The Chaotic Kingdom - Chapter 22

<-Chapter 21

The damage to the Water-Ice Leyline was obvious the minute they landed. The crystal that made up the pyramid had faded and cracked, and the magic had become so faint it could barely be felt. Racine walked to the exit to peer outside and then came back over. Her face looked grim. "The entire castle itself is surrounded by hundreds of troops. I'm not sure we have enough oomph to get through them and take down that barrier. Not with this Leyline wounded."

Someone gave a shout outside. "To arms! The D'Saroque Army approaches! To arms! We're under attack!"

Sunlight's breath stopped in her chest. "Oh my god," she breathed. "Felix!" She whirled toward her sisters. "He must be causing a diversion! They'll be slaughtered!"

"Arms up!" came a second shout. "Another army from the east! The Rosewood Army is approaching!"

Raven's eyes widened. "What the hell did Vargas tell them?" he wondered under his breath. "He obviously didn't tell them I was here or they wouldn't have given a damn." He drew his sword and moved to the door where Racine stood. "It looks like we've got a clean break toward the palace. The troops are too busy with the skirmish to notice us right now, but the instant that shield comes down, we're going to have to run like hell."

Jeo and Tasia exchanged a glance and nodded. The former said, "We can create a fog thick enough to cover all of us."

"Good." Theo stepped back from the center of the room. "Then kindly get this poor Leyline running again. I'm not empathic and even I can feel its pain."

The Alurian Defenders gathered together and formed a tight circle with hands linked. Power flowed over all of them as they called on their connection to their world. Power began flowing in from the other four Leylines and swirled around the area. The Water-Ice Leyline began to pulse, softly at first, then stronger, and suddenly it mended. The crystal cleared and turned white once more, and the five powers merged seamlessly into one. Beams from all five Leylines shot across the land and struck the shield at the same moment. There came a horrendous crack, and they felt the hair on their napes rise as they all heard Chaos screaming in pain.

The shield shattered and dissolved. The army noticed that more than anything else, and troops began to run toward the Leyline. A fog immediately filled in the air so thickly that they couldn't see inches in front of their faces. The advantage swung to the force of good for they could see through it as if it was not there.

They used the fog as cover and rushed toward the castle. The doors slammed behind them once they got inside. The feeling of emptiness seemed to permeate everything. It felt as silent as a tomb, and they passed not a single conscious person. Every courtier or servant in the castle had been rendered unconscious.

Their shoes made hollow sounds on the tile as they walked. "Be warned," Tasia said quietly. "Minstrel has snapped fully. What you will see . . . may frighten you."

The Alurian Defenders exchanged quick looks. Starlight nodded slightly. "She is right."

Vincent looked at Tasia for a moment and then said, "I am the Lead Defender of my team, but I will defer to you in battle given your strength and experience. You may command my team as if it were your own. In the case of absolute worst, who is under order to retreat under any circumstance?"

"Reagan, LeAnn, and Racine. I assume for you it is the triplets."

"Correct."

None of the six liked it at all, but they accepted it because they had no choice. "We will hope it doesn't come down to that," Moonlight muttered. "Can Minstrel really stand against twenty Defender Cultivators—eleven of which are Dual—and Raven as well? He could barely handle Raven alone before, not without cheating."

Storm's eyes looked very old for a moment. "Yes, he can, and he won't need to cheat. None of you have really understood what was in him, have you? Or what he should have been. Starlight can tell you later. Just trust that what's going to happen will be terrible, and that at some point, Tasia has to open a particular door behind which we don't know what lies."

Malevolence hung around the throne room in waves so strong that even those without a sixth sense could see it. Chaos cried around them and madness screamed at it like an abusive parent. Theo and Phoenix took deep breaths and then opened the throne room doors. Everyone hurried inside, the doors shut behind them . . . and suddenly it felt calm.

"What the . . .?" Lilac looked around quickly. "Why is it so peaceful?"

"We are in the Heart of Chaos; the eye of the hurricane, so to speak." Tasia could feel it pulsing around her in a warm and oddly comforting force. Her sharp eyes probed the gloom of the throne room to find Minstrel. She knew he was there, but something about the gloom blurred even her Gray eyes.

"Lights!" Sunlight commanded, and the overhead chandeliers lit obediently. What they saw then made even Tasia flinch.

Minstrel sat in the middle of the throne room as a miserable figure hunched into himself. He rocked back and forth with silent whimpers. Wounds lined his body and bled sullenly. A bloody knife lay beside him, as if he had torn at himself with it.

"Why?" Rose whispered. Tears welled in her eyes under her Mask as she hid her face against Beth's hip.

"Because he wanted to feel pain," Beth managed to say. "Because without the pain, there was no way to stave off the emptiness. But it wasn't enough this time." Pain filled her anew, but this time not from the emptiness inside him. This time it came from the horrid truth. "He learned a new emotion. Grief. He knows he can't stop it. He knows it will eat him alive. The terrible irony. If all you feel are the more terrible emotions, eventually they will eat you alive, too. After so many years of pain and hate and fear and envy, now that grief has come . . . he can't save himself."

Even Raven could no longer hate Minstrel in that moment. As if sensing it, Minstrel's head slowly lifted. Bloody tears slid down his face. His hat was held clutched in his arms and stained red with his blood. Like the floor, where his blood had fallen had wrought destruction. "Kill me," he whispered tonelessly. "Before it eats me. I don't want to be eaten." He began to rock back and forth, making wounded noises in his throat. "I can't feel. I can't feel anything. The emptiness will eat me."

"Minstrel . . ." Starlight wasn't even sure what she wanted to say.

"Kill me!" he screamed. When there was no response except for pitying expressions, he leapt up to his feet. "I'll make you kill me! Make me feel! Make me hurt! Then it can't get me!" He lunged for them with Chaos power, and they quickly scattered around the room in pairs.

Raven went with Beth and Rose; he would focus on protecting the small Defender first and foremost, at Starlight's behest and his own wish. Rose had not yet been born when he had entered his sleep, but he had been friends with April. He would protect his dear friend's daughter with honor.

Minstrel rolled up to his feet with two razor edged short swords in his hands. He looked around and realized that he was completely surrounded. A wild giggle emerged from his lips. "Killed by Cultivators!" he crowed. "There's nothing better!" He threw his arms wide as he whirled toward Jeo. "You deserve to take the shot! Do it! Kill me!" Jeo only stared at him in shock. He raked one of his swords across his leg and made blood fly. "Mercy!" he cried. "Kill me! I can't kill myself! I tried! But it won't let me die!" He ripped his shirt open to reveal vicious stab wounds over his heart. Anyone else would have died from them, but there he stood alive. His arms, when he lifted them, showed slashes across the wrists. Blood flowed, but he did not die.

Chaos power howled at the eaves and cried like a scared child. Tasia's face went very still, and she squared her shoulders. She held out a hand to call for her sword and slowly walked toward Minstrel. The madness of the emptiness screamed at her the closer she got. It ripped at her skin through her armor, burned her to the bone, seared her heart, and sought to break her. Her steps never faltered.

She stopped beside Minstrel and knelt down to face him. "I will kill you," she said quietly. "Not because I hate you, but because I understand you. I will set you free, Durante. I will set you free to atone, to be by Sabirah's side. I know what she was to you."

He looked at her in surprise. For a moment, just a moment, sanity and the beginnings of hope filled his eyes, but then the madness surged up wildly once more on a blast of evil emptiness that seared the air. He lunged for her with a snarl, and his hands closed over her throat to send them both tumbling. "You took her from me!" he screamed. In his frenzy, he neither noticed nor cared that she calmly held him at bay.

No one dared get close. They knew they did not have the fortitude to go into the heart of madness the way Tasia had, yet they had to do something to help her. She would break free of Minstrel, call out his real name, and he would try to respond only to be taken by madness again and go after her once more. This dance could not continue forever!

"It's like . . ." Kiegan shook his head. "It's like it keeps coming and going. Every time the madness takes him, I can hear Chaos scream. It's like . . . like a door opening and closing over and over again!"

Storm's bow fell on the floor with a clatter as his hands lifted to his head. The plaid had just torn apart wildly, and the threads swirled through his mind. Blue: Sabirah. Black: the death he craved so badly. Red: passion and the drive to feel. Green: envy for that which he had lost. And underneath it all, hidden, was a wild chaotic swirl of gray threads like the color of True Shadow. Storm watched the threads sew themselves together again . . . and become a door.

His head jerked up sharply. "He's the door to Chaos!"

"What?!" The startled exclamations came from nearly everyone. Only Tasia did not look surprised. Her face remained utterly calm as she stayed kneeling at range from a once more sobbing Minstrel.

"The door . . . it is Minstrel!" Storm shook his head so hard that his hair flew. "That's it! There are doors out there somewhere, behind which the full force of the three highest arcane powers are kept. The doors to Light and Dark stand wide open with Sayena and Shanae in front of them as filters. Chaos . . . its door . . . it's Minstrel! Sabirah was the key! Without her, the door just kept open and slamming shut! The madness . . . no wonder! He had never been meant to be born! He was incompletely born, without emotions of his own. They were inside Sabirah. That's why she was the thread holding him together! Her emotions literally completed him!"

"I get it," Vincent whispered. "That's why Chaos is crying. For so long, it had been trapped behind its door, but the moment the door opens, it exits into the heart of madness born of emptiness—its perfect opposite, the thing it fears most. The more it escapes, the more it fears the emptiness and pulls back. But because Minstrel fears the emptiness too, he utilizes 'bad' emotions to call the Chaos out to fill it. Oh god. It's a spiral. He never stood a chance from the moment Sabirah died."

"And in the end, we can blame Cashlin," Raven said painfully. "Because if Cashlin had not embraced evil so young, had not been slowly storing evil power to utilize in his rise, it would not have leeched into Durante and strengthened the emptiness until Sabirah's voice was drowned, Durante's madness made him strike her down, and his fate was sealed. Durante could have been saved."

"Can he still be saved?" Yuiki demanded. "I don't want to destroy him!"

To save him, you need to destroy him, but destroying him won't save him.

Sabirah's words echoed in Tasia's ears as she gained her feet. The rainbow-gray glow of her arcanistry swirled up around her body as she lifted her sword and drew an invoking pentagram in the air. "Summoning! Heed my call and come to my aid!" The floor trembled in the wake of her power.

Sabirah's spirit appeared in front of Minstrel. He jerked back from her and curled up on the floor in a sobbing heap. "No," he moaned. "I killed you! I killed you! The emptiness will eat me!" Madness consumed him anew, and he lunged for her with fingers hooked like claws. He passed directly through her to crash onto the floor where he could only make sounds like a broken animal.

"Are you sure you can do this?" LeAnn whispered to Tasia.

"I can save him. I can give him what he really needs." She left her sword on the floor and walked toward Minstrel. Pain ripped at her heart and soul as the madness wrapped around her, but then Sabirah took her hand gently and the madness could not reach. "Durante," she said softly. "It's okay."

He looked at her as bloody tears stained his face red. "I killed my Cultivator," he choked out. Sanity had filled his eyes for a moment. "Who can forgive that?"

I can. Sabirah drifted toward him and wrapped her small arms around his neck even when he tried to jerk back. We don't belong here, Durante. We were accidentally born. We belong inside Chaos. Once we go back, everything will be all right again. I will help you atone when Karma decrees your punishment for what has been done.

Tasia knelt in front of Minstrel and tenderly reached out to hold him as well. His blood stained them both and yet did not leave any destruction behind this time. "You're the only one who couldn't forgive you," she murmured. "It will be okay now. I'm here for you. I'm so sorry it took this long."

His eyes widened and then slowly closed. The heart of madness screamed and roared as it pounded at them, but the Heart of Chaos was no longer afraid. The infinite well of emotion, the endless love, inside the sorceress had brought the force of Hope to life. Minstrel's lips curved into a soft and genuine smile. "You're warm," he said softly. "I feel . . . safe. Is this happiness?"

"Summoning." She closed her eyes as streamers of arcanistry flowed up around them. "I invoke thee."

He dissolved away into ribbons of chaotic energy that ricocheted wildly around the room. They flowed and reformed together into a massive door of gray wood. The door looked scarred and broken as if it had been used too roughly for too long. Sabirah dissolved as well. The sparkles that made her up flowed together into a small gray key that fell into Tasia's hand. It felt . . . familiar to her. "Shields up," she said as she slowly got to her feet. "All elements." She could feel everyone behind her gathering together to put up protective shields. She waited until they were in place and then fit the key to the lock and turned it. A soft click echoed eerily.

The door blew open on a mad rush of chaotic energy as if it had been bottled up for too long. It tore through the room and then slammed into and through the protective shields as if they were not there. There was nothing anyone could do except grab onto their heads and try to endure the Chaos ripping at them. Pain. Despair. Anger. Hatred. Crucial emotions but so overwhelming in that moment that they erased every other feeling. Chaos had been abused for so long that it could not give anything else. It had become the abuser instead.

The raw blast of power hit Tasia the strongest. She had been braced for it, prepared to resist it, but the Chaos did not hurt her. It wrapped around her like the arms of a child clinging to its mother. Somewhere in the distance, she was sure she heard the sound of crying. "Chaos," she whispered.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she accepted what she had already known. What had slowly become so terribly obvious to her Pattern Mastery as more pieces to the puzzle fell into place. "Somehow . . ." she murmured, "I'm not entirely surprised. Everyone has a meaning to their existence. I thought mine was a bunch of things, but it's not. It's all together under one."

The Chaos tightened around her. She gave a soft sigh as she let go of the barriers she had erected inside herself to keep her powers under control. Why control them now? They were Chaos. She was Chaos. They all welled inside her. The infinite majik known as sorcery. The summoning and the Mystic music. The magic both Ruler and Defender—the latter of two worlds. The dragon blood that was so thin and yet so strong. Pressure built and built inside her soul until her Mask fell off and her armor dissolved. Her Flowers Marks both began to glow brightly, and hotly, and when she felt the pressure reach unbearable limits, she shoved away her soul mates, lifted her hands, and—for the final time—shattered her own soul. Amid the pain rushing through her more violently than ever before as she reforged herself, she held out her arms as if to hold someone or something. "It's okay now. I won't let you be alone again." Her eyes closed as she felt warmth gathering inside as she reached out to the universe for what she needed. "Let the Chaos sing out with Hope," she whispered.

Just when the Cultivators were sure they couldn't take any more, the Chaos power stopped beating at them. Warmth began to spread through their hearts like the purest of hope. Emotions that healed welled on the air and brought balance anew. Comfort, laughter, joy, love. Love more than anything else. It swept through their souls and healed all wounds. A miracle had been born.

LeAnn cautiously opened her eyes to see what was going on; her soul ached where she had been removed from her twin and then connected anew. Her breath hitched in her chest as she saw her twin soul hovering several feet off the floor in the middle of the room. "Goddess," she managed to whisper, her eyes now confirming her suspicions. "Guys! Guys!!"

The others groaned but managed to get themselves back up off the floor. One by one, everyone turned their heads to see what LeAnn had seen first. They all fell silent in utter shock. They all knew precisely what they gazed at.

Tasia wore nothing except swirls of pure Chaos shadows shot with black and white lightning and rainbow-gray iris blossoms. Gray wings had extended from her back and sparks danced over the feathers. Her dragon scales had appeared as well, but the most significant thing of all could be seen on her Flower Marks: wrapped around the blossoms of both was a beautiful gray crown that sparkled, and the same crown had appeared in the middle of her forehead.

"A power equal to an Apex," Storm whispered. "The only thing equal to an Apex is another Apex. She's . . . the Apex of Chaos. That's it. That's everything. How she can summon the Apexes of Light and Dark. Why she possesses every Flower Element in some fashion. Why she is Gray. Why True Shadow split inside her back to Light/Dark and then began to spark. Why she can use arcanistry. Chaos could only be mastered by someone who knew it intimately, whose own volatile emotions are as infinite as her power. The Apex of Chaos could only have been born as a Gray Sorceress."

Chaotic power rippled over Tasia's body and then toward the door. The rest of the power in the room drew in toward the door and it flared with gray color to become whole again. Tasia moved toward the door without fear, and power blazed out to blind everyone, even her.

She lowered her arm to find herself alone in the middle of a vast gray expanse. A sound echoed behind her and she swung around quickly. There she found Minstrel—Durante—and Sabirah, but not like she had last seen them. Durante looked whole and healthy, and his eyes echoed with hundreds of warm emotions. He had unfrozen from his fixed place in time and now looked properly in his late thirties. Sabirah was no longer a child and looked Tasia's age. She looked very much like what Anna would no doubt look as an adult, and that meant she could be mistaken for Tasia's sister . . . or daughter.

Sabirah smiled softly. "We wanted to thank you. Thanks to you, we are free."

Tasia shook her head. "There are no thanks needed."

Durante's arm tightened around Sabirah and then he let go to kneel in front of Tasia. "I cannot ever repay what you did for me, or make reparations for what I have done. I will accept whatever punishment you deem worthy of me."

She stared at him for a long moment and then smiled. She knelt in front of him anew and reached out to catch his face in her hands. "Durante, do you expect to be blamed for events beyond your control? Underneath it all, there was good inside you. You never wanted to do anything you did. Yes, there must be balance, and there is karma to repay, but it is not a punishment. Punishment is for those who do willing wrong for selfish reasons—and neither of those fit you. Your duty is simply this: to make Sabirah happy. Though you two may not have been supposed to be here, you still were, and she was a Cultivator. You are her Caretaker. It is the duty of a Caretaker to always protect and shelter their Cultivator's heart and soul, to make them happy for all time. Both of you will return to Chaos where you belong, but never fear to reach out, to make a right where you see a wrong. As long as you live from now forward doing only good, then any debt will be repaid. So mote it be."

She stood and drew him to his feet as well, and he hesitated before reaching out to hug her. He let go to return to Sabirah, and tears glimmered across her dark eyes as he pulled her into his arms instead. How long had she waited to feel such a thing? She looked to Tasia and smiled anew as the tears slid down her cheeks. "Thank you, Mother. We will never forget."

They disappeared as the gray faded away, and Tasia suddenly opened her eyes to find herself lying on the floor of the throne room with everyone surrounding her. That didn't surprise her. Also, perhaps oddly, she felt no surprise to discover Sayena and Shanae in full Apex form were the ones holding her. "I didn't intend to summon you," she murmured. She had no strength left for a louder voice. She had been brutally battered by the heart of madness and her own shattering. The lack of pain physically told her that Sayena had already healed the external wounds, at the least.

"We came of our own will," Sayena told her. She gently smoothed Tasia's hair back from her face. "We knew, honey. We knew all along what you could be. When we felt you born, we did not know you would be the Lead Cultivator of this generation, or our High Priestess, but we did know you could be our final Apex. It could have been you or Rodi, to be honest."

"We always knew you would be here," Shanae added softly. "We knew all along there would have to be a third Apex, but the universe had just never been ready to support the weight of three—until this Era began. The first day of the last year before the new Era, someone was born who could be the third Apex. Exactly a year later, the first day of the first year of the new Era, another someone was born who could be the third Apex. One to herald the end of an Era, the other to herald the beginning. It truly seemed it could go either way—until we met you. When we realized how familiar you felt to us, how you created sparks if you touched either of us. The moment I knew you were my kindred spirit . . . I knew you would be the Apex of Chaos."

"You even said it," Raine murmured. "You all but said it then. You and Tasia said you were not strangers, and we just . . . assumed it was because of Tasia's lineage. It wasn't. Not wholly. I'd bet you were not surprised either, when Rodi showed up and was revealed as her soul mate."

"Not a bit," Sayena agreed. "If he was not the Apex, then he could only be the Apex's lover soul mate." She took a long breath as she looked at Tasia again. "Would things have changed, had we gone looking for you the moment you were born? Of course they would. We would have immediately known you were not just a not-yet-Activated Dual Cultivator of Iris, but also the Lead given your birthday. We may well have known immediately you were our High Priestess and the last of Liena's lineage. But if we had known that, then we would have inexorably changed every event that happened after, possibly dooming Rodi and Aria alike. We could not know until certain critical things happened, so we did not ever think to go looking for you. We just thought . . . well, whichever it is will come find us when they are ready. And you did. But then we saw how complicated it had become, and how far from ready you were to know the full truth."

Shanae nodded. "We thought about it. Each time something terrible happened. To tell you the full truth of why you suffered as you did. But . . . we just . . . could not talk about it. Something always happened to keep us quiet, proving it was not our place to tell you. Then this war began. And we knew the waiting was over. I'm sorry, Anastasia."

"I'm not. I feel . . . comfortable now. Secure. The way I should have always been." Tasia closed her eyes on a ragged sigh. "I'm tired though. So very tired. I just want to sleep."

"Then let Sayena help you sleep." Starlight leaned over to take her hands firmly with her own. "Aluria is forever in your debt. The least we can do is give you a place to rest and recover." She looked at Sayena. "Can you help her sleep?"

"I can, because I came prepared." She held up a beautiful black poppy. "Rodi gave me this, just in case." She tucked it over Tasia's ear, and the fragrance almost immediately sent Tasia deeply unconscious to where she could truly rest. "There," she murmured. "Much better. There is nothing left but for her to someday pay the price of her birth."

"There's a price?!" Jeo asked in horror.

"There always is, for an Apex." Shanae looked at him and smiled. "Do not worry. She knows the price she will pay, and she is willing to pay it. Unlike the price either Sayena or I paid, Tasia will walk away whole. It is no less a terrible, needed, thing, but she will walk away at the end. I promise."

They had to accept that, though no one liked the idea that any life would have a price to be paid just to exist. Carefully, Ryan asked, "Am I wrong in thinking that her being True Shadow meant this was somehow . . . mandatory? That the moment she became True Shadow, this moment had been sealed?"

"You are not wrong." Sayena spied a lingering wound on Tasia and healed it. "True Shadow is the only thing that can evolve into Chaos, and the presence of True Shadow is effectively a guarantee that Chaos will follow. Chaos cannot be born. It must be evolved. Ironic, I suppose, when Shadow derives from Chaos. What happened first was her emotions split True Shadow back to Light/Dark, and her Gray core kept bringing them back together. She became volatile anew—a common state for her—and the Light/Dark began to spark and produce tiny bits of Chaos. Had she stayed there, she would have been stunted terribly. But what she did here was forcefully shatter her soul to break True Shadow apart again and this time she forced it to evolve into Chaos. Now, inside her, is a sort of chaotic calm. She is balanced. A Gray core with a Chaos Flower Element, perfectly in harmony. Everything magical and majikal and physical in existence."

"Will this change her role as Aria's Defender?" Racine asked.

"Of course not. Chaos is . . . Shadow 2.0." Sayena smiled as she said it. "Tasia has not lost anything she had. She gained. She will still be able to use True Shadow magic that Aria gave her, but she is not actually a True Shadow element anymore. It has become like the others in her majik; something she has but not something she is. You will notice quickly that what you feel from her will be Ice and Chaos with the tang of Glass." She thought about it and then said, "Claret and Racine both also use Time magic, but you don't notice because it is born of Memory; all you notice is the Memory. Chaos/Shadow work the same way."

"And with that said," Shanae looked at Starlight, "end this war, Star. Let the peace and rebuilding start."

Starlight nodded and gained her feet. She removed her Mask and handed it to Vincent, and as she walked toward the balcony doors, her clothes became replaced by her Ruler gown. She could hear the entire castle awakening with the madness gone; the Chaos outside had faded away to where it belonged—inside the heart and soul of its Apex. Beautiful sunshine across her turquoise sky greeted her as she threw the balcony doors open.

The battle no longer raged at all. The last of the forces belonging to Cashlin and Minstrel had thrown down their weapons the minute they had all felt the power emanating from the palace. It had felt like a goddess had descended.

"Hear me!" she said distinctly as the Alurian Defenders and her sisters came up behind her. "The Alurian Kingdom is mine once more. I will not tolerate fighting on my world any longer. Those of you who are my enemy, I give you the opportunity to lay down arms peacefully and return to your homes. Rebuild your kingdom. Find a proper ruler. And when you have mended what was broken, seek me out for I will give an alliance!" Her eyes moved across the field to where Felix stood with Vargas and the rulers of Rosewood. "King Felix, Captain Vargas, I would have you join me in the palace. And you as well, King Luther, Queen Eithane."

The soldiers of the allied armies began to gather the remaining troops of the enemy to escort them home, and Starlight went back into the throne room. Relief filled her at seeing all three Apexes back in normal clothes—or at least, their Ruler gowns. They felt incredibly unnerving in Apex form, even gentle Sayena. "Let's move Tasia to one of the royal suites to continue resting. Shanae, Sayena, will you stay?"

"No." Shanae smiled. "You have things in hand. What we will do is fetch Rodi. He did not like staying behind in the first place when we made Sabin open a time-space portal for us."

"Neither did our husbands," Sayena murmured.

"They ought to be used to it, really." Shanae gained her feet gracefully as a female Royal Knight wearing Alurian colors came into the throne room. Shanae evaluated her height at around five-ten or so, but visibly very strong, and asked, "Do you think you can carry our fallen Defender of Iris? She is far heavier than she looks, I'm afraid. Whatever you're guessing, add nearly a hundred pounds to." She felt safe assuming that this last evolution had rocketed Tasia's weight up even more thanks to her majik expanding again. It had certainly added a few more inches to her hair.

The dark-skinned Knight knelt beside Tasia and then nodded. "I think I can, actually. I can use my Metal Flower Element to briefly increase my strength." She gingerly lifted Tasia and then stood. She paused for a moment and then, "Alright, I have her, but someone is very much going to have to open the door for me because I won't have her for long."

"I'll do it!" Rose dashed over and opened the throne room doors. "Here you go, Dana!"

"Thanks, honey. At least this confirms I can haul Phoenix around the next time he gets himself into trouble."

Phoenix yanked off his Mask and snapped, "You would not dare, Dana!"

"Try me." She disappeared out the door with a swish of long auburn hair.

"One of these days I'm going to convince her she can't boss me around!" Phoenix muttered.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Beth told him on a snort. "She's totally your Caretaker, friend. You didn't see your face when she walked in, but I sure did, and I definitely felt your emotions. You may as well just give in now and save yourself some frustration."

Everyone else removed Masks and sent away armor, and more than one hid smiles. Raven felt far less jovial, and he had ever since he had heard Starlight call for his parents. "Star," he said, "I'm not sure I'm ready to face my mother and father. How the hell can I make them believe me now when they never believed me before?"

Kiegan eyed the witches around him. "Can you tell if someone is lying or telling the truth?"

"I can," Beth said. "So can Ryan. It's part of Empathy. And Racine can outright read minds if needed. Why?"

"Because I want to make sure the corruption didn't spread as far as King Luther and Queen Eithane." He crossed his arms. "There's no way of knowing if they were manipulated from the outside or inside, and I consider it as much my duty to protect Raven as I do Starlight, given he is our future king and critical to our queen."

Raven nodded. "I think that is valid, Kieg. I will stay out of sight until we determine things. They will be more candid if they do not see me." He gave Starlight a swift kiss and then walked over to stand behind the curtains behind the thrones. His skin tingled, and he looked at Reagan in surprise as he realized she had just cloaked his presence via Illusion majik. "Thanks."

"Of course."

Raine had taken over as leader of her team with Tasia down, and so made a little gesture and had her entire team step back to make them more of a support than an active part of the approaching conversation. This was something for Aluria to deal with. They didn't have a right to interfere here, though all fully intended to if they did not see an outcome they liked.

Vargas entered the throne room first, and he was followed closely by Felix. "His royal pain in the ass, King Felix," he said drolly. "Look, she's alive. Now stop being a prick."

"We're big on the informality," Moonlight told the Resurrection Cultivators over her shoulder. "In case you couldn't tell."

Reagan smiled. "It's just like being back home." She shared a grin with her cousin as Felix and Vargas both snatched up their fiancées and proceeded to kiss them thoroughly. "I guess it really is true that even as Cultivators are all cut from the same cloth, so are their Caretakers."

"And how," came the chorus behind her, Alurian and Blossom alike. And, pleased with their timing, they all shared grins.

 

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Chapter 23->

The Chaotic Kingdom - Chapter 21

<-Chapter 20

Around dawn the following morning, the Resurrection Cultivators met up with the Alurians in the courtyard outside Protea Castle. The dragons would not be going along; they had a more important role to fill in helping protect either the Caretakers or the kingdoms themselves.

Starlight had suspected that her new friends would do some sort of spell or ritual to make themselves stronger, but she genuinely hadn't expected all ten of them to show up with a sort of incandescent glow that she felt fairly sure would be invisible to the normal eye. "Uhm." She couldn't figure out how to ask.

Phoenix, ever the blunt and to-the-point person he was, said, "Wow. Y'all collectively get laid or what?" At lifted brows, he helpfully said, "Sorry, colloquialism from Aluria. 'Getting laid' refers to enjoying some personal time with a lover, shall we say?" Musingly, he added, "Definitely a nice way to kick off a battle. I wish I could do that."

"That's what he says," Starlight grumbled, "yet he won't give Dana the time of day, and she has more than offered!"

As Phoenix's cheeks slowly turned red, Beth's brows lifted skyward. "Hold on a moment there," she murmured. "My Empathy tells me that he's not as opposed as you imply." Delicately she asked, "Dana?"

"Ker Dana Moore," Starlight supplied easily. There was a twinkle in the corner of her green eyes. "Second-in-command of my Royal Knights. She is utterly smitten with my darling Nix, and I have been sure for, oh, let's see, maybe a decade now, that they must be lover soul mates. My twin is just concerned he will no longer be able to get away with the trouble he always finds. He might also be a little scared of romance himself, but, shh! I didn't tell you that."

"Shut up, Star."

Tasia grinned. "Well, in either case, it wasn't entirely the getting laid part that's making us glow." She touched her heart. "Inside here. We filled ourselves with all the good emotions we could so that Minstrel could not feed on us." Softer she added, "And so that we could endure what we will see."

"Emily has feathers in her hair," LeAnn noted.

"And they're staying there," the Hyacinth Cultivator retorted. "At least I'm not wearing rings on my fingers that will blind the enemy.

LeAnn and Storm both wiggled their fingers and made their rings glitter. There was a moment of peace before Tasia slowly drew her from her pocket the orb that Arthur had left behind in his death. It still smelled like his cologne but there was no longer an ache for her when she smelled it. She had moved on past the pain entirely.

"Do you know how to use it?" Raven asked warily.

"Eh, she's a rubber brain." Emily linked her hands behind her head. "She can figure it out. She can do anything."

Tasia ignored her, though her lips twitched slightly. She closed her eyes and let her spirit look into the orb to find out what comprised it. She found a swirl of multi-elemental power from ten Flower Elements making a soft throbbing hum that sounded almost like music. She touched it gently with her own music and matching elements, and the orb resonated.

The orb floated up off her hand and began to glow. The glow swept out and gathered them all. They vanished in a flash to move safely through the walls between dimensions until they found the one where Aluria resided. The orb slowly stopped glowing and then disappeared back to where Tasia had been keeping it in her magic.

They appeared in the middle of a flat grassy field whose white and pink hues underscored that even though Aluria existed in a different dimension from Celia and Aria, they did still share the same red sun. They also appeared in the middle of where a battle had been recently fought. Bodies littered the field; some wore Alurian colors and others wore Cashlin's. Waves of death and hate rose off the land intermixed with despair and grief.

Starlight turned and nearly lost her breakfast. Phoenix pressed his hand hard against his mouth to restrain himself from doing the same. Raven glanced at the Resurrection Cultivators and saw that their faces, even the empathic Beth and Ryan, remained utterly expressionless. "You've seen something like this before?" He had automatically returned to speaking his native Alurian, and felt grateful anew for Tasia's unusual ability to pass on languages. Crossing through the dimensions this direction had given everyone else Alurian to speak.

"Yeah." Raine spoke the new language with barely any accent, and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's a long story." She looked upward. "So. Is your sky always like that?"

The three Alurians looked up and could only stare in shock. The sky looked as black as if it was night, but it was not night at all. It was also not the color of night. This black surged and seethed with violence from the chaotic storm clouds that made it up. They blocked all turquoise beyond. Black and white lightning streaked randomly and moved with vicious power as they cut toward the land.

Tasia seemed to stare at nothing at all for a moment. "Chaos is crying," she whispered. "I can hear it crying." She took a breath as Theo touched her shoulder. "I'm fine. It just startled me." A swirl of Illusion majik allowed her to float up into the air to have a better view of the distance. Her stomach clenched. "Hey, Starlight?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor and don't pass out. I can see your castle in the far distance from here, and I can see it because it's the focal point for the Chaos power. It looks like it's being consumed. I'd hazard there's a shield over it to prevent outsiders from getting in."

Starlight curled her hands into fists at her sides. "That means that somehow the Leylines have been damaged." At the curious looks, she explained, "Aluria is fueled by the power of the five Leylines in the land. Each channels two distinct Flower Elements. The flow of those lines maintains Aluria as much as its Core does. I suppose if the Core is the heart of Aluria, the Leylines are its veins carrying its blood. That is the most critical duty of Aluria's Defenders: to protect the Leylines."

"The positive is that we can in fact use the Lines to drive back evil. It's been done more than once in our world's history, though it has sometimes killed off an entire generation of Defenders," Phoenix offered. "I doubt that's a concern this time given the overall circumstances, and I think we're going to have to try it." He glanced around. "If my guess is right, we're on Felix D'Saroque's land. He has an access point to one of the Leylines in his backyard. Literally. The Illusion-Nature Leyline."

"Felix who?" LeAnn asked as Tasia landed and they all began to very gingerly make their way through the field.

"As I said long ago, Aluria is vastly bigger than Protea or Delphinium. We have our Ruling Kingdom—so named for having the Ruler Cultivator—which controls the world as a whole as well as has one of the Leyline accesses on its grounds. Four other kingdoms called Guardian Kingdoms, one of which is Raven's and another is Felix's, are keepers of the other four access points." As an afterthought, she added, "There are half a dozen smaller other kingdoms scattered across Aluria and quite a few other countries as well. Cashlin belonged to one of the small ones, which is why he so badly wanted to marry me or my sisters. He had no real authority, nor enough position to even see a Leyline let alone protect one."

"And as for Felix," Raven added, "he is a very old, very dear friend of mine. He was one of the loudest opponents to my being disowned." He slid a smiling glance at Starlight. "And if he's worked hard enough, we might eventually be in-laws."

Phoenix snorted softly. "Just because he's had Sunlight on hand for the last few months does not mean he's actually gotten his hands on her. Kindly recall that our rather feisty princess made the statement that she would not marry until both of her sisters did, and we're only at one of you three right now. Felix would have better odds getting Moonlight to notice her soul mate and then going back after his own."

Starlight snickered. "I would pay to see that!"

Soldiers suddenly burst out of the woods and surrounded them. No one bristled. The manner with which the soldiers surrounded them was not offensive, for they quickly moved into a familiar defensive formation. The woman leading the army snapped off a crisp salute to Starlight. "My queen!" she said in clear relief. "We are exceedingly grateful you are well!"

"So am I," Starlight said wryly. "Stand down, Captain Sadie." She crossed her arms to ward off the odd feeling of being out of touch with her world. She still wore Protean clothes, so she quite stood out. She could only imagine how the Resurrection Cultivators felt. "I heard rumor from Phoenix that my sister and her Defenders are here."

Sadie kept her face emotionless, yet there was a delighted twinkle in her eyes. "Yes, my queen. Lady Yuiki and Lord Vincent escaped here with Princess Sunlight knowing that King Felix would offer shelter."

"Bet he offered more than that," came Racine's droll voice.

The soldiers all covered smiles. Sadie had to laugh. "Yes, he did. We have every hope that eventually he gets through to her. We all greatly love Princess Sunlight and would gladly have her for our queen." She bowed. "If you will follow me, I will escort you to the palace."

"Did you see a palace?" Storm whispered to Tasia.

"No, but that doesn't mean it isn't there." Tasia tucked her hands in her pockets. "Felix is a Caretaker. The moment he had his soul mate on grounds, he would have used that convenient Leyline in his yard to slap up a protective shield to keep out invaders . . . and to keep her in."

"Queen Starlight, who are these people you've brought?" Sadie asked Starlight warmly. "They are not Alurian, but they are very powerful." And very intuitive if what she had heard was any clue.

"They are Dual Cultivators from the Blossom Field galaxy that Aluria lost touch with millions of years ago," Starlight offered. "I owe my life to them. They have been helping me fight against Cashlin, and it was Tasia who killed him. The fight is more theirs than mine now. They are the ones who have suffered for my sake." She looked at Tasia. "It is a debt I can never repay."

"There are no debts between friends," Reagan said staunchly.

"You said it," Theo agreed with a grin.

The palace had indeed been shielded by potent Illusion magic. An impression of forestland covered the entire palace to throw off the unwary, but with permission, you could pass through the edge and immediately see the palace surrounded by a high wall. It looked roughly half the size of the Protea or Delphinium palaces, but that still made it rather vast in scale. It also looked rather lovely, given the edelweiss flowers growing over the walls. Whether as a gift for having a Leyline, or because of Sunlight's presence, Aluria quite loved this kingdom.

They were shown directly to the throne room, and they walked in to hear a woman saying, "Felix, damn it! I am not marrying you no matter how hot you are or how often you ask me!"

"If you were immune to me, Sunny, then my asking wouldn't be such a problem, would it?" was a laughing male retort. "You only complain because you know that you want what I offer as much as I want to offer it! You know we are soul mates; you're just too damn stubborn!"

"Nature element," Phoenix snorted softly.

"I resent that," LeAnn snorted back. "I did my own chasing."

Starlight's face lit with a brilliant smile as she saw the pink haired woman glaring at the king sitting on his throne. "Sunlight!" She rushed across the room.

Sunlight Aluria's head swung around and joy filled her eyes. "Oh god, Star!" She rushed forward to meet her sister halfway and they clung together fiercely. "I was so terrified!" she said in a rush. "It's been months!"

"I know it!" Starlight slowly released her sister. They were all but identical triplets except for their different hair colors and different body types based on different training. In features, they looked perfectly alike. "I have returned with strong allies to help us fight."

Sunlight turned to study the other ten people in the throne room. Her experienced eye picked out LeAnn and Reagan as 'special' Rulers like Starlight and then landed on Tasia as the obvious and visible Lead. Trusting her instinct, she offered a graceful curtsy. She did not have a Ruler gown like Starlight possessed, but she did have a similar gown of her own that marked her as being of the Ruler family. "My thanks for your aid."

"Am I wearing a sign?" Tasia demanded of Raine. "Where does it say 'leader of the wayward children' on me?"

There came a burst of laughter from the side, and they all turned to see two newcomers in the doorway. Both wore the same uniform Phoenix had been wearing when he arrived on Protea, which meant they had to be two of the Alurian Defenders—the fact that Seeds could be felt inside both as well as the female's Water magic and the male's Air magic underscored it. The petite Water Defender had skin just a bit lighter than Emily's coal tone, pale blue eyes, and blue-black hair. The much taller Air Defender had tanned skin, Alurian grass pink eyes, and vibrant violet hair. He gave a quick bow of greeting and then said dryly, "You don't lead the wayward children. I lead the wayward children."

"Hush." His partner elbowed him sharply before walking forward. "I am Yuiki Furukata, the Alurian Defender of the Water Flower Element. My partner is Vincent Laurie, the Alurian Defender of the Air Flower Element. We are the personal Defenders to Princess Sunlight Aluria, who is also the Alurian Defender of the Nature Element."

"Well met," Reagan said. She sighed. "If I tried to give all of our titles, we'd be here forever. I'm Reagan Delphinium, of Illusion. The one next to me is my cousin, LeAnn Protea, of Nature. The others are Raine Daffodil of Metal, Storm Gladiolus of Thunder, Theodore Aster of Fire, Bethany Carnation of Glass, Emily Hyacinth of Air, Ryan Orchid of Water, Racine Statice of Memory, and Anastasia Iris of Ice who is our Lead."

"Just Tasia," the woman in question said hastily. "Please."

"I thought we got you over not liking your name," Storm said politely.

"By sheer exposure because of how much you lot decided to use it after the Arian War—and my understanding of my origins in the Dragon War—yes, but it is still one hell of a mouthful and they can use my nickname as well as anyone else."

Felix D'Saroque whistled softly under his breath. "I think I'm glad that was the abridged version, and it certainly sounds as if you've had an interesting time of it." He walked forward and bowed elegantly. "I am King Felix D'Saroque. My kingdom protects the Illusion-Nature Leyline." He shot a veiled look at Sunlight. "Which someone is pointedly ignoring the coincidence of."

"I. Am. Not. Marrying. You."

Beth linked her hands behind her head. She wouldn't have normally interfered with situations like this, but Sunlight reminded her so much of Shanae that she absolutely couldn't resist. Her Empathy had quite happily told her which way the winds were blowing around the castle. "Then you shouldn't have slept with him."

Silence fell. Yuiki's brows lifted. "Well."

Starlight cleared her throat delicately. "Sunlight?"

Sunlight glared at Beth dangerously. "How in the vined hells did you figure that out?"

"I'm an empath. Y'all are little too relaxed to have been dealing with a soul mate's sexual frustration for four months. Seriously. I've seen that firsthand before, and I sure don't see it here."

"Shit." Sunlight saw the look on her sister's face and grabbed her arms. "Sis, please, have some mercy!" she begged. "He's been nothing but a pain in the ass!"

"Kind of goes with being a Caretaker, really," Storm offered. "They really do usually know what's best for us. They can just be really annoying about it sometimes."

Raven and Felix both just grinned and shrugged, neither repentant in the least. Starlight felt absolutely no guilt either for what she was about to do. She loved Sunlight and had known for years that Felix was her soul mate. She was very happy to have the ammo needed to make her sister stop being ridiculous. "Sorry, Sunny. Laws are laws. You slept with him, you marry him. You're still a Cultivator, too."

Defeated, Sunlight crossed her arms and eyed the rest of the Resurrection Cultivators. "Are there anymore weird abilities you lot possess that I need to be careful of lest I get myself in more trouble?"

Phoenix coughed. "Yeah that would take too long to get into. Let's just say they have a lot skills and that one," he pointed at Tasia, "has something called arcanistry because she has magic and majik and can use arcane forces. Also, she has nearly all the elements. Seriously. The others have 'just' magic and majik in a blend they call magikry. Also, they're summoners. And they have like Telepathy and Telekinesis and others with Empathy." He eyed Tasia. "And she does all of it. And then some. Her lack of any limitations would scare me if she wasn't literally incapable of doing harm. I've never known anyone so driven to do good."

"That's our Tasi!" LeAnn said cheerfully.

Starlight smiled and looked at Felix. "I will be honored to call you my brother, but planning for the wedding must wait. We must utilize the Leyline and find the rest of the Alurian Defenders." She looked at Vincent. "Do you know where they are?"

"All covering the rest of the Leylines," Vincent confirmed. "Moonlight is with Kiegan and Lilac at the Fire-Time Leyline to the west. Captain Vargas went with them." His eyes sparkled merrily. "Last I heard from Kiegan, Vargas was guarding Moonlight very closely."

Ryan grinned. "A triple wedding could be fun."

Sunlight wanted to take offense but really couldn't. With a sigh and a laugh, she said to her sister, "Where did you say you found them again?"

The Leyline was technically not a tangible thing since it ran like a river under the surface of the planet, but they manifested physically at a single strongest point where a crystal pyramid emerged from the land as a marker. The pyramid effectively acted as a temple of sorts, and only the king or queen that protected it, or a Cultivator, had access to open the door.

Felix unlocked the door for them and then caught Sunlight's wrist. "If you get too badly hurt, it's going to make me mad," he told her softly. "I know that your being a Defender means you will fight to the death, but I'm not responsible for my actions if that occurs. Blame it on my loving you, as much of a pain as you are."

"Just kiss him already!" Emily complained distinctly.

Sunlight sighed. "What the hell." She threw her arms around her lover and kissed him fiercely, thrilling to feel his arms around her. Her reasons for not wanting to marry him had nothing to do with her feelings. She had loved Felix for years. She was just sure that they would drive each other nuts! She reluctantly released him and stepped back to go join the others. "Why do strong people fall for equally strong other people?" she asked no one in particular.

"We'd be bored if we didn't," was Racine's dry suggestion.

"Point."

Starlight and Sunlight linked hands with the other three Alurian Defenders and power lifted and flowed around them. It began to harmonize like the sound of a tuning fork tapped and then the power swept out and gathered all those present. They all disappeared in a shimmer of Illusion and Nature magic. Felix watched them leave and then said quietly, "Captain Sadie?"

"Sire?"

"When they land at the Water-Ice Leyline, we will commence our attack on the castle to divert the troops. Send word to the other Guardian Kingdoms to join us, but do not tell Rosewood of Raven's presence. They can learn that later."

The team landed in an identical pyramid of crystal on the other side of the world. The only significant difference was that the magic flickering through the air felt of Fire and Time. Vincent led the way as they headed out of the pyramid and into the murky light of day. Even here, on the other side of the world, the sky had gone black with the chaotic storms.

"Halt!" The voice sounded male and dangerous. "Identify yourselves!"

"Vargas!" Starlight said quickly. "It's me!"

"Queen Starlight!" There came rustling from the bushes, and a man in full plate armor walked forward. He sheathed his sword on his hip and bowed gracefully despite the hundred pounds of metal he wore. "My apologies, my queen." He removed his helm to reveal a striking face with fair skin and thick smoke-gray hair. His eyes looked lively black. "Fare thee well, Princess Sunlight?"

"She's engaged," Vincent said in a stage whisper.

His brows shot upward. "How did Felix pull that off?"

"He seduced her," Beth offered dryly.

He smiled at her. "The duty of any good Caretaker." He knelt elegantly, and his cloak flared. "I am Captain Vargas Ironaxe, in charge of Queen Starlight's contingent of Royal Knights. Welcome to Aluria, strangers."

"Oh, get up." Starlight propped her hands on her hips as he obeyed. "You're barely a few years older than we are so stop acting like such an old stick-in-the-mud." She gestured to the people he did not know. "These are my friends, the Dual Cultivators of Blossom Field—known as the Resurrection Cultivators collectively. They saved my life and have gotten involved in the fight. It has become more their fight than mine now. Tasia killed Cashlin."

Vargas' expert eye immediately knew Tasia had to be the warrior who wore the aura of a Lead Defender as visibly as she wore the aura of raw power. "Then you have the gratitude of the Royal Knights, as well as my personal gratitude. I . . . did not like him much."

"Because he tried to court Moonlight?" Yuiki offered politely. "On a related note, has she finally agreed to marry you?"

"Vargas!" A slightly plump woman nearly identical to Starlight and Sunlight, except with long dark gold hair, came hurrying forward from the trees. "I heard my sisters!" Joy eclipsed her face as she saw her triplets. "Star! Sun!" She rushed forward to throw her arms around both her sisters. "I am so glad you are well!"

"I missed you too, Moonlight." Starlight closed her eyes. Some of the tightness had eased around her heart now that she felt the bonds tighten between her and sisters again. Being separated from them had made her feel so strangely empty. "I'm so glad you're well!"

"Between Kiegan, Lilac, and Vargas," her middle sister said dryly, "I was lucky if I chipped a nail." She crossed her arms. "And tell Vargas he has to stop trying to court me. I've told him a million times that I won't get married unless my sisters do."

Sunlight felt suddenly gleeful. "Hey, Moony, guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm engaged."

Moonlight's jaw dropped. "You mean you actually gave in to Felix?! What'd he do, seduce you?" A sudden burst of snickers and giggles told her she was right. Her eyes widened as she whirled toward Vargas. "Now wait a . . ." Her words ended there as he framed her face in his hands, leaned down, and kissed her soundly.

When he released her, he said huskily, "Best find a wedding dress, my love. I doubt Felix will wait long to claim Sunlight, nor shall I wait to claim you." He turned and walked into the trees, and he made not a sound as he went.

"Wow," Ryan finally said. "He's . . . just . . . wow."

"Hey, Moonlight?" Yuiki waved a hand in front of Moonlight's bemused face. "You still in there or daydreaming of your wedding night?" She grinned and ducked back when her princess took a swing for her. "Hey," she called to the air. "Kiegan, Lilac, you there?"

"We're here!" The voice was male and belonged to a lively and strong blond with dark cream skin and bright yellow eyes. He wore the same Defender uniform as his companions, and he gave a quick bow as he approached. "I am Kiegan MacDouglas, Alurian Defender of the Metal Flower Element." He gestured to the taller purple-haired woman in the same uniform who came up beside him. "This is my partner, Lilac Andery, the Alurian Defender of the Thunder Flower Element."

Lilac's dark blue eyes sparkled against her sienna skin as she studied the newcomers. "Well, I suppose this is the definition of 'armed to the teeth', now isn't it? I can tell you're all Dual Cultivators, but you're so powerful it's making my skin tingle!"

"We borrowed them from Blossom Field," Phoenix offered. "And, yeah, they're powerful." He pointed at Tasia. "Don't piss her off. Seriously. It's really, really dangerous."

"If I like you," Tasia said, tongue in cheek, "the worst I might do is turn you into a newt."

"Turn us . . ." Kiegan's eyes widened and then he grinned. "I'm going to like you." He propped his hands on his hips. "Names please."

"Do we have to go through this every time?" LeAnn asked Tasia. "Can't you . . . do some sort of cool mind spell thing like how you did the languages stuff?"

"If they are willing to let me," Tasia said. "I prefer not to intrude unless absolutely necessary." She glanced to Moonlight, Lilac, and Kiegan. "If you will permit me, I can touch your minds with mine and instantly give you the information. I am a strong telepath, among other things."

Starlight nodded when her Defenders looked at her. "I trust her with my life," she said simply.

"Okay, then I do too," Moonlight said. Her lashes fluttered closed as Tasia stepped toward her and gently touched her cheek. She felt amazingly small beside the taller woman yet she also felt immensely safe. It was the familiar feeling her own Defenders gave her, and yet it was more. Something wonderfully soft and pure, as if the universe itself watched over her.

Tasia quickly gave the information to Moonlight before repeating the same with the other two. Lilac rubbed her forehead. It felt odd to suddenly know something without being told, and yet the convenience of it was nice. "Okay, so, then, Tasia, thank you."

"Anytime." Tasia looked at Starlight. "Are we ready to go to the next location? What about Vargas?"

"I am here." Vargas had come up behind Moonlight without her knowledge, and he caught her shoulders before she could jump away in surprise. "We are on Rosewood land." He looked at Raven. "I will tell them that the Alurian Defenders have gathered, but I will not speak of you, Raven."

"My thanks, Vargas." Raven grinned briefly. "And congratulations."

Vargas smiled wryly. "Thank you. It took long enough." He turned Moonlight around and gently cupped her cheek. "Be careful," he said softly. "I would never ask you to stay out of a battle, but I would ask that you be cautious. And come back to me whole and healthy. After this, I will go with you to be your proper Caretaker, alright?"

She nodded and then smiled and leaned up to kiss him. She had loved this stubborn, implacable man ever since he had been knighted when he was eighteen. Almost twenty years she had loved him. She intended to love him for at least twenty thousand more. "I will," she promised. He disappeared once more into the trees, and she walked over to join the others as they headed back into the pyramid. "Good one, Sunny."

"Shush." Sunlight crossed her arms and ignored her snickering Defenders. "If you must know," she said with regal dignity, "it was not intended as a seduction. I had a nasty nightmare and he came to comfort me."

"Not intended on your part," Raine said in a murmur.  "Look on the bright side. This isn't Aria, where Tasia's husband used to be Ruler Cultivator. You could have ended up like her and married without knowing it."

Eyes swung toward Tasia. "Wow, really?" Phoenix asked. "I hadn't heard that."

Tasia snorted. "There are worse fates than involuntary matrimony."

Everyone gathered together inside the pyramid, and the team of Alurian Defenders linked hands once more. Power lifted and flowed around them with the harmonic sound of a tuning fork. This time it echoed strong enough that it resonated inside Tasia's own Mystic soul. When they landed in another pyramid that resonated with Air-Metal magic, she said, "I need to warn you."

"Warn us what?" Raven asked.

"That power you keep awakening is transmitted on sound waves. It echoes to my music. That must be why the Leylines activated in my music; they also literally amplified my voice once it crossed dimensions." She smiled wryly when the others winced. "Odds are it has happened before, and no one knew. It'll likely happen again."

"But now we know why," Vincent said ruefully. "I admit, I've once and a while thought I heard music somewhere." He stepped out of the pyramid and called, "Jeo! You there?"

"Here! Vincent, is that you?" A man slightly younger than the rest of the Alurian team but wearing the same uniform hurried forward out of the thick cornfield they stood in. He looked to be quite the embodiment of his Ice Flower Element thanks to his ivory skin, pale blue eyes, and equally icy blue hair. There was a thin sword in his hand that he sheathed at his side as he approached. "I thought I felt the other Lines activate!"

"Jeo!" Starlight rushed forward and threw her arms around her Defender. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she breathed. "I was so worried!"

"You were worried?!" He eyed her. "You were worried! I was worried, you troublemaker!" He hugged Starlight tighter. "My only consolation was knowing that Phoenix must have made it to where you were safely since the Leylines didn't shatter."

"Yeah." Phoenix grimaced. "Let's not talk about it. It was not fun." He tucked his hands in his pockets. "Blossom Field Dual Cultivators, meet Jeo Cross, the Alurian Defender of the Ice Flower Element. He's one of two partners that I have to protect Starlight. Jeo, meet the Resurrection Cultivators. Long story short, they're helping us kick ass. Tasia, spell him. He won't mind."

Jeo blinked. "I, what?" He blinked a second time as Tasia stepped forward and touched his cheek. "Damn, people in Blossom Field are tall. Whoa." The full effect hit him, and he realized he knew everyone's names, ranks, and powers. "Jumping goddesses." He eyed Tasia. "Sorceress? Is that as potentially impressive as it sounds?"

"Well, we had proven that Fire types are sort of inter-dimensional in personality, so I guess we now see Ice types are too," Reagan decided. She glanced upward. "Hey, the sky doesn't look that bad anymore."

Everyone else looked up and realized she was right. Because the Leylines had begun reactivating in the Alurian Defenders' powers, the protections on the world had started to drive the Chaos back toward the source. "That's something then," Sunlight said. "That means the Chaos hasn't gotten into the land itself yet. Aluria's Core could not handle that."

"It doesn't seek destruction." The words were out Tasia's mouth before she even knew she was going to say them. She felt as startled as the others and then she looked at Storm. "It doesn't want destruction. I said it already, didn't I?"

Storm's eyes flickered rapidly, and his mind echoed static to the two telepaths present. "I think you did," he said slowly. "You said it was crying. What if it is lonely? It's never had an Apex to call its own. It has never been able to be . . . embraced. People mostly fear it because it can't be controlled. Maybe it wants to be controlled. It somehow connected to Minstrel, but his feeding on 'bad' emotions just hurt Chaos more. Close." He closed his eyes briefly. "We're so close to the truth."

"Okay then." Starlight nodded. "We'll find a way to help Chaos and Minstrel both, if we can. Let's hurry to the Glass-Thunder Leyline and get Rose. I'm worried as hell about her."

"She's been doing a damn good job," Kiegan offered. "We've had the kingdom there watching over her as much as she is watching over the Leyline. She and Luc are doing a good job at battling back the evil that comes near the Leyline." He saw curious looks and explained softly, "Rose is barely over five years old. Her mother was the original Glass Defender of Aluria for this team, but she and her Caretaker husband were killed in the first wave of attacks." His voice hitched, then smoothed. "Our Rose is fierce and strong like her mother."

"Luc Carter is her best friend." Phoenix found a smile though April's death still felt painfully fresh and sharp for all of them. "He's a squire, aiming to be a Knight. He's twelve now, I think. A good kid, and very strong overall. He has a, hmm, affinity for the Water Flower Element, and might have a single magic skill. For . . . reasons."

While they were all heading into the pyramid, Reagan asked Tasia very softly, "Could April come back? She is a Cultivator."

"I don't find it likely," Tasia admitted. "Not when her daughter immediately Activated like she did. There does not seem to be a need for her any longer." She grimaced and said nothing more as the Alurian Defenders began to harmonize the Leyline. The power that time was strong enough that it made her throat ache. The next one might make her try and sing along, and that might cause more trouble than they needed.

The fourth Leyline they landed at was of Glass and Thunder magic. Sitting just inside the entrance on a low bench was a little girl with a brown ponytail tied with a blue ribbon. She wore the same uniform as the rest, though it looked a little big on her. Her pine green eyes seemed too old where they had been set into her olive-toned skin. She spotted those arriving and leapt to her feet with a small spear in her hands, but as she recognized them, she dropped the spear on a sob and lunged toward Starlight. "Aunt Star!!"

Starlight caught the little girl close and held her tightly. "Hey there! I'm okay, promise." She closed her eyes for a moment and rocked Rose back and forth. Her heart swelled with pride for her smallest protector. Rose Johnson was as fierce and dedicated as any adult Defender. Starlight loved the little girl deeply and would immediately adopt her as her own should Rose wish it.

"Hey, kid." Vincent stepped over and ruffled Rose's hair. "You've been doing a great job. You make us proud."

"Really?" Rose lifted her head and swiped at her eyes. All of her aunts and uncles were smiling and nodding, and her fears eased. "But I . . . I didn't do anything!"

"You know what we always say?" Racine asked softly. She smiled. "Just being there is sometimes enough. There is always something only we can do, something about us that our queen or princess needs only from us. Sometimes, just being the one who encourages others to stay strong is the most important thing of all. You are here because Aluria and Destiny knew you could do this. They believed in you enough to give you a Seed, and to let you be Activated even at a time like this."

"Spoken like the future Librarian!" Sunlight hugged her quickly. "We couldn't have said it better ourselves." She glanced around. "Where's Luc?"

"He's at the palace." Rose stood proudly when she got put on her feet. "We felt the Leylines and knew you were coming. He went to tell the kingdom." She picked up her spear and put it away in her magic without thinking, underscoring her great potential despite being so new to things. "So we've got to fight. But . . ." She looked away miserably. "I'm not sure what use I will be."

Beth's heart ached, and she knelt down to Rose's height. "You know, I'm a Glass Flower Element too. But it feels like you might have the offensive magic I don't have, which is great. So you can stay with me, and we'll work as a team to make sure everyone else is protected through shields and blasts alike, alright?"

Rose smiled. "Okay!" Her eyes widened as Tasia walked over to kneel beside her. "Oh gosh," she breathed. She had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and it didn't even seem to be entirely a physical beauty. Something inside her came out and made her radiant beyond the flesh. The other newcomers seemed similar yet not to the same extent. There was also something in this lady's chocolate eyes that felt as infinitely powerful as the arcane forces themselves. And yet . . . she didn't . . . feel human. "You're . . . different."

Tasia had to grin. "I'm part dragon. Kids and other witches are the only ones I know who have ever sensed it. I'm going to give you some memories, okay? That way you know who we are." When Rose nodded with a smile, she leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. She couldn't resist. The little girl reminded her of her own daughter. "There."

"Wow." Rose wanted to ask a million questions about everything, but she was old enough to know that now wasn't the time. She straightened her back and lifted her chin. She was a true Defender Cultivator to her bones. "Okay. So we're going to the castle now? It won't like it. The Water-Ice Leyline has been hurt. It keeps crying. I could hear it when I was asleep."

"Let's armor and Mask up then," LeAnn suggested. "We don't know what we're going to land in the middle of." She grabbed her Mask from its bracelet and saw all of the others grab their Masks as well. Once everyone had pulled them on and called their armor, she studied the Alurian Defender armors curiously. She had not really had a chance to look closer at the differences between male and female versions; the few times Phoenix and Starlight had been armored at the same time, they had been in too much danger. "I actually really like how your armor looks. Like two different edelweiss flowers. Pretty neat."

"I've worn both versions," Kiegan noted, "and while I have to say the female one is cuter, the male one is more comfortable as a rule."

"You've worn both?" Emily asked curiously. "How did that happen?"

"It took me until I was about ten to determine I was male. So for my first five years as a Defender, I wore the female version. Once I figured everything out, the next time I put on my Mask, I wore the male version. Have ever since."

"Oh, well that makes more sense. I was wondering if you had traded with Lilac or something."

Solemnly, Kiegan said, "She's almost half a foot taller. Her armor would never fit me."

"Exactly."

Everyone snickered and then shuffled a bit to pair off the elements properly. Tasia looked at everyone musingly and then said, "How intriguing. Everything balances. Our teams. We now have one each of offensive and defensive types of magic across all elements. Double on defense for me and Jeo, and double on defense also for Vincent and Emily. That is going to make us exponentially more potent as a collective team." And felt damn deliberate, but she kept that to herself.

They all gathered together as closely as they could considering there were twenty-one of them including Raven. The Alurian Defenders linked their hands and harmonized with the Leyline, and once again it echoed stronger than it had been before. Even as Tasia felt the rise of her music, they all felt the resistance from the Water-Ice Leyline. It did not want them to approach.

Storm's eyes sharpened. "Tasi!"

Tasia didn't hesitate. She opened her mouth and let her voice free. She hit the exact same note as the power gave off, and there came a blinding flash of magic. The Water-Ice Leyline stopped resisting, and they were all swept up and carried away across the land toward the Alurian Castle and the focal point of the Chaos . . . and the place where the heart of madness awaited them.

 

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Chapter 22->