill you," the realization hit her like a cold bucket of water. "You have to take the Royal Family and run! She'll kill you if you stay here."
"There is no way I am leaving you," Cedric announced defiantly. Sapphire sighed sadly.
"I know." They both returned to watching the last few villagers trickle into the gates before they closed completely. "Well let's go and see what the goddesses want."
The two made their way down from the parapets and towards the throne room, where the king and goddesses would no doubt meet with the leader of each village to discuss what happened and what they would do. It took them awhile since there were villagers sitting around the front of the palace but the crowd parted for them as they spotted their emblems as sorcerers to the King's family. After what seemed like forever, Sapphire and Cedric slowly made their way down the long corridors finally reaching the throne room.
Sapphire's guess of the King meeting with all the village leaders was correct. There were three men and one woman lined up in front of the Royal Family. All of their clothing was plain and simple and lacked color but there was a strange formality to their clothes. The man speaking to King Roland was a lithe man around his fifties with greying blonde hair and a wrinkled face. There was a chubby sort of man that had clothes that marked him a baker of some sort with balding hair. The third man looked a little too young to be a village leader but his dark brown eyes held maturity and he held himself with such responsibility Sapphire could've mistaken him for being older. The woman had a wrinkled face with pale grey hair with a large dark grey dress. They all gave the two sorcerers a glance as they entered the throne room. Both magical wielders spotted the two goddesses in the shadow of the thrones as they took their place.
"Your Majesties, please," the woman pleaded. "You must do something about this devil woman who burned donw our villages."
"Can you describe the woman?" Jade asked suddenly.
"The woman was more demon that mortal," the young man described, "with eyes like a dragon, a forked tongue, scaly skin, and two jewels."
"What did they look like?" Argenta urged.
"One looked like a rare fire stone. On some sort of…uh headdress and the other one was a deep red, almost like blood, on an amulet of some kind."
"That's her," Argenta confirmed into King Roland's ear.
"How did she come to your villages?" Sapphire asked.
"She came to us under the guise of a lonely traveler," the woman explained. "We gave her food and shelter, but in the dead of night her army blitz attacked the village by setting it ablaze."
"The same thing happened to us," the baker/village leader agreed. "But she said that she was a noblewoman."
"So she is using some sort of fib to get herself into the villages, and then burn them down while the villagers and their defensives are weakened." Argenta summed up. The air goddess didn't notice the leaders scowling or rubbing their arms uncomfortably. Sapphire shot the silver haired goddess a look before returning her attention to the leaders.
"What was the last village to be attacked?" She asked.
"Dunwitty," the woman replied. "Thankfully everyone is accounted for."
"Dunwitty…." Sapphire muttered. "That is too close to Enchantia to be a coincidence."
"I agree," Argenta commented. "King Roland, you need to get every single soldier you have and line them up outside the castle walls. No matter what, no one comes in, no one gets out."
"Shall we send scouts out?" Roland asked.
"No," Jade answered immediately. She turned to face the golden haired king, her face tight with anger and something else. Something ancient that Sapphire couldn't place. "Ruby will no doubt steal them away, torture them and replace demon shifters in their place. Believe me your majesty, our sister has far more years of battle smarts that you can ever have in all of your royal bloodline."
Jade and Argenta silently turned and left. The few that were left looked on with confusion before the village leaders just shrugged as if they encountered this type of thing back in their village. Roland looked like Jade had bruised his ego up quite a bit but he cleared his throat and turned his attention to the two sorcerers.
"I want you two to make places where the villagers can sleep," he ordered. "And provide as much food as you can."
"We can use the duplicate spells," Cedric offered. Sapphire and King Roland nodded in agreement. He hesitated before adding, "But it will take a lot of energy."
"But we can do it," Sapphire added confidently. She and her fiancé bowed deeply to the king before taking their leave to find the duplication spell. Sapphire felt the spirit of Corundum move inside her like a worm but ignored it. She needed to worry about the task at hand.
"Where should we make the houses?" She asked as soon as the two sorcerers had gotten everything they needed. All they had left to get was a place to cast the spells.
"Somewhere that will be out of the war zone," Cedric answered. He had that thoughtful look on his face as he scanned the surrounding area.
"That's too vague," Sapphire huffed. "The entire kingdom will be a war zone." She went silent for a moment. "How about over by the Ivory River? That way if Enchantia falls then it will give the villagers ample time to get away by boat."
"But boat is not fast enough," Cedric argued. "And we don't have enough Pegasus to spare."
"Then we'll enchant a big enough boat to carry all the villagers to safety." Sapphire proposed. She mounted Midnight Moon while Cedric mounted his dark grey Mare named Stormy and together they flew towards the Ivory River. It was easy to spot the large river. Its water glinted pearl in the late winter sun. Sapphire smiled when she saw the pale white rushing swiftly.
"Hey Cedric!" She called. Her fiancé glanced over to her. "Race ya?"
"You're on!" He shouted back. Both of the their Pegasus shot forward in response to them. Cedric and Sapphire had to grip the reins as the flying horses did a nosedive towards the river. Sapphire couldn't help but let a whoop of joy as her hair flew behind her and the wind slapped her face. The warm air felt good as Midnight Moon pulled up, her hooves barely skimming the surface of the river. Both Pegasus landed on the opposite side of the bank. The two looked around for any signs of life. Sapphire spotted a carriage that held an old man and two girls, one around the age of ten and the other, maybe nineteen. The old man, probably in his early fifties, wore the garb of a shipwright. Sapphire smiled as she suddenly remembered the decent sized bag of gold that the King gave her and Cedric. Just in case they need to buy something that would help.
"What are we going to do now?" Cedric ask. They weren't in Enchantia anymore…. no that was on the other side of the river. The Ivory River separated the Kingdom of Enchantia and a lawless, chaotic land known as Thra. It was known to be home to many ruthless mercenaries, murderers, and criminals, though there were some families that took the chance to live there. Roland's name, unfortunately, did not carry over the river. But fortunately, the name of gold did.
"This doesn't look good," Stormy muttered under his breath. He nervously backed up as the two horses pulling the carriage approached. They were both broad chested mare that were a chestnut color.
"No it doesn't," Sapphire agreed. The chestnut mares stared down at them.
"Well, look what we have here," One of the mares looked down his eyes at the two.
"Two humans from Enchantia," the other one sneered. Cedric noticed how Sapphire's hard glance was focused on the man and girls in the carriage and not the horses.
"Hello there strangers," the old man greeted. "Are ya by chance lost?"
"No sir," Sapphire answered kindly. Cedric's hand slowly drifted to his wand, butt Sapphire motioned him to hold off on that and only to use that as a last resort. Both sorcerers knew they were in a land where King Roland's name was uninvited and to attack was an act of war. So it was time for diplomacy. "Are you by chance a shipwright?"
"Best one on this side of the Ivory," the man answered, his voice heavy with a thick southern drawl. "Ya looking for a way out of the Kingdom of Enchantia boat's the best way to go."
"Uncle!" the nineteen year old exclaimed while the old man chuckled. "That was very rude."
"Actually we are looking for a boat maker but not for us," Sapphire interrupted. She gestured to Cedric, "We are under the employment of King Roland. An evil demon-goddess is making her way towards Enchantia and we are housing the survivors of the villages she has destroyed. Many of them are women and children. They mustn't be anywhere near the danger that is closing in on Enchantia. So King Roland needs us to build a small temporary village in case things so south."
"And you want me to build a boat in case the kingdom falls," The man finished. Sapphire wordlessly nodded. "And, uh, what pray tell will be our reward if we finish?"
Without a sound Sapphire reached for the bag of gold and opened it. The clouds above decided it was the best time to move and the right as Sapphire angled it a little towards the Shipwright a ray of sun hit it, making the gold sparkle. The man and his two nieces stared wide-eyed at the jewels that glittered like stars in the black velvet bag.
"Two hundred pieces of royal gold along with King Roland's thank you and word for a peaceful life if ever you decide to come to Enchantia," Sapphire answered. She shook the bag a little bit, causing the coins to jingle slightly. The man's eyes widened when he heard the amount. His nieces tugged on his sleeve as if begging the man to take the offer.
"How big does the boat need to be?" he asked. Sapphire smiled slightly.
"Big enough to hold approximately five hundred people."
"Very well." The man made a move to grab the gold but Sapphire jerked back. She was not a fool. If this man took the gold now, he and his nieces would take off without building the boat.
"You will get the gold when you finish," Cedric answered. The man sighed heavily before turning to his nieces.
"All right girls let's get to work," he ordered. The two hopped off the carriage and pulled out several long pieces of wood. Sapphire, eager to report to King Roland, mounted Midnight Moon with Cedric doing the same.
"We'll be back within a week." Sapphire announced before taking off.
"Do you think that we were a little too hard?" Cedric shouted over the wind.
"A little bit," Sapphire shouted back. She was silent for the rest of the way back, her mind wondering every which way and that. They would have to return to the area where they planned to make the village another day. Both Cedric and Sapphire had to return to the castle to help prepare the defenses. Her heart twisted when she thought about Queen Miranda and the twins.
According to Baileywick, the three members of the royal family would be smuggled out of the kingdom with the villagers to carry out the name of the Royal Family in case King Roland fell. Sapphire and Sofia would be helping the three of them get their things ready that evening. After that, the kingdom would prepare its defenses and from there…it was a waiting game. Waiting for the Spring Equinox to arrive. And waiting for Ruby to show her hideous face. Sapphire's heart twisted once again as the castle came into view. Soldiers in golden armor could be seen from their spot in the sky. They ran around placing crossbows on the parapets and carried spears and sharpened swords in strategic places.
She and Cedric landed on the parapets, barely getting a glance at by the soldiers, which she was thankful for. Two stable boys came by and took their horses away to the stables. Jade and Argenta came up, both of them dressed in their armor with their weapons strapped to either their side or across their back. They both had grim faces, which Cedric took as his cue to leave. He kissed Sapphire and told her that he would be in his tower.
"Love you," she called.
"I love you too," he called back before leaving. Sapphire stared at where he was before turning to the two goddesses.
"We have news that may turn the tide of the battle towards us," Argenta informed. Sapphire quirked an eyebrow. She fell in stride with the two as they walked down the parapets. Soldiers, both mortals and immortals, turned and stared at them as they continued down the walkway. Sapphire made sure to keep her head straight ahead, but she could still feel the gazes burning a hole through her neck.
"What news?" Sapphire finally asked.
"There is a possibility that we might be able to combine our power together," Jade informed. "However it can only be used as a last resort since it takes so much energy to do it."
"Okay…" Sapphire commented uneasy. The vagueness of the goddesses was starting to cause her anxiety. "What is it?"
Both goddesses stopped walking causing Sapphire to stop and turn to face the powerful deities. Both looked as uneasy as Sapphire felt but it was Jade who spoke. The knowledge wielder spoke with such hesitance that Sapphire never heard before.
"It is a forbidden art," she informed slowly. "It was one of the many art forms that was outlawed when Mother Earth took control of the throne. Along with Necromancy, Spirit Summoning and other dark forms, this power enhancing art is very…. uh how do you say…. not very reliable."
Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "Then why are going to do it?"
"Because if it works, then it might be the difference between a blood bath to a bloodless battle," Argenta cut in. Her voice sounded tired and strained, pushed to the breaking point. Just like everyone else.
Sapphire sighed and nodded. If this was the only to defeat Ruby without loosing a life… "When do we start?"
"Tonight when the moon is at the highest. Meet us with Princess Sofia in the gardens near the moon lilies." The two started to walk away but Argenta stopped and turned back. "Make sure to bring your fiancé with you."
Sapphire was about to ask but in a flash of light the two goddesses vanished.
-Line break-
Jade and Argenta spent the rest of the day in the library researching forbidden arts. And one of the ones they would need to perform that night with the mortal sorcerer and the two immortals. Though both knew that the forbidden arts were abandoned and banished for a reason. Those that used the Forbidden Arts would be devoured with the lust for power and craving for more than they could handle. Mother Earth saw many gods and mortals alike being torn from the inside out. She also saw the chaos that ensued from places that usually experienced peace. Such power…. could destroy one if they were not strong enough.
But unfortunately, despite it being a very popular source of magic back in times of old, there wasn't even a pamphlet on it anymore. Which is why the two goddesses were trying to look through the Enchantia royal library. But so far their search yielded nothing.
"Ugh!" Argenta grunted. The goddess of air slammed the book on the table, her amulet pulsing silver for a moment in response to her anger. "There's nothing in the library! Not even a single page on the Forbidden Arts!"
Jade slowly placed the book she was reading down on the table and turned to her sister. "If I remember correctly, the Royal Librarian at the time, Athena, said that all such book in Heaven and Earth were destroyed, but there were a few that escaped the fire. I don't know where they ended up."
"Did Lady Athena know?"
"Unfortunately no." Jade hated crushing that one spark of hope but…false hope could've been worst. She sighed as she stood and started to pace. Usually the library made her feel at home, at peace. But now…now the library felt like a cage that she couldn't get out of. Or a net that held her under water causing her to hold her breath longer than necessary.
"I wish Corundum was here," Jade sighed sadly.
"Yeah me too," Argenta admitted. Jade raised an eyebrow. Since their mother's and older sister's death, Argenta almost never showed her emotions, becoming that stone cold leader and general that could get the job done. Someone whose soldiers trusted with their lives. But now, a thousand years later, sitting in the library of Enchantia with their sister's army hover over them…it was a matter of time before they fell before their sister's shoe and it was the first time in many years that Jade saw her sister visibly stressed.
"Are you sure a power combo is what we need?" Argenta asked. There was a small bit of doubt in her voice.
"It is the only way to defeat Ruby," Jade assured her voice much more confident than when she informed the immortal sorceress of the news. "I believe that Lady Athena informed me of some places that could hold information."
"Then let's go before sundown. Even I know for a fact that the ceremony is stronger when performed during the full moon at midnight." Jade nodded before standing. The two quickly made their way towards the stables ignoring those calls from the immortal and mortal soldiers. They needed to be quick.
"Okay so what are we looking at?" Argenta shouted over the wind. They had approached an ancient library that was supposedly guarded by a firedrake. One that been guarding the place since their Mother's beginning reign.
"Um I'm not really sure," Jade called back. "From what I hear that dragon only backs down when a command is given."
"And do you happen to know it?"
"…No."
"Great." Argenta deadpanned. "So what's the plan?"
Jade did a double take. "I thought you were the one with the plan."
Her sister shrugged. "Knowledge is your specialty sister. I will follow your lead this time around."
"Okay," Jade felt unsure but spotted a way in. "Follow my lead."
-Line break-
Sapphire, Cedric, and Sofia sat in the moonlit garden, awaiting the two goddesses. Sapphire and Sofia had their swords strapped across their backs just in case. The ice sorceress wanted to pace but the training the goddesses had drilled into her head warned her about showing any emotions. So Sapphire buried her anxiety deep within her self. But unfortunately Sofia and Cedric weren't having much luck.
"Where are they?" Sofia asked. She drummed her fingers on her mouth nervously.
"I'm not sure," Sapphire admitted. Cedric stood and reached for his wand when the sounds of footsteps reached their ears. But apparently the spell that was ready on his tongue died when he caught sight of the goddesses. Both of their hair was signed as well as their clothes. Soot dirtied up their faces and they were out of breath.
"Sorry we're late," Jade apologized. Her forest green eyes glittered madly as she took her place in the circle. "We were, uh… a little busy."
"Yeah with a dragon," Argenta muttered. Her dirty grey hair was pulled back out of her face and the tip of her silver bangs were blackened. While Jade eye's glittered like a madwoman's, Argenta's stormy grey eyes were dull and tired. Her shoulders were hunched over and it looked like the goddess was trying to keep her eyes opened.
"What?" Cedric asked confused.
"Nothing," Argenta assured. The air goddess pulled out a large leather bound book out of a satchel by her side and laid it in the middle of the circle. Sapphire noticed the eagle emblem stamped on the front.
"I'm guessing this book has something to do with Corundum?" Sapphire guessed.
"Close. This book has something to do with Mother Earth. When she was young, there were multiple forms of magic that were considered taboo, dark. Many of those including things like Necromancy and Spirit Summoning. If done properly, the performer could do a whole bunch of things but if done wrong…"
"The person would be consumed with power," Argenta finished. "That is why Mother Earth made all arts and others like it forbidden and burned all information on it. Which is why we look like….this."
"There was only one place that still had information on that kind of power." Jade informed. Her amulet glowed a bright green and the book flipped open to a page with a large dragon. "The Volcano Library. But it was guarded by a firedrake and the only way to tame it was a phrase that neither one of us knew so…. we had to fight it. But we got the book!"
"What's a power combo?" Cedric asked.
"A combination of our power. It can only be used as a last resort, which can turn the tide of the battle to our favor."
"So why do I need to be here?"
"After I first met you, I consulted my scrying bowl. Apparently you are destined to get involved." Argenta muttered. "I was…. wrong."
Sapphire smiled slightly as she leaned forward. Argenta had muttered the last word but she knew what it was. "I'm sorry what was that?"
"I was wrong," Argenta said slightly louder.
Sapphire hit the side of her head. "I think I have a wax build up. One more time please?"
"I. Was. WRONG!" Argenta shouted the last word. The wind suddenly picked up and the three humans had to hold on to something to avoid being blown away. Literally. Argenta sighed and the wind immediately died down.
"There can be no mistake: Ruby will come and she will be brutal and efficient. Any civilian caught in the crossfire will most likely be killed," Argenta informed.
"Which is why we need to get every mortal villager out of Enchantia." Jade finished. .
"Already working on that!" Sapphire announced. She gestured to the human beside her. "Cedric and I recruited a ship wright to helped build the ship. We're going to place it near the Ivory River so that way the villagers can escape easily just in case things go south."
Argenta nodded. "Excellent. Make sure the shipwright uses Corundum's likeness so the villagers can pass easily through her territory." Sapphire nodded in understanding. "And make sure you christen it with Chenin Blanc. It was Corundum's favorite mortal wine. So that way when they travel, she'll be protecting the villagers."
"You got it!" Sapphire gave the thumbs up before laying her hands on her lap, palms up. She took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes, none of the joking was there. There was a serious glint. The same thing applied for Cedric the Sensational and Sofia the First. They all focused on Argenta and Jade, who had their eyes glued on the book in the middle of the circle.
"What are we waiting for?" Sapphire asked.
"Patience Sapphire Starlight," Argenta chided. The air goddess tilted her head towards the sky, where the moon was slowly crawling towards the middle of the beautiful star-studded sky. "The pages of the power combo will only reveal themselves when the light of the full moon at midnight."
The circle was plunged into silence that was both comfortable and uncomfortable. Finally when the moon reached the pinnacle, everyone in the group turned towards the book. There was a crackling sound. The pages seemed to be suddenly engulfed in pure white flames. When they died down, everyone stared down at the words that seemed to be burned onto the page.
"Whoa," Sapphire whispered.
"Indeed," Argenta agreed. Carefully, the silver banged goddess placed her hand on the page but yelped and pulled back, cradling a now burnt, smoking appendage.
"Blasted!" The goddess cursed. She held her burnt hand close to her chest. Sapphire rushed forward and opened the palm up to see the damage. And the immortal sorceress near about threw up her supper when she saw the mess. The goddess's hand was a smoking mess of blisters and burns.
"Are you all right sister?" Jade asked as Sapphire moved aside so the minor earth goddess could see it.
Argenta hissed in pain when her sister gently prodded an area. "Of course not! That blasted book has a burning curse on it! My powers can't heal it!"
"Looks like we'll have to wrap it," Jade commented but Sapphire didn't hear them. She was too busy examining the book. Hesitantly she prodded the book with her index finger. When nothing happened, Sapphire hesitantly placed her hand on the book. Not a single jolt of pain.
"Well I'll be a Pegahippo." Jade muttered. The serious moment was ruined when Sapphire made a face and turned to the goddess.
"A what?"
"Nothing. I can't believe you are able to touch the book."
Sapphire shrugged. "I can't believe it either. I guess Corundum helped me."
"I guess so," Jade leaned in as well as everyone else. "So what does it say?"
-Line break-
Ruby Brimstone sat in her makeshift headquarters, brooding over the past few days. The victory of the past few days meant nothing to her since the real prize was Enchantia. The villages fell too easy for Ruby's taste but boy did she enjoy the scream of mortals. Ruby twisted into a more comfortable position on her makeshift throne of obsidian. Her army of demons was sprawled all around at her feet, chanting and partying. Ruby closed her eyes for a moment but suddenly they snapped open. Whispers filled her head, brought on by her two jewels: the red stone around her neck and the firestone in her headdress.
You will never succeed, the firestone whispered. You will need more power.
No! This isn't the way to do things! The stone around her neck argued back, louder. Repent your evil ways and you will be forgiven!
I NEED MORE POWER! Ruby and the firestone shouted at the same time. The demons ceased their celebration when the throne and demon goddess erupted in flames. BRING ME THE IMMORTAL SORCERESS!