Sahara Ashdell: Rebirth of Patreek (Book 3)

Sahara stretches in bed after she wakes up the next morning. She felt happy. Her plans were to take Bularia to the shopping district today for holiday shopping. Bularia’s mother would only allow Bularia to stay one night, and so she would be leaving this evening. Sahara didn’t want to miss out on time with Bularia, so she hurriedly dressed for the day. “Guilda?” She calls out as she looks out into the hallway. Guilda was usually nearby to heed Sahara’s needs when she was at Holestroy, but Sahara had not seen her yet this morning. Sahara shrugs off her unsettling feeling as she closes the door to her room. She assumes she will see Guilda on her way down the stairs. “Good morning elfie.” Tari Nathila says as Sahara enters the breakfast room.

“Hello.” She says with a smile seeing that Bularia and Trylla are already eating. Brystol’s seat is empty. “Will Brystol not be joining?”

“Not this morning. I believe he is meeting with the Eve’s Lighting Committee.” The Tari replies as she motions to a maid to give Sahara her plate.

“Thank you.” Sahara says to the maid, “Oh, have you seen Guilda this morning?”

The maid shakes her head no, with a curtsy. “No, your royal highness.”

“Was she not there to dress you this morning?” The Tari sounds concerned.

“No. I was unable to find her.” Sahara says also feeling concerned.

“Odd.” The Tari says shrugging her shoulders. “Perhaps she got caught up in her other duties. She is busy with holiday preparations.” Sahara nods in agreement with the Tari’s assessment and again pushes off the unsettling feeling she feels.

“Bularia and I will be traveling to the shopping district today. Would you like to go, Trylla?” Sahara asks knowing Trylla usually goes with her father this time of year.

“Can I mother?” Trylla asks excitedly toward Tari Nathila, who sighs reluctantly. “Please?” Trylla begs.

“I will let nothing happen to her! I promise!” Sahara promises.

“Alright.” Tari Nathila says with a smile. “I expect you all back before lunch though.” She says scoldingly toward Sahara.

“No problem!” Sahara assures her as Trylla screeches in excitement and runs over hugging her mother.

“Finish your breakfast first.” Tari Nathila says pushing Trylla off from around her neck.

After breakfast, Sahara, Bularia, and Trylla all happily load into a carriage and wave goodbye to Tari Nathila, as she watches them leave from the front entrance of Holestroy. “Which shop shall we go to first?” Trylla asks bursting with happiness.

“Why don’t you pick Bularia?” Sahara suggests looking over toward Bularia, who is smiling with excitement also.

“I was hoping we could go to the Beastism Store.”

“The Beastism Store?” Trylla and Sahara ask together sounding confused.

“Well, yes.” Bularia shifts nervously in her seat and Sahara thinks it is because she is embarrassed that they are judging her for wanting to go to such an odd store for holiday shopping. “It is to find my father a gift. You see he is into beast hunting. A hobby really.”

“Oh,” Sahara says in surprise. She had never heard Bularia mention that fact about her father before. “Then we shall go there first.”

Bularia’s face sweeps with fast relief before she turns to look out of the carriage window. Sahara looks over at Trylla who shrugs her shoulders toward her and it makes Sahara almost laugh out loud but she catches herself.

“Which way is the Beastism Store?” Sahara asks as she steps on to the sidewalk from the last floating stone. “I do not think I have ever been to it.”

“Really?” Bularia asks with interest. “Hmm.” She looks up at the furthest floating mountain from them. “It is there.”

“Oh.” Trylla says sounding unhappy by the distance. “That is a way from us.”

“We better be off then.” Sahara says hiking up her skirt to move up the floating stairs.

They arrive at the Beastism Store out of breath and Sahara wishes she had just teleported them up there. “Should we just wait out here for you?” Trylla asks looking nervous.

“No.” Bularia says quickly and it almost startles Trylla. “I need your help finding something.”

Sahara smiles at Trylla as she places her hand on her back trying to comfort her. She didn’t want Trylla to know she felt uncomfortable about going inside the Beastism Store too.

“What are we looking for?” Sahara asks as she hears the bell to the door ring when it closes behind them.

Sahara sees a sudden burst of light emerge behind her and it causes her to fall to the ground. She hears Bularia laugh as she looks up seeing Bularia using magic to raise Trylla off the ground. “What are you doing?” Sahara asks fearfully looking at Bularia.

“It was a splendid idea to invite Trylla. I wish I had thought of it myself, because I was struggling with how to convince you to give me what I needed.” Bularia says sounding very unlike herself.

“Put her down Bularia!” Sahara demands, standing up to her feet angrily.

“Not until you give me what is needed.” Bularia says shaking her pointed finger at Sahara.

Sahara threw a beam of electricity toward Bularia. Sahara had not intended the beam to hurt her friend but to just knock her down, but Bularia deflected it easily. “Now, let’s not be stupid.” Bularia says twisting the hand that has magic on Trylla. Trylla suddenly grasps at her throat acting as though she cannot breathe, and Sahara feels herself begin to panic.

“Stop it!” She screams in desperation. Bularia stops choking Trylla but keeps her up in the air.

“Try something again and I will kill her.” Bularia says with an emotionless expression.

“Why are you doing this Bularia?” Sahara asks realizing that she should not have ignored her unsettling feelings for the past two days.

“Patreek needs a bit more of your blood to finish his transition to elf form.” Bularia explains and Sahara shakes her head as tears break from her eyes. “Deny me and they both die.”

“Both?” Sahara asks looking back from Trylla to Bularia. Bularia points toward the corner of the room where Sahara sees Guilda hanging upside down unconscious. “Guilda?” She calls out but Guilda makes no sound or movement. “What have you done to her?”

Bularia smiled evilly, “Oh she is fine, just sleeping. For now.”

“Heltus?” Sahara asks looking back at Bularia realizing the future she thought had changed was only partially changed.

Bularia gives her an odd look before she asks, “How do you know that name?”

“I just do.” Sahara says shrugging her shoulders and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “That is who you truly are. Do you deny it?”

“I do not.” Bularia says and Sahara tries to tame her feelings as she comes to terms with what she must do.

“You took over Saitar Regald first, and then Bularia?” Sahara asks trying to stall as she looks around her surroundings for ideas of what to do.

“You are quite an elf, aren’t you?” Heltus says looking impressed.

“Highly underestimated by you. That is for sure.” Sahara looks back at Trylla and she attempts to teleport her home, but nothing happens.

She realizes the room must be built with vehiminal. But if it had been, then Heltus would not have been able to use Bularia’s powers so easily. She then remembered she was wearing the bracelet that Bularia had given her at the beginning of the year. She had put it on yesterday before Bularia arrived and then again this morning so Bularia would see she was wearing her gift. It was not made of vehiminal though, because she had it inspected, but obviously it had some sort of power depletion material. She slowly moves her hands behind her back and removes the bracelet.

“I have never underestimated you, Aranel.” Heltus laughs as he waves his fingers toward her and before Sahara can react and cast the spell she had planned, she suddenly feels something take hold of her arms. “But you obviously underestimate me.” She realizes two elves snapped bracelets like the ones from the elders on her and then she hears a laugh come from the back of the room. Out of the darkened corner, she sees a figure emerge and realizes it is Patreek and it makes her nerves increase as she glances back up to look at Trylla, who is in obvious fear of what is happening.

“Sahara Ashdell.” Patreek laughed excitedly. “I hear great tales about your abilities. You developed them well in the Underverse I am told.”

“I will not give you what you want.” Sahara says pulling her arms away from the elves behind her. She was not scared of Patreek.

“Fine.” Patreek says nodding to Heltus. Heltus smiles evilly as he snaps his fingers and Guilda suddenly awakens. She looks around in horror before she begins to scream for help. With another snap of Heltus’ fingers, Guilda suddenly appears to be being crushed and she screams out loudly in pain this time.

“Stop it!” Sahara says crying from the pain she is witnessing.

“Finish her.” Patreek says toward Heltus and Sahara screams in agony as she sees Guilda suddenly squeezed tighter until she crumbles.

“NO!” Sahara yells in anger as her vision turns blue. She quickly throws her hand toward Patreek and manages a weak electrical bolt that Patreek catches as if it were a flying arrow.

He laughed with a hint of surprise. “You are quite a specimen, dear niece.”

Sahara tries to focus on the small bit of magic she feels around her but it is so weak that she is struggling to take hold of it.

“Now. All we need from you is some blood and you and Trylla will be free to go.” Patreek says calmly.

Sahara realizes that they could just take it from her instead of asking her but they seem to be asking her permission. “Why would I give you permission to take my blood?”

“Because if you do not, Trylla will die next.” Patreek says simply stepping closer to the small crowd of elves.

“I don’t understand why you are asking me?” Sahara says making her intentions more clear.

“It must be given willingly.” Heltus says angrily before Patreek suddenly hits him with a ball of fire in anger.

“Shut up you idiot.” Patreek roars toward Heltus and Sahara panics as she sees Trylla begin to fall towards the ground. She feels helpless as she attempts to run over to catch Trylla but the elves hold her back. Patreek suddenly casts out his hand and causes Trylla to stop falling and rise back up toward the ceiling. Sahara sighs in relief.

Suddenly the doors to the store fly open and Sahara sees Brystol enter with multiple guards. “Shekrolum.” He yells as his hand stretches out toward Trylla and Sahara sees Brystol struggling with Patreek to save Trylla.

Sahara feels the elves that were holding her arms move away from her and towards the guards that entered with Brystol. She takes that opportunity to run after Heltus. She had spotted a large, pointed spear when she surveyed the area earlier. She quickly grabs it on her path and notices Heltus just standing back up from Patreek and hitting him with the fire ball. Sahara jumps in the air just as Heltus notices her but he reacts too late as she plunges the spear down into Bularia’s body, killing Heltus. She notices her vision blur with tears as she looks back up toward Patreek. “Patreek!” She yells at him as her vision turns grey and she stands back up pulling the spear out of Heltus. She feels the magic around her growing stronger and she spins the spear like a baton, turning the point towards Patreek. She feels the bracelets holding back some of her magic, but she doesn’t care. She wants to kill him. Patreek suddenly realizes Heltus is dead as well as the other elves that were in the room with him and he bows his head slightly in respect toward Sahara before he launches Trylla toward her. Sahara drops the spear as she catches Trylla with Brystol’s help of a spell to soften her fall. Sahara looks back to where Patreek was just standing and sees he is now gone. Trylla is crying uncontrollably as she jumps out of Sahara’s arms and runs over to Brystol. Sahara falls down to her knees as she looks at Bularia’s lifeless body. “I am so sorry!” She says to Bularia realizing she has failed her friend. “I am sorry Bularia!” She feels Brystol wrap his arms around her as she sits there apologizing again. She had never felt like such a failure.