Song of the Chapter – Battle Lines by Disciple

"How long does it take two females to prepare for a journey?" Zolen asked, the irritation clear in his tone.

"It takes as long as it takes," Harper answered.

Mumbling, "That is no answer," as he walked away, Zolen shook his head and went to wait on the porch of the retreat house.

Eliana had spent two solid weeks training with Starlight. She was able to gather it and allow it to disperse. As well, her own instincts had shown her how to command it, something Aine was unable to do, therefore unable to instruct. More time and practice would be necessary for the skill to become truly useful, however. Unfortunately, their time was up.

Rumors had reached the retreat house, by way of Watcher patrols, that the dark forces were amassing at their Queen's stronghold. It was a sign of impending attack. The Seers were well versed in gathering Starlight, but not in battle. Zolen and Aine both insisted that Eliana, as well as Harper, return to the Fae lands to be trained in basic combat skills. The knowledge could increase their safety, it was argued. Harper was ready and willing. Eliana was hesitant, never picturing herself as a battle-ready warrior.

"What you had planned is no longer relevant." Zolen had argued. "Here you are, in a land poised for war, with knowledge that no other Ferlish or Fae possess. It is your fate."

There was truth in his words. This was where Eliana had found herself; destiny and fate leading her to the land that no one on Earth suspected even existed. She surrendered her hesitation and agreed to the training.

"I'm as ready as I can be," Eliana told Zolen as she stepped onto the porch. The caretakers had provided them with provisions, and washed their travel attire, which had been soiled on the original journey.

"Are you sure you are ready to return through the pass?" Zolen asked.

A shudder ran through Eliana's body, remembering her time in the pass. She realized, however, that her emotions had more to do with how things with Blaike had changed, and not due to their experiences with the Locelor. Not even the stifling air, thick with age, was as heavy as her memories of that trip.

"No, but return we must. It is the shortest route," she resolved. "And what about you, Zolen? The last time you were set against it."

"The last time I was unaware of the powers you carried," he said with a smirk. While at the refuge, Aine had put the pieces of the necklace back together. The StarStone that Eliana carried was meant to be the centerpiece of the necklace. Together, the metal and stone created a deep power that she would continue to learn how to wield. It would prove to be a way to assist her with controlling the Starlight.

There had not been time to uncover the spot in which Peace was buried, the StarStone that had been hidden in the eternal garden. But Strength, Aine's stone, had been reunited with the necklace. Zolen made care to cover it with the Glabra leaves, both to keep the power from singeing Eliana's skin, and to keep it hidden from others. Aine explained that once the other two stones were returned to the necklace, the strength of the two elements would balance, keeping her skin from damage.

The three bid Aine goodbye, knowing that at some point in the near future they would be meeting up again, and started the journey back to the Fae realm.

"The hike up this side better not be as bad as it was on the other side." Harper complained. Eliana felt the same, remembering the strenuous climb.

"Recall the stepping stones," Zolen reminded them. "It will only be as difficult as ascending stairs."

"Yeah, like four thousand of them." Harper shook her head. "Easy."

"Quite true," Zolen replied seriously. He obviously was not daunted by the image.

They were able to make it to the crest by StarRise, after climbing the stones in agony, setting up camp in the same spot as they previously had. Eliana felt a sense of grief, knowing that the very spot she lay on that night, was exactly the spot where her vision had been first recognized. The very spot where Blaike withdrew from her, putting his duty over his feelings.

After learning more history of the Fall from Aine, Eliana could hardly blame him. It made perfect sense. But that didn't ease the heartache any.

Morning came and their time to reenter the pass had come as well. Knowing what lay before them, and that they could overcome any difficulties, gave them more courage than the first time through. There was something about the unknown that steals the confidence of even a warrior such as Zolen. Having the mystery revealed took away its power over them.

"This place is still creepy," Harper said mid-day, as they continued their walk on the ancient pass.

"Creepy? Does that mean you are afraid?" Zolen asked. "I am unfamiliar with that word."

"Nah, not afraid. But I wouldn't want to build a house here." She replied, causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion.

"Why, of course not. Who would want to do such a thing?"

Harper just shook her head and kept walking. The three pressed through the pass, only stopping to refresh themselves with food or water. They were able to make it to the opening on the back-side of the mountain by the end of the day.

"Your presence must have kept all of the beasts at bay." Zolen remarked to Eliana as they exited the pass. "That Locelor was not interested in another encounter."

"Neither was I." Eliana replied, still feeling a heaviness even as they were out from under the pressure of the pass. In fact, she had been feeling ominous the entire day, not being able to shake the sense of dread that plagued her.

Throughout the journey, Eliana had noticed the feeling getting stronger. She had attributed it simply to being in the pass, but now as they had left the ancient trail, the feeling remained. To her dismay, it was perhaps even stronger. Eliana debated with herself whether or not to mention the sensation to Zolen. However, she hesitated, not wanting to make a big deal out of her emotions. She hadn't completely been herself since Blaike had left, and she didn't trust her feelings to be accurate.

In the end, Eliana decided to keep the feelings to herself. As they made camp that night, still at the peak of the mountain, she made the effort to engage in the careless banter that Harper had with Zolen.

"How fast do you think we can get down the hill tomorrow?" Harper asked.

"Oh, speed would be your enemy. Have you never hiked down a steep hill?" Zolen said.

"Duh, of course."

"Then you should know that care is best. We must walk at an angle, alternating from left to right in order to keep from rolling down the hill like a cannon."

"Bah, you're no fun." Harper waved him away with her hand, dismissing his instruction.

"It's probably a good idea, Harper. Remember how steep it was coming up?" Eliana reminded her.

"We'll see. Anyway, one more night on the road and then we can spend time at the Fae realm learning battle strategies." Harper rubbed her hands together in a maniacal way.

"You look like a cartoon villain." Eliana laughed. "You just need one of those skinny mustaches!"

Harper gave her an evil smirk. "I'm the anti-villain. The villains will fear me."

"No more than they fear a bunny rabbit." Eliana laughed again. She felt lighter than she had in a while. But the night was getting late. "We should get some sleep, that way we can get started early tomorrow."

"Quite observant. Yes, let us retire for the night." Zolen agreed.

"Meh, I guess so. I'm not that tired for some reason, though." Harper shrugged.

"Just lay on your mat and close your eyes, sleep will come," Zolen said.

"Okay, Dad. Thanks for the advice." Harper replied.

Eliana just shook her head. One day those two would finally admit they were infatuated with each other. The thought made her a little sad, knowing that no such day was in her future. Blaike would never admit more than he already had.

***

The sun rose before they knew it, and with it the last leg of their journey began. Eliana's dreams had been full of dark eyes, silver starlight and the clash of metal in her ears. She woke with the same ominous sense she had carried throughout the pass, causing her to worry about what lay ahead.

The group packed up after eating malon bread and berries, along with steaming Ferlish tea. Zolen kept the lead position as they started down the hill, finding the best route down. As he had suggested the night before, they walked down the hill at an angle, and would alternate from the left to the right. This created a zig-zag pattern down the hill which also reduced the degree of the decline they had to navigate.

He had also instructed them to walk with their feet sideways, as opposed to straight in front of them. This slowed their pace and gave a greater traction on the ground. Harper walked just behind Zolen, teasing him about his stance, his hair, his bag; anything she could find to joke about. Eliana stayed in the back, keeping pace with the others, but also scanning the surrounding lands.

She had confidence that Zolen was watching the land ahead for signs of danger, but the overwhelming sense of dread was beginning to make her sweat with worry.

Something terrible was about to happen. Eliana felt over exposed on the side of the mountain, the treeline still quite a stretch in front of them. It would take at least another hour before they would have covering.

"Zolen, we are vulnerable out here. Shouldn't we hurry?" she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

Zolen stopped and scanned the horizon. "Yes, we are. But there is no cause for worry. Dark forces do not patrol these parts."

"Things have changed, which is why we are heading back. We should be cautious."

"Quite true. We shall quicken our pace. Just keep your steps steady, a tumble would not treat you well." He warned.

They moved quicker in their zig-zag, but Zolen shortened the length of each pass, which also brought them lower faster. They reached the treeline and the protection of its cover. As they stepped further into the woods, however, Eliana's feeling of impending doom doubled. Eliana realized she needed to speak up and give Zolen a warning about her sense. It no longer mattered how illogical or emotional she sounded. The feeling was too strong to ignore. She could no longer keep things to herself.

"Something is wrong," she stated quietly. Zolen turned to her.

"What is it? Have you seen something?"

"No, but I sense something. I have all day and its only gotten worse." She looked up at him with the panic full in her gaze. It would happen soon.

"How do you-" Zolen said as he continued to walk forward on their path, but stopped mid sentence, frozen in place. He brought his index finger up to his mouth, indicating to the women to keep quite. Harper hadn't said anything throughout the exchange, staying in the background of the decisions as she typically did when odd Ferlish things occurred.

Both Zolen and Eliana scanned the area but saw nothing. He looked up in the trees for any sign of trouble, but none was found. They slowly and quietly made their way deeper into the woods, Zolen having unsheathed his sword and holding it aloft. He was ready to defend their safety as they moved through the trees.

Without warning, two masked figures in dark clothing appeared, having been cloaked by some form of power. Each held a long sword, one pointing his at Zolen, and the other at Eliana.

"Quite convenient for you to come right to us." The one holding Zolen at bay said.

"I am sure it was. You lot do not have much tracking skill." Zolen replied. Eliana could have sworn she heard a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

He had pointed his sword toward the ground, appearing to submit to their dominance. Something about his stance, however, gave Eliana a different impression. Zolen was about to fight back. Could he take on two attackers alone? Eliana had no way to help him.

"Let us allow the females to go. They are nothing to you," Zolen said as he twisted and turned his body, making slow movements so that he faced both Harper and Eliana.

"Not this one. We have orders," said the one pointing his sword at Eliana. He seemed the smaller of the two men, standing just inches taller than Eliana. Their black clothing was very similar to what Blaike had been wearing when they first encountered him at the cave passage, except for the color. These were watchers.

Fallen watchers, loyal to the dark Queen. And they had been given orders to capture Eliana. Fantastic, she was a wanted woman now. She looked up to find Zolen staring right at her, making eye contact with vengeance in his gaze.

Their eyes were locked in silent communication, then his eyes drifted down and landed on her neck. The necklace. He was telling her to use the strength stone against the dark watchers. But she was still unable to control its power on her own, without the other two StarStones.

His eyes came back up to hers, and the look he gave her left her breathless. It was their only chance. Eliana swallowed hard, steeling herself for what was about to occur. Zolen refocused his attention on their two assailants, not changing his stance. The muscles and tendons in his hand, however, tensed around the hilt of his sword. Eliana took a deep breath and looked to the larger of the two masked men.

"Who is asking to see me?" she asked, attempting to give her voice strength and authority. Both men looked at her with a sneer on their faces, but it was the smaller of the two who answered.

"Her majesty, Queen of the Ferlands, Claec the Dark," he said with reverence. Claec? It was the first time Eliana had heard that name, but something about it set her heart racing. It felt familiar, in a similar way that the land itself had been familiar when she first arrived. At the same time, there was an instinctual fear running through her.

"What is her business with me?" Eliana went on to ask, knowing she was pushing her luck, and their patience, but also scheming to take them off guard. She was not confident enough to attempt using the stone.

"My dear, that is what you will discover when you make her acquaintance." The larger one replied.

"Oh, that won't happen anytime soon." Harper spoke up, causing the two men to look over at her as if they had just realized there was a third person in their party. It was just the distraction Zolen needed as he grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and brought it up, enough force used to knock the sword from the man guarding him. The sword flew behind them, causing the dark watcher to follow its path. Zolen didn't hesitate as he pressed his blade forward, puncturing the watcher's arm enough to bring him to his knees. Zolen swiftly twisted at the torso, crashing his sword right into the oncoming attack of the other dark watcher.

Just then, three more dark watchers uncloaked as they were running to their comrades' rescue. Eliana knew there was no way Zolen would be able to fight them off, but he did not relent. One of the new enemies had restrained Harper, dragging her away from the battle.  Two now surrounded Zolen and Eliana apiece. It was time to risk the stones, she conceded. Her hand came up to touch the Glabra leaves, meaning to spark some sort of action in the stone. But the sword of her captor stopped her short.

"Do not move. It will not be good for your health." He smirked, giving the others a good laugh.

"You should really take your own advice." A voice coming from the trees spoke aloud. It was a voice Eliana knew quite well, and hearing it under those circumstances was an immense relief.

Not 20 yards away, a handful of Watchers, led by Blaike, ran towards them. Swords were drawn in what seemed a carefully choreographed dance. To Eliana, it felt like all sound went away, silence meeting her ears, as her eyes observed the beauty of their movements. It was really Blaike, however, whose skill she watched. He was indeed made for the battlefield.

One of the attackers made his way toward Blaike, running directly into his path. Without flinching, Blaike brought his sword up and across, meeting the oncoming strike with a loud blow. The dark battle continued, each attempt at rendering Blaike incapacitated met with equal force. Blaike stepped right, turning slightly as he did and slicing through the air in a smooth cut. It was at just the right angle and force to knock his opponent backwards. The grip on Eliana's arm tightened as her assailant watched Blaike overtake the man with brute force, landing a final deathblow before continuing in his quest.

His sword encountered several others, cutting a path directly towards Eliana and Zolen. The four dark watchers were fierce in their attempt to keep the upper hand. However, it was quite apparent that they were outmanned as Blaike himself knocked one sword after another out of the hands of his enemy. Quicker then they could retrieve their lost weapons, they were surrounded by the rest of Blaike's men. Surrender was their only choice, and it had taken only minutes to come to that. Eliana wondered to herself, What now?

Blaike looked over at Eliana as he drew near, checking her over from head to toe for any sign of injury.

"I'm alright." She reassured him.

"My life if you were not," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Eliana asked.

"It is my sworn duty to protect you, all Seer's. There hasn't been a Seer death from unnatural causes in generations, you shall not be the first."

Her heart fell at his confession. Professional duty, that was all it was now. Eliana nodded and turned her head to seek Harper. To her dismay, Harper was nowhere to be seen.

"Did you free her, too?" Eliana asked in a panic. In her fascination at Blaike's skill, she had lost track of her friend's condition.

"Do you mean Harper?" Blaike asked, receiving a nod of affirmation, "Zolen did. They are...somewhere." His voice trailed off on the last word as he began to look around for the missing pair.

"Oh." Eliana felt a pang of jealously. A harrowing situation would most likely bring their feelings to the surface. She knew this all too well.

Blaike gave her a long look, as if trying to read her thoughts. He took a step closer to her, causing her breathing to become erratic. After several weeks apart, his presence still had the same effect on her, to her disappointment. Eliana just wished her feelings would not continue to be so strong.

"How has the training gone?" Blaike finally asked, his equivalent of nice weather we're having.

"Well, but there is only so much that Aine can teach me. She doesn't know how to use the stones."

Blaikes forehead creased, "What do you mean? Is she not the head Seer? She should have all of the knowledge necessary to-"

His wonderings were cut off by the loud voices of Zolen and Harper, arguing.

"Looks like things are just as I left them." He commented.

Ironically he was right, for more than one circumstance. "How observant of you." Eliana replied as she took large strides to walk toward her friend, and away from the source of her current distress.

〰🖤〰

She's not too happy with Blaike right now, is she? I think her emotions are going to fluctuate for a while. Neither position can be easy. But only time will tell.

Thank you so much for continuing along the journey with me! Some of my favorite parts are still to come!

I chose Battle Lines for two reasons. First, the song sounds like battle to me, fast and intense.
The battle scene I wrote only had a small element of that intensity. Second, the song talks about the lines having been "drawn since the beginning." It's a fight between good and evil, light and dark.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]