Troas was gone from their home the next day. Algalore headed toward the castle, but the guard at the front gate told her, “No one is on duty today. There is a storm approaching, and the king is busy with other matters, so he has dismissed his staff for today, only.”

“Have you seen Troas?” she asked

“No.”

“Bye.”

The rain was pelting the ground and mud took over the small, poor village. The sky was dark and unmerciful. Dead leaves were piled high in the gutters of the roads. The stream was polluted with uplifted sediments from the pounding drops. The wild flowers drooped under the force of flowing mud and powerful stinging splashes. Moss would eventually thrive over the sopping wet lichen-covered stones.

Mothers with children humped over their shoulders were racing to their underground cellars and the village shelter that had very limited space. Thunder and lightning stitched the sky with blazing light and sound. Birds rushed to the safety of their nests tucked away in skinny trees. Deer were leaping from their flooded hiding places, while muskrats burrowed into the muddy earth. The very few wildcats in the village forest adored days like these. They’d climb on top of mudded dunes and capture little creatures that were scampering about. Algalore had no cellar and the shelter was already full. She was sure she would drown before anyone helped her out...but a kind young man her age invited her inside his small shelter made of stone under earth. They huddled inside and waited for the rain to cease falling. Algalore said softy, “My name is Algalore.”

“Gronous,” he grumbled. He had brown-blonde hair that was messily combed over his ears and forehead. His face was plain and ordinary of a peasant. He had blue eyes and wore a simple cotton shirt and leather pants.

The silence filling the cramped shelter was also filled about with incredible boredom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gronous whisper something inaudible, making Algalore curious. She looked closer, and he noticed her interest.

“What are you doing?” she asked, guiltily leaning back.

“There’s a crack in the wall of the shelter…I was trying to fix it. I guess I was using the wrong incantation…perhaps I will try the binding cast instead of the repair cast,” he said, turning back to his work.

“Incantations? Who on earth would teach you that?” Algalore said, shocked.

“I have learned them from travelers, books, sometimes I try to create them,” he said.

“You use magic?” she asked.

“Of course! How do you think I built this shelter?”

“I…uh…I can’t believe you use magic! It is so dangerous!” she said, astonished.

“Well, you have to learn it. After the learning, it is easy, so long as you obey the rules of energy manipulation,” he explained.

“Rules?” she asked. She had no idea that there were rules to magic.

“Yes. There are four crucial rules while using magic that you must follow. One: Never use magic to exploit another just because of a personal vendetta. Some magic cannot be reversed when it is cast, and it can cause terrible effects on those around them. Two: Magic takes energy from the caster no matter what spells you cast, so you must pace your strengths and energies accordingly. In other words, you cannot move a mountain when you cannot move a pebble. If you are not strong enough to accomplish the task, it will not kill you, but it can do damage to your ability to use magic. Three: Make sure you do not use magic in front of your enemies secretly. Any use of magic from anyone leaves a trace, but the trace is different for different people,” he said.

“Like a fingerprint,” Algalore pointed out.

“Precisely. Now, the fourth rule is not followed, usually, for it is obsolete. It is that you must not use magic for household tasks, but that was established when the earliest magic casters just began to learn this art, so it was dangerous at the beginning. Those rules are needed in order to create order in the world of magic,” he addressed. Algalore was intrigued.

Finally, after noticing her interest, he said, “Do you practice magic?”

“No,” she said abruptly.

“I could teach you some things that I know,” he paused, “Would you like me to teach you?”

“No. Magic…,” she said as if it were a swear, “…is very dangerous and is used by evildoers! It is also a huge lie…so unnatural. I shall not ever practice it.”

“It not only is used for evil! I patched up a leak. Was that evil?” he asked. He stared at Algalore, and she bit her lower lip. He gave her a mocking, crooked smile. Algalore scowled.




































































Minutes bled into hours and slipped into the entirety of the afternoon. They mostly talked about everyday life and everything else that sounded like appropriate conversing material. Algalore lit candles by a piece of flint stone and soon, the whole shelter was alit with a hazy golden glow.

Soon, the rain stopped. Silence passed over them and they were desperately relieved it was over.

“Is it safe?” asked Algalore, placing her hand on the ceiling, feeling for vibrations of the drops that pounded.

“Of course. Even if it was still raining, what harm is the damp? I’ve been through worse…,” he grumbled grimly. Algalore sighed, and changed the mood with a flash of her common, brilliant smiles. He returned the favor, and he opened the cellar door for her. She stepped outside and looked around. It was a gruesome sight. Dead birds and worms covered nearly every surface. Mud covered every spot on ground and even the sky was painted a dirty brown. This didn’t really bother Algalore, or anyone else, but when she noticed a large lump of mud in the distance, her heart stopped.

“Someone has been left behind!” he cursed under his breath as Algalore wiped mud from the body.

Others joined her as she cleaned the body to see who it was.

“Algalore, she’s not dead. She has simply fainted. I’ll take her into my home and we’ll help her,” Gronous said, placing his index and middle fingers upon her neck, feeling for her pulse. He picked her up and Algalore spoke softly to her.


“Who are you?” Algalore asked her after she stirred.

“Kite...” she lost her voice and fainted in Gronous’s arms once again.

“We must set her down. She must have swallowed a lot of mud,” he said. He sat her down on a cot in his cottage and cleaned mud off her skin. She woke up just as Algalore was brewing a pot of tea.

“Oh, good. You’re awake. You’ll be fine,” Algalore said.

“I came here to alert you of an approaching threat. I didn’t know of the storm, and I was lost in the flood,” she explained.

“Have you found anything in the pantry to eat?” asked Algalore as Gronous stepped in from his storage cellar.

“Not unless you eat field mice,” he said, holding a dead mouse by the tail.

“Well, I have some food in my house. I’ll go see,” said Algalore. As she walked, she took the mouse from his hand and tossed it into the garbage pail. She bustled out of the house and came back with a bag of fruit.

They ate the small lunch and they began to talk more of Kite’s message.

“Well, there is an army of goblins and trolls headed toward Ra Me. They are planning on overthrowing the leader and slaying all human life. I was sent to warn all of you,” she said, taking a bite of an apple. Algalore had heard enough and was buttoning a cloak around her and saying, “I should really tell the king about this.” Kite rushed in front of her and said, “No! He shouldn’t know!”

“Why?” Algalore asked, “Why not? He will know what to do.”

“No! He’s not supposed to know, Algalore! The whole plan will be ruined. Besides, he won’t live long enough to even begin a combat plan!” Kite said.

“What do you mean King Ollunmous shan’t live long enough?” Gronous asked intently.

“Well, before I left, I met up with a fortuneteller who predicted his death occurring in the next week,” Kite said.

“What did she say would happen? To the king, I mean?” Algalore asked.

“She didn’t say, but she did mention that there will need to be people to lead the fight.”
.
“Who are they?” Gronous asked.

“Well, you two,” she said simply.
.
“But how do you know?” asked Gronous.

“Shadowna, my fortuneteller. She told me I’d be saved by them. I must return to my town and tell them I have found you. I must visit Shadowna. Tonight I will dream of the next two days, as Shadowna instructed, and I will tell you of the future.”

“But how can this so-called Shadowna know anything about the future?” asked Algalore, skeptically.

“Did I mention she is a sorceress? Sorceresses cannot lie about incidents such as these. I am an amateur magician at best. All I know how to do is how to block. Now, I seriously need some rest if I am to predict what will happen. She gave me her blessing to have the clearest premonition as possible.”


At this, they retired for the night, letting Kite sleep on Gronous’s bed.

She saw a brown horse galloping away, and saw Algalore and Gronous. They were tired and restless, and saw ropes around their necks. A red flare burned around her. Kite dreamed of guards swinging axes, and blood being spilled, of who’s she was unaware. Water rushed clear in a stream, and a flow of red liquid stained the clearness. She saw a free Gronous and Algalore being bowed to. Before the vision faded into darkness, a scream and the sound of crying echoed in her mind.

The next morning Kite “borrowed” one of the royal stallions from the stables the next day, which fortunately Algalore had the keys for, and headed out for the entrance of the village. She turned back and confidently said, “I shall return in two days. Within that time, you shall face the gallows. Do not worry, for fate will save your lives. May your blades stay sharp and your minds stay tactful.” She galloped away, her ebony hair the only thing standing out from the shrubbery. As she rode she thought, They don’t need to know anything else just yet.

Algalore tried to look for her father, but she did not find him anywhere. She went to the castle, and asked if anyone had seen him. She was worried. He had not told her that he was leaving. Perhaps he was taken, or maybe he left her. Algalore could not conceive a reason for him to leave.

Gronous and Algalore huddled inside her house, awaiting their prosecution, all the while worrying about Algalore’s father. In that time, Gronous showed her some protective casts and offensive curses. Algalore needed strict encouraging to even consider forcing magic to flow in her veins. According to her father, those who practice magic are either completely insane and evil and just power-hungry or lazy, or they could be incredibly idiotic. Algalore hoped his theory was flawed, for she felt she didn’t fall into either one of those categories. Gronous convinced her she was being foolish. So, as he instructed, she held her breath and listened to her conscience.

“I don’t hear anything,” she said simply, after a moment.

“Nonsense. Everyone has a conscience, whether you are a peasant or a warlord.”

“I’ll try…”

Another moment passed, and she exhaled, feeling confident.

“I can do it,” she sighed. He nodded, and gave her a spell to work with.

“Now, stand tall, don’t cringe. Think of what I told you.”
A red ring formed around her, and covered the floor with golden light. Gronous attempted to snatch at Algalore, and succeeded. He shook his head and said, “You’re not trying. Try again!” His demanding voice sent acid running through her veins. She tried again, forcing the energy from her muscles into the heat that was magic.

This time, green rings covered her body and he was unable to touch her without getting burned. He was satisfied with her work, so they stopped for the day. After a day, they heard a knock at the door. Algalore looked her best that day, knowing what was to come. Gronous answered the door, and when guards took him by the shoulders and tossed him to the dirt, she knew what was coming at last. They braced her arms and dragged her to the courthouse where the king sentenced them to death by hanging. When Gronous asked why, the king said, “I know you took my best war horse! A life for a life, I say! Algalore used her keys to unlock the stables, and you put her up to it!”

They were tossed into the jail, only until dinner was over. The king did not want to miss a feast just because of some delinquents. They sat and didn’t speak, until Gronous saw Algalore’s necklace.

“Why did you wear that necklace? It looks so, peculiar.” The necklace was very long with a solid metal chain and tightly clasped lock. There was a giant stone on it that had no familiar shape.

“Well, I was getting dressed, when it sort of, called to me. Strange, right?” Hours passed, until the king escorted them straight toward the gallows. They rode with bounded arms and ankles. Algalore nearly fell off with being unable to hold on. A ripple of uneasiness flew through both of them when their eyes met the nooses. They were hoisted up onto the platform and the rope was fitted around their necks. Just before they were pushed off the platform, Ollunmous said, “Stop! I want that girl’s necklace. It looks like the one my wife used to wear.” He pulled it off of her, and began to finger it. Just as the man pushed them, the rope smoldered and broke and they fell to the ground. A trickle of blood ran down her neck from the slicing rope, but nothing else. The necklace jerked in Ollunmous’s hands, and he let go of it. It wrapped itself around his throat and became tighter and tighter still. People attempted to pull it off, but his constant screaming and movement prevented any rescue. The chain dug into his skin and blood poured down his fat neck. The blood pooled and flowed like a little river alongside the gallows. He fell to the earth and moved no more. He lived no more.


Gasps and cries came from the people, and guards rushed toward Algalore and Gronous with weapons. Just as they yielded their axes, a horse leapt over them and landed in the dust. Kite, bearing a box, stood between the guards and the pair and cried, “Stop all that you are doing! These two people are to aid you in the war approaching. They are legends-to-be!”

“You’re bluffing. No war is approaching and these ‘heroes’ murdered our king! Regicide I say!” said Steptin, one of the royal guards.

“Tell me, are you better off with such a leader of brutality and harassment?” Kite said, helping them up to their feet. “I will prove that these two are our heroes fulfilled in Shadowna’s prophecy by calling her herself!”

She opened the box, and took out a bright orb. The crystal ball flashed, and she ran her hands over it, saying, “I wanted to bring Shadowna herself, but she was injured.” The image of a young woman appeared in the glass, and she said, “I can confirm it. These two are your heroes. You must trust them!” The people stared silently at the orb, watching the girl glare at them.

“If you do not trust me, I shall prove it!” said Kite. Shadowna whispered with Kite, and she said, “There is going to be a full moon tonight.” One of the guards argued, “Preposterous! There was the last full moon of the month last night!” He left, but the others agreed to wait. Most villagers left, but the guards held Algalore and Gronous at striking point. Spears were jabbed at their sides, and a sword was held at Algalore’s throat. Kite stood with chains holding her on the gallows’ posts. Hours passed, and Shadowna had left the crystal ball. The sun set, and the moon rose, full.

“See? We are for real!” Algalore choked from behind the blade. They untied them and escorted them to the palace. They left the body of King Ollunmous in a shallow grave with a stake piercing the earth, marking the burial site.

Kite warned them not to become too accustomed to the royal luxuries. Kite met them in the dining hall.

“Now, you two get some sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll attend a ceremony to adhere you both as the rulers of Ra Me. After, we’ll organize a meeting of militarism in order to be sure we are ready for the war,” said Kite, her eyes flashing. They were escorted by servants to their rooms. The ceilings were painted with red and violet stars and comets and moons. They reached their rooms and quickly went to sleep.

Morning came as quickly as night went. Algalore felt like she’d been sleeping for a fortnight while Gronous felt nothing at all. They were dressed well and fed, but Algalore didn’t feel excited or proud. She felt apprehensive of the day to come when she’d lead an army one-handed. She wanted her father, more than anything. She asked around, but no one seemed to know her father.

The ceremony was very short with hardly anyone attending. Gronous didn’t attend himself, for he felt very sick after breakfast. Algalore visited him often in the hospital wing with the nurse, Mia. Mia taught her some healing tactics and gave her recipes for health potions. One volunteer nurse, dragged in by her mother to build up a good reputation for her daughter, was particularly dumbfounded. Her name was Shelly. Shelly hated helping people other than herself, and despised the sick. She thought that the sick should be carted away and locked up. Mia didn’t care for the girl much, but she treated her nicely and respectively. Shelly once ate the food made for Gronous to eat and he went hungry for she claimed she gave it to him. Willa Gee, a kind, grandmother-type of person who also worked as a nurse, always made sure they were comfortable. Finally, Gronous recovered. He stepped out into the sunshine and stretched and yawned. He went back to training Algalore. She mastered magic quickly and was always eager to learn more. Sure enough, she completed all beginners magic and moved on to the advanced set.

“Now, we have someone else to teach you the next lesson. I’ve never mastered it, so it would be dangerous. Auracia, please,” he said. A lovely woman wearing the clothing of a medium entered the room. Her hair was done in ringlets that spiraled down her back and coiled around her legs. Strands of beads hung off her clothing and a satin shawl was draped so low that bugs probably used it for a free ride. Her feet at first seemed covered with a colorful silken shoe, but what it really was were small tattoos of symbols that went up and down her legs, arms, hands, and even around her eyes which were a brilliant shade of crimson red.

“Hello, my pupil. My name is Auracia. I will teach you a form of magic known as crafting. In crafting, you can materialize things from elements of fire, water, sound, light, air, and earth,” she said, “Now; I need to sample a few things so I can modify the lesson. Close your eyes and I will see what comes to me,” said Auracia. She closed her eyes and Auracia did as well, waiting for Algalore to begin her thoughts. A scene painted in her mind, a meadow with flowers and cattails and lily pads. Dragonflies bustling through the breeze, kingfishers flashing in the evening sun, it was a heavenly sight. The pools of crystal clear water were filled with tiny fish, their golden backs glittering on the glassy surface. Among the flowers and nestled in a bunch of long green grasses, a sprite woman held her nearly-human baby. Her eyes were a deep, ominous shade of dark green. The woman spoke softly to the newborn, clutching it tightly as if it would disappear if she relaxed her grip.

“Dear child, I wish I could keep you with me. That man tricked me into thinking he would marry me...I was foolish. But you, my child, are destined to never know your mother, or what I will do for you. I sense you will be a savior and powerful being. To apologize for doing this, I will give you a present,” she said so softly the buzzing of the meadow nearly drowned her voice out. She took a little chain from inside her sleeve, a silver braid with a heart charm with wings. The vision faded, but as it did, she heard a faint cry of the baby and a woman’s scream.

When Auracia came out of her trance, tears stung her face and a throbbing pain swept through her spine.

“I saw your mother and you, Algalore, in a meadow. She gave you a necklace…I believe you know of that, correct?”

“My mother? A necklace, what necklace?” she asked.

“She gave it to you…perhaps your father has it?” she said as she sat in a chair. “I’ve never sensed so much love in my life...my own family treated me harshly…” Auracia smiled. She told the rest of the vision. She was very weak and tired for that vision seemed to bleed her chakra dry, for the first time. Algalore was filled with mixed emotions. Joy that her mother did indeed love her, and anger, that her father lied about her past. What else could have he lied about? She wouldn’t rest until she knew.

A nurse came rushing in to say that Kite had just fallen down from stairs and had gone unconscious. She wasn’t discovered for at least two hours by a passing guard.

They were rushed into the hospital, but were assured that she just needed a while to rest. When the doctors were removing her clothing to check for any wounds, as necessary by routine inspection, Algalore and Gronous left the room to give her privacy. Moments later, they were called into the emergency room to look at something. She was covered in long, deep scars.


“What do you suppose happened, doctor?” Gronous asked.

“Well, these scars look rather old, probably from an age of 15 or younger. Her parents must’ve believed in hurting their children. We will ask when she wakes,” she said, inspecting the scars. Another deep gash cut across her waist.

“I’d expect her to wake when the sun sets,” said Auracia, holding her hands above the still figure. They all waited until sunset, Algalore falling asleep, Gronous leaning on the back of his chair, letting Algalore fall into his lap time and again when she’d collapse with fatigue. Auracia was meditating, slowly breathing and stretching her arms above her head only to bring them down again. The nurses were busy with a very impatient patient, who simply wanted a free meal and a warm place to sleep rather than medical care.

The sun finally disappeared behind the trees, but Kite was still fast asleep. She was recovering, and the doctors said she was healing. They all decided, finally, to go to bed. Auracia seemed uneasy about leaving Kite, so Gronous agreed to stay with her while Algalore slept.

“Why do you worry so much about Kite? She’s very strong,” said Gronous.

“Well, would you feel worried if Algalore was in that state? I don’t believe you wouldn’t. She’s fairly strong as well…” She was stopped by Gronous. He sat her down, and she began to cry. She brushed away her silver tears with her sleeve, and turned away from Gronous. “She is the only one with an aura as pure as mine…not that you or Algalore have polluted auras…but troubled pasts. Kite has hardly ever had trouble in her life…just one spot of hers is impure, though it is dark and sinister…I have a few spots myself…everyone does.”

She sighed deeply and wished she were not in company. She stood up and walked to the ledge of the balcony.

“I used to climb up on the balcony railing and scare my parents by hanging off. Of course, not because they loved me, just because they needed me to keep up appearances. They’d be shunned if they were found out. They’d always catch me...”

She climbed the railing and held her arms apart. Gronous lurched forward and said, “Get down, please! Don’t hurt yourself! I won’t be able to catch you!”

“I don’t need catching. The skies are my floors and the universe paints my ceiling. Stars are my lights...and my walls are endless. I live in no boundary…,” she cried, still with tears drenching her face and her cheeks a rosy red. She seemed to teeter over the edge, but with delicate balance. Auracia’s body seemed to hover over the banister of the balcony.

“Auracia, please! Come down, let me help you,” he said. He reached for her arm, and she snatched it away. Auracia turned on her toes and glared at him. She took a step forward, her body staying level, her whole self floating. His eyes widened in surprise and amazement. Her voice was stern but soft.

“If you paid any mind to what I said earlier, you’d know! The skies are my floors, the universe paints my ceiling. I have no boundary. I live in the skies. I am... I...well, I didn’t want to tell you...but, I guess I have to. I am a spirit, one of a lost soul. I live with the deceased in the heavens. I wanted you to think of me as a, well...alive. That’s why I have mastered this form of magic...I’ve been dead for centuries. Algalore will never be able to master it as I have. I came to you, and I broke all rules off my home to help you! We are not supposed to leave, not at all. I will have to suffer punishments worse than you could imagine just for helping you! Remember a few years ago, I knew you would need my help someday, so I contacted you and showed you what I could do. Didn’t it seem convenient that you found me? I have to go,” she trailed off, and began to ascend over the edge of the balcony. Gronous remembered the event very well. He was shopping in the marketplace, with his sister Rita, when he saw her. Auracia was arguing with a man outside of a gloomy tavern.


“I told you, good sir, that I am not a fool! Those ‘enchanted pendants’ are nothing but cheap costume jewelry! Now, sir, leave me be!” she had said. The man grabbed her arm, and continued to bother her. She pushed him aside as she walked away, but he shoved his hand in front of her face with a chain in his hand. She drew on her strength, and had knocked the man on his feet with a sweep of her arm, drawing water from the air, creating an icy whip that had struck the man on his chest. He was stunned.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to return home. I will not stay here, it has a foul aura,” said Auracia in the present. Her voice burned with venom as she scowled.

“But what about all those stories of your childhood? Did you lie about those too?” asked Gronous, still high tempered.

“They are all true. My parents, Father Dwight, and Mother Ginsalore, were highly abusive. That is why I am…dead.”

Gronous felt very regretful. He wanted to apologize. He would have to wait to talk to her until the next day, for she was gone. A nurse came in and had Kite sitting in a wheelchair. She looked drowsy, but she seemed healthy. She cringed when she heard about them seeing her scars, and she refused to speak of it.

Back, in Auracia’s home, a huge sky palace, she sat, crying in the cherry blossom grove sitting on a log. The ground below her was made of a sea of clouds.

“Dear Auracia, what is the matter?” asked a soft voice behind her. It was a swan. She wore a crown of simple ivory with a glowing blue stone in the center.

“Oh, it’s you, Epona. I’d rather show you, than tell,” said Auracia. So, she closed her eyes, and a cloud of white appeared, and the whole incident was played on its surface. Epona watched and listened. She finished the incident. Auracia then bid farewell to Epona, and headed to the outside of the palace, to the center, where spirits congregated. She walked gloomily to the center, placed her hand on a large, flat stone, and said, “I, the ghost of Auracia, have sinned. I have left our world today and I accept the consequences.” The rock began to burn, white hot against her palm. The pain was impossible to bear, but it was her punishment. There was a sap that bled from the stone, green in color, which crawled up her arm, giving the illusion of pain that the acid was eating her skin.

The next day, Gronous waited on the balcony, waiting for Auracia to appear, to say that she forgave him, to give him one of her common, brilliant smiles, but she didn’t come. It was eight o’clock in the morning, so he sat on a bench and sipped a mug of coffee and spooning pieces of Willa Gee’s famous peach and apple crumble with real fruits and spice into his mouth. At nine, Gronous was visited by Algalore and Kite, who took the liberty of snagging the last bits of Willa Gee’s peach and apple crumble from the once-warm pan on the table. He told them about when he was a child, and how his father used to get up early in the morning with him and take him to the lake to go fishing. Sometimes, they’d get to see the sunrise. They’d challenge each other to see who could catch the most fish, and his father always won, but sometimes he’d let his son win to boost his confidence on a grey day. Even though he and his father seemed close and very fond of each other, he and his sister were even closer. Her name was Rita. She and him would play jests on the guards and sneak into the castle. He wanted to tell them more, but a stabbing pain in his heart kept him from revealing this. He never wanted to tell anyone of what happened that grim autumn day. Finally, they left to find a suitable breakfast. At noon, Gronous was beginning to worry, but he refrained from trying to get involved. Gronous left the balcony and walked around the castle, and soon saw Auracia talking with Algalore over a map of the castle. Gronous then asked her, “Where have you been?”

“On the roof. I needed some quiet time,” she said.


“The roof? I never would have guessed.” He noticed cloth wrapped around her right forearm.

“What happened to your arm?” he asked, looking closer.

“It’s nothing…I just cut myself by accident.”

“Really? I thought spirits couldn’t get hurt,” he said.

“They can’t. I am an exception, for I have left my home far too many times,” she said, crossing her arms. “Well, enough talk. You, Algalore, and Kite are due for your lesson, my pupil.”


Auracia and the others were learning how to move the light around them to become invisible. Auracia said at the end of the lesson, “To truly master element moving, you need to figure your opponents perspective to know how to move them. I’ll explain in deeper detail later. You’re due for your weaponry lesson, Algalore. Sir Troas shall be your tutor,” she said. When she finished speaking, Algalore burst out in a quick comeback, “Troas? Troas Williston?! He’s my father! I can’t wait to see him.” She grinned and headed to the weaponry.

“Hello, my daughter,” mumbled Troas.

“Father, I couldn’t find you! Where were you?” she said, hugging him.

“I was told before you woke to go to the castle and see Sir Fritz, your boss. He told me he had a premonition in his sleep, that I would need to use my weapon expertise to help someone…I didn’t think it would be you,” he said.

“I didn’t know you knew so much about weapons…”

“That was a part of my past…Well, we should begin with the basics. Take this...,” he thrust a sword her way. She took it and fingered the handle and stroked the surface of the blade.

“Father,” she whispered under her breath. The thought of her father being here, after missing him for days, and yet, she felt he was too close. He lied about her past, and she was so stupid to believe him.

“Algalore, I know that we have tension pulling at us, but let’s just keep strong. We can overcome these feelings and what not and you will become a hero,” he said. She bowed her head and he began to tutor her. He taught her how to hold a sword, how to stab and slice the air, and finally, how to shield. They moved on to the axe, lance, mace, and poison darts. Algalore knew she had to fight and kill and win, but she sensed emotional uneasiness within...someone.

He was sitting with her. On a warm, autumn day, it happened. Rita was sitting next to Gronous, and they were happy. They were eating lunch on a bench outside in their backyard. Gronous was only thirteen when it happened. His sister was fifteen. They went back inside to wash up and pack to go to their cabin. Their father was already there. He needed to leave early in the morning to prepare it and make everything perfect. They’d then travel by carriage to the cabin. When Rita signaled the carriage to pick them up, they were gently carried to their campsite, only to find it in flames. Rita panicked and jumped off the carriage leaving her younger brother behind. Gronous called for her, she turned and said, “I’ll be back, Gronous! Stay there! I need to find Dad! I’ll be back, brother.” But she wasn’t coming back. For when she smashed open the wooden door and crawled inside, the ceiling above her fell on top of her, and Gronous ran after her. The man leading the carriage held him back, and he couldn’t move. The last sound that Gronous heard her make was a scream. Then, silence, except for the crackling fire and falling wood. He eventually ran after her when the man let him go, but this was after the fire died down. And when it did, he found nothing. Nothing except a fragment of a family painting survived. The part with Rita had burned away, and it was like she never existed.
Gronous couldn’t retell the tale. Never. He’d rue the day that that story be passed through his lips.

When Kite grew strong enough, she began the strategic planning for their battle plan. She told them when she first found out. They’d attack by summer’s end. She first knew of the war while apple picking. Kite was busy checking apples for worms and polishing them, when a group of goblins were talking about some plan.

“We need to attack them...When the year passes, we will have claimed the throne and kingdom!”

“Hush up, Calverb. We don’t discuss plans in public. I’ll have you know that I shall not stand to see our plan fall with such tomfoolery!” said the goblin girl.

“Sorry, Princess Vernera,” he grumbled.

“Princess, I need you to listen. I have valuable information of the enemy,” said another goblin girl in a hushed tone. They were about to go to another location. She pushed aside the bush of ferns and weeds to reveal Kite, still listening intensively.

“You! What did you hear? Who are you? Answer me!” Vernera yelled.

“Why should I answer to you?” asked Kite.

“Don’t let her get away!” screamed Princess after she couldn’t find a threatening response.

She dumped the apples and ran. They slipped on the rolling fruit. Kite had already escaped, and she knew about the attack, but where she was not sure. The militia found out the details of the plan, and Kite was sent to warn the people after she visited Madame Shadowna. She told her more of the future battle, including the location. She set off on her journey to Ra Me, where she met the people that would attempt to destroy the goblins and trolls.

They received word that the goblin hoard was already at Faerie Creek’s mouth. The faeries could hold them off with a spellbound field of traps and tricks, but how long could that last?

They were fitted with ultra light armor and given weapons. Algalore now needed to choose ten people from the kingdom to be a part of her elite team that would be her most important asset. Algalore, Auracia, Gronous, and Kite were the first members. She stood on the balcony and looked over her people. She announced that she’d need six community members to be a part of the team.

“Auditions shall be held today at noon, in two hours. Best to be prepared. I need strong, brave, courageous people. Anyone over the age of eighteen shall be permitted to join,” she said. She retreated to her father’s training lesson, and she pretended he wasn’t there. But, as the time passed and it was half past eleven, she couldn’t keep silent anymore.

“Why did you lie and say my mother didn’t love me? I know she did!” snapped Algalore.

“I needed to protect you, for your own good, my daughter. She was being chased, followed, because of me. I never knew she was a sprite, and I made a foolish mistake in considering marrying her. She would have had us killed if she didn’t leave!”

“Why didn’t you marry her?” she yelled.

“I couldn’t, for sprites are unable to marry. They must be chosen to have children, and then they are useless to the sprite community,” he said softly.

“Oh. Well, that seems awfully horrible! What happened to Mother?”

“She...was killed. That’s why she took you here. She gave me something to give to you...” He pulled out a silver chain with a charm on it, a heart with wings. He gave it to her, and tears flew from her eyes.

“After she had you, she transported you here by teleportation. Then, she lost her will, her strength, her ability to fight,” he stopped, dabbing his eyes, “and there I found her in the meadow, you were in my arms, crying. She was dead. A knife beside her, and her blood spilled onto the grass...”

Algalore felt like she was going to be sick. She wanted to end this war, find her mother’s grave, and honor her the way she should.

“I buried her in that meadow, a gravestone with her name...Merlee. That was her name. Merlee.” He stopped and turned his back on Algalore. She ran away, still clutching the chain.

She knew she had to choose her teammates today, so she swallowed her nausea and grief and managed to conjure up a smile. She found many people acceptable, but she let Gronous and Auracia make the final decision. A girl, about twenty, named Hiromi, who had exquisite power. She used her mind to move projectiles and enemies. She was immediately placed in the team. A man named Joseph won a position with his incredible sword work. Another person admitted to the team came in a suit of armor, and surprised everyone after removing the helmet, to reveal herself as a young woman. Her name was Lyn. Two men were also chosen, two twin brothers named Greg and Ted. They were chosen by their cleverness and cunning in their archery. The last person admitted was a shape-shifter named Tilly. She could morph into any creature.

After the members were chosen, they were given rooms to sleep in the castle. Algalore told her friends all about her mother and father. She couldn’t hold onto these emotions any longer, and neither could Gronous, so he told of his family vanishing into the flames, and never coming back. Kite immediately left the room and locked herself in her bedroom for the night. Gronous didn’t think any of it at the time.

Before bed, after Kite disappeared into her room, Tilly, Hiromi, and Lyn met at the fire lit hearth in the library.

“I can’t believe it, girls. We’re here, and we’re going to fight for this kingdom. I hope we all understand the risks of this...,” Hiromi trailed off. She sighed, and stirred her tea with her mind.

“Hiromi, I hope that we don’t need to know these risks...,” Tilly whispered.

“I need to go, now. I have a big day ahead of me,” said Lyn.

“Yes, yes. Go rest, my friend,” said Tilly. So Lyn walked away, leaving the two in their chairs.

“Well, I should head up to my room...,” said Hiromi, who slowly walked down the corridor up a flight of stairs.

“Goodnight!” called Tilly, who instead of heading to her room, morphed into a little brown tabby and slept on the chair.

In the morning, Algalore and her team headed to a practice course set up in the backyard. The trees were lined with targets and mannequins.

“All right. Auracia, you go first!” said Algalore. She walked over to a positioned mannequin and said, “Guards! Start the simulation.” The targets moved, mannequins walked and arrows shot through the air. Auracia glided upward in the sky, hovering a moment, then clapped her hands together and set waves of a thunderous blast towards a single mannequin. The wood split in two, the legs falling to the ground, and the head toppling backward. They all cringed at the sight.

“Good. Now, let’s have...Hiromi! Destroy that target,” said Algalore. The simulation began once more, the targets shifting places and sliding along trees. Hiromi stood still, picturing the target smashing to the ground. Her power bubbled to the surface and the familiar heat surged through her body. She aimed to where the target was heading, and released the energy into one, full-out attack. The target shattered on the grass.

“Impressive,” said Gronous. Joseph took her place, and yielded his sword. He fingered the handle and waited.

“That mannequin. Start the simulation!” called Auracia. The mannequin began to walk and fire arrows. He stood still, swiftly using his shield to block the arrows. He leapt in the air and sliced down with his sword, demolishing the drone. He took a step back.

The full moon had risen, and only Algalore was left.

“Now, I go,” said Algalore. She took a step forward, yielded a practice sword, and threw. It hit its mark, but it wasn’t a mannequin or target. A wolf-like creature stumbled out of the depths of the trees, blood spilling down its back. A deep gash in its neck lay there. It was about to attack them all. Algalore didn’t see it until she was nearer to the trees.

“What is that thing?!” cried Tilly, recoiling at the sight.

“Looks like a werewolf. It looks like it has...,” he stopped when it came closer, and took a step backwards. The werewolf teetered on unstable feet, and finally fell onto its belly, panting. Algalore cautiously approached it, and it sprung up and lashed with sharp jaws. It turned away, licking at its wound, and took off, disappearing into the forest.

“I’ve never seen a werewolf with grey eyes...,” said Gronous.

They all retreated back to the tower and ate dinner, recalling the odd event. Algalore really did have a lot to think about, like her mother and her goal to visit her grave when this war was over. But that was it. She wasn’t sure if they were to win this war, or if it would ever end. She fingered the chain and held it to her heart.

Algalore sat at the table, her warm chocolate soufflé cooling in front of her. She took a bite, but her mind was far from hunger. She desired a happy place...like the fountain across town. But she couldn’t leave, nor did she want to risk being spotted by goblins.

So, she walked to the pond, where her old shack held picture perfect the image of the sun setting, the water sparkling. She placed a towel on the edge and removed her night gown. She slipped into the frigid water and let all the tenseness in her heart, body, and soul free. She was carried by the gentle breeze of the night. In the distance, she could hear loons crying out their nightly howl that pierced the crisp night air. The hazy light cast by the few remaining sunrays vanished as quickly as it rose. Shadow and cold covered the giant towers of the castle. She stood in the water, feeling the small airy current brush water against her bare skin. Algalore lost herself in the water, letting it wash away the frustration and replenish her tranquility. The sliver of moonlight soon vanished, and she realized that she had stayed in the water far longer than she thought. Algalore pulled her body out of the pond and onto the moist, frosty grass. She wrapped a towel around her and ran to the stables to dress. The horses whinnied and grumbled as she opened the door, surprised it was open. She walked inside, shut the door, and began to put on her gown as a man came in from the room connected to the stables which stored food and saddles. He was startled, and she covered up in her towel.

“Don’t worry. I won’t look,” he said, turning around. She quickly pulled on her spare nightgown while he talked.

“Algalore, is it? I have known this palace far before you, my dear. I was hoping I’d assume my previous, or a superior, position as one of your advisors. I’d be in charge of the stables, servants’ quarters, and the entire like.” Algalore responded tartly, “I already have the position filled, with one of my most trusted friends from the village.”

“Oh. Well, My Lady, please, I will do anything to help you. I need a fresh start. My current position is so demeaning, cleaning the stables instead of governing the stable employees!” Algalore was finished dressing, and she walked in front of him, flaring with rage.

“I used to work in these stables, and I found it quite fulfilling. I apologize if you do not think so, but just because your old job was so fantastic,” she spat, “does not mean I will give you special privilege.” She scowled at him. He looked upset, but he smiled and said, “Well, how about a political marriage? I’ll be your second in command.” Algalore took serious offense at that, and she turned her back to him.

“No. Not if you were the last person on the planet! What makes you think I’ll marry you?” She was furious. How dare he? She could banish him in a second. Afraid to abuse her power, she thought quickly.

“Why, Algalore, I thought you loved your community! How hypocritical of you!” he said loudly. She said softly, “I do, good sir, and you also, apparently, do as well. But, I must say this: I have no patience or time to fool around preparing a wedding. And, I must say, I will not marry one without being in love with him. Anyway, I will never marry you or promote you until you prove your worth.” After stalking off, leaving a damp, wet trail behind her, Algalore went to her room and slept peaceably for the night. The next morning would turn the page of the kingdom and start a new chapter, this one dreadfully horrific.

As she woke, she remembered the night before. That man...she didn’t recognize his voice or face. She shrugged off the memory and prepared herself for training. Auracia stepped inside and she said, “Algalore, don’t bother putting on your clothes.” She walked down the hall, and Algalore headed along with her, pulling her robe as tight as it would go.

“Read this...,” said Lyn as they arrived at the dining hall. It was a yellowed scroll marked with acid green ink. The ribbon was untied. She opened it, read the small print, and slumped in her chair.

It read…Algalore, I am Xyta, the faerie who contacted you before. I regret to inform you that our border has broken, and a band of goblins and trolls are headed towards Ra Me. I cannot be there, for I am grieving. The others that came with me were my family, and they have been slain. I wish you well, Xyta.

Algalore was in despair. The trolls were like the goblins, but larger with no regard for any species except their own and the goblins, their closely related cousins.

They all looked at one another, trying not to be the next to speak. Tilly broke the silence, “Well, if no one wants to take charge, fine. Everyone, get up. Put on your armor and yield your weapons. Rally up the troops, sound the alarm; get your people to the shelter! Algalore, hurry!”
They all split up to ready themselves, and Algalore sounded the blaring gong alarm and guided her people to the shelter underground underneath the fountain, hidden by magic. The troops hurried and protected the border of the city. An hour or so later, a group of faeries arrived, bringing news of the goblin hoard.

“They’ve broken through the outer border and are planning to invade on the east side!” said Xyta, the eldest of the faeries. They flew off to protect what was left of their defenses.

Kite and Hiromi sat on the balcony, readying an attack plan. Algalore was putting on her armor, and as she tied her hair back, she felt nausea creep up her stomach. Just the thought of slaying another made her want to vomit. The world around her seemed to be full of dread and hatred and death. Algalore wanted to end this war as quickly as possible; sparing every life she could, even if it meant sacrificing her own. Tilly, Lyn, and Auracia entered the room, their armor glinting in the sunny haze. They looked emotionless, with no expression on their faces, not smiling, not scowling.

Her heart beat faster every moment passed as she walked onto the battlefield. An army of brave men and women at her disposal, but she didn’t think she was brave enough. The softened breeze smelled of fresh grass and armor polish, but her tongue tasted the foul, bitter taste of death. Her arms cramped up and her legs trembled, until Gronous stepped beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He smiled, she smiled back, but her mind was elsewhere. She had not seen him battle before, and she was willing to watch him. Kite turned her head, and walked away, towards the end of the front line. There they stood, some mounted on steeds, others on their knees, and few in the air, along with Auracia. Algalore stood tall, her arms loosening, her legs steadying, and her whole body felt solid as stone. Lyn and Greg stood as still as the nonliving mannequins they were firing at during training. Ted was on a brilliant white horse that was very well trained. He had his sword on his belt, ready for battle.

Hiromi was at the end, and she closed her eyes and snapped them back open.

“They’re here!” whispered Hiromi. She felt their presence, and they were coming up fast. Algalore squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. She remembered the calm, easy feeling when she was in the pond. The feeling didn’t come back, though. She took the silver chain and kissed the charm. Her mother would be proud. All she wanted to do was run, find the army, and destroy them with all her might. The prophecy must be fulfilled. She must lead them to victory, or die trying. She wondered how it felt to die. Would it be painful? Would she die all of a sudden or very slowly? Will she not want to die, or would she willingly greet death as an old friend? Gronous kept at her side, but she knew very well that she’d be on her own in the fight. But before she could take in another breath, the eerie silence broke. It started as a hum, like the swift beating of a hummingbird’s wing, but soon rose into a full primal scream. The battle cry of the goblins echoed down the plains, right to the edge of the babbling brook lining the eastern gate of the castle.

“All right, Algalore?” asked Ted.

“All right? I’ll be lucky to keep down that honey biscuit I had for breakfast!” shouted Algalore. Over the horizon, a thick coating of smoke and flaming embers hovered over the New Harvest Forest.

“Be prepared, soldiers. They have fire on their side!” called Algalore. The heads of the green goblins were visible now, the cry hanging in the air.

“Attack!” shrieked Algalore. She and the front line ran onto the battlefront, spears, swords, and axes yielded and in striking position. Tilly had disappeared; no one saw where she went. The goblins slowly reached the field, and their first attack was seemingly weak. Small darts flew through the air, and as each pin point pierced the skin, poison was injected into them. All sorts of soldiers had fallen, the poison slowly eating away at the flesh. Nurses doused them in potions, and cut the poison from the afflicted areas.

“Watch out for the darts!” cried Auracia, who quickly avoided a poisonous prick to her arm. Tilly, nowhere to be found, finally was seen in the brook. When the goblins raised their torches to burn them all, she ducked in the water and transformed. A huge blue dragon arose from the water, and it sprayed the entire field with water with its mouth. Fire vanished and smoke was washed away.

“Thank you, Tilly,” whispered Algalore who dodged a blow to the head with a hammer. The goblins without fire were a weak force, but they still could fight. Many soldiers and goblins fell to the ground, bleeding, or lying still. Algalore swiftly smashed the edge of a blade into the jaw of a goblin and had destroyed several others. They kept coming. She felt exhausted, and she was losing strength. Then, out of nowhere, a blade came crashing down on her chest. Blood drenched her armor, the armor that had broken. It was not effectively protective, nor was it made well. Pieces of the fraud metal dug into her skin. She collapsed on the grass. She laid there, her blood staining the ground and her hair. Her vision faded, and the sounds that filled her ears were echoing and choppy. A figure loomed over her, a shadow; her vision flickered, and all went black.

She woke up in a large, sterile room, with a blanket covering her nakedness.

“Thank goodness! You’re awake!” Willa Gee stood in a corner, tending to a man with a broken arm.

“What happened? The last thing I remember was a sword falling towards me. My armor should have stopped it,” she said stroking the bandages wrapped around her chest.

“Well, it seems the armor maker, Sir Tritchten, made a mistake in the forge. He used the wrong material, and thus, the material shattered,” she said, mixing a yellow paste in a bowl. She spread the paste on a piece of gauze and smoothed it out on the man’s arm. She walked over with a large tray covered in food.

“Who took me here?” she said, letting Willa set the tray on her lap.

“Well, it was...hmm, Gronny? Gronstous...no, Gronous. Then, he raced back out into battle!”

“The battle! Is it still going on?”

“No, dear. They retreated, the goblins. They’ll be back, though,” she said, fixing up the tray. She had a bowl of oatmeal, bread, a poached egg, and a glass full of goat milk.

“How long ago was that? When did I arrive with Gronous?”

“About six hours ago, dear,” she said softly.

“Six hours? What of my friends? Are they all right?” she asked.

“Gronous and Kite are up in their rooms sleeping, and Lyn and Hiromi are in the parlor with Auracia. Tilly, I’m afraid, was lost in battle. Greg, Ted, and Joseph are all slightly wounded. They all came to me after the retreat. Now, try to eat something,” she said softly.

“Tilly was lost in battle? How? Why?” she asked.

“Well, after she ridded the army of fire, she ran away somewhere to fight off the goblins,” she said. “And she was nowhere to be seen...”

“No...No! She can’t be lost! She can’t be!” she cried.

“Honey, please! She’s probably in the forest. Now...shush, rest, eat...”

“No! I have to find her!” she stood up, even though the pain shot through her body. She quickly pulled her blanket over her, trying to seem modest. She pulled on her armor, but it hurt too much to wear the heavy breastplate, so she simply went with leather pants and a cloth shirt over her bandages.

“No, Algalore! Please, you’ll die out there...” pleaded Willa Gee.

“I don’t care, Willa. She’s my friend. I need to find her...,” she was stopped by Willa.

“As I was saying, you’ll die out there without this,” she gave her a bag full of packaged food. She gave her a thick cloak and took a bundle of blankets. Algalore smiled, and headed down to the front gate. The chilling evening breeze swept over her as she ran forward into the sea of green. She kept an eye out for Tilly, and for goblins. The pain was worsening now, but she had to find her. She just wished that she was all right. But wishing was pointless, and she knew only action would save Tilly.

She thrashed her legs, ignoring the searing pain.

“Stop! Let go of me! Now, you monster! Ugh...stop...let go of...,” said a voice in the distance in the glow of the sun. “I mean it!”

“Tilly, I’m coming!!” Algalore shouted as she jogged down towards the noise and commotion. When she arrived, it wasn’t Tilly, but another young woman.

“How dare you? I’m never going to receive your offer, so leave me be!” she yelled. She was yelling at a man who was familiar, and it was the man she met in the stables when she was dressing. The woman had a thin, see-through grey scarf over her eyes that pulled her hair behind her ears and hung at the small of her back, and a long blue traveling cloak with a ribbon of red tied around her waist.

“Why wouldn’t you accept? I need my power back, you need a husband, so there!” he said. He grabbed onto her, crossing his arms over and around her shoulders. “It’s for the best, Electra. Marry me!”

“No! You evil, vile, foul little man, I don’t need a man. You don’t need a woman, you want one!” she screamed.

“Electra, don’t you see?”

“See what?” she said, kicking and screaming.

“Why you need a man! Someone to help you prosper!” He threw her to the ground. The woman grasped his ankle in front of her and wrenched his leg out from under him. As he fell, she pinned him to the ground by tying his wrists tightly with a long, red belt that was around her waist, to a protruding tree root.

“Never talk to me again!” she said, and then she ran into the dense forest. Algalore followed her, and landed at her side. She said, “You were great out there! He asked me to marry him a few nights ago.”

“I’m not surprised. Ever since his demotion, he’s been trying to marry women of power. Who are you?” she said crossly.

“Algalore, a friend!”

“A friend? Hmph! I have no friends!” She began to walk, pulling down on the scarf that drooped over her eyes.

“Of course I’m your friend! I need help finding one of my own...Tilly. She was lost here...”

“Just leave me alone!” She swiftly dashed up the path and swerved around the trees.

“Wait! Come back! Please...I need help...,” she said softly. She stopped and turned.

“Fine. But what can I do?”

“You can help me look! I need to find Tilly. I didn’t catch your name...,” she said.

“Electra. Now, let’s just start looking.” she said quickly. They searched until the sun had set far past the horizon. The dark overcame them, but it didn’t matter to them. They found no signs of Tilly, and they were very tired.

“Electra, why do you cover your eyes?” Algalore asked as she sat upon a large rock near a tree.

“So that no one has to see my eyes.”

“Why do you not want to show people your eyes?”

“They are...abnormal,” she said.

“Show me,” said Algalore, bracing herself for the worst.

“Are you sure?”

“Show me,” she repeated. She sighed, sucked in a deep breath, and pulled the cloth from her face. Her eyes were a light grey, and they reflected no light. They were dull and lifeless.

“See?”

“I don’t see the big deal, Electra. They are a bit dull, yes, but they don’t seem abnormal.”

“Really, Algalore, for honest and for true?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Algalore.”
They broke a piece of bread and ate, the yeasty, mealy taste grinding down on their tongues.

“Tilly, I hope you’re all right...,” whispered Algalore.

“This Tilly girl, can she change shape into any creature?”

“Yes...,” said Algalore.

“She’s my sister! She left our home a year ago. Although, her full name is Tillitha.”

“I never knew she had a sister! However, she never did tell anyone about her past...,” she said.

Electra then looked up at the dark sky, even though she couldn’t see the shimmering stars from behind the thick clouds.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Um, it sure is a beautiful full, um, uh...moon...,” she said very softly. Electra walked away.

“Where are you going?” asked Algalore.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said in a very weak tone. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

“O-okay,” she said. Electra wandered farther into the forest, and she stopped and looked around, and she collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

“Tillitha...Tilly...where are you?” The wind hushed her sobbing as she spat out the cold, dry air. She could feel the electricity bubble inside her, the light flashing into her nonreflecting eyes. “I need to see you, little sis, before it’s too late...”

She clutched her sides and was on the ground in pain. The electrified air whizzed around her and stung every bit of her bare skin. A full moon was visible behind a thin coating of wispy grey clouds. Her skin crawled as dark grey hairs sprung from her skin. Her eyes narrowed and thinned and her pupils turned into paper thin slits. Her hands recoiled into paw-like claws that were as black as the nighttime sun. Her clothes sunk into her skin, waiting to come back when the moon went away. Her mind went foggy. She lost control. She couldn’t control her body; the moon took care of that. In her subconscious, Electra had died, while this monster had been born. A dusty haze settled over her thoughts, as if she had gone to sleep. A very deep sleep, in which she could, no, would, kill. All that was visible of the true Electra, the one that would never kill or even think of killing, were her grey eyes. She howled in harmony with the sounds of the night. It felt good, even though she knew she had no control. She growled and prowled the path, hearing the faint rustle of a mouse. Electra pounced, snatching her prey from its hiding spot.

The hunger not to eat, but to kill, lurched in her stomach. She felt the apatite of death rising. She felt the acid pump through her veins. She felt the dead cold fill her heart and surge through her lungs. She knew what must be done, and the half of Electra, the real Electra, resisted it all the way, but she just hoped that “it” would refrain from this devastating kill. She’d have to kill Algalore.

“No! I won’t! I can’t! I am not weak! I can fight this!” she grumbled. The monstrous voice in her head cackled, You are weak. She is weak and must be killed! Algalore has done nothing but reveal you as the Grey-Eyed Wolftress! You’ll be killed for sure if she identifies you as the one who attacked her friends, or if she sees you again, and lives to tell the tale!

“Yes...this is true...NO! I won’t! I can fight you! Ugh...but...I can’t control myself anymore...ugh...,” she slowed her breathing.

That’s it. Let go. Let me take control.

“Let me take control...,” she repeated in a droning, non-human tone.

Yes. That’s it. Relinquish control. Relax. Let go, my dear. Slip away, be carried by the venomous bite...

“Relax...,” she repeated.

Relax, or I’ll bite again!

“No! Please...don’t...”

Relax! Or else...
A wave of poisonous pain strained though her side over a large curved scar.

Got it, my dear?

She nodded and the body fell, letting the voice take over. The new Electra stood and sped down the path, until it reached Algalore’s campsite. It was a tent made of a blanket over a tree branch.

One sorry campsite, she thought. It would be sooo easy to rip it open and find what I want. But, I want to savor this moment. This time, I’ll wait until I can’t wait anymore, then I pounce. A bite, a scream, a howl. How so simple it would be...
She sat behind a bush, taunting a rat with her flashing jaws. She waited about two hours picturing the gruesome scene when she’d take down Algalore. Finally, she stood and prodded to the tent, her teeth poised in a devilish grin. She silently ripped a hole in the fabric and peered inside. Algalore was sleeping soundly, her hands under her cheek, her long brownish hair blanketing her shoulders, and her legs pulled up to her chest.

I hope you savor these last dreams, breaths, and moments, for they will be your last! she thought. Algalore stirred in her sleep, kicking a leg downward and pulling up an arm, her eyes still closed.

Sweet dreams, princess. Your friends will be with you soon! She sliced up the cloth with her claws and pressed her cold pad down on her cheek.

“Huh? What?” she said as she woke.

“Good morning, my dear! And, good-bye, for you are wanted with the angels!” said Electra. Algalore pushed her off of her and stood, pulling away the cloth tent.

“You’re that werewolf! The one with the grey eyes!” she yelled.

“Oh, thanks for remembering. Now, I must finish what I started!”

“You will not defeat me!”

“I didn’t say you had a choice!” she jumped up on top of Algalore and scratched her with her claws. Blood spilled over her paws.

“Why don’t you bite me?” Algalore taunted, struggling to push her off.

I want to...but, I can’t seem to...Electra! She’s still fighting back! Well, take this!
Electra, the real Electra, deep inside, felt horrible pain in her side. She fought with all her might to stay in her own body. Algalore pushed her off and she fell to the ground, not moving. Algalore took flight and escaped.
Inside the monster, Electra thought to herself, although she wasn’t sure if the voice could hear her thoughts or not, She escaped, and she’s safe from...me. I have to find her again and tell her. Tell her that I’m the Grey-Eyed Wolftress. I don’t care if she reports me. I’m better off with my own kind, anyway. They’ll probably send me to a facility used to people like me...

She stood up and shook her body.

“But first, you have to leave!” said Electra to the voice. Never! You have forgotten about my bite, you have! The pain bled through her body, but she continued to walk.

Stop! Stop or I’ll...

“What will you do? Destroy me? Go ahead.” I won’t kill you just yet, my dear. Just you wait!

“Fine. I have all the time in the world!” Just you wait...

The full moon finally disappeared in the sky while the sun blocked it out.
Her animal legs buckled under her, and she fell. The fur sunk down into her skin, and her body came back. Electra stood and cried. She stopped after a minute of uncontrolled sobs.

“I will find her, and her friends...,” she said. Electra walked along the path and was very thankful that she didn’t need to hear that voice for another month.

Meanwhile, Algalore went back to the castle, only to be overjoyed to see Tilly was back.

“Those fiends...they locked me up and left me for the wolves! Too bad they didn’t know about my powers. Sorry I was gone for so long, but I had to go slow. If those goblins saw me...,” she continued her story, but Algalore and Kite had set out to find Electra.

“So, this girl left...then a werewolf came along and tried to kill you? Seems a bit suspicious,” said Kite.

“What do you mean?” asked Algalore.

“Well, she could have been...”

“No! She’d tell me. She would have, Kite!”

“Well...are you sure it was the same werewolf that attacked us a month ago?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what color were Electra’s eyes? When one is bitten and turns into a werewolf, they have the same color as when they are human.”

“She had...,” she stopped.

“Can’t you remember?” asked Kite.

“She had...”

“She had what?”

“She had...,” she cleared her throat and said softly, “...grey eyes...”

“And the werewolf that attacked you and us had what color eyes?”

“Grey...,” she said desperately. “But she would have told me! She would have!”

“Maybe she wouldn’t. I mean, when people turn into werewolves, they sometimes can’t remember what happened. Also, they don’t have control over what they do. So even if it was her, it’s not her fault!” Kite pointed out.

“Well, I suppose that is true, but still...,” she said.

“Yes, I understand, Algalore. Once we find Electra, we’ll return to the battlefield and crush the goblin army!” They laughed and continued their search.

Electra was looking for Algalore as well.

“Algalore, where are you? Tilly? Tillitha?” said Electra, brushing her hair away from her face. The sun was still high in the sky, but she still felt cold. Dead cold. The bitter, gritty taste of death still lingered on her tongue. Her hands were still stained with Algalore’s blood. She had tried to wash it off with water from the stream, but the water was even filthier than her hands. She wandered up the path, her travel gown flowing behind her, and her hair unfolding from being tucked in her scarf. The ground below her felt so soft and swampy, she imagined she could sink right in it if she stood for more than a minute. The trees became very thick, and she finally could see why. A river ran in front of her. She had taken a wrong turn and wound up at the Southern Entrance instead of the Western Entrance. It would take too long to backtrack, so she had to think of a way over the river. It was too violent to swim across, and too deep. She then tried to push a dry, dead tree over the gap and walk across. Electra managed to knock down a part of the tree, leaving a long branch dangling at the end.

She climbed up the tree halfway and grabbed the branch. After letting go, she held on until the branch swept her to the other side. However, it wasn’t a very sturdy branch, and before she could climb down, it snapped. Electra desperately tried to grasp hold of the sturdier tree branch, but it was too late. The water rose over her head and sucked her down with the current. She pulled her head from the water, and she snatched the piece of wood that had failed her that floated by. Electra climbed onto it and held on, hoping this river didn’t lead into a waterfall. Fortunately, it built up in a deep pool that swirled and settled in a pond that had small tongues of waters streaming off making the brook that lead to the gate of the castle. She headed west and she was gently carried by the current. It pushed her past many trees and tiny huts that were the temporary homes of traveling hunters. No one grabbed her arm and pulled her out, or even say good day. They just would stare. Electra finally saw the huge steeple of the Ra Me Church, which was exactly two miles from the castle. Nuns were gathered outside, tending to the flower garden.

“Oh my! Sister Mary Cathy, there is a girl in the lake!” yelled a woman, her formal dress fluttering in the breeze.

“Girl! Grab hold of the stony wall!” screeched another. Ahead of Electra, a wall on the edge of the flower bed laid. She grasped hold of it, and she climbed up and leapt over the flower bed.

“You poor thing...,” said Sister Mary Cathy.

“This is Ra Me, correct?” asked Electra, shivering.

“Yes.”

“I need to get to this girl...Algalore!”

“Oh, yes. We’ll send a message to the castle. For now, you can stay here. What is your name?”

“Electra, Sister,” she said, remembering her manners. “I need to lie down.”
“Of course...,” she said. She stood Electra up and was about to open the door and let her in, but then Electra stopped her.

“I can’t...,” she said.

“Of course you can, dear. God has enough room for one more,” said Sister Lillian.

“No...I really can’t. The Lord will not let me enter...,” she said softly.

“Why wouldn’t He?”

“I am...a...,” she mumbled the last word.

“A what? An atheist? Dear, the Lord forgives all who are willing...”

“No. I do believe in Him strongly.”

“Then what is it?”

“I am a werewolf.”

“I never would have guessed...,” said Sister Margaret.

“I was bitten when I was nine...and it didn’t take effect until I was twelve...on a full moon...,” she said softly.

“Yes, you are right. The church allows no evil to pass...the last evil who stepped foot inside was...well, killed at the spot.”

“I cannot stay...,” she said softly.

“But, we can still give you food and a place to stay for awhile,” said Sister Margaret. She handed her a blanket and a loaf of bread and a chunk of cheese.

“Thank you,” she said. Electra sat on a bench and ate the tiny meal. After the short time she spent there, she was given a map with a marked path up to the castle.

“Take the path and you will see the castle,” said another nun. Electra headed off, her problems caught up with her.

Meanwhile in the forest, Algalore and Kite were running through thick patches of trees.

“Electra isn’t here...,” said Kite. “No one is.”

“Let’s head back to the castle. She knew much about me, so maybe she can make her way to it,” said Algalore.

“Algalore! Look out!” Kite screamed. Goblins nearly scalped Algalore as they caught them from behind.

“We haven’t given in, girl!” snapped the grumbling monster. Kite yielded her miniature pike and heaved it into its belly. Blood as dark as ink bled onto her hands and arms. It fell and ceased moving. The other goblin snatched Kite’s arms and dug his rugged, black nails into her skin. Red blood seeped through her sleeves and spilled onto the goblins body. Algalore finished it off with an axe throw to the neck, and it fell like its brother.

“Kite! Are you all right?” she inspected her wounds.

“I feel fine...,” she said softly. She slowed her pace to a walk as the wound weakened her. They hurried into the castle doors after about ten minutes of walking and Kite was bandaged. Willa Gee said that Electra had arrived hours ago and was sent to bed. She had something to say, but looked too tired and weak to say anything.

“Well, the goblins aren’t giving up, but neither shall my lance!” said Kite, smearing off the black blood into a tub of water.

“Yes, but who knows how long this siege will continue? It could be years!” warned Willa.

“Oh, Willa! You mustn’t give up hope,” said Algalore.

She walked down the corridor and found a smutty tabby snoozing on the credenza pushed up to the wall.

“Shoo! Get off of that! Get out of here!” snapped Algalore. The cat awoke and meowed wearily.

“You heard me! Get out of here!” she snapped, holding her candle in a way that shadowed her face, making her seem more threatening.

“Oh...but I thought I was welcome...,” moaned the tabby.

“Oh...what?! Ugh, it’s you, Tilly!”

“Of course!”

“Why don’t you go sleep in your room?” asked Algalore.

“It’s far too big, Algalore. I am used to small spaces.”

“Fine.”

Tilly chuckled and purred.

“Electra...dear sister of mine. Don’t call me Tilly anymore...call me...,” she yawned and arched her back, “Tillitha.” She fell asleep.

The sun beamed through the stained glass windowpanes. The sweet smell of cinnamon buns filled every corridor and chamber. The stony floor clicked and snapped under Algalore’s heels. She paused and looked down the hall. The same wooden door in which Algalore had been given her pays still was there. Sir Fritz did not work at the castle any longer for he had a family to tend to and he did not want them to get involved with the war.


Algalore sucked in a deep breath and walked to the heavy door. With every step, her heels went click click snap...snap click snap snap...click click... She stopped at the door and ran her long fingertips over the grain of the wood. She grasped the knob and opened it, and struggled to see inside. A maple desk stood in the center of the room, with books and stacks of papers. Shelves were lined up on the walls covered in leather-bound books without titles. Algalore took one from the shelf and opened it and flipped through the yellowing pages. It was a book of passed laws and some were crossed out. Her eyes traced the pages again and again, but she placed it back on the shelf and took one bound in soft blue leather. It was another book of laws, which had all of them crossed out. She took another and another, finding no interest in any of them. When she was just about to abandon the room and have a nice breakfast, a small black book caught her eye. Flecks of pure gold were strewn across the cover which did have a title.

“Witchcraft of the Demons...,” she read aloud. She opened it, and immediately shoved it back on the shelf. Pages were covered in black monsters and horrifying potions and brews. Sir Fritz always was interested in black magic, she recalled, but she never knew he actually practiced it. The book was no more of interest to her as she began to leave.

The breakfast table was lined up with trays of sweet rolls, pitchers of juice and warm, fresh goat milk. Electra was sitting on a stool in the hearth room, still cowering over her thoughts.

“Good morning!” said Willa Gee. A stout tabby cat strolled into the dining room, her tail swinging with every step. “Eek! Get that filthy cat away from here!” Willa Gee smashed a broom in front of the cat and swept it away.

“Hey! It’s me! Tillitha!” said Tillitha. She morphed into herself, and then stood up.

“Oh...I apologize...” She was handed a tray of rolls as she brushed herself off and took her seat. Electra slowly made her way to the table, a sad look in her eyes.

“Oh, hello Electra! Please, sit and eat!” said Lyn. Greg and Ted moved down a seat to make room. Hiromi was elevating a stick of lard with her mind, and cutting it and distributing it among the people who were seated.

“Hello, sister...,” said Electra.

“Oh, Electra! Sit, and have some of Willa’s homemade apple crumble!” said Tillitha. She took a plate and cup of coffee and scooped three lumps of sugar in her cup. After stirring and eating a bit of the apple crumble, she said softly, “I need to tell you all something. Something, um, very important, I must tell you.” She couldn’t say the words fast enough. Tillitha leaned forward a bit and opened her ears to her words. She began to clutch at the cloth still covering her eyes. She then took it and threw it to the floor. Blinking, she cleared her throat and said, “I am...a werewolf. Not just a werewolf, but one who has...,” she sighed, “...grey eyes.”

“Wait...you’re the one that attacked us!” proclaimed Gronous.

“Yes...”

“How dare you, lassie? We all be of kin, we be!” said Ted. Joseph stood and said, “Disgusting! Werewolves in the castle! I bid you a farewell!”

“Sister...I...I, um,” said Tillitha who stopped and breathed. She then stood and said, “I already know, sister. It’s my entire fault you’re like this!” Tillitha broke down and fell back into her chair, sobbing.

“Algalore, please! You know I don’t mean it! I can’t control myself when I am a werewolf. That horrible voice echoes in my brain and it becomes my voice as I urge on to kill...,” she said, beginning to lose her grip. Algalore nodded and saw Auracia place a hand on Electra’s shoulder.

“Yes, a werewolf has bitten her,” said Auracia. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated.

“It’s my fault! It’s my fault!” said Tillitha. She sobbed until Electra placed a hand on her shoulder.

“No, sister. It’s mine. You only knew to run, to hide, and you were only five. You see, everyone, I was with Tillitha in the woods. She was in front of me, playing with squirrels. I heard a noise behind me, and I urged her forward. We stopped when it began to rain. I saw the werewolf at my right, and I told her to run to the castle as fast as possible. She transformed into a squirrel and hid behind a tree, not knowing I saw her there. I stayed back, and tried to fight off the werewolf, but I was only nine. I begged and pleaded for it to let me go, but it simply said, ‘You silly little girl. You are about to experience what I have to live every month! Unless, my bite kills you!’” she said. “I fell and it bit me here...,” she showed them the horrifying scar, “...and I nearly died there. It ran off, and Tillitha found help. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be dead years ago...” She walked away, leaving them treading in a sea of life-long misery, her misery.

“I was right!” whispered Kite. She clung to the table and gritted her teeth in uneasiness. Everyone was obviously dumbfounded and bewildered. Algalore left without a word. She ran upstairs and took a robe and bath towel from her armoire. She stepped on her windowsill and glided to the pond where she first calmed her mind. She shed her clothing and stepped into the murky water. The morning breeze had chilled the water so much, but she still lost herself within it. Her head bobbing in and out of the water, she reclaimed her thoughts. She remembered the simplest details, such as what she ate last week and what gown she wore a few nights back. A few minutes had passed, and she saw a looming figure hover over her window. It was Gronous, of course. He leapt down and landed near the pond, turning around to give her privacy.

“Why did you leave, Algalore?” he asked.

“I was trying to deny the fact she was indeed a werewolf, but too bad. I feel for her, and I hope one day she can live without turning into a beast!” she said, sinking into the water. He turned around, forgetting his chivalrous ways, and looked at her in the eyes.

“Of course, Algalore, we all feel that. But why do you not go and comfort her?”

“Why don’t you find your sister and comfort her? I’m sure she’s morning for you in the graveyard!” snapped Algalore, biting back a worse phrase.

“Algalore, how could you?” he said, fighting back stinging tears. A thunder clap echoed throughout the grounds. Rain began to splatter and pool in puddles all around them. Black storm clouds rolled in, as if taking the morning sun hostage. The pond began to overflow, and the ground around them was flooding. Gronous stood, his heavy hiking boots sinking into the mud. Algalore turned her head in shame. She had let her emotions run wild and cut into the poor, pathetic life of a desperate young man. Even though rain pelted on his face, she could still make out trickles of crystal clear tears drench his face in depression. Algalore pulled her robe from the flooded earth and climbed out, quickly pulling on the robe and wrapping up in the towel. Although she was soaked and felt very uncomfortable, she simply wanted to go inside. The sun was vanishing piece by piece, and she couldn’t look Gronous in the eyes. He turned away, and he ran. He was so disgruntled; he didn’t even fly up to the window. He ran. She stood and tried to catch him, but she collapsed under the weight of the soaked robe and towel. Algalore was on her knees, praying for Gronous’s forgiveness. At first, she thought the war had caused the emotional strain between her and her friends, but now she realized that only she was to blame. She straightened up and ran inside, drying herself off. She had to stay focused on this war, for now.

The rain kept drumming its hard, icy fingers on the windowpane. Electra stared out through the glass, peering down at the pond.

“Electra, I need to tell you something,” said Hiromi with Tillitha and Greg at her sides. She did not reply, only nod, but at the frosted window.

“Electra, I have to painfully inform you...that word of you being a werewolf has spread. The only thing we can do is hold a village-wide vote as to whether or not you are...executed,” said Hiromi.

“What?” whispered Electra.

“Yes...it is true, lassie,” said Greg solemnly. Electra sighed and ran her fingernails over the glass.

“I’m confident my head won’t be the next displayed on a pike for the entire world to see,” said Electra.

“You’ll need a reason to still be wanted by the villagers,” said Tillitha.

“I’ll fight in the war,” she said.

“That’s great!” said Hiromi. Algalore trudged through the doorway.

“Algalore! Electra is going to fight with us to protect her good name!” said Tillitha.

“That’s fine. I am going to the library to do some research on the goblins. Perhaps we can find gold in those dusty old books!” she said. Algalore stomped down the hall. She opened the library door and looked around. Shelves were up to the ceiling and tables were lined with opened books and papers littered about them. Stacks of books sat on every chair, table, and desktop. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the rafters and glowed with flaming torches. Even though many torches were alit around the room, it still was dim, so she had trouble seeing the titles of the books. Algalore took a few from the shelves and sat down on an open chair.

“I guess this is all I can do, for now,” said Algalore, slipping through page after page. After a day’s worth of searching, she found nothing.

Meanwhile in Gronous’s bedroom, Gronous sat on his mattress, still staring at the photo of his father holding him. His sister had once been in the photo next to them, and she was smiling and holding a basket of flowers. But the part of the photo had burned away. Rita was his best friend. His mother had abandoned him and Rita when they were very young, so she was basically the only girl he knew. He never knew what had caused the fire, and he knew he’d probably never find out. He remembered the day very vividly. His father and sister vanished off the face of the Earth like a dust storm that came and went. He stood up and tucked the photo away in his pocket.

“May I come in?” asked a familiar voice. He smiled and said, “Of course, Kite.” She opened the door and sat next to him, a basket in her arms.

“I have something for you,” she said softly, handing him the basket. “I hope you like it. It took me two hours to find it.”

He took the sheet off of the basket revealing a dark-haired weasel-like creature.

“A marten?” he said amazingly as it climbed up his arm.

“Yes. I found it yesterday, all hungry and cold, but it ran off, um, I mean she ran off, into the woods. I found it again today. She looked needy, and I knew how much you enjoy animals.”

“Well, thank you. She’s beautiful!” he said, petting it. It sat on his knee and licked a paw.

“What should we name it?” she asked, stroking its back.

“Rita,” he said. Kite’s cheeks grew red, but she nodded in approval. She stood up and before she could leave, Gronous hugged her. She smiled, but her cheeks grew red again. Rita jumped onto Gronous’s shoulder and made a shrill shriek. Kite smiled again and said goodbye.

In the dining hall, Auracia was with a young boy. He looked only about 15. Gronous was walking in with Rita on his shoulder, and he heard them talk.

“Yes, My Lady. I’ll give these to the militia right away!” he said. He wore white robes and a gold sash over his shoulder. He took a folder of papers from the table.

“Thank you, Zin. I’ll be here if you need anything,” said Auracia. He smiled and nodded, and took wingless flight. Just before he crashed into the wall, he disappeared.

“Who was that?” asked Gronous.

“He’s my brother,” she said proudly.

“Oh. I didn’t know you had a brother!” he said, picking up Rita who had dropped onto the floor.

“No, no. I am a spirit, if you remember. All people that live in my society in the skies are either my brother or sister. They were all born into my world. You one day will see my world,” she said.

“Oh, I understand now. Why couldn’t I see your world now?”

“Well, Gronous, I don’t think you’re ready for that.”

“Why not?”

“Well...,” she stopped when a white bird flew in from the window.

“Go away, you!” said Gronous, shooing the bird away.

“Stop!” said Auracia, who let the bird land on the chair nearest her.

“My Lady! The goblins are coming! I saw them when I was swimming in the Mimic Lake!” she squawked.

“It talked! Tillitha, are you messing with us again?”

“I am Epona, thank you very much!” she snapped as she flapped her wings.

“Epona, tell me what’s going on! Is Zin all right?” she asked.

“He never showed. I believe he is almost there, but best to round up the militia!” said Epona.

“Yes, dear Epona. Please, relax. This is Epona, Gronous. She is my most trusted and respected friend in the heavenly society. Oh, and about your question, you can’t see our society until you die.”

She disappeared and Epona said, “You’d better round up your military, or else you’ll be seeing her house by the day’s end!” Gronous began to alert them all, but he couldn’t find Kite. She wasn’t in her room, or in the hearth parlor.

“Algalore, have you seen Kite?” asked Gronous later on.

“No, but we can’t just wait for her. Oh, and take Epona and Rita to the basement so they are safe. I left plenty of food and water, and also, I believe a nurse will be down there tending to them along with the dogs,” she said.

“I will. Are you ready?” he asked, yielding his sword.

“Yes. And this time, no one will be a prisoner of war!” said Algalore.

Gronous and Auracia met on the balcony, she was in her war dress, a white, flowing gown with golden arrows in her sash.

Zin was hovering over the balcony and barking orders to the heaven’s militia. Not a minute later came the cry of the troll’s troops. Auracia flew forward with Gronous, she held him with strong arms, and then materialized a platform from stone below him. The platform held suspended mid air. They fired hail after hail of arrows. Troas, Algalore’s father, was in the heart of the action with his arms full of poison darts. Algalore slaughtered an entire line before even one of her men fell.

Lyn and Tillitha worked together in harmony to trap the trolls. Hiromi and Ted were busy fighting off flying trolls from entering the palace. As Gronous pulled back on the bow to release it, he paused when he could see a familiar figure coming out of the forest. Auracia didn’t, however, and fired directly at it. The arrowhead met skin and drove into pink flesh. Her ebony hair stained with the metallic red color of blood. Kite stumbled as the arrow lodged in her shoulder drew her of her strength. Gronous’s eyes grew wide as he jumped from the platform, falling with little grace, seeing her blood pool under her. She finally fell, her knees giving way and her body hitting the gravel floor. He stood beside her and pushed on her wound, the golden arrow still standing in her shoulder blade.

“Kite, you’ll be fine. Don’t give up. I won’t let you die...,” he said, pushing harder on the injury. Her face grew pale and her heart slowed to a near-stop.

“Gronous...,” she said, her breath wheezing through her weak lungs.

She sputtered a bit of blood and fell silent. Her heart still was beating; however it was desperate to continue. Auracia appeared next to him, tears streaming down her face as she picked her up and vanished. Gronous slumped, emotionless, on the stained floor. A sudden flash of a very unusual feeling made his face red. He knew at that moment that his true love was dying this very moment.

Auracia went to the hospital and ignored her own wounds.

“She’s more severe! Take care of her!” she said as a nurse tried to inspect her.

“You have a large wound on your neck, dear! Please, she has less of a chance of surviving!” said Mia.

“No! Take care of her! I’ll just be a minute...,” she said as she walked down to the basement where Epona and Rita were kept.

“Hello, My Lady. You are wounded?” asked Epona.

“Yes...,” she said softly. Epona stood on her shoulder and brushed her feathers on the bloodied wound. The wound closed and healed.

“Thank you, Epona.”

“I wish I could help the other people, but I can only do this for you,” said the swan, preening her feathers. Rita snarled as Auracia picked her up. Ted and Greg burst into the room with a flag in their arms. It was the troll’s army’s battle standard, a flag decorated with a rose with ten drops of blood coming from the bloom. The ten blood drops represented the ten troll colonies.

“We’ve won! Those fiends were no match for us, me lassie!” said Greg.

“Good day, my dear,” said Ted.

“Congratulations! I wish Kite could see this...,” she began to shudder. Her sobbing was drowned out by the sound of footsteps charging through the hallway. Algalore stepped in triumphantly with her uniform in tatters and covered in black and red blood.

“We are victorious! May we burn their flag in triumph!” she said, taking the hideous flag to the central hearth. The troops lined up in the hearth room as Algalore, Ted, and Greg burned it. Cheers and cries erupted through the crowd.

“This war shall not be the end of Ra Me! I, Algalore, shan’t allow that!” yelled Algalore. Men and women in battle cried out and banged their swords together in a grinding screech of blades. Ted and Greg stepped forward and said, “Ted, me boy, this girl deserves it now, am I correct?”

“Yes, Greg, she does. Algalore, we’ve thought ‘bout it and we’ve decided a war name for you,” said Ted.

“Oh? And what is it?” asked Algalore.

“Algalore, your name isn’t complete. From now on, you are known as Algalore Wildcat of the North!” said Greg. Algalore accepted and blushed as people in the crowd cheered.

“War isn’t forever!” she yelled over the commotion. The fire crackled and burned away the gruesome flag of the trolls. Algalore knew deeply in her heart that this war would need to end soon or else her friends along with Kite could be the next spending eternity in the soil.

As the group stood waiting to hear from Mia about Kite, Auracia asked, “What was Kite doing in the forest, anyway?”

“I don’t know, but she was found with a bag on her shoulder with a few articles of clothing. Maybe she was running away,” said Gronous.

“Why would she run away?” asked Hiromi.

“Beats me,” said Lyn. They stopped their fighting and bickering when Mia came out with Kite.

“Kite! You’re all right!” said Gronous.

“Yes...but I need to tell you all something.”

“Anything, Kite!” said Gronous.

“I have been keeping something from you. You know about my scars, and I must explain. Before I lost my brother, I had a different name. My name was Rita,” she said, feeling uneasy.

“My sister’s name was Rita,” said Gronous.

“Yes, I know. Gronous, what if I were to tell you that she was alive?”

“I’d say that I must’ve died in battle,” he said.

“Well... I must tell you that I am...,” she paused, “...your sister. I am Rita.”

“No...You can’t be! How can you say that? My sister’s dead!” he said, swallowing a bitter end to his response.

“I am.”

“Prove it!” he said.

“I can’t, but you’ll just have to trust me.”

“But how?”

“When I went inside the flaming house, the roof did fall on me, and I was on the ground. Father pulled me out and saved me,” she said softly.

“Father? Where is he? Is he alive?” he asked hopefully. She shook her head.

“When he pulled me out, he heard you screaming and thought you had gone into the cabin, too. He ran in and tried to find you...and I ran into town looking for help. His body burned and nothing was left...I never again saw you,” she stopped. “The roof caused my scars.”

He dropped to his knees. A display of shock and horror spread across his face.

“But…I loved you! I loved you more than a brother should love his sister!” he said.

“I know. I tried to seem cold and indifferent to you, so that this would not happen. I am sorry I didn’t do a better job,” she said, emotionless. She shifted in her seat.

“I don’t know what to say…I thought you were dead! I fell in love with you, Kite,” he said.

“Well, maybe you fell in love with Kite, but I am Rita,” she said.

“Is this why you ran away?” asked Algalore.

“I did try to run away...but I came back…to tell Gronous, and the rest of you,” she said, her own gossamer tears falling from the corners of her eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me in the beginning?” he asked, angry.

“I didn’t want to distract you from your training. I am sorry, Gronous,” she said.

“You didn’t tell me because of that? Now I’ve lost my true love!” he said, his anger was building now.

“What do you want me to say?” she asked. Her own anger was subduing.

“You don’t understand, do you? You ripped out my heart!” he yelled, his rage boiling.

“Gronous, please calm down!” said Auracia. “Your aura is violently sick!”

“Shut up, Auracia, this doesn’t involve you,” he said loudly.

“Stop it, Gronous, you are hurting Kite, and she nearly died!” Troas said, stepping in front of him. Tillitha nodded and stood ahead of Kite. Gronous had had enough and pushed Tillitha out of the way, knocking her down onto the floor.

“Gronous! That’s my sister!” yelled Electra. She helped her sister stand up and she pushed Gronous away, saying, “We all understand, but that gives you no right to harm us!”

Gronous looked savage for a split second, and then he turned and ran, feeling horrible. Kite turned her head, tears spilling freely. Algalore bent over to comfort her. Electra and Tillitha fought back the urge to send Gronous into an eternal sleep.

No matter how much they‘d wished, wishing isn’t doing. Many months passed with rampaging battles and fights. Things had changed dramatically for the people of Ra Me. The castle was nearly destroyed. Months of battles took its toll on the structure. The castle had been abandoned in the fall. Winter was now approaching. The people in the castle were relocated to a makeshift shelter. Food and supplies were running low as trade routes were corrupted by troll armies. Algalore had matured now, and she was an experienced fighter. She was starting to think about marriage. To try and forget the horrible incident, they still called Rita Kite. Electra wasn’t executed, although she must be locked up during the full moon. Auracia was sick from a spreading virus and it severely weakened her. Tillitha was learning basic spells to protect her in case of an ambush, which had happened rather recently. Ted, Greg, and Joseph still fought in the battles. Lyn and Hiromi were missing for nearly a month now. Algalore didn’t give up hope. Kite had fallen into a deep, endless depression, and was more than once saved by the darkening edge of suicide. She had jumped from a tower of the castle, slit her wrists with a knife, and injected herself with poison, only to be stopped by one of her friends with a spell or antitoxin. She recently had realized that suicide wouldn’t work.

A bitterly cold wind ruptured the animal skin tent flaps as the team was sitting in their cots.

“The winter is here,” said Joseph, sipping tea.

“O...I dare say it is,” Greg said, brushing aside a lock of red hair.

“Father, have you finished constructing a battle plan?”

“Not yet, Algalore,” he said. Another harsh breeze entered the shelter, making them shiver. Auracia, who was asleep, stirred next to Gronous who sat at the end of her cot. Kite sat on the icy ground huddled in the corner, sulking.

“Kite, you shouldn’t sit on the floor in this cold!” said Tillitha.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” she said in a bitter tone.

“You have to snap out of this, Kite,” said Gronous.

“Why should I?” she snapped back, standing up and leaving.

“Don’t you act like that!” said Gronous. Kite stopped and tightened her fists.

“Don’t you tell me what to do, or else!” she said, still not looking at him.

“Kite, please...,” said Gronous. Kite hurried out of the shelter and was heading towards the castle. She knew very well it was dangerous to go there, but she need a place to be alone. After climbing the stairs to her old room, she slumped in her worn mattress and breathed in the sour smell of mold and dust clinging to her pillow. She felt awful about what happened. Gronous loved her more than just a brother would love his sister. She broke his heart, even though he now had his long-lost sister. Her own soul was dry and withered, and bitter cold. Icy water filled her veins and boiling rage melted away at her mind. After mulling over her thoughts, she finally realized that whitewashing over her problems wasn’t going to work. Kite stood up and took a last look at her room that was crumbling from age and neglect. A final ripple of doubt was cast aside as she marched out of the room. Bloodlust bubbled in her throat, and she wanted to scream. She attempted to, but her voice was hoarse from the stinging cold wind. Instead, she kept quiet. A whisper in her head dared her to find a balcony and jump or a sword to end it all, but she pushed away these miniscule temptations. She wouldn’t rely on an early death to end her misery. Even if she had, she’d still be stopped by one of her friends. Kite climbed the stairs to the top floor and sat on the roof. Shingles buckled under her weight and chips of stone rolled over the edge, hurtling to the ground below. She buried her face in her arms and cried. Not a dozen tears leaked from her eyes when she pulled herself together and got down to the castle door. A flurry of snow froze the wetness on her face. It had to be past freezing temperatures, but she still felt nothing. Rita, the little marten, scurried to her feet, shivering. Kite took the creature back to the tent. All were distracted.

“What’s wrong?” asked Kite, sounding concerned.

“Nothing more than usual, Kite, is bothering us. Auracia is getting worse in her sickness. I fear her spirit is failing. Her days with us are numbered,” said Troas grimly.

“What do you mean? She’s a spirit. How can she ever get sick and die?” asked Kite, who sat on a cot, pondering her thoughts.

“Well, she has left her spirit world, and she is losing her powers, and she can only gain her strength if she goes back,” he said.

“She cannot stay?” Kite asked nervously.

“I must. I have left my realm against our rules. If I must go back because of this illness, I’d rather die again!” said Auracia.

“Wait…I remember something. Remember when I found out you were a spirit and you left that night? Well, the next day you had bandages around your hand,” said Gronous.

“Yes…yes I recall. I told you I cut myself…but no…I was punished for leaving…I was burned,” she said. “I suppose I will need to return, anyway…I owe my world everything I have for giving me access to an army of souls.”

The longer she was away from her world, the less divine she appeared. The perfectly symmetrical markings along her arms, legs, feet, and around her eyes became fuzzy and blended messily in her skin. Her long twists of hair became sloppy and tangled. Her clothing was faded from its normal brightness. Her crimson eyes turned brown and no longer captured anyone’s gaze.

“I have decided,” she said. “I will revisit my world and gain my power back. They will be easy on me, because they know my situation now.”

“Are you sure? They really hurt you the last time,” said Gronous.

“I must, Gronous, for if I don’t, I will be of no use to anyone,” she said, coughing.

“Are you sure you can fly?” asked Troas, looking at her skeptically.

“How else can I go? No one else can visit my world, unless you are dead, or are spirit animals like Epona,” she said.

“Can you fly?” asked Algalore.

“I’m not sure. Let me try,” she said softly. She sat up with a bit of difficulty. “I think I can, but can someone stand near me, just in case?” Algalore stood next to her, and Auracia prepared herself by taking a deep breath. She concentrated, and began to hover above the floor. She rose a bit higher, then went forward, then to the side, back, and then landed.

“Are you all right?” asked Algalore.

“Yes. I am,” she said, sounding surprised. Her face looked calm, and confident.

“When do you plan on going?” asked Ted. Greg and Joseph looked at her, trying to pry into her thoughts.

“Whenever, but I should go now. I am getting weaker by the second,” she said.

“Now?” asked Gronous.

“Yes. I will be fine, Gronous. I will only be a few hours. It takes minutes to arrive, and I shall be fully powered when I return,” she said.

“Before you go, take the last of the meat from the last kill,” said Algalore.

“Thank you. I will need the energy,” she said pleasantly. She gnawed the smoked venison bone with a large strip of meat still on it. She took a swig of rum Ted had been saving for an important time, and she felt entirely energized.

“I will leave, now,” she said, leaving the tent.

“Then I will go with you, dear,” said Epona, “I will be able to help you heal if need be.”

“Sure, best to not go alone,” she said softly.

The group followed her and the mystical swan outside, and watched her as she ascended above them. As she disappeared, Tillitha could not control herself, and she morphed into a small bird and followed her, secretly.

“Tillitha, come back! She said you could not go unless you were dead!” called Algalore. Gronous also yelled something, but Tillitha was too far ahead to hear him. She followed the small distant figure until she suddenly vanished. As she tried to follow, she began to lose breath. She struggled to continue. Her heart beat slower and Tillitha figured she could not continue. She turned, and tried to go back. She suddenly went blind. She felt herself falling, and she lost consciousness.

“Tilli…tha…Tilly! Don’t…Tilly!” said a cracked voice around her.

She opened her eyes, and saw Electra crying above her.

“Sister?” she asked weakly.

“Yes, I’m here. You flew up so high…then you fell! I caught you,” she said, touching her sister’s forearm.

“There was a spell preventing me from entering,” she said, sitting up with difficulty.

“Here, take a drink of rum. You’ll feel better,” said Joseph, handing her a swollen wineskin.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a large guzzle. It filled her with welcoming warmth and a pleasant buzz settled over her mind. She took another large drink. She sat back, slumping against the tent wall, feeling surprisingly calm.

“You should be lucky, girl! If Electra hadn’t been outside, you’d be dead!” said Troas as he leaned over a map of the kingdom.

“I didn’t know there was a force field. Give me a break, would you?” she said. She sounded sleepy suddenly.

“How much did you give her?” asked Electra angrily.

“I only gave her the wineskin. She drank it!” said Joseph. About a third of the drink was gone.

“I won’t envy her in the morning!” called Gronous.

“But Ted will! He drank twice as much as she did,” said Greg behind the crowd.

“Just give her a pillow and let her sleep,” said Electra, sighing.

“What was I thinking?!” moaned Tillitha the next day.

“I don’t know what you were thinking, sister,” said Electra, smirking.

“Shut up. I am violently sick. Has Auracia returned?” she said softly.

“No, and we are all worried,” said Electra.

“Stop talking…I have such a headache…”

“Yes, everybody, stop talking,” said Ted. He suddenly convulsed, and vomited over the side of the cot.

“Ah, the remorse of the drunk man,” said Gronous, grinning.

“Shut…up,” whispered Tillitha as she mirrored Ted and also vomited on the ground.

“Ok, new rule. If you have to throw up, go outside!” said Electra, stepping over the mess.

“We need a few nurses in here!” called Greg to the separate tent across the way.

Willa Gee entered a few minutes later with two buckets and a leather handbag. She gave one to each of them, and found herself often dumping them outside.

“No more alcohol. Too much can be lethal!” she cried, handing a newly emptied bucket to Tillitha.

“We know, Willa. We’ll talk to them later. But now we need to figure why Auracia is still not back. She said she’d be back in a matter of hours,” said Algalore.

“I hope she is at least making progress,” said Troas, hunched over a map he was sketching on.

Meanwhile, beyond the force field that enclosed the realm of eternal souls, was a tall spire off of the main centre cathedral. The brick was pitch black, rather than the red spires around it. In the highest point was a room filled with plain cots with rusty colored patches. Auracia was laid upon one, her body leaking crimson over the floor, pain radiating from her back with every pulse of her feeble heart. Deep gashes were inlaid in her back, gushing blood and pieces of massacred tissue. Her long brown hair was slashed and ragged over her wounds, stinging when a hair touched the distressed skin. She lay nearly naked on her belly, her face held in a grimace and tears constantly painting her cheeks scarlet red. Others in her condition were also splayed on the cots, focusing on only one thing: relief.

A woman dressed in a nurses garb walked in, her face stern.

“Auracia?” she called, looking around.

“Here…,” groaned Auracia, lifting her arm weakly.

“You are due. Let me close those wounds, child,” said the woman. Her face softened as she stepped close by.

“Have I repaid my debt?” she asked, suppressing a scream.

“No, child. I am afraid you have three more sessions at the least,” she said, looking at her with the greatest sympathy.

“Heal me,” she said, almost begging.

“Yes, I will,” she said, holding her hands over Auracia’s back. “Does this feel better?”

“Much.”

“This is as far as I am allowed to heal you,” said the woman.

“Take me to another session,” she said, sitting up, feeling much healthier. She still bled from her back from small cuts that weren’t so severe, but she feared what was still yet to come. Epona was sitting on a cot next to her, forbidden to use her healing power on her friend. It pained Auracia greatly to see her companion look at her with such despair. The woman pulled a robe gently over her, concealing her body from the many other sinners suffering around them.

“What am I in for now?” Auracia moaned.

“I do not know, dear,” she said, leading her out of the door. After bolting it shut, she turned and took her to another locked door down the narrow corridor.

“Through hear, Auracia,” she said, regretting this. Auracia entered and looked around her. There was a large wooden pole coming from the floor and into the ceiling. On a table was a number of whips and chains, some dripping blood.

“No! Not more lashes…please no more lashes…,” she said, sobbing when she saw the man in the room pick up a set of manacles.

“You are the one who sinned, girl!” said the man, pulling her to the stake.

“If I make it through this, I will no longer be tied here. I’ll be able to be an earth-bound spirit,” she said, allowing him to strap her wrists and ankles together and to the post.

“Yes, if you make this through,” he said, grinning devilishly.

“Why would a place like this exist in such a paradise?” she asked, gritting her teeth as he tightened the cuffs.

“Needs a way to keep everyone in order,” he said, turning his back.

“I wish I would die again,” she snapped bitterly.

“Ha! You and so many, sweetheart,” he said, fumbling with a small glass vile.

“How can you do these things to us?” she asked, struggling to loosen her tenseness.

“I do nothing. I simply give you this drug, and you think you are being tortured. I don’t touch any of these weapons,” he said. “The manacles are so that you don’t run out of here in a hallucinated stupor. I could lose my residence in one of the finest homes here if you escape.”

“Just drug me,” she said, holding her eyes shut. She felt a small pinch in her arm as a needle pierced a vein. She kept her eyes shut until she began falling. Her body hung in the air, falling for such a long distance. But this was only in her mind. In reality, she was chained on a post, screaming as she took a hit to her head when her mind imagined she hit rocks below.


She saw water wash over her, and she could not breathe. Before her lungs burst from her chest, she was in a dark clearing, sucking in breath. She stood, and the green grass at her feet alit with flame, fire crawled up her legs, burning her skin away until all that remained was bone. Her screams seemed to fall from her mouth as1iquid left a cup. The sound was almost tangible, like a spider web netting itself in midair. The web tangled with the broken streams of tears. Acid ate at her body until there were only pieces of dissolved bone. Her vision flickered, and when she blinked, she saw Gronous and Algalore standing over her. They looked emotionless, they had blank faces. She tried to talk to them, thinking they had come to save her, but her voice was mute. She blinked again, and her friends were gone. The relief died within her. Another flash of gore passed her, and her mind was completely corrupted. The hallucinations began to fade, becoming more transparent, until she couldn’t make them out. Another session had ended.

“No, I can’t! I can’t!” shouted Electra from inside her cell.

“You have to try to overpower the wolf within you. It’s your only hope to stop losing control,” said Troas, holding a beaker to her.

“Fine, but don’t make me drink that! Last time it made me vomit!” she exclaimed, pushing the bottle away.

“This elixir dims the toxin of the wolf’s bite, allowing you to keep control of your own body when you change,” he said.

“You are insane! I will not drink that. Last time it nearly killed me! I was weak for weeks! Just leave me in this cell until I change back!” she said, grasping the bars of her cell. The cell was made of iron by one of the ironsmiths that had originally worked in the castle, for the specific reason of containing Electra on the night of the full moon.

“Please drink it, sis, it may help,” said Tillitha, who was nursing her headache behind Troas.

“It made me ill the last time I drank it. Why would that change this time?”

“I altered the formula. I took out the rabbit’s blood and used the nectar of the snow drop flower. It should work much better with no lasting side effects,” he said, tilting the bottle side to side. She grimaced, but took the vial and gulped the contents. She dropped the bottle, gagging, and it shattered on the metal flooring.

“Sister, are you all right?” she asked, concerned.

“No…the moon is right…,” she said. They knew what she meant as her body trembled. The midnight hairs grew from her skin, her hands coiled into paws. Her eyes remained grey, but she had slits for pupils.

“Electra, is it you?” asked Troas, taking a precautionary step back.

“Yes…,” the creature growled.

“It worked! I have done it!” celebrated Troas. He stepped forward and began to open the cage door. The animal on the ground began to stand, and she leapt to where Troas’s hands fumbled over the lock. She opened her jaw, lined with several rows of sharp teeth, and prepared to snap them over his hands. She missed by a hair. He pulled his hands back and pressed them across his chest, panting.

“Electra!” he said, still nervous.

“I am not Electra!” she hissed.

“I guess the genius isn’t so brilliant,” remarked Tillitha smugly.

“You watch, I’ll get it right one day!” he said, carefully shutting the door.

Algalore was looking for food in the community’s pantry for the week, when she realized that there was limited selection. There was a box of pasta, which she took, a can of lemon jelly, a jar of pickled fish, and a large case of grains out and accessible to the public. There were other supplies kept locked up in case of emergency, but there was little to eat.

“This is horrible!” exclaimed a mother behind her. She had three children who looked sad and hungry. “There was a full layout of food this morn…oh, I should have come earlier, now what will I do? I can’t feed my children!”

“Don’t most villagers have private vegetable gardens?” asked Algalore.

“Not anymore. We’ve all been forced to keep ourselves portable…this war is forcing more and more people to move away. I would, but my son is in your militia, and so is my husband!”

“I wish I could help, but I don’t have any more food than anyone else,” murmured Algalore.

“Yeah, right! You eat like a queen!” snapped one of her children. He was the oldest of the children, with tattered clothing and a thin frame.

“Noah! You know better! Things are hard all round!” chastised the mother.

“Most people think that of me, don’t they?” Algalore asked softly.

“No, dear, no! Noah is just irritable since his older brother left to fight,” she said, putting her hands on his shoulder. He backed away, scowling.

“Mmm…,” she hummed discontentedly. “To be truthful, I do eat like everyone else. Sometimes I eat nothing.”

“Just leave us alone, ‘My Lady’,” he said, bowing in mocking grace. He took the box of dried pasta from her hands and tossed it back on the shelf where she took it from.

“Noah!” yelled his mother.

“It’s fine. I understand. I’ve lost people to this war,” said Algalore.

“That still doesn’t excuse his behavior. Noah, go to your room!” shouted his mother.

“Well, best be going, now. I have to give my fellow fighters something to eat,” said Algalore. She took the box of pasta back and watched as Noah took off in town, where he entered a small house.

Algalore was not lying; she did have at least two days a week when she did not eat anything. The only thing that passed her lips was a few gulps of water, which she spared and portioned carefully. Every sip she took was more precious to her than a gift of pure gold and glistening diamonds carved with inhuman skill. She was constantly reminded to eat by her friends, because she was so used to being hungry, she rarely remembered that she hadn’t eaten.

This incident alerted her that her village was in terrible danger of being completely void of population. She needed to act fast, or all would abandon Ra Me and this war would have been for nothing.

As soon as she reached her shelter, she began to draw up plans to keep people from leaving the village.

“We need food, shelter, water, and a sense of security. How can we supply these things to our people?” Algalore asked everyone.

“I can’t think of anything until I know Auracia is okay,” said Tillitha.

“I know…but we need these things now,” said Algalore.

“Yes, we do, Algalore. We will have to find different ways of obtaining food. Could we try agriculture?” asked Troas.

“Perhaps. We’ll need seed, fertilizer, and people to work the land,” she said.

“Our old habit of trading is out of the question, eh?” questioned Greg. Ted shook his head.

“No, Greg. Our routes are all blocked and supervised by opposing forces,” said Ted.

“Well, farming is definitely a good idea. We can have a large plantation for the whole population. Hunting and gathering can give us all the supplies we need for a while,” said Electra. Kite opened her mouth as if to say something, but Troas interrupted her thoughts by saying, “Now, we need to organize a team to hunt and gather. We’ll put all of the food into the community pantry and ration out the food to families.”

“Yes, but who would want to? We’ll need to draft a team if there are no volunteers,” said Kite, her face blank.

“That will be easy. Once people figure they can obtain food, they would do anything!” said Algalore.

“True, true. Now can we please focus on Auracia? I am so concerned!” blurted Tillitha.

“I’m sure she’s doing fine. Now, why don’t we take a break and eat some dinner,” said Greg, looking at the box of pasta hungrily.

“Sure. But let us drink the last of our wine and rum, for we toast Auracia in good fortune!” said Joseph, holding two large wineskins.

“We might as well drink the last. We have more buried behind the tent. I hid the bottles because I was afraid of my warriors drunk on the battlefield,” said Algalore. Gronous went to fetch the bottles while the rest of them passed the wineskins around.

“To Auracia, and may she be protected and happy!” cheered Ted. He gulped down the last of the rum from one of the wineskins and took one of the many wine bottles being passed along. Algalore took a sip of the wine, the first she’s ever had all her life, and marveled at its unique flavor and potency. After a few sips, she felt tipsy. Her father was already drunk by then, and he was laughing hysterically while he walked on unsteady limbs. Kite even joined in, and before long, she had consumed an entire bottle of wine and was on the floor, dazed and delirious. Gronous and Algalore decided to go outside, to leave the noise of those “insane drunks” as they called them, even though they were not quite as sober as they had thought so.

“Lovely night,” she said, leaning awkwardly against a tree trunk.

“Yes,” Gronous mumbled. He looked at Algalore with a dreamy gaze. “You look beautiful.” She looked back with a smile.

“You must be drunk to say that. I’m a mess!” she laughed.

“No, I mean it. The way the moonlight…” He trailed off and hiccupped.

“There is no moonlight, Gronous. Only the stars and how they watch us from there.”

“You still look lovely. But you are right, you are a mess,” he said. He laughed loudly, and sat in the dirt.

“Thank you lots. A girl loves hearing that, Gronous.” She slumped the ground and moved a bit closer to him.

“You’ll never get married if you keep it up with the sarcasm,” he said, shaking his head.

“Just shut up, you drink too much,” she said, looking up at the stars.

“You’re the one who drinks too much. You had a whole bottle of wine!” he shouted.

“Shush. You drink too much,” she repeated.

“I drink too much? Ridiculous,” he said, lying on his back to also look up at the sky.

“Algalore, may I ask you something?” he asked, folding his arms under his head.

“What?”

“Do you think we’ll live to see the end of this war?” he asked.

“I hope so, but that depends on fate. I am no fortuneteller,” she said, looking back at him. She knew the wine had affected her more than she wanted it to when she pulled her arms around him to keep from shivering. Gronous didn’t seem to protest. If he had any objection to this, he did not show it.

“Are you cold?” he asked. At this point, Algalore ignored her better judgment and simply followed the path the rum and wine carved for her, and she pulled herself tighter around him. He stopped talking. For that moment of time, there was no war, no worries, no hate, or any sorrow, only peace and a weak passionate flare.

Algalore followed the lull to sleep, but Gronous did all he could to keep her awake.

“Let me sleep…I am so tired,” she whispered.

“If we fall asleep out here we could get sick. It’s so cold,” he said.

“If you are cold, wrap up in my cloak. The wine is warm in my blood,” she said, pulling her cloak over him. They huddled even closer, interlinking themselves through arms.

“Sleep, then. We’ll be sick enough tomorrow morning,” he said, stroking her hair. She felt it a bit extreme for more physical contact, but she relished the feeling of it, for she never had a mother to hold her the way he had.

She had no idea how this had happened, but their faces met very closely, and there was temptation in two pairs of eyes. He suddenly closed his eyes, trying to pretend to sleep, but he quickly snapped his open. Her stomach bubbled with feather-winged butterflies. She did not know why she was so nervous. Algalore leaned her face closer, still not understanding why they were even out here alone. There was hesitation, and a lot of it. For a moment, she actually refused his contact, but the moment passed. Gronous took it upon himself, since he figured staring into each other’s eyes was pointless, and kissed her. There was nothing else in the world that could have moved them both as much as this had.

The moment seemed like years, and feeling lightheaded, Algalore gently broke their contact, breathing deeply. There was a strange awkwardness that did not seem to pass, a curiosity, or was it lust? Algalore couldn’t be sure. All she knew at that moment was that she had never had such a feeling rush through her. Then came another kiss, this one not a long but just as magical. Algalore blushed, feeling a bit silly. She was sure that she did not love Gronous. She loved him like a friend, but still just a friend.

They did not speak. Tiredness was the next feeling that slipped by, causing her to fall asleep next to him. Whatever sort of madness that had passed that night would be best to discuss this in the morning. Algalore spent the evening dreaming of the same scene, over and over, reliving the emotions that transpired. Gronous did not sleep well, for in his mind, he could not get over the ecstatic feeling that graced him. He was sure that he’d probably rue the fact he did not sleep. He thought he heard someone behind them leave the tent, but if they had, they went back in.

Oh, those drunks will have something to joke about tomorrow, he thought, noting the position that he and Algalore held beside each other.

“Joseph, you idiot!” shouted Greg and Ted in unison. Everyone was either still drunk or sick.

“What I do?” he asked, slurring his words.

“You and your brilliant ideas! ‘Let’s drink the last of our rum and wine!’ Stupidity!” snapped Ted.

“Ah. Well, I thought we only had a couple wineskins. Talk to Algalore. She told us about the bottles of wine she hid!” muttered Joseph. Kite was on the floor, unmoving, moaning occasionally.

“Gronous! I saw you and Algalore had a good time together,” said Greg smugly when they came inside.

“We can explain…,” began Algalore, but she bent over to vomit when she tried to continue.

“Gronous, I must ask, how was she?” asked Greg, smiling devilishly.

“You better watch what you say, Greg, or I’ll skewer you!” said Gronous. It was a strong threat, which was difficult for Gronous to enforce. He was still partially drunk.

“With what, exactly?” he asked, smirking.

“Greg, you watch what you say about my daughter or I’ll let Electra have at you on the full moon!” said Troas, who walked straight with no appearance that he had been drinking. When he noticed their surprise, he said, “Oh, I’m used to the wine and rum. I may get drunk, but I don’t get sick.”

“Lucky,” Algalore murmured.

“Fine, fine, I’ll back off,” said Greg, “But tell me. What did you do? Just lie out under the stars?”

“Pretty much. But let’s wait until we’re sober to discuss it, alright?” said Gronous.

“Fine. I am not very well, now,” said Greg. He ran out of the tent to, probably, vomit.

The rest of the day was spent recovering from their party the night before. Only Troas was completely healthy when it was time to sleep. Kite was quiet, and subdued, only speaking when she felt she may throw up. Gronous and Algalore tried to avoid any discussion between them alone, for they were a bit embarrassed of how the wine had affected them so much. They still told themselves it was merely the wine, and nothing more. They could not admit anything, for they didn’t feel anything. There was only confusion and mixed signals.

“Gronous, can we talk about last night?” asked Algalore that morning.

“Of course. I’ve wanted to talk to you about it,” he said. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Well, I want you to know that I was under the influence of some potent wine,” she said stiffly.

“I knew that, Algalore,” he said, fidgeting with the hem on his tunic. “It’s complicated for me, Algalore. I have mixed feelings. This whole business with Rita, uh Kite, has really made me wonder what love truly means to me.”

“Well, I am glad you understand. Besides, even if we were in love, we couldn’t be together because of this war. We have other things to think about, you know.”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, I have to go into town and ask some people to join our food production team,” she said, walking away swiftly.

“Good…you do that…,” he said, staggering as he stood. Before Algalore could leave the tent, Ted asked her, “Where are you going, Wildcat of the North?”

“To town. I am going to drum up a group of willing villagers to hunt and gather for the village.”

“May I go with you? I think I could persuade some folks,” he said.

“Sure. I could use some help,” she said. They left the tent and began circulating through the village. Many were very supportive, and a few detested the idea. A woman asked her ten-year-old son to join, and Algalore offered that he could be of use by collecting wild berries and herbs for remedies and food. He agreed. Algalore did not like young children to work for their parents who seemed so able-bodied, and neither did Ted, but if someone was able to do something to contribute, then why couldn’t they? They also had a number of young women that offered to plant and harvest crops for the village. Most men did not agree because they already had jobs to do, but a few offered to hunt deer for the village. Ted received many willing women and children, and there was at least half the village that was involved in the project. They told the people who volunteered to meet near the old castle in three hours.

Algalore returned to her tent, and prepared for the meeting.

“Are you all right, Algalore? You seem distracted,” said Tillitha as she was writing on a piece of parchment.

“It’s Gronous, Tilly,” she said, clenching her fists.

“What did he do to you?” she asked accusingly.

“Nothing bad…well, when we were outside, he kissed me. I was so absorbed by the moment that I didn’t know how to react…except to enjoy it,” she said ruefully.

“What did you feel?” she asked, desperate to know the details.

“Like I said, I was confused. I didn’t know what to feel,” she said. “Why are you interested?” Algalore added.

“I never had a romantic kiss like that,” she said, sighing.

“This wasn’t romantic. Just the wine,” Algalore pointed out.

“Well, wine or not, it still seems nice,” said Tilly.

“Forget about it now, Tillitha. I need to concentrate on this huge meeting,” said Algalore.

“Fine, fine. But I won’t stop asking you about that kiss,” she warned, smiling.

“You can ask, but the answer will stay the same,” said Algalore, turning to her work. She prepared a short, to-the-point speech that would summarize the project.

Unfortunately, Algalore knew of only one place suitable for a plantation. The area around her special pond, and they would need to cut down a few trees to make the area large enough. She decided that before the people arrive, she should take one last swim in the pond before it would be used to irrigate the crops and be polluted by dirt being moved and grass torn up.

Algalore jumped into the water, without even taking the time to undress, and stayed there until a strange figure loomed over her.

“May I join you?” asked a familiar voice. The voice was strained, and sounded painful. Algalore turned, and nearly fell backwards into the water. It took her a moment to realize who it was, because the woman was ragged and bleeding all over her body, but a certain white fowl confirmed her suspicion.

“Auracia! What happened to you?” Algalore exclaimed. She looked terrible. She had cuts, bruises, burns, and scrapes all over her body.

“This is what happens when you break so many rules and request an indestructible army of souls for a battle,” she murmured.

“Oh, Auracia…what did they do to you?” cried Algalore. It took all her willpower just to keep from crying.

“I don’t want to say, but I’m sure you can tell just by looking at me,” she said bleakly.

“Auracia…I wish I could have gone with you…oh Auracia I am so sorry I wasn’t there to help you,” Algalore said.

“There is nothing you could have done, nor is there anything you could do now,” she said.

“What about Epona’s healing power? Can’t she heal you?”

“No. They took her power away. For now, I won’t be able to participate in any battles. But, because I agreed that I’d have a longer punishment, and because Epona gave up her healing power, I can live as a detached spirit, and be earthbound. I will no longer need to go back to gain my power back,” she said.

“You mean you never have to go back there? You’re free?”

“Well, as free as an earthbound spirit can be. Now, you haven’t answered my question. May I join you?”

“If you think the water won’t hurt,” said Algalore.

“Isn’t this water magical? It heals and brings luck. Perhaps I should spend more time here,” she said, slipping into the water fully clothed.

“You’re right! This water is special…but we can’t spend more time here because this is where the villagers are going to put in crops,” said Algalore sadly.

“Isn’t there anywhere else? This water has special properties!”

“There is no more space, for the tents have taken up so much.”

“What a pity…I need to take some of this water to treat my wounds…this feels wonderful!” she sighed.

After what seemed forever, Auracia said, “I think we should tell the others about this water. It would be fun to have everyone join in…covered up, of course.”

“That would be fun, but I have to meet with the villagers in…oh no! What time is it?”

“About one,” said Auracia.

“Oh. Well, I have two hours…let’s try to get the boys in here. They could use a brief wash.” So they pulled themselves out, soaking wet, and they walked to the tents. Epona swam over the surface of the water, preening. Auracia did seem in higher spirits, and the bleeding had stopped completely.

“Who wants to swim?” asked Algalore.

“Why not?” said Troas, putting down his map. Kite shrugged and took off her moccasins. When Auracia then stepped into the tent, everyone ran over to her, some crying, others shouting enthusiastically.

Everyone decided to go to the pond. It was cold out, but the water was strangely warm. Tillitha dove in first, slipping under the water like sand through her fingers. She emerged a second later, and sighed heavily. Gronous waded cautiously into the water, and was continuing slowly until Ted, or Greg, he couldn’t be sure, shoved him into the deep end. He fell below the surface, and he gasped for air when he breached. A chorus of laughter followed. Tillitha, as an expert swimmer, swam over to him to help him out of the deep water.

Auracia crafted a raft made of ice and floated across the surface, that is, until she ran into the edge of the pond and it tipped over. Joseph and Electra swam next to each other, while Kite swam vigorous laps without talking to anyone. She stopped only once to rest. Before she could continue, someone splashed her, and she turned reflexively and saw Gronous and Joseph standing waist-deep in the pond.

“Who did it?” she asked, walking to them. Her tunic and shorts were soaked, and they hung heavily on her body.

“Not me,” said Gronous. Greg smiled and splashed her again. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him under the water. Bubbles floated to the surface where they formed thin white foam. He struggled under her grip, and he managed to pull her under the water by pulling her long hair. He resurfaced, and held her under the water. She stopped struggling, and hung limp in the water around her. Alarmed, Greg pulled her out, thinking she was unconscious, and Kite suddenly attacked him, satisfied her trap worked.

“Okay, this is getting us nowhere! I challenge you to a race,” said Kite after several minutes of fighting.

“Fine, Kite. I could beat you!” he said.

“One lap around the pond. Auracia, could you watch to see who wins?” asked Kite.

“Of course,” she said.

“Wait, one lap? Boring. Care to put a little wager on that?” said Greg smugly.

“What? Money?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“No. How about this…,” he continued, “When I win, you have to do my bidding for one week.”

“And when I win,” she said, pointing to herself, “You will do my bidding for a month.” She smirked, and he scowled.

“Come on, you two, get swimming! I have five gold coins against Greg and I am betting against Algalore. She thinks Greg will win. Bah! He can’t tread water in a thimble!” Joseph laughed. Algalore shrugged and said, “No hard feelings, Kite, but he has the muscles to outrun you.” Kite glared at her playfully for a moment.

“Are you all done bickering? Have your race so we can all have a good time,” shouted Epona from the shore. She clicked her tongue and preened her feathers.

“Fine. Auracia, are you ready?” asked Kite.

“Yes. Start from here,” said Auracia, gesturing to a spot in the water. They positioned themselves, and after Auracia gave a signal, they began to swim. Kite kicked off from the bottom and got a good head start, but Greg caught up with her on the curve of the pond. Since the water at the edge of the pond was shallow, they were not totally submerged, which meant that neither of them could take large strokes or deep ones.

At the last turn, Kite sped up, but she over underestimated the curve of the pond, and she hit the soft, sandy wall, slowing her down.

Greg was victorious, and Algalore won the bet. There was taunting, yelling, fighting, but also a sense of playfulness and joy. Greg’s first order of Kite was to join him in the deep end of the pool of water. She slipped under the surface of the water, and reappeared behind him.

This water truly was magical. For a moment in time, all of their troubles melted away, dissolving in the water around them. For the first time in months, Kite was genuinely happy. They all felt hope.

This water was truly magical.

Algalore changed into a lovely purple dress with a long black shawl draped over her shoulders. She pulled her long brown hair into a loose knot at the small of her back. She wanted to look nice for her people. She walked to the front of the rows of tents and saw a huge crowd of people, waiting.

“Hello, everyone,” Algalore said loudly. She was a tad shy, but she stood on her fright and beamed confidence. “Well, I want all of the hunters and gatherers to come forward.” A few minutes passed, and the crowd separated into two large groups.

“You are to go into the New Harvest Forest and find game for the community pantry. Gatherers are to bring what they find to the pantry, where there are people who can classify them,” said Algalore.

“What about the children? Are they to wander alone in the woods?” called a woman in the crowd.

“No. They will be in a group and have two men watching them. Now, all those who offered to work in the fields come forward,” she said. The groups shifted and soon a new cluster of men, women, and children stood before her.

“Follow me to where a new field will be dug and worked for crops,” said Auracia. She limped ahead of the crowd. Algalore dismissed the other group, and headed with Auracia. Gronous, Troas, Kite, and all the others were busy pulling tall grass and weeds from the earth, clearing it for crops.

“We don’t need the crops to be in any order, just in a location where they can grow. Rows aren’t necessary. Children can water crops with buckets and pull weeds, while women and men can plant and harvest,” said Troas. He led a young woman and her family to a small storage tent nearby, and had them help him carry several bags of vegetable and wheat seeds. The group began planting at once. Children would spread and distribute seeds among their families. Men carried heavy loads of soil in wheeled carts and barrels. After planting, children watered and some of the men went into the forest to hunt or gather. Algalore and her friends decided to go for a walk. Auracia stayed behind with Epona for her injuries were crippling and painful.

“Bye. We’ll see you later,” said Gronous.

“If you find any snowberries, please…,” began Epona.

“We’ll bring you a whole basket full,” said Troas. When they left, the pair began to talk.

“So, Auracia, how are your wounds?”

“They hurt, but are healing much faster than they would have. Thank goodness for that water,” she said, stroking a bandage on her arm.

“Do you think they will fester? That water may have helped you heal, but it wasn’t entirely clean, either,” said Epona.

“No. I don’t think so. If they do, I can create a salve and treat them,” she said. The white swan stalked over to Auracia and sat on her pillow.

“Sure. I still wish they hadn’t taken my healing power away…but I guess it was for the best,” said Epona.

“Of course it is! If you hadn’t, well, we’d be back in the sea of clouds, burning ourselves to keep us powerful,” said Auracia.

“Yes…It hurt me to see you in pain…,” said Epona.

“I wonder…why is the afterlife so cruel? When I was human…I always thought of a heavenly paradise…why isn’t it? It is so painful and harsh…,” Auracia said, shivering at the thought.

“Well, I never knew what people thought about the afterlife. What did you think? Angels and halos?” asked Epona.

“Well, not exactly…more like a lovely clearing where you could do whatever you want…and have lush temples where one could worship what they wished…and the ability to look down upon the earth and to communicate with those on earth,” said Auracia, shrugging.

“Many do think that…the main difference between life and the afterlife is that you cannot die in the afterlife. Earthbound spirits, like you, can get injured or sick…but they still cannot die,” said Epona. She ruffled her feathers, and began to preen again.

“Talking about this reminds me of the day we met…what a great day…well, maybe not perfect…it’s more bittersweet…I got to meet you, but that was the day I died…,” said Auracia. Epona didn’t stop preening, so Auracia continued, “Do you remember how I died?”

“Not really. It isn’t a subject I thought you would like to discuss,” said Epona.

“Well, I don’t really mind…it’s so insignificant now,” said Auracia.

“Then tell the tale. It helps the mind heal when it faces unpleasant memories,” said Epona. She looked at her, and waited.

“Well…I was sixteen. That morning, my mother and father told me that they were leaving town with me. I did not want to go, and I threatened to jump off the balcony if they did. They just laughed and said it wouldn’t matter anymore if I did or not,” she said. Her voice seemed a bit shaky, but she continued, “…So I ran to the balcony, and stood on the railing, and leaned forward, but I lost my nerve…and so I ran back to them and pressed for answers…like ‘why are we leaving’ and ‘why can’t I stay alone’, but they didn’t answer the questions. My mother hit me when I pushed her for some clues…so I gave up and left the house to say farewell to my friends.

“When I returned, I found my mother crying at the front door. She told me to run, to leave and never return, but it was more desperate than a demand. She had blood running down her cheek, and her travel bag and mine next to her. I was a bit surprised to see her bow next to her. She hadn’t used it since she left her dangerous hometown. I ignored her, and I went inside. My father was in the kitchen with his switchblade and he had obviously been drinking.

“So I tried to run, but he grabbed me…and knocked me onto the floor…I still remember the awful pain running up my arm as he broke it…,” her breath became staggered, “I was begging him to let me go…and then my mother came in, with her wooden bow, and swung it at him, but she was no match. He was a trained soldier for his many years serving in the military. He had her dead on the floor in seconds. I tried to fight him, but he had me pinned down with his free hand. His switchblade came down, and I slipped into an endless abyss…until I saw a road in front of me, and I followed it until I reached a gate that had a few men in front of it…and well, you know the rest. They told me why I was there, and they gave me you to help me in the afterlife. A spirit animal.”

“Auracia, are you all right? You look pale,” said Epona.

“Just…a little…faint…,” she said, panting between words.

“Oh, dear friend, don’t worry. We’ve been through so much together. Don’t doubt our connection for a moment,” said Epona. Auracia couldn’t stop herself, and she began to cry. She was so fortunate to have someone to help her after she had died.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” said Auracia, smiling, but still crying.

“We don’t need to know, do we? We’ll be together forever. You know that!” said Epona. They both laughed.

Meanwhile, far from the castle and even farther from the New Harvest Forest, in a small cluster of refugees that had fled the kingdom, were two women, not trying to escape the battles that were raging on, but to join them, were searching for supplies and answers.

“This is pointless. We are never going to find Ra Me. They must think we’re dead by now!” shouted the first woman. She led the other to their tent. The other woman had a severe limp and was injured. She was thin, with little stamina.

“We can’t give up! We have to keep asking! You there, boy! Do you know where Ra Me is?” she asked a boy that walked nearby.

“No, Miss,” he said softly. He walked over to help her into the tent, and sat her down on the cot.

“See? We’re stranded!” snapped the other.

“Why don’t you hitch a ride with the stagecoach? She always has room for more!” said the boy.

“She goes to Ra Me?” asked the injured woman.

“Yes. She is one of the few traders that dare to enter Ra Me. She is fearless, as some say, but I think she’s crazy! Her husband even more so!” he said, exiting the tent.

“Wait! Does she charge?”

“Yes. A steep fee, actually. She doesn’t take going to Ra Me lightly,” he said. The healthy woman left the tent, and visited her tent along with the boy.

“Who is it?” asked a fluid, sweet voice.

“We are in need of a ride to Ra Me.”

“Hold on a moment, please,” said the voice. A woman appeared a minute later. She looked young in the face, although her hair had silver streaks.

“You requested a ride, girl?” she asked. The sweetness had left her voice.

“Yes. I and my friend need to go there. We were fighting in a battle and we were taken by a group of trolls and goblins…we escaped and here we are. We are so far away,” said the woman.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Lyn. My friend is Hiromi,” she said.

“Well then, Lyn, I’ll take you for twenty gold coins for you both,” she said, holding out one of her hands.

“I don’t have that much,” she said.

“Do you have something you would like to sell?”

“I have an old book and a turquoise necklace,” said Lyn.

“I’ll take the necklace, but not the book. Anything else?”

“A good luck charm.”

“That’ll do. Thanks,” she said. “By the way, name’s Mitzy. My husband’s Marcus.”

“Nice to meet you. But, how on earth do you avoid getting caught by the goblins and trolls paroling the border of Ra Me?” asked Lyn.

“Well, I disguise myself as a goblin girl and my husband poses as a slave. We say we have to deliver some supplies to one of the colonies outside the border, and we need to cut through it. You two can either pose as goblins or slave girls. Perhaps you could be my daughters…you look so young,” she said, eyeing Lyn.

“Do goblins really have families?”

“Now that you mention it, I guess daughters won’t work…and having that many goblins on a carriage is uncommon, so slave girls it is. At least you won’t need to put moss and mud on your faces,” she said.

“Well, what would we need to wear?” asked Lyn.

“Old robes of mine, and we’ll tear them up a bit, and dirty them. Either way, we should be fine. Now, where’s Hiromi?” she asked.

“Right through here,” said Lyn as she opened the tent door.

“Hello, Lyn. Is this the stagecoach?” asked Hiromi.

“Yes. Mitzy,” said the woman, shaking her hand.

“When will we leave?”

“Tonight. The weather is perfect for a good long ride. The horses are so bored and eager to run, so we’ll go many leagues,” said Mitzy.

“We better begin packing,” said Lyn. She took out her turquoise necklace and lucky silver charm bracelet, and gave it to Mitzy. She looked at it briefly, and pocketed the treasures. Lyn folded her robe and placed it in her large bag. She also put a few apples and scraps of jerky wrapped in cloth in it, so that there was food to eat along the way. Hiromi packed all her possessions in a small sack, and buttoned up the mouth of the bag. She was nearly ready to depart, and all she needed was to find water. Lyn took their empty wineskins and filled them at a small stream that ran through the tiny refugee camp.

That night, Mitzy and Marcus took the pair to their carriage and had them tucked deep inside the cab. They sat, wedged between sacks of grain and a flat of canned fruits and vegetables.

“Are you all right back there?” Mitzy called from the bench out front.

“Fine,” said Lyn. They were heading quickly over the rough terrain.

“Anyone hungry?” asked Marcus as he stepped inside.

“Sure,” said Hiromi. He gave them two paper bags. Inside were an apple and a large chunk of warm bread.

“Where did you find fresh bread?” asked Lyn.

“We took it along for the ride from the refugee camp. Still warm,” he said, smiling.

“How long will this trip take us?” asked Hiromi.

“About a week, unfortunately. We have to avoid some pretty thick barricades,” he said, shrugging. Hiromi and Lyn drank from their wineskin, and they felt the carriage stop. They heard two knocks on the bench in the front.

“Two knocks…safe to come out,” he said. They left the carriage and were astounded to see that it was pitch black.

“How long have we been riding?” asked Lyn, looking up at the twinkling stars.

“About four hours,” said Mitzy, unfurling her bedroll, “A short trip, today.”

“Four hours? That long? It felt like one…,” said Hiromi, limping as she hopped from the cab. She landed shakily, and she stumbled to the campsite. Mitzy and Marcus were piling dry wood and grass in a hand-dug pit. She scraped two rocks that were in her hands together, and they sparked, forming a small but hot blaze.

“At least we can stay warm. Actually, we could cook some meat if we stopped a bit earlier. It’s too dark to hunt, now,” she said, shaking her head. The flames painted her face in a golden haze that flickered and danced. Shadows hid her eyes and made her hair appear yellow in the glare.


“Mitzy, I think I could handle a short hunting trip,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“No. We don’t need meat that badly, Marcus. We can hunt in the morning when all the beasts are asleep,” she whispered fiercely.

“Fine, Mitz. Can we just sleep?” he said, unrolling his bedroll.

“Girls, if you ever get married, just be well warned that there is no perfect relationship,” said Mitzy.

They all laughed, and even Marcus laughed. After a quick snack, they all retired for the evening.

Back at the tent near Ra Me’s castle, the group was exchanging tall tales and frightening stories to end the evening.

“So Kite, got any stories to share?” asked Troas after he finished his own.

“None that are really original. Oh! I know…I heard this one at a slumber party at my village…,” she cleared her throat and began, “Five years ago, in my little village of Sen, there was a man that had two fifteen year-old daughters. The girls were very beautiful, and were the most desirable girls in the whole village. They once went to the little lake outside of the village, for a picnic. The daughters got into an argument and the one stalked off. The father tried to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. The next day, he returned, and he found her lying by the lake, dead!” She grinned devilishly as some faces in the group perked with interest.

“Her father nearly went mad when he saw her. He touched her, to find that her whole body was frozen solid! This was impossible, for it was in the middle of summer. It was so hot out, that she was thawing in front of him. But he noticed that there was a piece of algae on her arm, and it was from the lake. He ran to the lake’s edge, put his hand in the water, and nothing happened. But beside his own reflection, he saw a pair of cold blue eyes glaring at him. Before he turned, the water swirled and formed flickering images. He saw his dead daughter slip under the water, then his other daughter with a noose around her neck, and she hung from a branch. He turned, to see his other daughter hanging from a tree that was not there a moment before. She was frozen.

“That was it. He went mad. So he jumped into the water, and the same blue eyes found him again. He inhaled the water around him, but he wouldn’t drown. He heard laughter, then he felt cold, then ice formed around him.

“Every person that visited that lake died a slow and cruel death. All were frozen. Even today, if you are suicidal, you might as well jump in the lake yourself,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Good story,” stuttered Tillitha.

“Good? Ha! You need to work on your storytelling!” exclaimed Troas.

“I thought it was a good storyline,” said Gronous, smiling, satisfied.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, filling the tent with laughter and shrieks of fright.

When yawns filled the tent, Algalore decided to retire. Ted and Greg followed, and they were asleep when Gronous exited the tent with one of the wineskins. He sat on the ground and took a sip. The liquid filled him with a tiny bit of relief. It warmed him.

A few minutes later Kite came out.

“Brother?” she whispered. He was surprised, for this was the first time she called him that.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Are you all right? This isn’t the first time you’ve left with the wineskin, and I don’t think that’s water,” she said, taking the wineskin. She tasted it, and sighed. “Where did you find this wine?”

“It was left over from the other evening,” he said.

“You shouldn’t drink this.”

“What do you care?” he snapped.

“Because I’m your sister,” she said.

“My sister’s dead! You’re dead!” he yelled.

“Gronous…I still love you as my brother,” she said, setting down the wine.

“Don’t say that to me. I loved you like a woman. You should have told me the truth!” he replied, taking a swipe at the wineskin.

“No. No more. We have to deal with this now. You saw how I tried to kill myself, and you saved me more than once, now it’s my turn to save you,” she said, pulling the wineskin out of his reach.

“What can you do? I’m not killing myself. I’m not crazy,” he said bitterly.

“You are depressed. But this is new. Why all this now? Why not months before? Unless…this is because of something else…something that upset you,” she said, pulling her shoulder-length brown hair behind her ear. She glared at him, but the glare wasn’t as menacing as it normally would have been, for it was laced with genuine concern.

“Nothing,” he said.

“I don’t believe that,” she said, sitting next to him.

“Nothing!” he insisted.

“You don’t even believe yourself!” she cried. He turned his head. He looked terrible.

“It’s about Algalore. I think I love her…but she doesn’t…when we kissed…there was something wrong…sure, it felt magical…but there was something off,” he said, looking back at his feet.

“What?” she asked softly.

“It was like she was unsure…even though I was…and there was a lot of… temptation…,” he stopped. Kite couldn’t see his skin tones, but she could guess that he was blushing.

“Well, we all have the same urges,” laughed Kite. He smiled, but the smile didn’t touch his eyes, so it appeared as a painful grimace.

“Yes…anyway, I tried to figure out why she wouldn’t connect to me as I did to her…but then, after she fell asleep…I began to think about the possibilities. I thought that maybe she wasn’t in love with me, perhaps it was like what Algalore said…just the wine,” he laughed.

“I understand. You are in love with Algalore, and she isn’t in love with you,” said Kite.

“But I feel like there is something wrong with me…like I have some sort of abnormality only others can see,” he said.

“Gronous…,” whispered Kite in shock.

“I don’t deserve to stay here…almost all my life I’ve lived alone…and I feel that that is the way it should be,” he said.

“Gronous, remember when you were little and you used to cry when you had no friends?” she whispered.

“Yes…”

“I used to tell you that I would be your friend,” she whispered.

“Yes…I remember,” he said.

“I still remember that little song I sang to you…goodness…I wasn’t the best singer,” she said. She laughed loudly, and then said, “I think it goes…oh, I won’t even try!”

“Please don’t!” he exclaimed with a smile. “But…I still love Algalore.”

“She is confused. Perhaps one day she will love you, but don’t give up, and stop drinking!” said Kite.

“Thank you for talking with me…R-R-Rita,” he said, stuttering as he addressed her as his sister.

“Anytime, Gronous. Oh, and don’t tell anyone about this conversation. Let’s keep it between bro and sis,” she said, returning to the tent. He sighed, and looked at the wineskin longingly. He uncapped it and dumped the wine on the grass. No need for any additional temptation, for he already had enough to deal with.





Lyn and Hiromi both woke with a start in the night. Mitzy shook them by the shoulders and said, “You need to go, now!”

“What?” whispered Lyn.

“Go! A goblin troop spotted us and they are coming! You have to go!” she said. Marcus saddled two of the carriage horses. Hiromi stood on wobbly legs, and limped to the carriage. She took as much supplies as she could in her large carry bag, and Lyn packed all of the saddle bags with them.

“Aren’t you coming?” asked Lyn, noting they only saddled two horses.

“No. If we all go, they’ll try to track us. It’s better if we stay behind and leave no evidence of you being here,” said Marcus.

“What about the other horses?” asked Hiromi.

“Forget the horses, Hiromi! Oh, and Lyn, take your jewelry back,” said Mitzy. She handed her the necklace and lucky charm, and she helped the girls mount the horses.

“What will happen to you?” asked Lyn with frightened eyes.

“Whatever they do will mean nothing to you. You will be safe. Marcus and I have been through much, and we are ready to die,” said Mitzy grimly.

“No! We won’t leave you behind!” said Hiromi.

“You have to go! Now!” said Marcus. He slapped the flanks of the horses and they galloped away, whinnying.

“Farewell, children!” called Mitzy. She and Marcus sat beside each other, wrapped in their arms.

“Marcus…whatever happens, I won’t leave your side,” said Mitzy. She pulled her arms around his shoulders and kissed him fiercely. They heard the sound of trotting horse hooves, and they knew what was to happen next.

“Dear Mitzy…I always loved you…” said Marcus. They saw the horses in front of them, mounted by hideous monsters that were trolls and goblins, and they were ready to die. The one asked them who they were and what they were doing, and when they explained that they were traders, but they did not say where they were trading with, another goblin held a dagger to Mitzy’s throat.

“Which one should die first?” he asked in a snakelike hiss.

“How about at the same time?” asked another.

“Aren’t we a human sympathizer!” snapped the goblin with the dagger at her throat.

“No. They are in love. They should be given the dignity of dying together, without any extra suffering,” said the mounted goblin man.

“I agree,” said a troll behind him.

“Together it is,” hissed the lead goblin man.

A second armed troll dismounted and held his switchblade to Marcus’s throat.

“One…two…three,” counted down another.

At “three”, the two sliced through their throats. Blood spilled from the gash in their necks. It took them only a few seconds to die. In their dying moments, they looked into each other’s eyes, and Mitzy even managed a small smile. They died holding each other’s hand, and with an arm wrapped around their shoulders. They fell simultaneously to the ground, bleeding out. The most terrifying sight was the missing spark of life in their eyes.

“Should we burn the bodies?” asked one of the trolls.

“We should leave the bodies to rot on their own,” said one of the armed goblins.

“Fine,” said the lead man. The horses were hysterical, and they lay beside their masters, snorting and crying for them to wake up. The goblins took the two mares with their spoils. So after raiding whatever they found in the carriage, they left, leaving the two, man and wife, to rot together, forever holding each other, forever as one body.



“Slow down! I can’t keep up with you!” shouted Lyn from far behind. Hiromi turned and said, “I don’t know how! I’ve never ridden a horse!”

“Gently tug on the reins!” shouted Lyn. Hiromi took the leather straps and tugged them, and the horse stopped.

“Good. Now, lightly squeeze him with your heels, and he’ll start forward,” said Lyn.

“How do you know so much?” asked Hiromi as she put pressure on the horse’s sides.

“I used to ride horses all the time back in Ra Me. I know all there is to know about horses,” said Lyn, smiling.

“What do you think happened to Mitzy and Marcus?” asked Hiromi. She looked grim.

“I don’t know, but I think they are all right,” said Lyn. They trotted lightly over the terrain, looking for a good place to rest.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to stop here? I think we should continue until we see a village,” said Hiromi.

“Hiromi, I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Lyn swore, pulling her dark brown hair away from her face.

“Okay…but I think we should stop at a source of water. I think a nice wash would do me some good,” said Hiromi.

“Yes, only if we can find one soon,” said Lyn.

The horses were timid walking over slippery rocks as they progressed deeper into the forest. Darkness fell over the tree canopies above them, and they decided to keep going until they found an open clearing. The air became very thick with moisture, and it hung in misty clouds and steamy drifts through the trees. At first, they didn’t know why it suddenly became so humid, but then their questions were answered when they saw rushing water through gaps in undergrowth. They dismounted and pulled themselves through shrubbery, and gaped at the sight.

It was a small waterfall that stretched over a rocky peak and pooled in a swirling pit below. It was a long way down, so they kept a safe distance. The trees and shrubs suddenly ended at the edge of the ground, where below, along with the large collection of water, was a cave carved out from years of rushing water.

“We found our campsite!” called Lyn over the sound of sloshing water. They followed the waterfall and set up camp next to the river that narrowed at the waterfall.

“I guess a bath is out of the question. The current is too strong,” said Hiromi.

“Hiromi, what’s wrong with you? You can use your telekinesis here,” said Lyn.

“Oh, yes…,” Hiromi said, embarrassed. She used her power and slowed the currant to a small, gentle flow. They didn’t spend much time in the water, for Hiromi couldn’t hold on to such pressure with her mind too long. If she had lost control while they were in the water, they would have been swept up and thrown over the edge of the waterfall.

“What a view,” said Lyn. She stood and gazed over the river to where the sun was setting slowly. As soothing darkness approached, they started a small fire. Their camp was alit with orange and gold, and black flickering shadows were cast behind them.

“You should get some rest,” said Lyn, feeding a twig into the flames.

“So should you,” responded Hiromi. She had her head propped up on her hand while a trio of rocks circled in front of her, occasionally hitting one another, resulting in a light clack.

“I know. I’ll sleep in the saddle,” said Lyn.

“Why won’t you sleep?” asked Hiromi.

“I can sleep in the saddle. I am an experienced rider. I’ll be fine,” she said, tossing a clump of dead grass into the fire, sending a puff of smoke into the air.

“Lyn, there isn’t any reason to stay up so late,” Hiromi lectured, speeding up the revolution of the stones.

“I want to make sure nothing happens to you,” Lyn stated. She looked away from Hiromi and into the fire.

“What could happen? There can’t be any huge animals so near a waterfall that doesn’t even carry any fish.”

“I am a very paranoid person.” Hiromi seemed to grow angry. The stones moved farther apart and began to wobble. The speed increased, making it difficult to keep one’s eyes on a single rock.

“You need rest,” Hiromi said, nearly shouting. The rocks shook violently as she increased the speed and distance between the rocks. A few more rocks shot up from the ground and joined the trio, making a hazardous ring around her head.

“Hiromi, please! Calm down!” whispered Lyn. She ducked as the ring of stones passed nearby.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry, Lyn,” Hiromi said, letting the rocks fall abruptly on the grass. She then unrolled her blanket and lied down. “You need to sleep.”

“I’m fine,” said Lyn stubbornly.

“If you are going to be so difficult, fine!” snapped Hiromi. She hit her makeshift bed hard, and buried her head in the blanket to keep from screaming in frustration.

“I hope we find Ra Me soon. If we travel together much longer I am going to snap!” huffed Lyn. She fed another handful of kindling into the hungry flames, and lay on the grass, looking up at the stars.





She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but that didn’t matter anymore. The whole campsite was engulfed in flames. Lyn had fallen asleep sometime in the night, and the fire spread when a twig fell over in the fire, letting the fire move out onto the grass until it found something to burn. Hiromi was nowhere to be seen. Lyn franticly looked for her, but when she found no one, she had no choice but to act fast. She took the horses from the tree where they were tethered, and took them far into the forest, where she tied their reigns around a tree. She raced back, and took as much of the supplies near the fire as possible. As she bent down to retrieve a wineskin, she stepped on one of the stones Hiromi was playing with, and stumbled forward. With nothing to hold on to, she fell into the rushing water of the river. Lyn felt her head hit the bottom of the riverbed, and then she couldn’t control her own limbs that thrashed around her body. She managed to kick off from the bottom and her head breached. Gagging, she reclaimed her vision in time to see the flames of her campsite rush by. At that moment, she recalled the large waterfall the river crashed down to. Panicking, she tried to swim to the edge of the river to pull her body out, but the currant was far too strong. She searched her arsenal of magical spells, but she only knew basic spells that wouldn’t be strong enough to slow the river’s currant. Lyn slipped under the water again, dragged by her sopping clothes. Blinded by the sand and salt in her eyes, she desperately tried to clamber back to the surface. She was unsuccessful, and she knew that she would be coming up on the waterfall any second. Another kick from the bottom, and Lyn reemerged from the river. Lyn knew she was going to die, or suffer from several broken bones and slowly starve, once she passed the waterfall.

“Not good, not good!” she coughed as she tried one last time to jump for solid ground, missing by inches. She ducked under the water, closing her eyes, and she recited every prayer she knew or at least heard of. Suddenly, she felt herself fall. She dashed through the water like a boulder. Lyn was momentarily hanging in the air, all breath left her lungs, and all noises were blurred in a buzzing chorus of sharp splashes and her own screaming. She screamed with the last of the oxygen in her chest, and she stopped breathing when she ran out of air. Her last vision was of a shallow pool of water below her, and how lovely it looked in the moonlight…

She saw a forest around her, and she kept moving forward. Someone she didn’t look at followed behind her. The path ended where a stagecoach and a couple waited. The woman holding onto the reins smiled and waved, and so did the man sitting next to her. Lyn was so relieved to see that Mitzy and Marcus were okay. The person behind her tapped her shoulder, and it was Hiromi. Pure joy radiated off of her face. She turned back to the couple, and there was a group of goblins and trolls mounted on steeds in front of them. Lyn yelled and waved her arms to make the horses move, but the man and woman shook their heads and walked over to the enemy. They waved with blank faces, and a goblin man took a knife and slit the woman’s throat, then the man’s. Lyn turned, and saw Hiromi lying on the ground, dead, with a knife in her stomach. The vision began to melt away into a black abyss, leaving her alone, except for the body of Hiromi…and the knife. Hysteria fluttered through her as she pulled the knife from her friend’s body and stabbed her own chest.

“Lyn, wake up! You are fine!” said a familiar voice.

“Hiromi…what happened?” she asked.

“You fell asleep and the fire spread. I tried to get to you, but you were surrounded by the flames. I tried to walk around them, but I was burned, and in the midst of pain, I fell into the river. I used my mind powers to bring a thread of water to me to take the impact, and I ended up here. I heard you, and I used my power to save you,” Hiromi explained, lifting Lyn’s head. “I seemed to have dropped you in the middle of the ordeal…I think you hit your head.”

“Where are we?” she asked weakly.

“We are in that cave we saw coming down the river to make camp,” said Hiromi. She looked around, and was curious about why the cave wasn’t flooded. When she asked Hiromi this, she answered, “Oh, it was, but I blocked the entrance and guided the water down another cavern, and the water drained out.”

“Can’t you move some rocks into a ramp so we can climb?” Lyn asked, looking up at the waterfall.

“No. I am not that strong of mind. It took all of my concentration to slow the river,” said Hiromi.

“What will we do? We don’t have any food and the water is full of salt,” said Lyn.

“We’ll need to climb up,” said Hiromi, rubbing her hands together.

“The rocks are practically jutting from the walls and we’d need to climb under them!” exclaimed Lyn.

“You go ahead of me. I’ll make sure you don’t fall,” said Hiromi.

“You are hurt!” exclaimed Lyn. Hiromi shrugged and said, “Only a sprain.”

“I can’t climb!”

“Oh, you can’t tell me you’re afraid of heights!” Hiromi chided.

“No! I am so tired…can’t we wait?” asked Lyn.

“No! We have to go. The water will soon fill up the cave if we stay too long,” said Hiromi. She stood up and pulled her legs up over the ridge of rocks around the mouth of the cave.

“Lyn, come on!”

“Fine.” She went outside and pulled herself onto the rocky wall, and Hiromi stood under her, pushing her up. Hiromi climbed up after her.

“Are there tree roots up there? They make good footholds,” Hiromi said, grunting as she pulled her body up by one arm.

“I don’t need your help!” snapped Lyn above her.

“Look at what you’re doing! You stepped on my hand!” shouted Hiromi. Lyn shrieked as she dragged her body up the rocks.

“This is torture!” she said, pulling herself up one more foot.

“Just keep going! I can’t push you up!” called Hiromi from below. Lyn finally felt relief as her fingertips touched grass. Another struggle and she was now on the solid ground, panting, her legs cramping. Hiromi came up instantly after her, cursing loudly.

“Never…again…in my…lifetime!” gasped Hiromi, clutching her throbbing arms.

“I think we need a bit of time to rest,” Lyn responded desperately.

“No, we have to try to find the horses and find the nearest town. We can’t wait around here, there could be trolls and goblins nearby,” said Hiromi, standing up.

“Are you crazy? I can’t stand! The ground is like quicksand around me! One step and I’ll topple over!”

“We have to go!” said Hiromi, pulling on Lyn’s shoulder.

The screaming and yelling of the argument raged louder than the rush of the waterfall.





Algalore washed her face and hands in the basin of water. It had been a long time since she looked at her reflection, so she was surprised to see ragged hair and stained skin. Disgusted, she slapped the surface of the water, destroying her image in a splash.

“What are you doing, Wildcat of the North?” asked Greg as he entered the tent.

“Just washing up,” she said, smoothing the hem of her skirt with her hand.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked, sitting on a cot.

“Sure. What?” she said, wiping her hands on a cloth.

“Do you think this war will ever end? I mean, it has been going on for a while now…,” he said, shrugging.

“I don’t know the answer to that question. Why the sudden interest?”

“I have had a fiancé for almost a year, now…I need to get married before she…uh…I just need to get married.”

“How wonderful, a wedding! I think it’s a good idea to marry soon…I don’t trust a long lifespan nowadays,” she said, tapping her fingers on the basin.

“Algalore! Don’t say that!” he said, alarmed. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“I need to leave this place, and find my mother’s grave,” she whispered. She stroked the little chain around her neck.

“If you leave, then I could take over for a while,” he said.

“No, no. I can’t leave my people,” she said, scrubbing her cheek with a wet hand.

“Fine, then. But my fiancé is waiting. Harriet will never speak to me if she gives birth before the wedding…oh damn. I never said that!” he said. She nodded.

“I didn’t hear a word.”