Ancient Mystic's War of the Realms Saga, Lady Adellandra Dratianos [reading tree .TXT] 📗

Damian reminded her. “You are her sister now, you know.”
“Only by marriage.” Shenara pointed out. “We share no blood.”
“Does it matter?” Albrath screeched. “Have you seen her or not?”
“She is not in the castle.” Shenara told her, then looked to Damian.
“She disappeared in front of my eyes.” Damian replied. “A wind of purple magic whisked her away in the middle of our fight.”
Shenara giggled. “What did you fight about this time?”
“The Black-as-Night crystal.” He said.
“What about it?” Albrath asked.
“Let’s just say I borrowed it without her permission.” Damian smiled at the sisters.
“Oh! I would have given my Dominionite Magic to see her face!” Albrath screeched, clapping her hands. “What was her reaction?”
Damian smiled. “Priceless.”
“As priceless as the Crystal itself?” The trio heard a female voice above them. They looked up to see Gloriana frowning down on them.
“As much so, my Queen stepmother.” Damian remarked. “How much did you hear?”
“Everything.” Gloriana remarked, folding her arms. “You say she disappeared from her quarters in a wind of purple magic?”
“Aye.”
“You do know what that means, I presume?”
Damian exchanged looks with the sisters before answering the mother. “Nay, but I am sure you will enlighten me.”
“Too true, Merchant stepson.” Gloriana replied. “Purple is the color of Companion Magic, which could only mean a Companion took her away. Do you recall any Companions of the Dream Realm with that much Magic? Enough to defy the rules of all dimensions?”
“Only two, and they are unfortunately family.” Damian supplied, rolling his eyes. “Katherine and Kitten’s Claw Hawk, my cousins.”
“Ah, the newly-revealed Ancient Mystic Companions.” Gloriana said with a sneer. “My, my, what a pair. It is rumored Kitten’s Claw gave your sister the spell to return to the Dream Realm.”
“That kit has always been gullible.” Shenara replied.
“Aye, but her sister is powerful.” Damian remarked. “Perhaps if we use the Crystal to take us to see my dear cousin?”
“She will know where Sabrina is, I assure you.” Gloriana said before disappearing.
“What are we waiting for?” Albrath screeched. “We have some Ancient Mystics to fry!”
Then they were gone, and only the Dark Ancients knew what they had in mind.

III

“Teach me more of the Warrior Arts.” Katherine demanded from her mate. The couple were back in the Canine Valley’s practice fields.
“You have only just recovered, my love.” Wolf supplied. “I will not have you overdoing yourself.”
“I must do this, Wolf.” Katherine remarked, grabbing a sword from off the far wall. “I have gone far too long without proper conditioning.”
Wolf grabbed his own Warrior-marked sword from the wall. “Do you even know how to use the sword?”
“You should know.” Katherine smiled. “You taught me back in the Wars for Power.”
“Aye, I know.” Wolf chuckled. “So, Nay.”
Katherine drew the sword from its scabbard. She held the hilt with both hands as she shifted to her full-human form. The jewel on the pommel sparkled an incandescent rainbow, with the glow running up the hilt to the end of the blade. “As you can see, I beg to differ.”
Wolf unsheathed his own sword. The same one he’d had since the beginning of the Wars for Power. “Dearest Kat, you do not know what you do to me.” He too shifted to human form, with help from the Amethyst around his neck. His eyes glowed purple, then yellow, showing his playful Warrior demeanor. “You see, I, too, know how to wield a sword.”
“Shall we duel or just exercise?” Katherine suggested.
Wolf’s yellow eyes glowed. “How about if we play?”
“Play?”
As she asked the question, he swung his sword to meet hers. “Aye Kat.” He nodded his head, showing his teeth. “We play.”
The couple fought with swords branded with magic and fighting arts until Katherine caught her snide mate by surprise. She swept a foot above the ankle, tripping him. He went down flat on his back, sword thrown from his hands. Without its focused magic, he changed back into the wolf-man he was. The tip of her blade pointed at his chest. He was forced to raise his hands in surrender.
“I see you have been practicing.” Wolf remarked to the snide smile on Katherine’s human face. He pointed to her sword. “If you may be so kind?”
Katherine saw what he was pointing at. “Oh! Of course!” She lifted the sword, placing it back in its scabbard on her back. She then held her hand out for him to grasp. Instead of him standing up, he brought her down on top of him.
“Wolfton Stargazer!” Katherine screeched, laughing. As she changed her form back to his Balinese-human beauty, she remarked. “How dare you?”
They kissed and he growled seductively. “I dare very well, my dear.”
He was still flat on his back, with her astride him. Sweat and dirt covered both their bodies. Both of them were still trying to catch their breaths when they heard their daughter’s laughter.
“Mama! Papa!” Celine giggled as she joined in. She saw the swords. “Can you teach me that, Papa?”
Katherine stood, helping Wolf to stand as well.
“When you are ready, my daughter.” Wolf supplied, kissing her on the cheek. He picked up his sword, handing it to Katherine. “I will prepare our meal while you put these away.”
“You have been too kind to me, mate.” Katherine teased, kissing his lips as she took it by the hilt. “Fear not, I am not complaining.”
Wolf laughed. “I hope not.” He turned to his daughter. “Come Celine. Help me in the kitchen.”
“I will be there shortly Papa.” Celine replied. He nodded and headed for the house. She waited until he was inside before turning back to her mother. Being careful of her father’s blade, she hugged her mother. “I am glad you are okay, Mama. Papa and I thought we would lose you.”
“Not for a very long time, Celine.” Katherine remarked. “On that you can rely.”
Celine kissed her mother’s cheek before heading to the house herself.
Katherine watched her daughter until she, too, was inside. She went about putting the practice equipment away and cleaning up before following. In the shed, she happened to glance at her long staff. She thought of what happened a few days before and still wondered how she did it. Without touching it and closing the door behind her, she left.

IV

The five sisters retired early that night, each hoping they were truly ready to fight the Maiden again. Anna silently prepared herself, her fiancé Jake not even realizing what was going on. He wasn’t her true Earthly Protector yet, so he couldn’t feel her mixed-up emotions. Mary Ellen finished studying alone in her apartment, meditating to clear her mind before she headed to bed. The twins in separate houses said goodnight to their husbands and children, each closing their minds off so their Earthly Protectors wouldn’t sense their intentions to fight in the Dream Realm. Claudia, finished with her nightly chores, headed out to the yard. As she sat on the deck in the darkness, she thought of her own strategy. In their minds, each sister lost themselves in memories of the Maiden.
Remember sisters, meet me at Stargazer Castle. Ariana thought to them. As soon as she heard their silent confirmations, she called the Dream Chant and was ready to go.

True to their words, Ariana and her sisters met up at Stargazer Castle, deep in the Canine Valley. Right away, she could sense something was wrong. The amount of power in the air was higher than Ariana had ever experienced it before. At the edge of the wood, just before the opening to Stargazer Castle, she stopped, staring into the mist.
“What’s wrong?” Luna asked. “Why’d you stop?”
“Use your empathy.” Ariana told her without moving. She turned to her twin. “It’s important. I want to make sure I’m not the only one sensing this.”
“I can sense it too.” Claudia replied, nodding. “In fact, I can smell it.”
The twins looked at her, then back at each other.
“Think of Kit.” Ariana prodded. “She wouldn’t want you to be afraid of a basic magic.”
“What if Sabrina’s already here?”
“I don’t sense her, so there’s no trouble.” Ariana remarked. “Come on Lu, it’s for Kat.”
Luna knew how close her twin and the Companion Crusader were. They were almost as one soul, closer than she was to Luna herself. It was Katherine that taught Ariana all she knew about the Magic and control of it.
Luna nodded. “Right. For Kat.” She closed her eyes and dared to do something she hadn’t done in years. She opened herself to the Empathy, letting it sense her surroundings. Finding her sister was telling the truth about Sabrina, she cautiously went on.
“There’s more Magic here than I’ve ever experienced before.” She told her sisters. Closing herself off, she opened her eyes. “I can see some kind of bubble surrounding the Castle itself, protecting it.”
“We’ve been here hundreds of times.” Ariana replied. “When was it put up?”
Before either of her sisters could answer, they heard a rustling of leaves from above them. Ariana could sense they meant no harm, so she called out. “It’s the Young Guardian and her sisters. Come on out, whoever you are.”
They were startled to find Wolfton Stargazer himself jumping down from the top branches of the closest tree. When Ariana saw him, she smiled. She frowned when she saw the serious look on her Companion friend’s face.
“Come with me.” Wolf told them.
Once they followed him to the Castle, they met up with Katherine and Celine, who were outside in their garden. The twins embraced them before asking questions.
“Now, now. Settle down.” Katherine remarked. “I want to know what Sabrina has been up to lately.”
“No way, Katherine Hawk-Stargazer.” Ariana said, shaking her head. “You first. Why did I sense something wrong when we arrived?”
The Stargazers explained what had happened to them not two Outer Realm days ago.
“You’re okay, right Kat?” Ariana was worried for her friend now.
“Now, aye.” Katherine assured her. “Somehow, both sides of my Magic wanted to take over me. I have learned how to control it, thanks to Wolf and Mistress Enchantra.”
“Speaking of control, we know how to beat your cousin now.” Claudia intervened. She explained what had happened in the hospital, and how she made Sabrina disappear.
“How could she do that?” Katherine asked. “I sent her away. How could she possibly be able to journey through Dreamers’ minds?”
“The only way possible.” Ariana groaned. She and Luna looked at each other, saying. “The Abyss.”
“Does that mean we have to travel there to get rid of her?” Mary Ellen asked.
“If she’s able to do that, she’s more of a threat now.” Anna supplied. “She can not only destroy us, but innocent Dreamers.”
“I’m not so sure I’m ready to deal with her, yet.” Claudia moaned.
“You have to.” Mary Ellen replied. “Think of poor Mr. Norton, and Dreamers like him.”
Claudia sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“The question is how?” Wolf spoke up. “The only few I know of who can do that are the Elder Sisters, Lord Guardian, Lord Maximaniac and you, Ariana.”
“You know how I hate the Abyss.” Ariana supplied.
“Whether or not you like the Abyss has nothing to do with fighting my cousin.” Katherine replied. “She has the Black-as-Night Crystal, or did before Damian stole it from her.”
Anna gasped at that. “So that’s how he did it!”
“Did what?” Wolf growled. “What did he do to you?”
“Disguised himself as Jake in Witches Grove.” Anna told them. “I have never told Jake what that place looked like, or where it was, so I was suspicious. Next thing I knew, my clairvoyance power was taken from me.”