Ch. 8
Illian stands in his council's tent. His long blonde hair hangs across his back and shoulders as he looks at those around him. The chill air causes his long elven ears to tingle. His armor creeks with his movements, as he thinks about the crest upon his chest. The gold fringed image of a winged forge represents both his house and the house of his queen, the royal House of Senge. But in recent weeks, she has aligned herself with the Defiler and his evil has permeated the once great Holy City and the soldiers who protect it. Now he and his friends lead armies against those he had always vowed to protect.
At his side is Emma. His heart flutters in his chest as she smiles at him. Her long black hair curves around her voluptuous body without a single hair out of place. Even after fighting all day on the battlefield, she looks as fresh and clean as the day he first met her. Her huge breasts stand out from her chest, causing her long blue dress to strain under the effort. Her long ears peek out marking her as elven also. Unlike Illian and his royal High Elf lineage, she, although also royalty, came from a small tribe of Woodland Elves. He again smiles at her as he thinks about the stories of how taboo it is for a High Elf to associate with a Woodland Elf. Yet, here he is, in love with one.
In front of them stands four others. One pair is Ariana and Holsten. They stand side by side holding hands. Ariana has black hair and dark skin. These physical traits are offset by the short white skirt and thin shirt that she wears. These are the garb of the Order of Adele. They are a sacred order of healers, whose power derives from their virginity. Illian has known that the two had an attraction towards each other, but seeing them holding hands brings more questions than answers.
Holsten on the other hand is pale in complexion, but heavily built. He wears black clothing and carries a black sword. His long black hair and tightly trimmed beard gives him a dark secretive appearance. Illian and Holsten had met outside the city of Lockabrey as they were seeking an audience with the Commander of the Chaste Guard. That night they realized Holsten was a thief who had meant to steal what little possessions they had and escape into the night. His plan was stopped, and instead of turning him over to the city guards, Ariana requested they bring him along.
Behind the pair is Samanda, his youngest sister. Her long blonde hair covers parts of her face and instead of the silver armor she has always worn, she is garbed in a plain brown robe. Until moments ago, the last time he had seen her was when Holsten announced she was infected with the sickness. She ran into the night and disappeared in the middle of the battle. Now, she stands before the group again. Although it is evening, she currently shows no sign of the sickness which adds to Illian's thoughts. To beat the sickness, the infected must acknowledge their love for the one that destiny has set out for them. In essence, their one true love. Illian takes a moment to realize that he needs to talk to her about this whenever he gets the chance.
The last figure in the room is Winston. He is short and weak, even for a human. His short, brown, scruffy, hair is unkept and Illian wonders what Veronica sees in him. Illian had brought the both of them to this world by using forbidden magic. After hearing the seer's prophecy, Illian had sought after a way to destroy the Defiler and save his family and city. The magic had brought the unlikely pair to this world. What he didn't realize at the time was that the Defiler was not in this world, but instead, in theirs. By bringing them here, he also unleashed the evil that has destroyed thousands of lives around them. Since then, the group of friends has fought to fix the nightmare and destroy the Defiler. Two weeks ago, the group of friends had finally faced their enemy. To assist the night battle, Winston had attempted to cast a simple light spell. Normally the spell enables a rock or a piece of bark, to glow. Instead, it lit up the entire forest. Every tree, every plant, every animal, everything. No where had such power ever been demonstrated. The drain of energy knocked him unconscious, and until moments ago, Illian was not aware he had awakened.
Illian takes a moment to think about the only friend missing from the group. "Sister, you said Veronica is alive and you know how to save her?"
Veronica had been his student. Although being from another world, she learned how to use a sword quickly. Since then, she has earned the respect of the Warrior's Guild and has ascended to become the Guild Master. Just yesterday Illian had lectured her about taking dangerous chances on the battlefield. Come this morning, they had staged a multi-front attack that succeeded and penetrated the outer wall. The merriment was soon cut short as it was soon discovered that Veronica had been captured. Her soldiers took heavy losses while bravely attempting to save her, but there was no success.
His attention again returns to his sister and she stands before him with a huge smirk on her face. "That is what I said. She has been taken to the Defiler and yes, I know how to get inside without detection." She smiles at Winston and he gives a nervous smile in return. This is when Illian nervously notices how close the two are standing. Could there be something between the two? He brushes the thought from his mind, Winston's true love is Veronica and obviously his sister has met her true love to break the curse of the sickness.
While attempting to hide his feelings at the sight, he looks at her awaiting an answer. She peers back at him giggling, "As I said, I can get us in, but brother, I promise you aren't going to like it."
*****
Veronica awakens in the darkness. She sits silently, for a moment, listening for sounds around her. To her ears she hears nothing but the soft sound of her own breathing. She begins to shift her weight and feels a soft mattress beneath her. Soft silk bedding touches her bare skin as she winces. Pain shoots through her side and shoulder as she attempts to remember how she got here. She sits up, hearing the bed creak beneath her. Her toes tingle, with the chill, as they hit the cold stone floor. She again stops to listen as she hears a light shuffling not far from her. She reaches out feeling a light robe sitting on a table next to the bed. With a cold shiver, she quickly slides it over her nakedness.
An echo rings out as she hears loud footsteps approaching. She holds her breath letting her senses tune into everything around her. The footsteps continue to get louder and eventually stop close to her. There is a jingle of keys as she sees light pouring beneath a slat, a short distance away. Her assumption of it being a door is quickly verified as it opens, allowing lamplight to pour through into her chamber. She flails about, looking for a weapon but soon the figure enters the room. In the lamplight is a familiar face. Scott looks at her with a big smile on his face. Her enemy, and the one who is destroying this world, is mere feet away from her and she has no weapon.
Veronica takes a moment to look at him. For several years, during high school, they had happily dated. He is tall and muscular with short, sandy blonde hair. He was the school's star quarterback and the most sought after guy in school. She herself is short and athletic. Her long crimson hair is still wrapped in a long braid thrown over her shoulder. In school, she was the head of the cheerleading squad and the girl who was the most obvious choice, to be by his side. She thought her life was perfect until she caught him cheating on her. She broke up with him and by the next morning, she and Winston had been transported to this world. Over the next several months she has fallen deeply in love with Winston and when they were infected with the sickness, they found as they were cured, that they were destiny's true loves. She smiles to herself as she realizes how perfect he makes her feel every time they touch. Even just thinking of him sends a warm tingle though her body.
The bruising on her shoulder and side brings her back to the present as it reminds her of all the fighting since then. Her soldiers had been attacking the outer wall for weeks. Finally, after they had penetrated the gate, she was knocked from her horse and captured.
"Veronica, my love, I wanted to tell you how surprised I was to have seen you here."
Veronica snarls to herself, exhaling her breath. As she opens her eyes, she looks deep into the eyes of the man she once loved, and says, "you shouldn't be surprised, Winston and I came here to kill you."
This statement catches him off guard as he thinks for a moment. "Winston? You mean that nerd from school? That Winston?"
Veronica nods her head slowly in acknowledgment and gives a knowing smile. "When he sees I am missing, he is going to come here and kick your ass."
