"Just give us the rocks! It's not that hard!"
"I'm sorry but we only have two of them."
"Natasha told us that when we have two rocks we will be led right to the third." Said the blonde
"Really? That's not what she told us."
She smiled
"Do you think she might have lied to you?"
"I don't think so."
Kasey got between me and the blonde.
"Aunt Sia, you know Natasha. she would never lie. Plus you and I both know that you can't have the stones unless you win them in a sword duel."
"Fine. I will fight you all."
"You can only fight one person."
"Fine. I'll fight you!"
Sia snapped her fingers. The stones immediately flew out of my hands. They soared into the air as they turned into swords and dropped into Kasey and Sia's Hands.
"Alright, but you will regret it."
"Cut the chit chat. Time to battle."
"So bring it on then."
Kasey darted towards Sia as she swept to the left. Kasey fell down as she got back up quickly. Sweat fell down her face. Sia laughed.
"Natasha always said you were the first one to sweat."
"No need to bad mouth my mom!"
"Alright. But it is true."
"I don't care! This is between me and you!
" That is true. But it's funny that you're already sweating."
"But that's not the point. Stop it, ok. We just need to battle so we can end it right now."
Sia jumped into the air and dashed towards Kasey. Kasey darted away from her. This time Sia dropped to the ground and when she got up I saw that she had cut her lip.
"Really? You call me weak? It's only been a few minutes and you have already cut yourself with your sword!"
"I only called you weak, because you were the first one to sweat."
" That's true but you were the first one to bruise yourself. So you're the one who's weak I guess!"
"Hey, this is a battle of strength and we will fight till someone drops their sword and no earlier!"
"Hey you are the one that's talking. If you would just shut up then we would already have this battle done."
Kasey leaped into the air with both hands on her sword. She came down from the air as it touched Sia and sliced her nose clean off!
My jaw dropped.
"Way to go Kasey!"
"Don't cheer now you two! I haven't dropped my sword yet!"
"That's true! So bring it on!"
Sia leaped into the air this time as her sword dropped out of her hands.
"Well I guess we can cheer now! You dropped your sword!"
"It's not my fault! You cut my nose off!"
"You're right. So best 2 out of 3?"
"Agreed! And I will be the one to win this time!"
"Alright then, sore loser!"
Blood poured down from the center of Sia's face as she leaped at Kasey with both hands on her sword as she swept to the side and Sia sliced the top half of her ear off.
"You're a jerk! I'm sorry I sliced your nose off but, you had no reason to slice part of my left ear off!"
"Yes I did! I had to pay you back somehow!"
Sia jumped at Kasey and knocked her sword out of her hands.
"Ha! I told you I would win!"
"Yeah. But you sure didn't do it nicely!"
"It doesn't matter! I still won anyway!"
"Alright, it 's tiebreaker time!"
"In my world, it's meet your maker time."
Sia jumped at Kasey as they pulled each other's hair off. I got in between them.
"Stop both of you! Are the stones really worth that much? I mean, you two are literally killing each other."
"Kaze, I have been preparing for this battle since I was very little. But to answer your question, yes it is! The stones hold the power of God in them and I can't just let that power go to the unworthy."
"Okay. But are stones really worth killing each other over?"
"As I told you before, I can't risk people who would use them just for their own personal gain use them."
Sia got off Kasey as Kasey bumped Sia onto the ground.
"Sia, you are not worthy of this power!"
"Oh okay. Who are you to judge who is worthy of the power of God?!"
"Fine. You're right. But, King Gian and his wife created the stones from the branches of the rose so that the Kingdom of Hainer would be unified and not broken apart!"
"And you think under my watch that the kingdom wouldn't be better off then if all of you held the power?"
I shook my head.
"Just end this battle already! Besides, without the third stone the powers of the rose cannot be activated."
"Oh so this battle is basically worthless then?'
"Yes."
Kasey glared at me.
"Actually, you're wrong. The enchantress predicted this battle would happen so that the three servants who would be found worthy by this battle would be the ones who are worthy to put the stones in their carvings and the new rose would reveal itself."
"Oh. Really? I didn't know this battle was that important."
"It is. So just let us have this last round of the battle."
The ground shook as an orb of light came down from the heavens.
Light shot itself into Kasey's sword as Sia jumped towards the orb with her sword and tried to stop Kasey from being the one destined to win this most important battle. The orb sensed that Sia wasn't worthy of the power of the rose and made her drop her sword on the ground.\The swords flew up into the air and turned back into stones and dropped in mine and Liana's hands. Sia fell down on the ground sobbing.
"No! This can't happen!
Kasey smiled.
"I can tell you tried your hardest, Sia. But destiny must make its ugly head come out sometimes."
"I will leave now. But mark this: This is not the last time we will meet! I will find another way to get the stones!"
"When you do, we will be there to stop you and protect the stones! Until then I bid you farewell dastardly fiends!"
Sia opened a portal and she and her minions went into it. I hung my head.
"What's wrong? I won the duel, didn't I?"
""I was just thinking of what you said to Sia before she left."
"What about it?'
"What if we can't protect the stones?"
"Think positive and besides we haven't got there yet. So just focus on the present and we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides, as long as I'm here we can't lose."
"What about the thing about the holders of the stones having to be sisters?
"What about it?"
"You're not our sister! So unless Paige wakes up we cannot activate the stones."
"Actually there is a loophole I didn't tell you about. "
"Which is? "
"I was their when the enchantress died and she told me that if the sister thing wasn't a guarantee, a relative/ kid of one of the original sisters can step in for the sister that is not able wield the powers whether by death/ a illness permits them unable to perform the duties of these powers entail."
"Oh. But do you have brothers or sisters you would have to fight for the right to hold the power?"
"Yes, my brother Haze."
"So does he have any special abilities like you do?"
""Yes. He can move things with his mind."
"Is that all?"
"No. He can control people's thoughts."
"But that means he can control their actions too!"
"Does he have any weaknesses then?"
"Yes. As you can tell because of his name, he becomes confused easily and he's also quick to change his mind."
"Oh. That's both good and bad."
"How so?"
"You said he becomes confused easily but then you said that he also changes his mind very quickly. So for example if he wanted me to kill you or some other decision that he would want to make, we can convince him to change his mind because if changes his mind quickly it can also mean that he can be convinced to change his mind very easily."
"True. But I still think he is a formidable opponent because he can control people's thoughts and actions."
"I don't doubt that. But we won't have to deal with him until we find the last stone. Then and only then will we know if all the holders of the stones will for sure be girls."
"This is true. So I cannot wait to meet Haze and watch both of you battle ."
"Do you think I have a good chance of winning?"
"Stop right there. As long as we're here beside you we will help you the best we can. I assure you that you are not on your own and Liana and I will make sure that the stones stay in the right hands."
"I wish that was true."
"It is. Liana and I might not have any special abilities like you and Haze do but we banter and convince people really easily."
"One more thing, Haze is very wise and he can tell very easily when someone is trying to control him."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it is not gonna be as easy as just convincing him to change his mind on his actions or thoughts. Simple bantering won't be just enough for him to change his mind."
"Oh. Give me an example."
"Alright, I will give you an example from my childhood."
"There was once a time when I wanted to play a board game with Haze. When I walked up to him he immediately asked me if I wanted to play a game with him like he could predict my own actions."
"Wait, then he can't only change people's actions or thoughts, he can predict them too?"
"Yes. He's had that power sense since he was very little. "
"Really? So you must be his big sister then."
"I am. But because of his power, it hasn't been easy to steer him on the right path."
"So give me some advice then."
"I have found when you ask him a question it is easier to convince him by asking him the opposite of his question."
"What do you mean?"
"When he wants you to do something just ask him if he wants you to do the opposite instead."
"Oh so that's how you found out he is easily convinced then?"
"Yes. But we need to focus on the task at hand."
'Oh. You mean finding the last stone?"
"Yes."