CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
1469 Words
Auria perked up at the fairy queen’s words.
“So it is true, then. Silvus has returned.”
The fairy queen inclined her head in acknowledgement. A thousand years ago, when Queen Andromeda teleported the Illuvian knights back to Illumia, not only did she bring the enemies to her home, she also brought with her the magical creatures that reside on Earth.
Auria met the fairy queen when she was just eleven years of age and was starting her magic training with her grandfather. She was having difficulty in conjuring the fire spell and was sulking at a corner. The king left her with a simple advice. That she should empty her thoughts and let the element come to her. Auria huffed to herself and tried really hard to concentrate but it was so hard. The frustration of not being good enough to be the queen, of not being good enough to be a warrior, of not being good to be a leader ate away at her soul, making her lose focus countless of times.
Out of frustration, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She thought of the wind, the earth and the smell of dew on the leaves. She did not have any patience with learning this meditation thing but she wanted to do it for her grandfather. So she started to breathed deeply and thought of happy things. She thought of the beauty of Durin and how she wanted the world to be bathed in white light.
She did not notice that a few bright lights have already whirled around her head. Her body was glowing and when she opened her eyes, the fairy queen stood before her with a bemused expression on her face. Her grandfather had mentioned that the Aurora spell that her mother used before her death collects all magic and magical creatures into a circular ball and then transports them to the place the spell caster would direct them to. She was unaware that she was already summoning the magical creatures towards her and that she was already using the Aurora spell.
Queen Giselle became her close ally and had taught her some spells that not even her grandfather can perform. She had also been like a mother figure to her like Lady Gwynn did when she was still a child. She often visited the little princess and they had formed a bond that only magical creatures have.
“It is true. Silvus has returned. He is the one who has opened the portals of both the Earth and Illumia worlds. His powers are greatly improved but his heart remains impure. He still is obsessed over your mother and, by extension, over you. You need to be careful, princess.”
Auria sighed.
“Why is he doing this? Can he find someone else to obsess about?” Auria muttered with a laugh. The fairy queen gave a gentle smile.
“Evil only understands greed, envy and lust. It can never find peace until it has what it covets.” Lady Giselle replied, her eyes kind as she trained them on the princess.
“I can see your future, my queen. In this world and the other, you will find love. You can’t choose one over the other as your duty binds you here, in this kingdom that your forefathers have fought for and defended against. You will have more than what you have bargained for in this journey you wish to undertake as what you have seen with the victims of those creatures.”
“What are those creatures, your majesty?” Auria asked the fairy queen as they turned their faces towards the still burning blue pyre of the monsters’ corpse.
“They are abominations that were mages from the coven of Hildegard.”
Auria’s eyes widened as she realized what this meant. These creatures were the missing members of the coven of Lady Sandra.
“What happened?” Auria asked in horror.
“It is because of Lady Sandra’s sin. She offended Silvus and her coven paid for it.” The fairy queen explained. She sat on the boulder nearby as they continued to talk.
“How can we defeat them? The way that they are creating their minions meant that they had been planning this attack for a long time now.” Auria voiced out her concern. She was worried that this expedition maybe fruitless. Both Cambria and Virui do not have the means to defend themselves against these monsters. Each portal that she had closed may have been opened long before. How can she even defeat the enemy if they have these kinds of creatures roaming around?
Queen Giselle flicked her finger and a map appeared in her hands. She offered the map to Auria with a smile.
“Find the wolf, the hunter, the warrior and the scholar. Two from this world, two from without. They will be your guide and one will be your king. The map will bring you to where you should go. This is all the help me and my comrades can give you. If you need more, do not hesitate to call.”
Auria accepted the map and the tap on the head. She knew it was a benediction from the fairy queen.
“I am more concerned that you might be putting yourself in danger.” She breathed and held the fairy queen’s hand. The queen smiled gently and patted Auria’s hand.
“Do not fret, my love. He may have power but us that follows the light are much stronger than he who had lived in the dark. We are grateful that your mother gave us a home. We will return the favor no matter what the cost.”
Auria looked up at the fairy queen upon hearing her words.
“You never did tell me why were you grateful for my mother’s spell.”
The queen smiled wistfully as she gazed back at the white moon.
“Once upon a time, magic was abundant on Earth. Magical creatures were celebrated as gods and goddesses and were revered by the humans. We were given temples, offerings and gifts and were even considered sacred. But the time of magic started to wane. Some of our kind were insulted, tortured and even forced out of our homes because we were considered evil, bringers of bad luck and worthless. The time when we would be celebrated has left us with nothing. Our homes destroyed to make make-shift houses, our temples torn down to make way for pavements. The age of the knights would have died with us if not for the spell that your mother did. She gave us a home in these lands. We can live a life from the humans but still coexist with them. It is a wonderful life and we would do everything in our power to defend it.”
She looked down at the young princess.
“You are the daughter of our benefactor so we will help you achieve your mission and ensure that your safety and ours will remain as it is. No one will sully this world with their tainted intentions.” The queen whispered as she silently blended into the night, taking the wisps with her.
Auria looked up and noticed Aidan coming towards her.
Her shift for the night was over.
*****
Auria woke up feeling refreshed and ready to do battle.
She nodded as she passed the warriors who were breaking up camp and readjusting their bags onto the horses. Leo had ordered them to eat their ration before they could start their journey. Auria was a little bit worried that she might not be ready to use her powers yet but as she walked towards the small river by the camp, every step she took brought a small smile to her lips. She felt light hearted and knew that things are looking up.
She kept her thoughts to herself. She did not know if she should talk to Leo about the news given by Queen Giselle. The map that was given to her was strapped onto the satchel of her horse and her energy has been replenished. Might be because of the benediction the fairy queen had bestowed upon her before disappearing into the night.
Her thoughts stopped for a moment as she bent near the river’s edge. She cupped her hands onto the water and drank for a bit before splashing some onto her face. She carefully wiped her face with a dry cloth from her pocket before washing her hands.
A slight rustling of grass, called her attention. She looked up and her heart stopped.
An arrow was aimed at her head.
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