Like a spark of fire just brought to life, the large sun broke into the dark, night sky above, giving it a bright, violet color where just seconds before it was all black and starry. Almost immediately, many species of birds and other flying creatures flew about, their loud caws announcing to the world that it was a new day. Higher and higher the sun rose, and before long, brightness shone across the large forest, and soft, white clouds gently blew across the skies.
The wind gently caressed the leaves of the trees, giving the whole scene a serene and gentle look. Little animals climbed out of their holes, scurrying around to look for their first meal of the day. For long moments, the scene stayed this was, peaceful and tranquil...until the sight of many horses burst through between the forest trees, their large riders sitting on their saddles and swords clanging against their sides. About a dozen soldiers, all clad in black metal armor with silvery linings down the sides, rushed through the forest, their eyes narrowed and faces set in determination. Each had a sword that was nearly as big as they were, and the black helmets they wore covered their heads, but left their faces visible so their victims could see who it was that ended their lives. Their black capes fluttered in the wind with the speed their horses were going.
For long moments they rode, trampling everything in their path; animals, branches, bushes...none were spared if they dared get in their way. They came to a small clearing that was not too far from a sparkling ocean, and the leader of the riders, taller than the rest of them even sitting on his horse, raised his right hand. Immediately, the riders behind him stopped, pulling hard on their reigns and making their horses neigh, whinney, and snort loudly in pain and agitation and they rose on their hind legs.
"Here, this is the place." The leader gracefully dismounted his horse and went to the center of the small clearing. Just ahead of him were a bunch of tall bushes, seeming to lead nowhere, but he knew better. After countless hours last night trying to find this secret village, the sorcerers at the castle determined that this indeed was the place that hid the entrance to it. To many, it looked like just another dead end, where nothing would grow or live. But then the sorcerers found out a Mage was living there in the village. And not just any Mage, but a Mage Priestess, who created the powerful spell to hide the village from anyone, especially Kumraa, who sought to destroy it. But it didn't matter now. He had gotten the spell he needed to open the barrier from the evil sorcerers, and soon, he would lay waste to this village like he had done many, many others. Soon, there would be NO Mages left, and this world will finally be under the rule of his master Kumraa.
As he stood there contemplating, one of the soldiers dared to speak up, his dark eyes curious, yet thirsty for a fight. "My Lord Zain, are you sure this is..."
"Silence, FOOL!" The big, grey-skinned man turned around quickly and narrowed his eyes at the one who spoke. "Don't you EVER question my motives or anything again. If I say this is the place, then it IS. Do I make myself clear?"
At his loud, booming voice, the soldiers all seemed to shake in their very boots, already knowing the reputation of Lord Zain's terrible temper. Many have been killed for less, so wisely, they remained quiet and nodded their head.
Zain narrowed his cold eyes once more, then turned back around. Taking a deep breath, he reached into the small pouch that was at his side, and took out a white scroll with neat looking words marked in red ink. Zain stepped forward and stood exactly in front of the bushes as he was instructed by the Brothers Of Darkness, and began to speak the words that was inscribed on the scroll.
Incanitum negvarius sumati, legquarium no fanathalis....ONEM!"
The scroll began to glow a bright red, but Zain knew that he was not done with speaking the spell. Seconds later, the large bushes, long thought to hide nothing but a dead end, began to glow brightly too. The ground began to shake slightly, and the horses began to become agitated and panicked, rearing up and prancing around on their hind legs as they neighed and snorted.
Almost stubbornly, the spell creating the barrier held on, but Zain would not give up, and continued reading on. "Novem attivus solon, Kumraa jevait nothis...ONEM!
There was a loud blast of energy from the scroll as the barrier finally gave way a moment later. The bushes burned away, and behind it, a serene looking village came into view. As it was still early, not many people were about, and the opening barrier was barely noticed.
Zain smiled sadistically, his grey skin gleaming in the sun. He turned to his men and walked to his horse as he put back the scroll in the small pouch attached to his side. "Gentlemen, I believe it's time to cause a little havoc." he said in a menacing tone, climbing expertly onto his horse.
The men gave a loud battle yell, thirsty for some fighting and blood, and with Zain in the lead, they rushed forward, determined to bring an end to one of the last standing villages.
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Yawning, Jeneta slowly sat up on her comfortable bed, then stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked to her left and right to see if the other girls where up, but to her surprise, there was no one else in the room. Even the beds the girls slept on were gone. Puzzled, Jeneta climbed out of the bed, and seconds later...the bed magically remade itself, and disappeared with a pleasant sounding "pop".
"Whoa, so that's what happened," Jeneta whispered to herself. "Too bad we don't have those kinds of beds back home. It would have made getting up and going to school MUCH better." A small chair then suddenly appeared with another "pop", and a clean change of clothing flashed on top of it. The outfit was quite quaint. It was tan colored with the bottom half looking like a mix between a skirt and pants, but definitely feminine looking, complete with a twist tie in place of belt. The shirt was a little lighter than the pants, and down along the front was a row of black buttons. The sleeves reached only to the elbows for the warm weather, and on top of it was a nice looking sash. To the side of the clothes were comfortable looking boots, a little darker than the pants. In all, the clothes were similar to what Kylini and the other younger women of the village wore.
"Oh man, I could get used to this!" With a grin, Jeneta grabbed up the clothing and headed towards the bathroom, not even noticing as the chair disappeared again. Quickly she dressed and freshened up, then headed downstairs towards the large kitchen...at least she HOPED it was the kitchen, feeling very hungry. When she got there, she was met with a scene of the other four girls seated at a large table, with Orana and Kylini standing before them. Each girl was listening in rapt attention as Orana was explaining something to them. Standing off to the side, Djoser leaned against a wall near the door, his arms crossed over his chest and also listening.
Ling was the first to notice Jeneta looking curiously at them, and smiling softly. "Hey, look who finally decided to join us. Her Majesty Queen Jeneta. Did you get a good rest?" The Chinese girl giggled along with the other girls.
Jeneta blushed when she saw Djoser send a small half smile her way. "Oh shut up! Why didn't you guys get me up earlier?" she grumbled. She joined the others sitting at the table, and noticed that the girls were wearing an outfit similar to what she had; Prya's was a soft yellow, Ling's a darker brown, Heather a light blue, and Angeni a soft maroon. At the end of Angeni's braid was her signature yellow feather.
"Sorry Jen, but when we tried to wake you, you were so tired and you couldn't move, so we let you sleep a little longer." Heather said, adjusting her glasses on her nose. "Besides, it's okay, it wasn't too long before we got up before you did, and you didn't miss much." The blonde girl jerked her head towards the older woman, Orana, standing before them and smiling softly. "Orana was just beginning to tell us about this journey we're supposed to take."
"Journey?" Jeneta looked at the Mage Priestess and her daughter curiously, already starting to feel her heart pound in her chest. Oh no, I didn't expect us to start so early in the morning!
But the woman smiled again and winked, almost seeming as if she read the dark skinned girl's mind. "It's quite alright Jeneta, I don't expect you all to go anywhere without a little rest and breakfast first. But first, there are some important things I must tell you." The older woman passed her hand over the crystal ball on her staff, and with a flash, a very large, transparent holographic map appeared before her. On it were images of lands, oceans, markings and signs indicating countries, roads, and even cities within those countries. At the top of the map was even a chart of the stars.
"The first place you girls must go is here....to a city called Colaris, in the country of Perdenia." Orana pointed with her hand to a small looking city on a large island on the ocean, off the coast not to far from where they were. "This is where you will find the first Sacred Medallion. It is the only one that has been found by a human out of the others. Many others have sought to take it from the city, but it is protected by strong magic. All have failed, but you...I believe that you all will succeed." The woman passed her hand over the crystal ball on the staff again, and the map disappeared.
"But...if we find that one, what about the others?" Angeni asked, looking nervous.
"It is said that once the first Medallion found by the one who is worthy, then it will show the way to where all the others are hidden." Kylini answered for her mother. "We do not know how that came to be, but once we have this one Sacred Medallion, then finding all the others will be possible." The girl's eyes turned serious. "But I must warn you, it will not be an easy journey. There will be many tests....many strong magic for you to overcome."
"So why can't you come with us, since you know about these things?" Jeneta asked. If this journey was to be as hard as she said, then there HAS to be a way for Kylini to come!
But the young woman shook her head, sorrow in her eyes. "If only I could. But I must stay here. You see, my mother and I...we are the only Mages left here to protect this village. Ever since my father...ever since..." Kylini turned to look at her mother, the subject too painful for her to go on.
"What happened?" Heather asked.
"My husband...he was one of the most powerful Mages here in this village," Orana said, laying a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "He, along with other Mages from different villages, went to try and defeat that black-hearted demon Kumraa when he first broke free, but he never returned, and we could only think that the worst has befelled him."
"I'm sorry," Ling nodded her head, understanding how Kylini felt since her parents died trying to fight for freedom also.
"It is quite alright. Once we find the medallions and free Cyphyrus, my father's death...as well as all the other's, will not be in vain." The dark haired young woman smiled softly at the girls. She was about to say something more, when suddenly, loud screams filled the comfortable, morning air.
"What was that? What's going on?" Prya gasped, standing up in panic with the other girls.
"Stay here!" ordered Djoser, moving quickly to the window to look outside. There were many people outside running and screaming, as if for their lives. Moments later, a dozen black horse, their riders wearing armor just as black as they were, galloped up to the center of the village, then turned the corner of the house Djoser and the others were in to go to the front, people screaming and dashing out of the way before they were trampled on. When he saw the face of the leader, Djoser growled deep in his throat and looked back at everyone. "It's Zain! Get down, now!"
Kylini's eyes widened in horror. "What? How can that be? How did he find us? How did he break the barrier?"
"Oh no," Prya moaned, trembling slightly as she and the other girls quickly ducked down and hid under the table.
"Orana, Kylini, you have to hide too!" said Angeni, looking with concern at the two women.
But Orana, never one to give up, straightened to her full height, her face set in determination. "No, this was inevitable. It's time for us to face him once and for all." She turned to the tall, dark-skinned man. "Djoser, keep your eyes on them. If there is trouble, you know you must flee, and take them safely to Perdenia, no matter what. These girls could be our last hope."
"But...Orana!" Djoser tried to say more, but the Mage Priestess would hear no more.
With a nod to her daughter, the two women left the large kitchen and toward the front, where just as they stepped through the front doors, Lord Zain and his men arrived, pulling to a stop right in front of them.
Zain narrowed his eyes for a moment as he looked at the women, then smiled evilly as he recognized them. "Well, if it isn't the world renowned Orana, the last Mage Priestess..."
"I am not the last!" the older woman said defiantly. She looked to her right at her daughter, and nodded proudly. The younger woman had begun her training to become a Mage Priestess only a couple of years ago, and already she proved to be and adapt student and very powerful. Orana knew that with her daughter, the age old practice of magic will not die.
"Impudent old woman! When I am done with you, you and your sniveling daughter will be the last Mages EVER!" Zain snarled out. "Now, I'm only going to ask this once, and only once. Where is that student of yours, Prince Djoser, and those five strangers he picked up? I want them, NOW!"
So loud was he, that the girls were able to hear most of what was being said from the large kitchen, but at those words he just said, their eyes widened. Prince? Jeneta thought in disbelief as she looked at Djoser, bent down underneath the window and listening too. He's a....prince?
"I know nothing of any five strangers, and Djoser is are not here. Even if they were, I would not tell you," Defiance once again shown brightly in the older woman's eyes, and she lifted her chin to show she would not be intimidated.
A cruel and evil look spread across his face then. "Oh, really?" With calm he was barely containing, he dismounted his horse and walked up to Orana. He looked at her for a few moments, then with a roar, he raised his metal gloved hand and backhanded the older woman across her face, nearly breaking her nose. With a moan, Orana fell to the ground, her staff falling beside her with a loud clang as a trickle of blood leaked from her nose and mouth...then she was still.
"Mother!" screamed out Kylini. Before she could move towards her, two of the big soldiers grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her back. Tears fell down her cheeks as they roughened her up.
"I said I was only going to ask once, now you will suffer the consequence for your defiance." General Zain raised his head and looked around at the frightened looks of the people, and smiled cruelly. "Burn it. Burn everything down."
"What? NO! You can't do this!" Kylini desperately tried to break free, but the grip of the soldiers were like iron. "Have mercy, please! They're...they're not here!"
But the man barely heard her words, and he motioned for his soldiers to ride off and cause destruction. With a flick of Zain's wrist, the soldiers holding her took the young woman away. "MOTHER!!" Screaming as loud as she could, she still couldn't wake her unconscious mother.
Meanwhile, hearing all this, Djoser hung his head for a moment, feeling completely helpless. Already, screams of the dying and the smell of smoke filled the air. He then snapped his head up, and turned to face the girls. "Time for us to go," he said, his voice filled with pain.
"No, we can't!" Jeneta said, "The people, we have to help them somehow! We can't leave them like this!"
"We can't help them now! Now do as I say and let's MOVE!" With anger in his eyes, Djoser stood up and rushed out the backdoor way.
The girls looked at one another for a moment, fear and confusion in their eyes, then quickly rushed out from under the table and followed the taller man. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was some anonymous god that smiled on them, but when they reached out the back way, the soldiers had not yet reached it, so they were able to escaped without being seen. As they ran off into the forest, one thought kept rushing through Jeneta's mind, and with every moment passing as she heard the screams of the dying village, her heart sank more and more; Those people! They're dying because of us! Because of ME! As she ran with the girls and Djoser, tears ran down her dark cheeks...tears for those who are losing their lives, and tears for what would happen if they failed in their mission.
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