As the day sets on the first of many on their journey home, Illy and Arwyn stop in a clearing of trees next to a creek. Arwyn dismounts and unbuckles the saddle, removing the weight from his horses back. A soft slap on the hindquarters sends Raze trotting to join Knyt at the creek for a drink. Illy steps up to him as he removes his bow from its bag.
"Are you sure we're safe right now?" She asks twisting her riding blanket in her hands. Arwyn looks at her and then collects his arrows.
"We haven't seen any sign of a pursuit. I'm certain we're in no danger." He adjusts the bow on his back and wraps the quiver strap across his chest.
"Though having no pursuit is suspicious, there is no reason to panic until given one. Just remain vigilant and everything will be fine."
"I'm going to go get us some dinner. Can you get the bedding laid out and the fire going for me?" Illy nods her head still wearing her worried expression. Arwyn sighs slightly and pulls her to his chest, placing his chin on top of her head. He holds her tightly for a few moments. The tension in her body slowly starts to fade.
"My one purpose in this world is to protect you. I will let no harm come to you as long as I live," Arwyn proclaims and she embraces him tightly.
"If you die I would go crazy from the pain," she tells him without moving from his chest, "you wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Arwyn grins slightly.
"Never." Illy looks up at him with a small smile. He pulls her tighter into his chest and holds her close. After placing a light kiss on her forehead, Arwyn turns and walks into the trees.
"I'll be back soon," he shouts over his shoulder, disappearing into the shadows without waiting for a response. Illy goes to work on the fire and bedding.
As she keeps busy with her jobs, her mind starts to wonder. She hates being sent out to decline requests but understands the custom. Illy thinks back to Lekon, instantly glad for the tradition. She shudders as she thinks about what the Abitanti Ombra would be forced to do if they had agreed to his request.
Though many requests have been accepted, none have been for war except one.
In 500 years only one request for battle has ever been accepted.
The sunlight flares bright red and orange as it falls over the horizon. Darkness slowly follows and the night creatures start to stir. The insects chirp loudly at the stars and the night air slowly grows colder with the absence of the sun as Illy sits by the fire finally finished with her tasks.
"Oh my God! I love you right now!" Illy spins at the stranger's voice, instantly pulling her dagger from its sheath. Two women, clothed in more finery than Illy has seen in a lifetime, stumble into the clearing and nearly fall into the fire trying to get close.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Illy shouts pointing the dagger at them ready to defend herself if necessary. One of the two women stops warming herself from the fire and turns to face Illy.
"No need to be rude, Illy, we were simply cold and wanted to warm ourselves by the fire," she tells her. Illy steps back and raises the dagger a bit higher.
"How do you know my name?" The woman looks confused by the question at first, but understanding quickly relieves her features.
"I forget that we are not as well known in this world as we are in most of the others." She steps forward as she speaks. Tall and slim, the young woman – older than Illy, but not at all elderly – is beautiful and elegant. Her dark blonde hair is tucked into a tight bun and pinned by jeweled netting. Her eyes the color of an afternoon sky enhanced further blue by the sapphire dress, boxed cut low in the front. Sparkles spatter her cheeks, neck, and cleavage, giving a fairy–like glow to her appearance.
Illy again points the dagger at her in warning not to come any closer, the woman stops.
"You won't be needing that," announces the other one warming herself by the fire. Her hair is an unnatural shade of bright red and cut short to the chin. She wears a similar dress to the first but the color of rubies. Her skin has the same sparkle, which in turn causes her pale green eyes to also sparkle slightly.
Illy looks down for a second and notices that the dagger is gone from her grasp, a quick search reveals it to be in the redhead's hand now.
"Are you witches?" Illy asks as she takes a cautious step away from them. The tall one laughs at the accusation and shakes her head.
"No, something quite a bit more powerful." Illy feels a shiver invade her spine as the night air seems to grow darker and more foreboding. A strong breeze, emanating from the woman in front of her, slams into Illy nearly knocking her over. The woman's hair blows wildly in the wind and her azure eyes glow bright with a power-filled gaze. Her companion steps up behind her, hair flowing wildly in the air like a raging inferno of red, eyes glowing fluorescent green in contrast to the other's majestic blue. She has a mischievous smile that makes her almost scary to look upon.
Illy freezes in place out of fear of the displayed power in front of her.
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Just before sunset, Arwyn creeps silently through the brush as he slowly stalks his prey: a doe feasting on some berries. He notches an arrow, raises his bow and draws the string. The sound causes the doe to stop and listen in alarm. Freezing, muscles locked in position and even breathing slowing to non-existence, Arwyn waits patiently for the deer to feel secure again. Time crawls as the doe waits for more movement. Arwyn ignores the strain on his arms as he maintains the bow's aim on the animal, the string still drawn ready to release.
Finally, the doe seems content that the world is safe once again and goes back to eating the berries. Arwyn releases his long held breath as silently as possible and offers up a prayer.
"Thank you for the life you are about to give so that me and my family may live. Go into death knowing that your sacrifice has not been made in vain." The doe raises its head, but not in alarm, and looks at Arwyn. It bows slightly and closes its eyes as Arwyn releases the tension on the string and the arrow finds its target in the deer's chest.
Arwyn kneels by his kill, removing the arrow and pulling his knife from its sheath.
"That was an impressive shot, Arwyn of the—" Arwyn places his forearm across her throat and his dagger firmly pointed at her heart as he pins her to a nearby tree. She blinks in surprise and then smiles in amusement.
Her emerald dress leaves little to the imagination with the cut. Rust colored hair cascades across her shoulders. Pale blue eyes pierce him as she retains her amused expression for him. Faint glowing skin glitters in the moonlight. Arwyn can tell she's not human just by looking at her.
"Speak quickly, witch, what are you doing here?" She taps his arm lightly to tell him to loosen up. Arwyn complies slightly but never removes the blade from its position.
"You can't kill me, Arwyn, and I take offense to the witch remark," she chokes with a smirk. Arwyn slams her against the tree again.
"I don't care what you take as an offense, but do not doubt my ability. Killing you will not weigh on my heart in the least." The woman giggles at him and Arwyn applies more pressure to her throat. She again taps his arm to tell him something and he releases some tension.
"I have no doubt that you would feel nothing by sliding that dagger into my still beating heart," she starts before completely vanishing from his grasp in a puff of smoke, "but you still will not be able to kill me." Arwyn spins on his heel and launches dagger at the woman. The knife spins and connects with her chest with a wet thunk. Dropping to her knees, she gasps for breath her eyes look up at him with surprise. Blood starts bubbling from the corners of her mouth and drips down her chin. No sound comes when she tries to use her voice.
Finally her eyes roll into the back of her head and she expels her last breath while looking to the sky. Her body remains motionless as it balances perfectly in her kneeling position. Arwyn takes a step toward her to retrieve his dagger when she starts dissolving into dust. His blade clatters on the ground as her remains fly away in the evening breeze.
Arwyn swipes the dagger from the ground and turns back to his deer, coming face to face with the woman he just killed. Her eyes bore into him with a faint, but intense, glow that makes them a brighter blue. The power flowing freely from her is foreboding and Arwyn instinctively wants to step back, but her face is smiling brightly.
"I told you that you can't kill me. Though I do think you're cute for trying." She taps his nose in a playful manner. She looks him over slowly and then smiles seductively, nibbling her bottom lip.
"I have to admit, having someone as hot as you killing me isn't all bad," she tells him dripping with innuendo. "Can I give you a bath? With my tongue?" Licking her lips, hunger prevalent in her eyes, she slowly traces Arwyn's stomach muscles. Arwyn stays still but slowly positions his dagger in his hand for a quick slash if needed. The woman leans into him slowly, making sure she touches every inch of him that she can.
"Can I eat you?" Arwyn shoves her, hard, and leaps backward, gaining a height not available to humans. Slowly flipping in the air, he lands a fair distance away from her, crouching low to the ground, his dagger between his teeth and his swords in both his hands, a low growl rumbling from his chest.
The slow burn of his eyes study her every movement from the cloud of dust swirling around him. She slowly regains her feet and dusts herself off.
"Oh, Arwyn, you're not scared of little old me, are you?" she asks feigning innocence. Arwyn responds by baring his teeth and growling louder, deeper, in warning.
The woman finally gives up and turns in a flow of cloth. The cloth swirls and twists and reshapes into the woman a distance away.
"I would grab your kill and follow me if I were you," she shouts over her shoulder as she steps in to the darkness between the trees, "my other self is putting on quite the show. You wouldn't want to miss it. But let me warn you, you won't be able to kill her either. Best not to try."
"Why should I follow you?" Arwyn shouts after her, sheathing his swords and dagger. Her answer comes from the darkness of the forest and surrounds him from all directions, as if it's the trees themselves answering him.
"Because if you don't I can't guarantee your sweet Illy's life." Arwyn quickly throws the deer onto his shoulders and runs in the direction he saw the woman go.
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Illy shrinks from the power display, wanting to hiding in the forest. She tries to hide in the shade, but the energy the woman is producing is preventing her change. The women start moving toward her and Illy goes rigid with fear. These are not normal witches or enchantresses. Their power is on a scale that she's never seen before in her short 17 year life.
And the scariest thing of all: They have no soul in their eyes.
The two women slowly move closer and closer, power and energy flowing from their bodies in waves. As the trees and foliage bend to their will, a soft glow at their feet highlights their features. They continue their advance and Illy lowers her head in defeat.
A rustling in the brush behind them cause Illy and the women to look in that direction. A hunting knife flies from the darkness spinning rapidly, hilt over tip, as it makes it way to the woman closest to Illy. A second later Arwyn bursts through and rushes the perceived threat. The knife sinks to the hilt into her chest and immediately the energy waves cease as she collapses into dust. Reaching Illy in a few strides, he pulls her tight to his back and holds her close with one arm as the other releases one of his swords from its prison.
The woman Arwyn was following appears from behind the fire and joins with the one with the red hair. A small whirlwind of dirt and energy swirls in front of them and quickly shapes into the woman that he had just killed. The lady in the back smirks.
"I told you it was better to not even try," she gloats. Illy takes a fist full of Arwyn's tunic. Arwyn releases her, confident that she's safe behind him, and pulls his second sword from his back.
"I got her to stop, didn't I? It's still up for debate on whether you can be killed or not." Her smirk spreads into a grin.
"I like him," turning to her companion next to her, "Can I keep him?"
"No!" her companion and Illy say together. There's a brief pause as Illy shrinks back behind Arwyn before the woman continues.
"You can't have him, Tana. You know what his future holds." Arwyn finally learned the woman's name. Tana pouts her bottom lip and looks at Arwyn with sad eyes, though he gets the impression that they aren't because she was denied. No, he feels her eyes are for him and whatever the future holds.
"Quiet both of you!" the reformed woman in the front shouts, though more in warning than anger. It seems they were about to reveal more than they are supposed to. The two flinch away.
"Sorry, Esdea." She shoots Tana a glare without lifting her head. Tana rolls her eyes and then looks at Esdea.
"Yeah, sorry." Esdea sighs then looks at Arwyn with an intensity that shakes him to the core. It seems like she can gaze into his soul and bore through his very being. Arwyn shivers involuntarily.
She is not a being you want to be enemies with, he thinks.
"Well, since Oris let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, I guess I'll have to explain why we're here," she sighs in defeat.
"Talk, but make it fast, I've had an extremely bad day today and trying to kill you seems like a good stress reliever." Esdea remains stoic. Tana's eyes light up in excitement, Arwyn shivers again at the thoughts that could be going through her mind.
"Yes, the Sahte Prince. We know all about that encounter." She drops her eyes and whispers, "unfortunately."
"Sahte? I'm unfamiliar with that word, what language is it?" Arwyn asks letting his defense slip slightly. Esdea grins.
"You'll find the meaning out later. Though the language will remain a mystery. It's from a world you will never know." Arwyn is left even more confused.
"You're obviously powerful and you seem to have some knowledge of the future, but you have failed to inform us why you're here," Arwyn sheathes his swords and tucks Illy into the crook of his arm, comforting her with a protective arm around her waist. Jealousy flashes for a brief second in Tana's eyes as she looks at them.
"You're quite right," Esdea agrees, "allow us to remedy that." She glance behind her, Oris and Tana nod their heads. Starting to glow so brightly the shadows grow darker, the three woman float just above the ground riding a cushion of energy pulsating from their bodies. Their eyes snap to Arwyn and Illy in unison, black pools of power. Colored lights of energy dance in the darkness. Their dresses and hair flow and billow around them making them appear as if they are floating underwater.
"Arwyn, Chief of the Abitanti Ombra, you will watch as your village is burned," they prophesize together, their voices speaking in unison echoing through the clearing.
"You lie!" Arwyn shouts brandishing his sword for emphasis. The three neither flinch nor show any emotion at the outburst.
"I never lie. You will lose your people and you will be the cause. Even now you carry your people's destruction ever closer to the village." Again in unison.
Esdea floats down to face Arwyn, "but this is something that must come to pass."
"If you are to fulfill your destiny you will first have to lose your attachment to the past." Arwyn's shoulders square in defiance. Esdea hovers in front of him, regarding him coldly with a calculating stare. Illy buries her face into his chest.
"Is there a way to change the fate of my people?" he asks. Tana and Oris move to join Esdea. The three slowly land on the ground their glow fading, but never losing the power dancing in their eyes.
"There is," they speak.
"Answer another question, if I change the fate of my village and people what will happen to the kingdoms of which you speak?" Their emotionless stares remain, unblinking.
"There is a cloud of evil and darkness gathering in the distance. Left unhindered it will consume the known world." The lack of emotion in their voices is a sharp contrast to the beings they were before, full of life and emotion. The indifference when talking about destruction and death is unnerving.
"So, in order to stop this darkness I must lose my home and family?" The three remain silent and that is all the answer Arwyn needs.
"How do I know that you're telling the future and not just a version of it?"
"The proof will come in a swarm of black and red. But, as is the way with destiny, the choice is yours to do what needs to be done to follow it. There are paths you can still take that will change your fate. The choice is yours, but know this… Only the path I've laid in front of you will lead to salvation." They glide closer to Arwyn, malice and anger the first emotions shining through their faces.
"But heed my words, Stulti Principes, this darkness will consume the world and you will lose everything either way. The cloud is coming and your people will not be immune to its influence."
"There will be no salvation if this opportunity is missed."
Arwyn holds Illy as if it is the last time as the words penetrate. Esdea, Tana, and Oris stand staring at the duo, detached. He finally looks at them, anger drained and only loss in his demeanor, though still hopeful.
"Who are you?" he whispers. The discontent slips for the first time and Tana glides forward to answer.
"I am Akasha. The past, present, and future," they say together as they land surrounding the couple. Arwyn regards the trio as they continue.
"I represent all the knowledge, both past and future, of all the realms, dimensions, worlds, and timelines. Both known and unknown."
"I am infinity," they say before sliding around each other, faster and faster until they are no more than blurs of themselves. Colliding together, they explode and disappear.
Arwyn and Illy stand silently holding each other in the soft glow of the fire.