The Legends of Valoria Book Two Rise of the Divine Knight
Chapter 23

Talia walked along the top of the castle walls, looking at the fortifications they had made. It was a strenuous effort but with the help of several workers, they managed to move the ballistae to the outer wall in order to defend themselves from the enemy siege weapons. Next, she inspected some of the other modifications that they had begun making. Melting pots were placed on both the inner and outer defensive walls in a hope to slow the enemy. Eliza had also prepared several “surprises” for the enemy in the form of sealed urns with pieces of wick sticking out of them. In the short time they had been granted to prepare, they had managed to accomplish more than they had thought. They only hoped now, that it would prove to be enough.

The news they had received from the council had proven less than favorable as well. The council had already barred themselves and much of the nobility inside, hiding behind a number of their guards they refused to part with. Fortunately, however, the council had given them consent to light the signal beacon, alerting any troops to their situation. With any luck, help would only be a few days away.

Below her, the few villagers they had managed to rouse were making preparations, while others retreated as far back as possible, though the council made it clear that they were not to be provided access within the nobles’ district. Many moved behind the inner wall and took refuge in the Highmoorian sector, which possessed its own door and gate. They had even stationed a few troops to guard the doors to the district. Looking below, Talia gazed upon the inn, which had been converted into a medical center. She could see Rayne down below, running about trying to aid everyone at the inn, despite many objections.

Talia could see, a little ways off, that Giles and Eliza were busy preparing the munitions. Turning her gaze upon the Eastern plains Talia eyed the black mass that was the Forsaken army, which still had not moved.

“What are they waiting for?” Talia wondered to herself before a haunting thought occurred to her. Talia quickly headed in the direction of the nobles’ quarter to check on Alec.

As she arrived, she was warmly welcomed by Oz, Baldur, Aurick and Tear. She made sure to pet Baldur and Aurick and stopped to scratch Oz on the mane. Tear was standing beneath the Aneira Blossom, which had flourished under her care and appeared more massive than ever.

“Has anything suspicious happened? Anything out of the ordinary?” Tear thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“No. Actually, there has been little activity at all. Rayne came by to visit as usual but left to help Mariah with preparations. They are both assisting the clergy with their tasks. If many are barred access from the nobles’ district then there will be need of some out there to lead prayer, give last rites and tend to the wounded.”

“All the same, please remain on high alert. Something is not as it ought to be. The enemy has arrived yet they show no sign of advance. They have come to lay siege to us and yet they allow us time to prepare.”

“I see your point. I will reach out to the spirits and learn what I may.” As Talia turned to leave, she felt as though the air had begun to grow heavy.

“THIS IS LORD BAEL. I REPRESENT AN ALLIANCE OF SORTS THAT HAS COME TO CLEANSE VALASCAANA BY RIDDING IT OF A GREAT MENACE. IT IS TIME TO CLEANSE THIS LAND OF ITS FALSE DEITY AND USHER IN A NEW ORDER. WE HAVE COME TO ENSURE THAT ALL EMBRACE THE ONE TRUE GOD. THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO SAVE YOURSELVES. SURRENDER YOUR CITY AND REPENT BY OPENING YOURSELVES TO THE DARK FATHER OR FACE ANNIHILATION. CHOOSE QUICKLY, WE ATTACK WITHIN THE HOUR.” With the final words, the thickness in the air evaporated and Talia could once again breathe properly. Although that had subsided, the murmurs of panic could be heard from far off. Talia looked to Tear and without a word from her Tear answered.

“I will do what I can.” Talia quickly ran from the maze and out into the crowded streets. As Talia came into view, many of the local villagers came to a stop. The flow of traffic became disrupted as more and more people stopped in the middle of the streets to bow down before her.

“Lady Divine, we stand by you.” One of the people spoke. The collective masses followed suit and soon the entire street had halted.

“The Lady Divine shall guide us through the darkness!” Within moments, that crowd of people was cheering, putting all of their hopes on Talia. Talia could feel her body tremble from panic as she tried to think of the right words to say to the mass of eyes upon her. Talia took a hard swallow and looking around to the throng spoke.

“Good people of Valoria, I shall not forsake thee. I will bring thee through this darkness.” The mob cheered and she saw Zerendil rise onto one of the plaza fountains, so that more than half of his frame stood above everything else.

“All hail, the Divine Knight of Valoria!” He yelled.

“ALL HAIL THE DIVINE KNIGHT OF VALORIA!” The mob roared back. Talia froze in astonishment that Sir Zerendil had bestowed her with such a title. A familiar masculine voice from somewhere near whispered to her.

“Draw your sword. Brandish it into the heavens.” Talia looked down to her left hip and gripping the hilt of the Sidonis sword, unsheathed it and stabbed it into the sky, shooting a bolt of lightning into the air. Again, the mob roared and Talia felt renewed with strength and purpose.

It was at that moment that the first sounds of the oncoming conflict began. Boulders fired from enemy trebuchets began to strike the ground just outside of the capitol. Before anyone could fully embrace the panic, Talia yelled out.

“Everyone, to your stations!” People began to hastily move towards their designated work or evacuation stations and prepared for the inevitable battle. Talia bolted through the crowd as best as she could and made her way to her own post. Now more than ever, she wanted to be within the walls of the inner shrine, sitting beneath the Aneiran Blossom but she knew that was not an option.

As she reached the upper ramparts, she could see Eliza and Zelus already issuing commands to the anti-siege personnel. One after another, they fired bolts from the ballistae at the enemy trebuchets. Eliza and Giles were both consummate marksman yet their shots seemed to do little to slow the advance of the Forsaken.

“Eliza! Rig the pots to the bolts and aim them at the base of their weapons!” Zelus yelled. Eliza immediately began the process of taking one of the several sealed urns and used ropes to bind it to the ballista bolt.

“What are you doing?” Talia asked as Eliza finished strapping down the pot and grabbed a torch from Colette who was nearby.

“What I do best.”

In the distance, Talia could here Zelus call to take aim,

“Speak facetiously?”

Eliza was entirely focused until she heard the call to fire.

“Piss people off!” Eliza spoke with confidence as she lit the wick on the urn and pulled the lever to launch the bolt. Everyone watched as the two bolts launched into the air, each striking a separate target. They continued to watch as the attached pots exploded, launching flaming grease in every direction. Immediately, the trebuchet that Eliza struck began to ignite even as several of the Forsaken around it evaporated. Talia, Eliza and several others cheered as Forsaken scurried to put out the fires. Eliza looked over to see Giles and the others cheering and turned her attention to his mark.

“I cannot believe that he beat me!” Eliza yelled in shock. Talia looked and confirmed what Eliza meant. Giles’ shot had not only been dead on its mark but had shattered the support leg before exploding, causing the whole thing to topple over.

“DO NOT LET THEM EXTINGUISH THOSE FLAMES! READY ANOTHER ROUND!” Zelus yelled. Immediately, Eliza, Colette, Giles and Zelus were on the move, preparing another round. Talia watched as the entire process was repeated and the ballistae were fired into the mass of Forsaken that had gathered to put out the flames.

Again, Giles had made an excellent shot and Eliza managed to strike the forward support of her target. With both trebuchets crippled, they had effectively bought themselves some time. The tension however was far from dulled as the enemy’s numbers still greatly outmatched their own. After some time of nothing but the stir of the army below, Talia noticed as a number of people approached her and Zelus.

“My Lady Divine,” Mariah curtsied as she appeared. “If I may, I would thank you personally for being our voice in the dark. I believe that I speak for more than myself by saying that your presence here makes us feel as though Aneira herself will see us through.”

“Thank you, it means a lot to me.” Talia spoke as she noticed Kareena, still wearing her hood and Nathan, both waiting to speak with Zelus.

“There was one other thing, my Lady Divine.” Mariah brought Talia’s attention back. Talia looked at her. “I was wondering if it was not too much trouble. When your off shift, would you mind visiting the children? I am sorry, I know that now is not an appropriate time.” Talia raised her hand to halt Mariah’s apology.

“I would enjoy that immensely. I will make it a point to visit.”

Mariah smiled and curtsied again.

“Thank you, my Lady Divine.”

As Mariah walked away, Talia noticed once more, Kareena speaking with Zelus. Kareena stood, attention fixed on Zelus, as he leaned in and spoke to her and, after a few moments, she nodded her head and departed. It was Nathan however, that firmly grasped hold of Talia’s attention. He constantly looked over his shoulder the entirety of the time Zelus and he spoke and fidgeted nervously. After a moment, Zelus placed his hand on Nathan’s back and motioned for a hooded man to join them.

“Relina!” Talia whipped back as Colette called her.

“Any tips for an aspiring paladin?” Colette looked to Talia.

“Become the defender of the weak and protect against the tyranny of those who would confuse power for strength. Become an icon for the strong so that they may stay from the dark. Resolve yourself in your faith and uphold the ideals of the people even within the greatest despair, so as to provide a beacon for those who have lost their way.” As the words left Talia’s mouth, everyone around her turned and smiled.

“HAIL, “THE DIVINE KNIGHT!” They all cheered.

Colette looked back to Talia and bowed.

“I solemnly swear to uphold these vows until I draw my last breath.”

“The day your master wakes, I shall see to it that he holds you to them and helps you realize your dream.” The sky had grown dark, the sun’s rays having finally departed from the Valascaan sky. Both above and below, Forsaken and Valascaan, began to ignite their torches. Zelus turned to Talia.

“My Lady Divine. Might you be willing to go below and keep up the villagers’ spirits? It is in the darkness that they are at their lowest.”

“I will.” Talia began making her way down the steps as Zelus and Eliza began addressing the archers. As Talia descended below, everyone that she faced bore frightened expressions. Talia could not blame them. She understood exactly how they felt. She did her best to wear a bright smile, trying to keep in mind the words Mariah had spoken to her.

“I am the sign that Aneira is with them. I am the symbol of their hope.” She told herself repeatedly. She continued to walk through town, no one she passed daring to speak above a whisper, and made her way towards the Highmoorian sector. Talia did not know how long she had before she would be pulled away again or how long after that she would have a second chance to visit, so she hoped that the children would at least be happy that she came to visit at all. Though the dim lighting made the streets more difficult to navigate, Talia knew her way well enough to easily replace the way to the orphanage. There she was greeted by an energetic, yet harsh tone.

“Hey! Who are you? You better not mess with us or we’ll beat you up!” A small boy’s voice threatened.

“Yeah! And we’ll take away all of your toys and Miss Mariah won’t let you color!” A familiar tiny girl spoke.

“Tommie! Seera! Please be more respectful to the Lady Divine. She has come to visit us.” Mariah walked out from inside, her hands on top of the heads of the two small children.

“Please tell our Lady Divine that you are sorry.” Mariah looked at both children.

“I’m sorry Miss Relina.” Both children spoke, to which Mariah quickly corrected.

“Children, you cannot address the Lady Divine so informally. You must…”

“It is quite alright by me Miss Mariah. I would much prefer a less formal greeting.”

“Miss Relina?” Seera approached. “Are you going to keep the bad people away?”

“Of course I am, but remember I am not the only one working to keep them away. I have a lot of people out there helping me.”

“Miss Relina, Miss Mariah says that it helps when we pray. Is that true?” Tommy asked. Talia smiled and nodded her head.

“I believe so, yes. Within each of us dwells Aneira’s power and, when we pray to her and trust our faith in her strength, that very power within us flourishes. By igniting your inner light, you unconsciously give permission for those around you to do the same. I believe in a sense that this is the true power of our prayers. To extinguish the dark around us by illuminating our own hearts. By doing so, we allow Aneira’s light to shine through us and emanate outwards to manifest within our world.” Tommy and Seera both looked to Talia with wide eyes.

Mariah broke the silence and addressed the children.

“That means yes. Now please children, let us head back inside and please try and be quiet. Your brother is sleeping.”

“That’s because he’s a baby. Seera spoke to which Tommy snickered. Mariah continued to steer them towards the door.

“The Lady Divine has much to do. Thank you for coming to see us.”

“Goodnight, Miss Relina. Thank you for seeing us.” Both children spoke. Talia smiled and nodded her head.

“It was my pleasure. Good night” Just as Talia turned to walk away, the bellow of the war horn began to emanate through the air. Talia turned to Mariah.

“Take them inside, I shall see to this.” Mariah quickly scooted the children the rest of the way inside.

“Do you have your equipment?” Mariah nodded her head.

Talia turned and began to run. “Keep them safe Mariah. They are our future.” Talia continued to run leaving Mariah behind.

As Talia ran, she could see flames rising high above the castle walls. As she neared, she could see panicked men and women scurrying on high, carrying munitions. Talia began to ascend the stairs towards the ramparts when something big struck the outer wall causing everything to shake. Talia balanced herself and finished scaling the steps.

“What is happening?” Talia asked Colette who was the first person that she recognized.

“The enemy brought more trebuchets and began to fire. They have landed a couple of hits but have be unable to breach the walls.”

“FIRE!!!” Talia heard Zelus yell. Colette waited a moment and then continued her story.

“Lady Eliza and Sir Giles are doing everything they can to repel the Forsaken using the ballistae. They are amazing!”

“The ballistae?”

“No. Miss Eliza and Sir Giles.”

Talia could not help but notice Colette staring at Giles and smiled.

“You should tell him how you feel once this is all over. He might feel the same.” Colette snapped around to Talia to discredit her comment but then settled back.

“Maybe…. but you know… For the scholarly type he is awfully dumb.” Talia and Colette looked to the wall and noticed the sky growing brighter.

“INCOMING!!!” Someone screamed and a giant ball of flame came hurtling down from the sky. Hastily Talia and Colette ran forward as everyone above scurried.

“BOOM!!!” Fire, stone and cinder flew in every which direction as the ball came smashing down overtop of Giles’ ballistae sending everything into the air and destroying everything in its wake as it continued to roll.

“GILES!” Colette screamed as she and Talia ascended the stairs and started looking for survivors. Within seconds, the groans of the wounded could be heard.

“Colette! Go ahead and look for the other wounded. Remember the mending rune that I taught you.” Talia yelled as she began to examine one such wounded man. Colette ran off as instructed and Talia spoke to the man.

“Didn’t see it in time, couldn’t warn the others.” He spoke through clenched teeth and great strain.

“It is alright. We are going to help the others as soon as I take care of you.” Talia’s stomach churned while her heart raced at the sight of the man’s wounds. Both of his legs were ruined and she knew that it would take a miracle for her healing runes to be enough to save him. Still, Talia knelt beside him and held his left hand as she began to trace out a mending rune with her right hand.

“RETURN FIRE!” She heard Zelus cry out. At least she knew that he was alive. Talia refocused on her patient. After the first mending rune did not take, she began applying another.

“What is your name?” Talia did her best not to let her tears show as she attempted to sound nurturing.

“William,” again the man struggled to peak. Talia began to shake as a second rune failed.

“Do you have a family William?”

“Just my wife...Elise.”

“Well, please do not worry, William. We will have you home to Elise soon.” Talia looked down to see the dead light in William’s now lifeless eyes. Talia allowed her tears to flow freely as she placed William’s hands across his chest and began to pray for him.

“Holy Mother Aneira, please hear my prayer. I send to thee thy servant, William. He died so that others might live. I ask of thee, oh Holy Mother, please bring him peace and comfort by your side as you allow him eternal rest. Also, oh Holy Mother, please help his wife Elise replace peace in life, in her time of need. For this Holy Mother, I thank thee.” As Talia finished her prayer, through the tears, she noticed the most peculiar of things. To her, it was as if she could see William’s last breath though it had long since passed. A gust of dull white light crept out over his lips and began to travel skyward. After drifting upwards for a moment, Talia noticed a flash of light and then the phenomena was over.

“Relina!” Talia turned and saw Zelus above.

“I am sorry Relina, but there are still many more wounded that need your attention. I have some men moving people to the tavern to see Rayne, Mayella, and the other priestesses, but there are many who need attention now.” Talia nodded and quickly scurried up the stairs towards the sounds of pain. As she reached the top of the staircase, she came face-to-face with Colette.

“I cannot replace Giles.” Colette’s composure was beginning to shake. “I have looked, but there are so many wounded. I helped who I could, but others were already gone.”

“Do not worry Colette, keep searching. I will finish here.” Talia knelt down beside a group of men who were sitting against the wall. Having determined their wounds to be well treated, she moved on to the next.

“Relina! Come quick! I found him!” Talia quickly stood and ran towards the source of Colette’s screams. Once she reached them, she was horrified by what she saw. On the ground, pinned beneath a massive slab of stone, was Giles. Colette collapsed next to him and held his bleeding forehead in her hands and wept. The only exposed parts of his body were his head and right side of his torso.

Colette continued to weep for Giles as Talia placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. After a moment, Talia noticed a rhythmic stir to their fallen friend.

“Colette! I believe that he is still alive!” Colette and Talia both moved in closer to see.

“Relina, you’re right! He is breathing!” Somebody, please help us! We have a man trapped!” Talia began to search for a way to safely remove the rubble. Colette continued to call for help until Zelus and a couple of the lesser wounded appeared.

“Let’s get him out of there!” Zelus yelled and they began discussing how to move the rubble. All of the commotion must have roused Giles as he began to stir.

“What is going on?” He spoke weakly. Instantly everyone rounded on him.

“Giles are you alright? What happened to you?” Giles began to look around before answering Colette.

“I tried to get out of the way of the blast and I must have been hit in the head.” Giles paused as he noticed a rock the size of a baby’s fist near him. He attempted to touch it, but then realized his current predicament.

“Giles, do not worry. We will get you out.” Talia attempted to sound soothing. Giles began to wriggle slightly until his left arm came free. Everyone backed away in shock as Giles used his arms to push himself out from beneath the pile of rubble. Giles stood, his body entirely unharmed.

“Phew, that was close.” Giles spoke as he brushed himself off.

“You emphatically are the embodiment of luck, my friend!” Zelus spoke as Giles picked some rubble free from his sleeve.

Talia raised her hand to Giles.

“Giles! Please do not overexert yourself. You may have a…” Talia was abruptly interrupted as Colette stepped in front of her and firmly punched Giles in the face. “…concussion.” Talia finished as Giles fell to the ground, unconscious.

“How dare you scare me so?! You are such a jerk! I thought that you were dead!” Colette continued on her tirade as Zelus turned to Talia and the others.

“Please make sure that he lives. We must get back.” Talia nodded her head as Zelus left with the other soldiers. She watched as Colette knelt down next to the unconscious Giles.

“Is it alright if I check on him now?”

Colette looked up at Talia and nodded.

“I should probably return to the battle anyways.” Colette shuffled off.

Talia knelt down beside Giles and began to mend his wounds. Once she had finished, she dragged him over to one of the other soldiers.

“Please look after him?” She asked

“Yes, my Lady Divine.” The soldier saluted and scooped up Giles. “I shall take him to the infirmary, right away.” After he walked away, Talia turned her attention back towards the battle. Eliza had done well crippling the enemy trebuchets. Talia looked over the wall and saw four in total that had been crippled.

“Conserve your bolts!” Zelus called out. Eliza ceased firing. “We will need to split into shifts.”

Eliza looked to Talia.

“Relina, go on ahead. I will take the first watch.”

“Alright, but please be sure to alert me the moment something changes.” Talia said as she turned away and descended the stairs, Colette and several others with her.

“Relina. Would it be alright if I went to see Giles in the morning?”

“Should we not be summoned; I fail to see why not, but only if you promise not to hit him again.”

Colette smiled menacingly.

“Just not in the head, right?”

Talia smiled back and nodded.

“Thank you.” Colette paused for a moment. “Miss Relina...how did you know that Alec was the one?” Talia smiled as they walked through the streets.

“I simply knew. I felt in my heart that without him, though whole, I could never become truly complete.” Colette smiled but did not speak until it was time for them to part ways after the guards allowed them to enter the nobles’ quarter.

“Good night, Lady Divine.” Colette saluted.

“Good eve, dear Lady Colette.” Talia curtsied in her armor. Colette walked towards the barracks while Talia made her way to the labyrinth. Minutes later, she was at the center shrine and was warmly greeted by Baldur, Aurick, Oz and Tear.

“What has happened?” Tear asked nervously.

“The enemy is at our door, but their advance has been delayed by some excellent work with the ballistae.”

“I see. You best get some rest then while you can. No telling when the enemy will move next.” Tear turned away and began tending to the plants as Talia laid down beneath the Aneiran Blossom and listened to the song of the aria flies. That night bore the first of Talia’s visions in quite some time. Talia was standing on top of the castle wall looking out onto the battlefield. It was light outside, so it was easy to see the massive siege towers approaching from the distance and the two remaining trebuchets. She turned from left to right and saw both the Valascaan ballistae had been destroyed. Below her, the gates were wide open and the enemy was pouring inside.

As if the vision had created for Talia to see them, three dark suits of armor glowed with near black, violet light. Talia recognized Caliban and the death knight from the tombs instantly but not the third, which was a slightly smaller, female knight. At first, she suspected Raven, but this one’s fighting style was greatly different.

She fought with a single sword and an open hand. As her opponents attempted to strike her, she would swipe her hand sideways and knock their weapons away with an invisible force. As her opponents stumbled, she would cut them down swiftly and without mercy.

Talia noticed the scene begin to slowly accelerate before her eyes. She saw that, except for Eliza, her friends had entered the fray. Andre, Thomas, Dominic, everyone who had been deployed was present. She saw Rowan, Talic and Keagan engaged with Caliban while Zerendil, Zelus and Giles were doing their best against the lady death knight and the knight from the tomb.

Talia watched, unable to intervene, as one by one, her allies fell in battle. Talia covered her face in horror as she noticed a secondary conflict in the Highmoorian sector. Worse yet, she could see large flames scorching the sky originating from the labyrinth.

From overhead, Talia could hear Marec’s voice warn her again.

“You cannot save them all! Tonight, many will perish!”

Talia awoke and, noticing that it was already early morning, ran and woke Tear.

“Tear. I need for you to run as fast as you can and fetch Sir Zerendil. I am going to go to the wall.”

“Did you have a vision?” Talia nodded. Immediately, Tear’s eyes grew wide and, without further questions, she sped off.

“Baldur, Aurick, Oz, please come to me.” Within seconds, the three of them appeared.

“I need you to guard Alec. The enemy is coming!” The three got in place and Talia bolted. “Thank you,” she yelled as she quickly ran off. As she ran, the maze began to shift around her, signaling the impending danger. Talia cleared the exit just as it morphed into a different path. Talia immediately changed course and ran for the city gates.

“Please let me pass!?” She yelled as she approached the guards who kneeled, clapping their fists to their chests.

“Yes, my Lady Divine!” They spoke as Talia ran past. She looked up as she approached and saw the ballistae still intact.

“ZELUS! ELIZA!” She screamed as she ran, quickly tightening the straps of her armor. Zelus appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Relina! What is the matter?”

“The enemy is ready to make their assault!” She spoke as she tried to catch her breath.

“Did your visions return?” Talia looked around and then nodded. Zelus looked over the wall as Talia ascended the last of the steps and did the same. Similar to what she had seen in her vision, the enemy trebuchets had been rebuilt and their towers were far off in the distance.

“Eliza, look out!” Talia ran forward as the enemy trebuchet fired. Eliza who had been watching her and Zelus turned to see the ball rising above her. Talia reached deep within and threw out both hands. As if it had merely been awaiting her command, she felt her divinity flow out and she went into her trance state.

She saw as runes appeared in front of her hands, stacked on top of one another. She recognized the compound rune for collapse and then noticed as two more runes overlapped. The boulder shattered high up above and began peppering everyone below. Talia cast her projectile ward disrupting most of the blast around her and Eliza.

“Thank you, Relina.” Eliza was in shock having just nearly been maimed. Talia allowed her trance to end as she stared at the ballista. It had been damaged from the stones, but did not appear to be ruined.

“Quickly, return fire on the trebuchet!” Eliza returned to the moment and lit the wick of the next bolt, which she fired. They watched as the bolt flew true and struck its target. The pot burst spilling forth flame, which covered the weapon. Eliza moved to fire another round, but instead the ballista cracked and split apart. As workmen moved in to repair the ballista, Talia watched as the enemy attempted to put out the flames, Zelus came to Talia.

“What else did you see?”

“The enemy was inside the city. Eliza was not there because of the wounds she should have sustained just now and I am not certain, but Tear was not there either. You and the others were all fighting the enemy. Sir Talic and the other knights had also returned.”

“How did the enemy get inside?”

“I am unsure. But the doors were damaged from the inside.” Zelus turned away and, eying Eliza and Talia, waited for them to move in close before he spoke.

“I know that you both saw me speaking with the cloaked man and Nathan last night. Nathan came to me to tell me that he fears his family is somehow involved with the enemy. His argument was convincing enough that I asked someone to look into the matter. Hopefully he and his men can deliver the traitors to the barracks jail before they can do more harm.” Eliza clearly was alarmed but, even though Zelus sounded reassuring, Talia was not convinced.

“I do not believe that will be enough Sir Zelus. Usually, my visions show what will happen if I do not intervene in some way. If you had resolved the matter last night, I should not have received a vision.” Zelus thought on the matter for a moment.

“What else did you see? I would prevent what we can.”

“Dominic and the others were here. I watched as you all fought with Caliban, the death knight from the tombs, and the one that was female.”

“Was it Raven?”

“No. This one was different, but she was powerful. She has the ability to deflect attacks with invisible magic. She simply waves her hand and it knocks you away.”

“What happened?”

“You all died. You and Giles were overpowered and Eliza was out of commission from the ballista attack.”

Eliza spoke up this time.

“Well, that has already been taken care of, so what happened next?”

Talia was trying to recall her dream.

“There were lots of screams. The guards stationed at the nobles’ quarter were overrun. The Highmoorian sector was on fire and…” Talia stopped as she realized where the enemy would strike first and began to run.

“Talia where are you going?” Zelus and Eliza asked as they pursued.

“In my vision, the labyrinth was attacked. They are going to try and kill Alec before they invade.” Immediately, the pace of the others increased as they hastened, trying to reach their friend in time. As they reached the gate to the nobles’ quarters, Talia saw that the guards were not at their posts. The three sped through and immediately turned towards the labyrinth. As they turned the corner, Talia could already see flames rising above the greenery.

“What has happened?!” Rowan yelled as he caught up to them.

“The enemy was waiting to attack Alec this entire time!” Talia was beginning to grow panicked as she saw that no guards were stationed at the labyrinth’s entrance. Worse yet as she entered they saw where someone had hacked their way in. Just before the first gap in the wall, Talia spotted the bodies of the absent patrolmen.

“Look the walls are resealing!” Eliza pointed. Talia looked up just in time to see the barriers reform.

“I am the divine, Talia Degracia, bearer of Aneira’s sight. I command thee in the name of the Holy Mother, grant us passage.” At Talia’s command, the walls of the maze began splitting apart. Talia and the others sprinted through the opening gap with blinding speed as they neared the center pavilion. As they reached closer, Talia could see that the massive door had been taken off its hinges and flames were licking the walls all around it.

“They are already inside!” Talia called back to the rest of her group as she moved in. She wasn’t more than a couple of steps within when the sounds of the battle inside caught her attention. As she rounded the corner, she saw Baldur lying on the ground, heavily bloodied trying to crawl his way back to the inner chamber.

“BALDUR! DO NOT MOVE! Eliza tried to yell at a whisper as she ran up to and crouched beside him.

“Quick Eliza, use a mending stone.” Talia commanded as she drew her sword and walked into where Zerendil, Aurick and Oz were engaging a male and female death knight as Tear stood back chanting. Talia could see that the Aneiran Blossom had sustained some damage from the flames Tear must have just put out, but was otherwise still standing strong.

As Talia and the others joined the fight, they noticed several Forsaken warriors that had accompanied the death knights already shriveled away. Both death knights noticed immediately as they became outnumbered and went into an all-out rampage. The male death knight lifted his massive shield high and charged, plowing past Aurick, Oz and Zerendil. All three toppled over and became pinned to the ground, a sign that the gravity aura was in effect. The knight continued to charge and crashed into the Aneiran Blossom as Talia and the others chased him down.

Bark shot in every which direction as the side of the tree’s trunk shattered and the roots of the tree became visible as it buckled under the pressure. The knight screamed out maniacally, as if in agony as it toppled backwards, holding its metal head. As the knight recovered and prepared another attack, Talia was upon him, gleaming with Aneira’s light. The knight whipped around just in time to catch her strike on the front of his shield.

“BOOM!” Talia flew backwards as a force rune fired off in her face. She gently floated to the ground, still assuming her ascended form. At the same time, Tear, Zelus and Rowan were engaged with the lady knight.

Tear ceased her singing incantation, already in trance state. She launched both hands forward, her hair began to fly around wildly about her as massive thorny roots burst from the ground and shot forward at the lady death knight. As the roots threatened to impale the knight, she stepped forward and with a simple swipe of her empty hand, knocked the blast towards Talia and the other death knight. Talia, not wanting to be hit by the blast, guarded. She realized too late, however, that she was not the intended target of the deflection. As the roots neared, the death knight held his shield back and slammed in downward.

Talia and the others watched in horror as the roots shot down into the ground and broke through. Much of the ground around the Aneiran Blossom began to crumble away revealing the roots system below. Talia quickly sprang into action as the knight before her, turned his attention solely to the tree. He arched himself backwards and Talia could see the fire forming behind his visor as she landed in front of him.

Talia threw her hands in front of herself and began to focus a flame ward to cover the entire tree. The knight spewed his fire and Talia watched as it webbed out in front of her and began to wrap behind the tree and dissipate. As the flames began to clear, Talia saw a distortion in the flames. Out of instinct Talia raised her shield, just in time to catch the overhead slash of the knight’s massive sword.

Talia cried out in pain and frustration as her shield broke and her arm gave out. As she cried out, the knight was struck by a massive kinetic pulse that sent him hurtling back over the gaps the roots had created. Talia looked to her broken left arm and cried out again as she rotated it back into position. Her arm still limp to her side, she began to sing, calling up a thunderous storm of force runes to unleash upon her enemy. Talia flinched again as the bone in her left arm snapped back in place and began mending.

“HELP TEAR!” Talia yelled as her body began to lift into the air and levitated. Talia hovered two feet off from the ground and she spread her arms wide. As Talia released her hold on the force runes, the death knight before her planted his shield into the ground and ducked behind its cover. She began to ready herself for another strike when something slammed into her from behind. Talia slashed wide as the lady knight ducked and jumped upward, grabbing onto Talia’s face with her left hand. Talia’s trance ended abruptly; she cried out as the knight’s palm began to sear her face. Talia immediately began to have a vision of the devastation to come as the knight threw her to the ground.

Talia felt an extreme amount of pressure on top of her chest. She began to lift herself up off from the ground and saw that the male was on his feet.

Talia’s breathing grew more rapid as she activated a second trance, quickly sprang to her feet and began attacking both knights. She caught a glance beyond her battle to see the others incapacitated again, struggling against the knight’s rune of burden. Even though she was desperately outmatched, she noticed that the closer to the Aneiran blossom the knights were, the more fatigued and weaker they seemed. Talia took this as a sign that Aneira’s blessing was crippling them, while giving her strength.

Talia began lashing out at both knights while launching off runes with her free hand. Her sword struck the massive shield as she unleashed a force rune in the lady knight’s face. The lady knight yelled in anger as she stumbled backwards and Talia jumped up and began slicing at the other one. The massive man blocked the majority of her blows but she managed to cleave into his armor twice.

She quickly turned as the other was upon her, rapidly expelling force runes to keep that left hand of the lady knight clear from her. After several minutes of solo fighting, the lady knight managed to blast Talia in the stomach. Talia soared through the air as her trance ended a second time.

In the distance, a massive boom exploded and a large beacon lit up the sky. The enemy knights looked to one another, and both turned to the Aneiran Blossom and lit it on fire.

“NOOO!!!” Talia cried as she entered into a third trance. Her body burst with light as she assailed the enemy. “I am Talia Degracia, Divine Knight of Aneira and possessor of her sight.” She spoke as she blasted both knights with a barrage of force runes. Both defended themselves as she charged, pieces of their armor chipping away with every strike. She jumped and managed to slice a large cut in the man’s shoulder as she kicked the other, twisting her body and sending another force rune. Quickly, she turned to face the burning Aneiran Blossom.

“I call upon the spirits of the labyrinth. In Aneira’s name, I ask thee to douse this unholy flame.” Instantly, water shot up from the chasm below and began to drop over the tree. As the flames subsided, Talia felt a strong grip around her throat. She strained in the man’s grip as the lady knight stood beside the male and blasted her torso multiple times with a force pulse. Talia’s lungs ignited, but she managed to swing her sword arm stabbing the man in the leg.

Instead of dropping Talia, he swung his arm throwing her backwards. Talia landed several feet away and had just enough time to roll to the side as the fist of the lady knight struck the ground beside her.

“HYAH!” Talia yelled as she swung, raking the female knight across her back, shattering f her armor. The death knight cried out in pain as she stumbled back towards the Aneiran Blossom. Talia looked up to see her friends still down and the tree once again in flames. The male knight again lifted his weapon into the air and, using an enhanced form of burden, brought the massive sword thundering down, causing massive pieces of his armor to crumble away, revealing muscular, milky, flesh covered arms.

Talia’s trance ended for the third time and her battle had become a struggle to remain conscious. She rose to her feet and stumbled past the lady knight as the Aneiran Blossom began to sink into the earth.

“ALEC!!!” She screamed as the ground fully collapsed around the tree and it fell into the depths below. She could hear the others cry out with her as she dropped to the edge of the hole and saw her love vanish. Talia turned to look upon the knights, her heart full rage and anguish, but they were already gone. Talia turned back to the chasm and began climbing down the side.

“NO TALIA, DON’T!!!” Eliza leapt forward, grabbed hold of Talia, and barely managed to pull her back.

“I HAVE TO SAVE HIM! HE NEEDS ME!” She cried out as Rowan and Zelus managed to gain their feet.

“Talia, you cannot go after him!” They yelled as they started helping Eliza. Talia continued to fight as Oz dove into the depths. As Oz disappeared into the dark, Talia dropped to her knees, Eliza knelt behind her and began stroking her hair. Rowan and Zelus stood watch as Tear and Zerendil rose to a seated position and hung their heads low while Aurick paced. Talia began to shake and tears filled her eyes as the minutes rolled by.

“Rowan, Zelus! Do you see anything?” Rowan and Zelus were leaning over the edge of the pit, staring straight down.

“Nothing yet.” Rowan replied. Zelus turned back to Talia who had now bowed her head down and was rocking back and forth. Eliza continued to rub her back, sobbing as well.

“Don’t worry Talia. Alec is fine, he is always fine. I don’t know how he does it, but he always pulls through. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t even mortal.” Zelus sensing that he was not helping, stopped talking.

As the silence began to sink in, Oz returned from the pit, alone. Everyone save Talia jumped up hoping for good news. Oz landed and the group gathered his response as he dropped his head low. They heard a faint crash in the distance and smoke began to plume.

“I can’t believe that he is gone,” Rowan whispered to himself. Again, another crash in the distance confirmed that the enemy was renewing their assault on the wall. Talia clenched her fists angrily and slowly rose from the ground. Anger surged through her as, in that moment, she had become broken in both heart and mind. She reached her full height and decided that it was time that her enemies felt the extent of her wrath.

“Talia?” Eliza looked at her with a worried expression as Talia began walking to the exit.

“There are those in need of us, and others in need of death. I shall herald both unto thee.” A red hue began to surround her as she left the inner chamber. Everyone stood in shock as they turned toward Zerendil. Zerendil stood in shock for a moment, unsure of what was happening until he noticed the trail of burnt grass left behind Talia.

“Talia! Wait, do not invoke wrath! There is still time.”

“Time is the one thing that we no longer have. Do not worry, I shall be the sword of the Holy Mother and strike a blow to the enemy, which they shall never recover from.” Talia vanished around the corner as everyone turned to Zerendil, fear in their eyes.

“What was that?” Eliza was the first to bring the question to words. Zerendil instead shook his head and began to follow Talia.

“Another time, we need to tend to the impending attack. We must try and talk her down if possible.” Zerendil, Baldur, Aurick and Oz began chasing Talia.

“Do you mean the Forsaken?” Eliza asked. Zerendil shook his head as he walked after her.

“Right now we should prepare ourselves for anything.” After a moment, the others followed.

Talia followed the smoke back towards the front gates. As she approached, she could hear the violent thudding of a battering ram on the door. Talia began chanting, summoning up as many volatile runes as came to mind. Zerendil followed a short distance behind conjuring as many protective wards as he could manage. Talia’s nose began to bleed but she paid no mind to the subtle warning as Zerendil continued to call for her to stop.

She pushed on and began ascending the stairs. Everyone who noticed her quickly moved out of the way. Talia reached the top of the stairs and looked across the wall. Both ballistae lay in ruins and the enemy siege towers were approaching. Talia looked out onto the battlefield and noticed glowing lights amongst some of the Forsaken. Talia looked down onto the Forsaken that wielded the battering ram. The device was shaped as if it were some sort of demon dog and Talia could actually see the runes binding the magic within it.

A terrifying power flowed through Talia as she lifted her hand into the air and focused on the magic.

“Collapse!” She called her voice somehow different from her own. She watched as her rune latched onto the magic in the device and caused the rune to burst, igniting the Forsaken pushing it. The Forsaken began backing away as they beat out the flames but Talia was not quite finished.

“I am Talia Degracia, Divine Knight of Aneira.” The red aura surrounding Talia began to intensify. Zerendil and the others ran up on Talia as almost everyone else had already run away.

“Talia, please stop! If you release too much energy, you WILL DIE!” Zerendil yelled, but did not approach. Talia did not hear him and continued her invocation.

“I, the Divine possessing Aneira’s eye, call now upon the heavens to smite those who have taken the lives of those I love. It is in their name, to punish the wicked, that I invoke Aneira’s wrath.”

“NO, TALIA, DON’T!” Zerendil yelled again as the crimson waves around Talia continued to swell more wildly. Talia let out a scream, formulated from a combination of rage, hysteria and anguish. Crimson rain poured from her mouth, choking out the sound of her shriek.

Zerendil turned and addressed the others.

“Everyone replace cover! She won’t be able to control it!” Zerendil despite his warning ran forward. Talia’s focus was concentrated entirely upon the enemy. Her eyes were now entirely bloodshot as well.

“Talia! You must desist! Channeling Aneira’s wrath will kill you!” Zerendil attempted to approach her, but flinched and stepped backwards as the aura surrounding Talia began scalding his skin. He stumbled backwards and fell upon the steps as his skin blistered from the contact. Everyone ran to Zerendil’s side as he collapsed to a knee and held his burnt face.

Meanwhile, Talia’s wrath continued to grow out of control. The stone beneath her and the walls beside her began to grow increasingly warm and the wooden pieces of the broken ballistae burst into flame. Talia outstretched her left arm and dark clouds began to swirl above her. The skin on her left arm began to burn as another swell of the wave struck and bolts of lightning began blasting the enemy.

“TALIA! PLEASE STOP!” Eliza began pleading with Talia. Zelus looked to the others.

“What if we knock her out?” Zerendil thought for a moment.

“It is worth a try. Tear and I will heal her if the storm subsides.” Zerendil offered. Zelus looked around and picked up a rock the size of an apple.

“Forgive me Talia.” He spoke as he hurled the rock towards her head. They watched as the stone flew true, but moments before impact, Talia’s aura grew bright and swatted it away. Everyone quickly began looking for a different option.

They could all see the skin on Talia’s left arm begin to crisp and char with pieces of ash flaking away as lightning continued to pelt anything and everything in its path. Bolts began to strike the tallest towers of the city as well as the enemy.

Talia watched as the Forsaken sounded their retreat and began attempting to pull back all of their troops.

“I shall not allow any of your filth to taint these lands a moment longer.” Talia spoke as she focused more energy through her body, her clothes becoming irreparably tarnished. Bolts struck the castle grounds yet again, breaking away more pieces from the walls.

“This storm is going to claim everything! TALIA PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO STOP!” Eliza cried out again, but to no avail. Zelus looked from side to side and placed his left hand against the stone wall and quickly pulled it away, the skin having been scalded. Zelus looked around and considered the one thing that he knew he alone could do.

“Someone fetch me some water.” He yelled as he stepped forward and unfastened his cloak. Eliza stepped up behind him as Tear took off at a run.

“What are you doing?”

“Eliza, we will have to talk when this is over, but I think that there is still something I can do.” He pressed past Eliza and stared at Talia as he slowly ascended the stairs. As he approached, lightning continued to strike. One of the castle towers burst as a bolt struck, sending rubble down below. Zelus could already feel the intense heat radiating from Talia and he was still several steps away.

Zelus shielded his eyes with his left arm as he stepped forward again and again. He reached out with his right hand and the aura surrounding Talia flashed angrily as his hand passed through it. Though Zelus did not flinch with pain, he noticed the bandage covering his hand begin to burn away.

“Well, I suppose that my ruse was never meant to last forever.” Zelus spoke to himself as he took a deep breath, braced himself and took another step. The lightning began to intensify as Zelus’ arm further penetrated the aura. The cloth concealing Zelus’ arm had now been burned away up to his wrist.

Zelus began focusing on the vortex, trying to will the energy to bend. Already, he could feel the metal arm begin to superheat and he still had several more steps to take. As he began to feel the energy bend, Tear arrived with the pail of water.

“Drench my cloak, quickly!” He spoke as he tossed his cloak to Tear. He waited for a brief moment and Tear threw it back to him. He carefully wrapped the cloth around his head, shoulders and took special care to shield his face as he took up the black blade in its sheath. Zelus took several practice breaths and charged. Immediately upon entering the field his body began to burn. What little energy that he was able to bend, kept most of his body defended but he still felt some effects. His progress was slowed, though he moved as quickly as he was able. He could hear the others crying out for him and he felt as though his clothes were ready to burst into flame. Three more steps and Zelus lifted the sheathed sword high.

“Talia, I am so sorry for this.” He spoke as he brought the scabbard down hard on the backside of her head. Both the storm and the destructive aura dissipated as Talia collapsed and Zelus dropped to his knees in close proximity of her. The others climbed the stairs after them with haste.

“Take care of her first. I am fine.” Zelus weaved as he placed his back to the stone wall and listened to the unsettling silence that bled him of his courage. As the others fussed over Talia, Zelus began to examine himself. He could feel the slight burns on his face and chest, but figured he would heal within the next couple of days. Colette arrived on the scene and approached Zelus.

“Commander, is everything settled?”

He nodded his head, the pain in his right arm had finally grown to be quite severe.

“It seems as though things have quieted. Though, I need you to bring me some more water to douse my wounds.” As Colette ran away, Eliza and Tear approached.

“Zerendil says that she will live, but it is going to take him and any healers he can muster all night to set her right. I am going to help you and then join them.” Tear spoke. Colette quickly returned with the water and began to wet a cloth. Zelus waved his hand to stop her.

“Not necessary Tear. Please help Talia. My wounds are hardly life threatening. Colette could you please begin slowly dousing my right arm?” Tear did not argue and neither did Colette. As Tear left and Colette lifted the bucket, Eliza knelt down beside Zelus on his left side. As Colette gently poured water over his arm, the metal caused the water to rapidly sizzle and evaporate.

“Zelus, be honest with me. How did you manage to do that and how did you survive Belias’ attack? Next, I want to know why your arm is made of metal.” Zelus was shocked at her calm demeanor yet sensed that his life could end at any moment. Zelus swallowed hard and attempted to explain.

“I am not entirely sure how or why, but when I was trapped inside that tower seven months ago, I somehow managed to manipulate Belias’ flames.” He thought for a moment as Eliza and Colette stared at him blankly.

“Do you remember when Alec was showing us his water ward? Do you remember how I could sense where the ward was even though neither of us could actually see it? It was almost the same except, this time, as I placed my hands out to shield myself, I felt the energy bend around me. I have been practicing ever since, under orders from the council. I have been trying and trying to do the same things that Alec, Tear and Talia do but, no matter what I try, I cannot create the runes or activate the wards.

But finally, I had a breakthrough. The council had just ordered me to go into the field to study this strange weapon that the enemy had been using on our troops. They were being stabbed by these needles that could not be removed or else they would burrow in deeper until the target died. Nothing anyone had done seemed to work, but then I showed up, and it was as if the tiny daggers called to me. The council ordered that this be kept secret, but when I reached out for the metal, it willingly released its hold on the victim and attached itself to me. After a time, I began to develop this black spot on my forearm. I decided to stop for a time but was redeployed, because I am the only one who could treat the wounds.” Again, silence broke out as Colette and Eliza froze from shock. After several minutes Eliza finally spoke.

“Who else knows?” Zelus hesitated for a brief moment before responding.

“The council, they felt that it was an important asset and have been helping me develop it. Dominic knows, the men I was treating were his and Talia only caught a glimpse of it while we fought Caliban.”

“How long have you been keeping this from me?” Zelus bowed his head.

“Nearly three and a half months.” Zelus flinched, preparing himself to be punched, but instead Eliza rose to her feet.

“I am going to scout and make sure we are in the clear. Colette, I need you to gather troops and make sure that they are all ready to fall back in line. The commander can tend to his own wounds.” Eliza walked away, leaving Zelus feeling cold and hurt. Colette looked to him and he nodded. Colette ran off as Zelus sat by the wall alone.

After several empty moments, Zelus rose to his feet and saw that, already, some of the soldiers had returned. Zelus slowly ascended the stairs and peered over the top of the wall. The destruction that the enemy had endured was monumental. Of the enemy siege towers, they had brought earlier that day, only one remained functional and was still badly damaged. He could still see that the enemy remained, but they had at least traveled back a fair distance. Zelus sighed with relief at the realization that they would be safe for one more day.