Ebony Mist -Original

Part XX: The Army of Everim

The mare galloped all the way back to the mansion and stopped at the front door, puffing and caked with sweat from it's wild ride. Alaura was trembling, her knuckles white from clutching the reins and mane of the horse. Several times the mare had leapt over a fallen tree or stream without warning, almost dislodging Alaura from the saddle. But now the horse's legs trembled as it lowered its head to catch its breath. The princess slid off it's back onto the gravel walkway. Dropping the reins, she gave one worried glance at the mare before rushing to the door, pressing hands and chest against it to open it before stumbling into the room.
"Xi! Yvette!" She cried out as she hurried through the halls looking for either of them. "Yvette! Xi!" Her voice cracked as only silence answered her.
"Yve- Ah!" The demon cat appeared right at her feet as she walked, not giving her time to react. She tripped over him to find her face and palms smacking the floor as she tried to catch the rest of herself from falling.
Alaura laid there stunned for a moment before turning to face Xi, her face red with anger and embarrassment. Alaura's mouth opened to snap an unpleasant name at Xi, but he was gone again.
"What is all your yelling about? It's giving me a headache," Xi sighed, appearing at her elbow. Alaura jumped and glared at the cat, clambering to her feet and dusting off her skirt with sore hands.
"Why did you trip me?!" She demanded.
"What are you talking about? You stepped on me. I'm lucky you didn't break my back," came his snarky reply. Alaura opened her mouth to object when the sound of a clearing throat drew her attention to the doorway. Yvette stood there, veil covering her face as usual.
"What is going on? I heard someone yelling for me," Yvette said softly. Alaura hurried over to the rune Mage and away from Xi.
"Yes, I called for you. You and Xi, since I didn't know what else to do," she said so quickly that Yvette raised a hand to halt her.
"Slow down and explain to me what is going on. Where is the master? Did you not go for a ride with him?" She asked. Alaura took a deep breath to calm herself before speaking again.
"I was riding with Xavier when we stopped on the beach for a moment," she didn't want to mention the reason why they stopped so kept going. "When I noticed something on the horizon. I don't know what it was, it was still far off. But there were all these dark blotches in the sky getting closer and bigger. They alarmed Xavier so much so he sent me back here. For what purpose he didn't say, but he remained on the beach, so I guessed I was to forewarn that something is coming," Alaura said, her hand wringing a part of her cloak she had grabbed, watched Yvette's veiled face as she spoke, but of course couldn't see the woman's face to see her expression. She did hear a sharp intake of breath come from the rune mage.
"I see," Yvette said, her veil moving as she looked about, contemplating what to do. "Currently there is nothing we can do to prepare for whatever is coming, since we don't know what is coming."
"Tch, humans. You could always go to the top of the highest tower and have a beautiful view of the army that's coming. Or better yet, Yvette could use her powers to scry them. There are plenty of ways of gaining information, you stupid humans," Xi said cooly, sitting down and licking a paw when he was done speaking. Yvette sighed.
"He does have a point," she said and moved to a mirror that decorated the hall. She raised her sleeves to reveal the marks covering her body, touching a select few. The ones she touched began to glow, before her fingertip also started glowing. With the glowing fingertip she traced runes into the mirror. When she was done she lifted her veil to blow on the written runes. The surface of the mirror began to glow before dimming.
Instead of reflecting back the room, it revealed an image of the beach. The black Druid had mounted his horse and was facing the horizon, his steed tossing its head and prancing in spot, ready to run. The dark blotches close enough now that they could see what it was through the mirror, though it was hard to make sense of it.
Thick clouds billowed and rolled, reaching ever forward towards the island. The bottom of them touched the water, while the top was high into the sky. The clouds were white and puffy, it was what they carried that created dark silhouettes across the sky. Rows and rows of armed soldiers stood inside the clouds, carried by the clouds themselves as if on some kind of ship. Only it carried more soldiers than even a dozen great cargo ships could hold.
They were almost to the shore when the closest soldiers let loose a volley of arrows that rained down towards the druid.
Alaura gave a startled cry and covered her face with her hands. Yvette placed a hand in her shoulder.
"Look," she said softly. "Arrows alone are not enough to slay our master."
Alaura peaked through her fingers before removing her hands from her face.
Just as Yvette had said, the arrows had not killed Xavier. He still sat upon his horse, tall and proud, facing the oncoming army. The beach was littered with arrows impaled into the sand, covering it except in a circle where the Druid stood. All the arrows that would have hit him were in splintered pieces around him, his hand lowering from being upraised to call forth the shield that protected him.
When the soldiers reached the bank, they slowly dropped to the ground, landing where the water was knee deep, and began marching forward, row upon row following the first. In the third row to land was a banner bearer holding aloft a great flag that revealed the origin of the army.
"They come from Everim!" Alaura gasped, recognizing the emblem of her home country immediately. "Why? How?" She wondered out loud, watching as more and more rows advanced.
As they grew closer to the druid, they lowered their spears towards the druid. A single voice cried out from the army.
"We have come for the princess! We will kill any who oppose us, including you, druid." the voice cried.
"You will not have her, and you will not end me," came the Druid's reply. "For you will loose half your number before you can even reach me."

"That is yet to be seen," came the reply. "Soldiers advance!"

The army continued coming, more rows dropping from the sky, ever approaching the druid. The first row, spears at the ready pointed at Xavier, were mere feet away. The druid lifted another hand and a wall of fire erupted from the sand, stopping the soldiers in their tracks. Xavier's horse reared at the sudden fire and stepped back with a raised head. He lowered his hand and the fire grew taller, the smoke billowing into the air and obscuring the view from the mirror. The last thing that could be seen was the druid turning his horse around and galloping back to the mansion before the smoke overtook the picture.

Yvette blew on the mirror and it returned to its natural state, reflecting the room. Alaura's hands were covering her mouth as she kept stepping back until she was against the wall.

"How can this be? Why are they here?" she whispered, torn inside as she fell to a sitting position. "So many of Everim's soldiers! I know a lot of those faces! And... Xavier said... He was going to kill more than half of them? But they shouldn't even be here. They know the promise I made..." Her throat was cracking and tight, as she stared at the mirror. Another nagging thought went through her mind. How? How did they cross the ocean? They were riding clouds!

"That cloud had the same presence as that storm," Xavier growled as he stomped into the room, black cloak swirling around him. He went over to Alaura, and gently grasping her elbows, pulled her to her feet. "And those soldiers had the same kind of mad look in their eyes as your brother. Twice now I have had unwelcome visitors."

Alaura felt her lips trembling.

"How did you make it here so quickly?" she heard Yvette inquire.

"This is my island, I can go where I please when I so please. Distance does not impede me," Xavier snapped as if it were an obvious fact. Yvette merely shrugged.

"So, what do you suggest for us to do, master? It seems we are currently under siege," Xi said from where he sat. Xavier's frown deepened, then he looked towards Alaura.

"We need to prepare for the worst. A mansion is not built for a siege, but perhaps your magic will be enough, even if it appears only to be illusionary magic. The magical traps the soldiers will pass on the way here should give us enough time," he said. "Yvette, secure my tower. Xi, you make sure the middle wing around the base of the tower can be used as a second defense should the outside portions of the mansion fall. Oh, and make sure Abraham is aware of the situation and can protect the library. Alaura, you're going to have to use your magic and change the mansion walls into the walls of a fortress. Whether it's painting or singing."

"And what are you going to do, master?" Yvette asked.

"I'm going to give you all more time and keep the soldiers back. The forest can only do so much," he said, Yvette nodded and both she and Xi left. Xavier turned to leave, but Alaura caught his hand, finding herself trembling.

"Xavier..." she whispered, and he turned to look at her. "Those soldiers... they're from my home. I don't understand. Why are they fighting to get me back? Why do you have to fight them? How can I be of any help? I can't do it... I don't have the power..."

Her voice was stopped when Xavier reached up and cupped her face in his gloved hands. She looked up to see calming blue eyes staring back at her.

"You have the power to do anything," he told her. "Anything you can imagine, you can do. That is muse. It is the power of imagination. You can make it happen. This is your final test. And before it's over, we will know why they came and why your country is so adamant to break your promise. But right now you, and everyone else in this mansion, is under my protection. I may be strong, but I can't fight an army all by myself. I will need help. Can you help me, Alaura? You were once such a brave girl, looking at me with not a single bit of fear, despite how small a child you were, and I a daunting figure. The brave girl is still in there, and she is needed now. You can pass this test, Alaura," he told her, pulling away. Alaura nodded, and watched him depart back out the door.