The hill loomed unceasingly as Adrel's group, with Roe'nika climbed. Roe'nika balanced Nekea's body on her shoulder, stepping over large rocks and sloping grassy fields. It would have been silent, if not for Nhea's stubborn resistance. She pulled out of Adrel's grasp over and over again, screaming her lungs out.
Her shrill cries rippled all over the hill, sending dark chills down Roe'nika's spine.
Her struggles slowed down the entire group. All minds were drawn to the emperor's daughter, struggling to pull out of Adrel's grasp. However, there was one that intentionally drew itself away from Nhea.
"Roe'nika! Roe'nika!!" Nhea screamed.
Roe'nika's trudges were the only answer to Nhea's cries. They forged on, breaking through the little girl's demand.
"Let me go! Let me go!!" her screams intensified all the more. Echoes of futile desperation, frustration and disbelief filled the surrounding forest. Her little frame pushed against Adrel's hold, her sandals digging into the grass and earth.
"Princess, why do you struggle against me? We have been sent by your father to rescue you. You should be glad..."
"I don't need it!" Nhea hissed, still pushing back. The fatigue was getting to her, but her anger fueled her strength all the more. Her eyes burned with a wild defiance. Looking down at the forest below, Quantum's face flashed within her mind. Like dark oil raining down on an inferno, Nhea's resolve burned hotter.
Little by little, they approached the hilltop.
"Adrel," Roe'nika began, almost seething, "won't you bind her already?"
Her voice was that of a failed expectancy.
"Bind her?" Adrel gasped. The other Erref looked at him with a silent disappointment.
'What has gotten into you, Adrel?' Legt wondered.
Roe'nika huffed.
"If you don't bind her and she falls down and hurts herself, who exactly will be the one to blame?"
Her harsh rhetorical question broke past Nhea's struggles, resonating in Adrel's mind.
"Fools staked as warriors, that's what you lot are," Roe'nika muttered.
Her insult struck Adrel's innermost being.
Adrel glared at Roe'nika. His displeasure written on his face, he turned to Legt.
There was a short pause. Ignoring her remark, Adrel spoke.
"Legt, rope"
Legt looked Adrel in the eyes, scanning his broken composure.
'There is none, Inquisitor. We did not plan for our conquest to drag on like this."
Adrel's face tightened. He turned to Roe'nika.
"You heard him," he said, strangely calm.
"Then find a way to hold her tight!" Roe'nika snapped. "We can't have her slowing us down. By now we should already have been done with the Hae'l—Patriarch awaits us."
Roe'nika's reasoning echoed across the sloping face of the hill.
She turned, about to move forward.
Adrel's glare grew intense.
"You don't bark orders at me, accursed."
It popped out from the corner of his lip.
"What was that?" Roe'nika demanded.
"I said you don't bark orders at me, accursed."
It was to the hearing of them all.
"I speak for your own good. If you choose not to listen, then so be it; let us be destroyed. Don't think of doing anything stupid, Inquisitor. The pact still breathes," she said, pointing at her talisman.
Roe'nika turned once more.
Adrel tightened his grip on Nhea's wrist. She grimaced, letting out a yell, as the pain set in.
"Forgive me, Princess. But by due consideration of your behaviour, this is justified," Adrel said, looking at Nhea.
Nhea glared wildly at him.
The group continued once more.
They reached the grassy hilltop. Nhea's resistance had reduced significantly, the fatigue overcoming her desperation.
They gasped in awe at the structure that sat on the hill.
Two massive stone pillars stood, cracked with age, and awash with moss. Thick grass grew at their base, and old vines crawled upon them. They stood upon a stone pavement. Built like a large gate, there were metal beams on top of the pillars, a small gap left between them. Etched upon the inner side of the pillars and the beam, sat numerous cavities for precious crystals. The few that remained glimmered in the sunlight.
Nhea marveled at the structure, a buzzing sound emanating from its center.
Patriarch stood cross-armed, studying the lining of one of the pillars. His men surrounded him, guarding every side of the hilltop.
"Patriach," Roe'nika called.
He turned, watching her as she approached. She hauled a body on her shoulder. A woman.
The grass flowed with the winds movemement, whispers passing though the air.
Reaching him, she carefully laid her on the ground.
Patriarch studied the woman's face carefully. His brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
His mouth hung open slightly, as a quaint memory passed through his mind.
'Is it just her likeness…or is it actually her?' he pondered.
His gaze met Adrel and the little girl staring at him.
"Inquisitor, is…that the royal blood?" he inquired.
"Yes. She lay in Rahiel's grasp when we launched the ambush."
"That means Rahiel has been captured. Serves him right," Patriarch said. Nhea shot him a nasty glare.
"Patriarch. What do we have on our hands?" Roe'nika asked, drawing his mind back to the situation at hand.
Turning to the Hae'l, Patriarch uncrossed his arms, gesturing as he spoke.
"This is the Hae'l. But as you can see, it's quite damaged. Those crystals are meant to store the energy required to open, and hold open, a door straight to the temple at Melos."
He pointed at one of the faintly glowing stones in the inner side of the Hae'l.
Roe'nika spied them cautiously. From behind, Adrel observed.
"There are supposed to be twenty-one of them."
Patriach paused, his expression down.
"We only have four."
Roe'nika's expression drew into agitated determination. She hated how problems arose like giants, blocking her free movement.
"I've been able to get it up and running. That's the buzzing sound you hear. However, we don't have anywhere close to the energy we need to open the Hae'l."
His voice darkening, he added.
"And keep it open, even for just a second."
His brows folded down as he spoke.
Nhea's eyes darted from him, to Roe'nika, to the large thing behind them. She didn't understand what it was, but she had heard 'portal'.
That was more than enough reason for her flee.
She resumed her struggling once more, almost breaking out of Adrel's grasp.
Adrel, frustrated, tightened his grasp.
Nhea yelled, her little voice piercing the ears of all on the hilltop.
Roe'nika walked to her, bringing herself low.
She saw defiance personified in Nhea's eyes. The amber glowed like a divine fire.
Roe'nika ceased to see herself in Nhea. Not even the littlest bit. They had absolutely no relationship. She clenched her teeth for a moment, drawing close to her.
Looking her straight in the eyes she said, "Quantum is dead, Nhea. Your struggles are for nothing."
Nhea's face fell into dread as she heard Roe'nika's words.
"No more fun and games. This is reality."
Roe'nika's own words hit her hard, as she drew back from Nhea.
There was a short-lived silence.
"You smell."
Roe'nika froze, her eyes wide at the girl's defiance.
Her face was awash with surprise as she stared deeply into the angry pair of amber eyes.
Before Roe'nika could even speak Nhea boxed on.
"I thought you were strong. I thought you were better. But no—you're just like the rest of them."
Roe'nika's mouth hung open as the words pummeled her heart.
"Quantum isn't dead. He'll come back for me. Nothing you do will tear us apart."
Nhea's voice was no longer that of a desperate child. Annoyingly enough, she could liken it to Quantum's own voice. As little as the girl was, she spoke with an authority Roe'nika didn't understand. A greater voice, dissapointed. Even Adrel stared in surprise at the manner of words that came from the girl's lips.
Roe'nika turned her back to Nhea, focusing once more on the task ahead. As much as she pushed the words to the back of her mind, they rung painfully within it.
"So, what are you thinking?" Roe'nika asked reeling on the inside from her last dialogue.
Patriach replied, "Under normal circumstances, we would have to manually provide the energy. But considering our situation, that's out of question."
Patriach pointed at the center of the Hae'l, buzzing faintly.
"So we're going to trick it."
Intrigue ran its course in Roe'nika's mind.
"Trick it how?" she retorted.
"With your accursed arts," Patriach said.
He explained. "Your purification made me think of something. The abilities you posses enable you to 'trick' nature to some extent. That is how I view your accursed arts. You 'tricked' the divine blood, manipulating it into the Rotzeshel. You did that with an agent; the blue leaf."
The wind picked up on the hilltop, almost frantic upon hearing Patriarch's genius. Nhea's dress billowed as blades of grass flew past her face. The glint of Adrel's armor was bright in the light of the sun.
"I'm listening." Roe'nika said, a little shocked on the young man's reasoning.
"I believe you can do same here. With the correct agent, you'll 'trick' the Hae'l into opening, forcing it to draw energy from the environment itself. The priests use Yuliem, an orb said to be a teardrop of Calor. We need something to replace Yuliem."
Roe'nika reviewed Patriarch's thinking.
"All right," she started, "it's worth a shot." Her hands on her waist she stared at the buzzing center of the Hae'l.
Patriach asked, "Which agent may be appropriate?"
Roe'nika thought hard. Running through all what Nekea had taught her, she came across one peculiar memory.
It was one day, a few years ago. Roe'nika had obtained her talisman a few days back. Nekea had told her something very important about her talisman.
"It is'nt just a piece of glowing metal, Roe'nika," she had said.
Holding her hand she continued. "It is built off our lifeblood, as you are aware. But it is also built off trust."
"There is much power sealed within it. And it will continue to grow, as long as both of us live. Just as trust flourishes over time. If any turmoil or danger raises its head, this can be our last resort."
Nekea's voice echoed within Roe'nika's mind as she remembered.
Her hands jittered.
Her mind raced.
She held the talisman that lay on her chest.
It glowed gently, humming slightly.
Everything that led to that point, was done for her Mistress' sake. To preserve the good life and peace that they shared. By whatever means possible.
As such, Roe'nika believed everything she had done was out of the good faith and trust.
Every lie was for her Mistress. It was a necessary evil.
Roe'nika knew that the talisman would be more than perfect to activate the Hae'l. It seemed to be drawn towards it. It was glowing brighter now that she was closer to it.
As she removed it from her neck, it rung with hidden power.
Patriarch watched as she slowly brought the talisman to the center of the Hae'l.
'This is right. This is right. This is right' her thoughts chorused.
'It's for her good. Its for my good. Its for our good,' they sang.
However, in the face of her conviction, a greater darkness loomed. A little voice within her, that screamed in pain.
Memories flashed painfully. All the times her Mistress had held her hand, had led her forwards. Every sunset they had witnessed together. Every morning, the light of the sun gracing their skin.
She looked at her Mistress' face as she lay on the grass.
A mighty thought popped up in her head. The voice of her Mistress.
'If there is great trust between you, why did you need to hurt her?'
It went on.
'If the two of you are connected by something greater than life, why resort to something so brutal?'
Roe'nika's hands shook violently. Somewhat pushing forwards, somewhat hesitating.
'Did you not see the look on her face? Was that 'trust'? After all you've hidden from her, would you still consider yourself trustworthy?'
The voice emanated from the talisman she held.
It spoke to her like a sage.
Tears of blood began to fall down Roe'nika's face.
'I just want to go back' her inner being cried.
'It is so wrong for me to desire the goodness we once had?!' her inner being screamed.
'Do not dare label your actions as righteous.' The talisman spoke.
The world around her grew dark, as a massive cloud settled over the hill. The Hae'l buzzed louder. Patriarch watched with wide eyes. Roe'nika was in a sort of trance. Her muscles were tense. Her mouth hung open.
'I cannot stop. I cannot.' She cried.
'You can, Roe'nika. Just trust me.' The talisman said.
Roe'nika gasped.
Trust.
'Was it really there at all?' she wondered.
As she pondered heavily, voices battling within her, the sky above seemed to judge them. Masses of dark air swirled above. Streaks of light like two eyes looked down on Roe'nika.
Suddenly, Adrel felt it. Dread replaced Patriarch's calm. Legt looked back at the forest down below. His heart raced.
All the Erref followed his movement, and looked down at the forest below. Many little lights on the rings they wore, went silent.
The implication was a horrible one.
"Roe'nika," Adrel said. His voice pulsing with sickening dread.
"Whatever you're doing…do it fast."
Roe'nika turned, alarmed at Adrel's voice. Doom marked Patriarch's face.
"What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.
To the Erref, it was clear.
Six of them were no more.