Gaia's Champion Ch. 28

"Yes. I. Can!" Amy replied through gritted teeth, letting the magic go to work.

It rippled and spread through the Dark Nymph, weakening the power that gave her life. Amy fed her own magic into that which came from the wood, giving it what it needed. This piece of wood was more than that; it was the very heart of everything that Felicitae was. The magic within it was what made her a Nymph and gave her a connection to Gaia, as it was with every Nymph that ever lived.

The Nymph's Heart was full of potent magic that would see them through the worst of things. No matter how deep the wound, or crippling the blows, as long as the heart survived, so too would the Nymph. But everything that Felicitae had been, was corrupted and shattered, forcing the heart to shut down and defend itself. Now, with its magic invoked, the heart would cleanse her body, to make way for what needed to happen.

The Dark Nymph wouldn't give up without a fight, though, and fought back with the power it had from the Dark Heart. It pulled from every piece of magic that it had to push back against the Gaian magic. The creature then felt another blow, this one on her back, from another rock hurled by the golem. She growled as her concentration was broken, the magic faltering for a moment.

"Keep fighting, Amy! We've got you!" Sheena cried out as she neared her friend.

Sheena was still shaking off the effects of the Dark Magic, coming out of the stasis trap. With the Dark Nymph fighting against Amy for dominance, it weakened the enchantments she put on everyone, allowing them to break free. Xaera, Darren, Jason, and even the fairies were coming out of the magical chains that bound them. Patrok and Vahlen rushed to Eva, literally flooding the woman with healing magic as they moved.

The rest of the Gaians hurried over, eager to help Amy end this. They lent the woman what magic they could, as they were all still pretty weak from the Dark Nymph's attacks. As much as they were helping their friend out, they could all feel that it wouldn't be enough. Not with the Dark Heart fueling the creature that stood against them. Until Sheena remembered something and called out as loud as she could.

"Father Wolf!! We need you!! Help us end this!!"

At first, nothing happened. There was no answer, no reply to her call, nothing. Sheena opened her mouth to call for them again, but stopped when she saw the mist. It was bluish white and seeped into the grove, covering everyone below the knees. The sadistic glee and confidence the Dark Nymph had wavered, her smile slipping. It vanished altogether once the mist coalesced and took shape in the form of the five Shaman who had given their lives to protect their people.

"It is over, Felicitae. The darkness that has consumed you will hold you no longer. Brothers! Let us end what we began!" Father Wolf commanded.

As one, the remaining Shaman took their places around the duo and started chanting in their native tongue. What they chanted was a spell amplifier made to help their sister Shaman with winning this battle. The tide of magic turned, and the Dark Nymph could feel the power of the Dark Heart diminishing. It slowly receded from the creature's body, pulling its influence back into its core to protect itself.

Fear was etched onto the Dark Nymph's face, as she could feel the Dark Heart lose its hold. The other Gaians joined in on the chant, taking it up to help with ending this conflict. They fed what magic they had to the Shaman leading the chant, knowing they had the best chance of finishing it. It was working as everyone felt themselves get stronger as the Dark Magic that had shrouded them cleared away.

The Dark Nymph, once towering over everyone there, shrank. Each child and animal that the Dark Heart had consumed was being ripped away from it, denying it any hold or power here. Bones, bits of flesh, and hides slid out of her form, making her smaller and smaller. The armor she wore diminished, becoming less fearsome and imposing until there was nothing left but the Nymph's original body.

It was still blackened and corrupted, but that was all changing. The green and vibrant color she had before the Darkness had taken her was coming back, restoring what she was. Amy held on for dear life, keeping her mind focused and letting Felicitae keep control of her. The magic they fed into the Nymph's heart was working, but they could sense the toll it was taking on them.

'Keep that focus, Amy! We nearly have isolated the Dark Heart! Once we do that, we can force it out! We can be free!!' Felicitae exulted.

'They'll need to contain it! We can't have it infect anyone else!!' Amy reminded her.

'Tell them!'

"Everyone! Let Father Wolf and our brothers continue the chant! Start up some containment spells!! We're pulling the Dark Heart out!!" Amy shouted.

"Why not burn it up? Why keep it?!?" Jason argued.

"It's too powerful and needs to be destroyed properly! We need to figure out how to do that first! Not just recklessly throw magic at it!" Amy replied.

"She makes sense! We need to contain it, Jay!" Sheena shouted.

"All right! Pull that thing out of her and we'll get it contained!" he answered, as he stepped back with the rest of them, readying his magic.

"Stay close!! I've almost got it!" Amy gritted, keeping her focus.

The Dark Heart was fighting back, trying not to be pulled from a vessel it had claimed as its own. It was losing, but it had not been making things easy, forcing Felicitae, Amy and the Shaman to fight for every inch they got. Once Amy had placed the Nymph's Heart back to where it belonged, the Dark Heart knew it had lost utterly. Though it tried to fight, it was now being pushed from the body it had no right to inhabit.

"It's coming out! Start them up!!" Amy cried out.

Like how a cyst was unveiled beneath the surface of the skin, so too was the Dark Heart revealed. It pushed aside the Nymph's flesh, seeking its egress, but instead found a trap waiting for it outside. The spells of the Shaman, Druids, fairies and also Xaera formed together in a harmonious song of energy. The Dark Heart tried to burrow back into its host, but could not, as the magic pushing it out was equally powerful.

Vines and living wood came together from the grove, forming a cradle of sorts, but a cradle reinforced with potent magic. Runes inscribed themselves over every inch of the cradle, allowing no chance for the Dark Heart to slip out. It trembled as it knew that what lay ahead would be its prison, and it fought back with its Dark Magic. While potent, for all its power and cunning, the Dark Heart was useless without servants to carry out its will.

It finally fell away from the Nymph's body, landing in the magical cradle with a sickening plop. The ooze that it secreted was barely there, as the sheer, overwhelming might of Gaia's power halted its spread. It sat there in the cradle, barely beating, as the magic that surrounded it crushed its will. While it tried to reach out and affect those around it, the Dark Heart knew that it could not.

Of what remained of the Nymph, Felicitae, fell to the ground, a shattered husk of what she had been. Instead of letting her drop, Amy cradled the Nymph's ravaged body and guided her down. It lay there, gasping for air, fighting to hold onto its life as Amy stayed close. The final remnants of the evil that had overtaken it had been banished and now the Nymph could die in peace.

Wasting no time, the Gaians continued working their magic, weaving more runed vines and living wood. Soon, the cradle became like an egg, the power and magic of Gaia surrounding the Dark Heart, locking it away. The first layer was enough, but they added a second layer, then a third, eventually reach seven layers of interweaved spells. No longer would the Dark Heart reach out and corrupt anyone, as it was now sealed away.

With the Dark Heart sealed, the hold it had over the undead animals and children was finally gone. The bones and bits that held them all together finally rotted away, becoming one with the earth. From the remains, a bluish mist rose, eventually taking the form of the souls of the dead. The animals howled and chittered in joy, while the children cried, elated that they were finally free.

"My children... it is time to come home," an ethereal voice sounded on the air.

"Is that..." Sheena gulped, looking like she was about to cry tears of joy.

"It is!" Phalmina nodded, her face wet with her own tears.

From the ground, as it had happened before, the same mist came up and formed a gateway. The way through was blurry from everyone could see, but this was the way home for the souls of the lost. All the animals went first, racing to the mother goddess that created them all. The children followed soon after, hearing the voices of their parents, siblings and loved ones, beckon them through.

"Father Wolf, it is time," Gaia called out.

"We must stand vigilant! The Darkness is out there, and we must be ready to fight it!" he stated.

"You watch is done, Father Wolf. It is now another's duty to take up your mantle," Gaia told him. He turned and looked at Sheena as a warm, yet sad, smile lit his face.

"Gaia's calling you home," Sheena replied, sad to see her ancestors leave.

"I know. I can feel her pull. It was pleasing to know that my descendants survived to this day. I will miss you all, especially Bert. I have something that you will need to give to him. Come forth," the deceased Shaman told the woman.

Sheena walked up to him, unafraid of what he might do, as he was an ally and a friend. The man raised his hands and chanted a few lines, before ethereal power misted from his hand and settled into Sheena. Father Wolf continued chanting, letting the magic flow from him into her. After another few minutes, it was done, and he dropped his hands, smiling at the woman.

"What was that?"

"A gift that you will hold until you see Bert next. When you do, the spell will take hold and pass what I gave you to him. He will know what it is when he has it," Father Wolf smiled.

"Thank you. I will meet with him soon," Sheena replied as the shaman joined his brothers, walking through the portal.

"Well done, champions. You have restored much of what was lost, but there is more to be done. Other dangers will come for you, and you must be vigilant, for the Darkness, never rests. Trust each other, learn from one another and always remember; you are never alone," Gaia's voice told them as the portal closed.

Everyone there was thunderstruck at this, as no one had heard the voice of the goddess in centuries. They all hit their knees, reacting in different ways. Some cried tears of joy, while others smiled, feeling emboldened by Gaia's words. How they reacted didn't matter, as they knew one important thing. Gaia was watching over them, and they had her faith.

"Is it always... like that?" Jason asked, still coming to terms with what he was told.

"I... don't know. That's the first time I've ever heard her waking voice!" Phalmina admitted.

"Same!" the other fairies agreed, both of them feeling elated that the goddess spoke to them.

One by one, everyone rose to their feet, taking stock of the grove, now that the Darkness was gone. The busted chrysalis, which had thrummed with Dak Magic, was dead and devoid of its power. It sat there, rotting away until it was nothing more than dark motes on the air, which soon became ash. The ground, which had been scoured of anything green, was now just plain dirt under their feet.

Once the rest of the chrysalis was gone, a small burble got their attention, making everyone turn and stare at the source. Where the dark abomination had once lain was now a small fount of water, which was growing by the second. In a few minutes, it had become a small pond sitting in the center of the grove. The Gaians could feel Gaia's touch in the water, feeding magic back into the once corrupted grove.

"Can you all feel it? The return of Gaia's presence?" Amy questioned as she stood near the spot where the chrysalis was.

"I feel it! I feel the... love of all things that grow... take hold here once again!" Jason breathed before he did a double take. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Absorbing what remains of Felicitae. You help and the magic we enacted has purified that which was left behind. She is becoming whole once more," Amy responded, smiling at him.

"Absorbing... what's happening?" Sheena questioned as she saw Nymph magic swirl around the woman.

"I'm sorry, but this needs to be done. It's the only way things can be better for everyone," Amy told them sadly as she walked to the middle of the pool and planted her feet.

"Wha... Amelia..." Eva gasped, seeing her daughter get taller and thicken the longer she stood in the pool. Her skin became coarse, looking almost... bark-like.

"I have to go. Please tell Elizabeth... that I love her," Amy replied as her voice broke over the last syllables.

In a sudden burst of magic, the woman they all knew as Amelia Marston was gone, transforming into a tree in front of their eyes. Everyone there was shocked at what they witnessed, even Patrok and Vahlen. The male Nymphs were amazed at what had happened, never having seen this sort of thing happen before. Even with all the years they had been around, this was a first for them.

"Guys, what the fuck just happened?" Elizabeth called out tentatively over the comms.

"Liz... you should probably get down here. There's... something you need to see," Jason replied. Sheena looked at her man with a question in her eyes and told her, "She's gonna find out sooner or later."

"He's right. I'll get her," Phalmina volunteered as she uncased her wings.

"We'll come too. Luke and Karla should also know," Emalia stated as she and Daelina let their wings out too. Nodding, the three fairies were off, headed to the house to fetch their friends. Jason walked up to the tree reverently, reaching out to touch it, but hesitating to do so.

"What is it?" Sheena asked, looking at her love.

"I... I don't know. It's like there is something telling me to touch the tree, but... something else is telling me it's a bad idea. I don't know. It's weird," Jason admitted.

"Amy? Amy? Where are you?" Elizabeth's voice called out.

"Liz..." Sheena said gently, gesturing the woman over.

"No... no, no, no, no, no! Amy can't be dead!" Elizabeth sobbed hysterically.

"She's not dead!" Patrok told her.

"Then where is she?!?" Elizabeth wailed.

"She became... this."

The Nymph gestured at the tree and Elizabeth went from distraught to utterly confused. Patrok then had the woman sit down and explain what they saw and what happened with Amy. After he was done explaining, Elizabeth meandered over to the tree with tears in her eyes.

"Why did Gaia have to call you?!? Why couldn't you have stayed?" Elizabeth yelled, more than a little upset.

"Liz..." Jason began.

"And you! You had to drag her into this!!! I hate you, you son of a bitch!" Elizabeth screamed at him, just before she lunged at the man, trying to punch him.

Surprised by this, Jason sidestepped her attack and stumbled, falling to the ground. His hands shot out, trying to find something to stabilize himself, and they found the tree. Power laced through the man, opening his mind to a realm he thought beyond possibility. In it, he stood there, facing Amy and she was sitting there, in a meditative pose, with her eyes closed and smiling the whole time.

"Jason? Jason!!" came Phalmina's voice, jarring the man out of this world and back to reality. He shook as he came back, sitting bolt upright, which scared the women standing over him.

"What happened to you?" Patrok asked as he brought his healing magic into being.

"Touch the tree. You'll understand when you do," he told the Nymph. As Patrok did this, his eyes widened, and a look of joy lit up his face. Elizabeth, who was blubbering into her hands while Darren and Eva stood over her, looked up. She caught sight of the Nymph's face and she ceased crying for a moment.

"She lives."

"What?" Elizabeth asked, as confusion once again contorted her features.

"Amy's not dead! She's alive! I don't know how, but she's still alive!" Patrok enthused.

"What?!? How??" Elizabeth queried, hope lighting her face up.

"Touch the tree and you will see what I speak of!" he told her.

Gulping down her fears, Elizabeth walked towards the tree and put her hand to it. Just as it had with Patrok and Jason, the energy from it surged through her, taking the woman to that place of existence where Amy was. Darren and Eva did the same thing, and their eyes lit up with wonder at what they saw. Tears of joy soon spilled from their eyes as they slowly pulled their hands away.

"She's still here... she hasn't left us!" Eva breathed.

"Yes! But... why did this happen?" Elizabeth wondered.

"Patrok? What can you tell us about this?" Darren questioned.

"Very little. Even though I am fairly old, there is much that I didn't see and don't know. I will tell you what I can," he said, as he bade everyone there to sit, as he told them everything he knew.

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At the precinct, the Praetorians had been booked and were just being escorted to a jail cell. While Thermopolous and Sadeghi had enough to charge the bastards with a host of assault charges, they were still leery of these men. Konstantin had seen men this hard before, during his years of service, and they didn't scare easily. He was glad when they were out of sight as the pair went back to their desks.

"I still can't believe... what we saw," Meera breathed.

"I'm having a tough time wrapping my head around it too, but too much of what we learned lines up," the big man stated.

"Yeah! Especially with that one guy getting..." Meera shivered, feeling nothing but pure revulsion at the thought of the wraith.

"At least we know that... thing won't be bringing any more victims to our doorstep," Konstantin stated.

"Yeah! I was worried about that thing going after anyone younger," Meera worried, her thoughts drifting to her daughter.

"Just make sure you get that stone to your little one, then. If it works like our new friends have said it would, then she'll be safer with it around her neck," her lover told her.

"Damn right! Still have a mountain of paperwork to do though before that can happen," she replied.

"Also, we should keep an eye on everyone here," Thermopolous warned in a low voice.

"Why do you say that?"

"These guys we booked, these... Praetorians... they couldn't have known we were cops that easily, or known where to find us and the people we were tracking. Not unless they had help," he told her.

"You think someone on the inside is feeding them information?" Meera gasped, mortified by the thought.

"I think someone, or more than one someone, might be like them," Konstantin responded.

"That some of the guys and girls I know here could be... part of groups like that..." Meera gasped.

"Like I said, we need to be vigilant. We don't know who it could be, but with a little luck and maybe some help from our new friends, we can find out who is and who isn't," Konstantin told her.

"The only questions are, where do we start and who do we start with?"

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Captain Gallagher had been informed of the men that were brought in, and he nearly had a heart attack. The man kept his cool and left his office to see them. He wasn't worried about being outed as a Praetorian himself, but had to be sure that they'd completed their mission before getting collared. He made his way down to where the cells were, and being a captain allowed him to go where he pleased.

The man spoke to the officer minding the cells and asked for all surveillance to be turned off. While the man wasn't one of the order, or even a member of the Sons, he was pliable. He was corrupt and easily did what he was told, especially when money was involved. He told the captain that he'd have a maximum of ten minutes, as the brass were antsy about talking to these men. Billy promised ten minutes was all he'd need and walked through.