Balance of the World
Chapter 13-Battle for Kalina

Chapter 13: Battle for Kalina

Zoeystared up at the black marble castle, swallowing hard and willing her heart tostop racing. She took in a breath andstepped up to the door to shove it open, stepping only into the threshold ofthe doorway. She gazed around thedarkness, noticing that the sunlight behind her seemed to stop right at thethreshold, not even shining into the castle.

“Well,well, well,” a sultry voice called from within, making her stiffen evenmore. “Zoey Walsh…the Enuria. We finally meet.”

“Hardto say I’m meeting you when I can’t seewho I’m talking to,” Zoey called, trying to seem unafraid.

Thedoors slammed shut behind her, making her jump, but she didn’t move from herspot. The room was dimly lit, enough toallow her to see, just as footsteps echoed around her. She looked to her left to see Jellina,dressed in complete black and holding her staff as she headed toward the throneseveral yards in front of Zoey. The redhead watched the Mor Witch sit gracefully on the throne and still didn’t moveor say anything.

“You’reshorter than I imagined,” Jellina noticed. “I’ve noticed you’ve become quite powerful quite quickly. However, I have a few tricks up my sleeve aswell.”

Zoeygave a small gasp and lifted her chin when she felt a sharp tip poke her chinas she gave a sideways glare to Rada at the other end of his spear.

“Where’sBlackwood?” he growled.

“He’snot with me,” Zoey replied. “I camealone. This fight is between Jellina andI, and I plan to keep it that way.”

“Hownoble,” Jellina laughed, evilly. “But,you see, Rada was promised Elias’s head, and I am a female of my word.”

“Ididn’t come here to fight you,Jellina,” Zoey continued, trying to keep herself from trembling as she wasstill held at the point of Rada’s spear.

“Oh?”Jellina replied, intrigued as she raised a brow at Zoey and waved Radaaway. “Then why have you come?”

Zoeylowered her chin when Rada stepped away, still pointing his spear at her butthis time a foot away.

“Icame to cure you, Jellina,” Zoey replied. “Elias told me all about the effect of DarkFairy Dust on everyone. Rada used to bea man, and my guess is you used to besomeone else too, right?”

“Jellina,don’t listen to her.”

Alleyes shot to Zoey’s right to see Uaine marching out of the shadows.

“She’strying to put you against your own kind,” Uaine snapped. “We witches are our own creatures. We come from no one.”

“AnElf disappeared one day, and not too long after that, Jellina, you appeared,threatening the balance of this world,” Zoey explained. “It took a while, but I put two and twotogether.”

“Stopspeaking!” Uaine shouted at Zoey,then growled, “Rada! Kill her—!”

Uainegave a choked sound, making everyone frown at her as she looked down at herstomach with wide, pained eyes. Aglowing piece of green stone, like jade, jutted out from her stomach, trails ofher blood running down the smooth stone. The Carad Witch fell to her knees to reveal a blonde man standing behindher, a sword on his hip.

“Fry!”Jellina growled, standing from her throne in anger.

“Varen! Run!” Zoey shouted and watched Varen duckbehind a pillar just as Jellina aimed her staff at him, and a pulse was sent inhis direction but when it hit the pillar, it had no effect.

Zoeylifted her hand to Jellina and was thrown back into her throne with a grunt ofpain just Rada lifted his spear to stab Zoey. She lifted her hands and was about to use the same spell on him but whenhis spear came down to strike, it was met midway with a metal clang. The red head stared to her left with wideeyes filled with disbelief and horror.

Eliasshoved Rada away by his blade and stood in front of Zoey as she still stared athim.

“I’lltake care of this one,” he told her.

“Elias! What are you doing here?!” Zoey snapped. “You brought Varen with you too, didn’tyou?!”

“Youwant to have this conversation now?!”Elias snapped back as Rada charged him and Elias quickly parried the attack asZoey leapt out of the way.

Justas she moved from Elias’s battle, she was thrown to the side where Varen hadbeen hiding and slammed into the pillar he was hiding behind.

“MissZoey!” he shouted, and hurriedly pulled her into his hiding place as shegroaned in pain and sat herself next to him. “Are you alright?!”

“Notreally,” Zoey groaned and frowned when he handed her something.

“You’llneed this,” he guessed, placing an icicle shaped piece of stone in herhand. “Kalina Mir Stone. The only thing that can kill a witch.”

“Takeit and get out of here, Varen,” Zoey instructed, handling the thing back tohim. “I can’t have your blood on myhands.”

Shestood and rounded the pillar before Varen could stop her and she was instantlylifted and slammed into the ceiling, then thrown down to the floor. She groaned and tried to get up but Jellinasoon loomed over her with an evil smirk.

“Saviorof Kalina,” she scoffed. “How pathetic.”

Zoeythrust her arms toward Jellina and sent her flying across the room and into theroom she’d entered from. Zoey used alevitation spell to lift herself into the air, ignoring Elias’s and Rada’sfight as best she could. Zoey clappedher hands together and parted them, creating a white staff from thin air andhovered outside the dark room, waiting for Jellina to attack.

Jellinacame flying out of the room, her staff lifted and ready to bring it down onZoey’s head, but Zoey quickly defended herself and shoved Jellina away. Jellina swing her staff, aiming it at Zoey,causing black lightening to shoot from the top. Zoey quickly began spinning her staff in front of her as fast as shecould, causing a wind tunnel to send Jellina tumbling away.

Ashout of pain suddenly made her freeze and she looked down to see Elias on theground with Rada’s spear in his side.

“Elias!”

Zoeywas pulled down to the ground, slamming into the floor. She was lifted an inch off the floor andslammed into it again, and again, and again, until a dent appeared in themarble floor. Finally, Zoey was left onthe floor, a few yards away from Elias as Rada yanked his spear from his body. She groaned in more pain than she’d everfelt, knowing something was broken, but she thought of nothing else besidesgetting to Elias.

“Howromantic,” Jellina crooned, mockingly as Zoey began pulling herself towardElias who was clinging to life, trying to stand. “Even with the two of you dying you still wish to be close to eachother.”

Zoeyignored her taunts as she crawled toward Elias, trying to think of what to doto save him. Jellina waved Rada awaywhen he was going to stab the man again and the Ramran general backed away witha sneer as Zoey reached Elias.

“Elias…”she groaned as he rolled onto his side to see her and she gripped hishand. “Listen to me. You need to trust me and do what I tell you.”

“Weshould not let them speak to each other!” Rada growled at Jellina. “Let me finish him off!”

“No!”the Mor Witch snapped at him. “They’redying anyway. Let them have thismoment.”

Zoeyshifted herself next to Elias and tried to stop the bleeding of his wound withher hand alone, but he was losing too much blood as it pooled below him.

“Elias,”she breathed again then sniffled, “You’re…You’re going to die.”

“No…”he groaned, and moved to stand, but the pain was too much.

“Listento me,” Zoey shuddered. “You’re going todie and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Stopsaying…that,” Elias pleaded, his voice fading as his eyes fluttered shut, buthe opened them, trying to concentrate. “I can’t…die. I have to…protectyou.”

“Closeyour eyes, my love,” she shuddered. “Letgo. Trust me and listen to me, please.”

“Cureme, Angel,” he suggested. “You canstill…cure me.”

“You’velost too much blood already,” she murmured. “Just sleep, darling.”

“Angel…”

“Iknow, Elias.”

Zoeytook in a breath when he took in his last breath but as she held hers, he lethis go, and went limp at the same time, rolling onto his back on the floor andZoey allowed tears to roll down her face.

“Now, Rada, you may finish her off,”Jellina consented, but as Rada marched toward them and raised his spear, ashield formed around Zoey and Elias. When Rada brought his spear down, it bounced back from the shield makingJellina growl and wave her hand over the shield, but nothing happened to it.

“No!”she shouted and marched toward the shield to hit it with her staff but had noluck in breaking it.

Zoeytook in a breath and leaned forward to press her forehead to Elias’s, her handon either side of his face.

“Athmhúscailt,”she whispered.

“She’susing the resurrection spell!” Jellina realized.

Apulse came from Elias’s body, sending Jellina and Rada sliding back over the marbleas the shield fell and Zoey was thrown back from his body when pain wentshooting through her every nerve and she fell back next to him. Everyone was still for a moment beforeElias’s body arched and he took in a deep breath of air, coughing after he didso. He rolled onto his side and quicklysat up to pull Zoey into his arms as she lay unmoving next to him.

“Zoey!”he called, shaking her to wake up and she groaned before looking up athim. “You would use a resurrection spellat this time?! Why?!”

Insteadof answering, she gripped his face and brought him close to plant her lips tohis, making his eyes shoot wide in surprise and at suddenly feeling lightheaded. He suddenly knew words he didn’tknow before, and how to use them, and he realized what she was doing. A knowledge transfer.

Herhands fell away from his face and she stopped kissing him, making him look downat her. She wasn’t moving, and he soonrealized she wasn’t breathing.

“No,”he breathed then shook her. “Zoey! Wake up! Zoey! Zoey!”

Anevil laugh suddenly sounded ahead of him and he glared up at Jellina as shestood, Rada stalking toward them.

“Yourprecious savior is dead!” Jellinalaughed, evilly. “Whatever will you do now, you half-breed?!”

“I’mno half-breed anymore,” he growled, lowering Zoey gently to the ground andstanding, lifting a hand to his mask to pull it off. Rada and Jellina looked at him with wide eyesas they saw his true face and he stepped toward Jellina, saying, “How could youforget the boy you cared for so much?”

“Getaway from me!” Jellina shouted, dropping her staff in fright.

Radatook the opportunity to charge at Elias, but the man caught his attack, andmerely lifted a hand up and Rada went flying across the room, his spear flyinginto the air. When Rada landed on hisback with a grunt, his spear came falling right at him and stabbed him in thegut, making him give a pained cry before he fell limp on the floor. Elias looked back at Jellina who wastrembling in fright, a sight he never thought he would see.

“Youare not seeing a ghost,” he assured her and stepped directly in front of her asshe bumped into her throne. “Youremember me, don’t you?”

“Stayback!” she screamed and held out her hands but Elias was close enough to gripher wrists and hold her hands down. Hishands went up to her head, remembering how Zoey had held Kaysar’s head and heclosed his eyes as Jellina froze.

“DeireadhA Chur,” he murmured.

Jellina’sbody seized, violently, but Elias stood still, holding her head in hishands. After a moment he opened hiseyes, and the same black smoke fog that had covered Zoey’s eyes now coveredhis. He still held onto Jellina as sheseized and her hair suddenly changed from black to silver and rapidly grew tocascade down her back, her open eyes changing to an aqua green, with blacklines cutting through the irises and her ears gave way to a slight point at thetop.

Amoment later the former Mor Witch stopped seizing and started falling as theblack fog in Elias’s eyes gave way to a silver glow then faded to his originalhazel color and he caught her before she fell. He set her in the throne and moved a piece of her hair from her face totry to catch her gaze.

“Eona?”he murmured.

Shegroaned and stirred before lifting her head and she frowned, her eyes wideningwhen she looked at him.

“Elias,”she breathed and he pulled her into a tight hug as she threw her arms aroundhim and buried her face into his shoulder. “Elias, forgive me!”

“Iwill always forgive you,” he murmured, but soon remembered the person who madethis happen.

Hespun around to hurry toward Zoey’s body and sat her up to hold her in his armsas Eona hurried after him.

“Elias,what are you doing?!” Eona questioned as he propped Zoey up on his arm.

“I’mgoing to bring her back,” he replied. “Ihave to. She brought me back, and now I must do the same.”

“Youcan’t, Elias,” Eona argued, kneeling next to them. “You’re not strong enough.”

“IfI don’t do it now, she’ll be gone forever!” Elias replied.

“Letme do it,” Eona suggested, making himlook up at her in wide-eyed confusion. “I can do it without weakening myself. I’ve done it many times as Jellina. Let me.”

Eliasswallowed but nodded as he set Zoey down again and Eona leaned over her toplace a hand on either side of her head. She didn’t even say a word as a pulse knocked Elias back but hehurriedly crawled toward the two as Eona pulled her hands away from Zoey’s headand they both looked down at her. Eliastook Zoey’s hand and pressed his lips to it, holding it there until somethinghappened. They both jumped when Zoey’sback arched just as she took in a breath and then coughed a few times beforesettling herself on the floor.

“Zoey!”Elias called, sitting up to pull her into his arms as she groaned and looked upat him with a frown and he smiled, tears of joy coming to his eyes. “My Angel. You’ve returned to the living.”

“You…idiot,”Zoey breathed in a raw voice making the two frown at her. “You couldn’t let me have my moment as themartyr, could you?”

Eliaschuckled, then laughed heartily as he pulled her close to hug her tightly,pressing kisses all over her forehead.

“Sheneeds rest, Elias,” Eona told him.

Henodded before lifting Zoey in his arms to head out of the Castle Dae, Eonaright next to him. Varen stood outsidewith two horses, Phantom and another horse, prepared for a quick getaway.

“Varen,meet Eona,” Elias introduced, quickly as he sat Zoey on his saddle then mountedhimself. “She’ll be riding withyou. Take good care of her or you’llface punishment.”

“Certainly,Sir,” Varen nodded before mounting then helping Eona into the saddle. “Where are we headed?”

“Tomy home,” Elias reported, taking the reins. “You can drop off Eona then tell the men that the war is over. Spread the word far and wide. The Mor Witch Jellina is dead.”