Chapter Twenty One
Disobeying Mother
Victoria’s mother was clearly not a woman anyone would want to cross. She took seriousness to a completely new level. Lillian shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Recalling the lovely lunch, prepared by Gail, she smiled to herself. Pleasant chatter had filled the room. It had felt like ages since Lillian was able to relax and enjoy someone’s company.
They laughed as they told stories from their childhood, though no one could top Alex’s story that had involved an octopus, a box of banana’s and a very nervous Merrow prince. The five of them even practiced a little of their magic together. Though short lived, it came to them easy. Lillian had created two small rocks, rounded on one side and flat on the other.
Evangeline used her powers to raise them in the air so that the flat sides of the stones faced each other. Ryhan made a small flame on the round side of one stone, and Alex pooled water on the round side of the other. Victoria created a whorl wind around the stones. They all watched in amazement as the fire and water created an intricate swirly pattern around the stones.
The sound of the front door opening startled them and the two stones dropped down onto the table. Nothing but silence had filled the air from the moment that Stallia entered the room. Gail had cleaned up swiftly and left just as quickly. Victoria had risen and given up her seat to her mother.
The tension was inescapable, though Lillian was not sure what had created it, she had an inkling that it had to do with their presence in Volcaringuard.
“Mother…I kn-” Victoria had started, before her mother held her hand up to stop her.
Lillian was surprised at how obedient Victoria was. Around her mother, she seemed more like a timid girl than the vibrant and energetic person Lillian had first met. Stallia’s presence filled the room. She looked like the type of person who demanded attention. Lillian compared her to her daughter. There were several similarities.
They had the same dirty blonde hair, cut short, no fuss. Their eyes shared the same shape, though Stallia had dull brown eyes. The same petite yet muscular bodies. Yet that was where the similarities ended. Though they both commanded attention, Stallia’s personality was nothing like her daughters. She was calculating, brutally honest, and a bit too harsh for Lillian’s liking.
“Victoria is not leaving Volcaringuard.” Stallia said forcefully.
“Mother, please-” Victoria’s mother raised her hand to stop her.
Taking her time to look at each of the girls Stallia proceeded, “When I went to that place, in Bastriean, to meet with the council…I agreed to come here, so that Victoria would be safe. I gave up my husband and my life, to protect hers. Now you sit here, barely even grown, and you want to take her to go fight some predestined war that you know nothing about. It is ludicrous. I won’t allow it.”
Stallia stood and headed for the door when Victoria shouted, “This isn’t even up for discussion?”
“What is to discuss? A group of little girls who think playing with magic is a frivolous thing? People DIE in war Victoria. Open your eyes and grow up.” Stallia finished with a slam of the door.
Lillian watched helplessly as Victoria ran out the back door. Alex followed her. It was clear they all wanted to do the same, but Evangeline had said they should give the two of them some time alone. Gail entered the room again. Lillian wasn’t sure where she had been hiding, but it was clear from her face that she had been eavesdropping.
She watched as Gail busied herself and went on with small talk, even though no one was really paying her any attention. Absent-mindedly Lillian picked up one of the stones of the table and began fiddling with it. It felt different in her hands. It was no longer smooth. The surface of the rounded side had little ridges.
She flipped it over and looked at it closely. At first glance, it did not appear to be any different, but then she noticed a strange pattern engraved in the stone. It had four arms that swirled outward from the center. In the middle of the arms was a small figure that looped twice. She was about to ask Evangeline if she had ever seen anything like it, when Gail snatched the stone from her hand.
“Heavens child, do you know what this is?” Gail asked.
“No actually, I was just about to ask if anyone did.” Lillian replied.
Ryhan picked up the other stone and studied it carefully before she asked, “Did we do this?”
“We must have, they were just normal stones before we practiced our magic.” Evangeline said.
“Oh goodness, but do you know what you’ve created?” Gail asked enthused.
“Why don’t you tell us Gail?” Ryhan snapped.
“It’s a jogard.” Gail said, as if that explained everything.
They must have looked confused as ever because Gail went on, “A jogard. An item that you store power in. It could be anything really, a book or a weapon, they are very rare and very difficult to make. The elves used them mostly, in amulets and such, for protection. This is a very valuable item you got yourselves here.”
Lillian took the stone back from Gail. She studied it closely again, running her thumb over the simple pattern etched in it. It did feel somewhat electric in her hand and heavier than it should be. Gail stared at the stone in her hand, and Lillian found herself wondering what kind of woman Gail was beneath the surface. It was obvious that she was more than a simple tavern owner.
“I don’t understand. If there are jogards out there in the world, why are there not more people using them? I’ve never even heard of one before.” Lillian said.
“Well they can only be used by the person who created them, or a person to whom they are given willingly. There are not many magic users in the world anymore, with time the jogards became forgotten or useless. If you were to find one you wouldn’t even know, it would just seem like a normal object.” Gail explained.
Gail left them alone again and the three of them passed the stones back and forth contemplating what advantage it might give them in the future. Regardless, they had pressing matters to consider, Lillian reminded herself.
“So now what do we do? Sneak away? Leave Victoria behind?” Lillian asked sullenly.
“We can’t leave her, we are stronger with her, and we need her.” Evangeline said.
Ryhan asked, “Then how do we get her to leave with Stallia being so adamant that she’s staying?”
“I think we might have a solution to that.” Alex chimed in.
Lillian glanced toward the back door. Victoria was standing next to Alex and she greeted them with a small smirk. They followed Victoria through town and Lillian thought they were heading back up to the dragon’s keep. However, they walked past the entrance to it.
Victoria led them to the edge of the town. They reached a dead end and with nowhere left for them to go, Lillian glanced at the others in confusion. Victoria found a small opening between the stone walls and motioned for them to follow her. Lillian did not mind the tight squeeze, but she could tell it made Ryhan nervous from her rapid breathing. The sides of the path got smaller before getting bigger again and at times they were moving sideways with their front’s and backs touching stone.
Finally, they emptied into a small round clearing with a steep stone staircase that ran up the rest of the peak. Moving as quickly as they could manage, they all stopped and caught their breath when they reached the top. When she felt relatively normal again, Lillian took in her surroundings. There was not much to see other than a woven basket that was large enough for all of them to stand in, and some sort of cloth on the ground next to it.
Victoria smiled at them and ran to the basket. Lifting the cloth in her hands, Lillian noticed several wooden rods in various places. It resembled a set of stiff wings. The winged item attached to the basket with several heavy ropes and Lillian watched in dismay as she realized what Victoria wanted them to do.
No sooner than she had come to the conclusion that Victoria expected them to sail through the air in the basket, did she demonstrate exactly that notion b
y using her powers to make the basket hover slightly.
“No way. No.” Lillian protested.
“Oh come on Lilly, it’s our only option. I figure with all our powers, but especially mine and Evangeline’s, we can steer this baby and sail right into Bastriean by tomorrow.” Victoria said.
“There is a reason why my element is earth. I like to stay on the ground where I can feel the power of the earth.” Lillian cried, and then added. “And don’t call me Lilly.”
“Lillian,” Evangeline spoke calmly, “We are running out of time. We were supposed to be to Bastriean by tomorrow, we will already be late, and who knows how long it would take us to procure a ship and sail there.”
“Not to mention all the Centermerge soldiers monitoring the boarders and coasts.” Ryhan added.
“This really is the only way.” Said Alex.
Lillian thought they were all crazy. They were going to die if they got in that thing she was sure of it, but they were right. Options were limited and time was not on their side. Nodding her head in agreement, she slowly climbed into the basket. As they lifted into the air, the basket heaved and she squeezed her eyes closed.
Trying to remember to breathe was proving a challenge as she gasped every time they hit an air current. Victoria tried to explain to her that it was normal, that they would rise and fall with the air currents, similar to a ship in the sea. Lillian did not find the information comforting. It wasn’t long before Victoria and Evangeline grew tired from using their power.
Victoria obviously did not anticipate how much energy it would require to maintain their vessel for extended periods. The others took turns giving some of their energy to them, but after a few hours, they were all exhausted. Victoria took them lower, below the clouds occasionally to see if they could spot land. Finally, they saw the coast a few hundred feet away.
Something shifted the basket and Lillian lost her balance. Falling into the side, it tilted hard. A scream escaped her lips as fear coursed through her. She felt hands on her arms, though she could not see who helped her back into the center of the basket. All she could see was the image that burned in her mind. The sea, hundreds of feet below her, and her body crashing in to it.
“Ssshhh, it’s okay. You’re safe now.” Someone said trying to calm her.
It was not working. The basket shifted again, harder that time, but everyone was able to brace themselves.
“What the hell is going on?” Ryhan shouted.
Just then, a shrill noise filled the air and sent chills down her spine. Lillian saw a large black raven swoop by and screech loudly. She tried again to read the bird, but could not connect. The other raven joined the first and she was shocked when the both of them rammed the side of the basket. Lurching forward, unable to brace herself, Lillian fell to the floor of the basket.
“We need to do something.” She yelled.
“Like what?” Ryhan shrieked at her.
“I don’t know. Blow them out of the sky!” Lillian suggested.
Ryhan looked as if she were contemplating her recommendation. Lillian knew they were all tired, and it would require a lot of energy to use any of their powers.
Defeat washed over Ryhan’s face, “I can’t. I can’t summon anything.”
One of the ravens moved above the winged structure out of view, while the other rammed them hard again.
“Keep trying!” Lillian shouted.
Ryhan concentrated and Lillian racked her brain on how to help. Tearing sounds filled her head, their make shift wings were being shredded by the raven. They were falling. Fast. They were going to crash. Suddenly Lillian remembered the stones she had shoved in her bag. Fumbling, she grabbed them and shoved one in to Ryhan’s hand and the other to Victoria.
“NOW!” She screamed at them.
A loud clap and a blinding light overwhelmed her senses. She watched the ravens fall toward the ground, spiraling down to the chilly water below. Their feathers singed and their beaked charred. Ryhan had summoned a lightning bolt. She wondered if Ryhan even knew she could do that. Victoria had done her best to keep them level as they fell, but they hit the ground hard.
Blood filled her mouth as she tumbled out of the basket and bit down on her tongue. Rolling several feet from the crash site, she finally came to a stop when she hit a large bolder, knocking her head against it as she did. The world went black for a few seconds. Those few brief moments seemed like hours. She tried to sit up, but everything spun and she laid back down.
Assessing the damage kept her calm. Broken ribs were a given, but she thought she may have also broken her hip. Her tongue was still bleeding and she guessed that she had bit clean through it. Everything hurt. EVERYTHING. She heard someone moaning not far from her. Ryhan stumbled over and asked her if she was okay. Lillian tried to answer, but couldn’t make any words come out.
Staring at Ryhan, unable to utter a single word, she hoped that she would understand.
She seemed to because she ran off right before she said, “I’ll go find Evangeline.”
Death had never really scared her. Even when she was afraid of getting in the crazy flying vessel Victoria had created, it was not really fear of dying. It was fear of pain. Pain like she was in at that moment. She closed her eyes and let the tears fall silently. Wherever they had landed, it was cold. The chill settled in to her bones and made her shiver.
Exhaustion took over and she felt herself give in to the peace of sleep. Her pain lessened a bit and she breathed a little easier.
“Oh no you don’t.” Someone scolded her.
It had to be Evangeline. She opened her eyes to confirm her calculation and shut them again.
“I’m not losing you, not today sweetie.” Evangeline told her.
Losing her? What did she mean by that? Lillian did not care. She just wanted to sleep. Searing hot pain coursed through her body as she felt bones crack and move back in to place. If she hadn’t already had her eyes closed the pain she was feeling would have blinded her. When Evangeline finished, she slumped down against the bolder.
It must have depleted her completely. Lillian felt wonderful though, not a single stich of pain remained.
“Thank you.” She said. It was all she could manage. What did you say to someone who probably just saved your life?
Evangeline smiled in response.
Lillian took a moment to evaluate their surroundings. They were on the beach not far from a heavily wooded area. The basket was farther down. Clearly, it tossed her farther than she guessed when they crashed.
“Where are Victoria and Alex?” She asked.
“I don’t know. We couldn’t find them.” Ryhan replied.
Lillian noticed the dried blood on Ryhan’s head, but there was no wound. Evangeline must have gotten to her first.
“Should we search for them or wait by the basket?” Ryhan asked.
“I think we are exposed out here, we need to get under some cover. Maybe those trees?” Lillian suggested.
They agreed with her. Ryhan and Lillian each took one of Evangeline’s arms and helped her into the woods. The sun was beyond the horizon and light was fading fast. Ryhan debated on making a fire. If the Centermerge saw the smoke they would find them, but so would Victoria and Alex. In the end, Lillian told her to go ahead.
They should at least stay warm while they figured out what to do next. Once Evangeline had some of her strength back, they all agreed to take turns keeping watch. Lillian would take the second watch so she settled into the ground and tried her hardest to get some sleep.
It was difficult, and she was finally about to surrender to her dreams when she heard a piercing scream. Not even a scream. It sounded more like a wail or cry, and it was close. Silence hung in the air as they waited for something to happen, and Lillian jumped when the cry pierced the night again. It did not sound like an animal, but it definitely did not sound human either.
When they heard the cry a third time there was no need for words, they all got up and started running.
She had no idea where they were running to, and she didn’t care, so long as they were moving away from that sound. Lillian did not need her eyes to see where she was going. She could sense the forest around her. She also sensed death and a lot of it. As she stopped to catch her breath, she realized that the others were no longer behind her.
Calling out for them, she ran back the way she came but could not find them. Frantic she ran all the way back to their small campsite and found nothing. The fire sizzled softly and the ground was still wet where someone doused it with water. Calling out for them again, she heard something in the woods in front of her.
Turning around, she ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction and slammed hard into something solid. She felt arms reach around her and realized that a man stood before her. He gripped her hard and started to drag her away. She screamed and he covered her mouth with his hand. Biting down hard, salty blood filled her mouth. She tried to spit it out but his hand stayed firmly in place and she had no choice but to swallow it.
Bile rose in her throat and she thought she might choke on her own vomit if he did not release her soon. Using every bit of her strength, she raised the roots of a tree behind him and tore away from his loosening grip as he fell backwards. Taking off as fast as she could, she did not wait around to see how quickly he recovered.
The next few seconds that passed seemed like hours. Just when she thought she had escaped him, something worse crossed her path. A creature jumped down from a tree branch above her and knocked her onto her back. Scrambling to get up it grabbed her by the legs and climbed on top of her. Sitting on her chest it looked down on her with a fierce hunger in its crimson eyes.
She had never seen anything so vicious. It looked as though at one time it may have been human or possibly an elf. Its body covered in dirt and dried blood with only a few scraps of cloth covering its genitals. The thought to bed crossed her mind, but she was almost positive that it would not understand her, and if it did, it would not care.
It sniffed her and hissed, showing a row of razor sharp teeth that looked intentionally filled into points. It leaned close and licked her face and she screamed. It screamed back at her. Suddenly it sniffed the air and looked around. Hopping off her it grabbed a fistful of her hair and started to drag her back into the thickness of the woods. Patches of her hair ripped loose from her scalp and she screamed at the burning sensation.
Kicking her feet and putting up as much resistance as she could, she only felt slightly relieved when the man from before leapt out of nowhere and wrestled the creature to the ground. Taking advantage of her moment of freedom Lillian stood and ran, willing her feet to take her far away from them. She was not sure who the mystery man was, but she did not want to stick around and find out. A guttural shriek sounded behind her and she quickened her pace.
The man caught up to her and she stopped and faced him. She was about to tell him she wasn’t afraid of him when he raised his hand to hit her over the head with something, she wasn’t sure what it is was because as soon as it made contact darkness surrounded her.
Part Five
Victoria