The Devil's Tear

Chapter 42- Conditions

Allegra flinched. The air around herself and Arisa had gotten fairly chilly. The wind picked up speed, and Allegra shut her eyes to intercept the grains of sand threatening to enter them.

“Who are you?” Allegra demanded with a powerful, reverberating voice.

“I’m hurt you don’t remember me,” a figure materialized in front of the two.

Allegra felt her limbs freeze and momentarily stop functioning. She fell to the ground as if something had pushed her. “A-Ariadne Ellery…”

“Allegra Lyte,” Ariadne’s voice was alluring, and rather quiet. “I will ask you once. Return to Lord Armont at once.”

“I won’t,” Allegra resisted, and shouted out in agony as Ariadne’s foot slammed down on her spine.

Arisa tried to move in Allegra’s aid, but was unable to. She began whispering… slowly… Without Ariadne’s notice, Arisa disabled the spell binding her. She shot forward, punching the surprised girl off Allegra.

Ariadne regained her footing, and cocked her head playfully to the side. Her wavy fringes covered her left eye, and her lips upturned into a small smile.

“Arisa… Lord Armont wants to see you, too,” Ariadne smiled respectfully, “And I cannot hurt someone who Lord Armont regards so highly.”

Arisa was slightly staggered, “So highly? How does he even know me?”

“You’re his fellow necromancer, are you not?” Ariadne bowed her head, “Now, Arisa, please hand over Allegra to me. This order is vital for me to carry out successfully.”

“Why is that?” Arisa questioned.

“That is the condition I must fulfill to have my younger brother brought back to me,” Ariadne’s posture had relaxed.

“I’ll return with you,” Allegra surrendered after a moment of pause, “Under one condition.”

“Yes?”

“After everything is dealt with, you and your brother must fight for Euphrosyne Rains,” Allegra smiled.

Ariadne blinked twice, “You’re asking us to defy the Devil.”

“Exactly so,” Allegra nodded knowingly with her round, lapis lazuli eyes. “Do you accept?”

“If Oakser and I will be together,” Ariadne sighed, “I accept under another condition.”

Allegra laughed involuntarily. She felt that if she and Ariadne had started off on good terms, they could have become friends. “What is your condition?”

“That we take Arisa with us as well.”

“But what if the others worry about us?” Arisa furrowed her brow, and decidedly backed away from the two girls. “I’m sorry… I can’t come along. Not when my daughter is not with me.”

“Your daughter… I’ve met her,” Ariadne smiled, “She’s a lovely girl. Arisa, please come along. I promise that it won’t take more than a few days.”

“Many things can occur in a ‘few’ days,” Arisa was persistent, although she didn’t like being so rash when Ariadne was trying to be polite.

“Lord Armont will join your forces if you can convince him,” Ariadne’s eyes were dark, “He is a powerful asset; a trained necromancer, and a worthy magician.”

Arisa thought carefully. Her curiosity to her relation to Losse Armont seemed to bear greatly on her shoulders, and she thought, that perhaps, a few days wouldn’t hurt. This was contrary to her motherly beliefs, but as a person, she needed to know. Besides, she would definitely return with Losse. Then there would be no more enemies; only the Devil himself. Rallying such a great force against him would surely rattle him.

“I agree.”

-

Alexei sighed; he had left Irma, but where should he go? He knew that everybody, including Cytheria, would be at Vesta’s palace. He didn’t want to join them and simply rest at the palace. He wanted to be of further use to Rosy.

He walked quietly, kicking pebbles from his path. What could he do now? Without the mighty Bahamut with him, he was useless. Sure, he was powerful and skilled both physically and mentally, but in Rosy’s case, this wasn’t nearly enough. The Devil was a supernatural being, and defying him required supernatural ability.

An outrageous idea claimed his thoughts; maybe he could travel to Bahamut’s lair and conquer the beast again, thus reclaiming its powers. He quickly dismissed the idea. Travelling to the lonesome island itself would take over two months by sea. And, he recalled brightly, the Bahamut’s powers were already available to them. Who could be a better controller of the Bahamut than its initial masters, the Twins of Exedras?

Of course, Alexei stopped in his tracks. There was still something he could achieve without the dragon. He could find Cornelia’s encased spirit, and break the spell binding her. He would free her spirit, and call on Arisa to resurrect it. That would be beneficial to the group’s efforts, and they would consequently attain the power of four magnificent queens on their side. Queens Beatrice and Fortunia, Queen Vesta, and Queen Cornelia.

Alexei had read once, in a book of the ancient history of Tytania, that the Devil’s thirst can only be extinguished with the power of a King.

Of course, that was too long ago to take into account, Alexei reassured himself. But somehow, this sudden remembrance had caused his mind to fall into a state of constant uneasiness.

The four Queens are more than a singular King.

That had to be the case, or all their efforts would be useless.

A/N: Thanks for reading~ ^_^ A new twist to the story. *joyful*