With the wisdom from the Unseeables, the five Chosen managed to form an opposition against the Dark Ones that tried to impede their journey along with the invaluable help from Luca and Youssef's crew. The task proved daunting to say the least, but they knew that their battle was far from over.
The Unseeables were the key factor that brought them thus far, so they consulted them when they made plans before they reached the Island. It was clear what their biggest challenges would be. They needed to compensate for Nexa's ability to sense their intentions, avoid Pitrius at all costs, and above all, stop Cadri's sacrifice in time. By the time they reached the Island, everyone of them knew their role, and how they would proceed to the letter. If even one thing went wrong, they could lose everything. All of them knew that, from the five Chosen even to all the members of the ship's crew.
Yunara looked at herself in the mirror, dressed especially for today. She wore a dress that was cut above her knees, the sleeves cut short to accommodate the hot climate of the Island. It wasn't exactly modest, but it was practical which, at the moment was what mattered most. It didn't show anything revealing, so it would have to do. Her hair was braided in rows down her head to keep it out the way. At her side was the Ancient Weapon in all its glory.
She hadn't noticed how toned her arms had gotten until now. She supposed all of the action she'd been through did that to her. Though she had to admit, there was something different in the reflection that wasn't there before. She had the same dark complexion, same round face and gills along her neck. But even to her own eyes, the girl looking back at her was a great deal more mature. Just in the way she carried herself, she seemed more capable, more sure of herself. If everything went well today, she wouldn't become a queen, but she would emerge as someone who was certainly more than just a maid.
She was a maid to be reckoned with.
# # #
When they arrived to the Island, there was a ship already docked there. The Aracs had definitely arrived first, but it was impossible to tell if they'd been beaten by a few minutes or several hours. They hadn't seen any ships cross them on the way there, so there was no way to tell. They would just have to proceed as planned.
The five of them stepped off the ship and onto what might have been a tropical paradise if it weren't for what they knew inhabited the Island. The sun beat on them hard, but cool air carried the salty sea smell as a welcome relief. Fine sand blanketed the beach, golden in color, littered with seashells all over. Beyond the beach was a lush jungle that offered shade from the sun and colorful varieties of foliage. Nothing that would suggest it was the gathering place for the foulest of Dark Ones on the planet.
Then there was the sound of laughter, appearing to emanate from all over. They looked around, but saw nothing but paradise.
"It doesn't feel right," Kailu said, voicing what Yunara was thinking. She whispered, like someone might have been listening. "You get the feeling like we're being watched."
"We might be," Shi'ran speculated, hi eyes darting at everything like it could be a hiding place for a Dark One lurking in wait. "This is where they gather and scheme, so the rumors say."
"No." Kailu shook her head, her face deadly serious. Yunara had never seen her look this vulnerable. "It's like the Island itself is watching us. I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Manuel said, "If it was going to be easy, there would be no need for us to be here at all." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We've come this far."
She licked her lips, then nodded. "You're right. Let's go."
They all looked to Yunara. Taking a deep breath, she placed the handkerchief of invisibility about her face as the others all took hands. Manuel was the one that took hers and connected her to the rest. They tested it on the ship, but some part of her still feared that the handkerchief's power wouldn't spread to them after all. On the ship, as long as they didn't try with too many people, the handkerchief would last an hour before it lost its power. With more than six or seven, effects would only last a few minutes at best. Though they'd gone over the plan a million times, she still worried if an hour would be enough.
But this was not time for doubts. Too much was depending on this.
Together they proceeded into the jungle. Their Unseeable companions wouldn't be joining them. The Dark Ones on the Island would sense them, so they posed the threat of being discovered. Kokl was none too happy about being separated from Shi'ran again, but understood it had to be done.
As they entered the jungle, the air seemed to change, a brisk cold wind changing the atmosphere from warm and inviting to something eerie. Yunara began to understand Kailu's apprehension.
Beside her, Kailu jumped. "Guys, look." With her hands taken up by Luca and Shi'ran, she couldn't point, but she was looking back the way they came.
Yunara turned to see that instead of seeing the beach behind them, there was nothing but more forest and tangling vines that surrounded them.
Instead of frightened, Shi'ran looked enthralled. "I remember reading something like this. According to the account of several Unseeables, this is normal. The beach we saw before is an illusion that the Island presents so now one suspects what's really here. But as you continue forward, understanding what it really is, the illusion is said to fall away and reveal the Place of Dwelling. I would suggest remaining silent from this point on. This should be where we'll see the Dark Ones that inhabit the Island."
Luca said, "You mean we don't have to hear any more of your tedious explanations? Finally."
Shi'ran scowled at him, but no one said anything else after that.
They continued to trek forward, and Shi'ran's words proved true. The first Dark One they happened across was a lumbering giant that went running through the trees and leveled most of them in his wake. Then there was a dragon-like serpent that slithered through the air, just like the ones that kidnapped Cadri, Yunara realized. Then they nearly tripped and fell into a pit where a dozen goblins slept soundly. Yunara felt like she had to hold her breath, she was so deathly afraid of being caught.
She froze as a fat ogre clad in full armor emerged from the shrubbery, speaking in another language and shouting at the goblins that slept. They growled in protest but were silenced by the ogre's heated orders, and soon followed after him.
With a start, Yunara realized their language was the same as that of the Imanu. She supposed it was further proof the the Dark Ones and the Unseeables were ancient creatures that had been around for centuries. No one knew the Dark Ones better than the Unseeables and vice versa. Though the Dark Ones could be killed, it was said they were reborn, after a hundred years, never truly dead. If they were old enough to speak the language of the Ancients, she realized it must have been true.
Eventually it became apparent that the Dark Ones they passed were going in the same direction as they. They passed more frequently and in greater numbers. There were more disturbing-looking varieties the deeper they went in. Creatures with completely pitch black bodies and claws that hung at their sides, reaching to the floor. Flying ones that sounded like screaming women when they opened their mouths. Skeleton bodies were engulfed in flames that didn't affect them or the jungle in any way. All of them were headed in the same direction.
Apparently, there was something going on none of them wanted to miss.
Before long, they saw where smoke started to rise behind the trees. It billowed between the towers of what looked like a black castle. After seeing that the five moved with a newfound vigor. They were in a race against time.
Finally, they found themselves in what looked like a courtyard. Behind it, a huge castle towered, seeming high enough to scrape the sun, casting a huge shadow over the court.
Lord Stretton had reached it before they did. He stood in the center of the pavillion surrounded by Dark ones, the same kinds they'd widnessed en route and more.
Luca silently pointed at a hill at the crest of the jungle where they'd have a better vantage point to see everything that was going on. They all nodded in agreeance and quietly made their way over.
Yunara's heart leaped to find Cadri at Stretton's side. She looked exhausted and like she'd been crying, but otherwise unharmed. But she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Renen. His eyes glowed red, his entire demeanor changed. He hunched like he was more beast than boy. She realized this must have been the reason for the princess' distress. Her brother was truly lost.
Nexa and Pitrius emerged from the crowd, their bodies dripping with moisture onto the pavement. "Lord Stretton," hissed Pitrius. "Start the ceremony."
Lord Stretton was garbed in a dark robe, a crown atop his head. He nodded to his Arac soldiers, who started adding more fuel to the flames in the center of all of them. He turned to address all of the Dark Ones in his presence, giving Yunara the first opportunity to see what was behind him. In the center of the courtyard was a stone slab with ancient writings etched in it.
Yunara turned to the others and pointed. They nodded back. It was just as the Unseeables described. The portal to the Dark Lords' prison.
"I stand before you day," he started. "As a man ready to change history." The crowd cheered, a cacophony of growls, grunts, and shrieks.
"No longer will you be confined to returning grounds, here or on Caorfi, ever again. With the power of your Lords, the binding rites that keep you from your freedom will be broken!"
More screams of rejoicing.
The one Yunara recognized at Lord Sherwood came to his side. "But I hope you understand that all freedom comes at a price. Our condition, a small price for a service you have been awaiting for centuries, is that you serve under the absolute command of the Aracs so that we may begin our conquest and take the mortal worlds by storm."
Nexa and Pitrius spoke in unison. "Agreed!"
The Dark Ones began chanting both in their language and in that of the Aracs. "Freedom!"
"Freedom!"
"Freedom!"
Lord Stretton turned his back to them and activated the stone slab, slapping its surface, the ancient writings glowing to life under his palm, and spreading to the entire slate. The stone gave way to a swirling vortex, where an image shimmered, one too distorted to make out what it was.
"Dark Generals, come forth, and witness the birth of a new era."
From the flames behind him emerged three giants that Yunara easily identified, though she'd never seen them before.
Fear, a swindly pale form garbed in a tattered black cloak. His body was more bones than flesh, with skin that hugged the skeleton so tightly, one could see his entire anatomy. His eyes were nothing but empty sockets, and looking into them too long made Yunara start to hear voices.
Greed, the exact opposite to Fear's ghostly thin form, was obese, with fat rolling off his bronze body in folds. The ground rumbled with every step he took, the fat in his thighs and stomach swaying as he did. His neck was rolls and rolls of fatty deposit, a disgusting distraction from his enormous cheeks and bald head.
Rage was a rocky form that had lava running through the cracks like fiery veins. His eyes were sockets of fire, his entire being radiating the feeling of fury itself. The center of his chest was a hole that revealed a pool of lava within, one that pulsed like a heart, letting the fiery blood run through the body and hold the rock shards together.
The three of them bowed before Stretton. "We are at your service."
Lord Stretton took out three keys and threw them to the ground beside Cadri.
"Nexa and Pitrius, you may finally exact your payment. Kill the Chosen one of the Ancients by your own hand, but do it next to the keys."
"We know," seethed Pitrius.
The two came to Cadri's side, and the crowd was uncontrollable.
"DEATH!"
"DEATH!"
"DEATH!"
With so much noise, Yunara decided now was as good a time as any.
She rung the silver bell as softly as she could.
Lorenn came soaring into the air above the courtyard, turning the heads of all of the Dark Ones in the vicinity.
"You," Nexa and Pitrius growled in harmony. "Who sent you here?"
Lord Stretton looked confused. "What is it?"
Greed answered him. "An Unseeable. She flies in the air above your head." He growled in frustration. "She will lead the others here. Quick, make the sacrifice now, before the Chosen attempt to rescue her!"
Yunara tried to calculate how long it took for them to reach the castle. They were probably traveling for about 20 minutes, maybe 30. With all of the Dark Ones gathered here, the Fantasma crew shouldn't have much opposition in getting there.
Lorenn was doing her part in guiding the crew to take out the Aracs and as many Dark Ones as they could. Now it was their turn to do their part and end it all.
Hand in hand, the five made a run for the portal. Yunara's heart pounded as they passed the Generals, the emotions they radiated nearly overpowering. But they couldn't see her. None of them could. They could do this.
A step away from the gate, Nexa wailed.
"We've been deceived! I can sense them! The five Chosen are here already! We've all been tricked. This useless girl is not the Chosen!"
Yunara stopped and turned, seeing Pitrious toss Cadri aside. Nexa turned and looked Yunara directly in the eyes. "It's her. The maid. She deceived us all! Get them, they're at the door of the portal!"
Someone yanked at Yunara to pull her through.
"Come on!" Manuel urged her.
She unfroze.
Right.
She followed after him, hearing Nexa and Pitrius wailing behind them. Something red blurred past her vision, but the portal had closed behind them.
They were through.
The world they entered made it hard to get one's bearings. It was nothing but an expanse of swirling colors, purples, pinks, and blues. They stood on a reflective surface that rippled with every step like they were walking on water. With a start, Yunara recognized this feeling, the feeling of almost floating , but not quite. They were in the parallel zone. The world of in between. It made sense the Dark Lords should be imprisoned here. There was nowhere to go, quite literally.
There they were.
Now that they were through the portal, the forms of the Dark Lords were clear. They were identical to their Generals, or rather, the Generals were made to form their image. Only they were enormous. Each of them were easily taller than even the tallest mast of the Fantasma. They all looked asleep, wrapped from head to toe in black metal chains that moved and tightened about them, the Lords wailing in pain each time they did.
But even in their sleeping form, Yunara could hear their voices. Somehow, she even knew which voice was whose.
"So you think you've come to destroy us?" taunted Greed.
"I thought the Ancient Ones would send a five much more formidable than this," added Rage.
"But this? This is laughable," Fear chuckled.
Then they spoke as one. "You will die, and your deaths will serve to free us. Kneel before your kings."
The power that radiated from them was potent. Their presence made it hard to concentrate. Anguish, jealousy, terror, anger, selfishness, grief, fury, all of these emotions weren't part of Yunara's thinking, but they became added to her as she stood before them, their temptations wafting through the air, begging her to succumb.
Beside her, Luca chuckled, though she could tell he was straining to stay focused as much as she was. "You're not in much position to make demands. Your people can't save you. It's just you and us."
"Oh?" They challenged.
Shi'ran glanced behind them, and his eyes widened. "Look!"
The portal that had closed behind them was tearing open, two hands prying through, ripping at it to force an opening. Renen's head showed through, his glowing red eyes soulless.
Shi'ran turned to the others. "We must act now!"
They all unsheathed their blades, the swords vibrating with power in this place. Yunara heard Orsella roar, and the swords began to glow.
She could see the form of Orsella before her, running towards her, trying to reach her.
A second before they could touch, a chain wrapped itself around her waist, yanking her back.
"No!" she screamed.
To her sides, the others were overtaken. Manuel, Luca, Shi'ran and Kailu were all entangled by chains and dragged back to the opening. There stood Renen, with the magical links erupting from his palm. As he held the opening agate, the General of Fear towered over him, a sneer on his ghostly face.
"For you, my Lords," he and Renen said in the same voice.
A wave of sadness washed over Yunara, but it didn't come from the Lords or Generals of darkness. It came from Orsella. She wailed as Renen dragged Yunara away, too.
The five were back in the middle of the court, surrounded by Dark Ones and Aras alike. In the background, there was the sound of fighting. There was screaming.
No.
The crew of the Fantasma.
Tears stung Yunara's eyes as she had to watch Kailu, Shi'ran, and Luca being dragged to the sidelines, whilst she and Manuel were kicked into kneeling positions in the center of the pavillion, where Cadri once was, beside the keys that would unlock the Dark Lords.
"Yunara, Manuel, no!"
She looked up to see Cadri bound next to the Chosen, tears streaming down her face. The look of strength that was always twinkling in her eye had finally diminished. It was over.
Lord Stretton came before them. "Well, it seems I underestimated you, winch. I would have never thought you were the Chosen one. What an elaborate deception. Well, then, Yunara was it? You'll be glad to know that I don't hold grudges. I'll let you decide." His eye roved over to Manuel, a sick gleam in them as he took him in. "You. I know who you are. You're the son of Manuel IV and his wretched wife Aznia. I've been looking for you for some time. I never imagined you'd be Chosen, but still, given your parents' reputation, I've learned that the only good kind of Suarez is a dead one." He clasped his hands together. "And yet, despite the fact that I hate you both dearly, I'll still allow you to choose, Yunara. You've been the one at the center of all of this deception. So which will it be? Which of you will serve as my sacrifice? You or Manuel? The liar or the bastard son? The prince or the pauper? Your choice."
"No!" Manuel cried. If you have to kill one of us, kill me."
Yunara couldn't believe her ears. "Manuel, what are you doing?"
He paid her no mind. "You only need one death for the sacrifice, let her go!"
Lord Stretton cocked his head, then let a smile crawl across his face. "You're your daddy's boy, aren't you? What is it with you Suarez men that fall in love with ill-bred wives?" He shrugged. "Very well. Nexa, Pitrius. You heard him. Kill her."
Manuel's eyes shot wide, becoming glassy as he tried futilely to pull away from his constraints.
"No!"
Nexa and Pitrius sauntered over, both of them growling. No, it was their version of a chuckle.
"Lord Stretton really knows how to create a pleasurable killing," Pitrius said. "Your grief at her death will make this killing a delicious one."
Manuel yanked at his chains until his wrists became bloody. "Please! Don't do this! Take me!"
"Yes," Nexa growled. "Plead with us. Let us feel your agony."
Yunara felt Pitrius' scaly, slimy hands close around her neck, sealing off her gills and forcing her to stare down the holes where his eyes should have been.
Nexa came in beside him. "You and us are not so dissimilar. We three are being of water. While others fear the greatness of the sea, we find refuge beneath her waves. You deceived my all seeing eye," she growled, icy cold creeping into her voice before a smile crept up her mouth. "So wouldn't it be ironic for you to drown? And to save you the final comfort of thinking your lover will survive, I'll tell you that he won't. But think of it this way, if there is any afterlife, perhaps you'll go there together."
No matter which way she struggled, Pitrius' hands stayed firmly closed around her gills. Then, from the sockets where Nexa's arms were supposed to be, water jetted forth, surging against her face, plugging into her nostrils and mouth. It didn't matter if she had her mouth open or closed, water forced its way into her lungs. She wanted to cough, take a breath, anything. But it was unrelenting. Every cough, sputter, or choke brought more water down her lungs. Her gills fluttered against Pitrius' grip to try to breath, but he allowed none of the precious water that slowly suffocated her to flow down to them and alleviate her.
Nexa was right. Water was her comfort. Now for the first time, she was deathly afraid of it.
Her lungs burned, and the chug of water was unrelenting. Her vision went dark. She tried desperately to move her head, even for a single gulp of air, but swallowed more water instead, Pitrius' hold unforgiving.
She couldn't hold her eyes open anymore, and in her mind, Cadri's image flashed. She had let her down. Then she thought of Manuel. She'd never be able to answer his question. To tell him she loved him, too.
Finally, Yunara slumped over, lifelessly, and Nexa moved over to Manuel so he would meet the same fate.