Chapter Six

The campfire warming the trio immediately extinguished itself. Within seconds the sun had concealed itself behind the moon. A solar eclipse was taking place - but it wasn't natural. The moon appeared blood soaked red. The world around them was now covered in a red gloom.

Emily began to panic and flung herself upon Tom.

"Mirla, what the hell is going on?" Tom whispered. Emily was gripping Tom even closer.In front of them appeared the source of the malice filled laughter. Shrouded in dappled red light, with arms raised to the heavens, clothed in gold jewel dotted robes. It was a female. Her brown eyes so cold piercing. Her blood red hair, though prominent even in the red light, fell across those piercing eyes as she cackled once more. Mirla took a step back into the bloody darkness and gasped. "Nia?"

Tom whispered to Emily "Isn't she supposed to be the princess we're protected from that evil dude?" The female raised her voice.

"Yes it is Nia. Princess Nia. Poor vulnerable Nia. Fools are my birthgivers.Surprised are you not forest dweller?"

Mirla bowed her head so low she could of touched the cold floor with her nose. "Everyone so quick to assume I need protection. I protect the one that is being hunted. I protect Raven Arnu. I will be his bride, no doubt of that. Together we will overthrow my birthgivers reign and claim Oleth for our own. Any creature that tries to deny me will face my wrath."

The redness faded revealing an ethereal white glow. The trio were surrounded by a circle of goblin guards, all wielding crossbows and sabres, all pointing towards the trio. Next to Nia lay a shrouded box. With the flick of a wrist the veil lifted to reveal a cage with human occupants, all unconscious. They were the dimension travellers Emily and Tom were to locate. Nia had a satisfied smirk upon her pale emerald face.

Mirla stepped forward and raised her head. "You cannot do this? These few cannot die, our world needs them. The crystal will diminsih of power if they die. Our plane will cease to be. You will destroy us all." She was shaking with pure rage and yet shaking with fear.

So the legends Mirla's grandmother told were true. "When the chosen are together at last,the sky will be turned to blood, the royal betrayal will move forward and there will be limited time to stop, as if this motion is not stopped, Oleth will cease to exist and all it's people will war against one another." Mirla was terrified of Nia also. She developed the leshjok when she was 17. It was seen as a curse by her people. She developed abilities such as moving objects by her mere thoughts, summon spirits with a whisper, invade your thoughts and could even replace them, even shapeshift. There were many more though the legends restricted their knowledge. "Two there will be a pair every 150 years who possess the leshjok. The pair must never meet. Together their power concentrated will destroy anything they desire. They must never fully develop their abilities and never be told of exactly what they are capable of..."

Nia paced around the cage, tapping the bars with her fingers as she paced. She stopped and stared at one of the dimension travellers, transfixed by the jewel he had in his hands - a mere trinket from his dimension, useless to Nia, though it attracted her. She broke her attention and shifted back to Mirla.

"Ha, you don't think I know what is taking place tree climber? I posses the leshjok you fool, and by the stench your fear is giving you know I posses this power. I commend you for your bravery, though you looked me in the eyes without being asked to. Insolence will not be tolerated." She muttered a few words and Mirlas dropped to the ground. She was asleep. Nia called for her goblin guards. "Fre'kliv, Pithgres, put her in the cage with the rest." The goblins did as they were ordered. Nia now paced towards Emily and Tom.

"I've found you. For days I have sensed your presence, and I hunted you, and now you are here, you are going nowhere." Nia raised her arm and a blue orb was released from her right palm. Emily shrieked."Please don't kill us. We've got nothing to do with this world, please." She began to cry. Tom became very silent, his gaze transfixed on the blue orb.
"Oh but child, you do. Now you will join the rest. Nia swiftly moved her hand in the pair's direction and the blue orb followed. The orb engulfed the pair. They began fightin, but it was an impenetrable barrier. The malice laugh began once more. Niafound it hilaroius so see them struggle, knowing she had all the power.

"Hush, soon you will sleep and you will do my bidding. You will be under my command. Now sleep." Just like Mirla, they fell onto the base of the orb and were asleep. Once more she ordered her goblin guards to take her sleeping guests to the cage. She placed the veil back on top.

The sky was now filled with a green glow. The cage began to shudder and was slowly being engulfed by a dark green mist. Within seconds the cage was removed from sight. When the removal was complete laughter filled the air once more. It was Raven Arnu. The goblins shuffled out of his way as he paced towards Nia. He held her then whispered to her, "It is almost complete. Oleth will either submit to us or it will crumble to dust." Together they laughed. Nia dismissed her goblin army. Together the pair held each other and once more the bloody sky returned to the world of Oleth.

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