The Stone Sorceress

Chapter 42

"What is it?" She asked.

Eros regathered himself, all eyes were on him. "Nothing, I'm sorry."

Nebuchadnezaar paused before continuing, "But their plans were abortive. The sorceress was too powerful; ruthlessly she made the most frightful examples of the perpetrators. I don't have the heart to say what evil executions she performed."

Astraea interjected, "What of her parents? Her mother and father, her sister whom she loved dearly."

"Her parents died of illness. Arethusa was campaigning at the time and dealt with her parent's death by immersing herself further in the war. She didn't forget Priya, however, who was now alone. The general was still a big sister.

Arethusa summoned Balthazaar - a trusted warrior. She gave the care of her sister to him, but before he departed she issued him a warning: Priya was very beautiful, and he was under no circumstances to love her.

Priya was very different to Arethusa, but not the less precocious. Where Arethusa performed adroit magic, and was skilled at politics and war, Priya wrote beautiful poetry, sang, and danced with abundant grace, dexterity, and beauty. The cold battlefield was far away from the warrior, whose heart soon rested at Priya's delicate feet.

It was one night that Priya laid her head upon Balthazar's chest, asked when he would again depart for battle; Balthazar responded that he never again could, that he couldn't bear to be apart from her. Priya returned his confession of love.

In less than a year hence, Priya gave birth to a baby girl. Balthazar felt prouder than when he had forced Gall to capitulate. It was then word returned from the front: Arethusa had conquered all the western territories, and would be returning to Arcadia after a long and hard campaign.

Balthazar was fearful, apprising Priya of his oath to her sister. But Priya was confident that Arethusa loved her, and upon seeing how happy she'd become would forget the promise that was made. However, as we know, Arethusa was not the same as she was before. She executed Balthazaar.

Priya made numerous inquiries to her sister, "Where is Balthazaar?" And, "When would the father of her child return?" Arethusa insisted that he yet remained on the front, commanding the armies in her absence, that he would be engaged for some time.

After several months passed, Priya realized that Balthazaar was dead. She knew that her sister had not come back from the war, and she made a plan to save her from what she had unknowingly become.

The younger sorceress walked into the hall while her sister sat upon the throne. She descried the appalling transformation: Arethusa's veins showed through her emaciated skin, her black eyes had sunk into the back of her head, much of her hair had fallen out. Exhausted, the haggard empress wheezed.

"What do you do - in there?" Priya said feeling uncomfortable under Arethusa's stare when she handed her a drink. She pointed to the room where the empress often locked herself away.

The harshness vanished from Arethusa's countenance, her expression softened, Priya thought she saw her sister again as she turned from the door to her, "I am close Priya." Arethusa held her hand. "I can almost bring them back." The disfigured woman fell back in her chair.

Priya was puzzled, "Bring who back?" She said.

"Mother and father."

"But they're dead."

"I've discovered a way, I can go back, and save them. I just need a little more time."

Priya, herself, began to cry because she saw her sister again, still fighting, even now. All the experiments had been to conquer her greatest enemy - time.