New Life in a New World Ch. 05

"About last night," Lydia said sheepishly, "I'm really sorry about the threats I made toward you."

The dragoness smiled back, "I understand...but I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

The half-lycan turned her gaze to the necromancer, "I'll just be glad when she's gone."

"And if John says differently?"

"She's not staying!" she snapped back, her anger starting to come back.

Sasha quickly threw up her hands, signaling that she meant no offense. The wolf girl sighed deeply, burying her face in her hands. They walked silently for a few more minutes before Lydia turned back to her companion.

"I'm sorry," her voice sincere, "I've just been having difficulty controlling my anger recently."

"It's alright dear, I understand that lycans are naturally protective of their mates," the dragoness giggled slightly. "Believe me, your father was like that around me before he met your mother."

Lydia nearly stopped in her tracks at her words. Her thoughts immediately went back to the cave, where the demon forced her to witness images of her mother being murdered. Images that the demon claimed to be directly from her memories. Her father had told her that her mother died from an illness. Judging by Sasha's reaction back in the tavern, she started to believe that her father's explanation was not entirely accurate. She finally turned to the dragoness, realizing that the truth could be standing right next to her.

"How did my mother really die," Lydia asked.

Sasha paused for a moment, "I really think that's something you should discuss with your father."

"Please," the half-lycan implored, "I have to know."

The dragoness took a minute to think. She had promised Radulf a long time ago that she would not tell Lydia what actually happened to her mother, even if she didn't understand his reasoning. But she respected his decision, hoping that one day he would tell the half-lycan the truth. Obviously he had not. Something bothered the wolf girl when Sasha mentioned Anara. She wanted to know what; but in order to find out, she would have to break an old promise. But she now no longer saw Lydia as Radulf's daughter, but as a friend and companion and she owed it to her.

"On the night of the uprising, your father sent a messenger for me," Sasha explained. "I was to wait for your mother at the exit to the secret tunnel under the palace, deep in the forest. So I waited, listening to the muffled commotion in the village. But she never showed up. It was only after I went into the palace to investigate that I learned the truth."

The dragoness took a deep breath, "Your mother was murdered. Killed by a palace guard who betrayed her and your father."

Lydia's face froze, her eyes locked open. She was stunned by the dragoness' revelation. However, what shocked her was not the fact her mother was murdered but how Sasha's explanation matched up with the visions given to her by the demon. But the question also remained, why was she never told this before? The wolf girl nearly jumped when she felt the dragoness wrap an arm around her shoulder, a friendly embrace.

"W...Why didn't my father tell me the truth?" the half-lycan asked, still trying to process the information given to her.

"Your father didn't want you growing up resenting your own kind. He already knew that you would have a difficult life growing up a half-breed, knowing the truth would have only made things worse. At least, in his opinion."

"When I was in the caves searching for John, I battled with a demon," Lydia said. "He pushed images into my head of my mother on the night she was killed, claiming to be from my own memories. Everything you told me, about how she was murdered, is exactly like the events shown to me."

The dragoness' eyes opened wide in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"But there was one difference," Lydia continued, "It was Ulfric; not the palace guard that killed my mother."

"But it was Ulfric who tried to save your mother and killed her assassin."

The wolf girl's jaw nearly dropped right there. "In my vision, Ulfric made it look like it was the guard who was at fault!"

Sasha raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting what she was hearing. "Ulfric is an asshole, yes. But he is not a traitor."

"I'm telling you I saw him kill her!"

"Lydia, I'm not saying I don't believe you," the dragoness said empathetically. "But what you have to keep in mind is that this demon showed you what he wanted you to see. While he may have pulled those images from your memories, he could have easily altered them to hurt you further."

The wolf girl stared at the ground and allowed herself to become lost in her thoughts. She replayed the scene, now engraved into her mind. Everything that was shown to her was backed up by Sasha's account of the events. Her father lied to her, no, simply hid the truth. But for what, she didn't feel any more resentful toward her people. One man was responsible for her mother's death, but was it truly Ulfric? Her intuition said it was him, Sasha says otherwise. Who was she to trust? Either way, She now had the strong urge to get home as soon as possible.

The trail began a steep incline up a large hill, the path zigzagging its way up. The trees still think, it was hard for them to tell just high up they were. The group snaked their way through the trees and up the steep incline. Their legs, already feeling the burn from the long trek, ached even further. As they began to near the top of the hill, the trees began to thin out. A mountain still towered over them, lighted by the fading sunlight.

Lydia came to realize that the dragoness' arm was still hugging her as they walked. She didn't mind being in her embrace, she found it rather comforting. However, it felt more than simply a friendly arm draped around her shoulder. It seemed almost motherly. She thought back to their conversations where her father was mentioned. Whenever Radulf was mentioned; Sasha seemed to get a bit more tense, a little distracted.

"Just how long have you known my father?" Lydia asked.

The dragoness giggled slightly, "Ever since he was a pup. His father, your grandfather, asked me to watch over him and keep him out of trouble. I watched him grow up and turn into the great man he is today." Sasha seemed to gaze off into the sky, "We spent a lot of time together."

The half-lycan raised an eyebrow, "Did you love him?"

Sasha's gaze quickly snapped back to the wolf girl, completely caught off guard with the question. She then looked forward nervously, clearly trying to avoid the question, "I think we've arrived."

Lydia turned her gaze up ahead and followed the path the rest of the way up the hill. At the end of the path sat a one level, medium sized cottage. Dark brown wood planks made up the sides. A wooden shingled roof protected it from the heavy snowfalls in the winter. A covered porch kept the front shaded, a table and a pair of chairs sat out front. The cottage itself sat in a clearing. From behind the cottage and surrounding it was the edge of the forest, about fifty feet of open grass separated the house from the tree line. On the other side was a steep, grassy embankment. While they couldn't see the bottom, they had to guess it was about a twenty or so foot drop. They could hear the gentle trickle of a creek hidden just out of sight at the bottom of the embankment. Looking up from the clearing stood a mighty snowcapped mountain, seemingly watching over the small cottage at its base.

As the group approached the house, a woman stepped out and onto the porch as if expecting them. She was middle aged, probably in her early to mid-forties. But however old she was, her age was masked very well by her beauty. The woman had long, fiery red hair that flowed past her shoulders and extended to her lower back. She wore a strapless dress that left her flawless shoulders bare. The top of her dress was a red bodice, with gold laces down the sides that held it tightly in place. The bodice proudly showing the tops of her large breasts. At the bottom was a long, flowing skirt; red on the front and black fabric along the sides. Even Sasha and Lydia were slightly intimidated by her elegance.

But the necromancer was intimidated for a different reason. Sirenia stopped and signaled for everyone to hold up as well. Both Sasha and Lydia stopped and looked at each other confusingly. They had assumed that this woman was a friend of Sirenia's, so why did she seem so worried? The necromancer whispered into John's ear, instructing him to hold his ground no matter what. She honestly didn't know how well her commands would prevent him from charging in if she was in any danger, but it would have to do. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she walked toward the woman on the porch.

For the last few years, Sirenia had been dreading this moment. She swore that they would never see or speak to each other again. Ever since that fateful day, she had been on the run. The whole time she never once thought about turning to this woman for help. Hell, she may have even sent some of them men who tried to kill her over the years. But now, here she was. The only person who could help save the man she cared about was the only woman she hated more than the half-lycan who was going to steal John away when this was through. But she had to do this, she owed it to him.

Sirenia stopped and bowed respectfully, "Teacher..."

"You have no right to call me that!" the other woman shouted angrily as she stomped her foot.

"Mira," the necromancer replied with a heavy sigh.

The half-lycan and the dragoness both looked at each other confused. Teacher? Just who was this woman? More importantly, why was Sirenia so apprehensive around her? Not even after her fights with Lydia did the necromancer seem this uncomfortable. But it was clear that there was some bad blood between them.

"Mira," the necromancer continued, "I need the purgatory retrieval spell for....."

"Let me get this straight," Mira interrupted, her annoyance clear, "After everything that happened, after storming out and being gone for six years; you have the gall to come back and demand a favor?"

"Of course not," Sirenia replied, trying to keep calm but a hint of frustration slipping from her voice. "I have merely come to ask that you help my friend."

The necromancer motioned over to where John was standing, a blank expression on his face. Mira leaned to the side slightly to look past her former student with a confused expression. She studied the young man for a moment, thinking how odd it was that he just stood there, emotionless. Her eyes looked on further to see a wolf girl and a dragoness standing slightly behind the young man, awkwardly looking to the ground as if trying to stay out of the argument.

Mira raised an eyebrow as she looked toward Sirenia, "I don't see what's wrong with him or why you need...."

It suddenly hit her; the lack of emotion on John's face, the fact that her former student came back all these years and wanted the purgatory retrieval spell. A new surge of anger rushed through her. Sirenia knew better than this!

"Oh you stupid girl!" the woman chided her as if she were a child, "You created a fake soul for him, didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"So not only have you proved that, once again, you're a failure of a student; but have also perverted the art of necromancy!"

The dragoness took a step forward, "I think it's pretty damn impressive what she did."

Mira quickly looked to Sasha, "I have no idea how you got involved with this embarrassment here, but let me give you a little history on her. I found her at a young age, parentless, and feebly trying to revive dead animals. So I took her in, raised her as if she were my own daughter, and tried to teach her almost everything I knew about necromancy. But then several years ago, she insisted that necromancy should be used in battle. When I refused, she turned her back on everything I taught her and left to become a mercenary. A spellcaster for hire."

"Because you wouldn't let me expand on my abilities!" Sirenia shouted back. "You kept me restrained, forced me to hold back my true power. What other choice did I have?"

"You still don't understand do you?" Mira retorted, sounding disgusted. "The purpose of us necromancers is to better understand the bond between the body and soul. We're scholars, not soldiers."

Lydia really wanted to enjoy the sight of her rival being talked down to like a disobedient child. The woman who she despised looking so weak when compared to the older, more experienced necromancer. But she needed Sirenia, as much as she hated to admit it. The woman she hated was the key to bringing John back.

"I'm not here to argue about the past!" Sirenia replied, "This is about my friend here, I need your help....please."

Mira's face stiffened for a moment as she took another look at the young soldier before turning her gaze back to the younger necromancer. "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do for him."

"But..."

"It's impossible to bring a soul back from purgatory and you know that! Maybe you should have used that tiny brain in your head before you doomed him to an afterlife of nothingness." The older necromancer turned to head back into the house. "I have no sympathy for you, but I feel sorry for the poor young man you betrayed."

"That's a lie!" Sirenia screamed, "I saw your journals, I know you've performed the spell yourself to revive your husband!"

Mira froze as she was about to enter the house. She turned to face the group, her face enraged. Her eyes full of hatred staring directly at her former student, wishing her glare alone would kill the arrogant girl. Her fists clenched as she dug her nails into her palms.

"Get off my land," she growled, "All of you."

The young necromancer charged forward, making her way towards Mira, "I'm not leaving until..."

Her words were cut short at a whistling noise screeching through the air. A flash of something coming out of the trees. Suddenly, an arrow landed directly at Sirenia's feet. The three girls turned their eyes to the trees where a figure hopped out of the branches. It was an elf! He was very young, probably no more than eighteen. His long, flawless blonde hair extending just below his shoulders. Standing just shorter than John, he was thin; a body built for speed and agility. He wore a brown, leather vest over his forest green undershirt. The hem of his brown pants tucked into thick knee-high boots. A dark green cloak hung off his shoulders and mostly covered his outfit. Earthy brown gloves extended well past his wrists.

His stance aggressive; the young elf aimed his bow, his arrow drawn directly at Sirenia. She eyed over the elf as he held his ground, ready to attack at any moment. The necromancer noticed a short, one handed sword on his belt. The quiver holding the arrows was strapped to his thigh, much in the same way John would have his pistol holstered. He was an elven ranger, looking fresh out of the military academy.

"One more step and the next arrow's for you," the elf warned.

Sirenia raised an eyebrow as she looked to her former teacher, "New student of yours?"

"No," Mira smirked, "New bodyguard."

"My name is Faelar," the elf said, "Sent by the Elven High Council to protect Lady Mira from any harm."

"Listen kid," Sirenia scoffed, "My business with her does not involve you."

Faelar drew his bow even tighter, his face stern. Lydia drew her own bow and aimed it at the elf. But he kept the arrow targeted at the younger necromancer. However, his eyes shifted towards the wolf girl making it clear that it would not take much effort to target her should she try to attack. "As long as I'm responsible for her protection, it does concern me."

There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence during the tense standoff before Sasha had enough and spoke up. "Mira please, you have to understand that the fate of our world rests with this man. He is out last hope for survival against the ultimate evil."

Mira raised an eyebrow as she looked to the dragoness, "You're the Lady of the Mountain?"

"Yes, and the man we must save is the one who can defeat Solomon."

"You dragons think you're so wise because you can outlive us," Mira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "But you fail to see what is clearly in front of you. Solomon is a full fledged demon, bred from the pits of hell. He was the right-hand man to Lucifer himself. Don't you see? Our world was doomed the moment he was exiled here."

"Solomon can be defeated," the dragoness rebutted, "And John will defeat him."

"How?" Mira challenged, "How could he possibly defeat him when his soul is already in great peril?"

"Because I believe in him."

"Then you are a fool!"

Lydia's frustrated scream finally gained everyone's attention. "ENOUGH! I don't care if you don't believe the prophecy or if you still feel betrayed by your former student. I need him back!"

The older necromancer cocked her head to the side as she turned to the wolf-girl, "And why would a lycan...excuse me...half-lycan need one particular human?"

"Because..." Lydia choked for a moment as tears welled up in her eyes, "...I love him!"

"You...love him?" Mira replied, somewhat befuddled as she looked at John. "This man? You seriously love him?"

Lydia nodded, "I love the man whose soul is trapped. I love the man who truly made me feel like a woman. I love the man who sacrificed himself to save me, and I'm not ready to let him go."

Mira watched as the half-lycan lowered her bow and placed the arrow back in the quiver. With the palms of her hands open, she attempted to move closer to the older necromancer, only to stop when she heard the bowstring on the elf's bow tighten. The older woman could see the tears freely flowing down the beautiful wolf girl's cheeks. Memories flooded her own mind as she remembered the feeling of being in love...and the desire to do anything to save the person you cannot live without. She felt sorry for the young woman, something she had not felt in a long while.

"Please...." Lydia breathed.

Mira took a deep sigh as her expression softened, "You can stand down Faelar, they may be allowed inside."

The young elf hesitated for a moment, but eventually lowered his arrow and nodded to the older necromancer. The half-lycan bowed respectfully as Mira ushered the group inside. Lydia being the first to enter, followed by Sirenia with John and Sasha close behind.

"Thank you," Sirenia whispered to her former teacher as she passed by.

"I'm not doing this for you," Mira growled silently before nodding over to the wolf girl, "I'm doing this for her."

"Alright," the younger necromancer replied taking a deep breath, "I promise that after this you will never see or hear from me again."

As soon as John walked through the door, Mira's hand shot out and clasped his forehead. After whispering a few quick words, his eyes suddenly rolled up and he fell to the floor. The older necromancer managed to catch him in her arms. "Faelar, help me get him to the bed."

"What are you doing?" Lydia shrieked as she saw his body go limp.

The older necromancer didn't say anything at first. She and the young elf carried the soldier's limp body to the bed. "Don't worry, I've only put him under. He's still alive...if you even want to call it that. The fake soul was hanging on by mere thread."

The half-lycan glared accusingly at Sirenia, the necromancer simply looked down at the floor. Mira grabbed some tea leaves out of a jar as she started boiling a pot of water on the fireplace stove. Placing the leaves and hot water in a cup, she let it steep for a few minutes. A sweet, honey-like aroma began to fill the small cabin. Mira soon walked over to the bed and knelt beside John. Holding his head up with one hand, she carefully poured the liquid into his mouth; tilting his head back with each pour to help him swallow. Everyone sat in silence as Mira begun her work.