Author's Note:
Hello! Sorry for the gap between the last two chapters, college only gets more busy as we go on. We're still aiming for a completed story (initial draft at least, not finished project) by 2023, so we'll see how that goes.
Big reveals this chapter! Enjoy!
-Tangent
Ean felt as though he had been physically struck by the elderly woman as she spoke. He staggered slightly, his eyes fixed upon the Oracle.
"That woman is the Goddess?" Vincent hissed in the back of his mind. "Be very careful, Ean."
"You seem unsurprised, Iya Tiki." The Oracle, no, the Goddess, said to the elf, who nodded slightly.
"I had a suspicion. After reading that book you gave me. Who else would know all of the things you told us, or had a book like that in their home?"
"I'm confused." Jack said, speaking up for the first time. "Are you the Oracle, or the Goddess?"
"Both, I'm afraid. I usually assume the guise of the Oracle when visiting the Land of Man. I have found it… necessary." The Goddess said, her cloak flapping slowly in a nonexistent wind.
"So where are we, then?" Gavin asked. "Aveyond?" At this, the old face seemed to lose some of its light, and the Goddess frowned.
"No, not quite. You could not enter Aveyond proper as you are now. We are in a antechamber, if you wish to think of it that way." Ava gazed questioningly at the door behind her.
"So, it is real." The pirate said after a moment. The woman turned to her, one eyebrow raised slightly.
"You did not believe so before?"
"I don't put much stock in beliefs I can't confirm." Ava said, holding the gaze of the Goddess without flinching. The deity nodded slowly, and Iya stepped forward.
"What's wrong with Aveyond?" She asked suddenly, looking into the Oracle's eyes. "Why have you sealed it off?" The woman seemed to sag slightly, and she looked more old than anything else for a moment.
"My realm is threatened too. I was forced to close it off, lest we be attacked."
"What could possibly threaten you?" Rye said. "Aren't you all-powerful?" The woman laughed.
"My dear boy, nobody is invincible. Not even me. And as for what threatens my borders, I cannot tell you. You must discover it at your own pace."
"So, what can you tell us?" Ean asked hesitantly.
"Phoebe brought you here so that I could speak to you, Iya. There are… things, I suppose, that you must know before it is too late." Iya did not speak, and the Goddess continued. "My daughters… the six nymphs of this land. You are seeking them out, yes?"
"Like you sent me to do, Oracle." Iya said.
"Then listen closely. I had a daughter named Ishtar, the nymph of compassion. She had no ancestral home, but devoted her time to traveling the land and helping humans wherever she could. I loved her." A tear rolled down the woman's cheek, and Ean felt an intense sadness sweep over him. "But she was taken from me."
"What? What do you mean?" Iya asked. "She is mentioned within the Book of Nymphs, along with the others."
"Ishtar is alive, I know that. But her name has changed, and she now walks as another."
"Who is she now?" Ean asked. The Goddess took a deep breath, and her eyes flicked to the ceiling.
"Iya, you must understand… I did not want to keep this from you."
"Oracle, what are you talking about?" Iya said, raising her eyebrows.
"Ishtar… Ishtar has become the Snow Queen." Silence reigned for a few seconds, before Iya began to splutter.
"I… What?"
"My daughter vanished, and returned with a cruel and evil heart. If you wish to have her blessing, you must defeat her." Ean could not see Iya's face, but her whole body was shaking.
"Iya…" He began, but it was too late.
"You… you lied to me?" She said in a tiny voice. "But you said-"
"I know I said you needed all the blessings to face, but it was necessary to-"
"You lied to me." Iya said again, and now there was a definite tone of anger in her voice. Her hands were clenched, and the party could see magic glowing in both fists. "You said that the Snow Queen stole my spirit."
"She did, child. Ishtar did, somehow."
"But… Then how can I complete my quest? How can I regain my spirit?" Iya's voice was rising, and the party shifted uncomfortably. "You've given me an impossible quest!"
"I… I do not know, child. Only that you must do this. My daughter can only be saved by you."
"You don't know?" Iya shouted suddenly, and wind howled through the chamber. The Goddess did not move, nor did she flinch under the force of the elf's wrath. "All this time, you kept this from me, and you don't even know how to fix it?"
"Iya…"
"No. We're done." The elf said, and her magic died away. Spinning on the spot, she marched back towards the door. "Come on, Ean. We're leaving." Her hands were balled, and her back was rigid with anger as the others stepped out of her way.
She was halfway to the door when the Goddess cried out "Wait. Please, wait!" Iya stopped, but did not turn around.
"I know I lied, Iya, but it was necessary. To hear that so soon after you escaped would have broken you, and you never would have come this far."
"You don't know me." Iya said coldly. "I'm not your tool, to be used and discarded when my time is over. I've discovered plenty about myself without your help, Oracle, and I don't need it now."
"You do need it, child. All things need the aid of their Goddess. Please…" And then, the woman bent, kneeling upon the ground. "Save my child."
"Why can't you do it?" Ean asked, feeling no small amount of anger himself. "Why lie to her instead?"
"Ancient laws forbid me from interfering directly. I cannot." The Goddess looked down upon the floor, her face viciously weary. "As much as I love Ishtar, I cannot help." Iya was silent for a moment.
"I'll save her, Oracle. But not for you. For her." Relief spread across the Oracle's face, and she nodded.
"I understand." Slowly, the elf turned back around to face the one who had betrayed her.
"I just… I haven't forgotten that you saved me, Oracle." Some of the anger drained from Iya's face, to be replaced with a weary frustration. "But I was finally beginning to feel hope again… I was feeling loved again." No blush crossed her face as she spoke, and her eyes were locked with Ean's. "And now you've taken it away."
"I'm sorry, child." The Goddess whispered. "Truly, I am. But I know you can do this."
"Not without your help." Ean said finally, stepping between the two females. "Oracle, the way to Eredar is impassable. How can we find Nuha without entering the Land of the Lost?"
"There is only way now… You must find a dragon." The woman said this quite seriously, and Nicholas snorted.
"Really? Dragons?"
"They exist." Gavin murmured. "In the old tales, at least. I thought they'd all died."
"The warlock is mostly correct. Many dragons were slain centuries ago, but one clan survived." The Goddess said. "To the northwest of this island, a volcano named Fire Rock still shields the last of their kind. You must tame one, and ride it to Eredar."
"A volcano?" Ean said, and the Oracle nodded. Her hand twisted, and a stone made of dark slate appeared in Ean's hand.
"This entry stone will open the gate. That is all I can tell you for now."
"Thank you." Ean said to her, nodding slightly. He would not bow, not after what she had done to Iya. "Then we will be on our way." The Oracle inclined her head towards the door, and Iya took her cue.
"Will we meet again?" Jack asked.
"Perhaps, young one. It is hard to tell." The Goddess said, smiling at the boy. "Now go." The rest of the party filed through the portal, until only Ean remained. He turned to leave, but the Oracle called out to him.
"Ean!" The elf turned, and the Goddess seemed older than she had during their entire conversation. "Please, protect her. She is the only hope for our future, even if she cannot forgive me for what I've done."
"I know." He said quietly. "I've always known that."
"You may find that a place you could not enter is now open to you." The Goddess said as he put one hand on the doorway. "Good luck, Ean." The light surrounded him, and Aveyond faded away.
When he opened his eyes, the elf was standing next to the pool occupied by the spirit Phoebe. Mist still obscured the surrounding forest, but he could see enough to see the rest of the party waiting for him.
"What kept you?" Gavin asked after a moment, and Ean held up the stone still clutched din his hand.
"Guidance, I suppose." Behind him, the portal slowly shrank until there was no more light illuminating the clearing.
"The portal has closed." Phoebe announced solemnly. "I'm afraid that it cannot be opened again, not without Aisling's aid."
"It's okay." Iya reassured her. "We got what we needed, I think." A trace of bitter sarcasm laced her words, and Phoebe did not respond for a moment.
"Do not lose hope, Iya." The unicorn said finally. "It may be that what you think you know and what is are not always the same."
"I can only hope." The elf responded sadly. "Thank you for everything, Phoebe." The horse nodded gracefully before vanishing back into the pool. Silence fell, until Rye cleared his throat.
"So, what is that?" Ean told them quickly about Fire Rock, and the dragons that were hidden within.
"A volcano?" Ava said with a frown. "I've never seen that on my maps."
"Based on what the Oracle said, it seems that it was forgotten." Nicholas pointed out.
"So it seems." Iya muttered with a sigh. "Still, we should free Aisling first."
"Agreed."
"The Goddess said that a path was open now." Ean said slowly. "It must be related to Aisling, but how?"
"The mansion, perhaps?" Gavin offered. "Maybe there's a way in."
"Maybe…" Ean said slowly, stroking his chin. "Maybe it'll be apparent later. Let's return to Happily Ever After." With no alternative course of action, the rest of party acquiesced. Still, the elf couldn't help but notice that Iya walked despondently, as though a part of her had been broken.
It had been a long day, and Iya was in no mood to join the others downstairs for dinner. They had returned to their rooms at the inn in Happily Ever After, but she had taken the opportunity to slip upstairs for some peace and quiet.
She lied to me. To all of us. It was true, the Goddess had not told her the truth. Ishtar, the nymph of compassion, taken by dark magic. It was hard to comprehend, especially after witnessing the powers of the other nymphs firsthand.
What am I going to do? This, of course, was the pressing question. Her whole quest had been thrown into jeopardy now, and Iya suddenly found that she was tired of everything to do with her magic. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed her staff across the room and onto a desk, where it lay hapless. Could she continue on her journey? Was victory even possible anymore?
If I fail, we all fail. The thoughts that she had worked so hard to contain began to swirl up inside of her once again.
"They'll die, and it will be my fault…" She whispered, closing her eyes and clenching her fists. "If Ishtar cannot be freed…"
Iya was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door. Without looking, she knew who it was.
Ean. He was her core, her source of stability ever since he had rescued her from Shaenlir. And now, they faced the very real threat of having their world overrun by evil.
"Iya?" His voice was soft, so that it would not carry down the hall. "I brought you dinner." She contemplated ignoring him, but her heart won out, and the elf opened the door to admit her partner.
Ean was wearing his casual clothes, and carrying a tray with various foods on it.
"Can I come in?" She nodded wordlessly, and he stepped inside swiftly, pausing only to set the tray down upon the nearby table. He offered her a piece of bread, and she took it, surprised at how hungry she was. The elves sat upon the edge of her bed in silence as she chewed.
"No questions?" She asked after swallowing a bite, and he shook his head.
"I figured you'd tell me when you want to talk about it." The words were the precise things that she had needed to hear, whether she was aware of it or not. Her hands shook, and Ean covered them with his own. His palms were warm.
"I just… It's too much." She croaked after a moment, her throat suddenly dry. "Ishtar… all of it."
"I know." Ean admitted. "To keep that from you…"
"From us." She said firmly. "This quest is ours. You must be angry too, Ean."
"I am, but… in a way, I can understand her view." Out of anything she had expected from his mouth, that sentence was not one of them.
"What do you mean?" She leaned back to look him in the eyes. He gazed back without a trace of fear or embarrassment.
"The Oracle should have told us, but I can see why she feared you would break. I don't think you would have," He added hastily as her expression darkened. "But she doesn't know you like I do, Iya. I know you're stronger."
"What if I'm not?" She asked. "What if Ishtar can't be saved?"
"That that will not be our fault." Ean said simply. "We just have to take this day by day." Iya sagged, and her mate pulled her close to him, so that she could feel his heartbeat through his shirt.
"Ean…"
"I know how you feel." The elf admitted. "When I found out about Horace, and the other spirits… I felt lost. But we can overcome this, if we just maintain our hope."
"I don't know if I can do that." She whispered, and Iya felt Ean move his palm to the middle of her back, rubbing it gently.
"Maybe not alone. But I'm not going anywhere."
Iya figured that was a good time as any to press her lips to his briefly, before pulling away. He smiled gently at her before returning the gesture.
"You aren't alone. Not ever."
"Thank you."
Evening fell, and the morning came quicker than she had anticipated. When Iya came downstairs, she found Ean and Gavin in conversation at the bar.
"If the rumors are true, then we can get in. Can you handle it?"
"I think so." The warlock muttered. "You need me to break the mirror anyways."
"What are you talking about?" Iya asked curiously, and Ean glanced at her.
"Apparently, that witch in Fairytale Forest has abandoned her cottage. I thought it would be a good opportunity to go in and see what she's hiding."
"And I'm the only one who knows anything about witch magic." Gavin added.
"Sounds like a plan, I suppose." Iya said. "And then what?"
"Well, Serendipity had trolls guarding her, right?" Ean said with furrowed brows. "And so far, I can only think of one person who could have had a hand in Aisling's disappearance."
"The witch."
"Exactly."
"I guess it's better than nothing." Iya sighed. "Get the others, and let's be on our way."
Fairytale Forest was much the same as it had been before, minus the monsters the party had killed on their first trip. Armed with new and improved weapons from the market, any combat was brief and quite one-sided.
When they arrived at the witch's hut, they found that it was indeed abandoned. No smoke came from the chimney, and the windows were boarded up.
"Did she do this?" Rye asked with a frown, gesturing at the wood-covered glass. "That's not typical when you leave your house."
"Something's off." Ean said slowly, scanning the clearing. "Emma and Rye, wait outside and stand guard." The green-haired fighters nodded and took up positions on either side of the door as Ean touched the handle.
"It's unlocked!" He said in surprise as the elf pushed the door open.
The inside of the house was dark, and Jack blinked several times as he entered. Ean had night vision, thanks to his powers, but the others were forced to light a nearby lamp for visibility. The hut was clearly abandoned, with several items missing, and the rest strewn haphazardly about. It was as though somebody had left in a hurry.
"No dust." Jack pointed out quietly. "She left recently."
"But why?" Nicholas murmured as he examined a bookshelf. "No reason to leave, right?"
"Witches don't just up and leave." Gavin said firmly. "They take everything with them. Cauldron, books, furniture…"
"But then, where did she go?" Ava said. "I see no signs of a destination."
"Some witches would use teleportation magic to move between areas." The warlock said slowly, moving over to look at the mirror on the wall. "But I do not sense any traces of something like that. No, she has to be on the island somewhere." His fingers touched the mirror, and the surface flared with light, causing Gavin to stagger backwards.
"What the-"
"Are you alright?" Iya asked as Gavin blew on his fingers, which were smoking with heat.
"I'll be fine. There's an enchantment on this mirror here."
"Is that why she told us not to touch it?" Iya asked. Ean shrugged as he looked at the smooth surface.
"Could be… Is it a hiding place for something?"
"Only one way to find out." Gavin said, and set his whole palm firmly on the glass. It shimmered again, and he let out a grunt of pain as his hand began to burn. Pushing the pain aside, the warlock reached out with his magic and focused on the glass, on the spell within.
Lightning crackled, and the glass shattered with a loud noise, sending fragments raining to the floor. Behind the mirror was a cavity, and Nicholas reached into it as Gavin moved away, clutching his burned hand.
"I'll be okay." He repeated through clenched teeth as Ava looked at him with no small amount of concern. "Warlocks are weak to light. The witch knows that." Behind him, Nicholas pulled a gleaming object from the space behind the broken mirror. It was another piece of glass, but shaped in the vague form of a key.
"Uh…" He twisted the key in his fingers, glancing at it curiously. "Any idea what this is?"
"No, but I've got a fair idea where it goes." Ean said quietly. "It looks like the witch has a lot she didn't tell us."
"Mirror Mansion." Jack said after a moment, his eyes wide. "But then, that means…"
"That she took Aisling." Iya finished with a hard look in her eyes. Ean nodded slowly.
"That's the only possibility that makes sense." With a low growl, Iya's power lashed out, scoring a long line across the wall.
"Then we'll go get her back. Agreed?" The others nodded in unison.
It took the group the better part of three hours to return to Happily Ever After, assemble their gear, and head to the mansion located on the Dogwort Plains. They each took their new equipment that Emma and Rye had discovered a few days prior, which mostly consisted of new, more powerful weapons. Ean, Rye, Emma, and Ava had all obtained new sets of armor, which were made to protect against spells and various elements. Gavin had purchased a few magical scrolls from a trader in the market, and Nicholas had a full pack of various potions.
When they arrived, the building looked exactly the same as it had before. Mirrors, blank canvases that stretched out into infinity, acted as windows, doors, and even parts of the roof. Ean approached the door, head cocked slightly as he listened.
"I hear nothing. Completely silent in there." He said quietly as he reached for the key in his pocket. The elf inserted it into the lock, and there was a small click. Slowly, the door swung open, admitting them to the hallways within.
"Ready?" Ean asked, and he stepped over the threshold.
The inside of the mansion was lit up, with candles that burned in holders every few feet along the walls. Overhead, a chandelier made of reflective shards twinkled in the light. He could see a balcony about fifteen feet above the party, but with no way to access it. The walls were smooth, with little to grab onto or clamber up. The floor was all carpet, read with gold trim.
Strangest of all was the lack of doors. Instead of wood, three large mirrors sat where the doors would be in a normal house, each blank.
"What is this place?" Jack whispered, his voice carrying slightly in the dead air of the house.
"A trap, maybe?" Gavin whispered. "Or a test."
"Do you sense Aisling?" Ean asked Iya, who shook her head.
"Whatever's in here is blocking my senses. It's like they threw a blanket over my head."
The party spread out, looking for hidden doors or passages beneath the floor.
"See anything?" Rye asked, and Nichola shook.
"Nothing."
"Hey, where's Jack?" Emma said suddenly, and everybody froze, glancing around. They expected to see him examining the walls, or standing by the entrance, but the boy was simply gone. Emma's hand fell to her sword, and she unsheathed it slowly, looking around.
And then, with a flicker of light, Jack appeared from one of the mirrors, falling to the floor with a thud.
"They're portals!" He gasped out as he got to his feet, adjusting his knife on his belt. "The mirrors bring you to other parts of the house!"
"Really?" Gavin said. "How strange. Such advanced spells…"
"Did you see anything?" Ean asked him as he moved over to the mirror that Jack had come from.
"No… I was in a library, I think. But I felt like something was coming for me, so I tried to go back through the mirror."
"I see. Iya, we'd better go first." The elf said as he gazed at the mirror. "The rest of you, come through behind us." They nodded, and Ean laid his palm firmly on the smooth glass.
Almost immediately, he found himself simply displaced, as though he had been moved instantly to another location. The elf blinked twice before realizing that he now stood at one end of a vast library, with shelves stretching out until they met the other wall. The others appeared behind him, looking similarly shocked.
"Another mirror down here." Rye called as he looked down one aisle. "Do we keep going?"
"Wait." Ean said, holding up a hand. Vincent's voice resounded in his mind.
"Something is coming. I feel it, drawing near…"
"These books…" Gavin muttered. "They're all empty." He was quite right. Every book in the library was blank, as though waiting for someone to come and fill them with stories.
"I don't like this." Ava said quietly, gripping her sword hilt tightly. Silence filled the room, and Iya gasped.
"There!" At the opposite end of the room, a fire had begun to burn. But instead of red and orange, it burned a bright, soulless blue. The flames began to spread, and a darker shape emerged from the middle of the fire, taking a vague, circular shape.
"What is that?" Rye said, drawing an arrow and placing it on his string. "Living fire?"
"I think so." Iya said slowly, clutching her staff. The flames seemed to turn and face them, considering the intruders. And then, without a sound, the monster shot across the library, leaping towards the group.
"Scatter!" Ean shouted, and leapt to one side, accompanied by Jack and Iya. The others went backwards, the flames shot past and crashed into a wall. The dark ball in the middle spun lazily, and the fire changed direction, shooting for Emma. Rye fired, but his arrow merely passed through the blaze, sticking into the wall.
"Ean!" Jack shouted, and the elf spun back to see another living flame coming towards them.
"It doesn't burn the floor or bookshelves!" Iya called to him. "Why?"
"I don't know, but I doubt we'll be so lucky!" With another leap, Ean jumped to the top of the shelves, running along it even as the fire leapt after him. "Hit it with magic!" Iya nodded and thrust her staff out, and a wave of ice rippled across the library. Where it struck, steam rose as the fire and water clashed for dominance with each other. The dark shape fell back in disarray, and Iya hammered it with a second wave of magic, forcing it against the wall.
From the other side of the library came a sharp crack, followed by a wave of cold, but the elf was not paying attention. As Ean watched, she slowly surrounded the fire, before extinguishing it with a sharp twist of her wrist.
"Everybody okay?" Rye called, and Ean turned to see the ranger emerge, covered in a thin layer of crystalline ice.
"Good over here. You?"
"Fine. Emma got grazed by the fire, but she's okay. Nicholas is tending to it." Ean leapt down to the floor, inspecting what was left of the monster.
"Odd." He murmured. A stone, made of a strange, dark material, was all that was left of the fire that had raged so fiercely moments before. Iya and Jack came over moments later. The others joined them in short order.
"What happened?"
"I had an ice scroll, but it was… more potent than I expected." Gavin said, looking sheepishly at Ava, who was still brushing the frozen water out of her purple hair. "Still, it worked. At least we know how to combat them."
"It's annoying, fighting enemies you can't hit." Emma remarked. "Is this stone their source?"
"I think so." Ean said. "Perhaps if we were able to separate it from the flames, that would work as well."
"I could try shooting it." Rye offered, as Ean bent down and picked up the rock. Flicking his caws out, the elf twisted the rock and crushed it to rubble, letting the shards fall onto the carpet.
"Not so sturdy once they've been removed." He remarked.
"I hope there aren't more." Jack said with a shiver. "Creepy." Rye laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Stick with us, and you'll be alright. Now come on, there's another mirror on the other side of the library."
"Such a strange spell." Nicholas murmured. "What's the purpose of this place?"
"It's a prison." Iya muttered quietly, causing everybody to look at her. "A place to keep one of the most powerful creatures in the world."
"Then we should be doubly careful." Ean said firmly. "I doubt that was the last of the traps in here. Stay on your guard."
The hours passed, and yet they were no closer to finding Aisling within the vast manor. After passing through what felt like dozens of rooms and fighting several more flames, Gavin remarked that it felt like they were in a much bigger place than it seemed.
"I think the outer manor was merely a threshold to this web of interconnected spells."
We're running out of time. The thought flashed through Iya's mind as she stepped through yet another blank mirror, into a carpeted hallway that looked the same as the rest of the house. The already faint aura that Aisling had been giving off had all but faded now.
"There has to be a way." She said quietly, causing Ean to glance at her. The elf shook her head slightly, indicating that she did not want to talk. Ahead of them, another flame bubbled from the carpet swirling up to block their path. Frustrated and angry, she thrust her magic towards it, choking it in an instant and coating the hallway with frost.
Behind her, Gavin was scribbling on a pad, trying to map out the hallways that they had already discovered in hopes of finding a path forward. The party passed through another set of mirrors, and another.
They were passing through a series of studies when the warlock stopped, quite suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked, but the man gestured for silence as he turned to face the wall.
"Something's different here." His fingers touched the paneled wood lightly, tracing the seams as he closed his eyes. As they watched, Gain seemed to recede into himself, gritting his teeth and panting. After a moment, he pulled away. "A trace of magic was left here, almost like a mark. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the magic of Bogwood."
"The witch." Ean said at once. "Can you follow the trail?" The warlock nodded slowly and moved off down the hall, stopping occasionally.
With their new lead, Gavin led them through another series of mirrors. This time, however, Iya noticed that the rooms were beginning to change. Scuff marks, upended furniture, and peeling paint were all seen as the party moved through the manor. Several times, Iya thought she saw a shadowy figure ahead of them, only to find nothing at all when she investigated. The others, not even Ean, could see it at all.
After what felt like hours, Gavin stopped in front of a mirror.
"The trail ends here." Iya clenched her staff tightly as Ean came forward.
"Iya and I go first. The rest of you after." Turning to the female elf, he took her hand and stepped forward, into the surface of the glass.
Iya blinked several times, surprised at the dim light that greeted her eyes. Dimly, she was aware of the others emerging from the mirror behind her. Then, her vision cleared, and she beheld Aisling for the first time.
The nymph, a small, fairy-like creature was slumped against the bars of a golden cage clearly designed to keep her contained. Her wings had faded to a dull brown, and she did not move. Iya glanced around, and saw that they were in a large, open space that looked like the attic of the manor. Wooden beams crossed overhead, and dust occasionally fell from the rafters.
"Wait." Ean hissed, and gestured to the left of the captured nymph. "Look!"
Standing so still they had nearly missed her was the witch, with her unmoving back to them. Rye pulled an arrow from his quiver, and Ava unsheathed her sword silently.
"So… the girl has come." A raspy voice, unlike any they had heard before echoed through the attic. Slowly, the woman in black turned around, and Iya saw with horror that her face was sunken and hollow. But worst of all were her eyes, filled with nothing but shifting black.
"Who are you talking about?" Ean asked loudly, moving half a step forward. "We're only here for Aisling." The witch ignored him, her eyes locked onto Iya.
"She said you would come." The black robes shuddered as the witch breathed, and the elf thought that she looked sick. "The nymph drew you here. But it is too late." The words were slow and labored.
"Give Aisling to us." Iya said softly. "And you can go free."
"I cannot."
"Why?" Gavin demanded, stepping up to stand next to the two elves. "Why did you side with the Snow Queen."
"Her will is my own." The woman croaked. "And now… she will consume all of you!" With surprising strength, she flung her arms wide, and blue flame blasted outward in a wave. Iya ducked, but the fire did not touch them. Instead, it swirled away and into a pillar that descended back onto the witch. She screamed once before her body seemed to melt into the inferno.
"Oh, no…" Iya whispered as the creature rose slowly from the flames. It was like the creatures they had encountered earlier, but darker and more substantial. Horns jutted from its head, and two black eyes flared in the midst of the blue.
"If you want the nymph…" The flame moaned, the words so distorted they were hard to understand. "Kill me first…" The fire blazed, and twin pillars flew towards the party.
Iya stepped forward, flinging the raw power of chaos towards the fire. But instead of the ice canceling the flames, she was pushed back several steps by the force of the blow, and Ean seized her arm.
"Move!" He said, and dragged her to one side as the fire flew past and smashed the mirror behind them. The rest of the party had dove to the other side of the attack, and had regained their feet.
"Find the cores!" Rye shouted. "They must be in there somewhere!" This was easier said than done, as the monster was now so large that it towered over them by several feet. With a twisting movement, the living blaze sent a deluge fire towards the rest of the party.
"No!" Ean shouted, but Iya was already moving, casting a rose-colored barrier that enveloped Ava, Emma, and the rest. The fire fell, and there was a flash of light. When it faded, the others were left unharmed, and Rye glanced over to see Iya holding a ball of glowing pink light.
"Thank you!" The ranger called as he ran forward, firing arrows as he went. Gavin and Emma followed, sword and staff ready. Ean grabbed her arm.
"You alright?"
"Yes!" She called as she turned her attention back to the battle. Rye and Emma were trying to split the fire in two, but to no avail. Quickly, Iya cast more barriers over them before using her staff to fire a blast of ice and wind that dissolved in the blue flames. The monster seemed to shift towards her, and she barely had time to throw up another barrier before she was enveloped in blue light. It faded, and she dimly heard Rye shouting something over the din.
"There's three stones!" Indeed, the elf could see them now: Three chunks of black stone, shifting within the mass of fire and heat.
"I'll distract it!" Ean called as he sprinted to the right, bounding across the wall and landing just outside of the blaze. "Hurry and smash the stones!" And then the elf was off, dodging tendrils of fire that reached hungrily towards him.
Time seemed to slow as Iya withdrew inward, drawing on the magic at the core of her being.
I've got to keep the barriers up and attack it at the same time. All I need to do is to expose one of those stones! It was the most difficult thing she had ever done, but somehow the elf found herself darting between waves of heat, casting barriers with her free hand. And all the while, she pummeled the fiery mass with ice and water, refusing to let it move even an inch towards the people she had come to hold so dear.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Emma's cry of triumph as she slashed her sword downwards, crushing one the black stones that had been exposed by a well-timed ice scroll from Gavin. She was equally aware of Ean, still darting and diving around the fringes of the creature.
An unknown amount of seconds passed, and the elf could feel her magic beginning to drain. Ean had smashed a second stone, but the third had remained elusive. Her skin was beginning to burn and prickle, and she had no doubt that the others were worse off. Nicholas was doing his best to heal the others in shifts as they rotated around the beast, but magic was beginning to wear thin, as hers was. Gavin had all but exhausted his ice scrolls, and Rye was nearly out of arrows.
How can one foe have such limitless energy? As Iya deflected another wave of flame, she staggered and fell to one knee.
"No!" She growled and flicked her hand, deflecting a tongue of fire that had lashed out at Emma. The woman darted backwards, giving her a grateful smile.
"Keep going!" Ean called, his voice hoarse and raw. "Even this fire cannot burn forever!" The others attacked with renewed vigor, but the creature darted back with surprising swiftness, raising an impenetrable wall of heat between them and Aisling's cage. Iya thought she saw the nymph stirring slightly, but was unable to call out or do anything to assist her.
"This isn't working." Nicholas panted from her left. Jack's face as pale, but he was holding his throwing knives resolutely as the fire began to creep forward once more.
"This must be a spell created by the witch." Gavin said. "But spells that give life are dangerous. It's easy to lose control, which is why I never attempted one."
"Then what… can we do? "Emma wheezed. The monster lunged, but Iya hurled a barrier, larger than before, across the room, preventing the fire from encircling them. The air, already burning, turned to magma, and the elf nearly choked as she inhaled.
"It's gonna wipe us out!" Jack croaked. "Ean, what can we do?"
"There must be a way to reach the stone." The elf said. "Gavin, do you have an ice scroll left?"
"Just one." The warlock said grimly. Iya gritted her teeth as the barrier began to fade, and she redoubled her efforts.
Hurry, Ean. I can't hold it much longer! Her throat was too sore to speak, and Ean glanced at her with fear in his eyes.
"Iya!"
"I can't hold it…" She hissed, sweat dripping onto her robes. "Run…" Rye opened his mouth, and the barrier shattered around them. Immediately, the fire leapt forward eagerly, cresting into a wave that would devour the whole party. Ean cried out, and she saw him shift into a werebear, pushing Jack and Emma out of the path of the wave. Rye had seized Nicholas, tossing the prince aside as the tide of death bore down upon them. Iya felt a jolt as Ean tackled her next.
"Ava!" Emma howled as the woman backed away, trapped by the blue flames. She stabbed out at the flames, but it had no effect. The monster surged forward, sensing victory, and somebody screamed. It might have even been herself.
Gavin's body moved instinctively as he leapt forward. Even if he knocked Ava aside, the fire would roast them both. There was only one option left to him, once chance to save the person who had unexpectedly become his friend.
The warlock spun to see the two black eyes of creature gleaming with triumph as it descended upon him. And there, between the two orbs, was the chunk of stone, the final lifeline that kept the spell active. He knew he only had one shot at this.
As the wave fell, Gavin Morven roared, and with all his strength, smashed his fist into the wall of flame. Unexpectedly, his arm did not pass through easily, but imbedded itself up the elbow only.
For a moment, he felt nothing. Then, blinding pain roared through his body, burning him from the inside out. The warlock screamed, but he did not remove his arm. His fingers clenched even as they were burnt, and released the seal on his final ice scroll.
He thought he could hear Ava shouting his name.
There was an explosion of heat that seared his skin and clothes. And then, nothing at all.
He was back in the attic, but this time, there was no fiery monster bearing down on him. In fact, there was nothing at all. No roof, no walls, no cage with Aisling inside. Just a wooden floor stretching off into infinity.
"Can you hear me?" The warlock spun to see the last person he'd thought possible: The witch, standing a few yards from him.
"How-" It was hard to speak, and it his body felt numb, as though it had been encased in ice.
"There's no time for this." The woman said, her black eyes flashing with something like pain and anger. "A minute or two more, and I will pass."
"The flame monster." It was not a question.
"You destroyed the last stone. I am… grateful for that." The witch admitted grudgingly. "So listen closely. The fire was a spell of my own invention." Gavin's eyes widened, asking the question he could not bring himself to speak. "I was betrayed."
"Ishtar?" The figure that had begun to smoke nodded.
"She came to me, but something was different. The nymph was colder and more distant. By the time I realized it, I was under her control. She forced me to cast these spells, to imprison Aisling and hide the key where she thought it could not be found. Even now, her power is being drained." A slow sigh escaped her lips. "I never wanted this, you know. I may be a caster of dark spells, but even we respect the nymphs and the balance they bring. After all, Hepititus shares our form."
"I'm.. sorry." Gavin managed to get out.
"Don't be. I'm free now, anyways." The witch's legs dissolved into dust that floated away, leaving her torso and head. "I still dislike you, warlock." He felt his mouth twitch with the ghost of a smile. "But you are the best hope for our kind. I don't know what has cursed you, but you must fight it. If Bogwood falls, those fools will all perish." Her arms vanished as well, and her voice began to fade.
"Keep our ways safe… Gavin…" And then, with a faint whisper of sound, the witch vanished into a cloud of ashes.
And then, a blue light appeared where the woman had been, hovering at eye level. Slowly, Gavin reached out and touched the orb.
There was shock, confusion, and fear as Gavin fell to the ground, his right arm blackened and steaming. The creature reared backwards as the ice scroll detonated, and the flames were blasted backwards. A few seconds later, they were extinguished, and the room fell dark.
"Gavin!" Ava cried as she flung herself down next to the still form, her usual grace abandoned. Nicholas was next, his face pale with shock. The rest of them gathered round, watching as the prince tried to summon his healing magic. Light sputtered around his hands, then faded.
"I… I can't. My energy is gone."
"What do you mean?" Snapped Ava, her arms crossed. "You aren't going to save him?"
"It isn't like that!" Nicholas said loudly, and the pirate took a half-step towards him, eyes narrowed.
"Stop it!" Rye said sharply, interposing himself between the two. "This is not helping! Nicholas, Gavin needs you to try."
"Is he going to die?" Jack whispered. Iya glanced at Ean, guilt and fear and shame showing in her eyes. It was her fault for letting the barrier fall, her fault Gavin had been burned. The elf shook his head slightly, but she ignored him.
"Aisling…" The croak came from a rather unexpected place: The man lying upon the ground. Gavin hissed as his eyes opened just a crack, revealing a face foggy with pain. "Get Aisling… Hurry." Ean turned and ran across the room, seizing the bars of the cage and ripping them apart with brutal strength. However, the nymph did not stir. Behind him, the wall crumbled away, revealing a final mirror that had been hidden.
"What's wrong with her?" Emma asked, her eyes still on Gavin.
"Power… being drained. Stop it…" The warlock whispered before his eyes fell shut again, overwhelmed by the effort of speaking.
Iya stood there for a moment as the situation crashed down around her. Then, her mind cleared, and she reasserted herself.
"Ean, bring Aisling back to her glen." Her mate glanced at her in confusion.
"But Gavin…"
"She's the only one that can heal him now." Iya said quietly. "Run as fast as you can, before her power is completely drained. We'll bring Gavin." Ean nodded once, gave her a long look, then stepped into the mirror. He vanished, still cradling the nymph in his arms.
"We have to get Gavin out of here. With the witch gone, the mansion should unravel itself." Iya said firmly, her mind racing. "Ava, make sure his arm doesn't move too much." Wordlessly, the party obeyed, aware of how serious the situation had become. If they were too late, Gavin would be…
Surprisingly, the mirror teleported them back onto the lawn outside the sprawling manor, just in time for Iya to hear an ominous groan coming from the house.
"Get back!" Rye said sharply, and they moved Gavin as far and as fast as they possibly could. When they reached the edge of the path leading back towards the Dogwort Plains, each of them turned back in time to see Mirror Mansion sway.
There was a terrific bang, accompanied by the sound of a hundred mirrors shattering at once. The foundation crumbled, the walls fell, and the house that had nearly been the end of all of them was no more.
Ava remembered little of their trip back to Happily Ever After. She was only aware of the warlock, still lying so still, and his blackened arm being carried between herself, Rye, and Emma. Nicholas tried to do what he could, but all of them were exhausted, mentally and physically.
She remembered moving through the gates, and the chancellor running to meet them, eyes wide with concern. Ean had alerted him to the situation as he had passed through with Aisling. Arwen had immediately summoned his healers, who had surrounded the pale man.
"This wound goes beyond the physical and into the spiritual." One of them finally said. We have alleviated the burns, but… we cannot do more." The pirate almost punched him then and there, but Arwen laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Do not blame them. Even our magic cannot heal everything."
But he's dying. And it's my fault. The words went unsaid, but the elderly elf seemed to understand them all the same.
"Aisling can heal him. The nymphs are unparalleled by any, elf or man."
"Then we go to the glen." Iya said after a moment, and the chancellor nodded.
"I will get him on a litter, and then I will accompany you."
They were just leaving the city when there was a screech, and a lithe body fell from the sky, unfolding its wings and coming to a stop in front of them. There was a flash of light, and the griffin became Ean, who threw his arms around Iya, murmuring words Ava could not hear. Her heart twinged with pain, but she ignored it.
Gavin… For the first time, the thought that the warlock might not survive crossed her mind, vivid and horrifying. No. He will live. I will not allow him to die, even if I have to force the nymphs themselves to heal him. It surprised her to think of him that way. Just months ago, they had been bitter enemies. And then, they were rivals. Now, they were… she wasn't sure. She felt Emma's hand touch her arm.
"You want to talk about it?" Ava shook her head wordlessly, unable to find the energy to make a verbal reply. The green-haired woman squeezed once, then released her.
The warlock stirred slightly once or twice, but did not regain consciousness. As the procession passed through the forest, nothing seemed to move around them. It was as though nature itself was holding its breath, waiting to see the outcome.
Ava rounded a corner and saw the familiar star shaped glen, with fresh flowers blooming around the edges. The water lapped against the rocky edge as a familiar shape emerged from within, and Aisling spread her wings fully for the first time in months. The wings were golden and translucent, with shimmering dust being shed every so often. Her dress was new, and her hair was clean.
And yet, Aisling bore the scars of her imprisonment. Her face was scarred, and the nymph moved slower than Ava had expected.
"Aisling?" Arwen asked, reverence in his voice. The nymph turned, smiling softly at the elderly elf.
"Arwen, it has been too long." Her gaze turned to the others standing beside him, as well as the wounded warlock. "But I fear conversation may have to wait. Lay him in the pool, please." Her brow knitted as she moved to hover a foot above Gavin, peering down at him with concern.
"He was dealt a blow by the magical flames." Ean said, his face pale. "Can you heal him?" Aisling stretched out her hand, and a golden light emanated from the pond.
"My powers have only begun to return. I was within minutes of being permanently destroyed."
"Please," Ava said quietly. "He sacrificed himself to save you."
"I know." The nymph said simply. "Which is why I will not let him die."
Several minutes passed in silence, while the magic in the pond grew ever fainter. The others had retreated a short distance to let Aisling work in peace, but Ava had refused, seating herself at the edge of the pool. To her surprise, Nicholas remained as well, his eyes fixed on the unconscious warlock.
Another moment or two went by, and then Gavin began to stir. He coughed and choked as his eyes slid open, and Aisling pressed a hand to his chest.
"Do not move, child. You are still healing." The warlock coughed again before his eyes found Ava, looking at him with anxiousness she could not quite hide. A small smile formed on his lips before it was dispersed by another hacking fit.
"Sorry about that." His eyes fell on the prince to her right, and one eyebrow shot up. "I must be seeing things."
"Just making sure my hard work wasn't wasted." Nicholas said abruptly, before rising and walking back to the rest of the party. Gavin let out a weak chuckle as he turned to examine his arm, still blackened.
"Hotter than it looked, huh?" Ava felt her spirits lift slightly as Gavin lifted the arm experimentally. "I can still move it, but…"
"I'm afraid the burning was permanent." Aisling said as she moved to one side, allowing Gavin to sit up. "You should have regained full use of the arm, but the magic used was devious. It was layered into your skin, and I could only remove some of it." Ava opened her mouth to say something, but Gavin cut her off.
"I understand. Thank you, Aisling." The nymph gazed at him solemnly.
"I wish that it were not so, child."
"There's no use thinking about it." The warlock said firmly. "I'd do it again if I had to." Ava opened her mouth to say something, but Ean and the rest had come back to the pond's edge, and the moment was broken.
"He will live." Aisling told the elf, causing a collective sigh of relief. "But I think he should stay here for now. The woods are safe, now that I have returned to my glen."
"That's fine with me." Ean said with a nod. "But there are… other things we should discuss."
"Indeed." The nymph said gravely. "I must speak with Iya Tiki. But that can wait until you have rested." Ava glanced up to see that the sun was nearing the horizon, shocked at how much time had passed since they had entered the mansion. It had felt like an eternity, to say the least. She rose, and helped Gavin into a sitting position on the edge of the pond.
"Tomorrow, then." Iya said quietly, and bowed slightly to the nymph.
Gavin lay back onto the ground, thinking. Ean and the others had left the forest an hour or two ago, leaving him next to Aisling's pond. She had crafted a bed of leaves for him to rest on, next to the star-shaped pool. She had then disappeared, claiming to need rest of her own.
The warlock brought his blackened arm up for inspection. The skin was twisted and torn beyond repair, but it did not hurt, and he could still move all of his fingers normally.
Perhaps I'll get an addition to my robe to cover it. After all, I'd rather not scare people into thinking I'm some evil wizard. He waved the arm back forth, wondering if he could still cast magic through the dead limb.
Might as well try. He sat up unsteadily and pointed his hand into the sky. His magic was weak, but he could still feel it swirling around inside of him, and he made a thrusting motion.
Nothing happened.
He frowned and tried again, but he could not produce any magic from his left arm, regardless of what spell he attempted.
"Damn!" He said irritably, flicking his arm outwards. Almost as if he had done it intentionally, fire blasted forth in a ball, moving a couple of feet before it vanished. His heart skipped a few beats, not from the magic, but from the deep, soulless blue fire he had just produced.
"It can't be…" Had the witch granted him her powers through their brief contact. It seemed hard to believe. A couple of minutes, during which Gavin was able to hypothesize that his left arm was now only capable of producing the blue flames he had encountered earlier. Furthermore, he was incapable of being burned by them.
"What are you doing?" He spun, hands coming up to hurl a curse, but stopped a moment later. Nicholas was standing at the edge of the clearing, a box under one arm.
"What are you doing?" Gavin echoed the question, raising an eyebrow. "Surely you didn't come all this way to deliver a package?" The prince snorted.
"You wish." Walking closer, the blonde-haired man set the box down. "Medical supplies, for your arm. There's burn cream, bandages, whatever we could get." Gavin didn't quite know how to react to this. Normally, him and Nicholas were at odds in every conversation they had.
"Thanks, but why?" He said after a moment. To his surprise, Nicholas merely turned to gaze into the pond.
"I hate dark magic users. I think you know that."
"I am aware."
"Well, it's just… You don't seem to fit the description of a warlock."
"Some would take than as an insult." Gavin said with a hint of irony in his voice. "Why don't I fit the bill?"
"It's just…" The prince hesitated, as if unsure of how to proceed with the conversation. "I was taught that dark magic users are inherently evil and selfish. My books, my teachers, they all seemed to point to the same conclusion." Gavin's other eyebrow shot up, both at the statement and its insinuations.
"They aren't wrong. Evil people are drawn to the mysteries of sorcery and the like. Take for example the demon Ahriman." It was a story everybody knew well, one of the tales of the beginnings of the Land of Man and Aveyond.
"I know that." Nicholas said impatiently. "And I've seen many people misuse their magic as well. It's just… you don't." The words rang through Gavin's ears, surprising him with their sincerity.
Is he… trying to apologize? Apologies were not something he thought the man in front of him was capable of.
"I guess I decided not to, after… well, everything that's happened to me." He did not expand on the words, nor did he think Nicholas wanted to hear about his past. "But I could have easily turned bad."
"Ava tells me I'm stuck-up and arrogant." Nicholas said in a rush.
"Well, you are." Gavin pointed out in a frank tone. "Aren't you always telling me how evil I am?"
"Oh, really? Well, I'll have you know that…" Nicholas trailed off, then sighed. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"
"Yep."
"I didn't think this would be so hard." The prince muttered before turning to face the warlock for the first time. "Look, I'm just trying to apologize for misjudging you, okay? I still hate you, in case you were wondering." Gavin chuckled, moving to sit back down upon his leafy bed.
"And I've got no love for arrogant princes. But I'm not any better, so let's just leave it at that, alright?" Nicholas nodded slowly, his brows furrowed. "And we can both try to improve." The man's head shot up, and his eyes met Gavin's, almost as though he did not believe his words. His eyes glimmered with some unknown emotion.
"What are you saying?"
"Some people don't get second chances." Gavin said quietly, thinking of the witch who had granted him powers a few hours ago. "And some waste them. I don't want to be one of those people."
"Neither do I." Nicholas admitted quietly. "Perhaps I should not be so hasty to judge. And maybe I can fix my mistakes."
"Only you know if you can." Gavin said, just as quietly. The prince nodded, and without another word, strode back into the forest and disappeared.
Still, Gavin couldn't help but think that the look in Nicholas's eyes had been one of respect, and of partial understanding.
Perhaps there is hope for him after all.