The Rise of The Powers vol. 1

Chapter 7: The Water's Edge

Chapter 7: The Water's Edge

The next morning I woke up to find Lilith already up. She was staring off into space, twirling something over and over in her finger and muttering something under her breath, that I couldn't understand, but it sounded an awful lot like, "No, no no, but yes, yes, yes, right?"

"Hey, Lilith! Nice morning right?" I said brightly, standing up on my feet. Trying to ignore the strange Lilith who was standing in front of me.

Lilith jumped and quickly shoved whatever she had in her hands into her pocket. "Duke! How long have you been up?"

"Just a few seconds why?" I said, feeling that off thing again. No Duke! I thought. Nothing's off. You're just worried that Lilith is suddenly going to dump you. Not that that will happen of course. Well, than again you guys aren't even actually "dating" if that's what you want to call it.

Lilith smiled. "No reason. I was just debating on whether we should head for The Desert or The Ocean or maybe explore The Forest some more. What do you want?"

I shrugged. "I guess we could explore The Forest some more. I like it in here."

Lilith shrugged. "Okay, if that's what you want I guess."

"So," I said emphasizing on "So". "What are we going to do today?"

"Explore The Forest. It's what you wanted right? Although I was thinking we could head south down towards Lake Ponderae. That way we could explore The Ocean tomorrow."

"Okay, whatever. So listen, I've been thinking. Isn't it awfully weird that we've run into no other humans. Shouldn't there be more than just The Empire and Paevanshire? Shouldn't humans be everywhere?"

Lilith sighed. Now I knew that whenever she did that it meant that I was a stupid idiot who didn't know anything about the world. "Well, Duke, there used to be, but then Edinite came along and didn't like that, so he hoarded everyone over to where The Empire is now. Paevanshire is just those few people from The Empire who have managed to escape."

"Okay, super, history class!" I said with fake enthusiasm. "So what's for breakfast?

Lilith shrugged. "Whatever you want. I've already eaten, but hurry, okay? I want to get started early."

I headed over to the picnic blanket and basket and pictured a mound of pancakes with whip cream and syrup and berries on top with bacon, eggs, and sausage on the side.

Lilith looked over to see what I picked and groaned. "Did you not understand what I meant when I said to hurry?"

After I finished we headed out. We walked for hours without a break and from the forest came no sounds except for when I snapped a twig or when I accidentally woke up a family of squirrels. Lilith glared at me every time.

Finally, we stopped and in the distance I could see a looming, but sparkling blue lake and past that an even bigger, an even sparklier, an even bluer ocean. The Ocean. Beneath all that, beneath all that big, blue, sparkling water, lay sounds. Human, but not quite human sounds. I heard music and laughter. Friendly screams and splashes from the lake. I felt the smiling, and the feel of knowing they were safe. I felt the happiness.

Lilith gasped and started sprinting towards, well towards whatever was making those sounds and under her breath she was muttering, "This couldn't be it, Edinite was known to have killed them all, we searched for years and never, not even the slightest, oh, yes . . ."

I followed after her, confused, but excited at the same time. A few dozen feet from the camp, Lilith stopped. The camp or town looked almost like Paevanshire except it was on the base of the lake. There were tents and huts and cabins scattered in various places. There was a small fire sputtering in the middle, but the people they weren't people. Each one had long, sleek, black hair that stretched way past their backs, they had webbed fingers and toes, they're ears were pointed, small silvery wings were attached to each back, and they're skin was a pale, unearthly white.

"What is this?" I asked, dumfounded.

"A Shae camp, Duke, a Water Shae camp. This is what we were looking for, this is what Ethel thought, knew, would give us complete immortality and magical powers. This is it, Duke, if we find the other three Shae camps, you and I we could, can, rule the world together. What do you say?"

I opened and closed my mouth. Lilith and I rule the world together? Complete immortality and magical powers? Shae?

"What . . . how-no. How would we . . . it's not possible . . ." I couldn't get my words straight, Lilith wasn't looking right, her lips were twisted into a malicious smile. Her eyes gleamed with pure evil joy.

"How? How would we get all that? I'll tell you. We collect four Shae. A Water Shae, a Desert Shae, a Mountain Shae, and a Forest Shae.We kill them with a celestial sword." She eyed my blade, that Saphara had given me, so long ago, I had almost forgotten about it. Saphara. I got that feeling again, the feeling I had got back at Saphara's cabin. I had lost her, I had had a once in a life time chance to be with her, but then I had gone and killed Kralchon. I had killed Kralchon . . . I doubled over again, with pain more severe than last time. Lilith laughed.

"Then do you know what we'd do? We'd drink their blood, all mixed together, their golden red blood. And then we'd change, we'd be stronger, tougher, almighty, omnipotent. We'd rule the world, Duke. It could be any way you want. More sunshine, forever happiness? Or an all dark, gloomy, pitiful hole? Whatever you want, Duke. It's up to you. You be the forever King I'll be the forever Queen. All you need to say is 'Yes I love you, too.'"

I'm not quite sure what came over me, maybe it was the fact that I was so ashamed that I said I'd always love her no matter how bad she messed up or maybe it was something deeper, stronger. "What! You expect me to go and ruin the world with you, a monster? Excuse me for saying no thank you, but I thought you were another person." I choked a sob. "I said, I thought, I loved you Lilith." Tears streamed from my eyes. I wiped them away with in angry swat and rose my voice. "I loved you Lilith, I loved-I loved a monster, I loved an Essence!" I was right out bawling now. I choked on my own words and doubled over from my emotions.

Lilith opened and closed her mouth. Then, I don't know what happened, what came over me, but it was the same uncontrollable force that had washed over me when, Kralchon shot that arrow. I drew my sword and tried to slash Lilith's throat, but with my uncontrollable shaking hands, I missed and slashed her cheek, then Lilith screamed, then I dropped the sword and fell to my knees and stared at my hands, wondering who's the hell were they, and then they came. And then the Shae came.