The Rider’s Legacy: Chapter 5

There were rarely reasons for the people to be on the balcony of the castle, especially at this time of day. Which made it very good for entertaining children with endless energy. A peel of laughter echoed down the carpeted hallway as the toddler did his best to fly. His wings flapped gaining altitude and then he’d sink again, resetting himself. But he did a bad flap and stumbled on the ground, flipping end over end landing on his back.

“Whoa wipe out!”

A ball of lightning appeared at the end of the hallway and raced forward, arcing and striking the walls. It left tiny burn marks here and there as it ran across the wall and then plopped down in front of the sniveling child. But then it turned into a proper human being.

He had short lanky blue that had been haphazardly cut and taken care of.  He had soft facial features on his brown skin making him look much younger than he actually was. The only savings grace was the small goatee that he cultivated at his chin. He was a thin man, used to being active and burning through his calories. He wore an old tunic, pants, and boots.

Sefirin looked at him, his lip quivering. One of his wings was hanging a little lower than the other. Lightning frowned hard but watched him start to move his wing. It was slow going but he got there.

Lightning put his hand on his head, tussling the violet curls, “You were flying pretty good there buddy. I almost couldn’t keep up with you.”

He perked up at that and his face broke into a massive smile. “You saw me flying? For reals?”

“Heck yeah I did,” he held out his fist. “You’re the man Seffy.”

Pounding his fist against his Sefirin got to his feet slowly, balanced for a second, and then grinned even wider. “Let’s go again! Again!” he shouted raising both fists to the sky.

“Wait a minute buddy. We gotta collect your sister first,” he said standing up. Sefirin stood as well grabbing a hold of his pants leg. Leaning down he picked him up in one go and they walked their way back down the hallway. As if on cue there she came, floating down the hallway.

Her hands were spread wide as she was levitated off the ground by a small ball of lightning. The lightning kept her aloft, floating just out of range of the energy. She giggled reaching toward the lightning but her hand never got close enough to be zapped. She looked up slowly though and saw her brother and godfather.

“Seffy. Seffy,” She reached out toward her brother now that she was on eye level.

Sefirin smiled back at her and grabbed for her. He wasn’t quite that strong but Lightning was able to juggle the two children without too many issues. Walking them down the hallway he followed the path out of the castle and onto one of the balconies. There were a few vases with plants and a bench but it wasn’t that wide. The fresh air was good and all three of them took deep breaths. If they looked hard enough they could see the dining hall’s balcony.

Setting down Sefirin he moved and set Silva down too. The moment she was down she started to crawl along the stone eager to see what she could get her hands on. Lightning had learned the hard way that she was prone to get into trouble even more than her brother. Speaking of, Sefirin walked toward the railing, grabbing the stone bars and staring over at the forest that consisted of their territory.

“Where did mommy and daddy go?” Sefirin asked.

“They went out on a mission. Investigating.”

“Vestigating?”

Lightning walked over to him resting a hand on his head, “It’s like. Looking around. Trying to learn stuff. You know like when you read one of your books and learn something new?”

“Mmhm.”

“It’s like that but out there. They’ll be back soon though and then we can all play together.”

“Where’s una?” Sefirin asked next.

“Una,” Silva repeated.

Lightning turned toward her and rushed over catching her as she was ready to just go over the side of the bench. She laughed, her tail whipping back and forth almost hitting him a few times. Setting her back down on the other end of the bench he tried to make her stay still.

“I don’t know kids. I think she’s in meetings with Maddie. They have dozens of those these days. But meetings aren’t my thing. Or for you guys either. They’re lame. We’re more about the action in life right?”

“Action?” Silva asked glancing at him.

“Running around. Breaking stuff. Playing. Fun stuff,” he said tapping her nose making her giggle.  “Being men of action. Heroes who protect the people they care about. Like your parents and little sister.”

“Man of action!” Sefirin shouted jumping on the bench and spreading his wings.

One of his wings hit Silva hard and she tipped over. Lightning caught her before she could actually fall off but that didn’t stop her face wrinkling, eyes turning red, and the crying to start. Sighing Lightning picked her up, checking to make sure her brother hadn’t hurt her by accident.

“Say sorry bud.”

“Why? I didn’t mean it,” he pouted though he looked at his sister as she cried and then looked down again.

“I know but even if you don’t mean for something to happen you still gotta own up to it,” He moved over and sat down rubbing Silva’s back as she held onto his chest. Thankfully the crying was going down now. She wasn’t hurt, just upset at being knocked over. “I’m sure your little sister would appreciate it.”

He looked over at her and she looked at him, the crying gone but the tears still in her eyes, face red. Sefirin frowned hard but then made his way over to her, walking and using his wings to balance. He touched his sister’s face and then hugged her. “Sorry Silva.”

She sniffled and made a gurgling noise reaching out to him. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand staring at them like they were the most fascinating thing in the world. He sat down beside them beaming at her and then looked at Lightning for confirmation that he’d done it right.

“There you go. Good job big brother,” he held out his fist.

Sefirin bumped it smiling wide. But he looked past him and his eyes widened, “Una!”

The trio turned quickly as Dawn walked through the doorway. She let out an exhausted breath but the moment she looked at the two of them the light returned to her eyes. Sefirin pushed off the bench and ran straight to her, wrapping his arms around her legs. She took both his hands and chuckled. “Being a good big brother ola?”

“Yeah. Imma be a great big brother. And take care of Silva,” he said puffing out his chest.

“Una! Una!”

Lightning got up and walked Silva over to Dawn. Dawn took her daughter and kissed her on the head eyes turning immediately to a soft pink. “Hi lela. Did you miss me?”

She looked at her mother and touched one of her cheeks lightly her eyes also turning pink in response. Dawn touched her daughter’s nose gently and created a tiny sparkle of light. Her eyes widened watching each of the balls of light and then looked back at Dawn like the magical being she was. She reached for one of the sparks of light but it disappeared as she closed her hand around it.

“Una. Were you in meets?”

“Yes I was ola. Very long but important meetings.”

“Meets are lame. I’m gonna be. Man of action,” he put his fists on his hip looking at her. “Protect you, mommy, daddy, an Silva.”

“Is that so?” Dawn raised her eyebrow at him and then glanced at Lightning, “Lightning. Why do I get the feeling you taught him this?”

Lightning put both his hands on his head and grinned, “What gives you that idea?”

Dawn leveled her orange gaze onto him and suddenly Lightning felt like he was four years old being caught staying awake after bedtime, “Oh I don’t know. Maybe the same person who taught my son what a playboy was and was all he talked about for a week straight after his second birthday.”

“I’ll admit. Not my best babysitting moment,” he did his best to smile under that gaze but also looked away quickly to avoid being under the pressure of it. “But totally better now.”

“Mm, we’ll see,” she said and created another flurry of sparks for Silva to play with. “At least your life lessons are getting better.”

“I’ve started taking my God fatherly duties seriously,” he saluted to her and Sefirin did the same. Silva reached for another one of the sparkles and then her tail flicked up and broke one with the tip. That seemed to satisfy her as she started doing that to the rest.

“That’s Nero’s genes coming through, right?”

Dawn glanced at him and then smoothed her fingers down the spines of Silva’s tail. She made a soft noise at the touch glancing at her mother and then going back to hunting the sparkles. Dawn smiled and nodded, “More Silver’s than Nero. Or I guess they’re fused now.”

“Silver’s legacy lives on in ways we couldn’t have expected?” Lightning mused.

Dawn nodded, “First she gave him back his arm, then she traded her life for his, and now she’s helped to give me the best things in my life. I miss her every day and I know Lily and Nero do too.”

“Think the kids are going to be like Nero when they get older?”

“Perhaps.” she smoothed a lock of Silva’s hair and then reached down to take Sefirin’s hand. He looked up at her spreading his wings slightly and she smiled. “They light up around their father. But I think they’re going to be brighter than any of us could be.”

He looked up at her ready to ask a question but paused. He looked over the railing of the balcony toward the forest, “Una what’s that?”

She looked at him and then followed where he was pointing. But the moment she saw it her eyes widened as she fought back a gasp. She saw the sun begin to blacken and the shadows stretch and race across the ground. She looked at Light and began to say something when a shape appeared over the railing.

Lightning saw it, his eyes going wide. He didn’t have to think twice about what he was looking at. Lightning raced across his body and his eyes glowed an electric blue. He lunged turning into pure energy and slammed into the chest of the nil blasting it back into the forest. Hanging in the air, he darted back landing on the railing.

Looking down he saw the sides of the castle being scaled by the dozens of nil. He could hear the chittering hiss they made coupled with the sound of their claws digging into the stone. He hopped backward and looked at Dawn, “Get inside. Find Al and your mom. The nil are coming! Go! I’m behind you!”

Dawn had dozens of questions but as her eyes bled into yellow, she picked up both her children and immediately ran back inside. Light jumped backward clapping his hands together. He rubbed them back and forth and could hear the lightning crackling against his skin. He pressed both against the ground and watched the magic race forward and coat the railing.

A pair of nil climbed over, grabbing the railing, and were immediately zapped. They fell down but the magic wasn’t strong enough to stop the next few that climbed over. He thrust his hand forward, blasting another nil away, and immediately retreated to the door, shutting it behind him. He shut his eyes trying to remember the spells when the door glowed blue from the ground all the way to the top.

It jolted hard and he jumped but turned quickly and saw Alastor coming his way. His hand was out and his spell finished as he closed his fist. “You move quick Al.”

“I felt your magic spike and I came running,” he looked annoyed but his face was very serious. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Got in and out quick. You see the sky?”

“I have. The castles on alert,” he told him. “What’s going on?”

“Nil attack buddy. On the other side of that door. Shit’s crazy.”

“Nil?” Alastor repeated. “Here? They were supposed to be gathering near the old plaza.”

The door jerked as the nil slammed into it. They could just barely hear the scratching and hissing on the other side. Lightning punched his fist together, coating his body in his namesake. With glowing eyes, he raised his fist and grinned, “Alright Al. You ready for a fight?”

Alastor grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face him, and pointed down the hallway, “There will be more trying to infiltrate other entrances to the castle. We need to secure those and make sure anyone in the castle is safe. That door will hold for now. We have a job to do.”

“Right. Okay. Smart plan,” he let the magic die down. “By the way are you real or an illusion?”

That made him smile and his shape shimmered like a trick of heat. Lightning laughed bouncing on his feet. “Okay let’s get going. People to save and a castle to protect.”

“Good. Hold on,” Alastor put his hand to his forehead and shut his eyes tightly. When he opened his eyes, he wasn’t in the hallway beside his best friend. He was running down a hallway again ushering panicking people down the hallway with a trio of guards. “That’s it this way people. Hurry but don’t run. The guards will direct you to the safe room. Please stay calm.”

“Alastor what’s going on?” an older faerie woman asked, her eyes green with uncertainty. He knew her as one of the chefs in the kitchen. She enjoyed feeding him specifically whenever she got the chance. “Why are we being escorted to one of the safe zones.”

Alastor grimaced because he didn’t want to create a panic that the nil were abound. Only the guards at the moment knew the potential severity of this and he had instructed them directly to not say anything of what was going on just yet.

“Please just trust me. There is a small situation being handled but her majesty doesn’t like risks. We’re going to enact the plans to their fullest even if this turns out to be a false alarm,” he offered her a smile as well.

She gave him a knowing smile and nodded, “You and her majesty are so careful. But it’s that care that keeps us all safe.”

She continued with the line following calmly and Alistair sighed in relief. Turning around he closed his eyes and stumbled backward suddenly in another hallway and felt someone run straight into him. Blinking he looked around trying to get his bearings. The floor was carpeted, the hallway was circular, and in front of him was his sister in law, his nephew, and niece.

“Dawn. You’re okay? And the kids?” he asked putting his hands on her shoulder.

She looked at him, her eyes a deep yellow and green. Her arms were tight around the children. Silva had her face buried in her mother’s neck but Sefirin looked back at Alastor his eyes wide. Alastor tried to smile at his nephew but he knew the child saw through it.

“What’s going on Al? Are nil attacking us? Is Light safe? What about everyone else?”

“I don’t know for certain,” he grimaced. “I’m on my way to your mother. She’s in the throne room last I checked. Another me is with Light and another is helping people get to safety.” 

Alastor shook his head pressing a hand to his forehead. Dawn stared at him confused but it came to her quickly and her eyes flashed blue for the barest of a moment, “How many illusions are you managing right now?”

“Four. it’s not as easy as it used to be.”

“It was never easy Al,” she said gently.

Before they could continue down this route, they both felt a sudden surge of magic. The ground shook like a weak earthquake. Stumbling forward Dawn held onto her children tighter grunting as she came down to her knee.

When she raised her head she and Alastor were no longer alone. A man stood in front of them. He was shrouded in a dark mist that hurt her head to look at. But what she could see were a pair of glowing gold eyes. They flitted from Dawn to Alastor and then back to Dawn.

“The faerie princess,” the man said and she heard his voice in her mind and in her ears. She shuddered getting to her feet and took a step back. “It is an honor to be in your presence. You do not have what I seek. But you can help me procure it.”

“Who are you and why are you here,” Dawn asked sharply her eyes going to blue but bordering on red.

“As I said. I seek something that belongs to me. Though it seems like your husband may know bet-,” he started to say more but was cut off as a lance of light pierced his chest. Another pierced his mouth then stomach and legs. The shape he held disappeared into the dark mist. 

Seven balls of light floated around Dawn and she glared at the empty space and then looked back at Alastor. He glanced at the spot where the man had been then looked at her. “Get to a safe room Dawn. I’m going back to your mother. We’re going to figure out what’s going on.”

With that, his focus left the illusion that was with her. Stumbling back into his actual body he blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was in a hexagonal throne room. There were tall pillars at the corners of the room with vases and colorful plants. A multicolored chandelier hung from the ceiling. Guards were scattered at the door, two in inside, two at the throne, and more outside of it. There were windows high on the walls revealing the darkness that had engulfed the sky outside.

In the center of the room was a floating throne. It was made of stone, lined with symbols. The symbols were written in the language of Madeline’s people. The vow the queen of Agrentum took when ascending the throne.

Madeline was currently sitting on the throne, both hands were on the arms and her eyes were closed. Alastor walked straight over to her feeling a headache at his temples. Wincing he looked at Madeline and bowed his head. She opened a pair of glowing eyes focusing on him, “Alastor I assume you know what’s going on?”

“Somewhat your majesty,” he looked toward the blackened sky.  “My illusions are acting around the palace. Light’s doing what he can to get people to safety. Dawn and the kids are safe. But we ran into some trouble.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble? Don’t mince words and skip the pleasantries. Be direct Alastor,” she said sharply. For the first time, Alastor saw her eyes shift, the cool blue giving way to yellows and reds. “Why are the nil on our doorstep and why can I not see my castle.”

Before he could give her an answer, the ground shook again far more violent than before. Madeline jerked forward gripping the arms of her throne and then stared at the blackened sky above. Alastor looked as well and both of them could see the swirling magic in the sky above.

Madeline stared at it and her premonition mirrored in her eyes. She saw her dream appearing before her and once again tried to see her kingdom in her mind’s eye but she was blinded by darkness. She felt the beginning of the magic coming and shook her head. “No. I will not allow that to come to pass. I will stop it.”

She raised her hand to the air and it glowed white as a glow covered her body. Chanting she thrust her hand as high as she could and a wave of magic expanded from her palm. Alastor shuddered as it passed through him, just barely catching a glimpse of it as it spread through the walls.

Before he could caution her action, he looked to the sky and watched it glow and flash with a fell black light. He watched it engulf the sky in a darkness that could not be beaten back and shielded his face as it collided with the castle proper and he felt a fear and a dread he hadn’t felt in three years again.