Trinity Awakening (21 page)

             
"What makes this man so important Micah?"

             
"He's been here a long time, he'll know more about the Empress than anyone." There was more to this than Micah was sharing, Nina knew it, but she did not keep pushing, her Grandmother had always taught her to allow a story to unfold so nothing important was missed out. There was shuffling coming from outside the cell door, Nina moved closer to hear what was happening. There was a creak, then a crash, like metal hitting concrete, it sounded like a struggle was happening. Nina heard muffled cries that stopped abruptly with a thud. The sound of keys rattled not far from her chamber, she backed away quickly when the key unlocked on her door. She grabbed the bucket of dirty water from the corner of her cell, the door flung open and she threw the cold water at the doorway and swung the wooden bucket with all her might.

             
"Nina, it's me, Micah." Nina looked up, she was shaking from the adrenalin that was pumping through her veins. There stood Micah dripping with water. A tall man with long dread lock hair and a pointy nose and ears stood behind him keeping a look out in the corridor.

             
"Micah, I'm so sorry I didn't know who was coming. How did you get out?" She asked, her breathing starting to slow.

             
"Eli here, he took out the two guards that came to take him away for more questioning. He had managed to conceal a knife without them knowing, much to their dismay. We need to get Jerriq and get out of here. Come on." Micah lead the way out and stopped at the cell door next to Nina’s. Nina nodded gratefully at the Elf and stood on the other side of Micah keeping watch. The corridor was dark, which her eyes were now accustomed too. There were a few torches lit with fire that ran down the corridor and then lead up a stairway, the other way lead in two directions, a natural light was coming from one. She could hear voices in the distant coming closer.

             
"Hurry Micah, more guards are coming." 

             
"None of these keys are working, I've tried them all." Micah tried again, hoping he had missed one.

             
"It's no use, only the Dark Empress holds the key to this room." The deflated voice came from behind the locked door.

             
"Jerriq, is that really you?" Micah asked in hope.

             
"Micah? Micah my friend, how did you find me?" Jerriq sounded different now, like a new strength was placed in him.

             
"Blast the door Nina!" Micah demanded and Nina was happy to obey. She threw fireball after fireball at it, but nothing was happening.

             
"I thought we could use our powers outside the cell?" She asked looking confused.

             
"You can, but the door is still enchanted. You need to go, let Toron know I am here, let them know I am alive
Micah." The stairway was now filled with the sound of several footsteps quickly coming their way.

             
"We have to go Micah, come on!" Nina yelled as she threw a ball of burning fire toward the direction of the on-coming guards.

             
"We will be back for you Jerriq, we will be back." Micah cried out as he followed Eli and Nina in the direction of the light. As they reached the end of the passageway they came to a door with a small barred window, Micah looked to see where it lead.

             
"It's some sort of courtyard, it looks clear. I think most of the Dark Empress's army are making an attack on Taeith, hopefully we can find our way out from here." He opened the door and motioned for Eli and Emma to go through. Micah turned on the converging guards and threw out a powerful wind that blew them along the corridor and into a wall knocking them off their feet. Micah closed the door behind him and used the keys to lock it. Nina placed her hand over the lock and melted the keys into it to slow their pursuers. 

             
"Nice work!" Micah acknowledged.

             
"We make a good team." Nina grinned.

             
"When you're not throwing water on me." He showed a rare smile and gestured they follow after Eli who had been making his way around the edge of the courtyard. It was a strange place, they were in a large opening to some sort of cave, and there was sky above them and high cliffs on all sides. They noticed they had come out from one of the small doors that lead into the cliff side.

             
"How do we get out of here?" Nina called out.

             
"I was brought in through those doors over there, they will take us to a cave opening, we need to hurry." Eli was pointing to large open doors across the courtyard from them.

             
"We have to make a run for it." Micah saw that the door from where they came was nearly off its hinges; the guards were about to break through. "Now!" They all ran toward the large open doors, as they reached the middle of the huge opened area the doorway they were destined for filled with guards. They were tall and bulky, their skin dark and creased like they had spent their lifetime burnt continuously in the sun, fully armed with extra wide swords and protected with full body armor, they charged the three escapees. Micah threw his arms up, whirling them around and around, as he did this, the guards would one by one be swept off their feet and thrown through the air. Nina fired a bolt of pure burning flames into the wind swept attack one after another. She did not relent.

             
"What now Micah?" She cried out.

             
"There's no plan B, it's fight or die." 

             
"I don't mind the fighting bit, but dying is not on my agenda at twenty years of age." She powered out more fireballs but the armor seemed to be protecting them from the flames. Eli had managed to get a sword from a fallen guard and was fighting back the Dark Empress's soldiers as best as he could, but they were so many. Nina did not have time to help as she saw him being overcome by the enemy. Her hope of getting out faded as she found herself back to back with Micah and the overwhelming army moved in on them.  The air in front of Nina filled with frozen icicles, razor sharp they hit their targets with precision. Nina looked up to see a red headed woman on the back of a black Pegasus like
creature,
she swooped down and landed before her. Two more of the creatures landed next to her.

             
"Get on!" The redhead cried out. Nina decided this was not the time to decline a lift from a stranger; she jumped
on the Pegasus who had knelt to assist her. In the corner of her eye she saw Micah had done the same. She grabbed the neck of the horse like creature as it lifted with incredible speed into the sky. The incline felt like forever, she kept her eyes closed not wanting to look down. It was a few minutes before she felt her flight had evened out. She opened her eyes to find herself gliding through clusters of white and grey clouds. Micah was close to her.

             
"Micah? Who is that?" He had a look of pure relief in his eyes.

             
"That Nina is Lucianna. She is the eldest daughter of the Nixie Queen, and Trinny's mother."

             
"No way!"

             
"Aarion please, we must go help father, the dark army are to many, and our people need our help." Parisa was pleading with her brother now; she had had enough of watching warrior’s blood being spilt on the dark earth beneath the Ora.

             
"No Parisa, we must protect Trinny at all costs. I to long to be beside father in this fight, but he gave me an order, I will abide by it."

             
"Speaking of Trinny, have any of you seen her lately?" Emma had been so mesmerized by the clash below her that she had only just noticed her friend was no longer there.

             
"But where could she have gone?" Aarion ran to the archway leading into the throne room but was called back by Parisa's cry.

             
"Aarion! She's there, she's entering the battle." They all looked over the balconies rounded marble edge to see a white figure with long strawberry blonde hair walking through the mass of fighting warriors and dark creatures.
Where she walked no one touched her, like some sort of shield was protecting her from anything that surrounded her. A fear arose in Aarion like he had never felt, the fear of loss. Even though he knew he could never have Trinny for himself, he could not bear this girl who he had allowed to enter his heart to be taken from his life. Aarion leap onto the balcony ledge drew both swords from the halter on his back and jumped. Emma looked on in amazement as he landed on a haggard looking black-cloaked witch that was about to dig its claws into a young warriors chest. Before the warrior could even thank him, Aarion had set off in a run, pushing his way through the bloody clashes before him.

             
"I had no idea he could do that." Emma said to Parisa.

             
"Nor I. I would say there is a force greater than protection that is driving him right now." Parisa gave Emma a knowing look. "Well my human friend, do we join the fight?"

             
"As long as we can take the stairs!"

As Trinny walked toward the pond that lay directly below the Ora, she felt strong. The rain was hard now and it hindered her vision, she could see only the outline of figures moving through the thick deluge, she knew she was in the heart of the fight, but she felt safe. She found herself at the pond's edge and pulled herself up over the side into the water. As she made her way forward she heard her name.

             
"Trinny! Trinny!" She turned to see Aarion at the pond's lip, she was now standing in the center, the rain was not so heavy in the pond as she was directly under the Ora.

             
"Trust me Aarion, I know what to do now." She cried out. A werewolf had noticed Trinny and sprung up onto the pond ledge. Aarion did not hesitate, he surged forward, both swords making a whirling noise as he swung them
crisscrossing over each other moving toward the beast at an incredible speed. The wolf leapt at Aarion, it's powerful jaw extending open to make its attack. Aarion's swords sliced with ease at the throat of the werewolf and then through his gut, it fell to the ground dead. More wolves begun to take it's place, and Trinny looked on to see Aarion turn from prince to warrior, he moved with such swiftness and strength she almost got lost wanting to watch this man she so longed for protecting her with all he had. Clarity came to her just as suddenly as she had been woken by the fall of the
rain,
she turned her head away and lifted her eyes toward the Ora. Trinny could see there was Stealth now swirling around the Ora; they were attaching themselves to cover the light it was producing, bringing darkness to the fight below. She could see they were working at draining the last of its life so darkness would take over Taeith. Trinny closed her eyes and spoke the words. "Earth!" Earth flew up from every part of the town square that had some type of dirt or rock; it hung in the air around the pond. "Water!" Water shot up from the pond and hovered above Trinny's head and the rain stopped in midair. "Air!" From all four tunnels that lead into the town square a roaring noise was heard, every head from the battle turned momentarily to look toward the sound. A mighty wind blew in through the archways, all those who stood, apart from Trinny, were knocked to the ground. The wind joined on all four sides and took hold of the earth and water and began to swirl like a tornado above Trinny, the Tornado stretched wider and wider as it lifted toward the Ora. Everyone of the dark army arose and ran for the pond, they wanted Trinny and they wanted her dead. 

             
"We have to protect Trinny!" Emma yelled. She and Parisa had made their way to the waters edge while everyone
was mesmerized by the strange happenings. Parisa Leaped up on the wide edged pond and pulled Emma up after her. At the same time Morthos had joined them.

             
"Spread out, we have to keep the dark ones from getting to Trinny!" He cried out. King Toron along with several warriors also leaped up on the pond's lip. Aarion stood close to his father as they started to fend off the approaching enemy. Parisa lashed out at a black Annis with her sword, cutting at it's already stitched up skin, it screamed out at her and slashed at her legs, Parisa jumped just in time to miss the deathly sharp claws, but as she landed the Annis grabbed at her left foot pulling her to the ground beneath the ponds ledge. The hideous creatures face was close to the dazed princess, Parisa could smell its putrid breath, she grasped for her sword, but it laid an arms length from her. The Annis came in for the kill; Parisa closed her eyes and heard a horrendous scream. She knew she had not cried out and she could feet no pain. She opened her eyes to see Garus standing above her, dark red fluid dripping from his sword, his other hand held out to her.

             
"Your highness.” Parisa took hold of Garus hand and he pulled her up. He picked up her sword and handed it to her with a smile. Before she could say a word he had leaped up on the pond's edge to join the other warriors in the battle, he did not catch her admiring gaze. She turned back to the fight, trying to put out of her mind the childhood friend of her brother who had always been a bumbling fool around her. He was soon forgotten as she found herself before a towering grey and white werewolf, she slashed out.