Surely it can’t mean Athena the Greek goddess of war? And if anyone who touches it experiences an excruciating death how in the hell did they get it in here?
Not seeing Becky around anywhere to ask her I decide to move on and carry on exploring before we’re taken to our rooms.
I’ve been trying to ignore it but the tugging sensation is becoming more and more insistent. I’m helpless to stop myself as I start in the direction that it’s pulling me. I’m not even able to stop and look at the displays that catch my eye. It’s like now that I’ve acknowledged that the tugging is there, it’s given it enough strength to make me do as it pleases. Which sounds terrifying but in actuality I feel no ill will and my intuition isn’t pinging so I don’t actively try to fight it.
I’m pulled into the very far corner of the building, out of the designated display area and into the library. The corner is dark and dusty and clearly unused. I’m half expecting to end up in front of some sort of a book but instead I find myself standing in front of a seemingly out of place display case. Inside are two beautifully made curved swords. They seem to be made out of some sort of black material and at a guess I’d say it was something natural like obsidian but I’d assume it’s actually made of something stronger and more durable. The blades look visibly sharp and the hilts look like they were made to fit someone’s hands specifically, with indents and impressions where the wielders fingers should be.
They are mesmerising and I get an overwhelming need to touch them, wield them and use them. Which is an absolutely crazy thought but a thought that will not leave me. As I stand there admiring them I swear I can here an almost chanting coming from somewhere. I lean closer towards the case and place my hand on the cool glass, completely forgetting about the protection spells on it. It’s too late to move my hand now though and I jolt as a spark a thousand times more powerful than the sparks I feel with my guys travels up my arm. The feeling is not painful but it is overwhelming in the strength of it. My eyes slam closed and I’minstantly pulled into a different time and place entirely.
I have a birds eye view of the ground below where a fierce battle rages.
The surrounding landscape is like nothing I have ever seen before. Everything is brighter even bathed in blood and gore. The colours sharper, some I don’t even have a name for what they are. The trees are truly giant, bigger than anything I’ve seen on earth and have what looks like windows and doors built in to the trunks and even branches, with walkways stretching between them. It would be incredibly pretty if it wasn’t so obviously war torn and damaged.
Before I can fully appreciate any more of the differences I’m propelled rapidly to the middle of the battle field where it’s made even more abundantly clear that we are no longer on earth. Mixed in with the vampires with their fangs out, the various animals that are clearly more than just animals, the spells and energy blasts being thrown around from various different sources, are winged creatures and beings that I can only describe as fae with their elegant features, pointed ears and multihued hair and eyes.
There are giant ogre like beings that could never pass for human and too many other species that I just don’t get a chance to study like I’d like too. I do notice that they all seem to be fighting against things that look suspiciously human. All of them dressed in deep purple armour that seems to deflect the energy blasts shot in their direction but also whereas the majority of the other side has weapons like swords, axes, bows and arrows. The purple people have weapons that look like large barrelled guns and shoot their own sort of energy blasts that barrel through the other side and decimate them. My heart aches as I watch it happen and I desperately want to help destroy the purple armoured assholes.
“The Order,”a lilting voice whispers through my mind.
The voice doesn’t even make me jump and I mull over the information it’s given me. I’m assuming it means that the purple assholes are the order. I have no idea what that is but I know I don’t like them. Loath would be a better word to describe how I feel watching them destroy my people. My magic pushes against the barrier holding it back clearly as angry as I am. I can’t do anything apart from observe though and after a brief battle of wills I accept it, understanding that there’s a reason why I’m here and that I need to see what’s about to play out.
The rest of the battle field blurs as my focus is drawn to the middle where a tall and beautifully fierce woman stands with navy and silver hair and skin the colour of amber. In her grip she holds the two curved swords from the display case. The blades hum as she swings them through the air slicing through the orders purple armour as easily as if they were cutting through nothing but air as they meet no resistance. The order changes their focus from the surrounding battle to her in particular and I get the feeling that it’s her that they’re after.
Before she can get overwhelmed nine figures fight their waythrough the battle to her. One wolf, a jaguar, a vampire, fae, two what I’m assuming to be demons, one similar to Jax and one with giant leathery wings that are awesome. The other men appear to be a witch, what I’m guessing is a siren as he hypnotises with his voice and an honest to god mother fucking dragon who drops in last. Scooping up several of the order in its giant jaws and chomping through them easily.
Holy fuck.
Instead of surrounding her like I expect they turn so they’re all fighting back to back, the woman included. I watch as the woman mutters something causing a purple hue to surround one of her swords before she launches it straight through the order member coming for her but instead of stopping there it curves it’s way through a line of them before speeding rapidly back to the woman as she effortlessly catches it. A savage grin lights up her features as she watches the order members run through by her controlled sword crash to the floor.
The purple assholes are momentarily distracted as they stare at so many of their fallen comrades. It looks like a distraction is what the woman was aiming for as her and the guys move closer together and twine their fingers together. As soon as they are all touching a purple glow, the same as the glow that encased her sword, surrounds them all and they start chanting. Their voices creating a haunting and powerful sound. The order panics obviously understanding something that I can’t. It causes them to redouble their attacks charging towards the ten of them. They don’t even get sort of close though and as the chanting reaches a crescendo, spears of dark purple light expand outwards and with deadly precision pierce through every single purple order asshole.
My jaw drops open.
The battle comes to an abrupt stop and the woman’s swords disappear in dark purple smoke. As they’re absorbed by the smoke the smoke twines up the woman’s arms and underneath her leather arm guards, dissipating entirely. Her men all kiss her passionately clearly relived that although damaged and worn they are all alive.
I feel myself being pulled back towards the training academy and library. Just before I’m sent careening back the woman looks up at me and winks one of her bright purple eyes at me, shocking the shit out of me. It’s too late to ask the millions of questions fighting for dominance in my mind though as I’m rather abruptly dumped back into my own body.
The force makes my knees buckle and arms wrap around my waist pulling me against a strong chest.
“Are you ok, Titch?”
“I’m ok,” I reply slightly breathless.
“What the hell was that?” Kai asks.
“Did you see it too?” I ask shocked but also hopeful because I have no idea where to start in trying to explain that.
“Yeah, Little Star but it was like watching a tv and we could choose notto watch.” Jax tries to explain.
“I have no idea what that was but I’m glad I don’t have to try to explain it. As soon as we stepped foot in this room I felt this sort of tugging sensation. I finally decided to follow it, it led me here. I could swear I heard a kind of chanting and without thinking I laid my hand on the glass and got sucked in to whatever that was.” I explain and the guys share a look.
“Well either you and only you were supposed to see that vision or it is part of the spells that protect it.” Hunter muses.
“It didn’t kick me out or harm me in any way though.” I reply.
“Guys,” Jax interrupts, “you see that too right?” he asks and I turn back towards the display case.
Sure enough both of the swords glow dark purple just like they did in the vision before dulling back to their black blades.
