A Battle For Freedom

-7-

There was silence in the vast wildflower field as Verne and the King's army marched back to the land of Iona. The King's lifeless body lay atop his trusty stallion, covered in a green blanket. No one spoke. There were no words to speak, only mourning to feel. The sky was dull, light grey clouds covered the empyrean with drops of rain falling to the ground below, emulating the gentle tears everyone on the field made.

Verne lead the march atop his own horse of ebony, he was now in charge of the kingdom of Qurtha and now a war. Lugh walked behind the army with his own men and Kora silently. The Duke had certainly underestimated his sister's abilities.

Vard broke a long silence after a long walk which had descended into the forest. "She is not strong enough."

Lugh turned to his knight with a puzzled look on his face. Vard continued to elaborate. "Well, if she was powerful and strong, she could have taken on everyone, no matter how large the enemy. She clearly could only control a couple of individuals magically, but certainly not a whole army of them."

Lugh pondered at the idea for a moment before nodding and turning to Kora who was still silent. She was looking at the ground as she walked.

"Kora is this true?" Lugh asked her softly. Kora looked up at the Duke she did not speak but she opened her mouth and then turned away. "Kora just tell me."

"Yes, she is not strong enough."

"It is vital you tell me the whole truth now Kora, no games," Lugh spoke sternly at Kora. Kora looked again at him, sensing his tone.

"I wanted to help her because she wanted to have magic, she wanted to bring her dormant magic out and I agreed with that. I ran from Iona all those years ago, along with many other magical people. Many of them never made it out alive. Of course, I was angry, I did not understand why he despised magic so very much. Yula didn't understand it either, and we grew close, and I helped her out."

"At the cross points when you met your sister all those years ago, I was there, and It confused me why you wouldn't help her. She did not tell me the whole truth, she did not tell me she wanted the crown. Eventually, she changed and turned dark and she used me and hurt me," Kora said, flicking her hair away from her face, her eyes watering. "I ran to King Samhain to tell him what Yula was doing. As soon as I found out what she was up to, I told the King. I didn't like him, but I no longer liked her more. He listened to me and told me to visit you. He told me you were a kind man, foolish but kind. I ran as fast as I could to your kingdom, hoping for a safe place to live. I never expected anything to turn out the way it did."

"And what will Yula's actions be next?" Lugh replied taking Kora's hand in comfort.

"The usual ingredients, a bit of this herb and that, mugwort and the sort, next to be a thousand crystal shards, wings of a fallen faerie and the blood of another Homicea..." Kora spoke to herself as if remembering the recipe to the incantation. "Mix the ingredients together, somehow in a particular way..."

"And how do you know such magic?" Turighon asked, stepping closer, as he had been listening to the conversation also.

"Why does that matter? I've been around a long time, in many lands, with many different people from many diverse levels of society."

"Prophets are essentially mortals, you don't age any different to me."

"No, of course not, but in the many years I have lived, I have travelled and seen more than you have." Kora protested lightly. "My ears prove that one Turighon."

Turighon nodded back, lowering his head slightly.

Iona was on the horizon and news had quickly spread across the land. The villages on the way to the castle were silent, candles lit every corner and all the villagers knelt as the incoming army approached.