Rapture The Final Battle By: LadyDawn
2014 Copyright © All Right Reserved
Chapter 31 How to Make a Horrible Visit Worst
The first two days at the High Council's castle were very tiring for me, Diana not so much, she was enjoying all the attention. Between luncheons, dinners and an impromptu party of all things. Party? No more like a Ball? I could not believe the attention we were drawing at the castle; it was becoming insane to say the least.
Come day four I was ready to pack it all in and head back home, or just stay up in our room and order a huge breakfast in, and stuff my face while watching mindless movies on the wall of a TV we had in the room. Now I understand where our TV in the manor back home came from; they have all the latest and greatest toys here at the castle for the dignitaries.
The longer I lay here in bed the more my stomach grumbles, Diana flopped down beside me. “You as hungry as I am honey?” I asked, my stomach took that moment to rumble, again. “I do believe the Ogre has awoken, we best feed it before it attacks us.” I laughed out. “Come, daughter mine.” I pulled her up with me as I sat up.
“Yes mother, we best go feed that Ogre before it attacks us. No telling the damage it could cause.” Oh my she is getting good with the come backs.
“Good one Diana.” I laughed pulling her toward the door heading down to the dining room in our wing, it had a much better selection of food items for breakfast. They sure know how to feed the high rankings here at the High Council. “Let's see if they have your favorite today that thick cut bacon again,” I pulled her along faster as we rounded the last corner to the dining room, and entered the line to wait our turn, the noise was almost defining. “As you were, sit, please, and enjoy your meals.” I implored them all. Diana and I gave the sign of the blessing we were becoming accustomed to giving every time we came across a group of people here. The people in front of us insisted we go ahead of them; finally giving in, Diana and I stepped ahead and taking a plate each loaded up on our favorites. Diana, it was thick cut bacon and cheesy eggs, me it was an assortment of everything. Taking a seat over by the windows so we could look out over the rose gardens while we ate; the same table we ate at the last three days. Diana was well into her breakfast as I was just starting to digging in savoring a mouthful—the chefs here are amazing—when all hell broke out.
Alarms started blaring, people rose up running for the main dining room doors rushing to get through, down in the gardens there were numerous guards taking up positions all along the parapet walls, the archways, armed sporting battle armor. It was at this visual a rush of foreboding washed over me; we were under attack, here, at the castle, of the High Council, of all places. Not that it hadn't happened in the past, it had several times, it was just so bold a move; so unexpected in this day and age. I took Diana's hand and flashed over to the war room where I knew the Queen would be staging the counter attack from. Upon entering we rushed up to the Queen and King's side to offer our assistance and to call our team in for backup as need be. “My Queen, what has happened and how may we be of assistance?” I asked.
“My Grace and Holiness. Great. Your here, we are under attack right now, we are not sure by whom our guards were changing shifts and were attacked during the change that is all the information they could give us. I was just going to call you both before you showed up.” She looked down at the map of the castle pointing to a section of the front near the drawbridge over the molt. “This is where it started before we had a chance to stop them, they are now inside the first of the castle walls we, are holding them there, so I have just been told.” She looked up at us. “I sent out a call to your group to advise them to come, do you need anything?”
“Yes, My Queen, we do. I will sent them a quick massive with what we need them to bring .” I stepped to the corner of the room, Diana followed me pulling my flexi-vuescreen off my wrist and unfolding it into a tablet rapidly typing a message for Icka to go to our room and pick up our gear and both my sword and Diana's silver boot knives. Hit send, and a moment later a message returned that they would be here in just a few moments. “They will be here if a few minuted, My Queen they are just picking up a few things for Diana and I.” I reported.
“Very well, then when they get here and you both are ready can you all go out and assist the castle guards for me please You Grace?” She asked me.
“It would be an honor to help out, My Queen, we will await our teem members with our supplies then flash out to aid your guards forthright.” I took Diana's hand and led her out of the war room down through the hallway, and out to the concourse. The rest of the family arrive in a few minutes after we arrived carrying everything we needed. I led them through the winding hallways up to the wing and into our room, Diana's and mine to change. Once inside Diana ran inside the bathroom to change while I stepped behind a changing screen for a quick change with sister Icka's help out of my gown. “This is some place you have here, Valia! Impressive.” Icka turned around in a circle then whistled. “Very impressive! When did they do all this fo you two?”
“Four days ago when we arrived. I was just as surprised as you are. I had a knock down drag out fight with the Queen over everything she was doing. I lost, big time.” I shook my head sadly. I hate loosing especially over something I am so passionately about. Raising my daughter my ways is paramount. “She overrode me on everything concerning this "Your Grace" and "Her Holiness" thing and the darn "Crowns" we now have to wear everywhere while we are here. I have news for her we are not fighting wearing them: no way no how.” I set my foot down there. “Come, I just need to finish helping Diana get ready.” We exited the changing screen to find my daughter, Diana standing waiting for us. “Diana, come here honey so I can check you out, please. Very good now please put these in your boot holders, and we can go.” I handed her two silver daggers to slip into her boots while I slipped my sword over my shoulder and strapped the lower strap around my waist. I preferred to carry it over my left shoulder for a quicker access.
“OK. If everyone is ready I guess we should head out to help the guards clean up this mess.” Bavo commanded. We independently flashed to different sections of the grounds except for Diana and I. I took her hand and flashed down to the center of the drawbridge, but stayed invisible to check thing out first with my daughter. We scanned the area to see what the problems were to sum up where we were needed most before finishing the flash. Coming up behind a rather large group of the invading, being the tell tail zing of my sword releasing from the scabbard was the only evidence I gave before appeared behind the enemy. With a quick slash of my sword out and back, and around heads started to rolled most of the way around me. I stopped just before Diana as she ducked and completed my spin to remove one more head of a rather tall enemy. The quick pause just before Diana was almost too much for the last strike, but Idid manage a clean cut in the end.
Our guards at that point saw that it was us assisting them and stepped into line with us. We were outnumbered at least three to one out here in the grassy area of the outer ring of the castle's Bailey, it was beginning to flow red with the blood of both the enemy and our own guards. It was time for us to retreat. “Pull back to the second wall of defense,” I shouted. “Diana, come you and I will hold them back to give our guards a chance to gain entrance safely behind the second wall.” We flashed to the second huge barred gate to the inner sanctum of the inner Bailey determined to keep out the invading forces while letting our guards retreat back within. “When they open the gates hold back all, but out guards, Diana.” I shouted over all the yelling.
We watched the fighting before us as slowly our guards were backed up towards the walls of the Bailey, getting closer I motioned for Diana to get ready, to our left, Lady Gaia was getting ready also to work some magick as were all the witches up behind us up on the ramparts looking down—it was going to be a united front timed just so—with the drop of my hand the gate started rising first slowly, the enemy lagged back while our guards rushed in under the two gates four to six at a time to get within the walls of the Bailey before the spells all wore off. It was like slow motion first the gates came crashing back down then a roar went up, and a mass of bodies came flying at us all at once. We flashed out of there just in the nick of time; the five of us behind the protection of the iron gates, and the massive steel of the double reinforced doors that had just slammed closed behind them.
“That was too close for comfort, Diana. Phew.” I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and looked over at my daughter smiling back at me.
“I think we did rather good together. That was so much fun, better than anything we did the whole time we have been here all week.” 'Just great, an adrenalin junkie, wonderful' 'Just kidding, mother.'
We went about checking in with all the guards, and the witches to see if they knew what we were up against. Best we could figure from earliest reports by the few remaining night guards that had been on duty out front was that a swarm came up from under the molt, and swarmed the drawbridge before the changing of the guards could be completed killing most all in the process, but not before the alarm could be sounded. The question still is; who or what are they and where did they come from, and how did they get here without any of our guards noticing such a large number of them massing. "Time for a group meeting." Bavo called out to the four of us. I left my mind open to Diana so she could hear everything I heard from the others. We flashed back into the castle to the war room where the Queen was waiting on our report. No sooner than we flashed into the war room. “Your Grace, Your Holiness your out of dress code.” the Queen commented. 'Shit' 'Mother! For shame!' Diana admonished me. 'Sorry honey.'
“There is no time for that now, My Queen we have a real problems out there.” I pointed out toward the outer grounds. “We have managed to pull back within the second wall with the help of all the witches, and all of us, but I don't know for how long.” I shook my head side to side.
“Still Your Grace...” I cut her off and kept talking over her complaint.
“Those things out there have a strange resemblance to the demons we killed a while back in a village. Now, don't get me wrong I remember reading the great book, and nowhere do I remember reading about demons being brought over on the original ships. Am I wrong in assuming this?
“No you are quite right there was none. They are a byproduct of failed experiments gone horribly wrong in the beginning. They supposedly killed them all off after each failure.”
“Well, evidently not. Seeing as we killed well over one hundred of them the last time, and you have a good three to four hundred of them out there right this minute, and let me tell you they are one heck of a pain in the butt to kill off.” I shook my head once again. “You best issue all your guards out there high carbon steel swords if you plan on killing them off because if they get in that is the only thing that will kill them, and I for one don't see any other way of doing it till nightfall without the help of the Moon Goddess and my daughter Diana.” I stepped back winded from my ranting.
“So, if we issue all my guards high carbon steel swords that will help hold them off” Wait till nightfall, then what? What do we do then?” The Queen asked.
“Then you leave it up to the five of us to go out there, and do our thing with the help of the Moon Goddess' blessing, hopefully, and finish this off.” I fell back against my chair exhausted, all this fighting is really getting to me. I really hate it.
“OK. We will do things your way this time, but if it fails. Then...” She left it hanging in the air. I rose up, and motioned for the rest to join hands and flashed them all up to Diana's and my room to rest for a bit.
“Wow I still can't get over these accommodations the Queen put you two up in. Is this temporary or permanent?” Lady Gaia asked.
“Open that door there and you tell me?” She walked over to the armoire pulled it open, her mouth dropped.
“These are all yours?” She asked. I nodded, and waved my hand to the one next to it, and as she opened it she shook her head slowly. “Diana's, I assume? They match at least this time.” She laughed out. I nodded my head.
“They do indeed. Almost perfectly this time. Just like our crowns do only gold and silver, wait till the Queen sees us at the winter solstice after all the fussing she did this time over how we are to dress here. We are going to blow the roof off of this place. I can just see it now.” I gave a sorry laugh thinking of all the hard work I put into our two gown back at home.
“She is probably going to kill you for that one I hope you know.” Bavo reminded me.
“No kidding tell me something I don't already know.”
“So, these demons, what are we going to do about them?” I asked.
“Well, like you said before if we can starve them off long enough till nightfall then we should be OK. I hope.” Bavo replied, the look on his face wasn't very confident though.
Out in the grasslands of the Baileys all the guards were being issued their weapons and instructed on how best to wield them against a demon, it has been so long since anyone beside the five of us has even seen one, and the originals were just deformed creatures. Theses, are anything but. They fight with long sharp claws, razor sharp claws on hands and feet, and are fast as the wind. Their reddish black bodies, and solid black talon like claws set them apart from every other creature we have ever fought before. They are just under the size of a man, but with the speed and strength of three like any super, only more deadly being they never give up till dead—only two ways to kill one, high carbon steel through the heart if you can find it, or lopping off their heads—I go for the heads personally. Easier.
The guards stayed prepared out on the grasses, and up on the Ramparts overlooking the mass of demons, the longer they were down there the more violent they were becoming. The infighting became so loud it was defining. I had to cover my ears while I was out checking to see what was happening for myself to make a new report to the Queen, we had each gone to a separate section of the Rampart to check over the walls, we were surrounded on all four sides by the reddish/black demons: they were everywhere fighting amongst themselves. We quickly reported back in to the Queen that their numbers were actual increasing even with them killing off each other. If that was even possible.
As nightfall was approaching the moon slowly rose up in the sky. I could tell, Diana started communicating with her mother the Moon Goddess—her eyes were rolled back into her head, and her lips were moving fast—it was eerie to watch my daughter talk to our Goddess—her other mother—like that. When she was finished speaking with, Mother Goddess, she came back to me. “Mother, Goddess Mother will help us here just say the word I will assist you with her help.” We have the, Moon Goddess's blessings we may win this thing after all. Yes. I air pumped my fist into the air.
Diana and I went to either side of the West gate to stand then had Bavo stand to the South side Parapet, Lady Gaia to the North, and Icka to the East station. When we were all set, and the Moon was high enough in the sky for all of us to be bathed in her glory, Diana and I raised our hands high into the air "The time comes, the power rises, raise your arms to the heavens." I commanded, and it was as it should be. That was the last I remembered. At all four stations of the Parapet an Elemental raised a power to the heavens, The Moon Goddess through her "Daughter" amplified by her "Earthly Mother" rained down a terror unknown before down upon the four sections of the outer Baileys. A fire in the sky rained down upon the whole of the inner, and outer walls so intense not a living nor nonliving thing survived. When it was all over the earth between the walls was a blacken waste lands. With five individuals collapsed upon the tops of the Parapets.
When I woke. I was lying down looking up at my canopy in my bed chambers covered in the lightest of blue/green silks, and a servant wiping my forehead down with the most delicate of wet cloths I have ever felt. “Wha... what happened?” I managed to rasp out.
“Your... Your Grace? You have been out for two days now. Welcome back! Her Holiness will be so pleased!” The servant girl stood back up, and rushed out of the room. I have been out for two day? Really? 'Yes, mother welcome back I missed you so much. I never though you would wake up!' She sounded so anxious. 'Oh honey, I am so sorry I worried you so. Where are you?'
“Right here, mother” She popped up right beside me starting me a bit.
“Oh!” I laughed out. “There you are, come give mother a hug, honey.” I pulled her down on top of me. “Your getting so big for me to do this, come here. I love you so much, Diana.” I kissed her on the cheek.
“I love you too, mother.”
“Is it over? Did we finish the job, out there?” I pointed out the window. She nodded her head.
“Yes we did. All of us did thanks to you. Mother Goddess fed me her power, but it was all you that did all the work; by amplifying it and spreading it to the others. They say that is why you have been out for the last two days now. I was only out for a little while. The rest were only out for a few minutes. The Queen has stopped in our room every day now, several times a day checking on you, and you have had someone taking care of you at all times, even while I was here looking over you.” She looked happy now.
“I am just glad it is over, finally. I don't remember much of any of that other than the very first part when I called together everyone. The rest is a blank.” I shook my head side to side.
“I understand. I don't even remember that much, mother. Once my mother in heaven started talking to me that was the last thing I remember.” That is a good thing.
“What we had to do wasn't something either of us needs to know about. To Think about. It is just something we had to do, it is best not to give into any thought, honey.” I recommended.
“OK. Mother. As you wish.”
“We stayed there recovering for another two more days before flashing back home; the weather had cleared and Indian summer was back in full force and Diana and I were back out by the lake practicing once again. Happily practicing. The time at the High Council castle all but forgotten.