Chapter 4- Taking The Time Aspect
Sky hurried up the stone paved walkway that led to the Sparks palace doors. The royal guards opened the towering doors and Sky entered the Sparks palace feeling lighthearted. The expansive halls of the castle yawned before him as the doors closed behind him. His eyes searched for the one person he especially wanted to see among the many people wandering the great halls.
He was excited to finally see Bloom after days of focusing on the royal affairs of Eraklyon. The past couple weeks had been especially harrowing for him; a few of his advisors had suggested that he take martial action against a realm that had disagreed to a necessary trade agreement. He needed to discuss his feelings about this with someone, and who better than Bloom? She would give him the advice he needed to make the right decision.
He spotted a man and a woman strolling together and chatting. They spotted him and he gave a wave. Miriam and Oritel walked up to him and he bowed. "Your highnesses."
Miriam smiled, a gentle smile that was welcoming to Sky. "Sky. It's wonderful to see you again. Bloom will be…"
"What's happening?" Bloom's voice echoed through the halls of the Sparks palace, her tone filled with pain and horror. Sky looked at Miriam and Oritel, who too were confused. "What's happening?" Sky was rushing up the stairs in seconds looking for her.
"Bloom?" Sky yelled, "Bloom? Where are you?" He heard Miriam and Oritel's footsteps behind him.
"Bloom?" Miriam called. "Bloom? What's wrong?"
Sky's feet pounded against the stone step and his heart beat faster than the steps he took. He saw Bloom, just mere stair steps away, leaning against the wall and gasping. "Bloom!" He reached out to grab her, but she was gone in the blink of an eye. "Bloom!"
"What just happened!" Miriam cried out in horror. "Bloom? Where did she go? Oritel?"
Oritel was next to Sky in seconds, surveying the wall. Sky threw himself against it, but it was solid. "She's gone…" Oritel just stared at the wall, dumbfounded. "She's gone." he repeated.
"We need to get her back." Sky looked at Oritel. Oritel continued to stare at the wall. "Oritel? Oritel, what should we do to get her back?"
Oritel shook his head. "I don't know…we don't know what just happened even. We don't know who's responsible for this." He closed his eyes. "I don't know where to begin."
"We can't just stand here!" Sky shouted in frustration.
Oritel was quiet for a second more. "No. We won't just stand here." He turned and looked at Sky and Miriam. "Sky, go and call the Company of Light, both the old and the new."
"Bloom. Where did she go? Where did my baby go? Bloom." Miriam muttered over and over as she stared where Bloom stood minutes earlier.
Oritel grabbed Miriam by the arms. "Calm down Miriam. We can't help Bloom if you're like this."
Miriam didn't seem to hear him. Oritel sighed and looked at Sky. "Go. Miriam will be fine. Get The Company of Light."
Eilian stared in anger at the two intruders before her. One was a pretty little blonde girl whose features were merely enhanced by the evil smile on her face. The other was a man with powers that Eilian could sense from a mile away. The two stood before her shattered hourglass, the man held in his hand a container. "You won't be going anywhere with that aspect."
The blonde laughed. "And you plan on stopping us, right?"
The man looked rather irritated with the insouciant blonde. "Eilian. The fairy entity of time." He looked at Eilian much differently than the blonde. His gaze held a mix of awe and respect.
"Yes. Drop the aspect, and you may leave." Eilian commanded.
The blonde laughed again, her beautiful laugh bounced off the cavern walls. "We're leaving with this damned aspect despite your orders. Step aside Eilian, or face defeat."
Rage filled Eilian. "Never. I am the guardian of these aspects. I gave you a chance to walk away from your desecration of my home. Now you will face the consequences." Eilian unpinned the gray cloak she'd been wearing and tossed it to the side, standing before them in plain gray robes. She threw a hand in the air. "Divinix!"
Her robes tore away, revealing instead a shimmering strapless dress decorated with swirls that fell to mid thigh. Silver accessories adorned both of her wrists, upper arms, and ankles. Her feet were bare and long gloves covered her arms. A simple silver band decorated her head and her brown hair fell back in untamed waves. A pair of angelic wings burst forth from her back and an hourglass hung from a silver chain around her neck.
"We won't be stopped!" the blonde snapped. She whipped dark energy at Eilian.
Eilian dodged the attack and looked curiously at the girl. "A Wicca fairy? You dare to use Hecate's magic against me?" Eilian reached up and pulled a scythe out of thin air. She took hold of the wooden handle. "Time tear!" Eilian cried and brought the scythe down, slicing through the air. As it sliced the air around them became hazy and the blonde was knocked off her feet by a silvery energy. "Pathetic." Eilian commented, holding the scythe before her in both hands.
The blonde glared at her and shakily got to her feet. "Dark quartz!" Crystalline structures colored deep violet erupted from the ground slicing through the air. One appeared beneath Eilian and hit her in the back. And she fell to the ground. The scythe fell from her hands and clattered on the floor somewhere to her right. The blonde laughed. "You're supposed to be one of the best fairy warriors in the universe! I had a harder time fighting Bloom!"
Eilian threw a blast at her, but the girl dodged it with unerring speed. "You won't leave my home with that aspect!" Eilian cried out. Energy flowed through her and the full power of time filled her. "Time warp!"
The air around the girl thickened and the girl was slowed completely. Eilian charged into the slowed time, but wasn't slowed herself. She made a well aimed kick toward the girl and the girl flew into the wall behind her with a thud.
The man had said nothing throughout all of this. He stood off to the side, observing the two women fighting. He didn't seem inclined to help either of them. He still held in his hand the vial. Eilian could see the aspect glint in the bottom of it, despite the aspect's small size. Finally the man pocketed the vial and walked forward. "Enough."
"What?" The blonde glared at him. "Let us finish this!"
"I said enough Diaspro. I've grown tired of the two of you fighting a pathetic and meaningless battle. Stand aside." He stepped forward and held out his hand. Eilian was lifted off the ground by some invisible force and slammed into a quartz pillar.
Eilian cried out in pain as she hit the pillar. The pain drove through her head and she saw bright spots before her eyes. She shook it off. "I can't let you leave!" she shouted.
"It's your duty to protect these aspects of time, but I'll bet you don't have a clue as to how important they really are." The man said quietly. His gaze was piercing as he stared Eilian down with amber eyes.
Despite what he thought, Eilian knew just how important the time aspects were. She know what he wanted. "You wish to destroy someone." Eilian breathed. "You want to destroy an enemy. There are…other ways. Just don't use this way. You don't understand how terrible a fate this way condemns. Leave the time aspect and leave this place before you make a terrible mistake."
The man smiled, a cruel and understanding smile that made Eilian shiver. "Yes. I do understand. I know of many things. And this…" he pulled the vial out of his pocket and gazed at it. "this is the way of chosen because it is the most incontrovertible, the most final of ways." He put the vial back in his pocket and pulled his energy away from Eilian. Eilian fell to the floor. "We're leaving." He said to his blonde companion.
"Finally." Diaspro rolled her eyes. "That took longer than I expected."
They walked toward the exit. Eilian spotted her scythe lying on the ground. She scrambled for it and took it into her hands. She stood to aim an attack at them, but the man turned and merely flicked his wrist. Eilian was forced to the floor, her head smacked against the cold marble. As the darkness swooped in to claim her consciousness she could only watch the intruders walk out with one of the aspects she'd sworn an oath to protect.
-Author's Note- I had a hard time writing this chapter. This story is hard for me to write, but I really want to write it. I don't know if that makes sense to you all or not. I'd appreciate some feedback.