Illumina Chronicles — The Fall Of Castle Nevra Pt 1

Zoe stood in the dark forest. The air still electrified from her journey through the clouds. She was still getting use to traveling this way and her landing was a bit off.

She’d landed in the wrong part of the forest, but at least this time, it was the right forest. Adjustments to her incantations would need to be made once she returned to Illumina.

“No time for this now.” She mumbled under her breath as she began to draw her symbols into the ground. As she did so, Zoe felt eyes on her. The local life had come to see what the all the fuss was about apparently.

Deer, birds and other small woodland creatures scattered about. At one point she thought she’d even seen a fey creature.

As she completed her circles, she spoke the words of power and the glyphs began to glow a soft green.

Meanwhile…

Castle Nevra was a staple of the central continent. Built for no real purpose other than to intimidate those coming into port, and provide a safe heaven to King Inas; it towered over the villages and docks below. Its four hundred foot gates stood watch silently, opening only but once in their forty five year existence.

Atop the gate guards manned their stations, discussing trivial things such as the last jousting match and ever decreasing pay they were receiving. As two of them watched the horizon a bright pillar of green light exploded into the heavens from the nearby forest.

“Captain Martin! Did you see that?” Yelled Albin from the other end of wall.

“Go inform the Chancellor Albin, and make haste.” The captain cried as he alerted the rest of the guard to stand ready.

“This is dark omen for us all.”

Ominous indeed. She was coming for them, for it.

Albin ran from the Castle wall and down into the courtyard. The Sun was just fading over the horizon and the larger than usual inner city of Nerva was still bustling with merchants closing up and common folk making last minute purchases.

As he passed the inner corridor he could smell the ale the women who would not doubt be waiting for him once his shift had been completed. On any other day he would have been correct.

Back in the forest…

Zoe rushed through the forest. Dodging trees and leaping from branches. This was the travel she loved. Sure, lightning was faster, but it lacked the sense of connectivity that running on the ground had. She could feel the wind, the wet grass and the silent trees.

Whenever she leapt from the ground the green glyph would follow suit. Most mages would require a new glyph for every action; Zoe was unique in that sense. She’d managed to create a single glyph, which would stay below her feet and follow wherever she went.

As she approached the outer rim of the gates, she whispered more words of power and the glyph suddenly turned a deep blue. Stopping, a mist began to pour from the glyph towards the intimidating gate.

She could hear the sounds of the guard mounting their defenses, the archers preparing their bows, the catapults pulling back to receive their stone payloads and the bustling and rustling of armor as the soldiers took their place.

“They’re expecting an army.” She thought to herself. “Perhaps I will give them such an army to fight.”

The mist had completely enveloped the gate, she was invisible. Moving to within feet of the gargantuan structure she stopped to marvel at the workmanship. The engineers and stonemasons of Nevra were quite skilled. Depictions of battles long forgotten were chiseled into the stone, and the doors showed similar settings.

All was as it had been when she’s scouted the castle days prior. Her offensive this time needed to be planned. Her last solo quest, although successful had not been easy.

She would never have bothered to come here at all had it not been for the Artifact hidden within Nevra. Twenty Five years of searching and tonight would be the night where she would be returned what was rightfully hers.

Placing thoughts of the castle’s workmanship aside, she set her sights on the glyph below her feet.

“Umbra Tutela”

As she spoke the words, the glyph began to swirl wildly, turning from blue to black laced in purple.

Four columns of dark fog began to rise from the glyph, settling on each corner. As they formed she pointed to the gate before her.

“Go my children; show them what happens to those who cross me.”

The four columns immediately rushed the door seeping through its cracks. As she watched the last of them disappear through the gate, the screams began.

In the King’s Chambers

The Chancellor rushed through the throne room doors with Albin close behind.

“ King Inas, something from the forest is trying to get into the Castle! We must transport you to Lion’s Keep. There is no time to waste.”

King Inas sat in his throne, his loyal subjects awaiting his commands.

“Who is this?” Asked Inas, pointing out the man behind Chancellor Drovan.

“I am Albin my lord. We saw something from the forest, and the captain instructed me to come here to give the message”

“What exactly did you see Albin?”

“A pillar of green light Sire, rising from the forest to the North.”

“Please Sire!” Pleaded the Chancellor. “We must go now before you are in any danger.”

The King pondered for a moment, a troubled look in his eyes.

“ No Drovan. The time for running is over. She has finally come for me, to pass judgment on an old and corrupt King. To run would only prolong my suffering when she found me again. This is my fate.”

“But my Lord!”

“No arguing Drovan, just keep her out as long as you can.”

Back At the Gate…

The immediate sound of screaming and flesh being torn apart had subsided at this point.

The shadow guard were quite good at clearing out pretty much anything non magical.

The mist she had summoned had also subsided at this point, as it cleared completely and she look up she noticed multiple guards hanging from the sides of the gate. The smell of blood and fear tickled her nose.

She touched her hand to the gate and the glyph below traveled vertically and etched itself where her hand lay. She spoke another word of power and it expanded, covering every inch of the magnificent door.
“Atrum Rift”

The words left her mouth as the giant gate began to hiss and crack.

Stepping back, she raised her hand and uttered a single word.

“Push”

The giant doors exploded into pieces of molten metal and wood like a cloud of fire raining from the sky. As she stepped through the wreckage she witnessed the Shadow Guard’s work.

It was a massacre.

“I’m coming for you Inas..”

Zoe pulled her sword from it’s sheath as lightning struck all around her.

“Prepare yourself well my old friend. This time, there will be no mercy.”

To be continued…


[edit on 6/13/2010 by tothetenthpower]

Please feel free to comment, or give suggestions about where the story should go from here .

This is from my novel, well in the same time period/universe as my novel and will be writting many of these centered around the different main characters of my story.

~Keeper

Part 2 can be found here.

Enjoy!

~Keeper