Charm a Relic

Chapter Nineteen: Great Warriors I Call Upon You

The bullets hit the golden wheel but could not knock it from the air. Candillice tried to reach for it but was forced to fall to the ground to avoid the gun fire that had turned on her. These were only warning shots from soldiers yelling angrily from the front row of the seats and in the aisles.

"Put your hands in the air and back away from the weapon!" One of the soldiers demanded. It looked as though she had no option but to surrender or be shot. Candillice had faith in what Tiya had asked her to do, so did the others that accompanied her on her mission. They were prepared to die for the Prophetigress and for the will of the Great Spirit.

Carlyle however had his doubts about this mission.

It all started after Candillice had spoken with the Great Spirit. She was given authority as Prophetigress and her first task was to select a team of Tigris to be her force of Protectors. 

She knew who her first choice would be and approached the most trusted and skilled of her guards which was Carlyle.

She found him standing at his post outside the entrance to the royal hall.

"What was all that racket in there might I ask?" Carlyle said.

"It was a Grotesque! But he's gone now and what's more important is. . . . . Warriors are coming from beyond the wall soon. Will you help me look for them Carlyle?" Candillice asked Carlyle. 

But he gave her a surprised look.

"A Grotesque?! BEYOND THE WALL?!" Carlyle replied in disbelief.

"I have to go beyond the wall to find them and bring them back here to help us!" Candillice explained but she paid no attention to the concern in his face. Carlyle was beginning to believe that Candillice was having a breakdown.

"The Sorcerer Andruin is returning," Candillice said and was walking back and forth trying to explain all this with her hands waving all over the place, She then stopped and looked up to stare at Carlyle with wide eyes.

"Tiya told me that the Blue Star was gonna . . . . disappear!"

"Blue star disappear? Who is this Tiya?" Carlyle asked in a raised voice and scratched his head. Candillice slowed down a bit as she figured that Carlyle must have thought she was talking a bit too fast and he was just having trouble keeping up.

"Tiya is the great spirit of this world. That is her name she told me," Candillice explained.

"You need to be more careful! what if others hear this? They might call it blasphemy!" Carlyle replied and then looked around cautiously as he was worried for who else may be listening.

Candillice lifted her paw in the air as his back was turned. 

As he turned to her again with intent to scold her his mouth dropped as he beheld the sight of what was shown to him. Candillice presented to him the ring of the Prophetigress upon her finger. The very ring that once adorned the finger of the Queen.

There was a sudden sense of fealty and pride that swelled through Carlyle as he realized that he was being called upon to service by the Prophetigress. Carlyle knelt before her as he placed his hand over his heart.

"My lady what is it that you ask of me?"

It was two days later that Candillice and Carlyle were leading an expedition beyond the wall. They had set up a campsite on a mountain where they could over see much of the mountain tops and terrain below. The tall trees provided enough cover to keep them hidden from detection. Carlyle observed strange movement on the ground below the trees. It looked like a group of people covered in rags moving in a line towards a cave entrance. He also noticed there were Grotesques pushing them along, it seemed that they were preparing them to enter the cave.