Chapter 93 – Soul of the Land.

“Where are we?” Crystal asked as she came to consciousness. Something didn’t feel right.

“That is a very good question,” Rachael mumbled from against her back, her pleasant warmth fading as she sat up.

Crystal sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around them. While she wasn’t quite sure how they ended up here, the events from the tail end of the day a little fuzzy, she did recognize the room. It was the one in the palace that they had slept the last time that they had been here, looking just the same as it had then, right down to the mix of daffodils and roses on the nightstand, and the lavender blankets on the bed that were slightly crumpled at the end. Everything was exactly the same as she recalled. Exactly. More importantly though, the two cat-foxes were missing, and while she could feel Spectre’s bond, she could not see him or sense his location at all. Nor was he responding to her thoughts. They were close, yet at the same time, not at all.

“This is the room that I brought us too,” Rachael confirmed, “but I could have sworn that the blankets were a deep green this time around.”

“That’s right. You shifted us here, didn’t you?” Crystal asked, Rachael’s use of the array finally becoming clear in her mind. She really had been too tired to notice anything at all. At least they were both still dressed, in the clothes that they had been exploring the city in. “Perhaps Bareth arranged to have the blankets changed since we left him behind?”

“Heh.” Rachael shifted herself and laid her head in Crystal’s lap. “If he even worked out where we went. We did just leave him in the middle of the town with those other riders. I’m sure he’ll be fine, but we should probably apologise to the queen later.”

Crystal peered around the room again. Something in the atmosphere had changed when Rachael had said those last words, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Yeah, that we should,” Crystal said carefully, noting that nothing seemed to react to her words. There was no doubt that they were being monitored, by something other than the ancients that they had connections to.

“You felt it too.” Rachael sighed, sitting up on the bed. “Not even a moment to rest.”

‘-This is an interesting development.-’

Crystal was a little surprised. That was Velvet’s voice, in her mind, just like when she had talked to them previously. But it felt even more like an ancients voice now, not less, even though they had helped ‘return’ her.

‘-It’s complicated. Or perhaps not, depending on how you are looking at it. But, as I said before, we have a lot more in common than you realise, especially now. Both of you.-’

“Umm. Okay.” Crystal wasn’t sure exactly what Velvet was referring to. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

‘-It has a similar feeling to the shadow realm, but much weaker. I have my suspicions, but you’ll need to confirm it for yourself. Least to say that your ‘real’ bodies are still exactly where Rachael shifted you both, and perfectly safe. Also I doubt either of you would have any issues forcing yourselves awake from here if the need arose.-’

That was reassuring at least.

‘-I’ll try and keep an eye on things while you are here.-’

“Are you always watching us?” Crystal queried. She knew that Warrior always seemed to have her eye on them, something that she didn’t really think about too much. It kind of seemed natural, given what Warrior was, and the connection that they shared.

‘-No. It’s not me. You two are more than capable as it is, and I’m pretty sure you have enough eyes on you already. But, I do get a feeling as to certain things, as in this case when I felt your summons.-’

Something suddenly made sense. “Is that why I was suddenly tired.” Crystal recalled that pretty clearly.

There was a pause before Velvet answered. ‘-Not sure. Dragon’s not being overly helpful at the moment. Gut feel is that it probably was involved though.-’

Ah well. Crystal just hoped that whatever was occurring here wasn’t a regular occurrence. Her awareness had been pretty shot once the tiredness had hit, and if she hadn’t been with Rachael who knew what could have happened. Not that she would be without her soulmate of course, but it still could be problematic.

“Time’s a wasting,” Rachael stated as she slid off the bed, flattening out the creases in her dress. “Let’s go have a look.”

“On second thoughts,” she added, pausing as she concentrated, a warm glow enveloping her as the dress was replaced by an outfit very similar to what Crystal was wearing, albeit with slightly different colours. Just like what she’d seen Velvet do in the shadow realm when she had been summoned there that time. “Much easier to do here,” Rachael said with a nod.

Crystal stared for a moment unashamedly, her face getting hot. “It looks good on you,” Crystal said, though her face and their bond would be giving away the rest of her thoughts.

Rachael laughed, and gave her a seductive grin. “It’s a promise. When we wake up.”

That just made Crystal blush even harder, eliciting more laughter from her soulmate.

“At times you can still be so innocent. And at others...” Rachael grinned again, her eyes sparkling, as she reached out and grabbed Crystals hand. “Come on, lets go see what whoever wants.”

---

Just like the bedroom, the rest of the palace was exactly as Crystal remembered. Exactly. Though it wasn’t as much of a surprise now that they knew that they were in some kind of dream world. It also became pretty obvious that its source was her memories, as the only areas that existed were those that she had been to, and their state reflected when she had last seen or been there. Those places that she hadn’t, even if Rachael had, were either sealed behind locked doors, or in the one instance that they managed to bypass the door, by brute force due to curiosity, was just a wall of mist. They both clearly felt the displeasure of the owner of the domain at the damage done, the change in the atmosphere identifiable as such, and quickly decided against doing that again. They were going to have to find and face it, and needlessly antagonizing it could end up being detrimental. Even if she did feel a bit violated about its use of her memories.

They found it exactly where they thought they would too, a lady sitting on the throne of the throne room, keen eyes watching them as they approached. The throne room was different from the rest of the palace, no longer just a reflection of her memories. It showed signs of wear, cracks running through the throne and spreading out along the floor, the tapestries on the walls, showing unfamiliar scenes, weathered and torn. The mild stench of decay hung in the air, and everything seemed just a little bit darker than it should be. In stark contrast was the lady. She was rather stunning, fiery red hair flowing down her back, her curvy figure dressed in a rather expensive looking red velvet dress, fingers adorned with multiple rings and just as many pendants hanging around her neck. Her lips were an alluring fuchsia, the cut of her clothes rather suggestive, a delicate jewelled crown sat on her head, and she held herself with a regal posture.

“Marked of the ancients, thank you for coming,” she stated when they finally stopped walking just meters from the throne, her voice dangerously sweet.

“Who are you, and what do you want of us?” Rachael asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the lady.

“I am the land, the kingdom, its people and its soul. Please, find the rightful ruler, and return her to the throne.”

Crystal looked at the lady, confused. “But there is already a queen of the kingdom. Queen Alysia.”

The lady hissed at Crystal, her face contorting in rage. “She is a usurper, an invader. She is not the true queen.”

“No. You are wrong. She is the true queen, chosen by the people. The one whose form you take is the usurper.”

Crystal turned in surprise to find that Velvet was standing there beside her, flowing white dress hugging her form, a pair of angelic wings stretching out behind her. She could feel the power emanating from her, constrained, but still leaking out.

“Katherine wiped out the rest of her family, her brothers, sisters, and father,” Velvet continued, stepping forward, “and made a pact with the demon king, who tried to taint and corrupt the entire land. To corrupt you. Kill you. She is no sovereign of the kingdom, but a mere selfish child.”

“Dawn Angel,” the lady hissed. “You flooded the land with your own magic as well, and become something greater than what you were meant to be. You are just as selfish.”

“It was done of necessity, to purify your land and stop the demon king. To save you. In return, my body became a statue of crystal, my soul trapped in a different realm. A pawn in someone else’s game. A pawn no longer though.”

“Lies,” the lady hissed. But she wasn’t looking so sure. “The results speak for themselves.”

“Results indeed. Look around you, at the heart of your domain,” Velvet stated. “Her influence is still present, corrupting, tainting. You will die if you continue to pine after her. Can you not see how the kingdom is flourishing under Alysia?”

“The kingdom is more than just its ruler. There is still death and decay, still those unhappy with her rule. They feel it and know it, who should be there.”

“They feel it, because of you.” Velvet pointed at the lady. “Aren’t you then responsible for their resulting actions?”

The lady seemed to shrink back into the throne, some of her glamour fading. “Irrespective, she is the chosen one, the blessing of the kingdom still rests with her.”

“Change that. Accept Alysia as the rightful ruler. For the good of the kingdom. I know that you are capable of doing so.”

“I will not,” the lady declared, eyes blazing as some of her fury returned.

“Why not?” Crystal asked. After all, from what she had seen, Alysia seemed like a pretty good fit for the kingdom.

“She has no heir. The dynasty begins and end with her. Katherine has an heir.”

“Really?” Velvet stared at the lady in disbelief. “You do realise that Alysia, the Dusk, is essentially immortal, even if she doesn’t realise it herself.”

“She is?” Crystal uttered in surprise. Sure, she knew that Alysia was powerful, but she hadn’t expected her to be that powerful. To be immortal, like Velvet was. Mind you, Myne probably was too, if she adhered to any of the popular powers about vampires.

Velvet laughed. “You’ve never really thought about it, have you. You’re just as oblivious as she is.”

“Well, yeah,” Crystal mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed, completely unsure about what Velvet had found so amusing. It would be a nice dream though, to be immortal. To spend forever with Rachael. That though was the realm of the ancients, and those with power like Velvet and the queen.

Crystal was pretty sure that Warrior sniggered at her.

“She has no heir,” the lady stated again, interrupting them as she folded her arms and sunk further back into the throne.

Velvet sighed. “Is that your sticking point? For all your power now, for all the good that you could do for your people, you’re going to stay fixated on that aspect?”

“The rituals are complex,” the lady grumbled, seemingly mostly to herself. “Involved, and long. They weren’t done lightly, and careful choice was made at the dawn of the kingdoms. It should not be changed so lightly.”

Velvet laughed again. “From what I know about it, they chose the people who had been involved in the war. Rewards for the heroes of the time, not because they were any good at ruling, or even suitable for it. Royal bloodlines come and go. Heck, part of Alysia was even present then, and helped establish the kingdom.”

“She must have an heir,” the lady repeated, strength behind her words.

“Fine,” Velvet stated. “That is your condition then? If Alysia gains an heir, you’ll recognise her and her bloodline as the rightful rulers of the kingdom?”

The lady stared thoughtfully at her for a bit before finally replying. “Yes. I will.”

“Then it is so,” Velvet said, her restraints released and power flooding the room as she turned to look at them.

“Let me guess,” Rachael said, sighing with resignation, “telling Alysia falls to us?”

Velvet gave them a sly grin. “Of course. You were the ones summoned after all.”

“You’re just like Myne in some ways,” Rachael teasingly accused.

Velvet chuckled. “Indeed. Though in this case, I cannot see her at the moment, even if I wanted to. This one falls to you to see through, even if I did hijack it somewhat.”

“Anyways, sleep well, and enjoy everything that comes with it,” she continued, giving them a wink before she was suddenly gone. The same as when she had turned up.

“Why was she here?” the lady whimpered, pulled her legs up onto the throne, holding them against her as she looked at them. The fire, aggression, and sureness was gone, just a shadow of something that once was remaining. There was fear and worry in her eyes. But surely, just like for the Southern Temple, which was a part of her, was it not, the lady, the land, could be something again. Regain what it had lost.

“She’s not evil or anything,” was all that Crystal managed to say, trying to reassure her.

“She’s one of them now,” the lady replied quietly. “You have no idea of what your playing with. They’re more than just a force of nature.”

“We’re her champions,” Rachael stated matter of factly.

Crystal almost chuckled to herself. That they were, and a lot more, but there probably wasn’t any point in expanding on that. Especially as seeing how surprised the lady looked at that piece of information.

“I see,” the lady finally said meekly. “Perhaps I made a mistake.”

“Or perhaps you didn’t,” Rachael said definitively. “It is as she said. This,” Rachael gestured to the cracks, blemishes, and wear, “is no doubt effecting you. Let us do as we’ve been asked, and you may find that you regain what you’ve lost. For both you, and your people.”

The lady stared at them for a while, a breeze from nowhere wafting through the room, causing the tapestry’s to flutter.

“Thanks,” she finally uttered, before she too was gone, the room quickly fading from view.

And sleep taking hold once more.

---

“I believe we had something lined up,” Rachael purred as she rolled over onto Crystal, her voice sweet and hot in Crystal’s ear.

“Mmmm...” Crystal managed, her hands running down Rachael’s naked back as her lips became occupied.

Warm sunlight was streaming in through the window, the curtains fluttering in the light breeze. Birds were singing their morning song, accompanied by the roars of some dragons. A pleasant background accompaniment. Mostly unnoticed. There were other more pressing things. Sensations and all that.

---

Alysia grimaced, her head sinking to her cupped hands. “Really? Really?!”

“Yes,” Rachael said matter of factly.

Alysia made some more guttural noises into her hands, shaking her head, before she lifted her head back up and sighed, leaning back against the throne. “Okay, so not the most regal display there. Forget that you just saw me doing that.”

“Eh. What’s to dictate how you must act,” Crystal said with a shrug. It was just them and the queen in the throne room at the moment, so there hadn’t been any other witnesses. Rachael had given warning though that what they needed to discuss was delicate in nature, Alysia just accepting that with a nod and agreeing to see them alone and urgently. Perhaps she was regretting that a little.

Alysia sighed again. “We had been wondering about all of that, and it does confirm some things for us. Katherine is alive, and has a child, for better or worse. That the land has its own form as well is surprising, but then again not. Perhaps a repercussion of the pulse?” She looked at them questioningly.

“I didn’t even know there was such a thing,” Rachael replied. “But it makes sense, given the nature of the ancients.”

“Indeed it does. Nevertheless, I can see its reasoning, and I’d be a fool to ignore the opportunity that Velvet has present us with.” Alysia looked thoughtful as she gazed at the ceiling of the room, her fingers tapping on the arm of the throne.

“Is there anything else that you need from us while we are here?” Rachael asked, after a couple of minutes had passed, the queen still absorbed in her thoughts.’

“Hmm,” Alysia replied, before she looked at them with a downright scary grin. “Ever dreamed of being...”

“No.” Rachael interrupted shaking her head vigorously.

“Aww. You don’t want to be princesses?” The smile was even scarier now.

“Somehow I don’t think that that was what the land had in mind.”

“It’d technically work.” Alysia’s tone was even more teasing now.

“It’s not us,” Rachael replied dryly, though Crystal could sense that she was still somewhat amused by it al.

Alysia sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Who knows how much more trouble you’d cause if you were actual royalty. And we’d probably end up with some wars on our hands, with that much power sitting here.”

“But thanks,” she continued. “I am going to have to give it some serious thought. Who knew it would be the land itself that would force my hand on this one, after all of the badgering that I have had about it. Velvet owes me one.”

“We’ll let her know when we next see her,” Rachael said with a smile. “Oh, we did have one other thing to bring up.”

“And that would be?”

“We may have run into some riders while we were out yesterday...”

Rachael was interrupted as the door to the throne room burst open, a rather angry rider storming in, another embarrassed and familiar looking rider following behind. Nerida's rider, her rough cut hair, cloak, and silver and blue armour unmistakable.

Walking in behind them both was Grivene, looking rather apologetic. "Sorry," she managed to silently mouth to the queen as the first rider marched right up to the throne, a scowl on her face as she briefly looked at Crystal and Rachael.

"What is the meaning of this?" The rider fumed loudly to Alysia. "Summoning all of my riders to the capital, and then refusing an audience. What, for some mere noble's daughters?" The rider glanced again at them.

"Was it Tayja by any chance?" The queen asked Rachael, all but ignoring the angry rider as she glanced at Nerida's rider behind her, before looking back at them.

At least they now had a name for the rider, who then looked surprised as she finally took full notice of them. “From the fountain,” she quietly mumbled to herself.

"Umm. Yeah," Crystal replied sheepishly. She could guess as to why the queen had made the assumption.

"Some others as well," Rachael added, "but very briefly. We had to make a quick exit at that point, but we'll give you the full rundown later I guess."

“Yes, Bareth was running around in a panic for a bit.”

“Our apologies about that. He worked it out eventually?”

“Indeed, once I let him know,” Alysia answered. “I think he found the entire outing quite stressful to be honest. He hasn’t given me the full report yet.”

"Queen Alysia," the first rider growled at the queen. “There has been important things going on as well.”

"Ah yes. Good morning to you too, Willow,” Alysia said with a polite smile, finally giving the rider her full attention. “And here I thought Lady Knights actually had some measure of patience.”

“You’ve been ignoring me since yesterday, and time doesn’t stop moving.”

Crystal looked at Willow, who had her arms folded as she glared at the queen. She definitely looked like a lady knight, confident in herself, standing as if she was an equal to the queen. In her mind perhaps, but probably nothing close to the power of the queen. Willow was the same height as the queen, wavy soft brown hair that was tied into a ponytail at the back, her weathered face sporting a very generous amount of freckles. Handsome features with a thickset build, but still very much attractive in her own way. Sandy coloured dragon bone armour covered most of her body in overlapping plates, much smaller in size than what Crystal had seen on other riders. She had boots rather than heels, and some tattoos were visible on the back of her hands, partially covered by her skeon that went over some of her hand and around her middle fingers. And on her left index finger she wore a simple gold ring.

“I’ve had a very busy schedule after all, with the gathering coming up, and matters of concern to the kingdom,” Alysia said with a coy smile.

“For which you felt the need to pull almost all of my riders in for, even though you haven’t told me a thing.” Willow was not sounding any less grumpy.

“Your riders huh?” Alysia frowned, her voice gaining an edge. “Daybreak is not the same as the other clans. Know your place. I will flex my influence when necessary, irrespective of your wishes. Be grateful that most of the time I do not, and leave you and the other Lady Knights to do as you please, with more freedom that most have.”

Willow flinched, but maintained her ground. “We are still responsible for the well-being of the clan. At the moment no one seems to know why we are all here, not even us. That leaves us in limbo.”

“The queen has called as many riders to the capital as can make it, without sacrificing our defences,” Grivene piped up. “That should suffice. It will generate some anticipation. It is also a chance for many of them to catch up. It is only for a couple of days after all.”

“And,” Alysia added, “it will also allow us to ferret out those who may not be as loyal as they profess to be. A weakening of the defences will still be seen as such, and will be taken advantage of. I have made what appropriate contingency plans to deal with and react to such as I can. I am not naive, but the purpose of this gathering is of such importance that I am willing to take the chance.”

“And it is common knowledge that the queen is more powerful than most think,” Tayja added quietly.

Willow scowled at her companions comment, but continued to look at the queen. “That it may be, but we are still in the dark. And to top it off, there are rumours around that some riders have had their magic tampered with. That we cannot take lightly.”

“Tampered?” Crystal frowned, before it clicked exactly what Willow was talking about. Which was obvious of course, and she shouldn’t have had to question in the first. “Nisha...”

Willow spun around to face her, energy flickering around her hand for a moment, about to take a shape before it faded away. “Alysia, who are these girls,” she asked, carefully and measured.

Alysia massaged the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Today is going to be all about having my hand forced, isn’t it. Tampering isn’t the right word. It carries negative connotations and intent.”

“Context be damned, it’s a threat to our lives. Such a feat is unheard of, its true nature unknown.”

“Is it now?” Alysia had that scheming grin again as she looked at the two riders. “Or do you just not believe what you’ve heard.”

Willow growled, still staring at Crystal.

“Let me ask a question. Tayja,” Alysia started.

“Yes?” Tayja replied, suddenly looking very nervous.

“You can talk with your dragon now?”

Silence fell on the room as Tayja seemed to get more and more nervous, the rider fidgeting with her hands as she tried not to look down. “Yes,” she finally answered quietly, losing her battle with the floor.

“And is that a bad thing?” Alysia asked tenderly.

“What? No. Of course not.” Tayja looked back up at the queen. “It’s great.”

“Like a natural evolution of your magic?”

“Umm. Yeah, I guess.” Tayja didn’t seem so sure on that one. “It feels natural at least.”

Willow went back to glaring at the queen. “You knew,” she stated.

“Of course I did. That would be at least five of our clan now. Nisha might be the unhappiest of the lot, not because of what she gained, but from a perceived violation. But,” Alysia leaned back in her throne, “you do realise that everyone’s magic has already been tampered with, per se. Everyone’s. By the second pulse. Whether you’re aware of it or not.”

Willow stared at the queen, but remained silent.

“This here is a natural evolution, or gift. Which ever way you want to see it. It certainly isn’t a curse, and I’d guess that eventually it will happen to all riders. How long that will take, I have no clue. Centuries maybe? It probably depends on a lot. But, more than just being something that you should have always had, it will also make all of you more powerful. More competent. Communication is power.”

“You’re talking like you have some control over its occurrence.” Willow paused, realisation dawning. “That’s why you’ve summoned us all.”

“Let me ask another question,” Alysia said. “When did the change occur?”

“Last night. When I went out to get some air,” Tayja replied, looking a little flush.

Alysia chuckled. “And did anything unusual happen yesterday at all?”

“No...?” Tayja started. “Wait, yes. Those two girls tried to get themselves eaten by Nerida,” she said, pointing at Crystal and Rachael. “Except... there was never any danger, was there...”

“None at all, for many different reasons. Lady Knight Willow, Lady Tayja, let me introduce to you Crystal and Rachael. Deep dragons, chosen of the ancients, liaisons for Odinsphere, and the catalyst for the change.”

“And also the reason that I’m going to have to have a baby,” she added under her breath.