Of Magic And Men

Standing in a short hallway Alaya could see the place was crumbling and falling apart, all the banners hanging from the walls were torn and tattered, however at the end of the hall stood a solitary brick cell with steel bars. She saw a familiar arm reach out from behind the bars. “Alaya, please get me out of here.” It looked and sounded exactly like her father, she took a step forward, towards the cage then stopped. She had to remember this was an illusion, this was all a trap. It wasn’t really her father. She turned around, to face behind her. “Clever girl. You weren’t nearly as easy to fool as Peter, here.” When she turned around she saw Skai standing there pointing his dagger at peters throat. Peter knelt on the ground in front of him bound and gagged, he was trying to yell something but through his gag she could not understand what was being said. “Skai!” Alaya yelled. “Drop the dagger, you have no chance of winning, you are out numbered.” “I may be out numbered, yes, but my chances of winning are high.” She heard whispered into her ear, spinning around to see where the voice came from she saw a black whisp in the air like a residual shadow. Skai was playing games with her, just then Silicont reached out to her with his mind. “Snap out of it Alaya, remember this is all an illusion.” Alaya took a breath to calm herself, turning back around to face Skai and Peter. She tried to focus, if she could see a shimmer around skai, she would know he was behind her, if she didn’t than he was in front of her. Shimmer! Turning around once again, she was starting to feel dizzy, however she lunged forward with her sword. Despite seeing nothing where she stabbed, she felt it, a resistance. Focusing her power through the blade she plunged it deeper and sent a bolt of lightning through the invisible object. Slowly the illusions started to fade like dust to the wind, there was no castle crumbling around them, there was no moat, there was no father who called for his daughters help. There was only Skai, staggering in place having received a full blast of electricity to his body. As he fell to the ground the snakes slithered out of the skin suits mouth yet again, she wasn’t going to let him get away this time. Using as much force as possible she blasted the snakes with lightning, the snakes convulsed and rolled over, dead. Hopefully she got them all, but she couldn’t be certain. If she had to fight this snake guy one more time, she didn’t know what she’d do but it wouldn’t be pretty, she thought to herself. Looking around as she tried to find peter. She began to become frantic but all she could see was grass and trees. Sheathing her blade she hurried back to silicont who had been standing where the gate had been. “Can you sense peter anywhere, I dont see him.” “He is nearby, I can hear his thoughts faintly. He says he’s buried underground?” Alaya quickly scanned the area searching for anything that could give away his location. There! About ten paces away there was over-turned dirt! Running over she fell to the ground and started to dig, after a minute of reckless digging she uncovered his hands. Dear heavens, he was going to run out of air soon! “Help me!” she called out to Silicont who galloped over and started to dig the best he could, without hands. She finally uncovered his face but he wasn’t breathing, quickly uncovering the rest of him she pulled him out of the hole into her lap. “Peter?” she shook him gently. “Peter?!” “He’s not waking up Silicont!” She shook him a little harder, then hugged him close to her chest. “Peter please wake up.” “I can not sense him anymore, Alaya.” “No, no, he can’t be gone, he made me a promise, he promised me he would get my father back. He promised my father he would stop Morgan, he can’t break his promises.” Alaya was becoming hysterical, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She brushed the dirt from his face and gently started to rock back and forth. Without Peter and without her father they stood no chance of ridding this realm of the corruption. They stood no chance of preventing the spread into the human realm, they were doomed. “Isn’t there anything we can do, could I use magic to try and heal him? Silicont please could I heal him?!” Silicont just shook his head and backed away. There was nothing more to be done, and alaya knew it, she just didn’t want to admit it was over. Everything they had been through in their short time together. The sword training that first night, finding her father gone and the camp destroyed, saving him from the pseudodog, losing Elathor, rescuing Silicont from Skai. Everything they had suffered through together as friends. It had only been a week in total but it seemed like she had known him for years. Why couldn’t I just tell him I loved him, she thought. “Peter, please. Please come back to me.” She pleaded quietly, resting her forehead on his. I love him, I love him and I never told him how I felt, I was always so mean to him, and all he wanted to do was help, all he ever did was care. Alaya gently kissed peters lips, a tear rolled down her cheek and onto Peter. “I am sorry, Alaya, but I think it is best if we leave.” “What’s the point, Silicont? It’s over, we lost, Peter was our last hope.” “You can not think that way we can still fight.” Alaya was’t listening anymore she just rocked peter gently back and forth. “Peter, I love you.”