Chapter Ten: Tiya

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height


Candillice entered through the large doors alone, It was very dark and all she could see was a long set of stairs before her.  One of the candles was lit on the wall, Candillice took this with her as she walked up the stairs. The walls along this stairway had painted depictions of a strange people, Candillice thought they looked funny because they had no fur. There were also pictures of different shaped buildings and monuments. As she continued up the steps there were more paintings of strange humanoid figures depicted on the walls. Some had beaks and feathers and further up the steps were images of rays of pure light. She followed the depictions of the rays of light until she reached the door up above.

The doors opened as if by themselves and a wind came howling through the stairway from the room above. After the wind had finished howling Candillice could hear a faint humming sound as though someone was singing, a familiar tune, The song of her people she thought.

Candillice entered the room but it was not as she expected. The air was musty and sweet. The walls were covered in vines and windows that looked like they once contained glass were open to the outside. Candillice could see that the vines covered the floor stretching out from all directions of the round shaped room towards the back where a small moss covered statue lay. She walked towards the statue, which appeared to be of a young girl with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. This smile gave Candillice a very peaceful feeling.

"Hello? I am Candillice. Do I to talk to you little statue?" she waited for an answer but received no reply. She looked around the room but she somehow knew that talking to the statue was still her best guess.

"I should probably start by telling you about my dream, err, vision thingy. You see. I was napping on top of the tower in my garden. When a light shined on my face! And I believe it came from the Blue Star. All of a sudden I was dreaming . . .  . but I was awake in this dream. And here is what happened! All of that blue light. . . . it disapeared! . . . . There I was standing in a room that was totally black! But! There was a flame that was burning on the other side!"

Candillice knew she was giving a long winded explanation of her vision. She acted out elements of her story. She stopped to see if anything was happening but there was no response from the statue so she continued.

"I was watching this flame when all these people covered in rags appeared then suddenly triangles burst out of the floor all around me. And then! A dark red figure walked towards the flame scattering it into several smaller flames. I saw several warriors of my people run past me toward the smaller flames. What happened next was the triangles formed what looked like a spiders web and everyone got caught in it. And then another fire appeared!" Candillice said before she paused briefly to catch her breath and think about how horrified she was by the sight of this new fire.

"It was a different kind of fire. . . . . . It was icy blue, felt cold and it frightened me. But then the visions twisted and twirled. They went backwards in time. Back to before the warriors of my people first attacked the flame warriors. And for a brief moment the flame warriors were standing behind me and we were all on fire. And then the room filled with blue light again and that was when. . . . . . . I woke up!" Candillice had finished explaining her vision and stood still watching the statue. She could not see any movement or any indication that anybody in the room was listening to her.

"Is there anyone here listening? Maybe I'm not the one?"

"Or maybe I'm just crazy!"

Candillice said to her self as she turned around to head back down the stairs. But before she could leave a breeze blew through the room that was warm and comforting.

"Candillice," a faint whisper could be heard calling her name, It sounded like the voice of a little girl. She turned around but could not see who had just whispered her name.

"Is somebody here?" She asked and the faint whisper replied.

"Gift for you, Open your hands" 

Candillice decided to listen and follow the instructions of whoever it was that was whispering to her. She opened her hands, they became very warm and to her surprise a glow appeared between them. In an instant she saw what appeared to be a sword in her hands.

"Amazing!" Candillice exclaimed as she examined this remarkable gift. It was an incredible looking weapon that reminded her of the sword her mother had, fit for a Queen. She proceeded to swing it around as she knew a few techniques that had been taught to her in training. Candillice was smiling but then the voice that whispered came again only this time it was much louder and filled with alarm.

"Look above you!" The voice warned. 

Candillice shifted her attention from the blade and lifted her head upward. She had not noticed before or perhaps it was well hidden in the vines.

A pair of large red eyes stared down at her from the ceiling.

"A Grotesque!" 

Candillice jumped and lifted her sword in the air towards the beast. Slowly the beast crept from behind the vines and Candillice could see it was large and vile. Its skin was a blackish green and very oily. The beast had four large muscular arms, Its ears were long and pointy and Its mouth had many sharp teeth. It was clear that this was going to be a formidable foe and the Grotesque beast now blocked the only path of escape if she did choose to run. Candillice was fearful yet the hatred she felt towards the Grotesques and the sword in her hands bolstered her courage.

The beast growled and lunged at Candillice, It grabbed her and she was thrown out of the window. She found herself outside hanging onto the vines.

But she was not injured and climbed back up to the window ready to strike back. This was when she realized the Grotesque was not attacking her. Its mouth was over the little statue and it looked to Candillice like it was draining the Spirit's energy.

"Your fight is with me you hideous monster!" Candillice yelled and then jumped on its back. The beast growled and tried to shake her off but Candillice dug her claws in deep. It tried to grab her again but she slashed at its hands with each attempt. Candillice attempted to stab the Grotesque in the back but its skin was too oily and thick. The way it tossed and turned made it difficult to achieve more than a small gash. The beasts turned its attention to the statue once more and had its mouth wide open as if to swallow the statue. This was when Candillice jumped and flipped in the air landing in front of the beast.

"You won't ignore me so easily!" Candillice yelled as she swung her sword as hard as she could into the massive creature's lower left incisor. The enormous Grotesque screamed out an incredibly loud and horrible howl that quite possibly shook the entire castle.

When Candillice removed the blade from the beast mouth the tooth that she had struck shattered leaving a cracked half of a tooth. This caused the Grotesque so much pain he fled down the stairs bursting down the door to the Temple. This large Grotesques let out another screaming howl. The council members were alarmed by the sight of this the largest and most hideous Grotesque they had ever seen. Some of them jumped up the walls and others hid under their chairs.

The Queen remained on her throne but was startled as the beast ran to the balcony and jumped off of it.

TyrAnna with her royal guards and the council all ran to the Temple stairs. But a breeze came rushing from the top of the stairs toward them and this prevented them from reaching Candillice.

"The Great Spirit is speaking with my daughter, We must wait!" The Queen told them and they returned to the great hall. Candillice could not believe what she had just done she had actually defeated a Grotesque in battle and she was quite pleased with herself.

"I should go after that thing!" Candillice exclaimed but the the Spirit spoke now with not a whisper but a loud voice and Candillice turned once again toward the little moss covered statue.

"Thank you, Candillice, you have freed me from that creature's dark intentions," The little statue said.

"So that's why you weren't speaking with my Mother! She came in here several times. You mean that things been there watching this whole time? Creepy!"

"I was in hiding. . . Waiting for a spirited champion, saving all of my energy to create that sword," The little statue replied.

"Great Spirit, can you tell me why the light of the Blue Star is fading? And what is the meaning of my vision?" Candillice asked.

"I will tell you what I know," The little statue replied.

The room once again felt calm and peaceful, the little moss covered statue glowed with an emerald aura.

"First the meaning of your vision. Those in rags you have seen are your people who are forced to build the triangle shaped buildings your vision has shown you. These are towers that are responsible for the web and will be the cause of the ruination of this world. . . . . The dark red figure you described, he is the Sorcerer Andruin."

"The Sorcerer is returning and he will be much more dangerous. . . . . . However this cold fire you have described is very concerning to me, I feel this to be a much greater threat. . . . I sense. . . . Candillice it's her!" The little statue explained.

"Her?" Candillice asked.

"Who is it!" Candillice shouted.

"I see an evil spirit, she was weakened but she will become very strong. . . . I see the Evil Queen of Shadows!" Candillice this is very terrible you must not allow Sorcerer Andruin to summon her! With the King's absence . . . It would be the end of our world if she were to appear!" The little statue explained.

Candillice was afraid when she heard this, she became filled with sadness as she lowered her sword to the floor.

"We can barely defend our walls against the Grotesques and the Blue Star's light is fading. There is not enough blue light for the amplifiers. And now you're telling me the Sorcerer is returning and he brings great evil with him. It sounds like the situation is hopeless," Candillice said and tried hard not to cry. "What will I tell my People?" she said as she began to question why she was chosen to be the Prophetigress. What use was there and what could she do? Candillice thought.

"Do not be afraid. The light of the Blue Star will shine brightly again," The little statue told Candillice and she looked to the statue again.

"There is hope to undo all of this and that is the meaning of the final part of your vision. . . ." "It will be your task," The Spirit told Candillice.

"I have a task?" Candillice replied with curiosity.

"Yes It is the flame warriors! They are Great Heroes! Mighty enough to stop the forces of evil and bring freedom to your people once again. They come here with the Sorceror's return. It will be your task to convince them to fight for your cause. . . . if you succeed the light of the Blue Star will return brighter than ever before," The little statue spoke with great excitement in her voice.

"Great Spirit how can I do this? Where? When?" Candillice asked. She had many questions for the spirit.

"You must travel north Candillice. When the light of the Blue Star vanishes completely the heroes will appear to you and you must bring them before me," The little statue said.

"I must go now, but before I go there is something I will tell you."

"I have foreseen the heroes. . . . . there is one among them who possesses an incredible gift. It will be something unexpected. . . . you must be watchful for it to find this gifted one. . . . You will be surprised. Now I must go," The statue said.

"Wait Great Spirit before you go what is your name?" Candillice asked.

Another breeze went through the room, the emerald aura around the little moss covered statue disappeared.

"Tiya," The spirit faintly whispered and Candillice knew that the statue was finished speaking to her. She walked back down the stairs and returned the candle to the bottom where she had borrowed it from. The doors to the temple were broken by the Grotesque when it fled, she was relieved to see that the beast was nowhere in sight and everyone was safe.

The Queen and the members of the council ran over to her.

Queen TyrAnna was relieved to see Candillice was safe but alarmed by the sight of what was in her hands. "Candillice why do you have that sword in your hands?" The Queen asked.

"Tiya gave it to me," Candillice said confidently.

"Tiya?" Queen TyrAnna questioned with a confused look.

"Andruin is returning Mother but Tiya told me Heroes will come! Mighty Warriors to aid us!" Candillice stated. Candillice walked to the largest window of the great hall and looked up towards the Blue Star. It had faded and was barely visible at this point.

They all looked up towards the star and watched it flicker erratically.

Cries could be heard outside as others watched the sky from the village below.

The Queen watched her people cry and her fur began to stand on end. She looked toward her daughter and saw that Candillice had a look as though she were expecting something to happen.

"What of the Blue Star? What did the Great Spirit tell you?" Tafficious asked as the members of the Council were eager to know what the Great Spirit had told her.

The council had great fear for what would happen if the Blue Star were to vanish completely from their skies.

But TyrAnna felt a new fear take a hold of of her. A fear for her daughter and this quest the Great Spirit had given her. As Candillice turned to answer Tafficious, Queen TyrAnna interrupted.

"He murdered your brother! Candillice I forbid you to face Andruin!" She cried.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net