Chapter 22: Sacred Stone

Epilogue

    We returned first to Rausten, giving back the Sacred Twins to Pontifex Mansel. We stayed there for a time, celebrating, and I came to know and like L’Arachel much better than I ever did on the march. Somehow, she also bullied her uncle into letting her become engaged to Rennac. We all heartily wished them both joy.

    This was the time that Ephraim and I pulled Seth aside, in a little room, and began to ‘discuss’ marriage with him. He argued a bit at first, relasping into his old reactions, saying that Prince Innes was a much better match than he. Ephraim yelled at him impatiently, but I showed Seth the ring he had given me, and he shut up. I smiled apologetically and put my arms around him. He returned the embrace, bent his red head and kissed me.

    After a moment, we looked up and saw Ephraim was no longer there. Seth grumbled slightly about brothers-in-law-to-be who run off at the worst times, but I laughed and ran out of the room to find Ephraim to actually plan the wedding.

    At dinner that night, as I waited in the corridor for my turn to enter the banquet hall, Ephraim and Seth walked up behind me, engaged in a technical discussion of lance-work. Seth laid an arm over both of our shoulders and changed the subject. “I still wish you two hadn’t ‘lorded’ me.” We gave him an extra title as an early wedding present. Lord Seth of the District of Pender…

    Ephraim fixed him with a hard stare. “Seth, just how old are you again?”

    “Er… twenty two, Lord Ephraim.”

    “Just wondering. You’re so proper, I didn’t think you had the nerve to initiate… a group hug!”

    After a brief tight embrace, we three of Renais stepped out to take our places at the tables of peace.

Chapter 22: Sacred Stone

Chapter 21: Darkling Woods     Epilogue

Chapter 22: Sacred Stone

    There stood Lyon. We three stood still, not moving towards each other.

    “Eirika…” he said at last. “Ephraim…”

    “There’s no need to say anything, Lyon,” Ephraim said gently. “We know everything, and we’re sorry.”

    “You must kill me now. The Demon King will use my body to revive his own…” We stood silent. “You don’t actually know everything. When the Demon King first reached out to me… there was… I must say it… jealousy and envy in my heart. I did not resist as I should have… I am to blame for my unforgivable weakness…”

    “No, Lyon. You are not to blame,” I said. “Everyone has weaknesses. I know I do. I’m certain my brother does. We do, we do forgive you.”

    “Even now, you are so kind to me…”

    Abruptly, the Demon King broke in. “Are you done yet? Huh, making your life over into some sort of epic tragedy… Booooring!”

    Ephraim shook himself. “We are going to kill you now.”

    “Yes? You think you have the strength to do it?”

    Ephraim looked at me, and I gave him a look of determination. “Yes, we can and will do it. You will die this day.”

    “I am the Demon King! I cannot die!” It laughed triumphantly and teleported away to a distant point. Many creatures took up places on the walkways to his platform.

    “Let’s go, Ephraim!” I cried. “You can go that way. I’ll go this way.” Myrrh, Saleh, Innes, L’Arachel, Duessal, Syrene, Ewan, Vanessa, Father Moulder, Dozla, Rennac, Tethys, Gerik, and Kyle and Forde went with Ephraim and Seth, Tana, Cormag, Franz, Amelia, Lute, Artur, Joshua, Natasha, Gilliam, Neimi, Colm, Garcia, Ross, and Marisa came with me. We blasted through the enemy. I could see the flash of Myrrh’s flame as she disintegrated yet another draco zombie – on my side, Artur and Natasha evaporated another. I had my own work, with revenants everywhere. We were almost literally surrounded by a sea of them, with some bonewalkers thrown in. A Gorgon or two made things interesting.

    We just fought, and fought, and fought. We all knew what to do. No one fell, or was even injured severely. With L’Arachel wielding the powerful Staff of Latona, we were protected from most harm.

    We rode up and surrounded Lyon. The black eyes glared at us as we charged. Darkness filled the world around us: the Demon King was using the spell that Lyon himself had written, and knew backwards and forwards: Naglfar. Lyon had tried to make it a pretty spell… Now that I saw it for the first time, I saw that it was, but with demonic power poured into it, it wracked our bodies, trying to seize our hearts.

    The magic ceased abruptly as Sigmund and Seiglinde’s magic met flesh.

    The Necromancer prince crumpled. A dark wind rose and swirled away.

    Ephraim dismounted and pulled Lyon into a sitting position with his head on Ephraim’s shoulder. I knelt beside him.

    His violet eyes opened, fixed on nothing. “Ephraim… I’m sorry. Everything’s all right now, though, right?”

    “It’s all right, Lyon. I only wish… I guess sometimes I’m too ambitious for my own good, huh?” Ephraim’s voice trembled as he attempted to laugh.

    Lyon smiled. “That’s not true, Ephraim. Ambition is a good force… only when it turns to darkness – true darkness, not dark magic – it is not so good… I wouldn’t want to keep you back just because I’m not as athletic as you are… Not as good as you are in various things…” Ephraim started to protest, but Lyon’s hand silenced him. “I’m glad we were friends, though.”

    After a pause, he began to speak to me, fumbling for my hands. “Eirika, you… are in love with… uh…” He mouthed the word ‘silver’.

    I nodded, blushing madly.

    “That’s good,” he said, relaxing slightly. “You’ll be happy, I think… I have heard of him. Eirika… I just want to say – I never had the courage to say it – I wish I had – but…” He took a shaky breath. “I love you.”

    “Lyon…” He was slipping. Now! Before he left us entirely! I took his face in my hands and gently touched my lips to his. After a moment, he went limp.

    Ephraim gently laid him on the floor and we stood. I did not cry. I already had.

    There was an earthshaking rumble. Lyon’s body vanished as if disintegrated. I cried out as we heard a bestial roar echoing through the shadowy hall and out through Darkling Woods.

    We hastened to the back room of the temple. A swirl of dark light like cloud dispersed, and then we saw a hideous creature, with knotted muscles seething under iron grey skin, a pair of black wings that reached to the ceiling, fluttering in the wind that whirled through the chamber, a massive tail, and a horrible face framed with horns like a ram’s.

    “Formortiis!” cried L’Arachel. “The Demon King!”

    “The Sacred Stone!” shouted Innes. Ephraim and I held it up, and it left our grasp and hovered in the air above us. A stream of flashes, blinding, then black as the most bottomless pit, multicoloured, streamed into the stone from the chest of the monster. It was over in an instant.

    The Sacred Stone went back into its purse and to L’Arachel. “Come, Eirika!” cried my brother. I drew Sieglinde and ran forward with him, dodging a sweep of the razor claws of the Demon King’s still-animated body. My heart was pounding rhythmically, rapidly. My breath hissed in my throat as I struck. The Sacred Twins of Renais hit home, and more than that – Nidhogg’s arrows bit deep into the outstretched wings, Ross swung Garm with incredible strength, and Tana’s Vidofnir went clean through an upper limb. Tana skilfully plunged it in, let go, and grabbed it on the other side of the arm, yanking it out without losing any speed to her flight. To my right, I caught a glimpse of Seth out of the corner of my eye.

    “Flies! All flies!” roared the unhuman voice. Then, a blinding, unholy light engulfed me.

    The agony was unlike anything else I’d ever known. Worse even than the Gorgon’s spell, it ripped through me, tugging at my very soul.

    Myrrh brought an end to it. As my vision returned to normal, I saw her, reared back on her haunches, fire shooting into the Demon King’s face.

    “Oh, daughter of the one I killed, you will regret that,” growled the beast as the demon light blasted Myrrh. Spells from our side flew at it in the battle of magic.

    Abruptly, all movement ceased. Siegmund, Sieglinde, and Nidhogg had struck again. The Demon King tottered.

    Howling, the creature dematerialized as Myrrh flamed him out of existance.

    Complete and absolute silence fell.

    Seth, to my right, hauled himself up by Altha’s saddle. His face was haggard, as if sleepless for many days. I ran to him and we embraced.

    Everyone began talking at once, laughing, hugging, even – I saw Franz and Amelia kissing. Innes glared at me, even as he put an arm around Syrene.

    We went out into the daylight, still talking and laughing. I went rather wild with happiness and excitement, rushing around and flinging my arms around Ephraim, who held me tightly, and hugging Tana, and L’Arachel, who ran up to me, dragging Rennac by the hand, and joyfully exclaimed that it was a miracle – we lost no one, and destroyed the Demon King’s body to boot! I smiled and agreed, and then Seth caught me again and kissed me.

Chapter 21: Darkling Woods     Epilogue

Chapter 20: Last Hope     Chapter 22: Sacred Stone

Chapter 21: Darkling Woods

    We pressed deep into Darkling Woods, to the west of Rausten. Myrrh led us swiftly, surely, onwards. She said she would take us to an ancient sort of temple building thing, the place where the Demon King had first been destroyed.

    The further we travelled, the thicker the monsters became. At last, Ephraim stopped the army.

    “We’ve got to get a strategy. Just fighting off the random bonewalkers is annoying and stupid. Let’s call it a battle from here on.”

    So, we did. Our winged units zoomed ahead, beyond the rest of us easily. The watery mud slowed our horses slightly. The pegasi and wyvern each carried an extra fighter – magic users and Innes.

    As Ephraim killed the bishop who had attacked us in Rausten, a bishop named Riev who had once served Grado, we gathered outside the temple.

    A damp and ghastly foul-smelling roar swept over us. I saw some of the more delicate members of our army turn away quickly. Myrrh sat on her haunches quickly.

    “What the heck?” Innes swore at the abhomination. A tattered dragon-corpse stood in the gate of the temple, roaring challengingly. Myrrh roared back.

    The two breaths swirled around the two dragons. The draco-zombie caught flame, but Myrrh’s golden brown scales looked paler and greener. She swayed and collapsed sideways. Saleh ran forward with a staff. Artur and Natasha attacked the draco-zombie. It, too, collapsed to one side of the gate. The last shreds of its skin and bones were blown away by the wind.

    Ephraim looked at me. I returned the glance, and, Sacred Twins at the ready, we entered the temple together without a backwards look.

Chapter 20: Last Hope     Chapter 22: Sacred Stone

Chapter 19: Two Faces of Evil     Chapter 21: Darkling Woods

Chapter 20: Last Hope

    We travelled the rest of the way to Rausten Court. Many of us, including myself, sat despondant and dispairing at the welcome feast and the socializing after. I was extremely grateful when L’Arachel suggested to her uncle that we retire to bed early.

    In her room, I tried to discuss Lyon again, but found no more or new hope.

    At about ten, I was rested after about three hours of sleep. I got up, dressed, and went down to the throne room. Ephraim, Seth, L’Arachel, and the Frelians were there as well. Ephraim nodded to me as I came in.

    “Hello, Sister. Did you sleep?” I nodded. “We were just talking about what to do next…”

    A platoon of soldiers rushed in the double doors of the throne room. “Pontifex! There is an enemy at the gates! The outermost guards have been slaughtered!”

    “What?” barked Pontifex Mansel, L’Arachel’s uncle and ruler of Rausten. “How could that be?”

    “We need reinforcements, milord!”

    “We’ll take care of it,” Ephraim announced. “I bet it’s the De- Lyon’s army remnants following us. Seth, go wake up some more troops.”

    “Yes, sir.” Seth left at a run.

    “And don’t forget the horses!” Ephraim yelled after him. My brother turned back to the soldiers, who were standing at trembling attention. “Okay, people, let’s go get them. Got your rapier, Eirika? Good.”

    Seth, Altha, Lila, and Aureola arrived. So did Rennac, yawning mightily, but proceeded to tell us where the enemies were. Ephraim sent Franz, Amelia, and Saleh with a torch stave down the back passages to make sure no one was sneaking in the back of the palace.

    At the front gate, we were met by a bishop who looked more like a revenant. Seth and Tana attacked him, and forced him to withdraw, wounded. The battle was brief, the enemy soldiers desperate but weak, and very uncunning in their strategy. Those of us fighting had no difficult time of it. I do not think there was even one close call.

    Gathered again in the throne room, L’Arachel spoke to her uncle. “Uncle, I’d like permission to check on the Sacred Stone. Also, we will have to take it with us to defeat the Demon King.”

    “Yes, yes, my dear… certainly. Don’t forget your rest.”

    “Yes, Uncle!” The princess led us down a corridor, through a garden, and up and down stairs until we reached a locked door. L’Arachel unlocked it and disarmed some enchantments. Then, we were in the room.

    It was unlit except for the pale glow from the shining transparent stone, but I could see stars through windows above. L’Arachel picked up the stone. “Ah, the last Sacred Stone. Its holy light matches my complexion well, don’t you think?” Innes snorted softly. “Well, now that we know it’s safe, we can go to bed.” I was so relieved, but my heart was anxious – the Demon King would do anything to destroy this. It was coming to a head, and the balance was tightening.

    The next morning, we checked with everyone to make sure they wanted to come. As we were departing, Pontifex Mansel presented us with the Staff of Latona and the light magic book Ivaldi. He bade us all a fond farewell. I returned it gratefully.

Chapter 19: Two Faces of Evil     Chapter 21: Darkling Woods

Chapter 18: River of Regrets     Chapter 20: Last Hope

Chapter 19: Two Faces of Evil

    We rode north, reaching the heart of Darkling Woods. I was watching Myrrh. She seemed the same as usual, but a little friskier: she skipped along through the black-trunked trees, holding onto Saleh’s hand, sometimes leaving the ground as she skipped, flapping like a sparrow-dragon-girl. Darkling Woods was an incredibly appropriate name.

    Then, the scouts let us to Mt. Neleras. It is a volcano, riddled with ancient ravines and saturated with pools of lava. We didn’t actually climb the mountain, but it rambled up away beside us, shadowing our path from the dying sun.

    The three pegasus knights flew above us as I talked to L’Arachel. “Is there anything that can be done to bring Lyon back?”

    She was silent.

    “Please, Rausten is the centre of lore on Magvel; as their princess, don’t you know of something, anything at all?”

    The girl seemed touched by my pleading. “I’m very sorry, Eirika.” Her own voice was much softer and less verbose than usual. “There is nothing that can be done.”

    “But… It’s just so horrible to think of him imprisoned like that. He’s such a gentle person…”

    “Only a person of strong will can escape; in all of history, there is only one person who was ever able to throw off the Demon King: St. Latona the sure-hearted shattered his fetters.”

    “But…”

    “Once the Demon King takes control of someone’s body, it’s too late. Their soul is gone. Not even the Sacred Stones themselves can restore a shattered soul…”

    I bent my head, tears forming in my eyes, then raised it and looked blurrily at the three at the head of our formation – Ephraim, Innes, and Seth. Ephraim, at least, was suffering as much as I was, and possibly Seth, also, with concern for us… me…

    “I cannot give up hope,” I said to L’Arachel. “I must believe there is something I can do for Lyon… He only wanted to help people. I’m sorry, L’Arachel, but I can’t accept your words yet.”

    “I understand. Why don’t you ride to Rausten and rest?”

    “I cannot leave the company either.” A short pause rested between us. “Excuse me. I’m going to speak to my brother.”

    “Certainly.”

    I rode a little faster until I came up on my brother’s left. “Hello, brother.”

    He looked at me. “Eirika? Are you all right?” Innes and Seth discreetly dropped back.

    “I’m just worried about Lyon. Do you smell something?”

    Ephraim sniffed experimentally. Lila twisted his head, as if to say, ‘you only just noticed it?’

    “You mean that sulphur smell?” I nodded. “Yeah… Look! What’s that?”

    Myrrh flapped up beside us. “Ephraim, look out for the gorgon eggs… I don’t usually come here – it’s dangerous. If you get too close, they hatch and attack you.”

    The three scouts came creeping back along the rocks. “Sire, the enemy has retreated into this valley.” One indicated a rift just ahead of us, where the canyon we were in narrowed into barely more than a narrow trench.

    “It’s a trap!” hissed Ephraim through his teeth. “Everybody, watch out for those eggs!”

    Genarog, carrying Cormag, whizzed up and into a close valley – the sound of skewered gorgons emanated from the canyon we could not see. Artur and Natasha, trusting in their monster slaying light magic, strode quickly into our rift. The pegasus knights soared overhead. I noticed Syrene had a passenger – Innes was riding her pegasus, shooting at distant mogalls. I stabbed my sword into a whitening, hardening, crackling egg and heard an agonized squeal. Why, oh why was I feeling sorry for baby gorgons? They were as pure evil as revenants and gwyllygi!

    We hastened through the maze of gullies. I sometimes dismounted and ducked around corners, hunting on foot for my demonic prey. Twice, I nearly attacked members of our own group – Ross, Lute.

    Abruptly, I heard a horrid cracking noise. I dashed through a hole in the rock, and saw Seth beside Altha, frozen in place, turned to stone. As I ran towards him, a black void formed around him. I plunged straight into it, standing in front of my paladin against the night. I hoped the spell would take me and not him, helpless as he was, vulnerable to death.

    The pain was terrible, a sucking feeling like my very blood was being pulled from my veins to feed the creature on the other end of the curse. I thought about all the wounds Seth had taken for me, and how little I had been able to repay him – well, here was my payment.

    A white aura surrounded us, piercing through my closed eyelids. I opened them, and found I was still alive. Seth’s statue quivered and shattered, revealing the knight inside, also alive. L’Arachel, Artur, and Natasha stood around us, and the Sacred Stone, now at my side, was glowing brighter than usual. The pain was gone, and I felt fine, and not a bit faint like I think Seth was expecting. Aureola jogged up to me, nuzzling my neck.

    I caught glimpses of our friends, Colm, Neimi, Joshua, Father Moulder, Gerik’s Mercenaries, Garcia and Gilliam, all trotting cautiously through the mazes, and saw the pegasus knights overhead. To know we had so many on our side made me satisfied as to the outcome of this battle, and hopeful as to the end of the Demon King himself.

    We searched and slew until Myrrh, who could tell somehow, said that all the monsters were gone. Ephraim and I stopped to let our horses catch breath, and to calm our hearts. We waited for the rest of the army.

    Then, I heard faintly laboured breathing, followed by the utterance of my name in a wretched, familiar voice. “Eirika… ?”

    “Lyon?” I cried, dismounting and running blindly down the paths.

    “Eirika!” called Ephraim. “It’s not safe!”

    “Lyon’s back there! I have to help him!” I called back before I rounded a corner and found the prince of Grado, crumpled in a niche.

    “Lyon – it’s me.”

    He raised his head. Oh, thank heavens, it was Lyon. It was his own face, his own eyes…

    “Eirika… I’m so sorry.”

    “No, I should be sorry. I – I hurt you, when the Demon King had control of you.”

    He shrugged and stood slowly. “You didn’t hurt me too badly. No, I’m the one to be sorry. If I hadn’t been so weak, the Demon King wouldn’t have taken me, and none of this would have happened… If I could use a Sacred Stone to heal myself as I healed that girl in Serafew years ago…”

    “Oh!” I cried in sudden hope. “I have a Stone with me, Lyon.” With trembling hands, I took it out of the soft pouch we – the twins of Renais, of course – kept it in. “I trust you, Lyon,” I murmured, as I gave it to him.

    He was silent for a minute, looking into its dazzling light. “Thanks.” I reeled in horror. It was the Demon King’s voice! I jumped forward, to undo what I had done, to wrest the precious stone away from the monster, but it teleported to an island in the midst of a pool of lava, where I could not follow.

    “Ha, yes, this is the second to last Stone… Silly girl, have you still not figured out that Lyon is dead? He’s gone! Eaten! Destroyed! Well… I left a fragment of his consciousness alive, to do my bidding… And… for this favour, I am in your debt! And, as such, I will refrain from attacking you at this time…” It disappeared, leaving nothing but fragments of crystal on a sinking island of half-molten rock.

    I sank to my knees in dispair, staring at the vanishing shards. I felt Ephraim come up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

    “I’m sorry, Eirika.”

    I began to sob. There was an awful hollowness inside of me. My brother lifted me and hugged me tightly, murmuring, “I’m sorry, Eirika.”

Chapter 18: River of Regrets     Chapter 20: Last Hope