Forced into Fantasy 2

Chapter 16 - Trouble

Adomis;

King Varrus and I have been discussing possible options of how we would somehow manage to transport a larger number of our combined men along with us to the Mountain Ranges, but so far all we have come up with are options that do nothing but waste time.

‘We have no time to lose.’

‘We need to find Ivy… now!’

Feeling a sense of pressure enclosing all around me, I quickly excused myself and retreated here to my chambers to try and think of something… anything that might work.

I’ve been pacing back and forth across the length of the chamber since I first arrived and still I’ve come up with f*****g nothing!

I feel enraged, as if I can do nothing once again while that bastard has his hands all over my Ivy.

I realise that I need to release some of this built-up steam badly, as I continue to pace back and forth across the chamber’s stone floor.

As my hand reaches into my pocket at random, my brows furrow as my fingers feel the solid surface of something sitting inside. Grasping it and lifting it out, I raise it up to get a better look at what I am now holding.

The moment my dark eyes land on it they widen with realisation of what this could actually mean for us.

“No way...”

‘It’s the f*****g Ruby Amulet!’

‘I’d completely forgotten about it being on me the entire time.’

And more importantly, I could use the amulet’s power to transport our entire army to the location in question!

“I’m coming Ivy.” I announce softly into the air as I turn and march back out of my chambers, headed downstairs to meet with Varrus.

I’m certain he will be pleased with this news.

-

As I am finally redirected to where King Varrus has been waiting patiently for me, I stroll out onto the balcony holding out the amulet with a satisfied grin spread across my face. I make my announcement proudly as I come to stand beside him.

“I have a way to get as many men as we need to the destination. Instantaneously.”

Varrus turns to me, his brow raised in question.

“How so?”

As soon as his eyes lock onto my amulet he freezes, an expression of disbelief wafting over him as he glances between me and the ancient trinket.

“You possess the Ruby Amulet.” he announces with surprise.

“But I thought it had been long since lost.”

“Let’s just say…” I pause and smirk at the thought of that beautiful temptress… my Ivy, “…an Angel flew in and left it for me.”

His expression mirrors further confusion, but he does not hold onto it for very long.

“Well, what are we waiting for? We should prepare for our departure immediately.” Varrus suggests with a smile.

“I’ll ready the men who accompanied me and you organise your own soldiers as necessary. Where should we meet?”

“We’ll all meet down in the main courtyard in around ten minutes.” I command, still managing to show a massive respect for this ruler who has chosen to assist me with locating the woman that I love.

I wouldn’t have made so much progress in this without his assistance, that’s for sure.

“We will be there.” he agrees with a nod before turning and heading off back into the castle to ready his men.

His King’s Guard soldiers follow along afterwards, and I am soon left standing alone on the balcony once more. Glancing down at the amulet for a moment, I only now realise something rather important for what we are now planning to do...

I have no idea of how to activate its powers.

Then an idea suddenly hits me and my eyes light up with a longing need to see my woman.

I know who I need to visit…

Zarkin.

-

It takes a while, but I finally locate the Mage Zarkin back in the meeting room.

He’s currently standing over the map and I see the inked face of the Lady Misandra hovering just above it. I make my way across to stand beside him, tuning in on their current conversation.

“From what I can gather, the Lady Ivy is somewhere South of the Mountain Ranges, still headed in that direction.” Misandra announces.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, suddenly alerting them both to my presence.

Zarkin turns to face me and appears flustered.

“Forgive me sire. I wasn’t going behind your back, I only wanted to make sure we were headed in the right direction.” he admits, then looking back at Misandra.

“As it appears, Ivy’s currently on the move.”

I narrow my eyes in question as he points with his finger towards the middle of the forest, beside the ranges on the map.

“We think she’s about there, still headed in a southernly direction. It’s quite a way out from where you were planning on sending your soldiers. Several hours or so to be precise.”

I take this onboard, feeling rather thankful that we know this now rather than later on. The Mage has done very well by following his so-called ‘hunch’. He’s saved us a lot of time and effort in the process.

I place my hand onto his shoulder and smile.

“Thank you, Zarkin. I’m glad to have you around.”

He returns my smile, bowing his head, “Of course, Overlord. I only meant to assist you.”

“Hey, what about me?” Misandra calls out, apparently enraged that we would dare forget her part in this good news.

I grin as I speak to her now, “How could I forget…”

I turn to face her.

“And thank you, Milady. Your efforts have also saved us a great deal of searching, on our part. I am indeed grateful.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” she grins with satisfaction.

But within the fraction of a second her inked expression suddenly changes to one that startles me, a look of pure horror.

I frown as Zarkin and I watch on in confusion.

Her eyes are wide and her mouth even wider now as she appears to be… choking?

We can hear her gasping, desperate for air… it makes absolutely no sense!

“What’s wrong with her?” I ask the Mage.

Zarkin and I look to one another, both baffled at what is happening and not knowing how we could possibly think to help her.

“Lady Misandra, what is it?” Zarkin asks rather urgently.

“Zarkin, what’s wrong with her?” I repeat, this time a little more urgently.

“I don’t know…” the Mage appears terrified as he shakes his head.

Suddenly a large looming hooded creature appears from out of thin air, rising up from behind the desk in front of us where the map is rested.

His glowing white irises are currently fixated on the map and Misandra’s hovering head. A maniacal smirk spreads wider and wider across his pale white face as she continues to gas in desperation. She’s clearly in serious amounts of pain.

“By the gods…” Zarkin whispers as we both take several steps back from him.

“He found us.”

“What the hell is that?” I ask bluntly, my hand already wrapped around the handle of my sword.

“Guards! Get in here now!”

I unsheathe it and cautiously watch on as the demonic creature rises up to stand at its full height, towering over both of us easily.

It’s massive!

My soldiers are quick to respond and come hurtling into the room with us.

One by one they come to a halt just behind me as they too lock eyes with the insidious creature standing before us. I can see the fear in their eyes as they stand staring in disbelief.

General Tabius and Captain Khalan join us soon after but are equally baffled by the dangerous intruder standing before us.

Taking the lead, I use my more commanding voice as I speak to this strange being.

“I command that you release your hold on Lady Misandra and leave my castle at once!”

But I fear my choice of words may have been a terrible mistake.

Suddenly his hauntingly horrifying eyes lock onto mine and his blackened lips curve upward at both sides. I feel a cold chill begin to run down the base of my spine.

“Overlord Adomis, I presume…” he speaks with his demonically deep voice.

I notice that there is an echo to each of his words as he speaks them aloud.

“I have been waiting to meet the one bonded with my vessel.”

My brows furrow inwards at his admission.

“Vessel? What the hell are you talking about?”

Zarkin whispers with a quick side glance, “He speaks of Lady Ivy, Overlord.”

But this only confuses me more. I grip the handle of my sword a little tighter now, as if preparing for armed combat.

His eyes dart down at my sword and he lets out a deep, belly-curdling laugh which fills the room, bouncing off of the stone walls surrounding us.

“You pathetic humans and your mortal weapons… you are no threat to me.”

“Maybe he’s not a threat to you, Balzard…” Zarkin chimes in now, “But I’ll gladly take you out.”

Both of his hands suddenly burst into twin neon green flames, glowing brightly enough to match the new shade of his luminescent eyes. He’s activated some sort of power and his sights are set on the creature standing before us.

The intruder’s eyes narrow slightly, but his smile remains.

“I see you know my name, Mage. Not that it matters. I’m not here for any of you.” he bellows confidently. “Tell me where the girl is, and perhaps I’ll choose to kill you all quickly.”

My eyes betray me as they suddenly dart down at the map for a moment, then back up at him.

‘If he sees it he’ll know exactly where Ivy is!’

‘I need to distract his attention away from it.’

Balzard’s glowing eyes follow mine and lower down towards Misandra who is still frantically gasping for air.

‘s**t!’

For a head made entirely of black ink, I can see the sheer terror in her eyes as she looks to us for some kind of help. Help, it would appear, we are currently unable to give her.

‘How the hell do you save a head made entirely of ink anyway?’

“You’re after the creator.” Zarkin announces, facing off with this dangerous entity. “But you’ll never find her. Not where we’ve hidden her.”

I give the Mage a side glance, unsure of whether I should go along with his sudden plan of his or not. We haven’t hidden Ivy anywhere… just what is Zarkin up to?

Balzard’s white eyes lift back up to meet Zarkin’s challenge.

“Foolish mortals. You can not hide my vessel from me.” he announces sternly, his voice continuing to echo eerily. “I can sense her… always…”

My face contorts into a snarl as my protective side surfaces at the mention of my woman.

“If you even think about touching her-”

The demonic entity suddenly surprises me by throwing out his hand directed at me and I am pushed backward by an unseen force. I’m violently thrown halfway across the room until I finally land hard on the ground beneath me with a pained grunt.

I hear as my sword clatters to the ground beside me and I roll onto my hands and knees, facing the creature once more.

A newfound sense of anger begins to boil up from within me and I feel a hot rage burning, one that I am unable to quench.

My breathing suddenly changes, becoming shorter and shallower as I pull myself back up to stand. I take a step towards where my sword lies and bend down to grasp it tightly in my hand, lifting it up to challenge Balzard’s power.

“Is that the best you’ve got?”