Chapter 36
Guests were an understatement. Ryan and co had come with a small army. There were and even i can't believe I'm saying it, there were werewolves, fairies, a fallen angel, 2 mermaids (though they had legs, frankly I think they're faking), and a couple more humans with magic. Apparently they all want to help; I think they all just want to bail a sinking ship. Apparently there had been a ridiculous amount of 'natural disasters' earth side.
I wanted to know exactly how they could help but that was answered when the mermaids started playing around with the water in some huge fountain which to be honest I never knew existed until five minutes ago. Oh that's right, that's because it didn't exist. They literally created the water; someone had to hastily create a bloody stone bowl the size of my bedroom to keep the damn stuff in. It was fascinating though to watch them playing with the water, they said their third sister will be along soon she was just having fun enchanting some travellers with her voice. Yeah as you can imagine my eyebrows were well and truly disappearing at this point. Sounds more like a bloody siren than a mermaid to me but Aqua assured me that there is a big difference. They charm men for pleasure and of course to get pregnant where as sirens charm men to their deaths. I just hope number 3 doesn't come back knocked up; it would solve anything for anyone.
Nate had gone, who knows where to make battle plans with the other sorcerers. That meant I was stuck with giving rooms to everyone. I think the mermaids will appreciate the room with the huge en-suite bathroom, it more like a mini pool than a bath and it's also got doors that lead on to the pool which get's water, get this from the waterfall in that in between world. No idea how the builder managed that but apparently that's why it is rumoured to have healing qualities or something. I only learnt that part when I got a bit battered after a training session with one of the soldiers. Yeah I looked like i was a score card with the amount of scratches that lined my body and Nate being the overprotective husband that he is insisted I get in the water. It actually worked though because I was well and truly healed by the next day.
As you can tell my mind was just rambling through unnecessary facts in an attempt to keep me occupied, I know if I pause for more than 10 seconds I will start panicking and let me tell you that isn't a pretty sight. Let's just say last time I started a mini hurricane in the throne room. No idea how because weather is Holly's thing but I suppose it is just air and there were other elements involved in that little hurricane as the floor was a little scorched afterwards.
Nine days left until I see her again. I can't believe how grown up she is. She's 18 and look at me I'm only 20. Does anyone else feel weird about this? And my god my little girl was beautiful, like Goddess beautiful. I know for certain she doesn't get that from me. She was a gift from the Gods so I'm guessing that's the reasoning behind it but if I'm honest, I've got a feeling that Izzy or Cahira as the Avalians named her, will be the one to save us all. I don't know how I know this I just do.
"HELLO!!! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!!! HELLO WHERE IS THE KING? OR THE QUEEN? I NEED TO TALK TO THEM NOW IT'S AN EMERGANCY!!!" Some voice was shouting, getting louder as it got closer to me. I rushed towards the sound of the voice to come across a girl who looked about 18 but from fire engine red wings on her back it was obvious that it was more like 180.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked her, grabbing her by the arms to stop her progress. Her skin was burning hot and the floor was smouldering beneath her but to me it felt strangely comforting even if I could feel the erratic emotions behind it.
"Are you the Queen?" She managed to get out between breaths.
"Yes I'm the queen, you said it was an emergency? What's going on?" I asked giving her a slight shake to draw her out of the panic that seemed to be radiating off her is waves of heat. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself but it didn't seem to be working. "OK I need you to take deep breaths for me OK?" She nodded and tried to calm her breathing for a few more seconds before she gave up.
"Thedemonsarecoming." She blurted out as she hopped from foot to foot. Her wings fluttering due to her anxiety so that she would have any bound to each hop.
"Say that again but slower." I said.
"The demons are coming."She said with terror in her eyes. "Rayon and I had duty in the middle ground when the crack started to come through the sky. Rayon shouted that his dream was right, the middle ground is where the battle will begin and then he ran off to tell the elders and I came to tell you guys. We need to get back there before they come through." I stopped for a second and gazed around me. Everyone who had been milling around the castle had stopped whatever they were doing and were now gazing upon us with a mixture of fear, curiosity and shock. I suppose for some this is the first time they've ever seen a person with wings.
"OK, don't worry." I gathered air around me. "CODE RED." I bellowed the air carrying my voice throughout the castle on a sharp wind.
Oh yeah a cool trick I learned from some book, pretty handy if I say so myself.
I turned to the winged girl who was now looking at me with I don't know what it was awe curiosity, fear who knows, and I don't have time to figure it out. "Stay here, I need to get my armour on." She nodded so I ran off to the side of the room where I had kept my armour in case. I slipped it over top of my lightweight dress. I didn't have all the big armour that the boys did just metal plates that had been enchanted to deflect metal attacks apparently and of course gives me a bit of protection from physical attacks. I hastily tied my curled hair into a bun and then stuck two sharp pieces of metal through it once I had secured it in place with a leather tie. I exchanged my flat pumps for leather boots and then grabbing the sword I tore of the bottom half of my dress and pulled the leather warrior type skirt over top of it. There.
I rushed back over to the red winged girl just as Nate rushed in the room in full battle armour followed by hundreds of sorcerers and villagers from the surrounding towns. Every able bodied man had signed up to help, even if they didn't fully understand what they were getting into, they were happy to risk their lives in the hope that their families might be safe.
As soon as Nate reached me he grasped my hand and squeezed it tightly. I felt myself get a few pats on the back and turned to see the sorcerers that I had travelled with before the last battle, I never thought I'd be so glad to see some of these faces though I wish it was under different circumstances.
Nate took the lead and we all walked in procession behind him, the winged girl walking alongside me. I took her hand and gave it a squeeze in an attempt to get the panicked expression off of her face.
"You've got to have a bit more faith in your people and my people. If you think we're already defeated then it will make it easier for you
to be defeated...if that makes sense." I said screwing my brows as I tried to figure out if it actually made any sense.
"Ari, don't strain yourself you might cause some damage." I heard Ryan playfully call over my shoulder.
"Oh don't you worry that is nothing compared to trying to figure out how it is possible that your daughter is suddenly 18 years of age and you only gave birth 2 years ago." I said shaking my head.
"Whoa, you mean you found her?" He called out.
"Yup, you'll see her soon, it's hard to miss her, my little girl is a right stunner." I said with pride though I couldn't help the ache in my chest at the thought of missing her entire childhood, her first step, her first words, her first everything, I wonder if she has had her first kiss yet.
"Hey...."I said to the girl next to me, making me realise I still don't know her name.
"Cleo." She answered. Hmm, not as fiery as I thought but then again there are only so many fire names that they can come up with.
"Cleo right. Does Izzy have a boyfriend or anything? Has she had her first kiss yet? Has she-?" I rambled only to be cut off.
"No she hasn't, it's weird it's like she knows something, like she's waiting for something but I don't know what it is." Cleo said shaking her head. "It would be a little weird anyways because all the guys in our world have seen her running round naked when she was two years old and seen her as an awkward looking teenager before growing into who she is now in the time it took for them to age what in the equivalent is two earth years."
Hmm I wonder what Izzy is waiting for? I didn't get much time to ponder the question as we now stood in front of the portal to what was it Cleo called it...middle ground? The right name for it really.
I heard a few gasps from the non magical people as they saw the white mural transform before their eyes and then Nate disappearing through the apparently solid stone. I grasped Cleo's hand and tugged her towards the gateway trying to prepare myself for what would lay on the other side but what I saw nothing could prepare me for.
Katherine Pocock©