Raulin's Oath

Lucius had not noticed the change of energy, the powerful hum that radiated from the city. Belamoris had reeked of terror and suffering, so much so that this change had been buried in it. The wolf had tracked the trio here, her nose working endlessly to scent them out, and finally she had found them.

Her instincts had told her that they were heading into grave danger, and she always trusted her instincts. They were usually right, after all. She held her fear of fire at bay; the city burned bright all around her, but she focused on the three that were now surrounded by the dead. Her white coat was streaked with ash, and her paws stung, rubbed raw from all of her walking. The air was permeated with the stench of smoke and death. She had been watching these two for a while, sensing that she would be needed.

The girl’s eyes were filled with a paralyzing terror as she looked at the man who had just been a dragon. Nova sensed her power choke, but a bright light was pouring from the old wizard, who was holding the enemy at bay. The boy was frozen with fear as well. She couldn’t understand how they could be facing such danger, yet unable to act. She crept to a position where she would not be visible until it was too late; the time to attack was upon her. A growl rumbled in her throat, but over the screams, she was not heard. The hair on her back standing on end was the only evidence of the cool rage that flooded her. Her right eye glowed a deadly blue.

She lowered onto her haunches, stalking towards the circle, then leapt into action. Her teeth ripped out throats, claws slashing, and she won herself a few extra seconds of vengeance from the surprise attack. This seemed to wake the two from their sleep, their eyes clearing.

Nova’s great jaw clamped on the neck of one of the undead, her eyes connected with the boy’s, and a moment of mutual understanding was shared between them. In a great swinging motion, the boy crossed his arms against his chest, hands tight into fists, and then he flung them out to his sides. His hands unfurled like hemlock flowers, poisonous yet beautiful. A great darkness was unleashed upon the Shadow Walkers, and even Nova shuddered. He joined her in the fight, Nova used her teeth and claws, and he used his darkness. The Great Wizard fought alongside them as well, using his light, but surprisingly enough to all four, the darkness seemed much fiercer. Arietta began singing “Rain in My Heart” once more, trying to wash the streets of blood, trying to cool the fires that raged and devoured the once beautiful island. She then sent a blinding bolt of lightning into the Dragon King’s chest, hurling him into the side of a building with a thunderous crash. Jerry’s hands cut through the air, and his shadows were no longer whispers of the void that sung into the bloody night, but physical masses. They were great beasts that ripped and tore into the Shadow Walkers. They were death incarnate.

The tight circle that had once formed around the group had dispersed, and while there were still many close to them and roaming the streets, they were ultimately free to travel. The group sprinted towards the potion shop, and to their horror, it was on fire. The shop crackled and popped, and a figure moved frantically through the smoke-filled chambers. Gustoff blew the door from its hinges.

“Arkas!” he cried, covering his face. His throat was raw; a layer of smoke seemed to blacken it. He coughed. Though his eyes stung, leaking tears from the thick black smoke, he could still make out the old man limping around the shop, stuffing bottles into a large, burlap bag. The register had already been invaded, all of its money likely also in the bag of the shopkeeper. “Come out! This place is going to collapse!”

“I don’t need rescuing, old friend. Everything I own is in this shop,” the old man grumbled just loud enough to be heard. He let out a heavy cough as he picked through several of the unbroken vials on the floor next to a collapsed shelf.

“You may not, but we do, and a blackened corpse isn’t going to help us at all. Your life is worth more than that.” The building shuddered. The scraggly wizard sighed, and he hurried out the door to join the group. As soon as he exited the building, its roof collapsed, a cough emanating from the wood, and a large gust of hot air tickled Arietta’s cheeks.

“I guess I owe you one.” Arkas used a worn sleeve to wipe sweat and ash from his brow. He wheezed, coughing. “What do you need, old friend?”

“We need passage back. We need help remembering… remembering how to create a gate back to Earth,” Gustoff said hurriedly, and Arkas’ beady eyes scanned his.

“The gate has closed, but with our combined magic we should be able to reopen it for a short time. Join hands,” he demanded clearly, and the trio joined hands. Arietta broke free of Jerry to lay a hand on the mysterious white wolf that had assisted them in their escape, and Jerry followed suit. “Now repeat after me--”

An explosion of fire, hot and pure, was released behind them.

“CEASE THIS!”

They trembled at the terrifying boom. An inky dragon soared toward the ground, but as he landed, he shifted. A devastatingly beautiful man continued a determined march toward the group in place of the dragon, his cloak trailing behind him. His eyes smoldered. Arietta’s heart stumbled, Jerry’s mouth gaped, yet dear old Grandpa Gus was deadly calm, as a viper prepared to strike.

“Take my place.” His words were directed at Arkas.

“No!” Arietta cried, tears brimming in her eyes, and Jerry gripped her hands, both still touching the wolf’s black-and-red-streaked hair. Arietta tried ripping her hand from his, tried charging after her grandpa, but Jerry’s grip was vice-like. “Let me go,” she screeched, her fury evident, as well as her fear.

“He’s doing this for us. He will be okay. He knows what he is doing.” Jerry’s voice was soft, yet his eyes betrayed his words.

“You and I both know he’s walking to his death!” As she struggled, Arkas began chanting, a blue glow radiating from his eyes. A soft, kind, and velvety darkness swallowed them. Arietta watched in horror as her grandpa was thrown to the ground and restrained by other members of the army. Her eyes were not on Lucius, but on the loving man that had guarded her, helped raise her, who was on his knees. His messy white hair obscured his frenzied eyes, but they remained on her as well, and his lips moved, sending a message her way. I love you, Arietta.

***

Arietta woke from her deep sleep, thrashing and screaming, her pulse creating green mountains on the monitor. Her parents immediately came to her side, their hands feeling as though they were suffocating her, and she fought against them with a wildness in her eyes. A nurse hurried in, followed by the white coat of her doctor, and seeing him only made her screams louder, more frantic. Tears were a river down her cheeks; she tore at the hands that were trying to subdue her. She still felt the blood on her legs, and the smoke still stung her nostrils. Where was she, again? Where was Jerry? Why had they abandoned Grandpa Gus? The other nurse wielded a knife--no, a needle. Arietta let out another shriek, cried and fought, but sure enough, the needle was inserted into her feverish skin, and the sedative seduced her into a deep sleep.

***

Present Day

Arietta’s eyes fluttered open to a piercingly white light. Her blurred vision focused as she squeezed her eyes so that they were slits that shielded her from the intensity of the illumination. The room around her was white, and it reminded her of her childhood. The pain that had paralyzed her at home was down to a dull throb, which was the only thing that kept her in the moment. She reached over to the side of the bed and depressed the call button to summon a nurse. She closed her eyes and tried to swallow. Her throat was as dry as the desert sand, and if she wasn’t careful, she would be getting a headache from the brightness of the room.

A short brunette entered with a bright smile on her face. “Hi, Arietta, how is your pain?”

Arietta tried to speak, but what she said sounded like a whispery growl rather than intelligible words. She closed her mouth, swallowed with a wince and tried again. “The pain isn’t too bad, but my throat is really dry and sore,” she croaked. “Could you be a dear and get me a glass of ice water?”

“Absolutely.” The nurse smiled at her, but her eyes held a bit of pity.

Arietta had seen that look before, and she really didn’t care for it one bit. When the nurse returned, Arietta asked her if she could sit up in the bed. She then took a long pull of ice-cold water, which numbed her throat and felt wonderful. She had an IV in her arm that probably delivered fluids, but nothing to keep her throat from drying out. After she had drained a cup of water, she asked for a cup of ice. She didn’t want to drink too much too quickly. She sat in silence, munching on a small mouthful of ice when her throat told her that she needed it.

Arietta closed her eyes and went through the events that led up to her hospitalization. She had dismissed the muddy footprints in her house, thinking that she hadn’t showered before bed that night. She could not dismiss the grass that was in her hand when she woke yesterday. She had to be traveling to Palidonaya in her dreams, but how?

The other thing that was bothering her was the strangers that she kept seeing that apparently knew her name and where she lived. The emerald green eyes reminded her of the Dragon King, but they were definitely not Lucius. Could they be sent here by him? Was that even possible? The last one had asked her for a weapon.

It was strange how the timelines had begun to blur for her. She had been immersed in the memories of her childhood to the point that it seemed like it had happened yesterday. The fog had been lifted that had blanketed those years. As it lifted, she had been experiencing strange occurrences that could only be explained by these events from her childhood. She closed her eyes and focused on how she felt once the panic had faded. Memories sailed her back to 1972 again, and she allowed herself to be swept away in the memories that she had once lost but were now found.

***

1972

The nurses had dismissed her incident as a night-terror-induced panic attack, and everything was back to normal. She was put through her regular dose of physical therapy, which didn’t bother her at all, as the pain was a ghost of what it had been. The day had been long, but she knew it could’ve been months for Gustoff. Timelines were unreliable. She had to act quickly. She fumbled through her pocket and traced the grooves of the golden coin. She whispered the phrase over and over again, squeezing it until her fingers turned numb. The door to Palidonaya was indeed closed to her.

Arietta was lost in her thoughts as she made her way to the chemo room. As she entered, Jerry was sitting by a younger, dark-complexioned girl with curly dark hair, save one white streak that ended over her right eye, which was a brilliant blue that contrasted with her deep brown left eye.

“Hi, Jerry, who is your friend?”

“Um,” she started uncomfortably. “Hi, my name, my name…” She drew in a frustrated breath. “My name is Nova. My sessions usually start a little later, but I asked to come in early today. You guys are normally not really here when I start.”

“Not really here?”

“I’ve been there too. I was there when your friend was taken.” A hand came up to her hair, taking one of the curly strands around her finger, a nervous tick she had developed at the hospital.

“Oh.” Arietta hesitated, unsure what to say. Arietta sat down so that Nova was between her and Jerry.

“How did you... I don’t recognize your face,” Arietta stumbled, trying to connect the dots.

“When I go there, I can change into a wolf. We need to find a way back. I think that your friend needs help.” The quiet girl’s eyes narrowed, and a wolfish gleam was in her eyes. Recognition collided hard with Arietta.

***

Though little time passed on Earth while the Chosen were gone, months sped by under the Dragon King’s fearsome conquest. From the ashes, his empire rose as he circled ever closer to Lenovia, the last stronghold on the continent. Clarette had been good on her promise to close the gateway, and the Chosen were separated from the land. Lucius took full advantage of their absence. His army ruled the darkness, and none could withstand their might.

There was, however, a spark of hope that remained. The wizard Arkas managed to evade capture on that dark night that Lucius’s army had overtaken Belamoris. He faded out in Belamoris and reappeared on the mainland, where he decided to venture to the Great Beyond. He lived in exile in the sea of sand in a small hut, where he continued to search for a way to right the many wrongs that have been done to his great land.