Whisps of Smoke

-Hooded Figure-

Once I turned around, there were still questions on the King's mind that were left unanswered. So before I could walk out the door, he pronounced, "How would we get to fairyland? It is in the sky!" Halting in my tracks to the King's question, I scowled with disgust and turned slowly. Facing the King once more, I smiled slyly and giggled softly with evil intentions. Humans were always the lesser beings, they crave power above all else and would do anything to obtain it. My laughter was of success because I knew that this lowly human King would bite upon the bait that I have given to him. Revenge was close and it felt ever more glorious.

Scoffing, I stated, "There is only one way a mortal such as yourself could ever get up to fairyland..." Pausing, I provided suspense. Curiosity was a weakness of man, you lure them in and cage them in a box. You keep them guessing and they always come back for more. Though what I speak of is dangerous, the spell of Avandure (Ah-vauhn-dur) is not for the faint of heart. It is a spell that forces the god of wind, Zephyrus to cast down his powers upon men and gift them with flight. However, it is only temporary because one is fighting a god and you will never win against a god unless you are a god yourself, "The spell of Avandure is a summoning of the god Zephyrus. That is your way up." The King twiddled his fingers across the armrest of his throne. He was divulging the pros and cons of my suggestion. As he was doing this, an expression of worry sat upon his face and I knew what he was so hesitant about. Forcing gods into your hand was risky and there were a lot of consequences, a tole to this sort of spell was hefty but I was half dead so I could endure the risks.

The King placed his four fingers across his temple and expressed his thoughts, " The Gods are not something to mess with, they are beings who could wipe out the human race if they so wished. The God of wind is rambunctious, making him mad is like making a teenager upset, it will not work out for us." I knew that these thoughts may penetrate the mind but there are worse gods than Zephyrus, the God of war was more hasty and vile than a gentle, rowdy god. Some may think that it is the Goddess of death that is the worst, but she is no evil perpetrator, she gives life purpose and meaning to those who are mortal. Though there is always a price to pay, in death. Those who are immortal see unimaginable things in life, we see men toil away in madness and despair but for me, it makes my life enjoyable.

The Gods can not harm any living being, they decided this at the very beginning when the race of man was created, "A stout observation. Although the Gods can not harm the living they are permitted not to. It is in their by-laws, they can not lay a finger on any being that breaths, it is how we managed to survive for so long." The King nodded, thinking about my words carefully. He looked to his guards for some advice on the matter but they remained still, unmoving. Sighing, he turned his focus back to me and regained focus on the matter at hand. He did not speak for several minutes, trying to decipher if he should follow through with my plan.

Sighing, he shook his head in agreement, "Alright, we can go through with this plan of yours." I knew that he would accept my proposal, after all, it is just another kingdom to conquer for him. I laughed to myself, my plan was turning into a success, and nothing could stop me now. My plan, however, could not play out until tomorrow, we will wait until the rising sun at dawn. Turning around, I began my journey toward the door, though the King did not approve of my movements, "Where are you going? Aren't we going to commence with the spell?" I did not stop my wanderings to the door, his words would not stop me. He was getting too greedy, with patience comes great reward. That is what I have learned over my long, resentful life.

Disappointed, I responded to his quarrel, "Patience my Lord, you will get what you wish for with the rising of the sun." I chose this time to do it because with the rising of the sun comes the watchful eye of the sun goddess. Helena brings light and hope to the people across the kingdom of Ashmar and she is the one who chose Ashley Magic to be her successor. This means that she is part God, why her and not me? I was resurrected for a purpose at the very beginning, I was supposed to have unlimited power but it was not given to me.

With that said, I marched out the door and began my journey back to the Mage's army. We have millions of soldiers prepared for war. The king was only my curtain, to disguise the true purpose of our attack. If we were to be discovered by Fairylands imperial guard, then they would think that the humans were planning an attack on their lands. We have the element of a surprise because no one knows that I am alive and the Mage's army has regrown in size over the past year and doubled during that time. We don't want them to think that there is a huge threat against their kingdom otherwise they would train more people and prepare intensively. Fairyland was in for one big surprise when they discover that their enemy has such power over all their forces.

Once I made it to the edge of the forest that we have claimed, it is a small area but we still infested the woods with dark magic. The trees were wilted and depressed because of the decrease in moisture. Entering the misty woods, I made my way through the nightmare maze that the Mage has created, this was our way to try and deter any curious by-passers. Only our members within the Mage's army know the way through and if you do get lost you will get consumed by the forest within.

A few minutes later I got to the clearing and was met with the dark and mysterious castle that the Mage has created for herself. Crows were flying around the castle walls squabbling over spots to land, they were the spies that the Mage had for herself. She always knows what is happening throughout the forest and the kingdom of Ashmar. Birds are the least of anybody's concerns and that is what makes them so useful because we can look at whatever is happening without anyone worrying.

Making my way to the castle, the doors opened by themselves and I was met with the Mage sitting on her throne. Walking across the floor, I stopped a few feet in front of her and bowed in her presence, "The King has taken the bait, your excellency." The room darkened and felt as if there was more density and less oxygen for living beings to breathe. When the Mage breathed in it sounded like there was suspenseful music in the background, her voice was soft and raspy which sent chills up and down one's spine.

The Mage responded to the news that I gave her, and even though it did not sound like it, she was very happy with the job that I just completed, "Good, we shall set out when the sun is brightest." Our attack was planned for noon, this is when the sun was at its highest peak. This was an insult to the sun Goddess herself, saying that even with your watchful eyes we can succeed in our evil endeavors.