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Chapter 5

 

Dythragor woke from his slumber and glanced around the room. His red gaze became fixed on the spot where his master had died. He didn’t actually care that Gyralock was dead; he never really liked the Shadow Wraith in the first place. Still, his sense of honour – such as it was – dictated that he destroyed the people that killed his master. Spreading his massive black wings, he beat them down in one powerful stroke and lifted off the ground, leaving his ‘lair’ via a special passageway that Gyralock had crafted for him. The stars were blotted out wherever the Black Dragon of Gyralock passed under them, and all living things were deathly quiet, as if waiting to see what might happen next…

 

*-*-*-*-*-*

 

The group arrived at the castle just after midday. Rebecca thanked the Unicorns and turned to Mary, her expression one of concern. “Are you all right?” she asked, looking at Mary closely.

 

“I’m fine,” Mary said, waving her hand dismissively. “Gyralock didn’t hurt me.”

 

“Good,” Samuel said, hugging his sister lovingly. “I’m still glad that he’s dead. He killed father, didn’t he.”

 

It wasn’t a question. Mary looked away. “Yes.”

 

Rebecca sighed. “Then according to our laws, his estate now belongs to you.”

 

They both looked at her, sorrow in their faces. Finally, Samuel spoke up. “I’m happy at the castle. Mary? What about you?”

 

Mary closed her eyes for a moment. “Somebody has to keep that place in a respectable state.” She grinned. “Might as well be me.”

 

“Somehow I don’t see you as a chambermaid,” Rebecca said, smiling. “In fact, I feel sorry for any man that tries to make you clean up his mess.”

 

Samuel chuckled. “So do I,” he said. “Mary might only be a healer, but she is by no means weak.”

 

Rebecca raised a dark brown eyebrow. “I can believe that.”

 

Mary grinned, widely. “Oh, that reminds me,” she said. “Did you bring the Staff?”

 

Samuel shrugged. “Yes,” he said. “I had no idea that Rebecca would unleash her power on Gyralock like that, so I brought it in exchange for you.”

 

“YOU IDIOT!!!”

 

Samuel blinked. “What?”

 

Mary glared at them both. “The Staff’s power can be used for good and evil! If Gyralock had learned how to use it, countless lives would have been lost!!” she raised her voice to such a high level of volume that anything within the next ten miles ran off in fright. Samuel and Rebecca exchanged glanced.

 

“We didn’t know…” Samuel said. Rebecca nodded.

 

“If we had known…” she said, but trailed off. “We were fools.”

 

“Glad you got that straightened out.”

 

They twisted around at the sound of the voice. A woman clad completely in green - a green hooded-cape over a green long-sleeved tunic, matching pants, boots and gloves – seemed to just rise out of the rather long grass that surrounded them. All that could be seen from underneath the hood were two golden eyes that seemed to smile at them. The woman had a short sword at her side, although all that could be seen was its leafy-green handle because the rest of the sword was sheathed in a plain greenish-brown scabbard that was strapped to her waist.

 

“Who are you?” Rebecca asked, her hand going to the handle of the Angelheart Blade. The woman laughed – a soft, melodious laugh – and threw back her hood, revealing shoulder-length golden hair and a beautiful face.

 

And pointed ears. And Elf!

 

“My name is Danielle Springbreeze,” she said, smiling. “Please, your Highness, do not draw your sword! For I am the Fourth Warrior.”

 

They all just stared at her. Finally, Rebecca spoke up.

 

“Why would an Elf want to help us Humans?” she asked. Danielle tilted her head to the side, her golden curls falling to the side.

 

“Why would I not help you?” she asked. “You defeated Gyralock, that is true, but you have yet to face the real enemy.”

 

Mary looked at the Elf. “I knew it,” she said. “Gyralock wasn’t the real enemy, was he? He was just a creature who wanted to toy with us.”

 

Danielle nodded. “His dragon is the enemy you must fight.”

 

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. For some reason, she didn’t quite trust this Elf. Her aura was pure, but there was something about her that bothered the young queen.

 

“Where have you been before now?” Rebecca asked, looking at Danielle intently. The Elf looked at her calmly and spoke thus.

 

“In the Southern Lands combating our enemies,” she said. “However, now that they have surrendered to us, I have come to aid you instead.” She frowned suddenly. “You don’t trust me.”

 

It wasn’t a question. Rebecca, however, didn’t even flinch as she answered.

 

“No.” The answer was blunt and to the point. Danielle sighed.

 

“Very well,” she said. “I will simply have to earn your trust.”

 

Rebecca glared at her for a moment before marching up to the gates.

 

The guards were stupid enough to ask who she was, and got blown off the top of the walls by a blast of wind. Rebecca entered the city and made her way up to Angelheart Castle.

 

Her friends just stared at her in shock – she had never acted this way before.

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

“Rebecca? Can I come in?”

 

Silence. Mary sighed and just opened the door, only to slam it shut again, barely avoiding getting hit by a fireball.

 

“Rebecca? Are you all right?” she asked, opening the door slightly and looking inside. Rebecca glared at her with such intensity that Mary expected to burst into flame at any moment. Despite her friends’ glare, Mary opened the door, holding up her hands as she entered.

 

“Friend!” she said, sighing in relief when Rebecca didn’t fireball her. She pulled up a chair and sat in front of Rebecca, who was glaring into the mirror of her vanity table. “What’s wrong?”

 

Rebecca sighed and looked at Mary. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. “I think I’m jealous of Danielle.”

 

Mary blinked, and then laughed. “Is that all?” she asked. The glare that Rebecca sent her could have melted glass, but Mary hardly noticed. “Jealous? Of Danielle?”

 

Rebecca winced. “…I’m in love with Samuel.”

 

That confession made Mary stop laughing. All she could come up with was: “…oh.”

 

Rebecca looked into the mirror and examined herself closely. She knew that she was beautiful. Dark brown hair, large emerald green eyes, a beautiful, heart-shaped face, full healthy lips, high cheek bones…. But Danielle was even more beautiful.

 

“What if Samuel…” she began. “What if he leaves me for…Danielle?”

 

The slap caught her unawares, and she held her stinging right cheek whilst looking at Mary, her eyes wide in shock. She winced at the sight of her friend’s glare.

 

“Samuel wouldn’t leave you!” she said sternly. “Ever since he met you, he’s been in love with you! Or didn’t you notice?! Gods above…Rebecca, you are the only person that has a right to Samuel’s heart! He would die for you! Danielle is beautiful, but I doubt that Samuel even noticed her beauty, because you are the most beautiful in his eyes, understand me?!”

 

Rebecca was speechless, and could only nod.

 

“Good, because next time I’m punching you.” Mary smiled. “I hope I didn’t hurt you…”

 

Rebecca just stared into her mirror, so Mary stood up to leave, but Rebecca grabbed her arm.

 

“Thanks,” she said. “But I still don’t trust her.”

 

Mary nodded. “I understand.”

 

Rebecca let go of her friend. “I’m tired,” she said.

 

“Then sleep.”

 

“In the middle of the afternoon?” Rebecca looked at Mary in surprise.

 

Mary smirked. “Why not? You’re the queen for crying out loud! You can do that if you want to!”

 

Rebecca grinned. “True,” she said. “I guess a short nap won’t hurt me.”

 

“Not unless you roll out of bed and fall flat on your face.” Mary chuckled.

 

“Oh, ha, ha, ha.” Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Out! I need to sleep!”

 

Mary laughed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

“Highness! Wake up!”

 

Rebecca wondered just who was pulling her out of a comfortable sleep and why. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a female knight looking down at her worriedly. “What is it?” she asked sleepily.

 

“The city is under attack!”

 

Rebecca was wide-awake in seconds. “What?!”

 

She didn’t even wait for an explanation as she leapt out of bed and pulled on her boots – she hadn’t bothered to change out of the white dress that she had donned when she had returned to the castle earlier that day – and gloves. She strapped the Angelheart to her side and looked at the knight.

 

“Where is the enemy?” she asked, not surprised by the look of shock on the woman’s face. “Listen, I am not helpless! I’m not going to hide while my knights fight for me!”

 

“But your Highness…!” the knight began. She was cut off by the aura of power that flickered to life around Rebecca. “What in the name of Deltania…?”

 

“I’m not helpless,” Rebecca said. “I’m a Sorceress. Now quit staring and lets go join the battle!”

 

Rebecca ran past the startled knight and ran from the room.

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

Samuel blocked the first attackers vicious attack and kicked him hard in the chest, not doing much damage thanks to the armour but still sending him backwards. “These Draconians are tough,” he thought, impaling the silver draconian when it attacked again. He twisted around to block the attack of a black-skinned draconian. He backhanded the creature as hard as he could, thankful for the armoured gloves that came with his armour.

 

Danielle blocked the attack of a G’vaar – a silver-skinned draconian – and unleashed a sphere of ice that froze the creature on contact. Being a Shamaness was a great asset during battle… Her personal shield flashed as another G’vaar draconian attacked her, this one from behind. “Coward.” She turned and unleashed a flaming spear through her shield, impaling the G’vaar. The draconian stared down at the magical spear before bursting into white flame. She drew a small, sharp dagger from her boot and threw it at a Finaks – or black-skinned – draconian, the blade embedding itself in the creature’s neck, killing it instantly. 

 

Rebecca ran into battle and decapitated two opponents before unleashing a fireball at another one, the resulting explosion clearing a path for her as she fought her way towards Samuel. She sensed an attack from behind and ducked, rolled and blasted a G’vaar draconian with pure magical energy, the shockwave tearing the creature in half in seconds. “Two more coming from either side…” She blocked the right-hand attack with her glove – she had placed a shielding spell on her gloves, a magical gauntlet of sorts – and stabbed the Finaks in the throat before slamming her fist into the G’vaar’s stomach and unleashing a blast of lightning straight into his body, electrocuting him on the spot. She turned and ran up to Samuel, throwing up a shield to ward off the axe that had been thrown at his back. She smiled at him warmly. “Hello there!”

 

Mary ducked a sword and slammed the Staff of Galachar into the G’vaar’s head, knocking it out cold. She quickly healed the knight and went on to the next one. She wasn’t much of a fighter, so she stuck to what she knew best: healing.

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

The battle lasted until after midnight. The wounded were all taken to the Healing Halls, and Mary spent hours healing as many knights as possible. Finally, she stumbled into the bedroom that Rebecca had given her and just collapsed on the bed and fell asleep in her bloodied clothing. Those knights bled a lot…

 

*-*-*-*-*

 

Rebecca looked at Danielle as the Elf sat in a chair. She was as exhausted as the rest of the fighters, more exhausted, even. Rebecca looked at her closely; she knew what kind of exhaustion Danielle was suffering from…

 

“Are you a Sorceress?” she asked. Danielle looked at her tiredly.

 

“I am a Shamaness,” she said. “I use elemental magicks in battles. How did you guess?”

 

“I’m a Sorceress,” Rebecca said, leaning back in her chair.

 

“Ah, so the rumours that humans have regained the ability to use magic are true, then,” Danielle said.

 

“Rumours?”

 

“Amongst the Elves.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Where is your friend, Samuel?” Danielle asked.

 

“Asleep.” Rebecca glanced at her. “I’m sorry for not trusting you. I was just…jealous.”

 

Danielle laughed softly. “Afraid that I would steal the heart of your young knight?” she asked. “Do not worry, his heart is yours. Besides, I already have a Soul-Bonded.”

 

“Soul-Bonded?” Rebecca asked.

 

“When two Elves love each other enough, a strong bond forms between their souls. It is deeper and stronger than friendship or love, because it is a Bonding of the very soul,” Danielle smiled. “So you see, I am already spoken for.”

 

Rebecca nodded and stood up. “Good night, Danielle,” she said.

 

“Good night, Rebecca.”

 

Rebecca went to her room and fell asleep instantly, her final waking thoughts being that maybe she could trust Danielle…