With a smile of pleasure Yannice watched a galaxy being born. In floods of fire and sparks burning stars came out of nowhere to illuminate the previously black vacuum. Planets formed lazily in the fresh light, heavy rocks grinding one against another in the enormous effort of accumulation. Lost pieces of stone and ice floated and flocked to create comets, those strange, eternal travelers of hot hearts and icy tails. In the obscurity of dark holes the mystery lied down sleepily, not ready yet to stick out its head into the outer world.

Yannice blinked and the life appeared on several globes, little and fragile at first, but fervently growing to its full power. Three breaths later intelligent beings populated this fresh universe, eager to explore it and understand its secrets. At this point Yannice stopped her observation, allowing her creation to move on its own now. Anyway, at this moment usually some pangalactical war started and led to destruction of all those carefully crafted little miracles. And yet Yannice never thought of making intellectless beings to populate her worlds. What would be their use if there was nobody to appreciate them, even for as short a time like her several breaths.

With a deep sigh Yannice got up slowly from her demiurge’s seat and walked to the Garden. On the way her thoughts circled around her handsome brother Nayadir. His long hair, the color of old gold, so similar to her own, flowed down in gentle curves onto his broad arms. His sapphire eyes shined brightly with wisdom and goodness. A thrill went through Yannice’s body. Oh, she knew that feeling but too well. The forbidden desire burned in her since the beginning of time, maybe even before then. She somehow managed to keep it a secret from everybody. Not even Nayadir suspected her real feelings, so different from his own brotherly love.

Heavy gates of the Garden opened without a sound before the rightful inhabitant and Yannice entered the home of the demiurges’. In abundance of verdure colorful flowers glimmered like precious jewels. Sweet smell of blossom floated in the fresh air mixing with the light scent of recent rain. Similar to million diamonds, tiny water drops shimmered on emerald leaves, sending sparks right to admirer’s eyes.

At the turn of the path she had taken, Yannice spotted Essaya, nonchalantly leaning against a tree. His svelte silhouette reminded Yannice of her favorite dagger, so delicate and yet so deadly. “Not a bad comparison,” she thought to herself, approaching him silently. He was gazing melancholically at the darkening sky, lost in his reverie, unaware of the world around him. Unnoticed, Yannice came closer and put her hand on his arm. As if she had awakened him from a deep dream, Essaya shivered and turned directly to face the one daring to interrupt him. Yannice smiled when their lips almost met in this sudden change of position. Looking him in the eyes she stepped back a little, so as to prevent their bodies from touching each other.

“What were you dreaming about?”, Yannice asked in a soft voice, her hand reaching delicately to Essaya’s black locks. “Nothing. At least nothing of any importance”, he answered with a smile that was suggesting just the opposite. Yannice grinned, “Hmm, in that case you won’t mind coming with me. I’ve got an idea for a nice game.” Essaya nodded in agreement.

Soon they entered a broad clearing with a playful stream crossing it in a myriad of sparkles. It whirled to reach a small pool, like a crystal necklace adorned with an emerald medallion. Grey stones contrasted marvelously with rich grass covering the ground like a thick carpet. On one of the rocks, just on the board of the pond, sat Solennya, calmly playing her hand over the water. She did not notice the newcomers, her auburn hair falling down over her face.

Essaya hummed an old tune, the one they all listened to when they were children. Solennya turned to them with a welcoming smile, “I thought you both got lost somewhere... Glad to know you didn’t after all.” Yannice answered laughing, “Essaya got lost, but I’ve found him and brought him back here.” “Yes, you tore me from the deadly embrace of my dreams. Thank you, my lady,” jested Essaya, but there was no humor in his eye. Yannice caught his regard and tightened her grip on his hand.

“Where is Nayadir?” Yannice addressed her question to Solennya, at the same time assessing her beauty. What attracted Nayadir so in this girl? Was it her flawless skin the color of warm honey? Or maybe it were her big, almond shaped eyes, which changed with every mood, like a surface of a perfectly polished agate? And yet maybe her secret was in the coral red lips made for sweet kisses? Or perhaps Nayadir had been charmed by her body, so soft in its gentle curves and roundness with full, welcoming breast and abundant hips? Buxom Solennya was so different from frail Yannice, with her svelte silhouette of a young tree.

Solennya did not have the time to answer. Nayadir himself came making his way through the dense bushes at the end of the clearing. “Here I am, sis!” he shouted, waving his hand to Yannice. She greeted her brother with a smile. “Have you been looking for me?” he asked in a jovial tone at the same time surrounding Solennya with his arm. “Yes, I wanted us all to play a game I had invented. I called it creativity,” replied Yannice. She seemed a bit provocative, when she added, “We all could use a little exercise in creativity least our worlds became boring as a blue sky without a cloud.”

“So, how do we play this game of yours?” queried Nayadir unabashed by his sister’s irony. “Have patience, Nay. I want everyone to participate in it and I don’t see Bayan anywhere. Wasn’t he with you?” Yannice was determined to gather everyone here. It was absolutely necessary for her plan to be put to work. “He’s probably meditating as always, somewhere deeper in the garden. You know him,” Solennya interrupted fiddling with Nayadir’s blond locks. “I’ll go and look for him,” suggested Essaya, but Yannice decided to do it herself. She could not bare the sight of her brother being so close with Solennya.

Yannice found Bayan without a slightest trouble. Just as she had expected he was sitting, with his eyes closed, on a green hillock, far from anybody’s sight. Lengthening shadows of the approaching evening crept over him from the large tree behind his back. Bayan never cared about any other demiurge, living as if he was the only one. But she needed every creator to be on the clearing this night, so she asked him to join the game. He accepted the invitation, like she had been certain he would. Boredom reached every demiurge sooner or later and every amusement was heartily welcomed.

Twilight had covered the world with its veil when all the demiurges gathered on the clearing. Yannice took a careful look at them all: sweet Solennya, righteous Nayadir, cynical Essaya and listless Bayan. They were all eager to play whatever new game she had been able to conceive. The rules were nice and simple. They would take turns and draw little stones with different words inscribed on them. The task was to create a part of a world and weave the fates of its inhabitants according to that word. Nothing could be easier and more fun for the talented demiurges. And above all it would keep them busy giving Yannice the time and freedom necessary for what she intended to do.

* * *

“Let us start!” Yannice grinned and took a basket full of colorful gems out of a nearby bush. “Would you like to start, Sol?” Yannice asked her rival in a sweet tone. “With pleasure,” replied Solennya, polite as ever. She took out a blood red ruby and read the inscription “FAIRY”. With visible joy she got to world creation. In a moment, a population of pink winged beautiful creatures came into being, forming a peaceful society.

Aayan woke up from a beautiful dream to the smell of his mother’s fruitcake. He yawned and lazily stretched his wings. Jeyna, his older sister, was still sleeping on her favorite blue rose petals. A new day was about to begin with all its little miracles. The fairy smiled to his thoughts and jumped out of the flowery bed. It took him only a moment to jump into the cool water of the nearby stream. His tunic was waiting for him, hung on the old willow, ready to accompany him in his today’s follies. Merry as usually, Aayan ran towards the kitchen. His mother was bustling busily between pots and pans, her spells lighting the fire under kettles with wonderfully smelling soup. The strawberry cake, the one that woke him up, stood ready on the tree trunk table.

“Morning, ma!” Aayan greeted his mother on his way to the sweet dish, preferring it to more serious meal. “Morning! Stop it right there!” mother’s voice halted him in the mid air. It was her favorite trick, her magic helping her in raising her vigorous son safely. “The cake is still worm. You’ll have to wait for it to cool down. In the meantime I’ll give you a sandwich,” mother smiled letting go of him. “Is your sister still asleep?” she asked slicing sweet bread and overloading it with chocolate butter. “Yup, as always! But I’ll go and wake her up in a moment!” offered Aayan, eager to tease his older sister. “No, let her sleep. She had a rough night with that silver moon ritual,” mother calmed Aayan. “She’s been chanting the invocations all night long. She’ll become a powerful sorceress one day...” mother added, with a flash of parental pride in her eye.

“Oh, Solennya, how sweet,” Yannice’s voice rang with irony. She turned to her brother, her coral lips grimaced with disdain “All those sweet little fairies with those sweet little pink wings, living so happily! She’s a born demiurge, don’t you think so, Nay?” “Ah, that she is,” Nayadir replied, not noticing all the venom in his sister’s words, too busy looking in Solennya’s eyes. Essaya smiled, but did not decide to enter this dialogue. He would not risk annoying Yannice.

“Now’s my turn,” Yannice grinned malevolently. “Let me show some of my skill,” she said as she put her hand deep into the basket with the sparkling gems. Unseen by anybody, an opal materialized between her fingers. She did not intend to let her abilities be taken by her own invention. Cleverly designed jewels were capable of absorbing every creation power of the one who read the carved word. She pulled the stone out and turned to read the inscription, “FOOD”, hopefully innocent enough not to cause any suspicions. “So let it come into being,” Yannice called, starting her demiurgic work.

Aayan was about to say something about his sister’s tricks when a thundering sound made the forest tremble, “BARRADOC”. In an instant the sky turned leaden gray in a tumult of heavy clouds. Rain came down in cold torrents blurring the sight and whipping the body. Fierce wind blew with unseen strength making the trees bow to its will. Dark figures appeared from nowhere, visible only in short moments of lightening. “BARRADOC, BARRADOC, BARRADOC,” rang repeatedly in Aayan’s ears, deafening and terrifying. From his mother’s hand came golden serpents of protective magic circling them both. With wild look in her eye the woman searched for her daughter, but Jeyna was nowhere in sight.

The shadows grew thicker and thicker to finally show the assailants. Both men and women wore black cuirasses and spiked helmets adorned with raven feathers. Their immense eyes were as dark as a moonless night, when they approached, hands clenched menacingly on silvery morning stars. In absolute mayhem they advanced, their war cry hurting fairies ears “BARRADOC”.

In horror Aayan embraced his mother. She was preparing for a battle, as she heard other fairies cry in a distance through the howling wind. With her left hand she gently caressed Aayan’s hair trying to soothe him, while her right beamed red and yellow rays towards the mysterious attackers. They somehow seemed immune to all the spells of poor fairy. Their weapons gathered all the light and swallowed it greedily, as if it had never existed. Mother weakened suddenly and fell to her knees with a short cry. Aayan tried to lift her up, but there was no use. In panic, he got up and mustered all his magical knowledge. Only a few sparks came out of his fingers, when one of the dark warriors grabbed him and hurled him onto the ground. A rock buried deep in grass knocked the boy unconscious.

“BARRADOC,” something howled and Jeyna woke up with a shiver. Cold drops of rain washed her face and cruel wind froze her naked body. “BARRADOC,” cried some unknown voices when the fairy caught her dress and searched the forest with her eyes. “BARRADC,” roared someone madly as Jeyna hurriedly put on her robe. “BARRADOC” prevailed over the constant noise of the storm.

Jeyna ran towards the kitchen where she expected her mother and brother to be, but a group of armed figures came in her way. Young sorceress called upon the power of the moon for help. The silvery circle surrounded her instantly, its cold light protecting her body from harm. In this pale glow Jeyna saw the Barradoc for the first time. They were slightly larger then fairies and had no wings. Their dark skin glistened like a well polished stone on their immobile faces. Only their eyes shimmered with passion and hunger with a touch of cruelty. Jeyna gasped as they approached her, their morning stars sucking in her protective spell.

There was no point in fighting, as there were too many enemies. In one great effort Jeyna gathered her strength and summoned all the moonlight she could. An explosion of white radiance blinded the invaders and gave the fairy a moment to jump into thick bushes and hide herself. She lay still, holding her breath, waiting for the strange creatures to stop looking for her. They shouted to themselves in a harsh language that reminded Jeyna of a waterfall.

After an eternity the Barradoc left to search for another prey and Jeyna stood up. In fear she sneaked nearer the kitchen, still hoping to find her family there. She was one step from the place, when she heard her mother scream. From the thick verdure she saw the assailants tear her parent apart, devouring every part of her body, licking hungrily every drop of her blood. Aayan was also dead, his head chopped off, his hands and legs disappearing fast in the mouths of those human shaped monsters.

Jeyna felt sick and was about to turn and run when she saw something, that told her she should stay. As the Barradoc ate, the magical essence of the fairies entered their bodies and shone through them for a while. Now Jeyna understood, where their power came from. They had been taking it from the fairies!

Jeyna ran like mad through the wood, afraid of flying, which would make her easily visible. She hardly saw anything with tear filled eyes. A strange pain was growing in her chest as despair was changing into hatred and want of revenge. “No matter who they were, the Barradoc would pay for the death of her family. They will pay!”

Grey clouds disappeared, the rain was no longer pouring from the suddenly evil sky but Jeyna was still running. Her lungs burned, her feet were sore, her dress was no more then a rug, but she just couldn’t stop. “Away, away from all those horrid things, away from death and pain, away from the realization of the facts.” The dusk had come upon the forest when Jeyna fell on the ground, too exhausted to make one more step. For a moment the world whirled in her eyes, changing into a mass of twisted lines, then the fairy fell unconscious.

Jeyna woke up and uneasily took a look around. She was definitely not where she should be. Instead of thorny bushes she remembered from her frantic escape she was surrounded with colorful flowers whose sweet scents were almost dizzying. Neither the soft, fluffy bed belonged to the scene of her recent distress. Where was she then?

“Welcome to our humble abode,” a deep man’s voice cut into Jeyna’s thoughts. She turned to see to whom it belonged. A handsome fairy with graceful rainbow wings was smiling at her in the friendliest manner. His sky blue eyes were shining with true sympathy. “I hope you’re feeling better now. I’ll go and fetch you something to eat,” the man said, intending to turn and do what he had suggested. Jeyna stopped him with a question, “Where am I?” “You’re in the refugee camp. This is all that was left of five villages after the coming of the Barradoc,” his face darkened as he mentioned the assailants. His voice faltered, “Not many survived...”

The sudden remembrance of her own tragedy brought tears to Jeyna’s eyes. In a few words she described her own experience of the Barradoc. The man listened with compassion. When she finished he motioned as if he wanted to hug her, but stopped shyly. He nodded his head instead showing his understanding. Jeyna thanked him with an uncertain smile. Only then did she realize she did not know his name. Asked, he presented himself as Mael the Medic. In exchange he heard his guest’s name – Jeyna the Moon Sorceress. After this short introduction he rushed to get the promised food.

“Enough is enough!” Solennya cried looking at the outcome of Yannice’s creation. Auburn haired demiurge was visibly shaken by the horrible sights of massacre and destruction. “Come now, Sol! It’s nothing serious. Just a bunch of small insects being crashed. That’s all,” Yannice mocked, her eyes glimmering with cruel satisfaction. She smiled, when she asked Solennya, “You didn’t really expect me to give a feast when I took out this ‘food’ gem, did you?” Nayadir held Solennya to him and Bayan pursed his lips in disdain.

Essaya ventured to enter the conversation, “Sol, don’t be childish. Those fairies of yours were so sweet, they were an ideal snack for Yan’s Barradoc.” Unexpectedly Solennya burst into tears hiding her face on Nayadir’s chest. Yannice sighed, “Nayadir, be the next to play and fix what your naughty sister had done.”

Without a word Nayadir kissed Solennya and picked a gem. A frown came on his brow when he read the inscription, “THIEF” and Yannice couldn’t hold her smile. Her brother had always been so righteous.

Two months had passed since the fatal morning and Jeyna regained her strength. She was more beautiful then ever, but her sea-green eyes became cold as ice and warmed only to Mael’s smile. Constant fever was burning in her heart but she did not show it to any of the new met friends from the camp. All those fairies gathered here because they were the sole survivors, each and every one of them had lost someone close. And yet they were not half as angry as Jeyna was. While they were crying and whining she was looking for the means of revenge. During the day she participated in the usual chores of the camp. At night she practiced her magic. She hardly slept, but that was good, as it let her avoid the returning nightmares of the massacre she had witnessed. Her skill with magic was growing rapidly powered by her inner fury. What had seemed impossible for her just a while ago now she almost effortlessly achieved. Only when Mael asked her of her wings getting paler and paler, turning from vivid pink to light beige she bit her lip and said nothing.

The full moon shone brightly on the clear sky amidst myriads of stars. Jeyna barely felt the cold of midnight air and the breeze played with her long, green hair. The young sorceress had been coming to this lonely clearing for the past month and now she was ready to perform the silver moon ritual on her own. No equipment was needed except for her own knowledge. Jeyna’s voice broke the silence with the rising incantation. She needed the power and wisdom of the moon’s all seeing eye.

She weaved the spell staring at the pale face of moon. A sudden thrill went through her body, when she channeled the light to enter her mind. The vision started abruptly with a flesh of intense pain. Jeyna fell to her knees but did not lose the sight of her guide. The images of the Barradoc came fast, one after another: their home far in the rocky land, wretched and desolate, now abandoned, their army, ever hungry for the fairy flesh and magic. The warriors approached at a fast pace, ready to bring death and destruction. And then she saw the one thing she had been hoping for, the way to destroy the accursed Barradoc. Jeyna smiled and the suffering of the spell being finished struck her unconscious.

It was dawning and Mael was worried. He had noticed Jeyna leaving the camp every evening but she had always been back before midnight. He had almost lost hope when he entered a wide clearing. In the first rays of the rising sun something glimmered in the grass. With a wildly beating heart Mael sprang to investigate it. Jeyna was lying on one side, her lips bent in a smile of contentment. The medic touched her pulse and it was steady. There was no sign of any illness, but the girl seemed exhausted. Mael gently caressed her locks taking a moment to admire her in silence. He delicately picked up his lovely friend and carried her to the camp. She woke up in his arms. With a grin he had never seen, she joked, “I see you’re growing a habit of helping me out when I pass out”. He did not ask her what had happened. She would have told him if she thought it right.

The meeting of the refugee council began early in the morning, as it did every month since the building of the camp. Important matters were to be discussed, including moving to another part of the forest. Jeyna had never before attended those gatherings, but this day was different. Everybody was surprised when she asked to be heard. When she announced, what she had learned from the moon, all the fairies ware silenced. What they needed was a thief!

Mael listened to Jeyna’s bold plan of destroying the Barradoc, his eyes wide open with amazement. The only reason she decided to reveal it was the need of supplies and equipment, which only the council could provide. The rest would be up to Jeyna’s skill and bravery. With her passion and firmness she managed to convince all the wise fairies. After thanking them solemnly the sorceress went to prepare herself for the journey. The things she requested were to be ready the next morning.

Mael ran after Jeyna. She had not even noticed him during the gathering! He found the girl on a rock beside the fast flowing stream. She was already half naked, intending to take a dive into the dangerous waters. The medic blushed and his wing fluttered uneasily. The shameless sorceress sent him a distracted smile and continued undressing, which made him look down. But one way or another Mael had to talk to her and he might not have another chance to do it.

“Jeyna, I... I mean... Why...?” Mael just did not know how to say what he felt. Jeyna looked at him closely and sighed, “Why I’m willing to take the risk, why I am going alone or why I didn’t tell you about it? Which of the questions was on your mind, Mael?” The poor man glanced at the woman he secretly loved and thought that actually he would like to know the answer for all those queries. And one more, actually.

After a dead silence that was definitely too long the sorceress saddened, her beautiful green eyes worming suddenly. Without a word she approached Mael and kissed him fervently. Stunned, he shivered as she took a step beck. A single tear was flowing down her cheek. “Damn this wretched world! Why couldn’t you just let me go, Mael?” Jeyna stated rather then asked. “I must take my revenge before I can have a life of my own, if and only if I manage to survive. And that is not very probable, to be sure,” the sorceress was throwing the words out with increasing emotion.

Jeyna was right. Stealing the morning star from the Barradock’s chieftain was not an easy task. To stay alive after destroying the weapon, which gave the Barradoc their power to absorb magical essence, was almost impossible. Mael knew that and it hurt him to think Jeyna would die. If only he could convince her to forget about this suicidal plan... Finally the medic made up his mind and almost cried, “But, I love you Jeyna! The revenge is not worth your life!”. “I love you too, Mael,” Jeyna whispered right into his ear. “But it is not only the matter of vengeance. If I succeed all the fairies will be safe again. Or at least they will have a chance to fight back,” her voice faltered. She was so close the man could feel the heat of her body.

“Let me go with you then,” Mael asked and his beloved frowned. She would never let this foolish boy follow her and risk his life. He was far too dear to her. It was a one-person job, anyway. But he would never let her go alone. She kissed him once again, her spell unseeingly taking over him. “I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” were the last words he heard before he fell asleep. Jeyna carefully put him down and kissed a fare well. He would sleep until the next day.

The journey to the Barradoc encampment did not take long. Jeyna was traveling fast on her bright wings and after three days she reached her destination. On a large clearing myriads of fires glimmered in the night. Harsh voices of warriors cut through the silence of the forest like a roar of a distant sea. The sorceress trembled, but not out of fear. It was a thrill of expectance, her revenge was so near. She took a deep breath and put a raven black cloak over her wings. The right incantation instantly came into her mind and the shadows gathered around her making her almost invisible. ”The time has come.”

Choosing the path away from the light of fires Jeyna stealthily made her way to the chieftain’s tent. Her heart was pounding, but her breath was steady and her step was sure. She had been waiting long enough for this moment! Seemingly out of nowhere a drunken warrior stumbled upon her. The sorceress cursed silently and pushed her half conscious assailant away. For a while he gaped into the darkness, looking for the thing that hit him. After some useless effort he evidently got tired and went asleep right in the place where Jeyna had left him.

The friendly obscurity ended a long way before Jeyna’s aim. Bright torches and bonfires burned all around it simplifying the task of the guards. Those soldiers were sober and alert, ready to kill at the slightest suspicion of danger towards their master. The sorceress smiled knowing her fate would be sealed soon. She weaved an intricate pattern of her most powerful sleep spell. With so many targets it would not last long, but she should have enough time to enter the chieftain’s tent. After a very long moment all the warriors standing in her way were slumbering like a baby.

Jeyna ran as silently as she could and penetrated into the abode of her worst enemy. He was there, just as she knew he would. He drank only water and almost did not need any sleep. But his men were not as tough and he had to allow them some rest. In his movable house he even put down his weapons. It was the only chance to get his morning star without the need of taking it from his dead body, which would not be easy.

The sorceress had only a moment before she would be spotted. Her enemy was standing at a table studying a map and preparing for the next battle. As long as the enchanted morning star existed, Jeyna’s magic was useless against the chieftain. Her only chance was to destroy the accursed weapon on the spot and hope she would have strength enough to escape after this fearful spell. The object she came for was simply lying on a kind of three-legged stool in the far end of the tent. Jeyna sneaked towards the morning star already starting her incantation. She grabbed it right in the moment the chieftain realized the danger and jumped on her.

“Now, Nayadir! That was a nice twist of the situation,” Yannice laughed heartily. She knew her brother would pay dearly for playing this little game. And he would pay soon. “Thank you, Nay,” Solennya looked sweetly at her lover, “you’ve at least given them hope”. Nayadir winked at her, at the same time sending his sister a malicious smile. “Which one of you boys wants to be next?” Yannice addressed Essaya and Bayan. “I would like to take a try now, if Bay doesn’t mind,” said Essaya with a grin. Bayan answered rather casually, “Oh, I don’t mind being the last. It gives so many opportunities”.

Without further discussion Essaya picked a gem and read its word. It said, “SPELL”. The demiurge exchanged a knowing look with Yannice and got to his work, not noticing Solennya paled and looked as if she was going to faint.

Jeyna had almost finished her incantation when a powerful blow from behind sent her rolling on the ground. Alas, she had got used to pain during the silver moon rituals and her spells were not easily interrupted. In her mind she recited the words of destruction while she jumped to her feet, now facing her attacker directly and separating him from his weapon. His dark face twisted in anger, making him look like a real monster. Jeyna gasped for air, but she was determined to finish what she had come here for.

A short dagger sparked in the chieftain’s hand. Jeyna backed a little, feeling the stool behind her for the morning star. Only two lines of the incantation remained and the spell of destruction would be cast. Trying to watch out for her opponent and reach the accursed weapon, she most unfortunately threw it off from the stool. This moment of distraction was enough for the chieftain to strike her, thrusting his dagger deep between her ribs. The sorceress cried in pain and the last three words of the incantation were lost.

The chieftain effortlessly picked Jeyna up to her feet and the woman grimaced in pain and fury. The hatred raged within her like a blazing fire. Alas, she was so helplessly weak now, unable to hurt him with her magic, unable to do anything. She did not speak a word when he dragged her out of the tent into the middle of the camp. “Now, I’ll show you some of my magic, you foolish girl,” he whispered into Jeyna’s ear, his words full of venom. Jeyna did not answer.

The world turned into a colorful whirl and Jeyna screamed in utter agony. Her body was torn apart by a strange force, dissipating into nothingness. But her mind was perfectly clear when she listened to the Barradock’s laughter, when she saw their dark faces twisted in fowl smiles. The chieftain himself was casting spells, torturing her, keeping her between life and death. Her body no longer existed, but her spirit was still there, immortal and enslaved. After an eternity the cruel man got bored and for a moment Jeyna thought he would finally let her die. Instead, he entrapped her in some sort of an alternative world, where the only thing she could feel was pain. “That is the punishment for such as yourself, foolish girl,” chieftain’s words thundered, as the portal to her world closed forever.

“Not a very long episode, Essaya! But not bad, not bad indeed,” Yannice smiled at Essaya and then for a long while enjoyed the look of something close to hatred on Solennya’s white face. Nayadir did not look well either and Yannice realized that her magic was working. There was only one demiurge left. She winked at him and Bayan took a stone. It was labeled “ESCAPE”. He grinned and began the creation.

Jeyna passed out and came to her senses several times before she got used to the constant torture. In this dream like state she somehow kept the ability to think. She gathered all her strength to concentrate. She remembered being captured, she remembered her slaughtered family and the cold fury silenced the pain. The sorceress of the moon was not so easily beaten. She started the most powerful incantation that was supposed to be lethal for every mortal reckless enough to recite it. But since she was only a spirit now and had nothing to lose it was worth trying out.

The Barradoc scrambled to their feet, tired after the nightlong feast. The ground was trembling and the torrents of fire were pouring from the sapphire blue sky. Frightened birds sang a mournful song of destruction when the trees fell down, one after another, crashing everything on their way. A light breeze brought the sweet scent of the deadly flowers. The Barradoc ran in panic, trying to hide from the incomprehensible fury of nature. Alas, there was no place to hide, the ground itself opened under their feet to devour them like a hungry monster. In terror the chieftain tried to escape his fate and ran like mad through the forest, thorny bushes tearing his clothes and body. Heavy trees fell around him, trapping him like an animal. The earth was shaking and the logs surrounding him caught fire from the celestial blaze. He could hardly breathe and the world became a red whirl. His body was already burning when he heard a voice, “That is the punishment for such as yourself”.

As the chieftain’s flesh turned to ashes and his spirit flew towards its destiny Jeyna realized she was no longer trapped. The feeling of freedom was so soothing. She smiled to herself as she melted into eternity.

“Bravo, Bay! I really did not expect it to end like this!”, Yannice congratulated Bayan. “And now, my dear friends I have something to announce,” the creatrix was visibly pleased. “That is the end of the story, not only for those little fairy insects, but for you all,” said Yannice and let her face twist with cruelty. “Bow to me and I will let you live”.

All the other demiurges had already bean weakened enough to believe her words. But they would never give up to her, not even Essaya, who loved her. She had betrayed them all! Yannice smiled and from her hands came bright serpents of fire and surrounded all of her opponents, except for Nayadir. Her brother cried when he looked at his beloved and his friends being burned alive. Yannice approached him and silenced him with a kiss. He could do nothing against the omnipotent creatrix, being a mere mortal. Such was the price for playing with creator powers.

Demiurges

0 Comments