Blade(Part 4): Midnight

Chapter 5: Matilda

"Each ring has a temple with a switch that will bring the entire structure back to the ground level," said Xyhra. "At the moment, Ember is in its firing configuration. If every ring is brought down, it will be disabled, and unable to fire. Once they are all brought down, we can rush to the central island with our forces and kill Aziz once and for all. I will absorb the Cleansing Stones' power so they cannot be used to activate Ember or any of the individual Sparks."

"There aren't any enemy forces on this ring," Marcus reported. He had flown above the entire island in the night, looking down with the thermal vision of his visor, and found none of Aziz's soldiers occupying it.

"There aren't?" asked Queen Azia. "They must be on the upper rings."

"They must be," Xyhra agreed. "Guarding the temples, no less. Aside from my Aziz's soldiers, you must be careful of the monsters that live here. They are unlike anything that is seen on Zenartha, and are capable of destroying entire armies, so you must be careful of every step that is taken. Your dragons will be more than useful in that respect."

"And we'll have quite a fight ahead of us, won't we?" said Dameon.

"Yes, you will," Xyhra warned. "And I've told you all that is necessary. All I can do is wish you all luck." Matilda began to walk towards Aos with Catherine and Ptolemar, but she found herself looking back to Xhyra. She was the one the Peacekeepers in Skaola kept saying was Catherine's true mother. Matilda couldn't help other than to linger behind her two children and walk back to her. The goddess was speaking to Dameon, but turned to her as she approached her.

"Go and prepare yourself, Dameon," she said, and Dameon walked off.

"You're Xyhra, aren't you?" asked Matilda.

"Yes," said Xyhra. "How may I help you?"

"Listen, I kept hearing in Skaola from the Peacekeepers that you are Catherine's mother," Matilda began. "But I'm her mother. I remember giving birth to her, I remember raising her." Xyhra was silent for a long moment. She was at a loss for words.

"I just need to know the truth," Matilda begged. "So does Catherine."

"No, she must never know," Xyhra hissed. "Matilda, listen. As far as Catherine is concerned, you are her mother, not me. It must remain that way."

"So, it's true?" Matilda gasped. Her felt heart sink. Nothing could have devastated her more. She had raised Catherine ever since she was born, believing she was her mother, but she wasn't. She turned away from Xyhra with her hands covering her eyes, and felt the Ancient One's hand on her shoulder.

"Matilda, if she knew, it would only put her in more danger than she already is," Xyhra warned. Matilda smacked her hand from her shoulder and turned around with anger in her eyes.

"But other people already know!" she shouted. "The Skaolan Peacekeepers were already looking for her because of it!"

"And now, they're dead," Xyhra reminded. "The only Skaolan Peacekeeper left who knows is Aziz. The Titan."

"Who else knows?" Matilda demanded.

"You, me, Dameon, and the Guardian, Shala," Xyhra answered. "Listen. The reason you have those early memories is because I altered yours, your son's, and Catherine's. I did the same to Dameon, although his memories of the people who raised him are much different than hers."

"Really?" asked Matilda. She then remembered that Dameon was from the colonies. He was old enough to have remembered whatever atrocities that were inflicted upon him by Aziz's armies. Matilda couldn't even begin to imagine what he had seen twelve years ago. Matilda had little doubt that it was similar to what happened to her as a child. Living as a slave of Aziz would be the worst fate anyone could suffer through.

"Matilda, you have been more of a mother to Catherine than I have," Xyhra reminded. "The least I can do is promise that once this is all over, Catherine will be safe. We will all be safe. From Aziz, anyway."

"Xyhra," Matilda hissed. "When the time comes, and Catherine finds out that I'm not her mother, what should I do? What will happen?"

"I don't know," Xyhra admitted. "What I do know is that you must protect her as though she is your child. Despite everything, she is your daughter more than she is mine." Matilda hung her head and sighed. That was the one thing she was relieved to hear more than anything. Xyhra may have been Catherine's true mother, but she still recognized Matilda as such. She knew she loved Catherine with all her heart, but that made it more difficult not to tell her the truth about who she was to Xyhra.

"Matilda," Xyhra warned. "You cannot tell her."

"I won't," Matilda promised. She walked away from Xyhra to climb on Aos, but as she approached her dragon, she noticed that Ptolemar was the only one on the dragon's back.

"Where's Catherine?" asked Matilda.

"She's talking to Dameon," Ptolemar answered.

"She's talking to who?" Matilda gasped. She rushed to the beach of the island, seeing Dameon and Catherine facing each other, with both Arn and Rda chasing each other above them. Once she was close enough to hear what they're saying, Matilda was almost relieved that they weren't talking about what they thought she was talking about.

"I'm almost sad to leave the Falcon behind," Catherine sighed. "Radames could use company, but I left Taia in Septe with Princess Sakineh."

"The little girl?" asked Dameon. "You know that's probably the best thing to do, right?"

"I know," Catherine admitted. "But she was always so lonely on Sparrow. Maybe Sakineh is training her as a soldier as we speak."

"Or you could train her as a Blade," Dameon suggested. "If she really wants to fight for what's right."

"I don't know, honestly," said Catherine. "She's nine, but I've been treating her like she's my age for as long as I've known her."

"That's because you respect her," Dameon assured. "Under Aziz's reign, she's probably had to live as an adult just to survive."

"Right," Catherine sighed. "I guess she..."

"Any day now, Dameon!" Shala suddenly shouted. She, Kai, and King Matthias were on Araxes. They must have been prepared to fly to the ring that was the furthest above the island. Beside Araxes was Akanotahkon on Polarpi, who would fly next to Araxes. Queen Anorae was climbing onto Drogbel, along with Lady Cytheris, Isylinor, and Maisa. Marcus would fly beside Drogbel to escort him and his riders. They were going to fly to the middle ring to bring it to the ground. Queen Azia would fly Rhazaan with Aos as he carried Matilda, Catherine, and Ptolemar as they went to the lowest ring. Xyhra had said that bringing all the rings down would bring the mass of rock that was hovering above the others down with them. Once that was done, they would finish off Aziz and stop him from firing Ember. Nothing would bring more joy to Matilda than this war against Aziz finally being at its end.

"Well, nice talking to you," said Dameon, waving to Catherine before warping to Araxes' back. Catherine raised her arm into the air and waved him off as Araxes, Polarpi, and Drogbel lifted themselves into the air with their riders and passengers on their backs. Matilda wrapped one of her arms across Catherine's shoulders. They both watched as the dragons flew behind them and to the floating rings above the island.

"So, what were you and Dameon talking about?" Matilda wondered.

"Ourselves," Catherine answered. "Or rather, why we were fighting against Aziz. He was enslaved when he was just five, and he saw two Guardians in the colonies executed in front of him. That Guardian he's with was actually part of their team."

"Damn," Matilda sighed. "So, the colonists did have it worse than we did."

"From what Dameon says, that's an understatement," Catherine corrected.

"Well, remember, I was enslaved, too," Matilda reminded. "I have a good idea of what he suffered through. Come on. Let's be on our way."

"We're going to the lowest ring, aren't we?" asked Catherine.

"Yes," Matilda answered. They both climbed onto Aos, then Matilda nodded to Azia on Rhazaan, telling her that they were ready. Both dragons then lifted themselves into the air. Matilda, Catherine, and Ptolemar all knew what was at stake. They would either stop Aziz from Activating Ember, or die trying.