Chapter V

Chapter V

    

    The sun had set long before the mages reached the gates of Brevala. Eona had hoped that the journey to the village would have lightened the mood, but as the group drew closer to it, everyone fell deathly silent. This tension could be cut with a knife Eona thought. They were stopped by guards at the front gates, but were let through after explaining they were just looking for a place to stay the night. Brevala resembled a ghost town. Shudders were hanging off of the windows and the houses were falling apart. Unlike Fessehta, Brevala had no cobblestone streets, only dirt. “There’s the tavern,” Kaizair said, pointing to the only building that still had candles burning in its windows. The mages walked their horses to the tavern and patiently waited outside of it. “I hope we’re not too late...” Eona said, looking around restlessly. They waited for what seemed like an hour until there was a slight rustling in the alleyway next to the tavern. The mages placed their hands on their weapons, bracing for a fight.

    A black cat emerged from the darkness, looking up at the mages and meowing. I am here to lead you to the woman who will answer all of your questions Eona could hear a voice in her mind. She remembered the ending of the letter, “Follow the cat...” She looked at the rest of her companions, and they seemed to be in agreement. She looked down at the cat and nodded. Then follow me beckoned the cat. It scampered off down the street, stopping occasionally to make sure the mages were keeping up. The cat led them down a few more streets, then out of the village. My lady lives a ways outside of town. She is not completely welcome, but you four are in good company. Not to worry. She will help you the cat turned back to its path. 

    Large hills stretched out against the horizon beyond the village. Eona could see smoke rising up ahead, most likely from a chimney. The cat led them up one of the hills to look out amongst a large plain of grasslands. A small cottage was placed off to the left, made of brick with many flower beds hanging from the windows. It was so subtle, completely hidden from the rest of the world. You may tie your horses to the post out front the cat said. The mages dismounted their horses and took turns tying them up. The door to the cottage opened, and the cat led them through it into a room that almost made them lose their footing. It was at least ten times bigger than it looked from the outside. There were strange objects scattered about the room, foreign looking objects, most likely used for magick. There were different species of moths and butterflies fluttering throughout the room, occasionally landing in Eona’s hair. In an odd essence, the room was quite beautiful. It was filled with exotic plants and vials of different herbs. The cat hopped up onto a bookshelf and pointed towards a sofa and a few chairs placed around a coffee table. My mistress will see you momentarily. Please have a seat it jumped off of the bookshelf and trotted out of the room. The mages looked at each other, both in astonishment and confusion, and listened to the cat’s instructions. They sat down, not uttering even the slightest sigh to one another. 

    Moments later, the cat returned followed by a woman dressed in a long maroon colored dress. Her black hair was pulled back in a series of braids with beads hanging off the ends of them, and she wore a tired, yet warm smile. “Good evening, my young mages. I see you’ve gotten my letter,” she said, walking over to them and sitting down. In the light she had dark caramel colored skin and her eyes were a deep blue. She had a very thick accent, but none amongst the group was able to place where she was from. “I shall begin at the beginning of course. My name is Esperanza, and while my home may not show it, I was once the archmage of Fessehta. While I am originally from the Sistoss Islands in the southern ocean, I have adapted quite nicely. I have invited you here to help you of course, so relax. Take a deep breath, you are safe while sharing my company,” she said, pushing one of her many braids out of her face. She was a beautiful woman, most likely middle-aged, but still quite healthy. She examined the rest of the group, clearly liking what she saw. “Fantastic. You are all perfect!  A fine group of mages. But down to business. I assume that the main reason you are here is because of curiosity. You are here because you desire to know why someone within your villages told you to go on this little quest to the capital city. While they could not explain it to you, I can. There are much larger stakes in this game, much bigger players. Are you aware of the elemental forces taking place within the very existence of our world?” Esperanza said, looking at the group of confused mages. They shook their heads and Esperanza’s eyes shifted between them. “The world began with the five Dorvaes Malo, or dragons gods as it is said in your tongue. Each of these dragon gods possessed the power of the sacred elements and created a balance between them, allowing mankind to live in harmony and prosperity. Gods however, no matter how divine, can also have their flaws. The fifth dragon god, formerly know as Astaroth, was the spirit of light and darkness. He set the balance for night and day, good and evil. But after many years, his mind began to deteriorate, fracturing into two different spirits, one good, the other evil. He both loved, and hated himself, causing him to become violent and to desire power over all of the other gods. He planned a kou to overthrow the old ways, to create his own sick delusion of a better world. His plans were crushed by the rest of the council, and he was exiled to the western mountains, where he still dwells in a human form,” Esperanza looked up at the group, making sure they were following her. Marrin looked at Kaizair, then at Esperanza. “Excuse me, ma’am, but what does this have to do with us?” she asked quietly. Esperanza laughed, and fixed her eyes upon the Braystossian air mage. “It has everything to do with you, my friend. Everything! This story is the reason that all of you exist. The reason that all of you have been chosen to fulfill a destiny laid out before you by the gods!” 

    “Chosen for what, exactly?” Havock decided to speak up. The woman closed her eyes, sitting back in her chair and taking a deep breath. “Bluntly speaking, chosen to save the world.” The mages looked at each other, suddenly deeply concerned and all sharing the same doubts. This was more than they had bargained for, and they were all still unsure of whether or not to trust this strange foreign woman. How could they save the world? None of them had hardly ventured out of their own villages before the small journey to Fessehta. How could they possibly be expected to save the world when they were only a small part of it?

    “When the ancient gods banished Astaroth, they knew that he would attempt to wage war against them. They created a cycle of reincarnation amongst the humans, decreeing that once every two hundred years, four mages sharing the elemental magicks of the ancient ones would be chosen to do battle against the banished god. While very strange, each side has their own advantages and disadvantages. Astaroth is, by the laws of magick, only allowed to harm you on the day of the battle. However, it is the same for you. Both sides are allowed to gather an army, and on the day of the Autumnal Equinox battle to determine who will triumph. For the last two thousand years, the elemental mages have succeeded, pushing Astaroth back one step at a time. But he is ruthless, and has failed to give up. He still hopes that he will crush his enemies and become king of the gods, and of this world. You all must go to war against him and push him further back into the maw of destiny. It has been decided from the days you were all brought into this world. Fate has brought you together, and fate will lead you to victory against this tyrannous fiend,” Esperanza looked at them, sympathetic for their confusion. 

    Eona looked down at her lap, feeling the urge to cry. She had been trying to be cheery for the sake of her companions, but the pressure was beginning to build in her throat. “How can we possibly do this? How can we possibly wage war against a god? He has divine power, and we’re just four small mages!” she said, growing even more frustrated. The other three looked at her, ignoring her comment about them being small, and looking at the floor in silent agreement. Esperanza stood up, her expression becoming serious. “You will succeed if you believe in yourselves, and make the right choices towards your destinies. You must understand that you four are the only ones that can defeat him. He is a powerful player, but together, you four are invincible. Have faith in each other and each others abilities, and that faith will never fail you,” she said, partially lightening the mood. Eona was silent. She relaxed a bit, but was still gripping the edge of the sofa. “For example”, Esperanza said, stretching out her arm to allow a butterfly to gently rest upon her finger, “This butterfly is powerful by itself, but alone it has more potential to be eaten by a predator. But if they all flock together, displaying their beautiful warning colors, predators are more inclined to leave them be.” The butterfly lifted itself off of her hand and joined the others fluttering about the room. 

    “Miss Esperanza is right,” Kaizair said, standing up. “I don’t know about the rest of you three, but I’ve never shied away from a fight. We’ll find this b*****d god and send him back into the ground where he belongs! He’ll be expecting us, so let’s make sure we’re there to give him what he deserves!” Kaizair’s nostrils were flaring, his arrogant smile making everyone else in the room laugh. “Who’s with me? It’s all of us, or none of us,” he said, stretching out his arm towards the center of the mages. “I am,” Marrin said, setting her hand on top of his. Eona and Havock looked at each other, secretly letting each other know that they would follow each other until the end. “Me too,” Havock said, setting his hand on the rest of the pile. “Me three,” Eona placed her hand on his, feeling his warmth and sudden confidence. Esperanza clapped her hands together and smiled, using all of her willpower to keep from jumping into the air. The group’s faith had seemed to be replenished. They understood their destinies now, and were determined to follow them. 

    “Well, now that that’s all settled, how about a late night treat? You all must be famished!” Esperanza said, beckoning to the mages who obviously loved the idea of filling their stomach. They had been so preoccupied with getting to Brevala in time that they had completely forgotten to eat. They followed her into a kitchen that was less cluttered than the living room. Esperanza walked over to a large pantry and searched around until she found a bag of a strange looking bread. “This, my dears, is an old family recipe. I’m certain you’ll love it. It is comprised of many different herbs, some that can actually boost your magickal energies, others that can actually help you get to sleep. I’m sure you four already know how much you’ll need that,” she set the bread on the kitchen table as the mages were sitting down. “Please, help yourselves. Now, I suggest that you stay here for the next few days. It will give us time to talk about a strategy, and for you all to recuperate your strength. Don’t worry, I have guest rooms. However, I’ve laid enough on your plate for tonight. I want you four to enjoy yourselves while you’re here. After you leave, it may be a long while before you are able to have fun,” she made a small clicking sound with her mouth, signaling her cat to join them in the kitchen. 

    It jumped into her lap and made itself comfortable, beginning to purr. “Miss Esperanza, how is it that your cat is able to speak to us?” Marrin asked out of curiosity. The archmage smiled. “Well, Marrin, all animals can speak to you. You only need to listen,” she scratched the cat’s forehead and looked up at Eona, knowing that she understood. Eona returned a smile and nodded, taking a small bite of her bread. “When all of you have finished eating, I will show you to your rooms. I only pray that you will be able to sleep after assimilating all of this knowledge.”

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Author's Note

I welcome criticisms, as long as it's civil. Thank you :)