Destiny

?

Until two great men of that land quarrel.

And then the lord of war will descend upon the earth.

No force, no weapon, will stop him.

He will take power, for man has failed to meet its challenges.

(...)

...

The clatter of hooves outside the windows confirmed that this time it was no joke. The great army of the Kingdom of Gret was setting out for war. King Mergh didn't believe her, the court witch. He didn't believe the representative of a supranational group of magicians. Not only had he spoken in highly filthy terms about Emma, ​​but he also ordered her locked up and not released until he returned from the war.

Nerves prevented her from thinking clearly. She had worked at several courts, mostly as an assistant, and had only recently been promoted to resident in the kingdom, but she had never encountered anything like this. True, rulers often disagreed with advice, but they never fought against its authors; they feared them.

A few deep breaths and a cup of water calmed her down enough to do anything. First, she had to establish contact with headquarters and report what had happened. Normally, this wasn't complicated: one simply needed to concentrate and pronounce the addressing spell correctly. But nothing was easy under stress. After a few attempts, the voice of the operator on duty spoke in her head:

"Central, I'm listening.

" "This is Emma from the Kingdom of Gret. Please connect with the head of eastern affairs as soon as possible. It may be unstable.

" "I'm creating... it's there!

" "What brings you Emma from the Kingdom of Gret?" came the voice of her superior.

"Things are bad, my lady..." Mergh left for the empire.

"That's a fool! For the good of the east, stop the coming battle at all costs!

" "I'm currently forbidden to leave my chamber; I'm under guard, and regulations forbid me from breaking the orders of the court where I reside...

" "I release you from the ban." You have the right to use any means necessary to prevent the massacre. You know the contents of the book. Now go... May the stars be with you!

The unmistakable roar in her ears ended the connection. Now she had what she needed. She could act. All she needed was energy. Hours of arguing with the ruler and trying to influence his perception had drained her of even the last vestiges of emergency power.

"Servants! Light the fireplace!" she shouted toward the door.

"We are not allowed!" a voice replied.

"Light it, or I will turn you into frogs!"

The door immediately opened, and a servant entered the chamber with an armful of wood and a torch. It's good that the common folk still believe in such nonsense as transforming people into various abominations.

A moment later, the fire was crackling in earnest.

"Go out and warn the guards. I personally advise them to let me out when I ask."

When the servant disappeared behind the door, she faced the fire, relaxed, and opened herself to its force. Almost immediately, she felt a surge of energy. A shriek began to grow in her ears. Eventually, it became unbearable. With a violent movement, she turned away from the fireplace. The shock was so intense that she almost fell to the floor.

"Guards. Open the door," she said, regaining her composure a second later.

"But it was forbidden," the guard's lazy voice betrayed total indifference.

"I order you again: Open, or you will regret it!

" "I wouldn't dream of it.

" "I warned you!"

An exhale, a flex of her fingers, and a forceful push. The door flew off its hinges as if it weighed nothing.

She grabbed her belt and ran for the stables. No one resisted her along the way. The look of determination on the witch's face filled them with even greater fear than the ruler's menacing gaze.

She expertly saddled her horse and galloped after the retreating army.

...

"I gave her a hard time, stupid witch! That's how women should be treated!" King Mergh laughed heartily.

"Sir! For the hundredth time, I repeat: she's not alone, this is a great order. They will take revenge, and their revenge is terrible." The court marshal continued speaking slowly and calmly.

"Falsehoods. They have their own code, which they follow under penalty of death, and it says that if I order her to do something, she must obey it and that's it.

" "But the order can release her from it!

" "Before they release her, we'll fight ten battles and beat the emperor ten times, that's what.

" "You don't know, sir, their strength and methods." The marshal practically shouted the last word and rode away to the rear of the procession.

"Old fool," Mergh whispered to the head of the guard, riding on the other side.

For a long moment, they rode in silence, broken only by a messenger arriving from the rear guard.

"Sir! Someone has left the castle and is chasing us!" It must be the new witch, Emma.

"I ordered her locked up. Find out who it is, and if it is her, kill her."

Ten minutes later, the signal to turn back sounded at the rear of the army.

...

The cloud of dust left by Mergh's advance was becoming increasingly visible. She could even see the small figures of soldiers in the distance.

However, around the next bend in the road, a large force in the king's colors blocked her path.

She stopped her horse almost immediately. She had no chance of escaping the more than twenty cavalry and a contingent of crossbowmen. She had to negotiate or fight.

"Who are you?!" shouted one of the horsemen.

"Emma, ​​the royal witch! I must speak with Mergh immediately!

" "We can't let you pass. Ride away, or we'll have to kill you!"

She considered the situation for a long time. Finally, she turned back. There were so many other paths, after all.

After less than five minutes, she found a path leading off into the forest. In the forest, you can always find paths trodden by those afraid to take the road. Sometimes you even meet such people, but then it can be very dangerous.

After an hour of fast riding through the forest, every bone ached, her face was bruised by branches, and her arms felt weak from constantly maneuvering her horse. However, through the gaps in the forest, the marching army could still be seen. Only after another hour did she see the head of the procession and the royal banner. It took her only a dozen or so minutes to ride ahead of the army.

She led her horse into the middle of the road and stood facing the approaching Mergh and his vanguard. The disheveled hair falling over her dress, soiled and slightly torn by the rush through the forest, combined with the determined expression on her branch-strewn face, created a stunning effect. The first riders who saw her stopped abruptly and turned back, only the commander's shout halted them.

"Who dares block the path of King Mergh's army, ruler of the Kingdom of Gret?!

" "His court witch, Emma!

" "What do you demand?" the decurion's voice betrayed terror.

"I wish to speak with the king!

" "The king wishes to meet no one.

" "Then inform him that I am going to speak with him!" Emma shouted, rushing toward them.

Consternation reigned in the squad, but the commander's order once again spurred his men into action:

"Take her dead or alive!"

Ten drawn swords whistled through the air. Emma reached for her own.

The first blow came from above. She blocked it with her blade and with a powerful thrust of her other hand, knocked the rider from his horse. With a quick half-turn, she managed to deflect the blow from her right and, using a swing, knocked out the squad leader approaching from behind. In a moment of respite, she rose in the saddle and, raising her voice, shouted,

"Tell your lord I'm going to speak with him!"

Emma's echoing screams sent the remaining riders scattering in all directions.

She galloped toward the direction from which the main body of the army, led by the king, was just beginning to emerge. Along the way, she had to knock down several servants who were clearing stones from the path to prevent their lord's horse from stumbling, until she finally stood before the procession and shouted,

"Greetings, Mergh, ruler of the Kingdom of Gret! I come with a message from the head of the Eastern Mages Guild.

" "You were supposed to be in your chamber. Guard! Take her!" Mergh growled.

From behind the ruler's horse, several riders in the ceremonial armor of the bodyguard emerged. But even the heaviest armor couldn't withstand the thrust delivered by the magician's power, and a moment later, a chaotic mass of horses, armor, and people lay on the ground before the king's horse.

"Will you listen to me, sir, or must I do the same to you?"

"You broke the code, and all you deserve is death!

" "You lie!" The code contains a clause that allows my immediate superior to release me from its provisions. I have been given a new mission and special powers. I am to prevent a war that you will have to lose

." "I don't care about your laws, and I will win the war anyway." Mergh was clearly irritated.

"You will win the battle, but you will not win the war. The Emperor is too strong and has allies. His revenge will engulf the entire east in flames for many years.

" "Foolish," the king laughed. "You know nothing about politics. I must win this war; there is no force that can stop me!

" "It is. Believe me, it is. I see that your empty skull is no longer fit for anything; perhaps your opponent will prove at least a little more intelligent..."

With a deft move, she erected a wall of fire across the road and headed towards the empire.

It would take several hours for the wall to crumble, and time was precious.

...

It was worse than she thought. The emperor dismissed her just as the king did. Both rulers were blinded by some unidentifiable anger. They both chased away the Mages Guild representatives who were advocating a fight and set off for war. A war that, according to the oracle, would destroy the entire East. Countless cavalry, infantry, and mercenary units, along with all the other adventurers who had heard the news of the coming war, were heading for their gathering points along all the roads of the empire and the kingdom of Gret.

Emma had been racing since morning towards the battlefield planned by the imperial strategists. She had ridden since sunrise, stopping only to give her horse a rest and a brief respite. She lacked the power to separate the two armies, but by joining forces with the guild representative approaching from the other side of the battlefield, she had a chance to stop the clash. She even managed to establish a telepathic link and agree on a plan of action. Now she had to interpose herself between the armies of the two rulers as quickly as possible.

In the distance, she could already see the smoke from the campfires in both armies' camps, and as she climbed higher elevations, she could see the large field where the battle was to take place. She was already very close. The horse was moving less and less confidently, constantly missing his stride and losing his bearings. Suddenly, he stopped, even though she hadn't reined in.

"Where are you rushing, Emma from the Mages Guild?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

Before her stood a tall man in shining black armor, a naked sword in his hand.

"I'm going to stop the slaughter that will soon take place here. Who are you that you know my name?"

"Your efforts are in vain. You have arrived too late. You will not be able to stop what is already happening. I am Raessk, the demon of war. I have descended to this land to drown it in blood. From this day forward, I am granted full power in the east of the ancient continent! I am light and darkness here! I am the beginning and the end! I am king and emperor, lord and master...!

" "You lie!" Emma shouted angrily.

With both hands, she formed a lightning bolt and fired it at the demon. However, the beam deflected, and only a quick leap from her horse saved her from absorbing a lethal dose of energy.

"You will not destroy the demon! Leave and do not cross my path again!"

She slowly rose from the ground and climbed into the saddle. In the distance, she heard the din of battle. Indeed, it was too late. The mission had failed; she must return to the guild hall and await better times.

...

(...)

And two centuries of darkness would follow.

Every land that sees the eastern stars will be drenched in blood.

But as day follows night, so day will follow this land.