Chapters 21-23

21: Cynthia

The sun had barely risen before Darkeen dragged me out of bed and forced me to get my things together. We were on the road, headed north, before I had even fully woken up. It wasn't long before Darkeen began barraging me with questions about what I had found in St. Cory. I told Darkeen all about the large underground complex and the spirit ghost or whatever it was that spoke with me. Darkeen looked surprised to learn about the existence of the Temple of Longevity, but not that surprised. It set me on edge a little bit but I didn't ask any questions about it.

Soon my thoughts turned to the voices I heard the night I'd found the temple, and the scouts from The Order of the Skull. I asked Darkeen, "Did you hear anyone last night?" He raised an eyebrow at me, "Like any soldiers or scouts looking for something?"

Darkeen shook his head, "I didn't notice anything unusual." He paused and turned his head towards me, "Why? Did something happen?"

I quickly explained the voices that forced me into the underground complex, and the two scouts I had interrogated and killed. "Have you ever heard of The Order of the Skull?" It worried me that a potentially powerful organization had sprung up in the midst of what was currently happening on the continent.

Darkeen frowned slightly and seemed to be thinking. "The name sounds oddly familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it before though. It worries me what they might be up to if they're sending scouting missions to St. Cory."

I nodded, "What do you think their motives are? The scouts made it sound like Skyllian wasn't even their main base of operations. How could such a large organization go seemingly unnoticed, and why are they emerging as magic returns?"

"I'd say it would be a stretch to hope the order's interest in St. Cory is academic." Darkeen replied, he seemed to be as worried as I was. "You ended up killing those men, so whatever the organization's motives are, you seem convinced it isn't good for us."

"The ghost told me to fear the Order of the Skull." I said defensively, "I think we can trust the Longevity. The elves were good people, the steps were placed here to stop chaos. This is a good thing." Darkeen remained silent, "Right?"

Darkeen sighed, "I certainly hope it ends up being that black and white Cynthia, but I think you'll find everyone believes what they are doing is the right thing, and you'll find there's a fine line between stopping chaos, and striking fear throughout the continent." Darkeen hit his legs against the side of his horse, increasing its pace and I did the same, following just behind him all the way to Skyllian.

. . .

When we arrived in Skyllian I didn't even know where to start looking. Unfortunately, there wasn't a massive sign that told us where the Order of the Skull was, so Darkeen and I took to strolling through the marketplace.

We approached a woman selling cloth and asked, "What do you know about the Order of the Skull?"

The woman looked back at us quizzically, "Order of the what? Sorry I've no idea what you're talking about. Now buy something or get out of here."

Darkeen and I made eye contact before slowly backing away. We had the same conversation with several other vendors and none of them seemed to be able to recall the organization that was at least partially based in the same city as them.

I walked away from the marketplace frustrated, "I can't believe that little b***h lied to me. I swear to god I'm going to make him pay if I find him in the afterlife." I smiled devilishly, "He's going to regret this so much."

Darkeen was far less bent on killing dead people than I was, strange huh. "Why don't we focus on the problem at hand. You can kill all the dead people you want when you're dead."

I stuck my tongue out at Darkeen like a child, "I can kill whoever I want." I didn't want to be lectured about the fine line between good and evil.

"Yeah well you already killed the guy who led us here." Darkeen spoke, "Ever wonder if you might get bad information because you kill anyone no matter what?"

I opened my mouth to speak but Darkeen stopped me and pointed his index finger at a building a short distance away. There was a large tavern, it seemed very out of place, in the back streets of Skyllian. But there was something so warm and inviting about it, I just had to go in... I took a step forward and then shook my head to snap out of my trance.

"Oh my god, Darkeen" I said astonished, "It's just like the Tavern we encountered on our way out of Copper City."

He nodded, "Do you think they're connected to the Order of the Skull?"

My voice grew angry, "Whatever it's connected to, there's no way in hell I'm letting that building stay operational."

I stepped towards it and Darkeen grabbed my arm, I turned around furiously but he just spoke worriedly, "Are you sure Cynthia? We got trapped in the last one and we barely escaped."

"How can we just walk away when we know what's happening beyond those walls?" I shouted at Darkeen, throwing his hand off my arm. My mind remembering the screams of the people in the domed room, "Besides, I don't think it's merely coincidence we've run into two of these places during our journey."

Darkeen sighed, "Alright, we'll go inside, but all we need to do is look for anything about the Order of the Skull. If the order is as threatening as you believe, that should be our focus, not destroying this building." Darkeen smirked, "Let's try not to massacre the place like we did last time."

I smirked back at Darkeen, "You seem to forget I have a tendency to just kill whatever gets in my way." I was annoyed with Darkeen for telling me not to rescue everyone in the tavern, however I knew he was right. Trying to storm the place and free all the prisoners would require time and it would draw attention. Darkeen's hesitance to violence still surprised me considering his skill with his war axe. However, he was correct in the sense that laying low would be the best way to get more desperately needed information about the Order of the Skull. I took a deep breath as I strode up the stairs and pushed the doors open.

From the moment, the doors opened I began to feel the hypnotic effects of the building. A familiar purple haze crept over my eyes, I closed my eyes and shook my head. The haze disappeared for a few seconds but slowly began to creep back into my vision. Focus. Focus. Focus. I kept telling myself as I walked deeper into the building

I was approached by a dwarf who offered me a drink, "Not thirsty." I said and smiled down at the dwarf.

The dwarf frowned at me, "Relax. I promise this will make all your worries disappear." He smiled and raised a glass to my face, the smell was intoxicating and colors danced in front of my eyes. The liquor or whatever was in the glass seemed to sparkle, begging me to take a drink...

I shut my eye as hard as I could and shook my head, FOCUS! I shouted at myself as I opened my eyes again. "I'm really not interested." I forced the words out of my mouth much to the dwarf's dismay.

"Are we going to have a problem here?" The dwarf asked me, the warmth of his voice drowned out by a sharper, icier tone. Darkeen who was standing just behind me, trying to avoid the buildings intoxicating effects opened his eyes at these words and I saw him slip his hands onto the hilt of a knife out of the corner of my eye

"I want to speak with the owner of this building." I demanded bluntly. The dwarf grimaced and I could see him reaching for some sort of weapon on his waste. In a flash, I slipped one of my daggers into my hand and pulled the dwarf against me, my knife digging into his chest, concealed from everyone else. "This place is not what it seems." I whispered angrily in the dwarf's ear. The purple from my vision had gone, consumed by rage and adrenaline. "Look around at how intoxicated everyone is. I could plunge this blade straight through your chest and not one person would be any the wiser." The dwarf looked at me in terror, unable to speak, "Now you have three choices, tell me everything I want to know about the Order of the Skull, take me to someone who can tell me about it, or die. Your choice, but I recommend you hurry, there's just something l love about plunging this blade into people." I smirked devilishly at the dwarf and he went wide eyed and led Darkeen and I to a staircase.

As we followed the dwarf, Darkeen gave me his usual look of judgement, "I suppose that's one way to get what you want. Just scare the s**t out of them until they comply."

I rolled my eyes at Darkeen, "I feel like you keep forgetting that I was an assassin before you dragged me away to go save the world or whatever."

"Yeah I couldn't tell with all the people you've been stabbing." Darkeen replied sarcastically. The dwarf began to lead us up a staircase.

I laughed hesitantly, "If stabbing and threatening people didn't pay so well and get me what I need then I wouldn't do it."

Darkeen seemed to frown slightly, "Just don't make it into a sport, there's enough harm in this world."

I peered at Darkeen, "I. Am. An. Assassin." I said annoyed at Darkeen. "And it's not like you--."

"W-w-we're h-here." The dwarf interrupted once we reached a door at the end of a stairwell. Probably a good thing he stopped me from talking before I said something that would go too far.

I eyed the door, it was simple and brown, nothing special, no skull insignia on the door. However there seemed to be no intoxicating effects from up here. "What's behind the door?" I inquired critically.

"I-it's the owner of this building." He wrung his hands nervously as his eyes darted back and forth between Darkeen and I. "I b-b-believe he'll tell you w-what you want to know."

I smiled at the dwarf and the door, "Great! We should be done then. You can go now." The dwarf moved towards the stairs, "Oh and one more thing." I said to the dwarf who looked back at me nervously. "If I don't find what I expect behind this door. My dagger will rip you to shreds before you can say 'ouch'. We clear?" The dwarf looked terrorized and nodded at me before running down the stairs. I turned to Darkeen, "Should we go in?"

Darkeen nodded and pushed the door open. Inside was a small room, there was a desk in the center with several chairs around it and no decorations save a few lanterns along the walls. On one side of the desk sat a small man with grey hair and a short beard, he was looking at several pieces of parchment covered in ink sitting on his desk.

I vaulted the desk and drew my daggers in one swift movement. "Don't you dare move." I said to the man as Darkeen closed the door behind us.

The man stayed surprisingly calm considering the twin daggers pointed at his neck, "Please, relax... Cynthia, is it? There's no need for violence."

I stiffened at the sound of my name, "How do you know who I am?"

The man chuckled, "Survivors from the other tavern you... visited. They caught your name and described to me a deadly elven assassin." He pointed at the side of my head, "With your pointed ears and quick, cat like reflexes, I was sure it was you. Considering there was not previously any escapees from one of the taverns. I'm sure you would be the only one who would have questions to ask."

"And you better answer them." I said bitterly. I quickly checked the man for weapons before taking a seat across from him. Darkeen stood silently at the door, axe ready.

"So, ask your questions," the man said, his voice a little to laid back for my comfort, "Anything you want."

The man's relaxed mood and willingness to answer my questions made me uneasy, but I asked anyway. "Are you a member of the Order of the Skull?" The man nodded. "What are these tavern facilities for?"

"I will tell you." The man spoke softly, "But you will not understand. The Order of the Skull is the last chance this land has left, the final pieces are falling into place. You may kill me or destroy this entire place, but you cannot stop the Order of the Skull from finishing its goal to protect this land."

While I was curious about the Order of the Skull protecting the land, my questions weren't answered, "Just answer the question." I said flatly.

The man nodded, "These facilities are used to drain those who enter so their essence or energy can be used as a magic force. You may think us monsters, but better we sacrifice a few thousand or so in order to save everyone else."

His words explained the strange machines we had seen in the other tavern, "Did the Order of the Skull bring back magic?" I asked, not for a second believing these buildings could be for the greater good.

"The ability to funnel magic returned to the land without the order's help. However, we don't believe it was simply a natural phenomenon. The Order of the Skull constructed these buildings as a way to collect magical energy in order to prepare the order to confront the chaos that threatened these lands."

It still didn't make sense to me, "You keep mentioning some sort of chaos threatening all the land. What is this chaos? How are you stopping it? Do you really have to be killing people, and if you're helping people why all the cloak and dagger?"

"The exact details of the chaos are unknown to me." However, it doesn't take a scholar to notice the return of magic, violent return of dragons, and unrest erupting throughout the land. The Order of the Skull believes that by funneling magic energy, we can make our mages more powerful than the chaos and once it erupts, contain the chaos before it conquers the land. Our methods to acquire high levels of magic energy many would consider unethical. You're an elf, you should now all about staying hidden because people don't trust you." The man grimaced at me.

I raised an eyebrow at the beginning part of what the man said, "There's something unnerving about this. There seems to be a distinct lack of knowledge. There was a woman back at the dagger mountains who seemed to control the storm and sky. That same woman was at Evanuan when the kingdom fell. Is she part of your order?"

"It's very possible." The man said, "If she's a powerful mage who could help save all of us she may have been recruited."

My mind drifted to Christopher for a second. I prayed he was not dead, it had been so long since I had seen his smile. "A boy named Christopher followed that woman, do you know if the order has him?"

The man sighed, "Look, it's not my job to know everyone in the order. I'll give you one more question, then you'll have to leave, whether you kill me or not is up to you."

So, the order might have Christopher. I thought for a second to formulate my last question, "Where is the Order of the Skull located."

The man took a deep breath and sighed, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you at this point, not when preparations are almost complete. The Order of the Skull lives in trains in your home city of Evanuan."

Chapter 22: Christopher

After I had received my affinity, or I guess affinities for that matter, A path opened that led me directly to the mouth of the cave. I emerged happily into the warm sunset that surrounded Evanuan. "Hello Christopher," I heard a familiar cynical voice say beside me.

I jumped to the side and swore, Violet was standing right next to me, "Hell you scared the s**t out of me!" I said.

"My apologies," Violet said, "I realized your ritual had been completed and I wanted to come see you as soon as possible."

I smiled at Violet, "Ooh, you just can't get enough of me, can you?" I smirked and then thought of the vision in the mountain where I had been kissing Violet.

"Oh, shush now." Violet rolled her eyes, as she grabbed my arm and turned it over, pushing my sleeve up. On the underside of my forearm were two black tattoos I had never seen before, one depicted a sun, and one a black spiral. Violet stood in awe for a few seconds before speaking, "I didn't think it was possible. You will be a priceless member of the Order of the Skull, Christopher."

I laughed, "Just because a mountain told me I can use light and dark magic doesn't mean anything. I still can't do anything but throw rocks around and stuff."

"But you're amazing at it." Violet said, sparks of excitement in her voice broke her generally monotonous and cynical tones, "Give me time to train you, I think soon you will realize what amazing things you can do."

The thought of me being a great mage was appealing and I too became excited. My mind drifted to acts of powerful magic I had seen as a young child in Cyphol. Then I imagined myself being even more magnificent, "Alright, so when do we start."

"You have your affinities," Violet said, "Grab some food and meet me in the field we were in yesterday. We start today."

...

When I arrived in the field, Violet was waiting for me, eager to get started. "Today we'll start by learning how to channel each of your affinities using magic, another time we can learn how to shape them. I, like you, have an affinity for dark magic so let's start with that. You can watch me and try to copy what I do. All I want is for you to channel that affinity into a beam. Like this." She pressed the base of her hands against each other, forming a cup shape and released a bright purple beam from her hands.

I tried to copy her form but couldn't seem to get it right, "Your legs should be relaxed and square with your shoulders." Violet walked behind me and pressed herself against me as she grabbed my wrists in each one of her hands and led them to the proper place. "Straight out in front of you, hands perpendicular to the ground. Your elbows should be bent at 45 degree angles." Once she thought I was in the right position she moved her hands away and brushed her fingers against mine and our eyes met for a brief second. We stayed there, looking at each other for a brief second before she stepped backwards. "Okay, now dark magic focusses on high energy, short lived bursts of magic. Dark magic is usually done with volatile magic particles that is why it is often associated with danger. I want you to close your eye and focus on the environment around you. Try to find those particles and channel them through you using your mind." I strained my mind, searching the area for some sort of magic but my mind seemed to be interrupted. "Keep calm, breathe slowly. Detach your mind briefly from the physical world."

I stayed still in the position violet had put me in for five minutes with my eyes closed, searching for a way to challenge the energy. My head began to hurt as I tried to channel the energy. I shouted and opened my eyes but nothing happened.

"You are close Christopher." Violet said softly. "Clear your mind even more, remove your mind from your body and just funnel the magic."

I closed my eyes again, searching. I slowly cleared my mind of all thought and began to feel myself slowly rising. I felt a tingling feeling which I assumed was volatile magic. I took a deep breath and funneled the magic through my mind. My head was beginning to ache and I breathed heavily as I funneled magic. My mind returned to my body and I opened my eyes and shouted once again. A small stream of purple magic fired from my hands into the sky. I laughed, "I did it!"

Violet smiled at me, "Yes you did Christopher, look what you've accomplished in one session, you have great things to come." I laughed again and violet laughed with me. "Come on, let's had back to the city."

"Already?" I asked. I felt that we had barely gotten here and hardly begun training.

"It'll begin slowly," Violet replied. "I'm sure you remember how much your head could hurt simply yielding telekinesis." I nodded and she continued, "This purer magic is much more dangerous, I wouldn't want your brain to melt." Violet smiled at me cynically.

I laughed nervously, "Yeah I guess we should head back to the city." We began to walk across the green field towards the city. The sky was turning to dusk and I looked west towards the mountain I had explored earlier that day.

I stopped as I took in the breathtaking sunset that set the sky on fire. The snow shined like an ocean mist in the summer sun. I looked to my left to see Violet standing next to me, the shimmering sky perfectly reflected in her black eyes. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said happily.

I nodded and we stood in silence as the sun crept closer and closer to the horizon. I made eye contact with Violet and we kept each other's gaze. As I looked into her eyes and the reflection of the sunset, I noticed her happiness seemed peaceful, something I hadn't seen previously. Her cynical humor had vanished and appeared with a look of content. She seemed so at peace and as we stared into the sunset I felt her reach out and lace her fingers into mine. We stood there for a brief moment and then I looked down at our clasped hands. Violet followed my gaze and upon looking down, tore her hand away from mine. "We should get behind the walls, it's going to be dark soon."

I raised an eyebrow, "Does something dangerous come out at night?" Maybe a foolish question, but since meeting Cynthia, and then Violet, anything seemed possible.

Violet shook her head firmly, "Of course not. I just think we better get back, it's been a long day for you." She strode off towards the gates of Evanuan, leaving me to trail behind her.

I bit the inside of my check as I trailed behind Violet to the Elven city. Most of my mind was occupied by Violet. I couldn't quite figure out what was going through Violet's mind. She must have some sort of feelings or me, after all it was her who grabbed my hand, not the other way around. As for myself, I didn't think I could deny that I felt something for Violet, however I still often thought of Cynthia and her energetic and arrogant attitude. I often thought of that moment we shared that night in the woods. It had only been a matter of days ago, yet so much had happened since then that it felt like another time.

Part of my mind, however, was occupied with things far less childish than romance. I wondered if something dangerous actually did existed beyond the walls at night, Violet seemed eager to return to the city. I also thought about the vision of Cyphol's invasion that Violet had showed me, and wondered where I played into all of it. Perhaps I was looking for too direct a solution. If I'd learned anything recently, it's that not all problems have a clear solution, not all people are just good or evil. I also thought that somehow, I was being used. There was something about Evanuan that made me uneasy... We had been told in Cyphol that the Elven kingdom had been attacked and burned by Chammelon forces, however the city seemed nearly untouched within the walls, and the local environment seemed completely unaffected, the lush meadow outside the wall was greener that the gardens of the wealthiest nobles. Not to mention there's not even a trace of a Chammelon army in the area. Sure, there were a few Chammelon mages I saw at the emerald palace, but it seemed odd the Chammelon forces who conquered Evanuan just simply left the city. The entire city was occupied by the Order of the Skull, and ruled over by a council of mages, with Violet being the high magister from what I could tell, and Violet may not be exactly what I'd call an elf, but she's definitely not a Chammelon. There was something about the whole situation that didn't add up, but I wasn't willing to test the Order of the Skull while in the vicinity of all these mages, not yet anyway. I still hoped Violet was being honest with me and the Order of the Skull existed for the greater good. I also hoped Cynthia was okay, wherever she was.

Once Violet and I entered the city gates we parted ways. I had built up quite the appetite after my adventure and quickly grabbed some food before heading back to my quarters. I bathed and shaved my face before I slipped under my covers. As I lay in bed I tried to sleep but my mind was preoccupied with what the purpose of the Order of the Skull was, and why they were in Evanuan. Eventually I realized I wouldn't be able to sleep and got out of bed.

I put some street clothes on and reached for the door, but then paused. I remember Violet telling me they'd have to keep a close eye on me. I slowly lowered myself to the ground and looked through the crack under the door. Damn, I saw the boots of two guards pacing back and forth in the hallway just outside. I pushed myself back up and looked around for another way out. I went to the balcony and looked around, no way down. The balcony was too high up and the stone wall on either side was much too slick to climb down. I went back inside and found a small window in the bathroom. I pushed it open and saw a rainwater, drain pipe a few feet to the right of it.

I pulled myself slowly through the window which was only a couple feet wide until I was dangling over the street. I looked at the drain pipe next to me; It seemed farther away that I originally thought. I steeled my mind from fear as I began to swing my legs and body back and forth in order to build up momentum. Soon enough my feet were making wide arks under me. I swung back and forth three times more. 1... 2... 3... I pushed myself away from the window and towards the pipe. As I approached my momentum started to go down and I began to worry. A split second later I hit the pipe hard and quickly grabbed it with my hands. I started sliding down quickly because of my momentum and the skin on my hands roared in pain. I soon began to slow but felt an extruding nail run across my palm. I winced silently as I saw blood trickle down my left hand. I maneuvered my way to the ground and examined my hand. The nail left a clean, two-inch-long cut across the palm. I pulled my sleeve up to cover my palm before examining my surroundings.

I stood in an alleyway, the tips of the emerald palace faced away from me, letting me know I was behind it. The streets lacked any form of artificial lighting and were only illuminated by the moon. I kept close to the wall as I made my way to the main road in front of the palace. The streets of Evanuan were even more silent than they were during the day, no one was out at this hour. I began to walk out into the main road when I heard the sound of footsteps above me. I sprinted back and rolled behind the corner of a building. I peered out to see a hooded figure move quickly down the steps of the Emerald Palace. The figure then hurried across the road to a smaller road across from me, the figure looked back to reveal black eyes and pale skin, confirming it was Violet, she looked worried or afraid, maybe excited? I couldn't quite tell, and I didn't know which of those things was worse at this hour. Nonetheless I chose to follow her, perhaps I could figure out what she and the Order of the Skull were up to.

I stuck to the shadows as I followed Violet through the streets of Evanuan. I kept having to duck behind buildings and objects on the street; Violet kept looking behind her, as if she were expecting someone to be following her. Eventually Violet arrived at a small garden with a round pool in the middle. She began to walk forward but I stuck to the shadows. I leaned against one of the buildings with my left arm and winced in pain as my palm pressed against the stone. Violet froze and looked around. I held my breath as I pressed myself into the shadow of a building. Eventually Violet shook her head and continued to the center of the garden. She waved her hand above the pool and it began to glow a purple color, illuminating the garden. Once the pool was lit, the two other members of Violet's council came from the other side of the garden, one of them mouthed something to Violet but I was too far away to hear. I looked to some shrubs about fifty feet in front of me and waited until they all turned their back to me. I dashed to the shrubs as silently as possible and slid down below them. I peered around them and saw Violet scanning the area I had come from.

"You're alone?" One of the council members asked Violet.

"Of course," Violet replied in her cynical voice, "And I trust you are as well." Both of the council members nodded. "Wonderful," Violet continued, "We can begin then."

One of the council members, a Chammelon, waved a hand over the pool to reveal... a map perhaps? I didn't have a clear view of the pool and I didn't dare get any closer. The Chammelon continued, "As you know, the portal is nearly ready. 48 hours from now, we'll be able to unleash it and violence on this continent will cease."

I had no idea what the councilman was talking about. I know Violet brought me to the Order of the Skull to help assist in bringing peace, but never mentioned portals or unleashing anything. My thoughts were interrupted by Violet, "2 days? We're already a week overdue!"

The Chammelon replied, "I know; however, we were unable to locate the final Temple of Longevity. Fortunately, we were able to wield enough power from the other temples for the portal, it'll just take some more time."

Violet frowned, "You found all the other Temples. Where's the last one?"

"We had reason to believe it may have been located near the town of Cory, however, our scouts never returned, a second scouting party found them killed with ruthless efficiency. An investigation also found the ground around Cory to be blue rather than purple. It was determined that wherever the Temple was, it had already been activated by someone else."

Violet cursed and a small bolt of purple magic shot between her palms. "Someone else activated the Temple? Who? The elf?"

"That's unknown," The Chammelon continued, "However the Temple or whoever activated it cannot stop our plan at this point. Let's focus on the carrying out the summoning of portal."

Violet nodded and the other council member, a human, spoke, "Are you certain about this Violet? How do you know you'll be able to control it?"

Violet waved a hand at him dismissively, "You've forgotten who you're talking to Taylor, I'll be able to handle it. Besides, once I've trained Christopher and get him completely committed to our cause, he'll be able to lend a hand in terms of raw magic prowess. He too has an affinity for dark magic."

Taylor began to speak again but I saw Violet turn around and smile. She interrupted Taylor, "Speak of the devil." She snapped her fingers and the shrubs I was hiding behind parted to reveal me crouching. I froze as Violet laughed cynically, "How about you come join us Christopher."

Chapter 23: Cynthia

I froze at the man's words. "Did you say the Order of the Skull was in Evanuan?"

"That's correct." He replied, "Now I really can't answer more questions, kill me or leave."

I nodded, "Alright, shut down this facility and I'll let you go."

The man nodded back, "Sounds good. We were preparing to leave soon anyway." I looked at him suspiciously, "Remember how I told you preparations were almost complete? Well we're evacuating these facilities." I opened my mouth to ask about what the preparations were for but the man stopped me, "Kill me or leave."

I looked at Darkeen who shrugged and looked away. I shrugged as well knowing Darkeen wouldn't want me to kill him, "Well alright then." I took one of my small throwing knives from my belt and without looking back at the man threw the knife through the middle of his shoulder, pinning him to the wall. He swore as I quickly left the office, and went down the stairs and out of the building, Darkeen followed close behind me.

As soon as we got outside I mounted packed my stuff and climbed on my horse. "What are you doing?" Darkeen shouted at me. "You're just going to stroll up to Evanuan and kill the Order of the Skull?"

"Hell yeah!" I shouted as I grabbed the reins in my hands. I tried to nudge my horse forward but I felt Darkeen grab my arm firmly.

"Cynthia, we should talk about this, we need to know what we're getting ourselves into!" Darkeen shouted at me.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I replied bitterly and shook my arm away from Darkeen's grasp. "That's my city! My people! I've lived the majority of my life believing it had been destroyed in the war. If there's any possibility that my home... my people, could still be alive, it's a chance I'm willing to take." I whipped the reins and my horse began galloping through the streets and to the city gates. A quick glance back let me know Darkeen had finally begun following me. People in the streets of Skyllian hustled to move out of the way to avoid being run over by Darkeen or I. Fortunately, the city gates were open because of how busy it is during this time of day. I burst through the gate and spilled onto the eastern road, just a day or two's ride east should bring me to where Evanuan is, or was, only one way to find out. All I'd thought about since leaving Evanuan, was reclaiming it. If the Order of the Skull was in Evanuan, perhaps the Chammelons were gone. Either way, I was going to kill or remove everyone inside the city, or die trying.

Darkeen followed me as closely as he could as I galloped down the eastern road, if you could call it a road. No one had traveled down this path since the fall of the elves. The Chammelon and Human kingdoms were in a sort of cold war state, the eastern road was overgrown with shrubs and small trees and it was often difficult to make out the stone beneath the plants. I know I was being foolish, charging to Evanuan without a plan or anything. It was just, I don't know what it was. I was afraid of what I would find, but excited that I might see my home, hopeful my people would still be alive, and hopeless at the thought of the Order of the Skull and that woman with the pale face and black eyes who might reside there.

Eventually my horse couldn't go on and simply lay down, it had gone as far as it could. I thrashed at the reins, hoping it could go on, but it simply laid its head down and closed its eyes. I hopped off it's back and sat on the ground, leaning against the horse. There was nothing I could do but wait for Darkeen to get here, or my horse to regain its energy.

Soon enough I heard the thunder of hooves and looked to see Darkeen coming around the corner. As he approached he slowed his horse to a trot, then a walk. He then hopped off his horse, who too lay down for a rest. Darkeen strode over to me, "Cynthia, let's talk about this. There's nothing else to do at the moment."

I knew he was right, but I didn't want to admit it, I needed to get to Evanuan.

"Cynthia?" Darkeen asked, trying to get my attention.

I pushed myself up from the horse I was leaning against and replied angrily, "Fine, what's your master plan?"

Darkeen chuckled, "I have no master plan. I just think galloping up to a city we thought was destroyed without a plan was a bad idea."

"Oh, that's weird, cause I thought it was a good idea." I rolled my eyes at Darkeen, my voice still bitter, "I thought maybe we'd get them some flowers as a welcoming gift."

Darkeen ignored my sarcasm, "We need to think logically. What do we know about the Order of the Skull?"

"Uh, they're probably bad. They're somehow connected to the Longevity. Oh, and did I mention they probably wiped out an entire race of people called Elves."

"Allegedly." Darkeen chuckled, but then wiped the grin off of his face when I glared at him.

"You don't understand what I've lost." I said, "I'm not going to be stopped from taking the city back."

Darkeen scrunched his face as he thought, "Well you said they're connected to the Longevity, right?"

"Yes" I responded quietly as I thought about the spirit who told me to beware the Order of the Skull.

Darkeen kept speaking, "Well remember the steps. We found the first step in a cave, and you got the second one from the tomb of longevity. Are they important? What do they do? Do you think there are more?"

"Enter the darkness of what has passed. Through the darkness bring the light." I mumbled. It was hard to tell whether or not that was the end of the prophecy or story or whatever you want to call it. I rolled my eyes frustrated, we know as much about the steps now as we did when we first came across them.

Darkeen sighed, "This is getting us nowhere. It's impossible to tell anything about these damn steps."

I smirked, "I wouldn't worry too much. If there's more steps, sooner or later something will try to kill us and then give us a step once we kill it."

Darkeen frowned slowly, "That does seem to happen an awful lot." He then turned to me and spoke in a very serious tone, "Cynthia I'm worried about this Order of the Skull. They seem extremely dangerous considering they've kept hidden all these years."

I looked down and nodded, "Yeah. But what if the Order of the Skull isn't even the real threat?"

Darkeen raised his eyebrows and looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"Remember what the man in the tavern said." I replied, "He talked about some sort of Chaos. What if this chaos is real? What if there's some sort of magic phenomenon that we're powerless to stop? What if despite what we think of them, The Order of the Skull is the only way we can stop the chaos?"

Darkeen shook his head, "You can't think like that, Cynthia. You saw what they did to the people in those Taverns, they're up to no good." Darkeen could see I was still concerned, "Besides, if they were recruiting mages in order to prevent danger, why would they wipe out a race of the most powerful mages? They're clearly up to no good."

That last part got to me. It made me frustrated for believing in the order for even a second. "You're right, we have to get to Evanuan and stop them!"

Darkeen nodded, "Exactly, now we just have to figure out how to get through to Evanuan and infiltrate it."

I looked to see our horses awake and standing, "Or we could just wing it." I climbed onto my horse. Darkeen tried to object but I interrupted him, "We can't waste time getting to Evanuan, even if we leave right now, we'll have to stop for the night and won't get there until evening tomorrow." Darkeen mumbled something under his breath as he climbed onto his horse. "We'll talk about it when we camp." I forced a laughed and set out along the trail, Darkeen trailing just behind me.

The jungle terrain became lusher and lusher as we proceeded towards Evanuan. Soon the trail vanished due to years without upkeep and we had to rely on Darkeen's navigation skills to guide us through the jungle. We mostly rode in silence, thinking about the challenge we were up against. A small part of me still worried about whatever chaos might exist beyond the Order of the Skull. Of course, I was still mostly convinced the order was out for their own gain, but they couldn't be wholly evil, could they? I had always been convinced there were two sides to every story.

Soon the sun began to dip down to the horizon and we located a relatively clear spot to camp in despite the densely-packed trees and underbrush. Darkeen built a small fire as I unpacked our bags. Soon we sat across each other at the fire, eating pre-made food Darkeen had warmed over the fire. He looked up at me, "So plan for Evanuan?"

I yawned, "I think the best plan is a good night's sleep..."

Darkeen sighed, "Cynthia seriously; If there was ever a time to not wing something, it's now."

I shrugged, "Listen Darkeen, there's no way we could even make a plan. We have no idea what the Order of the Skull's fighting force is like, we don't know what Evanuan is like now or if it's even there. Finally, it's my home, my city. If anyone can navigate it, it's me."

Darkeen seemed discontented with my idea, but couldn't seem to argue. "Fine. Let's get a good night's rest then. We're going to need it for whatever happens tomorrow."

I smiled and got up from the fire, "Goodnight!" I said to Darkeen as I slipped into my sleeping bag to retire for the night. I wasn't actually that tired and I lay there thinking about my childhood in Evanuan with my parents. The memories were few and far between, it seemed like another eon entirely that I had been able to live peacefully along other elven people in a kingdom. The thought just strengthened my resolve to defeat the Order of the Skull further. I yawned and cleared my mind, closing my eyes.

...

When I woke up I was standing in a beautiful meadow covered in flowers. "Wait a second," I mumbled to myself, "I'm pretty sure I didn't go to sleep here."

"You didn't." A soothing voice spoke to me and I looked up to see my mother smiling at me.

"Well, long time, no see." I replied half-jokingly and folded my arms. "I almost died like a thousand times since your last visit."

My mother ignored my hyperbolic remark and spoke worriedly, "My love, Time is short, I can feel something unnatural brewing throughout the land."

I nodded in agreement, "It's the Order of the Skull, isn't it?"

"I have no knowledge of such an order, perhaps they formed in recent years. However, as you approach where Evanuan once stood, I feel a dangerous magic grow more powerful." My mother looked at me fearfully, perhaps for me, her daughter, or perhaps for the continent as a whole.

I frowned, "Well, what am I supposed to do? I'm kind of planning on just going to Evanuan and destroying the Order of the Skull."

"I'm not sure that's all you have to worry about Cynthia. This type of dark magic, it's never existed in such high concentration since before the elves."

I opened my mouth in shock, "Whoever is wielding this magic, do you think they killed the elves in order to destroy the center of light magic and allow dark magic to grow?"

"I can't say for sure," my mother spoke calmly, "It's possible of course, but I would hope not. We should focus on how you're going to take care of this magic."

I laughed, "I can't even wield magic myself."

"Well not yet of course, but I'm certain it'll come when the time is right."

"Awesome," I replied sarcastically, "I'll just go to Evanuan and hope I start wielding magic. Thanks mother."

"Cynthia, you misinterpret my words." She said, "You have two of the steps, don't you?"

I nodded and asked, "How do you know about the steps? Would've been helpful if you told me where they are and what to do with them."

"I did not know about them until you discovered them," She replied softly, "I am only able to maintain these connections briefly because of increased levels of magic as you approach Evanuan. I believe the steps are blessed with an ancient elven magic; I also believe there is one more."

"Sorry if I put this bluntly," I blurted out, "But aren't you dead? How are you tracing the steps?"

"I'm living in a sort of dark limbo," My mother said with sadness in her voice, "When I died in battle at Evanuan, I was consumed by light magic and wound up in this field. I believe this place is simply a magical plane and this is how you imagine it. Yes, I am dead. However, in this place, I can detect dark magic closing in on it, and I utilize it to study what you see and attempt to communicate with you."

"What I see?" I asked curiously, "Is this place connected to me."

"It's certainly a possibility," she responded with a thoughtful look on her face, "However, the magic has been few and far between, I've spent most of what I can acquire on studying these 'steps'."

I nodded vigorously, "Great, anything useful you can tell me?"

My mother nodded in return, "I believe there are three of them in total, you have two of them. I'm not one-hundred percent certain of their purpose, but given the age of the incantations, it's likely a way to ward off dark magic on a large scale."

I smiled, "Sounds like just what we need."

My mother smiled softly back and spoke in her soothing voice, "Yes I suppose you're right." Her face grew serious once again, "From the field readings of the dark magic however, it seems the final step has been acquired by a mage in Evanuan."

I swore under my breath, "Well I'll just have to go get it then."

My mother nodded seriously, "Exactly, once you get to Evanuan, finding that step has to be your priority. Whatever the mages there are summoning, it could potentially be far more dangerous than all the mages on the continent."

"Ah," I replied, "sounds lovely."

"My child," she said to me, "You should know that once you deal with the dark magic, this limbo I am in will be closed and I will pass. This is perhaps the last time we shall speak."

I bit my lip and quivered, but didn't cry, "I won't let you down." I already knew my mother was dead, and after all the death I'd already witnessed. I knew crying wasn't going to help.

"I know you won't, Cynthia." She told me and we embraced, the meadow around me started to disappear.

"No," I said softly as I clutched her tighter, "No, no, no." I returned and found myself in my sleeping bag, alone, underneath the stars. Suddenly I released a massive sob as I realized that last connection I had to my family was gone. I lay in bed, very still, thinking about growing up in Evanuan. Eventually I finally I was able to close my eyes and settle into a restless sleep.