Book 2 of the Eternal series

Chapter 19

“Riah! Ashta!” exclaimed Keshmire, and the two girls stared at her with wide eyes.

“Oh, my gods!” she exclaimed, and she ran to them.

Quickly, Ashta and Riah looked at Keshmire’s eyes, and they saw the life in them. Relieved and covered in muck, they threw their arms around Keshmire as she threw her arms around them, and the three of them began to cry. Andrew and Phabious teared up as they watched the girls embrace each other.

“How did you find us?” Riah breathed, and Keshmire pulled her head back as she smiled at her and Ashta.

Gently, she placed a hand on each of their faces, and she smiled at them as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“My brother and my cousin told us to keep an eye on the forest. They said you would be coming through here,” she said, and Riah sighed.

Ashta and Riah sighed as they looked at the ground, and Ashta glanced at Riah.

“This can’t be right,” Ashta mumbled, and Riah nodded as tears ran down her cheeks.

To them, they felt like they had passed into another simulated world. The muck from the Swamp of Hopelessness was able to have a slight hold on them, and since they had sunk so deep into it, it made them forget why they were making their way through the forest in the first place.

“What?” Keshmire asked.

Riah looked up at her sadly.

“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Roman and Ray died,” she said sadly, and Keshmire shook her head.

“No, they are alive, and you two have found your way home,” said Andrew, and Ashta and Riah sat up.

Quickly, Andrew turned to Phabious, giving him a clipped nod.

“Go get them so that they can see for themselves,” he said, and Phabious nodded as he ran off.

Riah looked at Keshmire with sad eyes, and Ashta huffed a sob.

“We saw them die. Roman suffocated, and….” Ashta trailed off and hung her head.

“And, Ray, he…he…,” stammered Riah, and then she began to sob.

Sorrowfully, Keshmire looked up at Andrew, and he looked at her with care as he put his hand up.

“Just give Phabious a few more minutes. They are about to see for themselves,” he said softly, and she only nodded.

Keshmire and Andrew watched the girls as they held each other and sobbed. Ashta and Riah had felt like they had failed, and the hope of saving their home had disappeared into the swamp’s hold on them. Sadly, Keshmire looked up at Andrew, and he gave her a knowing look.

Briskly, Roman and Ray walked through the woods back to the little house, and Roman sighed heavily. Ray looked at him, and he saw a tear roll down his cousin’s cheek. He looked at Roman with care, and he sighed.

“I know you miss her. I miss Riah so much. Hell, I miss both of them. I just feel like I am missing a part of me, and it breaks my heart,” said Ray, and Roman nodded.

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” he breathed.

Silently, they stood in the driveway of the little house in the woods, and they listened to the sounds of the forest. Roman had triggered his super-hearing, and he thought he heard Riah’s voice.

“We saw them die.”

It was Riah’s voice, and he sighed a sigh of relief. Happily, he looked at Ray, and he grabbed his cousin’s shoulders. They heard footsteps running toward them at that moment, and Roman and Ray looked to the side. It was Phabious, and he was running toward them with a happy look on his face.

“Are they?” Roman asked with wide eyes, and Phabious nodded with a smile.

Happily, Roman looked at Ray, and Ray grinned as he nodded.

“Where are they?” asked Ray as he looked back at Phabious, and Phabious gestured to the way.

“Come on. We found them out in the swamp,” he said, and Roman and Ray nodded.

The three of them swiftly ran through the forest towards the swamp.

“I can tell you that my brother and my cousin are very much alive, and we have all been waiting for you two to come home,” said Keshmire with a smile, and Riah looked at her suspiciously.

“How can we be sure that this isn’t another trick?” she asked, and Keshmire’s eyebrows rose as she looked behind her and Ashta.

“Why not turn around and see for yourselves,” she said, and then she rose to her feet.

Ashta and Riah looked at each other for a moment, and then they slowly turned their heads and looked behind them. Surprisingly, they saw Phabious, Roman, and Ray walking toward them, and they both stared with wide eyes.

Ashta stared at Roman, and Riah stared at Ray in disbelief as tears streamed down their faces.

“Is it really you?” Ashta choked out, and Roman knelt on one knee and opened his arms, inviting her into his embrace.

“Why don’t you come over here and find out for yourself?” he said softly, and Riah looked at Ray.

Ray also knelt on one knee and opened his arms to her.

“Likewise,” he said.

Nervously, Ashta and Riah looked at each other for a moment, then Riah nodded. Heavily, Ashta sighed as she looked at Roman with an unsure look on her face, and he smiled at her as he tilted his head to the side.

“No, please, take all of the time you need. I have waited this long to hold you in my arms, so what are a few more minutes?” he teased, and Ashta shook her head as she ran to him.

Riah chased after her, and they both jumped into Roman’s and Ray’s arms and hugged them tightly.

“It is you,” said Riah as she looked at Ray, and he smiled at her as he nodded.

“I am so sorry that you had to see what I did to myself. That was the only way I knew how to get home,” he said as he took her face into his palms, and she smiled at him through her tears.

Heavily, Roman sighed as he held Ashta close to him, and then she pulled back and looked at him.

“I thought I would never see you again,” she cried as she rested her forehead against his, and he smiled.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily. I thought you knew that, my beautiful Guardian of Fire,” he breathed, and Ashta pulled her head back as she looked at him.

“Beautiful? Covered in swamp muck? I think you need to get your eyes checked there, sir. Wait! What did you call me?” she asked, and Roman chuckled as he looked at her.

“You will understand things soon enough,” he said, and he took her face into his hands.

Simultaneously, Roman and Ray pulled Ashta’s and Riah’s faces to theirs, and the moment their lips touched, Andrew, Phabious, and Keshmire watched in awe as the four guardians began to glow with a golden light. Shocked, they watched Ashta, Roman, Riah, and Ray slowly ascend into the air, and Ashta and Riah looked up at the sky.

At that moment, Ashta and Riah felt the powers of their guardians return to them, and then a flood of memories went through their minds. Surprised, Roman and Ray looked at the two girls, and Ashta and Riah looked at them with glowing eyes. Ashta’s eyes were glowing a bright red, and Riah’s eyes were glowing a bright blue.

Suddenly, Roman’s eyes began to glow a bright gray, and Ray’s eyes began to glow a bright green. They all opened their hands, palms up, and their weapons appeared in their hands. Swiftly, the four guardians descended to the ground, and when their feet touched the ground, a bright light exploded from them and throughout the land.

Chantelle was looking out of the throne room window, and she saw the bright light from the forest blasted throughout the kingdom. Oddly, she watched as the demons disappeared, one by one, and she sighed. Chantelle remembered that Bestol had told the demons to stay and watch guard until he had returned. She sighed heavily as she wondered what the two mongrels wanted now.

The two demons had already taken the guardians from them and slipped into the Spirit Realm to find Merthies’s mother, so what did they want now? Irritated, she huffed another sigh.

“Chantelle?” asked a girl’s voice, and Chantelle took in a quick breath.

Slowly, she turned around, and she couldn’t believe her eyes. Chelsea was awake. That would have meant that Roman and Ray must have found a way to break the curse.

Little did she know that the real reason why was that the four guardians had finally reunited. Happily, Chantelle smiled at Chelsea.

“What happened?” asked Chelsea as she grabbed her head, and Chantelle looked at her thoughtfully.

“Well, those nasty demons that put a spell on my son and the others also put a spell on the kingdom to make everyone sleep. For some reason, Gale, Liam, and I were not affected like everyone else was. Everyone was supposed to wake up at dawn, but those mongrels lied to us. However, two of the children have come home, and they must have found a way to break the curse unless those mongrels have returned,” explained Chantelle, and Chelsea looked at her oddly.

Chantelle smiled as she walked over to her, and then she took her hand and patted it.

“You said two of the guardians have come back, but where are the other two, and where did they all go in the first place?” Chelsea asked, confused, and Chantelle smiled at her.

“Why don’t we grab something to eat from the kitchen, and we can go sit down in the dining room. Then, I can explain everything to you,” she said soothingly, and Chelsea nodded as she smiled.

“Alright. I could eat something,” she said as they heard her stomach growl.

Chelsea shrugged her shoulders and grinned as she tilted her head to the side. Noticeably, Chantelle looked behind Chelsea, and then she looked back at her with concern.

“Where are the boys?”

“They are still asleep upstairs,” she said, and Chantelle looked at her oddly.

“Why didn’t they wake up with you?” she asked, and Chelsea shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe they are still tired,” she said, frankly, and Chantelle only nodded.

Maybe the curse wasn’t fully broken yet. Maybe there were still other villagers that were still sleeping like the boys were upstairs. Suddenly, Gale and Liam ran into the room, and she looked at them with wide eyes. They both had a smile on their faces, and they beckoned for her to come with them.

“Come with us. You have to see this. The demons have all disappeared, and everyone is awake and coming out of their houses,” said Gale happily, and Chantelle rushed over to him.

“Chelsea, come with us,” said Liam, and Chelsea smiled as she walked over to him.

The two men led the women out of the castle and onto the front steps. Amazingly, the villagers were all awake, and they were walking around with confused looks on their faces. Some of the villagers had gone back to their daily activities while a few others staggered towards the castle, scratching their heads.

Happily, Chantelle grabbed onto Gale’s arm, and he grinned down at her. Liam put his arm around Chelsea’s shoulders, and she smiled up at him. They were so happy to see their people alive and well.

“What happened?” asked a Selvempt woman as she approached the stairs, and Chantelle looked around the kingdom.

“Where are Bestol and Mertheis?” she asked as she looked up at Gale, and he looked down at her in question.

“Why would you think that they would be here?” he asked, and she gave him a serious look.

“Because Bestol told the demons to stand guard and stay here until he returns,” she said, and Gale smiled at her as he looked around.

“I don’t think they have come back. Maybe Roman and Ray figured out how to break the curse,” he suggested, and Chantelle swallowed hard as she nodded.

She wasn’t sure if he was right about those two not lingering around, but she decided not to argue with him either.

“So, that creature that put a spell on the guardians put a spell on us?” asked the woman, and Liam nodded.

“Yes, but now, by some miracle, the spell has been broken,” said Gale softly, and he smiled as he held Chantelle tighter.

“But how?” asked Chelsea, and Gale shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, no! The statues!” cried a Slayer man, and Gale, Liam, Chantelle, and Chelsea looked out onto the courtyard.

Suddenly, their eyes widened as they saw the piles of sand where the guardian’s statues used to stand, and they ran over to the courtyard.

“No!” breathed Gale as Chelsea inhaled sharply, and her hand flew to her mouth.

“Not Ashta and Riah,” said Liam, sadly, as he put his arm around Chelsea’s shoulders, and they both hung their heads in sorrow.

Weakly, Chantelle fell to her knees at the piles of sand, and she looked at them with tears in her eyes.

“What are we going to do now?” she asked sadly and let her tears fall.

Seemingly, Roman and Ray were in such a hurry to get out to the forest and find Ashta and Riah that they had neglected to tell Gale, Liam, and Chantelle that the girls had another way out of the strange world. The last time they had seen Roman and Ray was when they had told them they needed to go out with the team that patrolled the forest and help keep an eye on the border. After that, the two men left with Keshmire and the others and headed out to the Forbidden Forest.

“Listen. Maybe Roman and Ray know what is going on, and they will explain everything to us when they return,” said Gale, and Chantelle looked up at him as she got to her feet.

“Explain what?”