Chapter 51

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Nearly an hour later Midori cheered and pointed to a distant point on the horizon, “That certainly looks like a building for shelter to me!” She said quickly, taking off towards it.

She had grown more and more nervous as the sky darkened overhead, and the thunder was preceded by bolts of lightning that shot across the sky. It was getting to the point that they could barely speak between the noise. The wind had picked up also, and small raindrops were beginning to fall.

“How can you tell?” Max squinted as he gazed at the horizon, hardly able to see more than a smear of shadow, “That could be a tree for all we know!”

“I’m a ninja.” Midori said flatly, “I have really good eyesight, now hurry! We’ll be drenched any minute now.”

It took an explosion less than ten feet from them as lightning streaked down from the sky to get the others moving quickly in Midori’s wake. The stench of something burning permeated the air as the rain began at last to fall in drenching torrents. It was all they could do to keep each other in sight as the water blinded the group and soaked into the folds of their clothing.

Hail fell, battering them as the wind picked up. The horses were jittery and close to bolting. It took every ounce of control over the beasts to keep them together. Park shouted something, but it was lost to the wind. A loud crack resounded through the air and a heavy pine fell in their path. Three of the horses neighed, panicked, and bucked, nearly throwing their riders into the mud.

Finally, several long and dreary minutes later, the group stumbled upon an old, dilapidated barn. Park lowered himself from his horse’s back. He handed the reigns to Raven and struggled against the wind to pull open one of the heavy doors. He was up to his knees in mud and kept slipping, though finally managed to reveal the dark interior of the barn. The horses passed out of the storm quite willingly, and finally they had shut themselves protectively in the barn.

The roof leaked in several places; though once they’d taken care of the horses they were able to find a clean, dry place in the hay that lined the ground. “I’d suggest lighting a fire, but that’d be dangerous in here.” Raven panted.

“Not if we dig out a trench. There’s no wind in here, so it’ll be fine.” William replied confidently, “I’ll do it, that way we’re not bumping heads or digging several different trenches.”

“Have fun.” Midori muttered her voice a low growl.

“It’s okay, sweetie, we’re out of the storm.” Kindra patted her arm comfortingly and was shocked when Midori shrugged her arm away.

“Let it storm!” She laughed hysterically, “Let it rip this place to shreds!”

“That’s not really a good idea…” Raven said in a nervous tone, “We’d be stuck out in the storm again, or dead.”

Silence followed her comment and only the sound of the storm raging outside and Max’s digging were heard. A few minutes later Max spoke up, “We need some dry wood, and the hay for kindling.”

“I’ve gathered a few planks.” Park said, feeling his way towards Max, “I can’t wait to be able to see… its pitch black in here!”

Max took the wood from Park and set it in the small trench; he scraped up several handfuls of hay and settled to the task of getting a fire lit with some flint. A flame caught shortly, and soon a warm glow filled the barn, revealing the horses munching on some of the hay as well as the oats that had been set in buckets before them.

Midori cringed as thunder ripped through the air, her face was moist with sweat and water as her eyes roved around in worry, “This is bad… This is very bad.” She murmured, rocking back and forth.

“We’ll be fine in here.” Max murmured, “This barn is pretty sound despite the holes here and there…”

“No… no, that’s not what I meant.” Midori groaned, “You don’t understand… None of you does.”

“Then help us understand.” Raven said softly, “What’s wrong?”

“The storm… It’s too big… I won’t be able to fight for long at this rate.” Midori said, half mad with fright.

“We’re here.” William said, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about, don’t you get it!?” Midori roared, dragging herself to her feet and pacing the large area restlessly.

“If not you… then-?” Kindra prodded.

“You’re all my friends… I’d hate if something happened to any of you.” Midori replied, “I really would…” I can’t tell them…She thought to herself sadly, they’ll hate me forever… But if I don’t… then… then they’ll be dead!

“Why worry about anybody?” Raven questioned softly, following Midori’s restless form with her eyes, “We’re all more than capable of defending ourselves.”

“I can’t… I can’t tell you! You’ll all hate me for it!” Midori shouted, her teeth oddly elongated and her features sharpened.

“Midori, why would we hate you?” Max asked gently, grasping her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

“Because I harbor a demon scum that killed hundreds of humans within my body!” Midori burst out, shrugging out of his grasp, “He was sealed within me for the sake of every living being on this world!” She turned away from the group, braced for the hateful words that were sure to follow her comment.

“You… You’re that ninja?” Kindra gasped, “The legendary warrior that protects the innocent, the one whom willingly took on the curse to protect your people as a little girl?!”

Midori nodded slowly, though didn’t turn around. “Why would we hate you for being a protector of life?” Raven asked, confused.

“Because I hold within me the demon god that holds such hatred… He… he always fights for release when his element is revealed- lightning.”

“Aww, that’s why you don’t like storms?” Kindra hugged her tightly, “Don’t worry; we’ll protect you from your inner demon!” She said.

“Yeah, we will.” Raven agreed, “Why don’t you return to the fire? We all need to dry and wait out the storm… Where it doesn’t leak.”

Midori nodded, unable to speak. She smiled softly, both glad and amazed that the group had seemingly accepted her. She felt warmth spreading through her being, and felt the demon recoil from her happiness. Max put his arm around her shoulder and turned her back towards the fire, her blush went unnoticed and she dearly hoped that the thudding of her heart wasn’t as loud as it seemed to her.

Chapter 52

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It rained through the night, the crash of thunder and the visible flashes of lightning kept the group awake and alert through most of the night. As the storm abated they ate and saddled the horses.

Outside there rested several great trees toppled by the storm. Broken branches and deep puddles lined their path. Max yawned sleepily, “How much further do you think until we get to Esmora?” He questioned the others.

“We should be there before noon.” Kindra replied evenly, “And hopefully we should be setting off for Sias by morning.”

“Do you think you’ll have to stay to straighten things out?” Raven asked softly.

“It’s still a possibility, and with last night’s storm, it’s more than likely that I may have a lot to deal with when I get back. Can’t expect my advisors to handle every little issue after all.” Kindra looked thoughtful.

“Sure glad I’m not a queen or otherwise royal.” Midori stated, “I don’t know how any of you handle taking responsibility for countries and such…. I happen to like the freedom to come and go as I please.”

“Alas, a dream more than likely shared by all in our small group.” Raven murmured, when Midori gave her a questioning look, she merely shook her head, “Never mind.”

“Yes, well, life in the palace isn’t all that bad.” Max replied.

“Yeah,” William put out, “We never starve and have servants to do exactly as we demand!” When the rest of the group gave him a sharp look, he chuckled, “I’m kidding, kidding! I like being able to help the people when they need it. And Park does a hell of a job as king. He saved a lot of lives in the war you know.”

Park frowned, “I didn’t do such a great job of keeping our people’s homes and crops intact.” He muttered, “You can’t possibly call me a good king with all the trouble of late.”

“Park, you’re doing your best.” Max replied, “As soon as is possible, you even plan on returning to Khaba with an army to return it to our people’s hands! It wasn’t your fault that the walls fell you know. Those that died… did so with honor and courage. They did so knowing that their king would not let their sacrifices be in vain.”

“You’re a good man, Park.” Midori put in, “Don’t frown so much, you’ll get wrinkles.” She winked.

Park couldn’t resist a small chuckle and shook his head, “I can only hope that all this ends well.”

Max and William exchanged looks that went unnoticed to the rest, “Yeah, that’s all any of us can do.” William said at last.

Around noon the outer walls of Esmora came into sight and Kindra cheered, “We’re here!”

“Wow, this is Esmora?” Midori looked around, “Doesn’t look like last night’s storm affected much.”

“Which is a hell of a relief.” Kindra replied evenly, “That means I probably won’t have to stay very long.”

They spent two days in Esmora before Kindra could finally pry herself away again, “Its bandit country between here and Sias.” Kindra said, “We’ll have to keep our eyes open…”

“No worries.” Midori replied, “I’ll be able to tell if someone’s sneaking up on us, ninja, remember?”

“Yes, yes.” William nodded, “We’ll be fine, we’re a pretty indestructible group, mind you.”

Chapter 53

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The next three days were a repetitive march, whether it rained or not- and it chose to two days in a row. They were trudging through mud, exhaustion and wariness shown upon their faces. “So,” Max wiped moisture from his face and tugged his hood further over his eyes, “Anyone up for an early lunch?” He patted his stomach, “I’m starved, and there’s a stream up ahead to water the horses besides, this trip is just as hard on them as it is on us.”

“I agree.” Midori nodded, “Besides, I think it’d be nice to try and squeeze some of the water from my garments…” She made a face, “This weather is positively dreary.”

Park sighed and looked for affirmation from William, Raven, and Kindra before he, too, nodded, “Alright, soon as we reach the stream we’ll stop.” He replied, somehow he had become the unofficial leader of their small band in the duration of the trip, “I’d like to get another look at the map, make sure we’re still on course as it is.”

It was only another minute or two before the stream came into sight, to the left of the bank rested a protective circle of stones that formed a large cave in their midst, Raven cheered, “This means we can eat something hot!” She said exuberantly, “And dry out our things.” She gazed at the sky, the dark clouds swirled threateningly above them, and the rain had stopped only a few minutes ago.

They led their horses to the water and tethered them before entering the cave-like structure. “Looks like the stones don’t come wholly together up top.” William murmured, looking around, “But even so, this place is in fairly decent shape…”

“We’ll get the firewood.” Kindra and Raven chorused; they were both highly happy at the prospect of dry, warm clothes and hot food.

“Don’t stray far.” Park murmured, digging the map from his pocket and setting it upon a patch of dry leaves.

“We won’t.” Raven replied easily, and she and Kindra left the group to gather the wood.

“I certainly hope this rainy weather passes us up soon.” Kindra murmured, picking up damp logs from the ground, “I’d rather not continue to remain waterlogged, and it’s slowing us down.” She looked around, “We’ve lost hours trudging through the mud…”

Raven nodded, “I prefer rain in moderation.” She agreed, her left arm was loaded with wood and she continued to add to the pile with her right.

“I wonder if anyone would be opposed to staying the night here, so we can start out fresh in the morning.” Kindra muttered thoughtfully, “I can’t stress how exhausting and uncomfortable it is to sleep in the mud… or try to anyway.”

“I doubt they’d mind.” Raven shook her head, “We’re all tired, and not liable to make it much further without a decent night’s rest.”

“That’s what we get for being pampered nobles.” Kindra grumbled under her breath, “It’s ridiculous how easily we tire…”

“No…” Raven said, her tone low, “I don’t think it has anything to do with our stations in life... I’ve made longer journeys trudging through the mud on foot than this… There’s something else, I just can’t quite place my finger on it…”

Kindra froze, “Er, Raven?”

“Hm?” Raven looked up, and her face fell, “Shit…”

Chapter 54

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“The girls have been gone for a while…” Max commented, looking around, “You think they’re okay?”

Park looked up from the map, frowning, “Give them a few minutes, if they’re not back, we’ll go look for them.” He replied evenly, though his words sounded calm, there was worry in his eyes.

Thunder rumbled lowly overhead, “It’s going to rain again.” Midori grumbled under her breath, “They better get back soon or they’ll be drenched again…”

William paced the expanse of ground between the entrance to their small shelter and the stream. Several long minutes passed, but neither Kindra nor Raven reappeared to appease their worries. At last Park rolled up his map and stood, “Let’s find them.” He said with a frown, “Gathering wood can’t possibly take up so much time.”

“I’ll wait here.” Max said, “In case they come back while you’re looking… Somebody needs to keep an eye on the horses and our things anyway.”

“I’ll stay with him.” Midori replied, “It isn’t very smart for any of us to be alone in this area…”

Park nodded, “Alright.” He turned to William, “Let’s go then,”

“Be careful you two.” William said to Max and Midori, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Chapter 55

It was roughly a week and a half later that the bedraggled group found their way to the outer walls of Sias. The sun had just set and the sky was painted with brilliant hues of reds and violets as they staggered towards the gate. “Halt, who goes there?” A shout came from above them.

Kindra stepped forward slowly, “We are friends of the Prince Calder and would appreciate he being informed of our arrival. I’m certain that he has been waiting for us.”

Her bold tone brought whispered conversations from above, and at last it was Calder’s welcome voice that floated down to them, “Ah! I was beginning to worry. Quickly, quickly, open the gates. I’m certain that they’re exhausted from their travels. Came all the way from Meritates don’t you know.”

Slowly the creaking of the gates began to reveal the innards of Sias, and it left the group of six staring in awe at its beauty. The first thing that they noticed was water- they had sluices lining brick-laden streets. Wagons and carts traveled smoothly too and fro, there was no danger of hitting pedestrians as there were separate walkways specifically for them. The buildings housed stores as well as homes for the villagers. The palace itself stood out in the center with vast fountains lining the walls, water flowed cleanly from a spring that descended from the mountains to the north of Sias. It was truly a beautiful and breathtaking sight to behold.

“Well, are you guys just going to sit and gawk or actually come in?” Calder stood before them now, an amused grin upon his face.

“Wow… I have to say, this place just looks amazing.” Raven managed to speak, “How did you manage to do all of this?” She waved her arms around.

“It was done many years ago- before my time.” Calder replied, “My father’s father dreamt of a kingdom such as this- clean and disease free. I hear it took him almost his entire lifetime to do it all. But I’m sure you really don’t want to get into the mechanics of construction. Come on; let me show you to your rooms.” He waved them in and the heavy gates thudded closed behind the.

They entered the grand palace and were shown to two separate rooms. “Everything is so… fresh here.” Midori murmured to Kindra and Raven, she hovered over a vase of flowers inhaling their delicious fragrance. “I could get used to living in a place like this, you know?” She yawned tiredly, “I wonder when dinner will be ready… I’m starved.”

“It is indeed a marvel of a place.” Kindra nodded in agreement, sitting upon one of the beds in the room gingerly, “I think I’m going to nap. I’m so exhausted.”

“In all honesty, I think that’s the best idea one can have at a time like this.” Raven replied, “Let’s get a bit of rest while we can. I’m sure everyone will want to start planning very soon, especially with the dragons off on missions of their own. We don’t have that advantage anymore. But I wonder… Do they?”

“I’m sure they do.” Midori replied, “Their dragons aren’t like the wild ones… They have no real will or sympathy towards their own kind. I bet that they can’t even hear them anymore… So lost are they in the darkness that was forced upon them.”

“It’s terrible, really, being used like a slave like that.” Kindra murmured into one of the soft pillows that rested upon her bed, she was drifting off unintentionally.

“We’ll stop them.” Raven replied firmly, “We won’t let those filthy beasts do such terrible things anymore.”

“No,” Midori replied, “We’ll stop them no matter what. They can’t win, it just doesn’t work that way.”

Chapter 56

“So what’s the plan?” Calder leaned casually against the doorframe, “I’m sure you guys have had time to think of something on that trek of yours.” He looked in at Park, Max, and William who all lay exhaustedly on their respective beds.

Park sat up, “We’re going to have to take ground troops in.” he replied, “I realize it’s bound to take a good few fortnights at least to get everything prepared, and by then the dragons might be back, but we have to prepare for any and every situation at hand to minimize the loss to us.”

“It’ll be harder than the battle at Meritates.” William replied, “We may have won then, but we had the advantage then, we won’t now because they’ll more than likely be expecting us to return to Khaba or at least they’ll be prepared for another surprise attack- they won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

“We’ll come up with something.” Max said seriously, “We’ve got to win this war or our world will end.”

“So Park…” Calder cleared his throat, “You care explaining what is so important about that bag you’re carrying? You’ve had it close at hand since first we met.”

Park frowned and glanced down at the bag sitting just visibly beneath the bed, “It’s something I was charged with protecting from the day I accepted leadership over my land.” He replied after several long minutes of silence, “To tell you what I have will require telling you the history behind the objects first.”

“You’re actually going to tell us?” William was incredulous; Park had been so protective of the bag since they’d left Khaba.

“I am.” He replied, “Now be quiet or I’ll change my mind. It takes a lot of responsibility and caution to take in the information that I’m about to reveal to the three of you. I need the utmost discretion. What I tell you here can’t be revealed to anybody- not even the girls, do you understand?” Calder, William, and Max nodded solemnly, “Good.

“The tale I’m going to tell you began nearly 5000 years ago, in a time where man had nearly gone instinct due to the constant terrorizations of the demons of the time. There was one that stood out from the rest- a ruler among their kind with so much power that a single breath could fell a forest. There came a time where magic was introduced to men by a higher being, who bestowed upon each of thirteen an object of power to aid them in the necessary final battle with that great demon.

“They weren’t strong enough, however, to kill it, and instead were forced to seal the beast in an alternate direction, using the power from each of the objects as a sort of key to bind the gate forever. The magic that they performed was so powerful it required the last vestiges of leftover energy in the universe- and when they were finished with the great magic, the objects were scattered across the world, and an energy source was… sealed within a human woman who was entering the final days of pregnancy. That energy was passed down through the family line… Growing ever more powerful as time passed. The objects were gathered again and brought to Khaba by the ancient kings.” Here Park paused to open the bag, and slowly he began to withdraw objects, “These are those legendary items used to seal the demon, items that can and will one day withdraw him from his otherworldly prison.”

“These are twelve of those objects, the thirteenth was never recovered.” Max, Calder, and William gazed at them in awe as Park pulled them from his bag, they all held the mysterious aura of magic, “And these scrolls… they describe everything as I’ve told you, as well as the purpose and names of these things.

Chapter 56

Kindra laid on the bed, twining the small necklace she found between her fingers and draping it over her wrist. She continued to fiddle with it as she sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling.

"What's that?" Midori asked as she caught a glimpse of the necklace that Kindra was twining between her fingers.

"I found this while we were still in the wilderness," Kindra replied.

Raven stared at the locket, knitting her eyebrows together, "That locket looks so familiar. It's creepy."

"An odd feeling of deja vu?" Kindra asked as she let the locket fall like a pendant as she sat upright.

Raven shrugged, "Maybe that's all it is...I mean, it's just a necklace right?"

"Right," Kindra and Midori chorused.

"Does Park seem a bit over-protective of his possessions to you two?" Raven placed her finger thoughtfully to her bottom lip.

"You mean that bag? He does seem like a kid with a dirty secret," Midori replied.

"I can't believe you both noticed it, too," Kindra hopped to her feet, "I have wanted to know what he's been protecting since I saw the bag..."

"It is a bit odd, but I'm sure he has good reason for it," Raven added her opinion.

"Yes, but curiosity is killing me..." Kindra said as she paced to and fro in their room.

"You know, curiosity killed the cat, right?" Midori whispered.

"Ha! But satisfaction brought it back," Kindra quipped accompanied by a snap of her fingers.

"I wonder if anybody but him knows what he's carrying," Raven muttered.

"I would guess that William and Max would have some idea since they are his brothers," Midori suggested.

"Good idea, I'll ask William," Kindra replied. "I think this is one of the prettiest things that I have ever seen and I want to wear it, so..." Kindra held out the locket.

"Here, I'll put it on for you," Raven offered as she slid to the edge of her bed. Kindra knelt down in front of Raven and lifted her hair before handing her the trinket. Raven held out her fingers to take the necklace, but gasped and dropped it, sliding away from Kindra with no explanation.

"What is it?" Midori and Kindra asked.

"N-nothing. My fingers are a bit sore. I dropped the necklace...I don't think my hands are steady enough to clasp it," Raven replied in a fake tone.

"Okay, I'll do it," Midori shrugged before she fastening the clasp of the necklace. "There..."

"How's it look?" Kindra asked.

"It's very pretty," Raven smiled weakly.

"It is," Midori agreed.

There's something wrong with that necklace...I can feel it... Raven thought to herself.

"You know what... why don't we get some rest? Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Midori yawned tiredly, "What with prepping a score of militia for battle and all..."

"Mmm," Raven nodded, glad that the topic had slipped away from that necklace, "We should sleep... Rest ourselves up while we can."

Kindra and Midori crawled under the covers of the bed with Raven, despite the fact that there were two other beds after blowing out the candles, "I can't believe how much has happened..." Kindra yawned, "To think... it started with you and the guys waltzing into my life with your dragons..."

"That night's still nonexistent for me." Raven replied thoughtfully, "I remember meeting Park, Max, and William... After getting back home and having Blaze turn on me... Well, everything's a blur after that."

"We'll have to set a time to swap stories after this war." Kindra closed her eyes, "There's still so much I'd like to know..."

"Me too..." Raven sighed and drifted into a gentle dream.