Metanoia (10 page)

“
It looks like we should
travel about fifteen more miles this direction then turn north,”
she said. Gina nodded. Elenzel and Kien were unloading food
supplies for a meal when Kien suddenly looked up.

“
Queen Regina,” he said
urgently.

“
What?” she responded,
worried by his tone.

“
Someone is riding this way
very quickly!” he informed her. Gina quickly grabbed her bow and
arrows and ran a little way down the hill. She saw the rider
approaching to her position, and she prepared to shoot. Closer and
closer the stranger came to the boulder which Gina hid behind. It
was now or never. She leaped on top of the boulder and steadied her
aim. She shot. Yet, the hooded stranger was prepared. With one
swift stroke of the sword, the stranger knocked the arrow off its
deadly course.

“
What are you trying to do?
Kill me? Not a good way to deal with your emotions, dear,” the
stranger exclaimed and threw off his hood. Elenzel ran up behind
her with Kien and Deseré close on his trail. They all stared in
shock, but it was Deseré who finally spoke.

“
What are you doing here?
Queen Regina informed us that you were not coming,” she said, but
Leyance only smiled.

“
I don’t follow the queen’s
orders under an order she gave previously,” he replied.

“
The only way we will
accomplish our goal is to listen to her, Leyance,” Elenzel
countered.

“
We need to help her. After
all, she doesn’t even remember who she is, so how are we supposed
to follow her orders?” Leyance argued.

“
Because she is our queen
and whether she knows it or not she is doing what is best. Her
heart at least remembers being our queen,” Kien added.

“
As her heart remembers
other things as well,” Leyance said, glancing at Gina who looked at
Kien instead, “even if she doesn’t see it yet.”

“
Get out, Leyance,” Gina
commanded. “I mean it. Ride back to Nythagié. You are not wanted
here!”

Leyance leaped off his horse and went
straight up to Gina. “That’s where you’re wrong, Gina. You want me
here; you know you do. If this is the way you want it to be – fine,
but don’t expect me to go along with it. You know why I have to be
here, why I have to protect you, why I would do anything for you –
except obey your orders.” The others shifted uncomfortably. Quietly
and unnoticed, they began to walk back to camp.

“
And that’s why you can’t
be here!” Gina countered. “You will let your feelings for me get in
the way. We have a job to do, one of which could be the difference
between life and death. I won’t have someone potentially get us all
killed.”

“
I am here to prevent
people from getting killed not to encourage it.”

“
The best way you can
prevent it is by leaving!”

“
Well, that’s not going to
happen, so you better get used to the idea,” Leyance smiled. “I
don’t want to fight with you. This is the best way.”

“
Best way for you, or for
everyone?” Gina snarled.

“
For everyone, and
especially for you,” Leyance said. He was calmer now. “This trip is
going to teach you something about yourself. You no doubt are
expecting it. Things happen for a reason. Nothing is coincidental.
I’m meant to be here, you’re meant to be here, we all are. You were
meant to meet the end of one journey when you last met the Vice.
Everything is pre-determined; the prophecies wouldn’t have much
worth if it wasn’t. Don’t fight me being here, because before the
end, you’ll be thanking your lucky stars that I was.”

Gina was at a lost for words. There was only
one thing to do. She sighed.

“
Go back to the others, but
know you stay without my blessing.” She turned away but then
stopped. “I’m in charge, remember that. If you dare question my
authority again, you are going home.” She then ran up the hill
towards the others. Leyance sighed, mounted his horse and rode up
the hill after her.

The next afternoon, the travelers rode,
glancing off into the distance. The Shadow lay before their eyes.
Not a single guard was in sight.

“
Keep your eyes open, for
we are bound to meet some new evil soon,” Gina informed the others.
“We are already blind in the fact that we don’t know what to
expect; don’t be blinded by stupidity too.”

“
Do you think it’s a trap?”
Elenzel asked.

“
I know you’re coming…”
Gina stated mechanically, a strange glaze over her eyes.

“
What?” Kien
inquired.

“
I didn’t say
anything.”

“
Yes, you did, Gina. You
said ‘I know you’re coming,’” Leyance said worried.

“
She said it in a trance.
That’s a sign of evil at work, probably coming to reclaim what has
escaped,” Deseré informed. “He wants to reclaim you, Queen
Regina.”

“
Well he won’t get to,”
Gina stated.

“
We’ll still need to be
careful,” Kein stated. He pulled out a map. “There is an entrance
to the south-west. It looks like part of a sewage system. We can
enter that way relatively undetected.”

“
Which is what he’ll
expect, but we don’t have a better option.” With that, Gina led the
team up the rocky cliff to the sewage entrance. The castle lingered
above them, giving them all a foreboding feeling. Still no one was
around.

“
Listen, I don’t like this
silence,” Leyance whispered. They climbed in, and, after walking a
little way, they came to a fork in the road. The passage split into
two ahead of them. Elenzel was first to speak.

“
We should split up, come
into the castles at different ends. If one group were to be
captured or the route blocked, the other can assist
them.”

“
Good thinking,” Gina
agreed. “Elenzel, you go with…”

“
Kien and Deseré,” Leyance
interrupted. “I’m going with Gina.”

“
I thought I made it clear
that I am in charge of this mission, not you,” Gina
snapped.

“
And I’m not letting you
out of my sight,” Leyance countered. “Especially with the way
things are. It’s too easy for comfort.” In a huff, Gina hurried
down one passage, Leyance following her as she tried to get away.
The others took the other route. Silently, Gina and Leyance came to
a ladder and climbed up and out into one of the castle’s halls.
Something did not seem right.

“
Look
out!” Leyance screamed suddenly. Gina turned to see five Übels
about to fire. Leyance and Gina quickly fired their own arrows and
swiftly exposed their swords. Three Übels attacked her, and she
blocked and fought with all her might. She had met with these
creatures before, but this time she was prepared. She whirled her
sword and gave deathly blows to each of them. As the fight raged
on, Gina caught a glimpse of a handsome man slithering past all of
them to the safety of another hall.
His
time will come
too, Gina thought and
brought her attention back to the Übels. One by one, they
fell.

“
Well at least we know
where they were…” Gina began but stopped seeing she was alone,
minus the Übel corpses. “Leyance? Leyance! Oh, God!” She ran down
the hall straining her eyes and ears for any detection of Leyance.
She turned as she heard a noise coming from behind towering double
doors to her left. Drawing her sword, she opened the door and
looked around her. No one was there, but Gina was still not sure
she was alone. Spotting a large wooden cabinet in the center of the
far wall, she cautiously approached. With her sword ready, she
flung open the doors expecting an Übel to jump out. No one was in
the cabinet, but what she found shocked her more than if someone
had been. Many of her eyes shone back at her. The cabinet’s shelves
displayed many pictures laid out on a deep purple material,
pictures of Gina. Lying next to her photographs was a silver knife
with an elaborate handle featuring a spider. Gina noticed that dry
blood could still be seen on the sharp blade.

“
I see you have found your
shrine…” Gina spun around ready to fight, but it was too late. The
man had a knife to her throat. He reached for her sword and threw
it against the wall. “Take off the bow and arrows too.” She did as
she was told and tossed them aside. The knife never left her
throat. Panic surged through Gina.

“
What do you want from me?”
she demanded.

“
Nothing more than you want
from me,” the Vice replied. His face was warped, and scars could be
seen where his skin was exposed. He wore a black velvet robe over
his black pants and shirt. Gina noticed bloody cuts in his shirt as
if his very lifestyle was one filled with destruction and
pain.

“
And what do I want from
you?” Gina continued.

“
The enemy’s complete and
utter destruction,” he replied coolly.

“
Let her go!” Leyance’s
voice echoed. Gina and the Vice turned to see that he had indeed
just entered the room, sword drawn. Suddenly, three Übels appeared
and shot at Leyance. He dodged many, but not all. One lodged itself
in his arm.

“
Leyance!” Gina
screamed.

“
Get out of here!” the Vice
demanded of the Übels. He held out his arm and out flew sparks,
hitting and knocking down two of them. He approached Leyance,
dragging Gina by the throat along with him. “I always have more
tricks up my sleeves,” he laughed. He then dropped Gina and
released sparks in Leyance’s direction. They hit their mark and
threw him in the air, causing him to crash down hard onto the stone
floor. Yet, this brief moment was enough for Gina. She scrambled to
her sword as the Vice watched, chuckling. She grabbed her weapon
and jumped up to face her enemy. He, in return extended his arm and
a long sword, longer than his arm, shot out of it, into his hand.
Gina threw the first swing. The fight broke out. He was a better
swordsman than she had anticipated. She glanced sideways at Leyance
who lay without moving or showing any signs of life. She ducked to
avoid the Vice’s blow and caught him unprepared. Her blow hit hard,
but he did not stir. He swung to hit her and as she moved to block
he switched directions. His blade sliced her arm.

Gina screamed in pain as blood seeped through
her gash. She crumbled against the wall.

“
You really think you can
beat me?” he asked, laughing crazily.

“
I did before,” Gina
moaned.

“
Why do you say that?” he
inquired, throwing sparks her way. They sunk into her painfully and
made her whole body shake. “No one knows what happened that night,
except you and me. Oh that’s right, you don’t remember. And you
know why my darling? Because of me.” Gina glanced up at him and
spoke with much pain surging through her body.

“
You?”

“
Me. I see you have already
found my beloved knife along your pictures. I have hated you ever
since you first came to power in Nythagié, hated you so much that
it consumed all my thoughts. I knew that I could never become
powerful enough to take over this world if you lived. So I devised
a plan, genius really. I mobilized my troops so you would come to
stop me, for you were the only one who could stop me – but that was
then.” Gina’s pain made her weak, but she wouldn’t let him win. She
picked up her knife and went to drive it into the Vice, but some
invisible force stopped her and threw her backwards.

“
How dare you interrupt my
story!” he yelled and sent more sparks flying. Gina crashed against
the wall. The knife still lay in her hand, but slowly she dropped
it. Its sound of contact with the cold stone woke her up as if she
had been in some sort of daze. It reminded her of something. She
remembered.

“
The knife! You did this to
me!” she exclaimed, pointing at the scar on her arm, the one she
never knew how she had gotten.

“
So, you have finally
remembered. I knew I was not yet strong enough to destroy you
altogether, so I had to delay you, push you out of the way while I
gained strength, so I was sure you couldn’t get wind of my plans.
So, I mixed a little potion. It would cause you to cease living and
to be born again in another life. I wasn’t powerful enough to kill
you, so I took what I could. I knew that your devoted people would
bring you back, but I’d be strong enough when they did. I dipped
that knife into the potion…”

“
And stabbed me,” Gina
finished. “The result was delayed, and I began to feel life being
sucked from me, though the knife had barely scrapped my arm. That’s
why I have the scar.”

“
It was enough though. The
potion only needed to be mixed with your blood. But now I’m
stronger,” the Vice stated. “You will die, but first you will watch
the one you love die first. Sad, isn’t it? He’ll die thinking you
didn’t love him…should have told him when you had the chance…”
Somehow, his words made all the pain go away. She grabbed her
sword, stood, and ran towards the Vice. A fight once again broke
out, but Gina found a new strength in her and new moves to
accompany it. She knew who she had been, and she would not lose
now.

“
You will never beat me!”
he yelled, but Gina just glared at him.

She coolly replied, “Oh, yeah? Then too bad
you can only win this game once.” She spun and leapt towards him
from a new direction, driving her sword into him. The second the
sword was taken out of him, he shockingly burst into flames as if
the pureness of a sword wielded by her was too good for his body to
survive. The sudden explosion of heat knocked Gina to the ground.
She grabbed Leyance, who lay not moving, and dragged him out the
door. A huge explosion pushed fire through to the hall and Gina was
just in time to get out of the way. Just then three arrows flew
through the fire. They would have hit where she stood with
Leyance’s limp body in her arms. Gina did not wait. She picked up
Leyance and dragged him into another hall just as screams came from
the Übels, now trapped in the flames. Gina lay Leyance down and
guarded him as more explosions were heard.