Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos Insues ❯ CI10 ( Chapter 10 )

The ritual would only last a few minutes. His men positioned the ceremonial artifacts around Miss Wayfinder, whom stood in the center of the magic circle, as he handed over the book. Moving back, he watched as each one illuminated the room with a different color. At his slight nod the guards removed the woman's chains. She looked up for a moment, registering the loss of metal, before she started. A silent breeze swept in through the open and repaired window. It was strong enough to raise the woman's braid straight up into the air. Her eyes, normally a golden hue, were an unholy shade of red. The Mirror of Despair, the final piece to be placed, began to wail with the voices of the dead. Their combined calls grew in pitch and volume as Daria chanted.

It was all surreal to him. After years of searching and planning he was on the brink of success. His efforts were coming to fruition. He smiled at the wind witch as she cast the spell that would change the world. If she knew, just what it was that she was doing, she gave no sign of it. Bryan Depri would show the world just what he was made of. Because of her acquiescence, he will allow her to live. What better way to get even than by letting her see her own hard work put into action?

The light from the five items converged on her, bathing her in a rainbow of color. Strangely, they brightened over time and seemed to pass through the woman. Much like a prism can turn a ray of white light into a multitude of hues; Daria acted as a conduit. The luminescence, that came from her now, spilled outward in a brilliant flash. The wails of the dead screamed as she spoke the final words.

Her inflection, on those last few words, seemed odd, not quite right to him. This thought was momentarily forgotten by the light show. He turned away from it, throwing an arm up to shield his eyes. He could feel the heat coming from her direction. When the room darkened once more he turned back around. What he saw, more to the point, what he didn't see, caused him to bellow in anger. All his careful planning for naught! The book lay on the floor; Daria was gone and so were the talismans.

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It took my eyes a second or two to focus. Blinking back tears from the pain I spun in place. I was standing outside the warm sunshine beaming down on me in a glade. Something about the area seemed so familiar, like I'd been here before. The sound of laughter came from my right.

Two small girls ran into view. Both had dark brown hair, sisters I guessed. One had green eyes the other golden like my own. Their clothes were elfin and I could see pointed ears on them. The way they moved, the whole situation, caused a memory to drift to the surface of my mind.

“We shouldn't go too far from the village Daria, mother will be worried about us,” she said.

“BUT KATTY!” I replied, puffing out my cheeks.

I stared at my childhood self. I was in the past, or, at the very least, I was dreaming. How this had occurred, I didn't know, nor why I was here. I had read about the concept of traveling through time but there weren't any recorded cases of it working! If I ever get back, by the Goddess, I would be world-renowned!

She looked at me the way mama sometimes did, “Why did you leave it out here? If you can't take care of your things, you won't get to keep them at all.”

“Moonie said he'd watch it for me!” I replied with a smile. “I know my treasure box will be safer with him than it will at home. Just incase the humans turn out to be mean.”

She sighed at me. She knew that I was right about Moonie the wolf. In all the time we had seen and visited with him, he'd not once told a lie. He had watched over us so many times before when we were away from the village. So, my box would still be waiting for me.

I bounded over to the large boulder and jumped on top of it. Cupping my hands to my mouth I called for our friend. At first nothing happened, and then, at the edge of the clearing, out stepped a wolf. I smiled at him and called again as he neared.

“Daria, that's not Moonie! Look out!”

She screamed as it stalked towards me. Its teeth were big and a low growl issued from its gapping maw. I skirted backward in fear and tripped over a rough part of the rock. I toppled off of it and landed on the ground. Afraid to move, I could only watch it.

Kathryn in the mean time had grabbed up a branch and was advancing on them. Her voice was shrill, her fear thick in the air, drawing the creature's attention to her. It turned and lunged at her instead of me. She danced to the side avoiding teeth and claws. It rounded coming in for another attack. I had climbed to my feet in that time and found myself unable to move. The wolf was faster than both of us were. It forced Kat to the ground, latching on to her.

“NO!” I shouted.

“NO!” I yelled.

Someone had called out at the same moment I did. I didn't know who it was and I didn't have the time to wonder. My only thought was that I had to do something. I couldn't let Katty get hurt `cause of me. This pushed me into action.

My feet hit the packed dirt sending up a dust cloud behind me. I jumped the animal, arms locking around its throat. The impact forced it to release Kathryn and we rolled over the grass. When we had stopped, I was looking down at the wolf. It struggled beneath me, trying to free itself and attack. Instinct guided my hand to the dagger at my hip. Mama had given it to me the year before when the first humans came to our village. I drew it now and drove it into the very heart of the creature. I stabbed it again and again until it stopped moving.

My body shook as I scrambled over to Katty. She was bleeding and crying. Her green eyes still had a tint of terror about them. I looked at her wound but I didn't know much about such things. I couldn't tell if it was really really bad, or just really bad, or simply bad, or maybe a minor scratch. I knew enough not to move her! That was the number one thing papa said about people who have been hurt is not to move them unless they were not hurt bad or if they had been treated first.

“I'll get papa, he'll know what to do!” I said firmly. “Don't move Katty!”

I started to get up when she grabbed my wrist, “Wait! I don't want to be alone out here!”

“But, Katty…”

“PLEASE!” Her tone gave me pause and made me want to cry. I couldn't leave now. She needed me.

I glanced around for an answer. I then saw her, standing on the far side of the boulder. One of our kind, but no one I knew. Still, she was one of us. I lifted my voice and called to her, “Please, my sister is hurt! She needs a healer!!”

 

I stared at my younger self in awe. She was looking right at me. Then, I really had gone back in time! What a mess this could be to my future, well her future. I tried to remember what I had to say, if I didn't get the words exact I could change things.

The pretty lady stood there a moment, “I'm not from around here, which way to your village, youngling?”

Her voice was comforting and understanding. I knew she could be trusted with the task, even if she was an outsider. I smiled at her in thanks, pointing to my left, “That way. It's not far. Please, hurry!”

“I will. Fear not, everything will be fine,” she said. At the tree line she turned back, “Don't forget to retrieve your weapon. It won't do you any good should more of them come between you and it.”

I saw her slip out of my sight and I rushed to do as she had instructed. My fear pushed aside as I pulled my dagger free of the animal. The blood dripped down it slowly as I dropped to the earth next to Kat. I swiped the blade along the grass, removing the thick red liquid as best as I could.

“You're going to be fine, Katty. Just you wait! Papa will come and…” I trailed off as I looked at her. She was pale which I knew was not a good sign. I forced a smile, “and, you can chide me fully at home.”

 

She smiled back at me, “Yes, sister. I'm more worried about you than I. You weren't hurt were you?”

“I, I don't know…I think I'm fine…” tears raced down my face, “I was so scared! I thought, I, you…”

 

“Shhh, it's ok.”

I shook my head, “It's not! You could have died, and I don't know what I would have done! This never would have happened, if I'd not left my box out here.”

“Then make me a promise.”

“What kind of promise?” I asked.

She pushed herself up to a seated position and grabbed my upper arm. It started to glow as she spoke, “By the Goddess, I do swear, that I will do everything in my power to keep my sister from harm. Dagger, bow, fist, or spell, I'll protect her `til my last breath. I so do swear, Kathryn Wayfinder.”

My arm burned hot for a second then felt fine. I pushed up my sleeve to see a strange mark had appeared there. It flared bright green before dying out to just a green rune. My sister's name was now tattooed to my skin. I gave her a questioning look. She took my hand and placed it on her own arm.

I took a deep breath, “By the Goddess, I do swear, that I will do everything in my power to keep my sister from harm. Dagger, bow, fist, or spell, I'll protect her `til my last breath. I so do swear, Daria Wayfinder.”

I dropped my hand after the light winked out. Katty lifted her sleeve to reveal my name in a gold rune. She smiled at me. “See, Dar, now you won't have to worry. If one of us is ever in trouble the other will know. The spell will stay until…well, we don't have to worry about that just now. I'll be there if you have great need of me sister,” she said.

“My arm hurts a lot Katty. Is that part of the spell?”

“I'm not sure. I only read about the incantation in mother's book a few weeks ago.”

It was the spell, though we didn't know that until we were much older and our parents told us. They were quite upset about it. From that day on, there would be days when I'd feel a twinge of Kathryn's pain. I only hoped she never felt too much of my own. I got dragged from my memories by the sound of my father's voice calling me. I moved to the other side of the tree to conceal myself. Closing my eyes I sighed.

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When I opened my eyes I was no longer in the forest. All around me were people; a sea of bodies. I was leaning against a building not a tree. It was the city of Kilmorn, a town of merchants and mages. The streets were narrow and maze like. A person could get lost, just by turning around twice. Carts lined what little space there was between houses and always had interesting bobbles to entice the buyer.

The first time I came here was during what the humans call my `rebellious teen' years. Since my people lived very long lives, I was actually about sixty then. I had left home with my friend Sarah Windchaser. We were young and full of crazy ideas about the world. This is where I had heard of the Core.

I ducked behind a fruit cart when I saw myself heading down the street. I didn't want to run into the same problem I had in my childhood. There was a vendor to my right selling cloaks and other travel clothes. I bought a brown hooded cloak and put it on. I followed her at a distance.

“Daria, wait for me!” Sarah yelled from behind me.

“Come on then, and keep up!” I called over my shoulder.

I stopped at the corner and waited for her to catch up with me. Even for a human, she was short. She came up to my elbow making others believe she was not more than a child; when in fact she was in her early twenties. Her pale blue eyes were obscured from view often by a fall of sun dappled blond hair. Unlike myself, she chose to wear a dress that hung to her ankles. How she could fight in something like that was beyond my comprehension.

Sarah and I have been friends since she moved to a neighboring village. The elders had been wary of the humans for they constantly fought each other and anyone that stepped in to make peace. Their ways were strange and often times confusing. One of the few things our two races agreed upon was the protection of life. It is our custom, to send some of our finest, to live among them for a short time and in turn take in those of another. Her family took me in when she was twelve.

She made a face, “When are we going to get to wherever you're taking me?”

“Heh, it's not much farther, I'm sure. That guy said it was around here somewhere,” I replied.

“You girls here for the sign-up then?” a rather dirty old man asked. I nodded at him and he pointed, “two streets up and to your left; you can't miss it, what with the guards and all.”

I grabbed Sarah's hand and started running, “Thanks mister!”

I rounded the second corner and slowed to a walk as we entered a large plaza. The sheer number of people that were crammed into it was staggering. It was worse than the tightly packed streets we just left. I made my way through the crowd, trying to get a better look at the speaker up on the raised platform. His voice was warm and commanding as he talked about the benefits of joining something called the Core.

“We offer, to any that wish to join, a bed to sleep in, and a place to practice your craft. The Core has masters in all different areas such as: magic attack, defense and curative; physical combat, with or without weapons; basic training in all fields; and scholars of every subject to teach languages and other important information. Once you accept, you will always have support, someone to watch your back. Your problems are the Core's problems. If this sounds like the place for you, please come forward and place your name on the list. Transportation will be provided to all that require such. Thank you.”

I turned to Sarah, she'd been so quiet since we left the street, “well, what do we think?”

“It's more than I could have hoped for. You're going to keep your promise aren't you?” She asked.

“Yeah, I'll sign up if you do, and I won't leave unless you want to.”

She smiled, “Thanks Daria. You're a true friend.”

I watched them head to the front of the platform to join the ranks of the Core. I had kept that promise for many years. I stayed even after Sarah had died. The only reason I hadn't left sooner was because of her. What made me finally leave had been a whole lot of crap that Sarah wouldn't have supported if she were alive.

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I blinked and found myself again in new surroundings. It was the great hall of the King's castle. I groaned inwardly, I was starting to notice a pattern in these strange jumps in time. This one, however, only one other person knew about. My friends just figured that they talked me into it; but I knew better. Another promise, another memory. This was the day we lost Light and the others. I slipped into the shadows and waited for the inevitable.

Running into the great hall I looked for the others in the dim candlelight. The columns seemed to shift due to the flickering of the torches. The sounds of feet hitting the floor had drawn me here. I knew someone was close. The word had been spread that Ga'Jin and his forces were in the castle. The Shadow Elite had scattered, to locate Light and the enemy. I had spoken with our leader earlier in the day and he seemed apprehensive about something.

The floor shook violently under me. I shifted my weight to keep from falling as I glanced around. Off to my right, and part way down the hall, a large group of orcs pushed their way towards me. Their stench was almost as bad as their voices. They brandished their curved blades that fanned the collective smell making it worse. Thankfully, I knew how to use a wind barrier. I gave a yell and forced my way into the center of their ranks.

I called up a wall of air, which took the brunt of their attacks, as I moved through the forms I'd learned. My staff, turning in my hands, blocked and countered the blows. The metallic sound of battle washing over me with every step I took. In a matter of minutes I had finished them all. I stood in the middle of them and with a flick of my staff I torched them for good measure.

I leaned heavily on my weapon trying to catch my breath. Despite my efforts I still had sustained injuries from the fight. My right arm was pretty much useless now and I was certain a rib had pierced a lung. I'd have to find Max later and have him fix me up.

“Light, look out!”

My gaze flew to the north end of the great hall at the shouted voice of the healer. I was too far away to see just what was going on. The sounds of a struggle and a spattering of figures were all I needed. Pushing myself, I ran as fast as I could to reach the other end. There was a flash that blinded me for a second. When I could see again I saw Light drop to the ground.

“LIGHT!” I screamed.

 

I sent a bolt of white-hot lightning at his attackers. It missed its target but it did force them back a couple of paces. The massive form of Ga'Jin shook with mirth. He grinned at me and I tried to stop or at the very least get out of the way. I could feel the energy in the room crackle, which usually preceded an attack. I wasn't fast enough. The same bolt I'd used a moment before hit me squarely in the side and I hit the floor hard.

Gasping for air, it took everything I had not to pass out from the shock. When I was sure I wasn't going to vomit I rolled onto my left side. I coughed up a mouth full of blood, my whole body felt like a wet rag. Our foe was gone by the time I could move again.

Light lay a few feet from me and I made my way to him. I could see Max, Drelia, and Megan's limp forms just beyond. My cursed words were echoed by Light as he turned his head.

“Daria, are you all right?” he asked in a rasp.

“Forget about me, what about you? You look horrid,” my own voice wasn't much better.

He shook his head, “The others, are they…?”

“I'm afraid so. No sign of Ga'Jin and his troops either. Give me a moment and I'll go get help.”

“No, it's too late for that. I'll be dead before you could return. Stay. I wish to ask something of you.” I stared silently at him as he found his words, “I need someone to take over for me. I've been watching you these last years and I feel that the team would respond favorably towards you. They respect you Daria.”

“Yes, but they also respect Loc and he's far more qualified than me! I'm a fighter, a follower, not a leader.”

He shook his head, “You're wrong about that. It's true that Loc has the experience commanding others but I fear he might be a tad too lax for the job. You've shown great potential and I know you are ready for this task. Please, give a dying man his last request of you, take my place. I must have your word that you will do this for me.”

 

I knew he was only hanging on by a thread of life. He would not allow himself to rest `til I promised him. Taking a deep breath, I nodded, “You have my word Light.”

“Thank you. It's just a shame I can't see Tawny and my son before the end, I would have liked that very much,” he responded, his eyes starting to dim.

“Rest now, I'll make sure Tawn—Darkness knows you were thinking of her and your son. She'll be safe, no one knows who she is,” I said in a whisper.

He closed his eyes for good, a smile on his lips. I bowed my head and offered up a prayer to the Goddess for my fallen comrades. My own body gave out on me and I plunged into unconsciousness.

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