"There must be something we can do to stop them," Gawyn said, running a hand through his dark hair. They were sitting in a war room, gods know for how long now, and tried to find a way out of their precarious situation.
"I've spent the last three days studying the archives. I've read every document dating up to three hundred years back and found nothing," Skylar said, massaging her temples. It's been a late evening already, and they still hadn't worked out any plausible solution. "There is plenty about the wards and the rituals to chase away the creatures of dark magic. But about magic itself? Not a trace."
"But they were forced out of Lamyria once because their cursed magic got out of control. They were banished to the Blighted Lands. How did we manage to do that if they were so powerful? There must be a way to counter it," Gawyn insisted.
"If there was, all the records about it are lost," Skylar replied quietly.
"I told you so," Colart grunted. "If there was a way to use the magic flowing through our lands, don't you think I'd know about it?"
"That's not good. I can fend off the Queen's forces. Pull them into traps and outmanoeuvre them. But another army at the back, wielding unpredictable magic we have no way of deflecting? I can't pull out a miracle from thin air," Gawyn said calmly, though his fingers were tapping impatiently at the table. "Do we even have their numbers?"
"Nothing certain, sir!" Dun replied. He was a Captain of the scouting teams on the border. "All activity from the creatures from the Blighted Lands ceased for the last three days. And there is something dark that is gathering on the horizon. It could be an army, or it could be magic. We can't be quite sure. We did not venture behind the border yet."
"We need more information," the General said.
Skylar nodded. "Captain, prepare the scouting party. Gather your best and most experienced people. We need them to cross the border and get intel on the forces that are gathering there. Ask about volunteers, though. I would hate to force anyone to walk into this cursed place. And tell them not to take risks. We will need all the soldiers we have soon."
"I'll see it done, Lieutenant." Dun saluted and left the room.
The silence fell over the chamber while everyone tried to come up with more ideas.
"Don't we have any Seers that we know about?" Aurora asked after a moment.
Colart shook his head. "The last I knew was your mother. And she never talked about it. Just some strange dreams sometimes and sensing the invisible currents that run under our feet."
"The King was one," Skylar noted and turned to Gawyn. "Did he ever tell you anything?"
"No." The General shook his head. "He only told me about his dreams. About the darkness swelling in the Blighted Lands and threatening to reach Lamyria. But nothing more."
"All right, I think there's nothing more we can do for now," said Colart with a sigh. "We still have four days to prepare for both armies. And we'll need all the rest we can get. Maybe the intel from scouts will shed some more light on our position."
Everyone nodded reluctantly, and they retired for the night.
***
"Wake up, Sky."
Skylar opened her eyes. She looked at Gawyn, but he was still asleep. She grabbed a dagger from her nightstand and sat on the bed, looking around, trying to pierce the darkness filling the quiet room. After a few seconds, she was sure no one was there.
And yet, a voice woke her up.
A strange voice that was foreign and familiar at the same time. A woman's voice.
Skylar frowned, trying to recall who the voice reminded her of, but she couldn't quite put a face to it. She got out of bed and, not bothering to put on a robe or shoes, walked barefoot to the door and looked out to the hallway.
It was dark and empty. Most guards had been reassigned to patrol the borders, so not many soldiers were left idle in the estate. A few torches illuminated the corridor, but enough to make sure no one trips in the dark. Eerie shadows were dancing in the corners. And then, Skylar noticed a movement at the end of the hall, as if someone had just passed the torch, making the flame wobble a bit.
Not wasting time thinking, she followed. Her bare feet were silent on the carpets, and her hand held the dagger firmly. There was a strange nagging at the back of her mind. As if she just saw someone she once knew, and she felt somehow compelled to follow to see who that was.
She walked through the estate's silent corridors, never quite catching the mysterious figure, no matter how fast or how slow her pace was. The only thing was a shivering flame right after someone passed it. When she reached an old musty cellar room, she stopped.
They hardly used this place anymore. It used to be a wine cellar, but since they didn't have much wealth, it was never fully supplied, and hardly anyone was coming here anymore. The dust covering everything was the unmistakable sign of that. But there was an old, partly rotten wooden door at the back of the room. Skylar never noticed they were there, as they were hidden behind a high dusty shelf. But now, they were wide open.
Skylar stood there for a moment, considering. She took a torch from the holder on the wall and walked closer to the opening. It was dark inside, and thick cobwebs were adorning the walls and the ceiling. She frowned and looked at the ground again. Her footprints were the only ones that broke the layer of dust on the floor.
Who opened that door, then? And how?
"Skylar." The voice said just behind her, and she jumped, whirling around, dagger raised.
But there was nobody there.
No, there was something.
A gold speck of light was floating in the air at her eye level, barely visible in the darkness.
"Come," a voice said. Skylar wasn't sure if she heard it with her ears or inside her mind. Before she could decide which was it, the light flew over her shoulder and into the passageway, disappearing in the darkness.
"What are you?" she managed to ask finally. But she got no response. She huffed a few curses and followed the light. She held the dagger in front of her face to get rid of all the cobwebs on the way.
The passage wasn't long. It took only a few minutes to reach the small chamber at its end. The room was circular, with a ceiling barely higher than in the walkway. In the centre stood a statue, but it was so old and cracked that it was hard to tell who was depicted. The shape looked more feminine, but that's it. Skylar touched the stone with her fingers. It was nothing more than a cold stone.
"I never liked this statue anyway," said the voice, and Skylar spun round.
A woman was standing there. And at the same time, no one was there. Skylar swayed on her feet and blinked rapidly, but the vision didn't change. She could see the woman, a pale figure made of light, but at the same time, she could see the stone wall right behind her. As if her mind couldn't decide which sight was the real one. It made her head hurt.
Skylar narrowed her eyes and tried to focus on the woman. She looked vaguely familiar - her hair was long and wavy, her face round with a small kind smile. The realisation hit her like a hammer on the head. She never actually saw the woman, only the paintings of her.
"Whatever you are, you are not her," Skylar growled, raising her dagger threateningly. "Stop pretending! You're not fooling anyone!"
"Oh, I apologise," said the woman, and her smile disappeared. "I thought showing you someone dear to you, like your mother, would make talking to you easier."
"It's not helping, so stop it!"
"As you wish." The woman fell apart in a myriad of shining golden specks. They flew around chaotically before joining together in one bigger light sphere.
"What are you?" Skylar asked again. All her hair was standing on ends, and the hand on the dagger became sweaty.
"What am I?" the voice considered for a moment. "I am many things. I used to be a goddess, I think. People used to worship me, but not anymore. Not for a very long time. But I still exist. I am everything and nothing. I fill every spec of the earth with life. I am the light. I make things blossom and change. I have always been here."
Skylar felt her breath catch in her throat. "Are you... the magic?"
"Magic?" repeated the voice. "Maybe. I think so. I've heard people say this word."
"How... how is it possible? I was searching for any traces of you, any mentions, anything!"
"I know you did. You were very intent on finding me. It is hard for me to stay focused like this. I am everywhere at once, in every corner of the world. I'm a consciousness that's floating around. In the old times, when people worshipped me, I was more anchored to places. But now, no one remembers my name. So, I just exist, under the surface."
"Then why are you here?"
"The Dark Ones are coming. They... they are killing me, slowly draining my light. They are taking it and twisting, corrupting everything they touch. The world is dying around them, but they don't care," the voice said, the sadness in it weighed thousands of stones.
"The Blighted Lands."
"Yes, I've heard this name. I never interfered. I am the giver of life, nothing else. And yet, if I don't act now, I will perish and the whole world with me."
"But people are living there. I met one of them."
"They are no longer humans. Not like you. There is no light in their souls. I can't see them. They turned into something else. Something twisted and dark."
"But why to act now?" asked Skylar. "The Blighted Lands turned to wasteland centuries ago!"
"I hoped they would be content with that. I hoped it would be enough to satisfy their hunger. It was not. They will not be satisfied until they deform and corrupt the last rays of light in this world." The voice stopped for a moment, and a cold silence filled the room. "I tried to help. I've been speaking to your King through his dreams. I thought I could help him see and prepare for what was coming. But his light went out."
"He was murdered," said Skylar bitterly.
"Yes, by the one with the darkness in her soul. She is the Dark Ones' agent in your kingdom's heart. And now I am out of time. I no longer can only assist. If I waver now, all will be lost."
"What are you waiting for then?" Skylar asked, suddenly annoyed. There was an essence of magic right here before her. The solution to everything. And for some reason, it seemed to hesitate. "We need your help. The Dark Ones will march at us in four days. If we don't stop them, they will purge us all."
"I am the giver of life," the voice said as if it explained everything.
"What's that have to do with anything?"
"I am everywhere and nowhere at the same time. To use my power against the Dark Ones, I need a conduit. A beacon that allows me to focus all my thoughts and intentions in one place. I need a life. A human life."
"I'm here." Skylar shrugged impatiently. "Use me. I'll be your beacon. That is why you called me here, is it not?"
"Yes. But you do not understand. To use this power, the essence of life itself... the price must be paid."
"There's always a price. Name it, and I'll pay it. I'll pay it gladly if it stops the Blighted Lands' invasion."
The silence fell, and the only sound was Skylar's heavy breathing. She was so close to finding a solution now, and she would not back down.
"A human life is like that torch you hold," said the voice finally. "As it burns, it gets smaller until it disappears. To stop the Dark Ones, you need to shine so brightly that you'll consume most of your life in one burst of brilliant light."
"You mean it will kill me?" Skylar asked hesitantly.
"Yes. I'm almost certain it will," replied the voice. "I am the giver of life. To willingly do something that will take a life is against my whole existence. And yet, there is no other choice. If one life could preserve all lives on this world, it is a worthy exchange."
Skylar didn't know how to breathe anymore. It seemed the time had stopped. The whole world stopped and held its breath, waiting for her response. It was easy. If her life was the price to stop dark magic from consuming the kingdom, the whole world, there was nothing to deliberate about. And yet...
Her heart throbbed painfully when she thought of the life she had. The life she worked so hard to shape. She thought about Gawyn and was sure he would be outraged that she even considered such an extreme option. However, she knew there was no other choice. They ran out of time, and if she didn't act now, they might never have a chance to stop this spreading darkness.
Skylar's eyes filled with tears. The truth was, she was selfish. The thing she wanted the most was for her loved ones to live. She didn't care about the whole kingdom or the world. But the thought of Gawyn, Aurora or her father succumbing to the dark magic, suffering, and dying... She couldn't stand it.
She will stop the Dark Ones.
Whatever the cost.
Skylar raised her chin. "I'll do it."