Chapter Four
It was Dania’s turn to stumble. “I can’t be. Alcranibi is just a make believe story my mom told me when I was little. It explained the necklace in a cheap fairytale.”
Nenemy shook her head and held out her hand. Dania noticed a jagged scar on her hand that wrapped around her wrist. It had a whitish sheen, light against even Nenemy’s pale complexion.
“Dania, take my hand. I’ll show you where you are.” Nenemy giggled. Her eyes snapped emeralds, and her laugh was the same old on that she had possessed on earth.
So Dania daintily took Nenemy’s hand, and was plunged into a sea of darkness.
Off in the distance there was a coastline, and to the north on the coast was a marble city. The sun was rising in the west over the dazzling blue ocean, throwing rainbows as it hit the crystalline structures. Dania turned towards the east, and miles of land stretched around her. There was a large forest, out of which loomed another city, this one made out of dark sandstone. Dania turned to the south and was met with mountain ranges, and swampland. Some one tapped her on the shoulder.
“Dania, follow me.”
Dania turned to see Nenemy, clad in a simple white dress, her right arm bare, showing her scar, which spiraled around and around her arm, beginning on the tip of her shoulder, and ending in a jagged point on the back of her hand. It appeared to be glowing. Her long brown hair was darker against the rising dawn, almost black. Her eyes were bright as orange light stained her whites, throwing the dark green into sharp relief.
“Dania. Follow me.”
Nenemy led her over hills and dales, ending at the gate of the Marble City.
“Nenemy, where are we?” Dania whispered, afraid that her voice would break the lovely vision.
“The gates of the City of Imerian. The seat of power in the beloved country of Alcranibi.” Nenemy paused, gauging Dania’s expression. Then the vision grew dark, night had fallen.
“A decade and a half ago, at the time when you were born, Queen Lucidia was with her husband King Regionald. They had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, the second of what they hoped would be a long line. Here in Alcranibi, the first-born female will gain access to the throne, unless proved unworthy.
“They had given birth to another daughter previously, a wicked girl they named Alibella, after the poisonous flowers that grow around the bay. But this girl they had in their arms was special. They named her after the sweet smelling roses that populate the gardens in Imerian, plain and common, but amazingly beautiful. Her name was Daranciellia.
“But it wasn’t until her older sister Alibella had seen the new child that the trouble had started. Alibella was jealous of the baby girl. She was everything Alibella wasn’t. Sweet tempered, beautiful, and most of all -powerful. She was the third daughter of a third daughter. The queen had had one other daughter earlier on in life, but she had died when around when Alibella was born. Daranciellia was supposed to be part spryte, and part human like the rest of the princesses before her, but this girl had something… more you could say. She was a full spryte. Alibella was only half spryte. She did not have as much magic as her sister would have. Needless to say, her sister would gain the throne without question.
“But that was exactly what Alibella wanted. She was heir to the throne, not Daranciellia. So Alibella created an evil plan.
“She awoke the Necromancer.”
“The Necromancer? Who’s he Nen?” Dania asked, watching the hidden emotions in her friend’s face twist and turn.
Nenemy gritted her teeth before continuing. “The Necromancer is the scum of the earth. He trained Alibella in the ways of the ‘Hakye’ or dark. She learned how to animate objects, and how to awaken the dead. She learned countless ways for killing people. She learned how to control fire daemons.
“She was coming after you Dania.”
“Me?” Dania squeaked.
“Yes Daranciellia. You are the princess that your mother took to hide from the darkness. You are the princess that we’ve all been waiting for. You are the princess who will lead the country out of this abyss.”
“Nen. I don’t know how to do anything.” Dania whispered, her voice cracking, “I didn’t even know that my name was Daranciellia.”
“Your mother changed it after your sister saw you to a shorter form. Danellia. See the similarity? Dania can be used for either name.”
“And you Nenemy? Where do you come into this?”
“I am a tribal queen. I am one of three. The other two are Kend protectorate of the Merishant tribe, and Ariela, protectorate of the Galation tribe. I am Nensegata, protectorate of the Garringsheam tribe.”
“Those are all words in Draminian right?” Dania wondered aloud.
Nenemy looked pleased. “Yes. They are. Kendmeans cleanse, Ariela means banish, and Nensegata means blood enemy.”
Dania glanced at Nenemy. “Blood enemy?”
“That is the Necromancer to me. He killed my family though long ago his family was kin to me. He is part of my blood. He is part of my past, my present, and my future. I’m bound by blood oath to kill him.”
“How does that work?”
Nenemy opened her mouth to explain, but instead let out a gasp of pain. The vision started to flicker, between ruin and glory. Nenemy shut her hand over her shoulder, as if trying to push something back into it. Her eyes glazed silver, and she collapsed. The vision flickered off.
Saren ran up and caught Nenemy as she collapsed farther. He lay her down on the ground, ignoring Dania who was standing there with a look of shock on her face. It was night now. Time had moved quickly as she and Nenemy had conversed in a place that was not real. Saren was here. Who was he?
A look of concern flashed across Saren’s features a he quickly and deftly unlaced Nenemy’s bodice, leaving her in her skirt and shift. Drumman was already running up with a clear crystal, and a large woman was having her arms bound up to act as a type of stretcher. Obviously this had happened before.
“Saren! She okay?” The large woman shouted as she ran up. Saren had placed the crystal around Nenemy’s neck, and it had started glowing a sinister green color, swirled through with blue and silver.
“She’s never had an attack this bad. We need to get her back to Baridei. Now.”
Dania rushed over. “Attack? What can I do?” She touched her hand to Nenemy’s forehead. “My god! She’s burning up!” Dania pressed her opposite hand onto Saren’s shoulder.
“Damn!” He yelled and pulled away from Dania. “You bitch! You’re just increasing the power overload! Don’t touch her!”
Dania ripped her hand away from Nenemy’s head, but not fast enough. Nenemy jerked and twitched, her body contorting, as if she was having a seizure.
“What’s the matter with her?” Dania shrieked.
Drumman grabbed her and led her away. He stroked her shoulder as she curled up and started to sob uncontrollably. “Shh Lass. Ye’ll be fine. Hush now.” Slowly the shuddering cries died out and were replaced by quiet shakings. Drumman brushed Dania’s hair out of her face and started to slowly plait it down her back.
“Now Lass. Relax. Ye’ve been through a lot.” He crooned, his brogue slightly Scottish. He continued to plait her hair, crossing each hair over another, making sure that not one escaped the tight braid. Dania sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“Yeah I have. How did this ever happen?”
Drumman patted her on the shoulder and tied the braid shut. “Now Lass. Nenemy has had that happen before. Relax. Saren just gets a little edgy when that happens.”
“Who is Saren anyway?” Dania asked, sitting up straight.
“Sarendegio is the captain of the 94th Merishant Patrol. And Nenemy’s fianc”
“Fianc Since when is she engaged?”
"Well, it would be three of your earth months, but six of ours. It’s almost a new year, and they will be able to get married.”
“Why does Nenemy black out when she has these attacks?” Dania asked, curiousity getting the better of her.
“Well,” Drumman started, “It’s rather hard to explain, but we think we have it worked out. Nenemy is part human, part elemental, and part mermaid. And she has the spiral, which was put there by black magic. She’s so muddled up that her mermaid powers conflict with her elemental powers. She’s a Fire elemental, so even though the elemental powers are dominate, the fire and water conflict. This is why her mother was fine with marrying a mermaid. Her mother was a Water elemental, so there was no conflict. She’s also half human, so her human side can’t keep up with her magic side, and the black magic conflicts with both the human and the good magic. Mermaids are water, blue magic, black is silver, and her elemental color is green, even though she’s a Fire elemental. We think she might be part spryte, because spryte DNA has to meld with other DNA forming a hybrid. So we think her mother might have been raped earlier on in life, and then the DNA waited until Nenemy’s father did his thing on their wedding night.”
Dania cringed mentally. “Well, that makes sense. I… guess…”
Drumman took her by the armpits and hauled her up with considerable strength. “Up ye get Lass. They’re heading for Baridei now.”
“Thanks for listening Drumman. You’re a really pal.”
Drumman blushed deep red, “Aww, it was nuthin Ballamum. Hope yer hair does nay give ye any more trouble.”
Dania ran her hand down the tight braid. “Thanks for that too.”
Drumman took her hand in his, and led her away from the clearing that they had been in. “Lets go Lass. We need to get you somewhere safe.”
“Where are we going Drumman?”
“To Baridei, the City of the Rebellion.”
| 
Email this Novel
| 
Add to reading list
