The Avatar Awakens

Featured in the "Fantasy Newsletter (October 24, 2007)" 

Featured in the "Action/Adventure Newsletter (November 5, 2008)" 

Featured in the "Fantasy Newsletter (September 29, 2010)" 



         As Marrinae followed the team of knights traversing through the halls of their enemy, she admired the herringbone design of the castle's masonry, lost in the patterns each stone's edge formed with its neighbor. Her head shook at the myriad pilasters housed in niches carved into the stone, the colorful drapes depicting scenes of life between each bust. It's as if these monsters are trying to surround themselves with life.

         The group paused at an intersection as two busts, taller than the others faced each other from opposite sides of the corridor. Marrinae blinked, shocked at the beautiful face of stone staring back. "So, this is our true enemy? Queen Miittann?

         Marrinae felt as if her heart would burst from her chest. Her full plate armor seemed to tighten around her. She wiped the perspiration from her brow, before it reached her green eyes, with the back of her armored hand. The cool steel gauntlet did little to stop the sweating, for it was not the weather which caused her discomfort. In fact, she could feel the breeze from the nearby sea drifting through the tiny cracks within the stone and mortar.

         She looked to the knight flanking her left, searching for some comfort from Marcius Calidus. Although covered from shoulder to feet in the same full plate garb which Marrinae wore, she could tell that her lover was just as frightened as she. She knew every inch of him. She noticed the slight hesitation in his step, the left hand constantly stroking the hilt of the sheathed longsword, the right hand constantly combing through his midnight colored hair, cropped short below the ears, the way his dark eyes watched every crevice, corner, and shadow. She gently ran a finger along the small, arrow-shaped scar upon his cheek, the only thing which marred his handsome, chiseled features.

         "This is not right," the normally arrogant and rash Marcius whispered.

         "Where is the resistance?" the twin knights Vibius and Vibia asked simultaneously.

         Marrinae glanced back at the twins who formed the simple box formation with her and Marcius. Their shoulder length, light colored hair and dark violet eyes made it impossible to tell them apart when fully armored. Only their choice of weapons separated them. Vibius Gemellus preferred to use two short swords in battle, while his sister favored the longbow. Combined they were an unbeatable pair in combat. Their flawless coordination with one another, while brilliant to behold, was overshadowed by their complete inability to grasp basic group tactics with other knights. Which was why they guarded the rear.

         "Silence," the always gruff Knight Commander Horatius Pol. Avitas ordered with a soft whisper. He held the point, as he always did. He raised a gauntled fist, silently ordering all of them halt. He scratched his bearded cheek, pondering their next move.

         Marrinae found herself wondering how the Knight Commander always found the time to groom. They had been campaigning for months. Yet his dark hair was always neatly cut in the same style as Marcius, and his beard was always neatly trimmed.

         He stopped his pondering and glanced back at his charge, specifically Marcius. "No foolishness, no heroics. We stick to the plan." Although meant for all four Knight Lords, Horatius went out of his way to look directly at Marcius as he spoke. "We go in. We kill the traitor. We leave."

         Although not the center of the Knight Commander's ire, Marrinae nevertheless lowered her eyes and nodded. The old man dark gray eyes could cut shaper than the double bladed axe he wielded.

         "Anyone or anything else we find is not our problem. What say you, wizard?" Horatius asked the guest in the center of their formation.

         "My powers are at their weakest here," Illis replied softly. His normally confident tone was gone.

         If Illis is afraid also, then what chance did we have?

         "It will take all of my effort to keep the vampyre queen from interfering. I will not be able to aid you in battle."

         Horatius nodded at the tall, dark skinned wizard. "Then we do this my way." He turned around and signaled for the march to continue.

         Horatius never liked Marrinae's childhood guardian. Illis was a loose end. Horatius didn't like loose ends, they tended to get people killed if you asked him. Illis had made it clear from the start that he was here to do the will of his god, not the will of the Emperor of Libaias. It was mere happenstance the two goals were similar and the Knights of Ma-R were powerless to stop the wizard's interference. It was Marrinae who forced the alliance. She knew they would need him for this mission.

         The knights followed the path around the corner. At the end of the corridor, a large wooden door framed by a stone arch stood.

         "Wait," Illis commanded, making no effort to lower his voice.

         "I see him," the hawk-eyed Vibia commented as she raised her bow, arrow nocked, target acquired. "Only one man, Knight Commander. On your mark."

         "Not a man," Illis hissed.

         Horatius removed the axe from his side, prompting his knights to arm themselves. Vibius unsheathed his twin swords and took up his normal position in front of his sister. Marcius removed his tower shield, bearing the red fox standard of Calidus, from his back. Marrinae held her longsword at rest. She owned no shield, preferring speed over brute force.

         "That won't be necessary Knight of Ma-R," the man which was not a man said as he approached the battle ready knights. His voice sounded like two coarse stones grinding against one another. It was not pleasing to the ear. "Your arrival is not unexpected." He passed by Horatius without so much as glancing his way, his blue eyes were focused solely on Illis. The man which was not had a pale visage, as if he had not seen the sun since his birth. His hair was as white as snow, a stark contrast to his ruby red lips. His face seemed carved from marble, the flickering candlelight made his skin shine.

         Marrinae wanted to strike, she tried to strike, but she could not strike. This man which was not held some power over her. Her comrades shared her dismay, each face strained with effort. The man which was not stopped a pace from Illis.

         "So," the man which was not began as he traced a pale finger along Illis' throat. "You are the infamous Seeker Lord Bellemarr is so worried about?" Blood oozed out from a thin wound along Illis' neck. The man which was not placed the red tip of his finger to his lips. He sighed with ecstasy as he tasted Illis' blood. "I am called Delen, I am the Constable of Castle Miittann." He bowed to Illis. Illis inclined his head slightly. "I have been ordered to allow you unmolested entry into the throne room. Lord Bellemarr is under the impression that this battle is destined to take place. Regardless of the what I do to stop you, he believes that you will still reach this point in your journey. Therefore, while Lord Bellemarr dispatches you and your," he paused to spare the Marrinae and the others a passing, contemptuous glance, "heroes, I will be leading my fellow vampyres into battle against your precious legions." With the last said, he was gone. One moment he was there, the next...not.

         The power which held them was suddenly gone as well. The visibly shaken knights looked to each other for some form of comfort. Even the mighty Horatius appeared taken aback.

         "It means nothing," Marrinae found the courage to say. The hopeless look in her companions eyes made her angry. "We are knights," she said with more force than she tended, "we still have a job to do."

         "Yes," Horatius agreed hoarsly. He cleared his throat. "Yes," he repeated with his usual command. He said nothing more, he simply marched towards the wooden door. Marius smiled at Marrinae, nodded once, and followed the Knight Commander. Marrinae and the others followed behind.

         The door opened upon their arrival. None of the knights opened the door. Upon entering the room, Marrinae could see no one near the door on the other side. With the same mysterious power, the door slammed shut.

         The throne room was long and straight, built to support a hundred guests. Tall, white columns supported the high ceiling at evened intervals along the side of the room. Aside from the twin thrones and the candles, placed in holders mounted on each column, the room was utterly empty. The thrones were occupied by a man and a woman.

         The man was a familiar sight. Though of a same height as Marrinae, he was the shortest man in the room. His black hair was longer than before, touching his shoulders. His brown eyes seemed harder than before, if that were at all possible. He wore a light armor which covered every inch of him from the shoulders down, dyed black, and made from an unfamiliar material. A sword was sheathed by his left hip. His infamous, golden quarterstaff, now reduced to a span in length, was strapped to his right side.

         "Bellemarr," Marrinae breathed.

         "Marrinae," he replied in a calm deep voice. He stood up and walked towards the knights, pausing halfway. "Now you have become a Knight of Ma-R. Congratulations."

         "Thank you," she said simply.

         "I find it fitting that your treacherous emperor rewards those with the same qualities."

         "You stole a goblin ship," Marrinae sighed. "Of course we would fire upon you. What did you expect?"

         "A lone ship, sailing with no crew?"

         "A lone ship of goblin make."

         "A ship!" Bellemarr shouted. "A ship allowed to sail close enough to your shores for your precious despot to see that I walked its deck! I, and I alone, saved your pathetic empire from certain invasion by killing the goblin king and this is how I am repaid?"

         "Enough!" the woman on the throne commanded. Marrinae noticed that she was the same woman depicted on the bust she saw earlier. The same timeless, flawless beauty was easily apparent. Only a round middle marred the perfection of her body.

         "Miittann," Illis introduced. "The vampyre queen." He took another step. "With child?" The woman nodded and smiled. "How can this be?"

         "There is power within the human soul," Bellemarr answered. "I have found it, old friend. I have found the key to freedom. No more will men fear the wrath of an uncaring god. No more will the souls of men be used in a war which means nothing to us. I will free us all Illis, even you."

         "Abomination," the wizard whispered. "You must be stopped!"

         Bellemarr seemed unaffected by the threat. He crossed his arms and said, "I find it odd that Anurra would allow you to ally with pagans, old friend. Are things that bad back home?"

         "Will you get on with it, love?" Miittann asked exasperatedly. "You say this battle must take place. So fight and be done with it."

         Bellemarr sighed, "As you wish, love." His arms remained crossed. "So will the honorable Knights of Ma-R fight me man to man, or will it take all you to bring me down?"

         "Stick with the plan," Horatius prompted.

         Marcius, predictably, did not. "Man to man," he answered. He charged Bellemarr, alone, shield leading the charge, sword raised high.

         Bellemarr smiled, his arms still crossed. He steped back and dodged the downward strike from Marcius. The return slice across Bellemarr's middle met nothing but air. The subsequent bash with his sheild also hit air as Bellemarr spun around the slower knight and ended up behind him, arms still crossed.

         Marcius turned around to face Bellemarr, sword raised above him. "For Ma-R!" He shouted the familiar battle cry. Again Bellemarr dodged the attack. Marcius led in with the same slice as before. This time Bellemarr did not move out the way. This time he caught the blade!

         "Do not use the same move twice when you face me, Knight of Ma-R. Marrinae should have told you as much." He held the tip of the sword in his right hand, between his thumb and middle finger. Marcius strained with the effort of trying to release his sword. Bellemarr smiled, spun in the air and connected the heel of his boot with Marcius' face, seperating knight from sword.

         "For Ma-R and Libaias!" Horatius roared, axe held high. He charged Bellemarr.

         Horatius was expecting Vibius and Marrinae to guard his flank. Marrinae could not because Illis held her in a vice like grip. "Not yet," he whispered.

         "Let me go," she screamed.

         "Not yet," he commanded softly. It was a command that would broker no further arguement. Marrinae had heard it before. She complied, only because Illis was always right about these things."

         "Fools," Vibia sighed. She ran to a point where Marrinae's body would have blocked her view and fired an arrow. The arrow flew true, past the charging knights, directly to Belleamrr's heart...

         ...and ended up in Bellemarr's hand. "Impossible," Vibia uttered. "He...he caught it."

         Bellemarr, armed with an arrow in one hand and sword in the other, both weapons not his own, met the charge of Horatius and Vibius. Horatius was strong, and wide, but ultimatly too slow to be of any match against Bellemarr's inhuman speed. Vibius attempted, valiantly to complement Horatius' attacks but their movements were uncooradinated and easily defended by their enemy.

         "How..." Marrinae began.

         "He is right," Illis whispered into Marrinae's ear. "There is power within the human soul, and he has found it and harnessed it for his own purpose.

         "I must help them," she whispered pleadingly.

         "Trust me."

         Marcius had regained his senses and tried to guard Horatius' exposed flank with only his shield. Three against one and Bellemarr seemed unperturbed by the odds. He made the greatest fighters of the Libaias Empire, the emperor's own, look like inept fools.

         Miitann stood. "End this foolishness," she commanded.

         Bellemarr wasted little time in complying. He buried the arrow deep into Vibius' neck. At the same moment he sliced open Horatius' throat with Marcius' blade. He turned slightly and faced an unarmed Marcius. He raised the longsword and struck. Marcius fended off the attack masterfully, but he failed to see the quarterstaff aimed at his throat.

         The crunching sound of Marcius' windpipe maddened Marrinae. Something within her snapped. "No!" Marrinae shouted, finally breaking free of Illis' grip. Illis gave chase. She raised her weapon and charged toward her nemesis. She knew it was futile to face a foe so powerful, but she charged regardless. Her life meant nothing at that moment. She would face this impossible foe and die with the man she loved.

         Something flew by her face. A breeze? She saw Bellemarr twist backward, his body parallel with the ground. She heard something...familiar.

         The sound of an arrow meeting flesh roused her from her stupor.

         A cry of anguish from her enemy stopped her in her tracks.

         Illis was by her side in an instant.

         Understanding dawned upon Marrinae. Vibia had fired upon Bellemarr, but he was armed with two weapons and decided to dodge the arrow instead of catch it. The arrow was now lodged in the vampyre queen's womb. Bellemarr cried like a child over the woman.

         "Balance," Illis said simply.

         Bellemrr stood. The arrogant stance was gone. He looked like a man ready to kill. He tossed the longsword to the ground and reached for his own sword. It was a hideous creation. Something out of a nightmare. It was ebony, and curved slightly at the tip. A small, oval hole was cut out of the base of the blade. Only one side was sharp, the other side had serrated edges, made for pulling flesh. "I am going to crush you," Bellemarr threatened. He walked toward the two remaining knights and Illis. "And toss your bones to the wind!" He charged.

         "Now the true battle begins," Illis said calmly. He released Marrinae. "Remember your pain, remember Marcius," he advised.

         Marrinae had not forgotten. The rage returned to her once more, and she met Bellemarr's charge with her own. Their swords clashed. All of her pain and sorrow went into that blow. She attacked with everything she had. Her steel blade was no match against the foreign metal. Her sword snapped in two.

         Bellemarr grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. Marrinae, oddly enough, thought of the fire powder used to make the stone balls fired from the empire's prized cannons. Fire powder? Marrinae had moments to realize that Bellemarr had laced his glove with the powder.

         "Burn," Bellemarr whispered to her. He scraped the serrated edge of his sword along his hand. Marrinae saw a ball of light and knew no more.

*          *          *

         She was content.

         No.

         She was happy.

         No. This is not right.

         She was home.

         "No!" she shouted.

         Why do you deny paradise, knight?

         Knight? What was.... "Yes," she said suddenly. "I...I am a knight." Realization returned, memories of her life returned. She saw the man she loved, slain by her enemy. Her friends dead...dieing.

         Why do you deny paradise, knight?

         "Ma-R?" She asked.

         No, knight. I am called Anurra. Ma-R was but a man. A man who walked the same path your enemy now walks. A man who seeks to become a god. He must be stopped.

         "How? He is unbeatable. We are all dead, save one."

         Strong, yes. But he is only a man. You ask me how, and I shall answer. The answer is faith.

         "I am a Knight of Ma-R. Faith is our cornerstone." Silence answered her. Time slipped past, seconds, minutes, hours. "Please help my comrades," Marrinae pleaded.

         Perhaps you should ask your precious Ma-R.

         "Of course." Marrinae understood. It was so easy. "Ma-R is no god. But you are. Will you help my friends?"

         Do you have faith?

         "Yes. I have faith...my Lord."

         Then get up!

         "My God. I am dead. I can not..."

         Do you have faith?

*          *          *

         Marrinae breathed weakly. It felt as if her face and neck were on fire. She took note of her surroundings. She was buried underneath rubble, wood. The door. The explosion... She pushed against the debris. A large piece fell. Her breathing came easier. She pushed another plank aside. She felt stronger, more alive than ever.

         "I am sorry for your loss, Bellemarr. I truly am."

         It was Illis. He was still alive! She redoubled her efforts.

         "You ask me where is my god? I shall tell you. He is here!"

         Marrinae exploded from the rubble. She saw her enemy. The killer of the man she loved. The abomination against her God. Her rage bubbled over, she could not longer contain it. She screamed. The sound of it shook the walls of the castle.

         She was dead, but now alive. Her faith was a rock. She believed, she truly believed that Anurra was with her. If faith was key to defeating this man, then faith she would have. She raised her sword to the heavens, her shattered and broken blade. "Anurra!" she shouted. "Help me!"

         Pieces of the blade floated from the throne room floor. The sword reforged itself, as if by magic. It was miraculous. The miracle was not complete, however. From the reforged blade, orange flames erupted. Real fire, blessed by Anurra, not the artificial fire caused by Bellemarr's sword.

         "Now!" Marrinae shouted. "Now your life ends!" She charged...

         ...and was stopped by Illis. He held her arm with a grip that could halt the sun.

         "Do not deny me this," Marrinae begged.

         "Look," Illis prompted. "Look at what your faith has accomplished, Avatar."

         Her fallen knights were rising. Horatius, with his wound closed, stood unevenly, resting on his axe. Vibius, with the arrow still lodged in his neck, stirred against his sister's breast. Marcius. Marcius held a tight smile, his hand massaging his throat as he limped to the open entry where Marrinae stood.

         "I heard you," Marcius said, his once beautiful voice now a ruined memory. "I heard you call me. I had to answer. I had to."

         "Decide, Avatar. Remember the balance. Every action has a consequence. Finish Bellemarr here, or walk out with your fellow knights."

         "But the battle is not yet won," Vibia complained.

         "There will always be another battle, knight," Illis responded.

         "And Bellemarr?" Marrinae prompted. "Will he allow us to leave?"

         "Your friends are alive, Avatar. Remember the balance. You have your friends returned to you. Bellemarr has his child returned to him. He will not fight you, he knows the costs."

         Marrinae did not hesitate in her answer. "This battle is over. Let's go home."