chapter 1

Andre could not remember his past but for bits and pieces. A woman with flowing gold hair and blue eyes often haunted his dreams where she would call for him lovingly. Another woman would haunt his dreams, where her hair was starkly dark like the night; her eyes alight with an unearthly green that held fire within. She would often transform his soft lonely dreams into nightmares transmuting into a great beastly monster that dug its dagger like claws inches away from his heart. He would often awake, screaming with his scar throbbing painfully. All other memories if they could even be called as such were faint like wraiths that flitted and dashed across his sleeping heart; winding hallways, velvet chairs, men in steel, an old father clock that rang deeply. The last and first thing he could recall clearly was falling into deep darkness, being held by someone whose face was hidden in shadow. Always the shadow would stick in his heart. He grew from that, and found himself wondering the land with no memory, no knowing how old he was how he got where he gotten and who he was born to. The only thing that stuck was a name, Andre in which he came to call himself. He grew to be a frightful man, distant from most other people with long red gold hair and wide black eyes high cheekbones and thin lips. His pale skin was strong, his legs long and with whatever weapon that he held became a master within days. With him, he would carry the dreams and things he presumed to be his, a sword of silver and a leather belt.

 

It was a cold windy night, the full moon an unnatural blue that hung in the sky like a giant blue eye watching the world below. It wasn’t the best of nights to travel, thought Andre feeling the night was cursed, but it had to be now he knew for the dream faded even now as he walked along the secluded country road, one that called to him like a long lost lover, to follow her wherever she went. Step by step he grew more wary and wished the dream had called another, but despite his thrashing heart, and shaking legs, and the fading dream, the feeling that it brought was stronger with each passing moment. Finally he stopped and there at the end of the road, was a tall tower covered with what seemed to be glimmering stars wrapping around the sides. This was the place. Without knowing exactly why, he began to run towards it. It wasn’t excitement that sped him along, but more like returning to a place long forgotten in the back of his mind. Within minutes he came to the tower and he stopped, gasping lightly, his eyes widening at the sight before him. In the sky, the large blue moon was much like the sun, casting a strong light upon the world below, exposing the tower, and an old castle that was connected to it, crumbled and was smashed in some places. Around the castles were many smaller stone buildings in much the same state as the castle. The word home came to his mind, but surely these ruins were very old by the looks of it, and Andre knew he could be no older than thirty. An unearthly cold chill ran down his spine as he looked at the ruins before taking steps closer to it. Within moments there came a bone chilling cackle from behind him. He turned quickly but no one or thing could be seen. His eyes searched, but could find nothing. Yet his old scar began to pulse and throb painfully, stronger with each excruciating moment that passed by. It seemed eons before finally from out of thin air, what seemed to be an old woman appeared, with long shimmering cloak in one hand, and in the other a wicked carved sword with jagged fang like spikes that glowed with an ominous darkness. For a moment Andre’s heart stopped, his soul nearly jumping out of his skin, horrified that the seemingly sweet dream had led him to this.

“The last of the family has come at last, to die, die, DIE!”

The ugly hag waved the cloak in the air before wrapping it around her body, disappearing completely, her cackling becoming louder and louder. Within moments the hag’s sword appeared from nowhere, not giving Andre enough time to draw his own. He stumbled backwards, the jagged fang missing its intended mark, instead digging in the flesh of his forearm as he raised it to protect his face. He screamed as the blade ripped through his flesh, that stung and burned wildly as if the blade itself was on fire. As his rump hit the cold rocky ground, the leather bag hung over his shoulder came free and fell to the ground besides him, the sword appeared again this time to jab at his heart. He barely managed to dodge the attack by rolling away: For a long time he dodged and evaded the hag’s attack, giving him no time to draw his blade. Soon he was out of breath, and with each time he evaded the intended target, the blade would slash his arms, and legs. He gave out a loud cry and collapsed when the sword dug deep into his hip, blood beginning to gush from the open wound.

“My, my you’re giving up quite the struggle, unlike your dear brothers, ha” Croaked the invisible old hag, as she dug the blade deep into his left shoulder, pinning him to the ground painfully. As Andre struggled, the old hag took the cloak from about her body and let it fall to the ground below her.  She drew a long jagged dagger, much like the sword that dug into his shoulder, and raised it high above her head.

“Now, die prince!”

As the dagger came down, with what strength Andre had he drew the blade from his hip with his right arm, the blade pinning him digging deeper, and plunged the sword into the heart of the hag. A look of surprise came over the old woman’s face before she staggered backwards, looking to the sword dug into her heart before collapsing into a heap, dead. Andre gasped, and bit into his lip as he tugged at the evil blade lodged in his shoulder, with a scream pulling it out of his body. Blood gushed from his wound, as he crawled excruciatingly slow to his leather pack. In it were several rolls of bandages that would at least help with stopping him from bleeding to death. When he finally reached his pack, he felt too weak to bind himself, but with shaking hands he dug into it, before pulling out the bandages. Slowly, agonizingly he began to wrap his shoulder. By the time he was done he came close to passing out. But, he feared if he were to pass out he would surely never awaken. He pulled himself up, and picked up his pack, beginning to stagger back to the town he had come from. It was a two days walk, but it was his only hope; But he didn’t get very far before something began to tug at his weakened heart, towards the castle ruins, the opposite direction of the town. He looked to the looming ruin, his whole body shaking. Without knowing why, he walked away from the country road, to the ruins. His feet kept moving, despite the overwhelming feeling of wanting to lie down and sleep, till he was at the gates of the great castle. He raised his weak arms and pushed on the massive doors, them giving way easily. He walked into a massive marble hall, with cracked walls, covered with vines that looped that were large shimmering flowers grew.  Away from the blue moon light it was dark save for the soft light of the lunar flowers. It was strangely warm in the hall, as he stumbled along despite some of the large holes he saw in the walls. A large marble gold inlaid staircase loomed ahead in the dim light that went up and up, spiraling. It seemed impossible for him to climb, yet as soon as he came to the first step, he began to climb, a faint voice in the air calling him forward. For what seemed an eon he climbed, unaware of the pain except for a dull throb, and a misty light that kept him on his feet. When he came to, he was no longer on the staircase, but in a large room with old velvet hangings and faded paintings adorning the walls, soft carpet on the floor a bed in the middle, with a large wardrobe and a father clock.: A fully furnished bedroom covered in cobwebs, dust and lunar flowers. The voice came again, from under the bed it seemed. He went to the bed, and painfully bent down to look under the bed. There was something that glimmered in the dim light beneath the large bed, something the size of a grape. He reached and stretched out his arm, ignoring the pain, suddenly an overwhelming longing for whatever it was beneath the bed. He grasped it and pulled it from under the bed. It was a small ruby necklace with small flames burning from within that seemed to breathe as it lay in his palm. Strength began to return to him as he held the stone, feeling the skin stitching up everywhere he was stabbed and jabbed. With that, he held the stone to the still bleeding wound and without knowing what he was doing, words, ancient words spilled from his lips and the ruby necklace began to shine and shimmer like a great fiery star in the heavens, and power spilt through his body. But the light and power left as sudden as it had come, leaving Andre gasping from the shock of coming back to himself, the spell that had given him the strength to climb the stairs, to find this necklace, left him like a strong wind. He pulled at the bandage around his shoulder and saw it had healed completely, with nothing but a bit of pink skin where the gaping hole had been. The slashes on his arms had disappeared as well. He quickly pocketed the necklace, and ran from the room, frightened on what had just happened, yet unwilling to leave the necklace. He stumbled the stairs and ran back to find the sword he almost forgot in his effort to get to a healer, than to find the necklace. To his amazement, the sword was no longer lodged in the old hag’s body. Instead it lay on the ground, in a heap of dust and twisted bones that looked far from human. The jagged evil sword shimmered not far, a jewel in its hilt acting much like an eye that seemed to shift and move to whenever Andre moved. He quickly picked up his sword, brushed the dust from it and sheathed it, then kicked the evil blade away, shuddering at the very touch of it that seeped through his leather boots. And there was the cloak still. An invisible cloak he realized. Slowly he bent down to touch it, wondering if it would have the same evil feel as the jagged sword and was shocked to find the lightly shimmering cloak felt much like water rather than cloth. He picked up the flowing cloak, and was instantly taken by it. It would be handy to have such a cloak at dangerous times, to keep one safe on a dark lonely road occupied with bandits and the like. And it would protect against evil creatures that would try and kill him. With the cloak about his shoulders, his sword at his hip and his bag his shoulder, he hurried from the ruins. He didn’t want to chance being found by something worse than the old hag.

It was a few hours when he grew tired, and decided to start camp, the moon in the sky now no longer held its blue curse, and was pure and white as it was before. Andre figured it had been easily dyed blue by the old hag’s power, and now that it was dead its power had lost power over the moon. As he dropped his pack to start up, something large swooped out from the sky, grazing the top of his head. Quickly, he pulled the invisibility cloak over his head and looked up, squinting his eyes as now the night was darker and deeper without the light of the blue moon. Something above, perched in a low branch a few trees away from where he stood, shaking. It was a large shadow with massive horned wings, and bright red eyes that shone in the dark, silently, looking straight at him. Oh, god this is not my night, he bemoaned to himself. But the creature soon looked away and realized the cloak was working. And something else had caught its attention. Andre looked in the direction the monsters eyes had turned to. A small figure was coming down the road, from town. It could easily be a kid, he realized, though he wondered how any kid could be so stupid to walk alone, so late at night. Sure enough, as the figure closed in, Andre could see features in the dim moonlight. Suddenly the monster swooped from the tree towards the unsuspecting child. Andre groaned, before pulling the invisible cloak off his body, and screamed, making the flying monster swerve from the child and back towards Andre. His cry, startled the kid in the middle of the road, who thus proceeded to scream high pitched, which brought the attention of the monster back to the kid. Andre ran with all his might towards the kid, in moments over taking them and body tackling them, the claws outstretched to snatch the kid missed and grabbed air instead. Quickly and brought the cloak over himself and the struggling child, who would not stop screaming. Once Andre felt that the cloak was securely covering the two that seemed to magically stretch, he covered the mouth of the youngling with both his hands, hissing for them to stay quiet. Through the clear cloak, Andre peered up into the skies and saw nothing of the monster. But just as he felt it was safe enough to remove the cloak, he noticed a few yards away on the ground was the silent hulking beast with its impressive horned wings tucked tightly to its body. Andre’s heart felt like it would explode, as he could hear the inhuman thing pant faintly, a rancid stench reaching his nose making it itch. To sneeze now, or make any sound would serve a death sentence for both himself and the small form of the shivering child beneath. Whether or not the youngling saw the monster not far, they were smart enough to stay silent. Despite the cool of the night, and cloak wrapped over them, Andre began to sweat. Wondering if the monster would smell them out eventually, a thought came to Andre. Carefully he moved the hand clamped over the child’s mouth, and dug his hand in his pocket. The ruby necklace felt hot in his hand, which spread quickly throughout his body. Maybe if this thing had the power to heal wounds made from an unholy blade, it could also help save him from an unholy beast. He held the ruby tight in his hand, wishing hard for the beast to blow up, or for it to die, fly away, anything that would save the two from being ripped apart and most likely eaten alive. But unlike the moment he had found it, it didn’t react to his wish. And he feared saying anything for their lives. Andre’s heart leaped into his throat as he watched the beast take a step towards them, and then another. It let out a horrible scream that like a death scream, which made Andre, want to run for his life. But he stayed still, and held the child under him, that he could feel tense up as the scream ripped through the air. Another several moments passed before it sniffed loudly and its wings spread before taking to the air, circling the sky above them for another long moment before it speeding away, towards the ruins. It was still several minutes later before Andre felt it safe to move from under the safety of the invisibility cloak. Once he had unwrapped the cool cloak from their bodies he finally took a closer look at the young one he had saved. In the light of the full moon, he saw the shivering child sit up, with short hair, round chubby cheeks and small slanted eyes. It was hard to see much else detail in the dim moon light, other for the baggy and worn clothes that hung of the small form of what could either be a little girl or young boy, and the tears running from its widened eyes. It had been a while since he had been in the company of a crying child, and was unsure what to say, or do until he heard the distant cry of the beast in the distance. He stood and quickly wrapped the cloak around his shoulders before grasping the hand of the child, pulling them from off the dirt road and into the thick tree line, where it is harder for the beast to spot them from above. For a long time Andre hiked in the dark, beginning to sweat heavily, jolting in fear each time he heard the faint cry of the beast. Finally, after what seemed eons the cries completely faded into the dark of the night, as the sky above began to lighten with the moon setting in the sky. Andre let go of the hand of the kid and collapsed on the damp grassy ground beneath a tall oak tree, the child standing and staring at him. They had stopped crying, and had calmed down before they spoke softly.

“T...thanks you for saving me f...from that thing...” said the child, staring intently at the cloak around Andre’s shoulders that made it seem as if his head were floating there.

Andre smiled weakly up at the child as he gained his breath, and composure. “I’m Aluemira…are you a warlock?” asked the girl, fidgeting with her worn and coarse shirt. Andre scratched his head as he peered around in the brush, and dense woods wondering where he had taken himself and the girl, half wondering how Aluemira could be so stupid to travel on such a dangerous night, before he turned his attention back to the small girl and answered.

“Hardly, It’s just this cloak here,” He said looking up at the girl, unwrapping the cloak from his shoulders before holding it up for the girl to inspect. “Is something I won not long ago, from a witch in the strange ruins, not far from here.”

Aluemira slowly reached out to brush her fingers against the cloak, her eyes widening as she felt the cool liquid like cloth that sent tingles throughout her whole body. She scrunched up her nose.

“Ruins? I don’t…live to far from here, and I’ve never seen any ruins sir…”

“No…ruins?” Andre was beginning to wonder if it had not been only the witch that been cursed and his dreams enchanted, but the very ruins themselves. Though, surely they would stand exactly where he had found them. Right? The girl shivered a bit in the cool dawn air, rubbing her arms with her hands, drawing away from the magical cloth.

“Probably wondering what I was doing all alone before y-“Andre’s attention strayed quickly from the girl, the ruins, the events of the night when a wave of sickness hit him like a tidal wave, causing him to quickly rise to his feet. Aluemira continued to speak but Andre could no longer hear her words. Something in the dense wood was closing in on them. It wasn’t the same fear that he had felt with the winged demon, nor when he was being attacked by the heinous witch. It hadn’t been the gut feeling he had whenever there were bandits or robbers nearby. It was a sinking, awful wretchedness that made his skin crawl. Time to go. Now. He grabbed Aluemira by the hand, and led her from the oak, through the tall thick trees, swerving as he tried to remember where he had come from to lead back to the road. During the day, as the light began to strengthen, it would be safer to travel by the road, as the demons and monsters thrived in the dark of night, and the shadow of deep woods. And whatever it was that lurked in the trees that stalked them. By the time the sun had risen into the sky, bits of sun rays and patches of blue sky were visible from the treetops above, Andre was beginning to panic. Lost. Good job, old boy he thought to himself. And it wasn’t helping that Aluemira was beginning to become noisy.

“Where are we” Aluemira demanded after being fed up of being led around by the hand as if she were some baby. “Where are you taking me?? I have to be home in three days from now, or I’ll be in trouble. I-“Andre couldn’t take it any longer. He dropped the hand of the girl and stood tall over her. Even though by staying in one spot, felt the wrong thing to do he had to shut her up.

“Look, we will be at the main road in no time” Said Andre through his teeth, half lying “But It’s thick in here and I need to keep my attention on where we are so I know how much farther” continued Andre, eyeing the suspicious trees around him. Aluemira finally realized that the tall man before her was frightened by something and asked, “What’s going on, why are you-“

Swiftly Andre bodily tackled Aluemira to the ground, as an large deadly arrow whizzed just centimeters from the top of the Andre’s head that stuck deep into a tree, the dark feathers shivering from impact. When Andre recovered from falling to the ground he knelt, and quickly reached for his invisible cloak, but it was too late by then. Another monstrous arrow came from the trees, with widened eyes Andre realized he was able to see the arrow swerve through the thick tree growth, this time hitting its mark. It dug deep into the flesh of his shoulder, dead center, pinning him to a tree a few yards away from where the first arrow had lodged itself into. Aluemira screamed, as she watched blood well up from the wound, darkening Andre’s tunic. Andre could not stand the pain and screamed out in agony, as he tried to pull the arrow out from his shoulder, but with every little movement it made Andre cry out in pain.

“R…run” Andre wheezed, blood beginning to drip from his mouth. “Go!”

Aluemira stood in place; her eyes wide staring at Andre, unable to move an inch, for fear had nailed her feet to the ground on which she stood.

The ground began to shudder, and the trees swayed and seemingly began to part as if they had feet to walk with. A tall dark creature stalked closer and closer with a large shimmering bow, at the end of widened path the trees had created, another arrow notched pointing straight for Aluemira. Aluemira turned round, and screamed again when she saw the large dark for close. Finally she regained control of her legs, and turned to run. The arrow sped faster than was visible, straight in the line of Aluemira’s head. But by some miracle, the arrow stopped centimeters away from its target, turned on its self and sped back at the monster. It struck deep into the beast’s heart and it keeled over, and was dead within moments. The trees began to move back into their original roots, and they would no longer need to fear the dreaded bow, or the giant monster. But Andre was beginning to droop, the blood he was losing from his shoulder was becoming dangerous, and Andre could feel the cold hand of death rest upon his shoulder. Aluemira hurried to the tree, Andre was pinned to, and began to tug on the arrow, jolting Andre from his tiredness, into a state of great agony.

“S...Stop i…it’s no use i...I’m stuck for good” Panted Andre, tears welling up in his eyes. They began to fade when suddenly out from the bush stepped a tall figure. Andre was too tired to widen his eyes to tell what it was until he felt the arrow wiggle in his shoulder again. This time as it was pulled, it came free, ripping at the inside of Andre’s shoulder, before being fully pulled from both tree and man. Andre writhed on the ground crying, before the tall figure knelt down to his side and pinned him to the bloody ground before resting its large hand on the wound. Words, not of man, nor anything like Andre’s was familiar with, washed over his twitching, dying body filling it first with a coolness and a soothing scent wafted, causing Andre’s to stop twitching, and gasping. Then there was a heat, hotter than he ever felt that dug into his open shoulder, mending flesh, and muscle. Within minutes Andre’s breathing was normal, and he was very sleepy. Andre forced his eyes open, and weakly turned his head. An oversized, dark man with a long black braided beard, and electric jade eyes stared intently at him, Aluemira stood over his shoulder, her hands covering her mouth. Suddenly the oversized man stood up and he realized that instead of a man’s hips, legs and feet that just below the bare torso was the body of a strong black speckled stallion. Andre still incredibly somnolent laughed weakly muttering pretty pony man, before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

Andre tossed and turned in the warm bed of soft grasses and silk, before opening his eyes to the soft sunlight that shone through the treetops above. The trees around him were ancient and covered in a green moss that seemingly moved like ripples of water. Around him stood Centaurs, tall, large and majestic, wearing armor on their human torso’s and their bottoms, bare. In the near distance, were thicker trees and what seemed to be buildings built in the trunks of the massive tree’s. He rubbed his eyes and took it all in once more, becoming aware that the centaurs around him seemed to be there to keep him in the bed of silk and grass. One of the centaurs, a blonde female with spiraling tattoo’s running up her arms, shoulders and face looked down intently, with a very long curved, sharp looking spear that tingled from the small bells tied to the hilt just beneath the blade as she shifted in place. Andre gulped a bit, imagining how fast the female was on using that spear, if he tried to move out of the circle.  As well as the four others, with equally deadly looking spears. He took his mind off the thought of being killed, itching himself as things began to rush back. He pulled at his tunic, realizing it wasn’t the one he had been wearing before, but was softer and stronger and thicker. He moved it to expose his shoulder and there was a large splotch of pink skin where the arrow had entered, and as he pulled and twisted it was also there from where it had exited. Andre shuddered, his nose itching as he remembered the centaur that had used magic, and his eyes widened. Aluemira, where was that poor child? And, as Andre looked himself over, he saw his sword was missing, as was the invisible cloak. But the red ruby necklace was so light that he hadn’t noticed right away that it hung around his neck. Perhaps that’s what the female had been looking at. He wrapped his hand around it and shuddered as electricity shot throughout his body. He let go of the necklace, and within moments his body stopped tingling. If the sword, the cloak and the girl had been taken away, why was the necklace still here? Were the centaurs not able to do so? Finally Andre found his voice and squeaked before clearing his throat looking up at the armored centaurs. Only the female gave its attention.

“W…where is the girl that was with me?”

Long moments passed and they said nothing, and the female merely tilted her head. He repeated himself and the apparently older centaur, with a dark splotched white stallion body and pale skin, and white hair looked down and huffed.

“The little two legged one is with Caultueen’briar. It is safe, and unharmed. But you may not be safe for much longer, for everyone knows, what dirty blood runs through your veins” he said as he glared the old centaur glancing at the ruby that hung down to Andre’s chest.

Andre’s eyes widened. Could it be…that they know my past? That the centaurs knew what those ruins were all about? Before he could open his mouth to question the centaurs went stiff and parted, revealing the large frame of the one who had saved him, along with Aluemira by his side, who held her hand to her mouth, with wide eyes. Was Cault…caul whatever it was, this centaur? It had to be.

“Come with me, stained one” said the centaur with a low rumbling voice, his eyes fixed on Andre.

“There is much to be said, yet little time.” Caultueen’briar turned round and plodded off towards the thicker trees and the elaborate buildings made in the very trunks of them. Andre stood from the soft pile of silks and grass and followed the formidable creature, feeling as if the whole population visible had stopped to stare at him, as he passed by. Soon he was led deep into the sacred place, the trees parted farther than before and the buildings made in between grew fewer, yet larger each they passed by. Soon Andre could feel a humming start from the soles of his feet, running up his legs, and hips till it resonated throughout his whole body, his heart twitching in time with the soft hum of the place. The farther they went, the darker it got, the way lighted by moving orbs of green light than flitted to one place than the other. Yet, as one of the lights grew close to Andre, he saw the small lithe form silhouetted in the center, soon realizing that they were not merely floating lights but rather what seemed to be…fairies. He thought all the good magic in the world had died long ago.  So they lived here at least, in a still sacred place. Within a few minutes, they grew more dense, flittering just above their heads, diving down every few moments to lightly tug at Aluemira’s shirt, and Andre’s odd colored hair, chirping like little birds. Though the moment Caultueen stopped and turned back to face the two, glancing lightly at the gathered green lights, the fairies backed off, leaving them in a dim light.

“Here.”

Before them stood a mighty oak, thicker, taller and more ancient than any tree Andre had ever laid eyes on. It twisted and curved and seemed to breathe, for it never stood quite still as a tree should. The centaur raised his hand, and spoke a single word, like the whoosh of the wind, fleeting, flowing. The bark of the tree began to peel back as if giant invisible hands were pulling it back, layer after layer. Finally the bark stopped peeling away to expose a large pool of magic that shimmered and glimmered like the stars, in the center. “Come”.

The centaur said briefly looking back to glance at the two legged creatures before stepping into the pool, ripples of light shone bright red and white before them disappearing, along with the mighty centaur. Andre didn’t feel too bright about walking into the portal, that bubbled and sighed, but he doubted the centaur would be very keen on waiting long for him. He looked down to Aluemira and gripped her hand. He could see she felt much the same as he did, and so at least this way they would get through it together. The moment the liquid like portal touched his skin it hissed, unlike it had been with the centaur, gripping the skin and tugging at it with cold invisible fingers. As the whole of his body passed through it, all of his skin tingled and twinged. All within moments he was through, gasping, and his hand was still gripping Aluemira’s. As his eyes became accustomed to the dim light inside the tree, he found himself in a large circular cavern, the walls glimmering softly like stars in the sky, intricate carvings with the same glimmering that outlined ropes, people, and nearly every creature imaginable. The soft hush that filled the cavern made it feel the very sound of his heart beating was that like clashing metal against metal. In his heart, he knew this place, even though he had never been to this place in his life. The soft light and feel of the place faded, as a bright light washed over the two, causing them to tremble, and cover their faces with their arms. When finally the light dimmed enough not to be blinding, the two saw they were no longer within the cavern but now in a glade, filled with wild flowers and lilac bushes: within the swaying wild flowers stood three centaurs, other than Caultueen’briar. Right away, he knew he was in the presence of royalty. They all had beautiful bodies of white and silver that shimmered. Two were male, with long white braided hair that fell to their torsos. Eyes of gold, and skin as paler then snow. The female, was even more majestic even though she was a good foot shorter than the other centaurs. Her hair moved, breathed like a silver waterfall, her eyes the color of the sky flecked with lilac were focused fully on Andre. As she reached out with long slender arms and lithe fingers, she smiled at him. The other centaurs, standing by her side followed her gesture, yet even though they smiled as sweetly as she, Andre saw coldness in their eyes.

“I am queen Sazule” said the white centauress with a soft lilt. “These are my brothers High Prince Altule, and prince Mortai” she said gesturing right then left.

Both Altule and Mortai lowered their arms, as well as their false smiles and looked with great distain down at Andre, completely ignoring the girl who stood beside him.

Sazule’s eyes smiled with a secret hidden behind them, before looking down to the small girl, who clung to Andre’s side.

“Aluemira, you need not fear us. Your fate has been decided by the stars, and you will live past today, and for a long time after.”

Sazule’s eyes shifted back to Andre, an intense gleam in her eyes.

“And you…have passed through the eye of Acacia and lived. That in itself has granted you grace.”

“Impossible sister,” contended Mortai, now an apparent frown played upon his lips. “No one has passed through Acacia in hundreds of years.”

“There is no way a being such as that could do so” Piped Altule lowly, his brows furrowing deeply.

“You saw the cavern of did you not Andre?” Said Sazule, her eyes still focused with great intensity on Andre.

For a long moment he could not speak, Andre glancing to the beautiful angry faces before briefly resting upon Caultueen, who seemed completely stoic but for his eyes that glimmered. Finally he nodded.

“There was a circular cavern…with walls covered in carvings of…so many things. They glowed, as the light was dim…Aluemira saw it too...”

Aluemira grasped Andre’s tunic and tugged on it lightly. “What are you talking about…Andre?”

She looked up into Andre’s eyes. “I only remember going through the portal and coming here”

Andre’s eyes widened and looked back up at the centaurs that were having a hard time believing him, yet at the same time they could not hide their apparent shock. How could he have known about the sacred cavern, if even they who had been taught about it all their lives had never seen it themselves? Only Sazule had ever seen it, but they knew it as she had explained it to them many times before.

“How is this possible?” Mortai whispered, looking to his older brother. Altule could only shake his head.

Sazule smiled. “Only the purest of hearts can reach Acacia. But…there is another way…If one has one of the ancient eyes of the Acooza, the carvings of life can be seen, that like shimmering stars.”

 “Magic” Andre repeated. He had not believed in the term only a few days ago until he found the gem, the ruins, the witch, the cloak, and now the centaurs. He looked down to the necklace that hung from his neck, and grasped it in his fingers thinking hard, the jewel warm in his hand. As he looked down at it, something within the gem stirred and seemingly began to pulse. Right away he felt the necklace become heavy, and became terribly ill. He quickly slid it off his neck, and head before throwing it to the ground. It had not felt so bad when he had first found it, then why was it only becoming apparent now, that there was something sinister lurking within it?

 

Sazule’s smile faded as she watched the glimmering ruby upon the grassy ground, the plants and flowers around it died, forming a small circle of dead fallen flowers around it. The two brother’s eyes widened, apparently only now seeing the ruby as Andre threw the ruby to the ground...

 “That…couldn’t be the eye of the…” said Mortai softly

“Why then did it only become apparent now then…?”  said Altule backing away from it slightly.

Sazule outstretched her arm towards the jewel, a silver mist appearing from her the tips of her long graceful fingers that seeped into the ground and formed a smoky looking bowl around the gem. Lightning forming within it could be clearly seen by the others, yet the dead plants around it grew back, more vibrant than before.

“The jewel that which seems to be a ruby is the eye of Cloce’. An ancient thing that has only been passed down to the children of the Damens, Known also as the Acooza, which is a race as old as time. They are powerful, and easily corrupted creatures more dangerous than any dragon of old. Their blood races through your veins Andre.”

“W...what” Andre looked up the queen with wide eyes?

“Yet despite that, you have a pure heart within that foul blood of yours. It is with this, I say you have safe passage, away from my people, away from this forest and this land. The one who hunts you, who left that old witch at the ruins is drawing near. Nearer then she should ever come of this place. If you do not go now, you will only bring about the end of this sacred place and the end of everything good you know.”

The two princes nodded silently, their lips pursed as they looked down on Andre. “Leave Andre, by the great white mare” Echoed the two brothers.

With that they all motioned towards the far left side, a portal appearing in thin air. “You will be led out by a single centaur that I have chosen personally” said Sazule lightly.

 “Go now, Andre, Aluemira and Caultueen.”

 

The hauntingly beautiful woman stood over the large caldron humming an unnerving tune, as she stirred the toxic concoction within it. The liquid bubbled and squelched and jumped, the black ooze like potion grew more deadly and promising with each twist of the metal ladle. The small room, in which the woman stood stirring her mix, was covered in cobwebs, filled with old velvet chairs, and rotting shelves that adorned the walls. From the far corner of the room, a bound and gagged man sat in an old dusty velvet chair, squirming and screaming through the gag. She turned to the muffled screams and smiled sweetly, still stirring. “It’s just about done now and we’ll have our little fun very soon.”

The man’s eyes widened as he wet himself, struggling, screaming louder and knocked himself over off the chair to the ground. “You are a feisty one, aren’t you little man...” She smiled widely showing her hand sharpened canines. “Mm, it’s done.”

She pulled out the ladle holding some of the black jumping liquid to her black lips and sipped a bit, smacking her lips before gulping the rest of it down, before placing the ladle back into the giant pot. For several moments nothing happened, but for the bubbly sensation that rushed down her throat and into her stomach. Then she began to twitch, slightly at first, the spasms growing strong with each time. She threw her head back laughing an cackling as her ebony skin began to blister from beneath, bubbling much the same way as the concoction did in the cauldron. Soon shimmering black scales began to form over her face, arms and legs, hard as a dragons hide. Her nails grew longer, becoming razor sharp claws. A long spiked tail poked out from her tail bone and began to grow, first the bone, then the muscles, and skin before it was completely covered in scales as well, a large spike at the tip of the tail. She looked over to the bound man who was rolling and struggling on the floor before licking over her lips with a forked tongue. “You failed me in retrieving that Acooza gem before someone else stumbled upon the ruins.” The woman raised her clawed hard hands and pointed a single claw towards him. “For your insolence I shall consume you.”

The beast of a woman stalked forward, relishing the fear in his eyes, and the way he struggled before pouncing upon the doomed man, ripping him into shreds, before taking his heart from his chest and eating it whole. As the man finally died, his soul began to lift into the air in the form of a grey glowing cloud. The woman opened her mouth wide and began to suck the soul into her body till the cloud was no longer, the energy squirming in her stomach before it gave in to the darkness within the witch and was absorbed into her whole. She licked over blood splattered lips and fangs, arms and hands before she ran her fingers through her long black hair, the scales one by one began to fade, the tail dropped to the ground and disintegrated to nothing but black dust, her long claws falling, following suit. She walked over to the large cauldron and waved her hand over the surface of the liquid. “Show me forever, show me never, show me who I want and he who shall be mine.” She chanted as she moved her hand centimeters from the surface. The liquid stopped bubbling and moving and became still and hard as ice. For a moment all she saw was her reflection, before the mirror like surface became to shine with a sickly green light and beneath the surface movement became apparent. Soon she could see his face, the face of one who had stolen away the eye. Her eyes widened. There it seemed was the spitting image of the Acooza who had double crossed her long ago in a time almost forgotten, save for the long hair and wide eyes. How did that b*****d live, when she made sure she killed Joaz and all those remotely related? How did she not know that a b*****d child of his still lived?? It seemed improbable, maybe impossible but she knew there were magic’s and powers past her own that could have hidden him. But for so long? Soon she saw the glimmering eye and smiled wide.

“Seems fitting that damned fool’s son would be the one to steal away the eye away from my grasp yet again” She muttered reaching to touch the mirror, touching her finger to the jewel. She could feel it’s power from the mirror, and felt  it jump at her touch and awaken until a great silver flame exploded from the cauldron nearly burning her hand clean off. The vision of the b*****d son disappeared and there in the mirror was a pure and white being, that as it moved the mirror began to crack in intricate lines and swirls. Then with a loud thud, thunder split through the room before splitting the ice like mirror in half, the solid mass sinking into the black ooze, until there was nothing but the bubbling liquid again. She took a few steps back, shaking a bit. That’s it. He must have been covered by a pure spirit. Yet what pure creature would take in a half-blood, especially the Acooza blood that ran black in his veins? She jumped as her cauldron cracked and split, falling to the ground her precious potion spilling on the ground. It took her years to gather that much black magic to put in the potion, and seeing it as a puddle on the ground made her furious. And insanely curious. There were only two creatures that could have such pure spirits. Elves and Centaurs. And she knew that the elves were not into letting strangers into their homes. Centaurs had to be it. And she knew exactly which one it was. She smiled, and turned on her heels to the door, and kicked it down. She stalked down the long winding corridors down staircase after staircase before coming to the main floor, where her loyal servants would pass through. The mess hall was filled with men, and dwarves alike. Her more prized servants would not be able to pass through the woods without a centaur killing it, so she would send her weaker servants to bring the b*****d a message. Those weaker would easily pass through unnoticed. It’s been far too long since she had last tasted power, and her small country hidden in the north was not big enough. She would grasp the crown of man, dwarf, elf, centaur and creature alike. I will rule all the lands, and not stop till all the eyes of Acooza are mine. She grinned. Alemonta will be known throughout the land once again.

All the while, her mother and brothers kept coming to her mind. Aluemira was far away from the road she knew so well, and far from home. A stranger had saved her, yet in the process had drug her along on a journey that wasn’t hers to take. Centaurs, monsters, fairies…all had been but fairytales read to her as a small girl. It was amazing that they did exist, but she wished greatly her walk home had been uneventful and had never met the tall pretty man named Andre. But she felt with each passing moment that her fate was now intertwined with him, and she may as well never see any of her family again. Though the queen had been so kind, and had felt some assurance that she would see mom, Jobe and Jean again. As she, Andre and Caultueen were led back through the portal; she could see that Andre was greatly troubled. She also was beginning to doubt how safe Andre was. He wasn’t human, though she had suspected it the moment she saw him in the light. He had brought upon the end of a kingdom as well? Would he bring only death where he went? No, no she thought shaking her head over and over. He was good despite what the queen said, and he would never bring about anything like that on purpose. He had saved her not once, but twice in a single day the first time he met her. He hadn’t run away or let her be killed so he had to be good. He had to be.

Night soon came to the woods, and the two humans were led to a small cozy tree to spend the night on silk and grasses softer and finer. They huddled closer though it was from cold inside, and the safety of the centaurs standing guard outside kept away the dark things that lurked at night. It was long hours before Aluemira fell asleep, leaving Andre peering at the exposed sky from above, where a part of the tree split open high overhead. The stars seemed brighter and glimmered more than he ever remembered seeing, the moon full and poignant high aloft. Something about the sky seemed magic and faintly familiar to a time long ago, before he could remember. He raised his pale fingers to the sky as if he could grip the moon itself wondering what it was he was forgetting, what it was that the centauress knew and had not said anything about. What were those ruins, that witch who had barely managed to defeat, the monster with wings...how were they connected, if at all.