Firestorm

Chapter 18

In her realm of darkness, high upon her obsidian throne, the Maiden of The Flames watched and waited. Though she wore a mask of calm indifference, inside her mind bristled with impatience like a swarm of locusts. Her long, black talons raked across the armrest of her throne gouging deep grooves. Her priestess had failed her, had let the human girl get away. The Puppet Mistress would rue this day.

The Maiden surveyed the kingdom around her. Absentmindedly, she watched the many misshaped black forms of the lower demons as they slithered, flew and crawled around her throne. Preying on each other for sustenance, unable to escape this realm to prey on the weak of the Mortal Realm, as the Maiden was able to herself. Her sisters Will still weakly blocked the gateway from this Lower Realm to the eight others above. Saving the world of Evrenaill from the Maiden's monstrous army.

'Not for long', the dark goddess thought ruefully. 'Soon my army will lay siege to the Mortal Realm and feast upon the souls of the living'.

The Maiden longed for that day to come. For the day she would escape her imprisonment and exact her revenge. Soon her sister would taste the defeat and humiliation the Maiden had carried with her all these years. Her sister would fade from existence and relinquish her power to the Maiden. She would become the one true Goddess of all the realms. All the creatures in existence humans, demons and all other manners of beings of light and dark would bow before her might and taste her wraith.

With this thought the goddess almost purred with satisfaction. Her victory was assured and so close at hand, she could almost taste it. But the matter of the two 'children' still loyal to her sister still weighed heavily upon her. The last gambit her sister had.

"The Puppet Mistress must find the girl", the goddess muttered through gritted teeth, her agitation all the more. She wished more than anything to leave this realm and destroy the two humans herself, but she was bound here long ago by her sister and was unable to leave this realm for more than a short time.

From the corner of her eye, a pale light caught her attention. Snapping her gaze towards it, a deep smile of satisfaction spread across the Maiden's face. From within the pool of light, the Lady of the Tides emerged. The Maiden's confidence grew as she surveyed her sister before her. The pale light which radiated from her sister's form seemed to dim and fade as her sister approached. Her features were drawn and haggard like that of an old woman. Her frail wraith-like body showed nothing of the glorious form her sister had held the last time they had spoken, centuries ago. The day the Maiden had been banished forever from her sister's realm, the Summerland, and imprisoned here in the Lower Realm for all eternity.

"Dearest sister", the Maiden sneered. "What a blessing that after all this time the Queen of the Gods would deign to appear before lowly creatures such as myself and my demons".

Her sister, though weakened and wizened in her current form, held her head high as she came to stand before the Maiden's throne. Even as the demons of the realm surged around her, feeling the energy of life which flowed through and around the Lady, wishing to consume it.

"Blessings, sister mine. It has indeed been a long time since we last spoke. When, I was forced to banish you from My realm to protect the balance of life", the Lady replied with a sly smile lighting up her aged features.

The Maiden's eyes hardened, and her body tensed with rage. The flames of her form flared as she struggled to control herself. The demons, sensing the change in their Mistress recoiled in fear and skittered back from whence they'd come.

"Come to beg for mercy, my weak other half?", the Maiden drawled. "You know the price dear sister. Relinquish the Realm of the Living to me and take my place here. Perhaps then I will spare you".

The Lady of the Tides sadly shook her head. "Clearly sister, the ions have not changed you in the slightest. Please sister. You aided me to create the World of the Living. Without you I never could have defeated the Greater Demons that once laid claim to that realm and reclaimed it for the forces of light. Without your warrior's heart the World of Evrenaill wound never have come into being. Yet now you wish to destroy it. You once understood and defended the balance of life. Has your heart become so wicked and bitter that you truly no longer see the beauty that is Life? I will never relinquish my reign. The Realm of my creation would be ripped and torn apart by war and death if you ruled". "How can you let your anger and jealousy destroy all that we created?".

"Because He chose you!", the goddess bellowed, with such force the realm around them seemed to quiver. "Through all the holy wars, I fought, carrying your banner with my loyal general at my side. We struck down all those that opposed us like deadly twin blades, cast from the same steel. He and I, a perfect killing machine. Alas, when the battles were won, you took your throne, and he went to you. Without a second glance! You have always been this way; you took everything from me! I needed or wanted to rule, but the one thing I cared about, you took it away. I will never forgive you for that!".

"Sister please", the Lady cried pleadingly. "It was never our intention to wound you so....".

"Enough!", the Maiden snapped, her cold mask of indifference taking its place once more. "Go, return to your realm and await your demise".

"Please, we are sist- ", the Lady began.

"I have no sister", the Maiden interrupted." Now go".

The Lady hesitated, trying to find a way to wash away the burning hatred and jealous which clouded her sister's vision and encased her heart.

"Be gone!", the Maiden screeched, unleashing a powerful blast her dark magic and casting out the Lady from the Lower Realm.

'Soon', the Maiden thought bitterly. 'I will have my revenge".