Chapter track: Confident by Demi Lovato

Bedrieël laughed as the army of The Sands marched out the gates.

“That’s what you intend to use and stop me? I am a god!” The demon laughed, his orbs of light glowing brighter.

“You are no god, Bedrieël. The power you claim isn't yours! There is only one God.” Eliza stood in all her glory. The light from her sun was fierce but precise. It didn’t scorch anyone; it was just a reminder of who controlled what around here.

Eliza spoke again, this time not only addressing the army that sided with her but both armies.

“People of the Sands! I beg you, fight for godliness; fight on the right side! And spare me the pain of having to shed the blood of my people!" Eliza begged her people. But the army of Bedrieël stood strong.

They were not ready to move, nor were they going to side with Eliza. They had made their choice, and they would rather die. Pariah stood on the balcony with Eliza.

“They have made their choice, Eliza; there’s nothing you can do. It is painful, but you weren't made queen so you could make the easy decisions; you were made queen so you would make the hard and crushing decisions. They have made theirs; now it’s time you made yours." Pariah rested her palm on Eliza’s shoulders.

The young queen had tears in her eyes. It was hard enough that her people didn’t support her, but now she had to fight them and kill them! It was torture to her heart. Fighting the same people she promised to protect just because they were blinded by lies and deceit. Eliza took a deep breath and spoke.

“Since you have chosen your side and decided to stand with what and who you believe, I respect that, but I would not have you drag my kingdom into deceit and worship of a false god!” Eliza was ready; if it meant that she had to fight her people to protect those that stood for the right thing, then she would be more than ready to do that.

“We are headed to war, Pariah. You made a promise to me when I accepted this crown. I hope you plan to keep to it.” Eliza looked into Pariah’s eyes. She was searching for an answer in them, searching for hope in those black orbs.

“I intend to keep it till the day I die.” Pariah smiled.

“Then we go to war!” Eliza rushed down to meet her army.

The skies darkened, thunder rumbled, and the sands began to stir. It was time for war. A war that would decide the fate of The Sands, if it would spend the rest of its years in corruption or the government of The Sands would be brought to light. Eliza stood at the front of her army, golden armor, battle spear in hand, and her sun before her. Pariah was decked in armor too, standing to the left of her queen, and Jabarl stood to the right of Eliza.

“What better place to lead a war than from the front of it?" Eliza smiled at Pariah.

“From the Sands and for the Sands.” Pariah whispered. That was the cue. Eliza raised her spear, and her army advanced to battle.

The sky was filled with blood in no second. The armies had clashed, and people were dead in just a split second. And as Eliza stood there, in the middle of it all, war spear severing her people and their blood dripping down her hands, she knew that her journey was a painful one.

Bedrieël hovered above the battle, smiling and relishing the bloodshed. Eliza looked up; she was angry, but she wasn’t going to allow people motivated by deceit to drag her kingdom to the dust and do nothing about it.

The sound of clashing metal and dying gasps filled Eliza’s ear; she could feel the pain as each member of her kingdom gave up the ghost.

“Tell the army to retreat; I’m going to go head-on with the demon!” Eliza spoke to Jabarl.

Jabarl raised his war scythe, and the army retreated. Eliza stood in the middle of the field, and she began to glow, the sun becoming more intense, and she directed the rays at Bedrieël, not giving the demon a chance to fire back.

Once the smoke cleared, Bedrieël still stood, but he was bloodied and broken. The demon licked the blood off his forehead with his snake-ish tongue, his bones sticking out of his body.

“That was a very interesting shot. I guess this is going to be an interesting struggle.” The demon smiled, pushing his bones back into his body and smiling even wider.

Pariah was sickened by the sight. The Sands truly needed to be cleansed.